Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 109: Chapter 8 The You And Me Of Those Childhood Days (END).

Oh Yoori opened the door, got into the passenger seat, and asked nonchalantly.

“So, where are you taking me?”

“You got in without knowing?”

“I know Team Leader Seon wouldn’t harm me.”

It was nice to hear, but also a bit concerning.

“I appreciate the trust, but isn’t that a bit too careless? What if I was a dangerous person?”

“I do carry a strong sense of caution, actually. If anything, it’s excessive. I’ve been burned by life quite a few times.”

“Then why are you so sure I wouldn’t harm you?”

“How could I not trust a crazy person who charges into a gang’s den alone to save two kids with no connection to him?”

“…I guess that makes sense.”

If I were in front of such a crazy person, I’d probably pretend to trust them whether I believed it or not.

If someone with a gun on their hip asked, “Would you mind coming with me?” there wouldn’t be much choice but to follow.

But it seemed like Oh Yoori didn’t view it in such a negative way.

“More than anything, I already know what kind of person you are.”

Now that I think about it, we did talk about something like that before.

“You said you trusted me because Gyeoul told you about me, right?”

“…You could put it that way.”

Something about my words seemed to bother her, and she turned her head with a disappointed look before suddenly asking another question.

“Now, answer my question. Where are we headed?”

“Where else? We’re going to the hospital.”

At that, Yoori glanced at the gauze and bandages on my neck and said,

“The hospital? Because of the cut on your neck?”

“No, I’m taking you there, Yoori.”

Why else would I bring you along? I could just go to the hospital by myself.

“I’m perfectly fine, though. It doesn’t hurt at all right now.”

“But Ban Seongcheol strangled you, and one of those men hit you in the stomach. You should get checked out to make sure there are no aftereffects.”

“I don’t think there are any aftereffects… but okay, let’s check.”

Yoori lifted her hoodie without hesitation to check her abdomen.

I was about to scold her for lifting her shirt in front of a man who wasn’t family, but then I saw her abdomen and fell silent.

Her thin belly was bruised dark blue.

Frowning in sympathy, I said,

“…Ouch, that looks painful.”

“Uh… That’s strange; it didn’t hurt that much before.”

“You were kicked in the stomach by a strong guy without any guard and knocked to the ground. There’s no way you’re okay. I’m worried you might have internal organ damage.”

If you’ve got internal bleeding, it could be really serious, Yoori.

“Come on, internal organs? I don’t think it’s that serious. If it were, I wouldn’t be able to just sit here like… huh?”

Suddenly, Yoori gasped and stared at her abdomen, mumbling to herself.

“It hurts.”

She must’ve started feeling the pain now that she was aware of the injury.

“It’s normal. When you’re tense or excited, the brain sometimes blocks out pain temporarily. Once you become aware of the injury, the pain starts to…”

“…At that moment, how bad is the pain usually?”

Yoori interrupted me with a slightly trembling voice, urgently asking the question.

“Well, it depends on the situation and the person. It’s hard to quantify it exactly.”

“…But can you give me an estimate?”

How should I put this?

“Uh, maybe something like ‘Ugh, it hurts’?”

With her face turning pale, Yoori started trembling and said,

“…I think it’s worse for me.”

“Why? How bad is it?”

“It’s more like, ‘Aaargh! Save me! Please… I promise I’ll live a good life from now on… Please!’ That level of pain.”

“Good grief…!”

Startled, I shut my mouth, started the car, and drove toward the hospital.

Though she had spoken lightly, the intensity of her pain was no joke. Yoori was sweating profusely, breathing heavily.

Hoping to alleviate some of her pain, I spoke with concern.

“I’ll get you to the hospital as fast as I can! Hang in there!”

Barely enduring the pain, Yoori gripped the leather seat and muttered,

“The secret base is 320 degrees north from my house…”

Oh my god, seriously.

Luckily, her internal organs weren’t damaged.

“…I wasn’t exaggerating, but still… I feel kind of embarrassed.”

“Nobody would think you were exaggerating, so don’t worry.”

A kid who could talk normally even with a knife at her throat was now making a face full of pain—how could anyone think she was faking it?

“Here, drink this.”

“…What’s this?”

“It’s a banana latte. You’re probably hungry on an empty stomach, but since your body’s in shock, start with this to calm it down.”

“…Thank you.”

Yoori blew on the hot latte and began drinking it carefully. I followed suit, sipping mine.

By the time the warmth of the latte thawed out my body, which had cooled in the night air, Yoori spoke up.

“…Team Leader Seon.”

“Yes, is there something you want to say?”

“Something I want to say… yes, a lot.”

She looked directly at me with red-rimmed eyes and opened her mouth to speak.

“Why did you help me?”

