Chapter 29 – Doubt (5)

Anyone who has ever raised a dog has probably experienced holding a leash.

A leash is actually a very scary tool.

To tame an animal, a rope is tightly tied around its neck, which is the vital area.

Animals want to move as they wish, but if they run wild, the rope they are tied to will suffocate them.

After repeatedly choking, the animal finally pays attention to its owner.

Funny enough, the animals adapt to that and begin to rebel against their owners.

Even though the other person is holding a rope around the neck, it rebels against the owner and bites.

There are times when you are abandoned, and sometimes you are let off the leash

Usually, the beasts are reformed by organizing the ranks accompanied by violence.

Only then does the animal become a pet and receive the love of its owner.

*

On the way back to Hyeon Ha-yeon’s house in a hurry, the radio that was turned on to make her appear calm was constantly talking.

I was startled every time I saw a police car standing on the side of the road, anxious that the police might catch us or call us because we ate at a nearby restaurant.

However, on the way to Hyeon Ha-yeon’s house, we saw many police cars, perhaps because it was evening, but no one was there to catch us.

After a long drive, we arrived at Hyeon Ha-yeon’s house.

Hyeon Hayeon was just shaking slightly and looking at her toes. She didn’t seem to have any intention of getting off.
While she was deciding what words of comfort to say to her, Hyeon Hayeon spoke first.

“···Oppa, I, I…”

“···”

I decided to wait quietly for her as I watched her struggle to continue, stuttering several times.
The tears in the corners of my eyes began to flutter.

“… Can’t I just hug you once?”

A tear streamed down from the big eyes that were looking at me.

Her tightly bitten lips turned white as if she was holding back her tears.
Even the corners of her eyes were drooped, showing how shaken she was.

If I had given money to that man…

If you were strong enough not to be beaten by the bully…

If you had reassured me that it would be okay the whole way…

If you had comforted me by saying thank you as much as I did, wouldn’t I have shed tears like this?

Hyeon Hayeon, who lost her father when she was young, is now supporting her family as the head of the household.
I felt anxious due to the uncertainty about her success and how long she would be able to continue her peaceful family life.

If I think about it, Hyeon Ha-yeon would tell me and ask for advice whenever something happened.

He must have been leaning heavily on me, but how nervous must he have been since I actually showed signs of anxiety

She stretched out her body and took Hyeon Hayeon in her arms and whispered.

“···Thank you for helping me today”

“So… Oh, oppa… I’m sorry for making a mistake too…”

“No, those scoundrels need to be scolded to come to their senses…”

“Huh…”

Hyeon Hayeon, who had been sobbing for a while, slightly pushed me away and covered her face, probably because she was embarrassed by me hugging her tightly.

“Oppa, my clothes are getting dirty…”

“···”

Only then did I let her go.

She cried so bitterly that the underside of her shoulders were wet.
Even her slightly ugly appearance looks pitiful, so it is true that Hyeon Ha-yeon is a celebrity.

Hyeon Hayeon looked at me between her fingers and spoke carefully.

“···I’m going up.”

“···Okay, I took a good rest today, sorry to repeat it, but thank you very much.”

“···Me too. ···See you tomorrow.”

Seeing her quickly get off and run up to the house, it seemed like the scary Hyeon Ha-yeon I saw earlier was just an illusion created by the dark alley.

She didn’t see the scene clearly, but didn’t the couple just hit the floor and be fine?
I didn’t even get hit once, so Hyeon Ha-yeon wouldn’t have rushed at me with the intent to kill.

When Hyeon Hayeon saw that she had entered the house, she started her engine again and headed home.

*

She was so tired that she woke up in the morning without even seeing her goddess.
Anyway, I have to go to work.

She prayed that nothing would happen to Hyeon Hayeon and got ready for work.

Hyeon Ha-yeon and Baek Ga-eun also have no special schedules today, just lessons.

I’ve been feeling a lot of psychological pressure lately, and I think I need to go through it peacefully for a day, so my mentality won’t be shaken.

I prayed earnestly for a day like that.

She went to work and met Hyeon Hayeon, who came out a little earlier than usual, and asked if she was okay, and she replied that nothing special had happened and that she had calmed down a lot.
She looked less bright than usual, but she must have been scared, so it was fortunate that she seemed to be in pretty good shape despite dealing with a gangster.

After sending Hyeon Hayeon away, she met Baek Ga-eun, who went to work.
She had planned to cheer him up and tell him to cheer up today, but with a stern look on her face, she said she had something to say and followed Baek Ga-eun with questions.

As she sat down in a corner of the conference room, Baek Ga-eun took out a small document envelope from her bag and handed it to me.

“···What is this?”

“···See for yourself.”

It was strange that she didn’t make eye contact with her stiff face.
I was curious about what he had to show me in such a serious mood.

I glanced at the inside of the envelope and saw that it contained several photos.

When I looked at Baek Ga-eun, she was still avoiding my gaze.

