episode_0043

“Someone is still following us.”

“Yes, can I hold your arm? …I’m a little scared.”

Feeling Yoo Jo-eun’s trembling through her arm, I too became slightly frightened. Moreover, with few streetlights and the quiet surroundings, an eerie atmosphere intensified.

“Mr. Rosby, are they still following us?”

“Yeah, just a little punk, not even 170cm tall. Should I take care of this pest?”

“No! What if he has a knife!”

“You cowardly bastard, in Texas, I would have pulled out my gun right away.”

“Texas?”

Was this person from Texas? But where exactly is Texas located? I know it’s in the United States. All I knew about Texas was that there was a team called the Texas Rangers.

“You don’t even know where Texas is. You fool. If I didn’t have talent in baseball, I would have wielded a gun.”

“Darn it. It’s fortunate you’re not a criminal.”

“Haha, if I had a gun, I would have shattered your bones.”

After talking with Rosby, I felt a sense of calm in my chest. As my heart settled down, a new sensation seemed to emerge from my arm, where only trembling had been felt before. It was a slightly soft yet firm feeling of the bra strap against my arm.

“Just a little further.”

Soft, gentle. When she clung closer due to fear, the softness of her upper chest transmitted through my arm. This damn stalker! How dare he stalk a woman like her.

“Mr. Rosby, are they still following us?”

It was time to make a decision.

“Yes.”

“Instructor, are we going all the way to my house?”

“What? Did you spend too much time because of me?”

“No, what if that stalker follows us home?”

I couldn’t reveal Jo-eun’s address to such a person. I explained my plan to chase away the stalker.

“What? Isn’t it too risky? Let’s just go. He only followed us; nothing happened. The area in front of the apartment is well-lit, so he always stops there.”

Even though there was a sturdy man next to her, she was still trembling like this. How long had this poor lamb been trembling alone? Thinking of Jo-eun’s heart made me feel sorry. So, the pained heart. Not the one pressed against my arm.

“Don’t worry. I practice martial arts.”

As long as I have a bat, I’m not afraid. It’s a shame I don’t have it now, but it should be enough to drive away a stalker who’s less than 170cm tall…right? …Still, being unarmed is scary.

“I have it!”

“What? What do you have?”

Rummaging through my bag, I found a few condoms and a murder weapon wrapped in cowhide. Holding the handle of the murder weapon gave me a confidence that I could do anything.

“It’s a baseball, you know?”

“If this hits your head, you’ll die.”

“What? This?”

“Touch it. It’s hard, right?”

As she caressed my precious possession, she felt its hardness. My precious baseball that had been with me for a lifetime. With this guy around, there’s nothing to fear.

“Phew. I’m glad I brought it for practice.”

“Now, come behind me.”

I slowly turned around and hid it behind my back.

“Mr. Rosby, have you ever fought before?”

Even if it’s just for a brief moment, sharing Rosby’s fighting experience would surely be helpful.

“Huh? No, why?”

“What?!”

“Mr. Maengho?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”

“This body has never fought. It has only engaged in one-sided violence. Hehehe.”

“That’s right. Of course, Mr. Rosby! A scumbag like you wouldn’t have fought.”

“You freaking yellow monkey!”

“I request sensory sharing now.”

At my request, memories of Rosby’s fights flowed in. Alright. This should do.

“Hey! You there!”

The guy trailing us suddenly flinched. Who is this guy? Batman?

Black hat, black mask, black hoodie. This summer, he’s definitely not in his right mind. Fortunately, with a height of around 170cm, he didn’t look that tall.

“Yeah. What about you?”

“……”

“How long are you going to follow me? Are you crazy?”

Seeing the guy’s physique, confidence arose, and he spoke strongly from the beginning.

“…Who are you?”

A voice that seemed to be speaking for the first time today pierced through the mask. It was pure terror following from behind, but seeing how the guy spoke, confidence surged. I approached him slowly, holding a baseball in my hand.

“Hey! Come here.”

I approached the guy who was standing still.

“Why are you acting like this?”

As I got closer, the guy’s voice trembled heavily.

“Why do you keep following me? Isn’t today your first time?”

“What does that have to do with anything! Are you Jo-eun’s boyfriend?”

“No? Why? Are you her boyfriend?”

The guy extended his arm as if he had never been in a fight before, reaching a distance where he could touch, yet he remained motionless. How could such an insignificant kid scare Jo-eun?

“Hey, are you gonna hit me? Why are you so scared? Come on!”

Raising my hand high, the guy covered his face with his arm, looking shocked. It was confirmed. This guy is a wimp.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you being such a jerk? Why do you keep chasing someone who doesn’t like you? Huh?”

“I don’t dislike you! Jo-eun and I are in love!”

What nonsense is this? Startled, I looked at Jo-eun, whose expression indicated she didn’t understand.

“My ex-boyfriend?!”

Still needing confirmation, I raised my voice to ask her.

“No, I… I’ve never had a boyfriend…”

Wow, what luck! No, wait, that’s not it.

“Then who is this guy?!”

“I can’t tell because of the mask.”

“Damn it, you don’t know who he is!”

“You damn bastard, who are you to be next to Jo-eun!”

Suddenly, the guy reached out with a fist. What’s this? The painfully slow punch seemed like our team’s catcher throwing a ball.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

“What are you doing?”

Dodging the guy’s punch, I lightly smacked the back of his head, causing him to fall forward. Seizing the opportunity while he was down, I removed his hat and mask, grabbed his hair, and lifted his face.

“Jo-eun, do you know this guy?”

“No, I’ve never seen him before.”

“Jo-eun! It’s me, Hyun-jun. You know me. It’s Hyun-jun!”

“I don’t know.”

Smack! When the guy started making noise, I quieted him by hitting his cheek with the back of my hand holding the baseball.

