episode_0012

When the sun began to set, I returned home.

Ugh… I played in the ocean with Hye-yoon and my blood seemed to evaporate. That girl’s bikini swimsuit was so provocative…

I was walking home with weary steps when I stopped in front of the first-floor mailbox.

There is an envelope lying around. It is a letter addressed to me.

Yes. I got a text message saying that mail had arrived.

But a letter? Did anyone send me a letter? I don’t think it’s a tax invoice…

I reached into the mailbox and took out the envelope inside.

Um……. a letter…….

In an age where even homeless people sleeping on the street with newspapers on their heads use smartphones, this is a truly analog method of communication.

I went into the house holding an envelope.

I put down my bag containing my swimsuit, lay down on the bed, opened the envelope, and unfolded the letter inside.

-June 24th. Meet me at Cafe White and Flash in Building XX at 1pm.

-Tear up the letter as soon as you read it.

Two short sentences.

This is a very pretty handwriting. It’s so clean and clear that it looks like it was written by a little girl.

I shrugged and immediately tore the letter up and threw it in the toilet. There must have been a reason why I told you to tear it up, right?

Out of curiosity, I decided to go to the place written in the letter. How could they approach me in this way, like in a spy movie from the 1980s… What kind of trick is this?

Now that I think about it, I think I know who sent the letter.

What is going to happen in my life again…

I was tired from playing in the sea, so I quickly fell asleep.

***

the next day.

I headed to the place written in the letter.

It was a bit far from where I live, so I had to leave an hour earlier than the time written in the letter.

It was a quiet and peaceful cafe. There were no other customers except for middle school students sitting in the corner chatting.

After sitting down and waiting for about ten minutes, the person in the letter appeared.

As expected, she’s a young lady. Yoo Seol-hee.

Yoo Seol-hee, wearing a white one-piece dress suitable for summer and light makeup, was definitely beautiful.

I could strongly feel the pure feeling that Hye-yoon lacked.

Yoo Seol-hee, sitting in front of me, tucked her hair behind her ears and opened her mouth.

“Thank you for coming out to me, even though it was a strange way to contact me.”

“No…… It doesn’t matter……. But why did you contact me like that? I have my phone.”

The iced tea I had ordered in advance was placed on the table.

Yoo Seol-hee covered her mouth and smiled brightly, winked lightly, and said nonchalantly.

“Mr. Seongwon’s phone is probably being tapped. There’s probably a secret camera installed in his room.”

“Yes??”

What the heck is this? My phone is being tapped? A camera in my room?

When I made a face that said I didn’t quite understand, Yoo Seol-hee took a sip of her iced tea and said.

“If it was the Bin Hye-yoon I know, it would have definitely been like that. That’s why I couldn’t contact Seong-won on his phone. Because our conversation could have been leaked to Black Emily.”

Hey. No way…….

Even if Hye-yoon has a strange side…. Could it be that she’s wiretapping? Spying on me?

When I made a face of disbelief, Yoo Seol-hee continued speaking with a smile on her face.

“You can think whatever you want, Seongwon. I think my intuition is right. I’ll tell you about an app. Download the app and install it on your phone.”

“What is the app?”

“Yes. It’s a messenger app that’s hard to monitor or track. I want to contact Seongwon through that app in the future.”

liaison?

The daughter of a wealthy family with me?

Why on earth? What are they up to now?

If that were the case, I would have definitely rejected it?

As I looked dumbfounded, Yoo Seol-hee drank some iced tea and continued talking.

“First of all, I want to apologize for what happened last time. I think I was too hasty and rude. I shouldn’t have bothered Sungwon like that……. I made Sungwon feel awkward for no reason.”

It’s a very polite and straightforward voice.

I was momentarily taken aback, but I quickly came to my senses and answered.

“Oh, no. Well, that could be possible……. But is that the only reason you wanted to meet me?”

“I want to apologize for my rude behavior last time. It was something I shouldn’t have done as a human being to harass Seongwon under the pretext of providing him with a job. I’m not that bad of a person.”

Oh…… The slightly sad expression is cute.

You are pretty, miss……

I stared intently at Yoo Seol-hee’s face, paused for a moment, and then answered.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s all in the past. If you came to me for that reason-”

“No. I have done something, so I have to take care of it myself. I will introduce a job to Seongwon.”

?

What, what?

When I made a surprised expression, Yoo Seol-hee added urgently.

“It’s not a Hwarang Group affiliate. It’s a company that has nothing to do with Hwarang Group. Even if it’s a place like that, I have the ability to put Seongwon in there. What do you think?”

Um… It’s not an affiliate of Hwarang Group?

Even so, if it’s the job this girl introduced me to, it can’t be a bad job.

After thinking about it for a moment, I put down the cup I was fiddling with and answered.

