episode_0015

What’s most needed in times like this is natural acting skills.

I tried to calm myself down and spoke as calmly as possible.

“Ah. This? It’s a spam call. I have to block it right now. Damn……. Anyway, spam calls are fucking annoying.”

I answered like that and then naturally pressed down on the phone to turn it off.

“Okay? Then I’ll take it. Give me your phone.”

Huh? What, what did you say?

While I was fumbling around, Hyeyoon quickly snatched the phone out of my hand. It was an unexpected action.

“What? What is it? Are you crazy? What are you doing?”

When I became serious, Hye-yoon covered her lips with her finger and made a shhh expression before answering the phone.

Ah. I’m going to turn back.

“Yes. Who are you? Why are you calling so early in the morning?”

Hyeyoon answered the phone in a surprisingly kind and calm voice. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s okay.

This isn’t going to work. I have to take the phone away. This is driving me crazy. Seriously.

When I reached out and tried to grab my phone, Hye-yoon jumped up and ran to the bathroom.

“Hey! You’re not standing there-”

Ah. Shit. I’m a step too late.

Hyeyoon went into the bathroom and locked the door.

Yeonlim-ah. Why did you call at this time?

Damn… If you’re going to be so dog-like, why don’t you just end it cleanly?

Yeonlim, why does that guy keep acting so shabby? What the heck?

I was seriously pissed.

I just kicked the cushion that had fallen underneath.

***

restroom.

Hye-yoon was standing with Woo Sung-won’s phone pressed to her ear.

It wasn’t just Woo Sung-won who felt embarrassed. Yeon-rim, who had called, was also surprised.

“Who is this on the phone? Is this Seongwon’s phone?”

“Woo Sung-won’s phone is correct. But Woo Sung-won is um-”

Hye-yoon put her finger to her lips, smiled brightly, and continued speaking.

“Mr. Woo Sung-won is taking a shower right now. Who are you to call Mr. Woo Sung-won on his phone?”

Sha, shower?

Yeonlim, who had called first, was so surprised that she couldn’t speak for a moment.

In the morning, Seongwon was taking a shower and a woman answered his phone…

if?

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just someone who used to know Seongwon. I’ll hang up.”

“Isn’t that Seongwon’s ex-girlfriend? Her name is… Yeonrim, you say?”

When Hye-yoon suddenly brought up Yeon-rim’s name, Yeon-rim answered in a very flustered manner.

“Huh? Oh, no. No. That, that, that…….”

“You don’t have to be scared. Who killed Yeonrim? And I’m not Seongwon’s girlfriend.”

“Huh? Really?”

Hyeyoon, leaning against the bathroom door, continued speaking calmly.

“Why did you call? Do you want to meet Seongwon again? I heard you have a boyfriend.”

“That, that……. When we broke up, I spoke too harshly……. I want to apologize properly…..”

“Apple?”

Hye-yoon smiled coldly. Then she added.

“The ship has already sailed. It seems like Seongwon has no interest in you anymore.”

“I… Hey, is this by any chance Yoo Seol-hee’s scene?”

“Yes?”

“That……. I, I saw Seongwon and Seolhee riding together in a sports car last time. Near my house. Is that Seolhee?”

“…….Ah. Did something like that happen?”

Hye-yoon’s two eyes became cautiously bloodshot.

Hyeyoon stood up from her seat, clenching her fists.

“Unfortunately, I am not Yoo Seol-hee. There is someone more famous than Yoo Seol-hee.”

“Yes?”

“I picked up the phone to have some fun and got some great information. Can I thank you?”

“Huh? Wh, what……..”

“Yeonrim-ssi. I’ll hang up now.”

Hye-yoon hung up the phone like that.

Hye-yoon, who was looking at the mirror in the bathroom, let go of her hair that was tied into a ponytail.

***

Ugh… I wonder what Hyeyoon is talking about with Yeonlim in the bathroom.

I’m so nervous my mouth is dry.

I thought I couldn’t do it, so I took out a zero-calorie cola from the fridge and drank it in one gulp.

-Squeak.

The bathroom door opened slowly, like a scene from a horror movie.

“Bin Hye-yoon. What are you doing? Why are you taking my phone and answering it? Are you crazy?”

When I suddenly got annoyed, Hyeyoon slowly approached me and handed me her phone. She glared at me with eyes that were dripping with anger.

What? What did you talk about with Yeonlim? Why does she have that expression on her face?

Hyeyoon, who gave me back my phone, walked slowly into her room.

When Hye-yoon came back into the living room again.

She was holding a very dangerous object in her hands.

A shiny, sparkly revolver pistol.

pistol?

I was so surprised that I stepped back.

What the heck… A gun all of a sudden? What the heck? Bin Hye-yoon? You’re not crazy, are you? Are you really going to shoot this?

One of my legs was shaking.

Hyeyoon, who was standing in front of me holding a pistol in one hand, suddenly spread both arms wide to the side.

“Seongwon-ah. Come here. Will you hug me tight?”

“Huh?”

A kind voice that seems to have frozen emotions.

It seems like it doesn’t make sense, but it was definitely Hye-yoon’s voice.

Hyeyoon is strange. There is a feeling of anxiety in her eyes, a feeling that she has slightly turned around.

……What are you talking about now? What are you trying to do?

I was honestly a little scared.

“Come here-”

It happened in an instant when Hye-yoon hugged me tightly while holding the gun.

What the fuck are you doing?

It didn’t even take a second for Hye-yoon, who had been hugging me tightly, to point the gun at my temple.

The cold muzzle touched my sideburns.

I was breathless. A chill ran down my spine.

“Hmm- I can see you shower diligently because you smell good.”

