Chapter 68 : A Grand Chaos Party: A Feast of Countless Confusions

Caught by the dispatched police and forced to the ground, Lee Jeong Woo desperately pleaded.

“Call [Shin So-eun]! Please call [Shin So-eun]! I really know her, and I can clear up the misunderstanding!”

Tears streamed from his eyes as he shouted.

The tear gas’s effects were waning, but he still suffered from the stinging pain in his eyes, nose, and mouth, and the burning sensation in his throat.

Hearing his desperate plea, the young officer went to BangHaYul and asked,

“Student, do you know a person named [Shin So-eun]?”

“I don’t think so.”

Surprisingly, even after spending the night in the same house, BangHaYul didn’t know [Shin So-eun]’s name.

They hadn’t had a proper introduction.

“The student says she doesn’t know [Shin So-eun].”

Hearing that BangHaYul didn’t recognize the name he was so desperately shouting, the young officer became even more cautious.

Lee JeongWoo’s arms were already restrained with handcuffs, but judging by his size and muscles, he didn’t seem like someone to underestimate just because he couldn’t use his arms.

They thought he was still capable of escaping or causing a disturbance, so they nervously patted his taser gun to make sure it was still in place.

‘It feels like I’m facing a grizzly bear.’

At least zoo grizzlies were confined to cages, but this grizzly was only restrained by flimsy handcuffs.

Fearing that, the officer became even more tense.

“No! How can you not know the name of the person you spent the night with! Mangnani’s name is [Shin So-eun]!”

Lee JeongWoo was so frustrated.

But the officer didn’t understand his frustration.

“Sir! I think this guy is crazy!”

Only someone who frequently watched internet broadcasts would understand that statement.

Unfortunately for Lee JeongWoo, the two police officers were in their late 30s and early 40s, and had never been exposed to internet broadcasting, so they couldn’t easily understand him.

“Victim protection is the priority! Move to a safe location!”

Just as BangHaYul was about to be escorted to safety and Lee JeongWoo was about to be unfairly taken into custody, [Shin So-eun], who was on her way home from work, heard Lee JeongWoo’s cries and approached the police.

“Excuse me, what’s going on?”

“Ma’am, it’s dangerous. Don’t come any closer. Just because we’ve handcuffed him doesn’t mean we can be sure he’s been subdued.”

“It’s not that, I know that man.”

Lee JeongWoo had always disliked [Shin So-eun] for interfering with his access to [Shin So-eun], but today she seemed like his savior And she was.

“Complacency, thinking ‘he wasn’t usually like this, he wouldn’t do that,’ is what leads to fatal accidents.”

“[Shin So-eun] is also the name of someone I know. Specifically, my unnie who lives with me.”

“But the student says she doesn’t know [Shin So-eun].”

“Mangnani is her nickname, her real name is [Shin So-eun]. You know the name Mangnani, right?”

Terrified by [Shin So-eun]’s question, BangHaYul answered as if possessed.

“Yes? Yes.”

“How can a woman’s nickname be Mangnani?”

[Shin So-eun] calmly said to the bewildered officer,

“It seems like there’s been a misunderstanding, so I’ll go get Jin-ah unnie.”

[Shin So-eun] called [Shin So-eun] and summoned her.

Since it was right in front of their house, it didn’t take [Shin So-eun] even five minutes to appear.

What came into [Shin So-eun]’s view was security company employees on high alert, a police officer nervously patting his taser gun, Lee JeongWoo sprawled on the ground in a mess, another police officer on top of him suppressing him, BangHaYul with a terrified face and tear streaks, and [Shin So-eun], who was just as bewildered as she was.

‘This is a mess.’

It was literally a chaotic scene.

“What on earth is going on?”

“I don’t know either.”

[Shin So-eun] had called [Shin So-eun], but she wasn’t sure what was going on either.

“Jin-ah noona! Keuheuk!”

Lee JeongWoo, still handcuffed with his arm twisted behind his back and suppressed by the police, sobbed miserably.

“……He looks so pitiful, can’t you please let him go? I really know him.”

“We can’t do that until the charges are cleared. That’s the dangerous thing about acquaintances. You become careless because you know them well.”

If he had been even a little bit slender, if he hadn’t had the massive physique reminiscent of a grizzly bear, he would have been treated less harshly, but because he was so strongly built, Lee JeongWoo had to remain face down on the ground.

“Then let me talk to him first.”

They would release him once the misunderstanding was cleared up.

Watching Lee JeongWoo cry with tear gas in his eyes, sprawled on the ground, and handcuffed, [Shin So-eun] resolved to resolve the issue quickly.

‘He looks like a savage beast on the outside, but he’s actually a kind person.’

