Chapter 28 – Doubt (4)

“Okay then, see you later!”

She got out of the car and fell into deep thought as she watched Hyeon Hayeon smile brightly and enter the shopping mall.

There was something strange about Han Jeong-suk, who had been in love with her for decades, as if she had returned from her long-time love.
She was worried that the innocent Hyeon Hayeon would be influenced by Jeong Jeong-suk, but seeing her innocent smile made her think that it would be okay to trust Hyeon Hayeon.

If you think about it, Lee Ji-yeon didn’t seem to have been greatly influenced by Han Jeong-sook.

From the beginning, Jiyeon Lee showed obsession since her school days.

··· She had to take Baek Ga-eun around here and there today, so she tried to think of other things as she started the car.

*

“Please lie down on your back.”

I took off the light gown that covered my upper body and quickly lay down on the massage bed.

Because she didn’t have a good-looking body, she was embarrassed for no reason.
I climbed up the smooth bed and lay down.

Her face fit perfectly into her concave hole and felt strangely comfortable.
···Why am I getting a massage?

“It’s argan oil.”

Her warm, lukewarm hands swept over my back, applying oil to every nook and cranny.
It was quite refreshing to see her slippery hands pressing along the muscles of her back with strange force.
After all, experts are different.

I could hear the massage therapist talking through the curtain near the bed.

“Your skin is very fair~ There are no blemishes…”

This is probably a story told to Baek Ga-eun.

Voices of admiration were constantly heard praising Baek Ga-eun.

Today was the day Baek Ga-eun visited the shop once a week to receive skin care or necessary procedures.
Her mission was an easy one: take her to her shop.

Since there was a precedent with Lee Ji-yeon and Hyeon Ha-yeon, I was used to waiting for them to be managed.

I tried to pass the time by taking Baek Ga-eun to the shop again today, but…

“Would you like to get it from the manager too?”

“···Yes?”

She was sitting side by side at the reception and talking about what they were doing and waiting.
After hearing me say that she usually eats something nearby or spends a reasonable amount of time, she thought for a while and asked if she would like to take care of it together.

At first, I thought it was just a passing conversation.

Without listening to my answer, she stood up and handed the cell phone to her counter.

“Please do 24 times with what I get.”

In her panic, I followed her to stop her, but it was not enough to stop Baek Ga-eun, who had made up her mind.

“···Well, Miss Ga-eun, I don’t have to accept it… No, would you mind using this card?”

“You’re going to travel with me, so take this much.”

She hurriedly took out her card, but a payment notification was already ringing on her phone.
This was one of the largest shops in Gangnam. I know she gets the best course, but she paid 24 times, so I couldn’t imagine how much it would cost.

“Uh, how much is it?”

“···Body special course costs 2.8 million won for 24 sessions.”

“Lee, two hundred…”

My eyes widened at the employee’s words.

Even if I gave up my entire monthly salary, there wasn’t enough money to receive 24 payments.

Even though I was in charge, I felt burdened by Baek Ga-eun who spent money so easily.

“···Miss Ga-eun, if you take care of company expenses…”

“I didn’t pay to receive this at any time.”

“It’s a bribe I give, so you only accept it when you come with me.”

She looked away resolutely, as if she would not listen to me anymore, and went inside following the guidance of her employee.

“I will show you to the changing room inside.”

I was standing there in a daze and eventually had no choice but to follow the staff’s instructions.

*

Throughout the treatment, Baek Ga-eun, behind the curtain, showed a friendly atmosphere as she chatted with the staff who gave her lip service.

On the other hand, the older employee on my side seemed to be quiet, so he calmly continued management without saying a word other than what was necessary.

There was an incident where Baek Ga-eun’s staff made a mistake and Baek Ga-eun was seen greasy with oil, but she got over it well.

After finishing her care, she came out and met Baek Ga-eun.
Baek Ga-eun’s fair skin turned reddish and turned a little red, and she looked strangely sexy.

She let Baek Ga-eun into the next shop and ran out before she could make another unexpected move.
She regretfully left Baek Ga-eun behind and decided to wait in her car.

“… It won’t happen next time, so wait inside…”

She ultimately decided to lose to Baek Ga-eun, who apologized, saying she didn’t know she would hate it so much.
A downcast Baek Ga-eun looked a little cute.