“I don’t think this is a question I can answer right here. I’ll think about it for a moment and then answer. But why are you giving me a job…….”

“Why? I told you. I want to apologize to Seongwon.”

Um… I’m sure something awkward happened last time because of this girl.

But I didn’t want to get a job this way…

No. How long will I have to maintain my pride? Anyway, I got a card from Hye-yoon last time and I’m still using it well.

When an opportunity comes, you have to take it. Pride doesn’t feed you.

While his mind was spinning with such worries, Yoo Seol-hee smiled slightly and asked.

“How was the sea?”

“Um….. Well….. I had fun- No. T, how did you know that?”

“How would you know? Seongwon-ssi, your skin is so tanned. I don’t think there’s any other way to explain it than by playing in the ocean.”

Oh? Is that so?

This girl is quite sensitive and sharp.

When I pout and don’t answer, Yoo Seol-hee makes an arrogant expression and continues speaking in a clear voice.

“……I’m joking. I knew Bin Hye-yoon and Seong-won went to the beach together. Bin Hye-yoon is a key person.”

What the… So you knew that after all.

Isn’t it this woman, not Hye-yoon, who is spying on me?

While I was looking at Yoo Seol-hee with a suspicious expression, she wrote something on a notepad and handed it to me.

“This is my phone number. If something urgent comes up, call me here. Don’t call me from the phone you’re using, call me from a public phone. Got it?”

“I don’t know what the English word means… but, well, let’s do that.”

How many public telephones are there in the world these days?

I quickly stuffed the note into my pocket.

Yoo Seol-hee put down her cup, stood up from her seat, and made a suggestion in a light voice.

“Would you like to go for a drive?”

***

-Buaaang!

The silver Porsche sports car, spotless and smooth, ran smoothly. Even the engine sound was different from that of an ordinary car.

Wow… It sounds like the bass guitar is coming from some engine.

Yoo Seol-hee, wearing sunglasses, said as she accelerated in the car.

“I’ll drive for a bit on a quiet road. We can talk while driving. Is the time okay?”

“Yes? Yes. Of course……”

The sports car driven by Yoo Seol-hee left downtown Seoul and drove west on a quiet road.

“I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. So I can’t even imagine the childhood that Seongwon or Bin Hye-yoon had.”

“……”

“What happened at Saehui Hope Orphanage?”

It’s a question that seems both blatant and not so blatant.

Are you asking about me?

Aha… So you’re trying to get information about Hye-yoon through me. Is this a honey trap operation?

I’m not the type of person to fall for such a plan.

I answered with my sports car window down and the wind blowing outside.

“I don’t really want to answer that. Why are you asking that?”

“I’m not trying to be rude. I’m just…. interested in Seongwon.”

“Yes?”

“There are two people who grew up in the same environment. One of them became a villain that everyone points at and fears… and the other one grew up to be this upright adult.”

“…….”

Yoo Seol-hee stopped her car for a moment at a traffic light and looked at me as she continued speaking.

“I investigated the Saehui Hope Orphanage because of Bin Hye-yoon’s problem. Almost none of the people from there are living a normal life now. Most of them became criminals… died young… or barely made a decent living. Like beggars.”

“I’m also living a miserable life.”

I answered honestly.

It’s not like I’m living well right now.

If I hadn’t met Hye-yoon right away, I might have ended up on the streets.

“No, Seongwon grew up well.”

Yoo Seol-hee said that in a whisper.

A charming voice like a voice actor.

She continued as she started the car again.

“I’m actually a person who lacks willpower. Maybe it’s because I grew up like a princess. I don’t have the strong will of Bin Hye-yoon or Seong-won. That’s why I envy them.”

“…….What’s the conclusion?”

“I think it would be okay to become friends with Seongwon. Leaving Bin Hye-yoon aside.”

“It’s an honor. To hear such words from a daughter of a wealthy family.”

“Why are you so twisted? Do you hate the chaebol family?”

“Well, that’s not it-”

“I’m just an ordinary person who, when I’m hungry at night, boils ramen and licks the yogurt off the lid. Don’t think badly of me just because I’m from a wealthy family. Don’t you like me?”

“No. I don’t have many friends. I don’t know how to socialize.”

This is also an honest answer.

Yoo Seol-hee glanced at me and reacted by taking off her sunglasses.

“That’s the same for me. Just because you’re from a wealthy family doesn’t mean you can make friends easily. Rather, I think it’s harder for you than for ordinary people.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

As they drove along a narrow road filled with pine trees, Yoo Seol-hee asked.

“No.”

“Are you a virgin?”

“No. That, that’s not it.”

“Right?”

Ugh……. Do I look like a natural solo?

I’m secretly getting excited.

I couldn’t help but ask a question that was just as bad as asking it.

“Does Seolhee have a boyfriend?”

“Not now.”

