Ch.33Pork Cutlet 1

“Thank you very much for the drink.”

Ilshim’s Sangmun bows to me respectfully.

I bow my head deeply in response.

“Thank you for helping rebuild the shop too…”

The burned-down shop is filled with Jeoksa’s organization members.

They climb ladders to reinforce the roof and repair the floor.

Most companies are reluctant to take requests from Ilshim and the shops under his protection, wary of the Association’s reaction.

As a result, Ilshim’s members have become all-around handymen.

I did some hammering in the military once, but these people are nearly professionals.

All I could do was hand them each a cocktail.

“We’re almost done, just need to plaster. You can go home now.”

“Is that really okay…? I feel irresponsible…”

“This isn’t suitable work for a lady. The chemical smell is quite strong…”

My thoughts froze at the word “lady.”

While I was having this reaction, Sangmun turned his head and began giving orders for the plastering work.

Seemingly frustrated, he jumped into the work site himself.

Left alone, I could only stare blankly at the scene.

I see.

So I’m now the kind of person who shouldn’t be doing this kind of work.

A sour taste lingers in my mouth.

I roll the flavor on my tongue as I dejectedly leave the shop.

On my way out, I almost bumped into one of the organization members.

He didn’t see me because he was carrying a bag of concrete on his shoulder, and I’m short.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine.”

I hurriedly left the shop.

I keenly felt the truth in Sangmun’s words.

I wandered the streets alone.

Thanks to this sudden free time, I could think about various things.

Maybe I should go shopping.

Having used up the last vegetables at home, I probably won’t have anything to eat when I get back.

“Come to think of it… I heard a department store opened recently.”

I opened my phone.

I search for one of the few department stores that survived the monster incidents.

Gasan.

It’s close to Sindorim.

I might as well walk there to save money.

I gripped my crossbag firmly on my shoulder and started walking.

It should be fine since the security is relatively good during the day.

As long as a monster doesn’t suddenly appear.

“—.”

The sunlight strikes the road harshly.

Even though it’s still spring, heat waves shimmer on the asphalt.

I wiped the sweat from the back of my hand.

Wait, was the department store always this far…?

I’m sure this distance used to feel short when walking before.

Now it seems to take forever no matter how much I move my legs.

“Maybe I should take a taxi…”

I gaze steadily at the road.

I can see a black taxi at the intersection.

Black taxis were originally for the wealthy, and in today’s anarchic times, the base fare is a whopping 20,000 won.

Just to go grocery shopping, spend 20,000 won on a taxi?

That’s ridiculous.

I sighed deeply.

Then I notice an old car standing proudly on the wide road.

It’s not just any “old car.”

Sleek cream-colored with a stylish Jaguar emblem on the front.

Despite its age, it’s clearly an expensive car.

To think someone would drive such a car in this era.

They must be at least an Association council member or a corporate executive.

I look at the person sitting alone in the driver’s seat.

It’s a woman with long black hair wearing sunglasses.

I stare at her profile.

Suddenly, I realize her face looks familiar.

Who is she?

“—.”

While I was deep in thought, the window rolls down.

The woman who was in profile now turns to face me directly.

Did she notice me staring?

I instinctively bowed my head low.

What should I do…?

Surely she’s not going to grab me and demand why I was staring?

“Siho.”

But soon, words I never expected came from the woman’s lips.

She knows my name?

And that voice…

It’s Jeoksa.

She removes her sunglasses and asks me with a relaxed expression.

“What are you doing here when you should be busy with shop repairs?”

“Oh, well…”

“Don’t tell me you dumped everything on my employees and came out to play?”

She raises an eyebrow as she asks.

I desperately shake my head.

“Of course not… They said there was nothing more I could help with today, so I left.”

“So where are you headed now?”

“The department store…”

I mumbled.

Jeoksa’s eyes narrowed.

“You must have made some money. Shopping so leisurely.”

Her mocking tone made me snap back.

I proudly declared to her:

“It’s not like that! I just ran out of food at home…”

At the mention of running out of food, Jeoksa stares at me intently.

I swallowed hard under her gaze.

I clutched my crossbag tightly and waited for her response.

“Get in.”

“Huh…?”

“I need to go buy some industrial adhesive anyway.”

She makes a blatant U-turn on the road.

Then she pulls the car closer to the sidewalk where I’m standing.

I’m dumbfounded by Jeoksa’s unexpected kindness.

But soon I heard the doors unlock, which snapped me back to reality.

I hesitantly and carefully climb into the passenger seat.

After she made a U-turn just for me, I’m too scared to refuse.

The first thing I notice upon entering the car is the leather smell.

I sniff at the rich, full aroma.

Then I fix my gaze straight ahead.

“—.”

With a cool starting sound, the car begins to move forward.

To think I was planning to walk such a long distance alone…

Having a car really is nice.

I wanted to say this exact thought to Jeoksa to break the awkward atmosphere.

But my small body remained frozen, just staring straight ahead.

Sensing my feelings, Jeoksa reaches for the audio system.

“—.”

A song was playing on the frequency.

