Chapter 3: I Like Cute Girls Like You
by fnovelpia
I was trapped in a deadly multiple-choice question.
Become Joo Eunha’s clingy doll, or destroy both her and myself.
I had to choose one, but I didn’t want that kind of relationship with Eunha.
The thought of my adorable little sister climbing into my bed, giggling, “Hehehe, come here!” made me feel like death would be preferable.
Ten minutes.
That’s how long I had before that ruinous video went live.
I recalled Eunha’s personality.
She wasn’t one to make empty threats.
Her meticulous preparation was unmatched.
I spoke quietly, testing the waters.
“You’re too perfect. Your looks, your personality—everything. I’ve watched you for years, Eunha. You know that.”
At my words, Eunha leaned forward, her upper body inching closer.
The plate on the table slid with a clink under her hand.
Those wide, gleaming eyes.
I knew.
She craved me with an intensity that bordered on obsession, her face alight with an almost euphoric expression.
“Right?!”
I looked at her, then dropped my gaze to the floor.
“But that’s the problem.”
“…What?”
“I’m not right for you. I’m… trash. Swayed by base desires, I… ugh.”
I couldn’t finish, letting out a pained groan instead.
Eunha’s expression showed confusion, but she didn’t flinch.
She was the type to get what she wanted, no matter the cost.
Her ambition was relentless.
“Look at me. I’ve got the emerald button, I’m South Korea’s top entrepreneur and broadcaster—an influencer, they call me. And our chemistry… it was beyond imagination, wasn’t it?”
“Don’t call me oppa.”
Eunha propped her chin on her hand.
The age gap didn’t matter to her.
What mattered was seizing love.
I checked the time.
One minute had already passed.
Nine minutes left.
I had to convince her in nine minutes.
“Then shall I call you Jaehyuk-ssi? Wow, Jaehyuk-ssi, you’re so handsome. And you’ve got women falling all over you.”
“Falling?”
Eunha’s eyebrows twitched.
“From the day we met, you’ve been toying with my heart.”
“I did my best for you…”
“You were the first person to treat me like that. Everyone else ignored me, treated me like dirt, like I didn’t exist. But you loved me. You taught me this… this floaty, soft feeling.”
Her eyes darkened, like scorched earth, lifeless as a dead fish.
Yet she smiled, and it felt like staring into the eyes of a ghost.
“I was always sincere. My whole life, I’ve only looked at you. I did everything to reach you! I grew up in a cesspool, beaten by my mother. Without you… I’d have been discarded on the streets, or turned into a pretty doll for the elite.”
Bang!
Eunha slammed the table, her emotions erupting.
“Eunha…”
I pursed my lips.
This was the kind of thing that, if overheard by a society reporter, would spell disaster.
Eunha wouldn’t escape unscathed either.
Seeing my grim expression, she threw a remark my way.
“Ahjussi. Hold on.”
“Hm?”
Click—
A sudden shutter sound made me grimace.
The flash was so bright I wanted to collapse, but the chair was bolted down, its backrest unyielding.
Eunha glanced at the photo she’d taken on her phone, her lips curling.
“You’re so cute, ahjussi.”
You’ve ripened nicely while I was gone, hehe.
She exhaled a puff of white breath.
I couldn’t argue.
I was known around the apartment complex as the youthful café owner.
Some of the dads even asked for my skincare routine.
No clue.
Just intense workouts, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes, sleeping early, waking early—that’s it!
“Please, don’t say that. I’m losing my mind here.”
“Why?”
Eunha smiled softly.
Ugh, it was like talking to a wall.
“The little kid I’ve known since elementary school grew up, pounced on me, and confessed her love. This whole situation is bizarre and gives me chills.”
I hugged my arms tightly, a shiver running through me as if I were possessed.
“It’s romantic.”
“Romantic, my foot.”
“Romeo and Juliet had a seven-to-ten-year age gap. Plenty of twenty-somethings date older people these days.”
“That’s different. Do you know how many people out there adore you online?”
“Then explain what’s different. Maybe I should make it a done deal.”
“You know why!”
“I don’t. Tell me. Like last night.”
I’d been her personal bodyguard.
As a child, Eunha was fine—pure and adorable.
But as she grew, inheriting her mother’s striking beauty, my heart would skip a beat more often than I cared to admit.
Her biological mother.
A famous actress, once called Korea’s Aphrodite for her captivating looks.
Now—fallen.
Ruined by alcohol, drugs, and gambling, she became a wreck.
Then, seduced by Chairman Joo, she had an affair and gave birth to Eunha.
“This isn’t normal love.”
Eunha, in her cap, looked like a rose blooming in the shadows.