“Are you a natural solo?”

Yoo Seol-hee burst into laughter and playfully hit my shoulder with one hand before answering.

“How could that be?”

“What……I was just asking.”

“Yes. Seongwon-ssi has a funny side. I think he has a talent for making people feel comfortable. Have you heard that?”

Hyeyoon said something similar.

The last time you came to my room for the first time, Hyeyoon said something like that. She said she felt comfortable being with me.

…….Even so, I don’t plan on telling Hye-yoon that I heard that from her.

I just kept my mouth shut and didn’t say anything.

“Bin Hye-yoon is a dangerous person. Seong-won agrees with that fact, right?”

“Well…that could be possible.”

Yoo Seol-hee smiled and whispered as she sped up the car.

“If things continue as they are now, Bin Hye-yoon will make Seong-won unhappy. Don’t ignore it.”

“Why do you think so? Do you have any basis for it?”

Yoo Seol-hee answered with a subtle expression that seemed both smiling and displeased.

“…….It’s a woman’s feeling.”

***

The Porsche sports car, which was as sleek as a cat, returned to the city.

The drive took about an hour.

Yoo Seol-hee, who was holding the steering wheel, opened her mouth.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable to keep using formal language with each other? How about we talk more freely?”

huh?

Well, can I just stop talking now?

When I looked a little embarrassed, Yoo Seol-hee winked slightly and continued talking.

“I’ll keep talking. We’re the same age anyway, so it’s weird to keep talking. What do you think? Seongwon?”

“…….Yeah.”

“Don’t ever tell Bin Hye-yoon what I said today. Okay?”

“Of course. I have that much sense.”

Seol-hee Yoo, no, Seol-hee, who had been driving slowly, opened her mouth again.

“But you know, you had a girlfriend, right?”

“Huh?”

“No matter how I look at it, it seems like I’ve been single since birth.”

Damn. It’s that story again.

Do I have to bring up my painful past again?

“I had a girlfriend, right? It ended really badly, but……. Why do you keep asking me that?”

“No. It’s just- You seem like a nice person, but you seem to have a hard time with women. Isn’t that a trait of single people?”

“No. Am I making it difficult for you right now?”

“What about me……. You treat me so comfortably now, don’t you? You hate rich families, right? You grew up in poverty, so you feel victimized by rich kids, right?”

“I, absolutely not. What are you talking about? I don’t have any complex-like feelings.”

The power of informality is enormous.

As soon as we started talking, it felt like the distance between us had narrowed significantly.

No……. I felt something was off.

Yoo Seol-hee is intentionally getting closer to me. I feel like she’s up to something.

And Yoo Seol-hee, unlike other daughters of a wealthy family, had a surprisingly simple side. And honestly, she also had a cute side.

Honestly, I was confused. How should I accept this girl who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth?

Anyway, I got angry and started running to prove that I wasn’t a mosquito.

“My ex-girlfriend’s house is right around here. I’ve dropped her off there a few times before.”

“Oh my. Oh my. Really? Where was my ex-girlfriend’s house?”

What I said was true.

But strangely, Seol-hee showed interest in what I said.

“Ah, no. If you go straight this way, you’ll see an apartment……. But why do you keep asking me that? Huh?”

“You’re a funny person. That’s why I keep teasing you.”

Seol-hee giggled, then stopped laughing and asked again.

“Really? If you go this way, your ex-girlfriend’s house is there?”

“It’s true.”

“What’s your ex-girlfriend’s name?”

“I don’t want to talk.”

“That’s a lie, after all. Mr. Woo Sung-won, a virgin? How are you going to stand up to Bin Hye-yoon like this? Are you always being held captive by that woman?”

“No. No. ”

While they were talking like that, the sports car was already heading towards the apartment where Yeonlim lived.

“What? Where are you driving?”

“Oh my. Mistake. When you talk about your ex-girlfriend, the car goes that way. I’m also drunk. Really.”

The sports car Seol-hee was driving entered a suitable empty space to make a U-turn.

There, Seol-hee stopped the car. Then she rolled down all the windows and fanned her face with her hand.

“My face feels hot because I’m laughing for the first time in a while. Really.”

“I’ll get off here. The daughter of a wealthy family, you can go home on your own now.”

“No. I’ll give you a lift home.”

“No thank you.”

I answered like that and got out of the car.

Phew……Yuseolhee.

It is arbitrary in a different sense from Bin Hye-won.

These days, I feel like my blood is running dry because of the strong-willed women.

Then Seol-hee, who got out of the car following me, said while brushing back her hair.

“I told you I’d give you a ride home. What are you going to ride?”

“There’s a subway-”

What the fuck.

Oh my god.

Right then.

As Yeonlim and her anchovy-like boyfriend passed by over there, our eyes met.

No. Why are we meeting here again? I’m going to turn around.