“···You must not do that next time.”

“···Yes”

I ignored her hesitation and her efforts to add something to her words and focused on driving.
After dropping Baek Ga-eun off at her company after her lesson, I turned around and headed to Han Jeong-sook’s office.

*

I left messages for Han Jeong-suk and Hyeon Ha-yeon and waited in the car for over two hours.

Han Jeong-sook replied that she would finish before 5 o’clock, but she showed no signs of coming out as time went by.

I wondered how great of an instructor it was that it took so long.

However, you can’t just blindly go and ask when it will end.

Music is the realm of art.

It is said that there are singers who re-record for hours with just one verse.

She is Han Jeong-sook, who sang the song to suit Hyeon Ha-yeon, so she can’t just rush in while she may be deciding the direction of the song.

More time passed.

The sun had already set for a long time, and the moonlight was starting to show through.

I contacted him to ask if he was eating and working, but the only reply I received was that he was fine.

As soon as Hyeon Hayeon came out, she prepared some snacks and drinks for her to eat.
It was hard to imagine what she was doing in a space where it was difficult to move her arms outstretched.

After an hour of teasing the straw of the drink she had finished, Hyeon Hayeon finally appeared.
I saw her walking absent-mindedly, looking at her bottom, and quickly got out of her car and approached her.

“···Hayeon, you worked hard”

She lifted her lowered head and looked at me.
For some reason, she looked a little gaunt and had dry lips, but what caught my eye the most was her eyes, which had a different light from her usual bright eyes.

When I met eyes as dark as Hyeon Hayeon’s hair, I was startled and took a step back from her.

It was a familiar look.

Infinitely deep and dark eyes, I felt like I was looking at a warrior who once looked at me and showed an ugly desire.

I tried to calm her startled heart and spoke to her to wake her from her daze.

“···Hayeon, are you okay?”

“Huh, brother? I waited a long time…”

When I saw her dark eyes quickly disappear and her apologetic expression, I felt like it was my mistake.

“···No, have you eaten? “Are you hungry?”

“I think I’m a little hungry…”

Seeing her blushing and smiling, as if she was embarrassed, made her feel relieved.
There is no way he would be this calm if he had memories of his time as a warrior.

That doesn’t mean she likes me, so I was sure the look in her eyes earlier was an illusion.

*

Even after quickly devouring her snacks in her car, she was still hungry, so I took her and headed to her nearby restaurant.
Perhaps because it was a deserted outskirt, there weren’t many buildings with lights on around the restaurant.

I felt happy seeing Hyeon Ha-yeon smiling happily as she put a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

Isn’t this what parents say about being full just by looking at people eating?

“I heard you didn’t eat either. Eat a lot!”

“···Okay”

It was very cute to see her shifting her gaze from side to side as she ate this side dish and that side dish.

When I look at Hyeon Hayeon, with her hair gathered together in a so-called ‘ponytail’, I am reminded of a warrior I have seen countless times.
Although long hair was cumbersome, the warrior always kept the length near his shoulders and said he wanted to look pretty. He usually wore a ponytail.

If you think about it, the warrior was also a pretty good eater.

Heroes who mainly used their bodies ate a lot compared to their body size.

I quickly ate down the not-so-small amount of snacks and this time, the side dishes and rice were about to run out.

After eating this much, he glanced at me and put down his chopsticks as if embarrassed.

Every time, I said it was good to eat well and moved the side dishes to her plate.

He must have been very hungry today, so he smiled slightly when he saw me and focused on eating again.

Although he is tall, I was curious where all the nutrients went.

“Wow… I enjoyed it!”

He must have finished eating before he knew it. The sight of him patting his stomach and gulping down water was like seeing a brave warrior.

She matched her pace and I finished eating, so I finished paying and left her restaurant.

“Wow~ I’m so full.”

“… I’m glad I ate well.”

I just ate it like that, but she seemed to enjoy it quite a bit and kept showing that she was satisfied.

It was a long walk to where she parked her car, so she was walking and having a long conversation with her.

Because it was a deserted alley, the atmosphere was gloomy, but the streetlights erected sparsely illuminated the street, making it not dark.