Indulging her twisted desires would destroy us both.
“You’re too easy to read, ahjussi. That’s how I found you.”
She raised her index, middle, and pinky fingers, smiling with an emotion I couldn’t quite place—pride, perhaps.
“Three years. Stay by my side for just three years.”
“Three years?”
She giggled, as if the idea itself was adorable.
“In three years, I’ll make you mine. You won’t be able to live without me. Promise you won’t complain, even if I make you cry?”
Three years of seeing Eunha’s face.
My first thought was reinstatement.
I was a bit of a name in the security world.
My mentor had taken me in young, when academics were an afterthought.
Thanks to his recommendation, I’d landed a job at Seongpoong.
That was my only corporate gig—hence the café.
Was my mentor still at Seongpoong?
I wasn’t sure.
I’d heard Eunha’s personal security detail had seen massive turnover recently.
It seemed they’d kept my spot open.
But reinstatement was tough.
I’d built a stable business here, and my home was here too.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
“Oh my, look at the time!”
Eunha clicked her tongue, pointing at the wall clock.
Time was slipping away.
“Wait!”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Damn it.
“Fine! I love you! I love you! I’ll accept your confession!”
“Really?”
Eunha tapped her phone screen.
But my hopes shattered.
[Video uploaded!]
“Oops, too late. Shall we fall into ruin together?”
Her playful smile coiled around my face.
I could only stare, dead-eyed, at the video playing for the world to see.
Where was a knife?
I wanted to die right then and there.
***
“I’ve always loved you—♫ Maybe I’d bet my whole life on it. Ahh! ♪”
I stared at the phone screen, dumbfounded.
“W-Why is there suddenly a song? Wait, is this…”
My fears were pleasantly misplaced.
I glanced between Eunha and the screen.
It wasn’t that video.
Not that I wanted it to be, but still.
In the video, Eunha stood on a dark stage, strumming an acoustic guitar and singing.
My mind went blank, like fog had rolled in.
[World Premiere! — “My Beloved Ahjussi♥”]
[Joo Eunha’s Second Album! A fresh tale of her lovesickness, confession, and growth.]
Noticing my stunned expression, Eunha yanked my tie, pulling me close.
Her eyes sparkled like jewels.
“You think I’d show that to anyone but you? Silly, silly ahjussi. Hehehe.”
The uploaded video was tied to her new album.
A sweet, saccharine song.
In summary, it was about an age-gap couple finding true love.
It was unmistakably about me and Eunha.
I narrowed my eyes.
“T-That’s…”
“The upload?”
“Yeah. It said it was uploaded.”
“Fake site, obviously. Plus, the timestamp was set for, like, a hundred years from now? I’m a genius, oppa. All I showed you was the upload notification, not the video itself. You just…”
“Inferred it. Based on context.”
I pursed my lips into a tight line.
Damn it, to think she’d set a trap like that.
Even a tank would’ve charged in with more caution.
She’d timed it perfectly, that cunning little minx.
“…I’m a bit disappointed, though. You thought I’d show that vulnerable side of me to worthless people? I’m not a pervert. And your disheveled self…”
She tugged my tie harder, our noses nearly touching.
“…is for my eyes only. You have to take responsibility for seducing me and running away, okay?”
“Ugh…”
As I clutched my head in agony, the bell on the door jingled softly.
Damn it, a customer?
“…Is Jaehyuk-ssi here?”
“I’m—”
I started to respond instinctively, but Eunha grabbed my tie, yanking me down.
I choked, collapsing toward the table.
“Wait.”
She whispered sharply.
“You’re talking to a woman?”
Her foot nudged the carpet near my pants.
Tap.
Her soft white sock brushed my pant leg, creeping up—ankle, shin, knee, thigh.
Stop.
I grabbed her leg, halting her.
Any further, and I wouldn’t hold out.
“Enough. That voice—it’s your sister.”
“Sis’s still single, you know. She’s been desperate for blind dates lately.”
Eunha’s tone was laced with menace.
Why was she jealous of her own sister?
***
Seongpoong Group.
One of the five fingers controlling South Korea.
Among them, the second-in-command was Joo Seongyoon, who ran Seongpoong Heavy Industries.
Known among employees as the “Prince” for her striking looks.
Tall and elegant.
Short, neatly trimmed hair.
A sharp beauty inherited from Chairman Joo.
She rarely ventured outside the city, making today an exception.
It was due to issues with Eunha’s security.
Stepping out of her Avante, Seongyoon felt the crisp morning air.
Ugh, making me move this early.
She wasn’t pleased.
Leaning against the hood, she opened her phone.