I took out the photos and looked through them one by one.

The first photo had a slightly dark background, so it was hard to see what the photo was at a glance.

When I looked closely, it was a photo of someone confronting me.

I could tell what kind of photos they were by looking at the second photo.

There was a picture of a man and a woman, with one woman punching the other man.

I felt like the blood was cooling all over my body.

I looked at the next photo with slightly trembling hands, and it looked a little clearer. It was a photo of a black-haired woman covering the mouth of a brown-haired woman.

It was a photo taken yesterday.

My mouth became dry, and my throat started to burn.

It was obviously a very hasty look, but we checked all possible locations for CCTV and there was nothing that looked like CCTV.

However, the photos taken had a clear CCTV composition, and as they went through correction, the fact that they were Hyeon Ha-yeon and me became more and more clearly revealed.

As I flipped through the photos, I saw that they were prints of CCTV footage, and when I flipped through the photos to the end, I saw photos taken with different compositions.

It was bright as if a flash had been used, and the man and woman in the picture were lying there with blood on their faces.
The police line visible around seemed to be a photo taken by the police.

···How did these photos come from Baek Ga-eun…

“···It was hard for me to believe it, but no matter how I looked, it looked like it was the manager and Hayeon, so I brought it.”

“… Tell me no.”

It seems that the expectation that nothing would happen in modern society was a false story.

This photo was taken shortly after dropping off Hyeon Hayeon.

Her heart was pounding.
If Hyeon Ha-yeon and I are caught by the police like this… Then it will be the end.

“···Ha, are you the manager?”

Baek Ga-eun sighed deeply as she saw me trembling without being able to deny it and spoke carefully.

“… Grandpa gave it to me and told me to take care of it.”

“···The investigation has already been concluded, and it went smoothly.”

“···Yes?”

The words that came out of her mouth were incomprehensible to me, an ordinary person.

How did they conclude the police investigation and move on?

Even though it is a large company, the Baekil Group can also use its hands in such a way…

Baek Ga-eun said, taking out a small USB from his bag and showing it.

“I have the original copy of the investigation materials.”

“···It depends on what the manager does.”

It is a threat.

Baek Ga-eun will try to threaten me into a deal.

But what Baek Ga-eun will suggest to me is up to her mind.

I was dizzy.

Lee Ji-yeon is trying to shake me by holding her leash, but if Baek Ga-eun is also holding my leash, which beat should I move to?
I thought she was different from the devil, but even though her personality was different, I was afraid of Baek Ga-eun, who was trying to shake me by placing me in his hand.

“···We make a deal.”

“···What kind of deal are you talking about?”

After rolling her eyes back and forth and thinking for a while, Baek Ga-eun carefully made a suggestion.

“···Let us go.”

“···Yes?”

As she closed her eyes and was contemplating whether to stamp or sign the memorandum, an unexpected suggestion came to her.

“···I heard you’ve been talking to Hayeon these days…”

I don’t know where she heard it, but Baek Ga-eun also knew that Hyeon Hayeon and I don’t talk when they’re together.

“···Let me call you oppa too and let me talk to you.”

“… Even in front of others”

It was a proposal so light that it made me feel defeated after I was so scared.

It was a difficult proposition in another sense, but I thought it was still better than writing a memorandum.

“···Are you really that okay?”

“How dare you treat me like a co-worker?”

Baek Ga-eun was not the devil. It was clearly an angel.

Her natural white hair proves that she is an angel.
I tried to speak calmly.

“···If that is enough, we will do it.”

Baek Ga-eun had complicated feelings as she looked at me with her grinning smile.
She spoke while touching her photo as if showing off.

“… Still, the manager is lucky.”

“···That’s right.”

She picked up a photo and started tearing it apart.

It was a photo of Hyeon Ha-yeon and I are confronting a couple.

After tearing it a few times, it broke into pieces that were difficult to put together.

Baek Ga-eun, with a satisfied smile, put down the piece of her photo and handed me the USB containing the original.

“Ah, is it okay if I call you oppa now?”

“···”

“···Huh?”

“···It’s okay”

Baek Ga-eun, who was full of laughter, looked like the devil she had seen once.
I felt really fortunate that she was on my side.

It ended like this because she was a good Baek Ga-eun. If she and Lee Ji-yeon had this much power, I would have been caught by society and all, and I would be helping her.

If you think about it that way, I think the level of criticism of Baek Ga-eun and her words is light.

People who know my personality might be surprised if they see Baek Ga-eun and her words, but it’s 100 times better than being surprised by the accident I had with Hyeon Ha-yeon.

I received the USB and photos from Baek Ga-eun and left the conference room, thinking about what to do with them.

“Oppa, then I’ll go up because it’s lesson time.”

“···Okay, good work today too”

“My brother can now work comfortably.”

“… Thank you.”

After greeting Baek Ga-eun as she left, I returned to my seat wondering where to hide the envelope in her arms.