While I was answering to Hyeon Ha-yeon, who told me that she was satisfied with the map I received today, I didn’t notice the person coming out of the alley and ended up bumping into them.

“Fuck you kid… Where are you looking when you’re walking?”

“Oppa, are you okay?”

I wasn’t pushed away at all, but the other person rolled around on the floor and kept swearing.

···This is a picture I have seen many times somewhere.

“Sorry. Are you okay?”

It was true that she had bumped into him anyway, so she extended her hand in apology.
The man stood up, ignoring his outstretched hand, and began to argue.

“Hey, you hit someone and then apologize like that? “My clothes are dirty, damn you!”

“That’s right, it’s a bit like that~”

I glanced at the man who was swearing and lunging at me until he almost reached me.

The lines on the arms, which are the signature of luxury brands, the pattern on the pants, the daily bag carried by both men and women, it was a couple who seemed to have copied the gangster fashion commonly referred to these days.

He rolled up his arms to show off his scary tattoos and showed signs of violence, perhaps to scare people, but he never touched my body first.

When I glanced around, it seemed to be an alley with no CCTV.

It wasn’t a skill that had been done once or twice.

“···I’m really sorry, I’ll give you my contact information, and I’ll cover the laundry costs…”

As I bent down to get over, a powerful man grabbed me by the collar.

“Mister, I’m asking for money now…”

It was an instant.

The hand that was holding my collar disappeared, and the man made a heavy sound and disappeared beyond the dark alley.

The sight of it floating and flying like an action scene from a movie was unrealistic.

Before the man’s lover could scream in surprise, something came rushing out from behind me.

Hyeon Hayeon pounced on the woman with a smooth motion, covering her mouth and dragging her to her alley.
The desperately struggling woman’s feet disappeared in the darkness.

“Awesome!”

After a while, desperate screams and the sound of something pounding were repeatedly heard.

It was a dull sound that made you think it was broken somewhere.

‘Snap!···Snap!···’

There wasn’t even a scream, and soon the alley became quiet.

“···Oppa Gwae, are you okay?”

Hyeon Ha-yeon, who was approaching me to ask how I was doing, could not be seen clearly because there was little light in the alley.

When I heard Hyeon Ha-yeon’s trembling voice in the black darkness, I became a little afraid.

Without realizing it, I took a step back and Hyeon Ha-yeon stopped approaching.

“···Oh, brother…”

“Kuhuhuh… Mr. Feet…”

Before Hyeon Ha-yeon could say anything, a rustling sound was heard as if the man who had flown ahead had come to his senses and got up cursing.

“···”

Hyeon Ha-yeon turned back and soon the sound of something pounding was heard once again.

Frozen in fear, I came to my senses and looked around.

There were no witnesses.

I looked around closely just in case, but I couldn’t see any CCTV.

After finishing work, I quickly headed to the parking lot, dragging Hyeon Hayeon, who was shaking.

I felt a small tremor in the hand she held.
When she looked anxious, he gently squeezed her, as if to reassure her.

As soon as she put her Hyeon Ha-yeon in the passenger seat and started the car, the woman who had been quiet the whole time opened her mouth.

“···I’m sorry, brother…”

I had doubts about Hyeon Ha-yeon, who apologized in a hushed voice.

I don’t know what I’m apologizing for.

No one knows what impact her accidental actions will have.

They say there was no CCTV, but I may not have seen it.

If that couple wakes up and reports, we could soon be caught.

If Hyun Hayeon’s crime is revealed, her debut in the entertainment industry may be ruined and the family she supports may fall apart.

Of course, he would have done that for me, but he went too far.

However, when I saw Hyeon Hayeon shaking with a fearful expression next to me, I didn’t feel like pushing her.
In the end, I had no choice but to protect her.

“···It’ll be okay”

*

“Confirmed.”

‘Leave evidence and deal with it.’

I put the disconnected phone in my pocket and looked around the scene.

“… Deal with it”

“Yes”

When I gave instructions, the team members moved in perfect order.

···This was my first time dealing with a neighborhood bully like this.

It was even the youngest girl’s first instruction.

The team members’ bets became ambiguous.

I chose Yeonjeok as my first target.

“Team leader, let’s move on to the next bet.”

I suggested to my teammate, who was laughing and talking playfully, that we should double our bet while we were at it.