“You don’t know me, you don’t know me…? Even though you treated me so well. But it’s okay. I’ll tell you today.”

The guy started mumbling something. I couldn’t hear clearly, but feeling a bit sorry, I let go of his head.

“Ugh.”

“Damn it, man up a bit! If you like her, speak up confidently! Don’t follow her like a coward. Man up! Tsk.”

Spitting near the guy’s face, I stood up.

“If you catch my eye one more time, you’re dead, seriously.”

Kicking the stalker’s head lightly, I turned around. Jo-eun’s expression turned to shock at my actions. Wait…shock?

“Ahh! Behind you, Mr. Maeng-ho! Behind you!”

What? In reflex to Jo-eun’s scream, I turned around to see the stalker trying to pull out something bulky from the pocket of his hoodie. Damn it!

“Ahhhh!”

I threw the baseball in my hand at the guy’s face and quickly ran towards Jo-eun, grabbing her hand and running ahead.

“Where do we go?”

“To the left! Ouch, my ankle…!”

Damn it, did I sprain it? Where is that guy?

“You son of a b****!”

Are you planning to make me a skewer? Damn!

“Get on my back!”

“Yes! Sorry….”

“Quickly!”

As I reached out behind me, she quickly climbed onto my back. I could feel the softness of her thighs in my hand and a lumpy, solid sensation on my back, but that wasn’t important right now.

“I’m running! Just tell me the direction!”

“Got it!”

I can’t die like this. I lifted her up and started running in the direction she indicated. Huff, huff. My heart feels like it’s going to burst.

“Hehe, you bastard. It’s always fun watching your stupid antics.”

“My disciple is in danger of dying right now, damn it! Don’t talk because it’s hard!”

I shut Rossby’s mouth and focused on running again. Running without using my arms is so difficult!

“Huff, huff. When… will we… arrive….”

“We’re here! It’s that apartment!”

Damn, my thighs feel like they’re going to explode. How long has it been since I ran like this? Am I paying for skipping training and having sex all this time?

“It’s over there!”

“Huff, huff. It’s definitely bright here. Phew.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Miss Joe, how about your ankle?”

“I can still walk. Please let me down.”

After surviving the crisis, is the mating urge rising? I didn’t want to let go of her soft thighs.

“No, I’ll take you home just in case.”

She saved my life, so this kind of reward is okay, right?

“I’m really fine….”

“It’s not about me being fine. Phew, huff.”

“Then let’s go inside the apartment for now.”

Once again, I followed her voice as my guide and took heavy steps, focusing on the sensation of her thigh in my hand as I walked.

“You can go in. I’ll enter the password.”

She reached out her arm and entered the entrance code. As far as she reached, her chest pressed against my back, giving me a pleasant feeling.

“Let’s go in.”

The front door opened, and we entered the apartment hallway. It’s regrettable, but we should part ways here, right? I set her down, pressed the elevator button.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Oh!”

“Yes?”

“We’ve come this far, so have a drink before you leave! Mr. Maengho’s face looks like it’s about to explode!”

I touched my face at her words. It’s sweaty and a bit hot. Yeah, let’s have a drink before leaving.

“Excuse me then.”

“No, I’m thankful. What if someone follows you to my place?”

“Uh, that’s a bit scary. You carry a knife around. Totally crazy, right?”

“That’s true. If it weren’t for Mr. Maengho, I would have been in big trouble. …Oh!”

While sharing stories, she suddenly clapped her hands. What’s going on?

“I remember who that person is! He used to be my student who confessed his love and then quit! Stalking me like that! I didn’t see it that way.”

“You can’t judge people just by their faces.”

“That’s true. When I first saw Mr. Maengho, he looked handsome and seemed like a thug. …Today, he looks really reliable.”

“A thug?”

“Yes. Oh, I mean handsome. It’s like… what should I say? Gives off the vibe of meeting many women? Oops! Is it rude to say that? Hehe.”

“No, it’s fine.”

I heard that having a face that looks like a thug is the ultimate compliment for women…. Checking my face on the wall, sweating made me look sexy. Indeed, my face hasn’t died yet.

Lately, I’ve felt like more people are calling me handsome. My gaze seems to have changed or something. Until recently, worrying about my appearance while being a benchwarmer for a batting ball pitcher was killing my looks, but lately, with growing confidence, I feel like my appearance is coming back to life.

After signing the contract with Rosby, I was feeling much more confident.

“Mr. Rosby, thank you.”

“Hahaha.”

As I thanked him, Rosby burst into laughter. Was my thank you that funny?

“Oh, what should I do with this stubborn guy? Why did he run away?”

“What? Of course, you have to run away when someone pulls out a knife!”

“Really, hahaha. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a lunatic like you. I kept calling you a flower, hahaha!!!”

“A flower? Me?”

Wasn’t he saying he would skewer me?

“Yes, running away after seeing a flower. Haha. A flower that was carefully wrapped! But you ran away without even checking properly. Thanks to you, I had a good laugh. Huh.”

My legs went weak. Did I really run away after seeing a flower? It was definitely a knife…

I try to recall. Dimly lit street, the guy pulled something blunt from his hoodie pocket… and I ran without even knowing what it was.

“Mr. Maengho! Are you okay? You pushed yourself too hard, didn’t you? What should we do, what should we do. Because of me…!”

“That guy, did you see the knife?”

“Yes! He definitely pulled something out from inside.”

Well, as long as Ms. Joeun doesn’t know, it’s fine. Yeah, as long as Ms. Joeun doesn’t know…

“What should we do? I hope my injury doesn’t worsen because of this. Oh, this shouldn’t be happening. Let’s just go home quickly for now!”

Ding-dong! The elevator arrived just in time.