And I know the singer.

Jaehee.

No, JEI now.

She recently changed her stage name.

Jaehee exposed all the corruption through a press conference.

Thanks to that, Aimer completely fell apart, I heard.

But she didn’t get discouraged.

She transferred to Yellow Snake, Ilshim’s entertainment company, and recently debuted as a solo artist.

And this is her first single.

<hola>

‘Hola’ means hello in Spanish.

It’s the song with which she first greets the public as an adult, apparently.

“—.”

I was already familiar with the song.

JEI told me about it first thing after her successful debut.

As a result, I’ve listened to this song countless times and even memorized the lyrics.

She threatened that if I didn’t know the lyrics when she asked later, she’d torment me.

I can’t forget her scary promise to touch me once for each word I couldn’t remember.

I unconsciously hummed along to the song.

Jeoksa looked down at me steadily.

“The song is pretty good.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t know that Hwangsa guy could even produce…”

Jeoksa clicked her tongue in disapproval.

Hwangsa…?

Could she mean that man I met on the stairs when I first went to Ilshim?

The one who warned me to be careful of Jeoksa’s tongue…

It’s hard to imagine that someone who looked so much like a thug could be an idol maker.

It seems like all of Ilshim’s organization members have some kind of unexpected charm.

Jeoksa too, despite her notorious reputation and colorful background, is kinder than expected…

Like giving me a ride now.

I stared up at her appreciatively.

“What… Why are you staring at me like that?”

Jeoksa asks cynically while looking straight ahead.

Then she clears her throat, seeming a bit flustered.

“Nothing, just thinking you’re cool.”

When I smiled, Jeoksa tilted her head to the side.

Then she changes lanes.

“—!”

Just as she’s changing lanes, a taxi cuts in front of us.

As a result, the steering wheel of Jeoksa’s elegant Jaguar XJ 12f had to turn sharply.

“That son of a…”

Her voice grows heavier.

Soon I feel a chilling murderous intent from her shoulder.

“You’re not… planning to kill him, are you?”

I ask worriedly.

Jeoksa immediately withdraws her killing intent and gives me an incredulous look.

“Why would I kill him?”

“Well… you’re a killer.”

When I ask as if it’s obvious, the red-eyed woman doesn’t answer right away.

I only heard her response after the car entered the department store parking lot.

“I don’t kill people unless it’s my business. Unlike someone else.”

I could immediately guess who she meant by “someone else.”

“She is…”

As I was about to defend her, Jeoksa cut me off.

“She’s a psychopath who kills anyone she doesn’t like.”

Well, Jeoksa, having lost Dummy before, has reason to be angry at Anna.

But I know something of Anna’s past.

That she wasn’t born that way.

“Still… I’m sure she had reasons for becoming like that. Not everyone is inherently bad…”

As I muttered to myself, Jeoksa skillfully parked the car.

Then she pulled out the key without hesitation.

She seems a bit angry.

“It’s that kind of ambiguous pretense of kindness that causes you trouble.”

Her red eyes glow softly in the dark parking lot.

In the past, those eyes only seemed scary.

But I was gradually getting used to their color.

They look fresh like red eyes, not like bloody red.

Thanks to that, I could steadily face her sharp question.

I look up at her with narrowed eyes.

“But isn’t it because of this side of me that we could become friends?”

Friends?

Jeoksa frowned.

She turned her head abruptly and yanked the door handle.

But in an old car, pulling the handle doesn’t automatically unlock the door.

As a result, Jeoksa had to keep pulling before finally opening the door.

The killer, seemingly angry at her own actions, walked ahead quickly.

I could only tilt my head at the sight.

“Why is she angry?”

I also followed her into the department store.

And I stand close beside her as she waits for the elevator.

Eventually, the elevator stopped at the basement floor where the food court is located.

The smell of delicious food tickles my nose.

I swallow and look around at the shops spread out before me.

Jeoksa turned her head in the direction I was looking.

“Haven’t you had lunch?”

She asks in a cold voice.

I slowly nod.

“Then get something to eat before you go.”

Jeoksa takes the lead and looks at the kiosk.

She indifferently flips through the screen showing pasta and tteokbokki.

“Want pasta?”

“No. That kind of food doesn’t stay in my stomach long.”

I carefully raised my finger.

And I press the Korean food section.

「Spicy Stir-fried Pork.」

「Bone Soup.」

「Pork Cutlet.」

“This is it. This is real food.”

I nodded with a grin.

But the woman who saw my choice sighed deeply as if dismayed.

“Your taste is… so like an old man’s.”

“What’s wrong with that? I could live my whole life eating just these three.”

When I spoke with a confident expression, Jeoksa shook her head.

“Looking at you, I’d have thought you’d eat rose tteokbokki or something…”

“That’s totally for kids.”

When I responded with a displeased expression, Jeoksa shrugged as if it was obvious.

“Right, you’re one of today’s kids after all.”

I couldn’t understand what she meant.

What about my appearance makes her think I’d suit such rich food?

I tried to forget her comment and clicked on the pork cutlet.