I took a sip of my latte and answered simply.

“Because I wanted to.”

“Sorry, but that’s not enough of a reason.”

…Why does everyone need a reason? I did it just because I wanted to.

“At our first meeting, you made a strange threat. Even when you offered help, I rejected it. Then, you ignored our agreement and acted on your own, causing a lot of trouble. The worst part is, you did it because you wanted me to move the way you wanted, which makes it worse.”

“What way did you want me to move?”

“When I publicly exposed the problems with Girl 100, I wanted you to follow up by releasing more information to keep the impact going.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“No, there’s one more thing you’re leaving out.”

“…What are you talking about?”

You left out the most important part.

“You did it because you didn’t want me or Yeo Han-na to get caught up and hurt, right?”

“…”

That was the essence of what she refused to admit.

“If you were really willing to use us more actively, you had a lot more options. You even said you trusted me, so you could’ve asked for help. But instead, you chose to take on all the burden yourself, putting yourself at risk for Eun-byeol’s sake.”

Yoori shook her head and said,

“That’s because I’m someone full of arrogant belief that I can do everything on my own.”

“No, it’s because you’re someone who chooses to carry everything yourself rather than burden others. That’s your strength.”

“…”

“I think someone like her needs to be rewarded, so I tried to do my best.”

I thought this would be sufficient explanation, feeling a bit of satisfaction as I looked at Oh Yoori.

However, her reaction was a bit strange.

I expected her to have a nonchalant expression, not exactly one of awe, but at least one that conveyed understanding.

But her expression was all twisted up.

“Every time… Every single time.”

With a sad look that seemed like she would burst into tears at any moment.

“…Every single time, you’re like this!”

Oh Yoori pointed to the wound on my neck and said.

“Showing up like that, getting hurt while being reckless, and then just smiling as if it’s nothing, did you think I would just be grateful every time? Did you think that I would be happy, thinking, ‘Wow, there really are suckers like this; I got lucky,’ if you just took on the burden I had to pay?”

…Couldn’t I be a bit happy?

“No! Absolutely not! That can never be!”

“…”

“Seeing you like that, I’d rather wish I could take the pain for you!”

“…”

“Please, please! Think about the person who has to helplessly watch your back!”

Where did her proud poker face and act go? Oh Yoori could not hide her agitated breath as she looked at me.

Though her feelings were quite different from mine, I felt a sense of pride in seeing her like this.

It was heartening to see this pessimistic girl, who always maintained a blank expression and drew lines with people, now genuinely worrying about someone.

So, I smiled slightly and called out her name from my memories.

“Chun-ja.”

When I called her old name, Oh Yoori responded with an annoyed tone.

“It’s been two years since I changed my name, and you still call me that… huh?”

Tears flowed down her eyes, which were about to burst.

“Do you remember?”

“Yeah, embarrassingly, I just remembered now.”

Oh Yoori wiped the overflowing tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

“Why did you remember so late?”

Please cut me some slack, Yoori.

For you, it’s a matter from two years ago, but for me, it’s from twelve years ago.

I’ve been through so many events in between that I could have easily forgotten for a moment, right?

Besides, my name and appearance have changed a lot compared to back then.

The very small height that reminded me of elementary school, her black hair that used to fall to her waist, and her thick-rimmed glasses were all very different from her current image.

Above all, her personality had changed drastically.

Back then, she spoke in a rough manner with no politeness, only expressing negativity and pessimism.

I had many excuses like this.

However, making such pathetic excuses would be too shameful for an adult.

So I said plainly.

“I’m sorry. I never imagined you would change so beautifully.”

I gently placed my hand on her head and stroked her softly, just like the moments I comforted her before.

“You’ve become an amazing person, just as you said back then.”

Oh Yoori, who had been mumbling, finally opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Ugh, sob… I am like the sun, like the sun…”

I replied to her.

“Even more than me.”

Oh Yoori clutched the hem of my shirt with trembling hands.

Then, she buried her head into my chest and began to cry.

“Ugh, haaaang.”

The child I was back then, without a status window, was foolish.

Not only foolish, but also ignorant, reckless, and arrogant.

I often made a mess of things, using the name of goodwill as justification despite lacking the ability to intervene in various matters.

Even so, I felt ashamed to think that I was certain the other party needed me.

There was a girl who said she would become someone like me.

She said she would become someone who could face things seriously, rather than avoiding and running away.

I was negative about that.

Naturally, that assessment was an overestimation, and I thought I was not someone good enough for others to take as a role model.

However, seeing Oh Yoori in front of me, it didn’t seem like that goal was completely wrong.

“I will become a wonderful person. Like the sun.”

Indeed, she had clearly become a more wonderful person than I was back then.