Ch.13Chapter 13. The Calm Before the Storm

It was truly a brutal scene.

Real gangsters beating people up…

The two thugs made it clear from the start that they had no intention to fight by raising their hands, yet they were still beaten with all sorts of tools.

Eventually, both of them ended up with swollen faces and torn shirts as they knelt before Bob and me.

“Watch carefully. This is what happens when you catch Bob’s eye in this neighborhood.”

“Bob? Who’s that?”

“That Cocoa Puff.”

“Ah…”

Since we also have Cocoa Puffs cereal at home.

Cuss nodded vigorously as if she understood immediately.

“Colin. Szajnski.”

“Y-yes…”

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Uh… that… you mean stealing your daughter’s panties…?”

Bob’s expression soured.

These guys are dead now.

“Or do you mean scratching the boss’s car?”

“Wow. You scratched my car too? Guys, we should do this kind of thing regularly, like an annual event. Right? All sorts of things I didn’t know about are popping up.”

“…”

A cold silence descended upon the abandoned factory.

I think the organization members here are about to go through some difficult times too.

“What, you think all Yellow Monkeys look the same so you couldn’t recognize him? You idiots. Take another good look at the person in front of you.”

“Huh…?”

The guys tried their best to open their swollen eyes wide and looked up at me.

Only then did they seem to recognize me, as their lips began to tremble.

“Ah! From before…!”

“Were you the boss’s friend?”

“Now do you understand the situation?”

“We’re so sorry!”

“We deserve to be beaten to death!”

So it’s okay if you die?

I rolled up my sleeves and stepped forward.

“Then let me beat you to death today.”

“These guys probably have quite a bit of money.”

“Really? Then that changes things.”

Why didn’t you say that earlier?

Forget revenge, money is the best medicine.

“How much would you estimate the damages to be?”

“Replacing the door. Changing the wallpaper. Getting a new TV…”

From that old analog model to one of those sleek new ones.

“Replacing the sofa and bed too.”

I’ll change from that about-to-fall-apart thing to a queen-size.

“Replacing all the broken furniture like drawers… it would come to about 100,000 dollars.”

“O-one hundred thousand?!”

“What the fuck. Got a problem with that?”

“Then you two together give me one hundred thousand dollars. I’ll take just 10 percent and give the rest to Jinsoo.”

“…”

“Hey, I’m just kidding, man. I’ll give it to you without taking a penny. So lighten up.”

I was thinking I could take about 10 percent since I caught the culprits…

Anyway, he’s a friend with strong loyalty.

I think he’ll be quite helpful while I’m living in LA.

Of course, once I move into the Station, I’ll keep my mouth shut and pretend not to know him.

“Bring the money, and if I see you’re paying it back sincerely, I might reduce some of it. So hurry up and pay up, okay?”

“Yes…!”

“Khaak, ptui!”

While they were still prostrated, I firmly stepped on their heads one by one and spat on the backs of their heads.

“Cuss. How about you spit on them too?”

“No, not her. That would be a reward for them.”

“What, a reward? Jinsoo, do you see her as a woman?”

“What else would she be?”

“She’s just a kid.”

“…”

Oh. I’m a bit lost for words.

So from an American perspective, she just looks like a child.

I was thinking if she just gained a little weight, she’d be perfectly doable.

Actually, she doesn’t even need to gain weight.

I could do her right now, but the thought of that monster inside her makes me sick.

As I stood there unable to respond, gazes poured in from all directions.

They were looking at me like I was some disgusting pedophile.

“You… were you planning to do her right away…?”

“No! Fuck no! That’s a misunderstanding!”

It really is a misunderstanding.

I can’t exactly say I’m helping a homeless alien monster adapt to Earth, but I’m definitely not a pedophile.

“Right? Hey, you say something too. Tell them I don’t see you sexually.”

“Sexually…? I don’t know what that means, but he does fondle my chest often.”

“…”

Oh for fuck’s sake.

Now there’s no way out of this.

It feels good when I squeeze it, how am I supposed to resist?

I kind of understand why liquid monsters were popular back in the day.

“Jinsoo…”

“Damn it! She might look like a kid to you! But by Korean standards, this is an average adult body! Understand? How is this a child’s body? Her hips are plenty big! And her chest isn’t non-existent! Her butt… well, it’s quite lacking, but that’s because she’s malnourished! It’ll get better when she gains weight!”

“Stop talking, Jinsoo… The more you explain, the more disgusting it gets…”

And so I became a universally acknowledged pedophile.

I’d feel less wronged if they beat me up for being disgusting, but everyone just shook their heads and said things about respecting my preferences, which hurt my feelings even more.

No, really, it’s not like that…

I feel so wronged.

“Cuss. If you ever find it hard to deal with this beast, just tell me. I’ll cripple Jinsoo for good.”

“No! If you hit Jinsoo!”