Even though she hadn’t known him for long, she knew he was far from violent.

The victim just happened to be that crazy high school girl, so she was certain it was a misunderstanding.

‘That girl really causes trouble wherever she goes.’

Should she put a leash on HaYul or something? She briefly entertained that thought.

“So, what happened?”

[Shin So-eun] crouched down in front of Lee JeongWoo to match his eye level as much as possible.

However, since Lee JeongWoo was suppressed while lying face down, all he could see when he looked up was a crotch and breasts.

‘Ugh!’

Faced with a spectacle that could create crimes where none existed if he stared too intently, Lee JeongWoo turned his head away.

Even though he turned his head away, the situation was so urgent that he had to explain what happened.

“I was just walking along the promenade, and that girl was sitting on a bench saying strange things like ‘mamma tong’ and ‘baby kuku,’ so I was curious as to why she was doing that, so I just approached her, but as soon as our eyes met, she suddenly screamed.”

“Oh dear, there are so many crazy women in the world. You should have been careful and avoided her.”

[Shin So-eun] thought Lee JeongWoo’s judgment was very reckless.

It would be one thing on a busy street in broad daylight, but approaching a lone high school girl on a deserted night promenade?

It would be okay if he were a beautiful girl like her, but it was something a muscular man shouldn’t do.

“I just wanted to confirm if she was BangHaYul from today’s broadcast because her voice was familiar. And she was, wasn’t she?”

Lee JeongWoo’s unfiltered words revealed one fact to [Shin So-eun].

“……So, you’re still watching my broadcasts these days?”

“Ah.”

No, it’s not like I told you not to watch.

How many people watch my broadcasts? You could be watching for market research since you’re a competitor.

I know you’re working really hard on your broadcasts.

I didn’t think even a little bit that you were being a creepy stalker.

‘I wish the police would shoot me to death with a gun.’

Lee JeongWoo had to struggle to resist the urge to grind his face into the ground.

It was so embarrassing that he would go crazy if he didn’t die immediately.

While [Shin So-eun] was listening to Lee JeongWoo’s account, [Shin So-eun] was also coaxing and comforting BangHaYul to find out what had happened.

‘So, she didn’t actually suffer anything?’

She didn’t completely misunderstand.

Lee JeongWoo looked too big and powerful for her not to be scared.

It wasn’t strange that she thought if she didn’t scream right now, she wouldn’t have another chance against someone who could subdue her in just one second.

However, if she was so easily frightened, she shouldn’t have been wandering around at this time of night.

She should have at least stayed in crowded areas, or wouldn’t it have been too much to scream just because someone approached her while she was sitting on a bench on a night promenade?

‘No, that guy really does look too big and strong.’

If it had been a man of average build, BangHaYul wouldn’t have panicked so much.

But he had a body that made her certain that she wouldn’t have a single chance to resist if his rough hands covered her mouth or strangled her.

That’s why she reflexively screamed even though he was still some distance away.

Was it too harsh to expect a young high school girl to not be afraid of a man who even security guards, whose job it was to protect buildings, and police officers, whose job it was to catch criminals, were afraid of?

But if she was such a fragile high school girl, she shouldn’t have been wandering around at night.

The accident returned to square one.

In the meantime, [Shin So-eun] bought a bunch of bottled water from the convenience store and poured it all over Lee JeongWoo’s face to wash away the tear gas.

As someone who knew how painful chemical warfare training was, she couldn’t bear to watch Lee JeongWoo continue to shed tears.

“Now that it seems like everything has been revealed to be a misunderstanding, can’t you please release him?”

“……Yes, we will.”

Finally, Lee JeongWoo was released.

The police hesitated for a long time whether to release the handcuffs, but when [Shin So-eun], who was much smaller and more delicate than them, spoke so confidently, they gained confidence from her face and finally released him.

“We’re sorry for treating you roughly.”

He could have argued about excessive force or something, but Lee JeongWoo, who had been on the verge of ruining his life and had barely managed to survive, had exhausted all his energy and was too relieved to argue.

“Hey! Why are you wandering around at this time of night when I told you to go home! Tsk!”

[Shin So-eun] went to BangHaYul and gently flicked her forehead.

However, she didn’t hit her hard to cause pain, but rather touched her to encourage her to feel relieved.

Anyway, it seemed like a little more conversation was needed before disbanding, so under [Shin So-eun]’s lead, the four of them moved to the lounge on the first floor of the apartment.

The police followed instead of leaving, watching the scene from a distance, and the security guards also kept glancing over, making it a rather unsettling place.

But they were afraid that BangHaYul would have another panic attack if they went to a deserted place, so the conversation inevitably began in that wide, open place with many eyes on them.