“It’s me. You’re sure he’s here?”
“Have you arrived?”
“Yes. You’re certain he’s here? The bodyguard?”
The man on the speaker chuckled slyly, like a salesman closing a deal.
“I’m his junior, aren’t I? He kept saying he’d start a café. Even gave me the address, told me to visit. Once he starts something, he sees it through. He’s probably still running it. Just like the youngest miss—stubborn as hell.”
“I hope it’s as easy as Manager Park says.”
“It’s about the youngest miss, so he’ll step up. He adored her.”
Seongyoon ended the call.
Manager Park was reliable, his information usually spot-on.
Still, running a shabby café like this? Men’s tastes were beyond her.
“…Is Jaehyuk-ssi here?”
Seongyoon stepped into the café, calling out.
The lights were on, and a figure was visible through the glass door.
“I’m here,” came a reply.
From a distance, she saw him rise—Jaehyuk, Eunha’s former bodyguard.
He looked at her with unease, as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Vice Chairman, I heard you were coming.”
“Hm? You knew I’d show up? Park’s been thorough, I see.”
“Eunha’s here. She told me.”
An arm shot up from afar.
“Hey, sis.”
Seongyoon frowned.
What?
I came all this way, and she’s already here?
If Chairman Joo, now absent, found out, neither she nor Eunha would escape unscathed.
The chairman was the company’s emperor.
Defying his orders meant death.
Seongyoon approached the table, noting the teacups and empty plates.
They’d already eaten.
She sat across from them, observing the pair seated side by side.
Naturally, they were like siblings.
She alternated her gaze between them.
“You two seem close. By the way, Jaehyuk-ssi, you haven’t changed a bit. If anything, you look better… Are you seeing anyone lately?”
Hic—
Jaehyuk hiccupped.
“W-What? Seeing someone? N-No, I mean, yes, I have.”
Seongyoon’s brows furrowed.
Had he grown that dull?
Could he still handle security?
Doubts crept in.
She pointed at his neck.
“There are faint kiss marks. Several. Right where you just touched. Yes, there and above. Exactly.”
“Haha, sorry.”
Jaehyuk laughed awkwardly, rubbing his neck to hide the marks.
Why was a grown man acting like a kid?
Meanwhile, Eunha, seated beside him, quietly closed her lipstick.
It was in Seongyoon’s blind spot.
She wore a teasing smile, knowing Seongyoon was clueless.
Eunha pursed her lips, making cute pop sounds.
Jaehyuk glanced at her, thinking she resembled a kitten wagging its tail.
“Anyway, you’ve heard the gist, so you know what this is about.”
“Yes, about the security issue.”
“Right. What’s your decision?”
“I got the rough details. Running this place means I’ve got staff salaries to cover.”
“We’ll compensate generously. Name your terms.”
Seongyoon cleared her throat and looked away.
Even Jaehyuk, the iron wall, was in his prime, yet her own love life was a constant failure.
She turned to Eunha.
“Alright, business talk noted. Let’s discuss this later at the headquarters.”
As planned. Seongyoon’s lip curled slightly.
“How about signing the contract in person? Oh, I’ll need your number—”
“Wait.”
Eunha cut in.
“I’ll send it.”
“Hm? Eunha, you have Jaehyuk-ssi’s number?”
Eunha’s voice was icy.
“Yup. Asked the team for it to file a complaint. Problem?”
“Complaint? About what?”
They were all professionals in security. Nothing should’ve gone wrong.
“Hmph, I wanted to ask why they botched the successor training so badly. Park answered right away. And sis, it’s not ‘Jaehyuk.’ Use his title and surname. Who calls him by his first name? He’s a company man to you. Call him ‘Special Close-Protection Officer.’ He’ll be signing soon.”
Eunha wagged her index and middle fingers, gesturing as she glanced at Jaehyuk.
“I can’t stand dumb ahjussis like him. Hmph. His smell? Gross. Disgusting.”
Haa— She exhaled shakily, flashing Jaehyuk a quick smile.
It was an implicit signal to keep their relationship hidden for now.
They could reveal it later.
But Jaehyuk didn’t catch it.
“I… I like you.”
He squeezed his eyes shut as he spoke, wincing.
He sounded like the “sweet young forty” types he’d mocked online.
This was a test.
Jaehyuk was sure of it.
Seongyoon and Eunha had set a trap.
If he failed to prove his love, that video would go public.
No choice.
He swallowed hard.
Joo Eunha.
A truly terrifying kid.
“I-I like cute girls l-like you, hahaha!”
Oh no.
A single tear rolled down Jaehyuk’s cheek.
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