Cuss grabbed my pant leg and shouted.

If she were really my daughter, this would be a touching moment…

But knowing she’s just doing this to hide her identity, any potential emotion vanished.

“What? With your personality, I thought you’d be hated for forcing yourself on her.”

“I’m telling you, I haven’t done anything yet…”

“Yet?”

“Ah, forget it. I’m leaving.”

“Hahaha! Call me anytime if you need help, Jinsoo! I owe you a lot!”

“Sure.”

Fearing I might end up teaching Cuss more about the dark side of culture if I stayed any longer, I hastily pushed her back.

“Come visit anytime. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a cheerful boss.”

“Will do. But tell your boss to lose some weight. He’s more likely to die of a heart attack than see his daughter get married.”

“If we tell him that, we’ll get beaten to death… Could you mention it to him instead?”

“Alright. Next time.”

“Thank you! Be careful on your way!”

Through the closing door, I made eye contact with the duo still kneeling.

They looked submissive, but those weren’t the eyes of people who had given up.

Damn, something feels off.

I should prepare for the worst-case scenario.

***

“Hmm… good reputation at work…”

Closing the documents with a thud, Juliane sighed.

Surprisingly, Jinsoo Kim’s evaluations from fellow engineers were quite high.

She had heard he was hired without any real ability due to the field maintenance experience quota, but apparently, while he lazes around normally, he’s exceptionally good at predicting defects.

Despite his criminal record being widely known at work, he had quite a solid reputation.

“When I talk to him, he seems quite normal…”

After going on a date, Juliane found Jinsoo to be more normal than expected. He was even a good cook.

It was hard to believe he was a rapist and murderer.

But then why…

“Why would he take in a child without being married…”

Juliane clutched her head.

It’s illegal for a single man to adopt an underage girl.

At least in this era’s California.

It’s to prevent adoptions with sinister intentions rather than raising them as a daughter.

Juliane had initially suspected that too.

But after seeing the affection Cuss showed toward Jinsoo, the kind only shown to a trusted guardian, she had to dismiss those suspicions.

She also realized that Jinsoo’s somewhat rough behavior was actually a clumsy expression of affection for Cuss.

At least from Juliane’s perspective, they had a perfect father-daughter relationship.

The problem is that the law doesn’t recognize such a relationship.

“Oh, Juliane. Still looking at those backlogged documents?”

“No, I finished them a while ago.”

Hearing her superior’s voice from behind, Juliane stood up abruptly.

“You can sit comfortably. So, what’s happening with that child Jinsoo Kim took in? I hope we don’t have to enforce anything.”

“Ah…”

For a superior who hadn’t seen them in person, their relationship would indeed be unacceptable.

The only way to resolve this without forced enforcement would be for them to separate on their own.

Or to force them to do so.

And that task had fallen to Juliane.

Feeling the mental pressure, Juliane had to lie.

“Yes. The child showed signs of malnutrition and was in poor condition, so he’s just taking care of her temporarily. He plans to hand her over to a protective facility soon.”

“That’s a relief. I was right to entrust this to you. That Jinsoo guy seems to lose his mind around you.”

“Ah…”

Should I tell him that Jinsoo has lost his memory of me?

Juliane’s lips quivered for a moment, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it before her superior left the reading room.

Well, he’s lost his memory, not changed as a person, so Jinsoo will probably try to hit on me again.

Since their relationship would likely return to normal soon, there seemed no need to report it.

‘See?’

Just then, a call came in from Jinsoo.

No doubt he’s trying to hit on me for a date.

Is he just testing the waters or does he genuinely like me?

Either way, I won’t fall for it…

Feeling a mix of slight ridicule and superiority, Juliane connected the call.

“Is this Juliane Stadtfeld?”

“Yes, that’s me, Jinsoo.”

“Ah. So this is the right number.”

Hearing Jinsoo’s rarely heard clueless voice, Juliane barely managed to suppress a laugh.

If this was an act of memory loss, he should definitely receive an Academy Award for acting.

“Have you regained some memories of me?”

“No, unfortunately not.”

“So you’ve forgotten making clam chowder for me too?”

“Clam… what?”

“Never mind…”

“Is your house empty today?”

“What? My house?”

“Yes.”

Juliane was flustered and looked around.

Before losing his memory, Jinsoo was at least a man who knew how to take steps.

Did he lose his brakes along with his memory?

“From this afternoon until tomorrow morning. Do you have time?”

“Until tomorrow morning?!”

Juliane’s cheeks flushed red.

Until tomorrow morning? What is this man thinking…

“No, I can’t!”

“I haven’t even made my request yet.”

“Anyway, I can’t! Would you leave Cuss alone overnight?”

“I’m not sure what misunderstanding you have… but I wanted to ask if you could take care of Cuss.”

“What?”

“Could you let Cuss stay at your place just for tonight? Please.”

Juliane’s expression went blank.