Hye-yoon whispered like that and cocked the revolver pistol back.

It means the gun is loaded.

……Fuck. My mouth is dry.

What are you doing? Now? What did Yeonlim say?

In an instant, my lips became swollen, and as I rolled my eyes and looked at Hye-yoon, Hye-yoon continued to whisper in a small voice.

“If you shoot here, you and I will die. The revolver bullet will go through your head and make a big hole in mine, right? Seongwon. How do you feel right now?”

“…….Are you crazy?”

“I’ve been crazy since I was little. Don’t you know that better than anyone else?”

Hye-yoon’s words that if one live bullet is fired, both of them will die are true.

Hyeyoon, who was hugging me just now, had her head parallel to mine. Hyeyoon’s small ears were almost touching mine.

“Can you tell me slowly from the beginning? What happened with Yoo Seol-hee?”

“There’s something you’re misunderstanding.”

It’s true. That’s all I could say.

“Misunderstanding?”

Hyeyoon took a deep breath and continued speaking without wavering her posture at all.

“The word I hate the most is misunderstanding. Misunderstandings… are often empty excuses. I wish you would tell me the truth without any lies. If you disappoint me with lies, I will pull the trigger.”

“Then you die too.”

“It’s okay. We’ve been together since the orphanage. So we have to ride the bus to the afterlife together. I’m not scared of dying at all. I hate it more that you lie to me than I do. Okay. Can you tell me from the beginning?”

You’re crazy, Bin Hye-yoon.

This is crazy. What is this crazy symptom? Why am I so obsessed with it?

I decided to speak up because I felt like it wouldn’t work.

Why did Yoo Seol-hee ask to meet me? And how did I reject her offer?

Of course, I edited out the parts that could upset Hye-yoon. The part about Hye-yoon tapping my phone and spying on me… and the personal chat I had with Seol-hee. I didn’t say those things.

Fuck……. I didn’t want to die. That’s why I was desperate.

Finally, after I explained everything in detail, Hye-yoon put down the gun she had pointed at me.

Hyeyoon asked, placing both hands on my cheeks.

“What kind of person do you think Yoo Seol-hee is?”

You have to answer this honestly.

“A woman with many secrets.”

“Really?”

“She’s a woman who seems to think a lot. I don’t know what her intentions are, but…….”

Hyeyoon smiled brightly and whispered while resting her forehead against mine.

“Then I feel relieved. I thought you trusted that woman.”

“I don’t trust people easily.”

“Yeah. Actually, this gun is-”

Hyeyoon said as she pulled out the revolver magazine to the side and turned it around.

“There are no bullets. How is it? Did you enjoy my prank?”

When I saw Hye-yoon’s innocent smile… I was just dumbfounded and couldn’t help but straighten my face.

You said it was a joke? Really?

I didn’t feel like it was a joke?

I glared at Hye-yoon without letting go of my shit-eating expression.

“Don’t look at me so scary. I’m doing this to protect you. Do you know how I feel?”

“……”

Hyeyoon, who was caressing my face with both hands, carefully placed her lips on my forehead.

It was a long kiss.

What should I say? I felt a little bit of Hye-yoon’s feelings.

I wonder if Hye-yoon is still relying on me.

After the kiss ended, Hye-yoon whispered in my ear.

“Don’t trust anyone but me. We had that kind of mindset at Saehui Hope Orphanage, right? Right?”

……Can I get away from this woman?

***

the next day.

I met Yeonlim.

I was getting annoyed by Yeonlim’s constant phone calls and nagging, so we decided to meet up and end things properly.

Yeonlim, who arrived earlier than the appointed time, was waiting at the cafe.

I sat across from Yeonlim with a sullen face and didn’t say anything for a while.

In the end, I was the first to speak.

“Why are you doing that? Aren’t you the one who’s cold to me?”

“Huh? That, that’s right……”

“You say there’s a boyfriend who’s better than me? But why do you keep contacting me? Calling me a loser?”

Yeonlim, who had been looking down at her coffee without even drinking it with her head down as I kept on shouting, answered.

“At that time…… I think I was…… short-sighted. Seokjong had a lot of money and treated me well, so I was blinded at that time……”

“Money? You dated him for money?”

Yeonlim, who had her eyes tightly shut, did not answer.

Yeonlim, who had just taken a sip of coffee, answered.

“You must have had a hard time as a child, but it’s the same for me now. My house was put on red more than three times because my father’s business failed. The apartment I’m currently living in is also about to be demolished. I didn’t think about anything other than meeting a rich man and living well. That was really all I had. I was sick of poverty. And Seokjong’s father was an executive at a public corporation… I thought a man like that was enough.”

“……So?”

“But…..But……”

Yeonlim sniffled.

Yeonlim took out a tissue and wiped her eyes, then continued speaking in a tearful voice.

“I’m having such a hard time. I don’t know if I’m Seokjong’s girlfriend or maid. And…… I think Seokjong is cheating on me.”

What?

You cheated on me too, didn’t you?

I wanted to say that, but I didn’t say it because I saw Yeonlim’s face, who was crying in front of me.

But Yeonlim must have known what I wanted to say just by looking into my eyes.

Yeonlim, who had been crying for a long time, carefully opened her mouth.

“It’s too shameless to ask you out again now. I know that. So I won’t say that.”

What are you trying to say? Really?

As I crossed my arms and looked at Yeonlim with cold eyes, Yeonlim held the coffee cup with both hands and continued speaking slowly.

“…..Can’t we just be friends from now on? I’m here. I want to be comfortable with you again. I won’t ask you out. Okay?”

“Friend?”

“Yeah. Friend. Don’t you have other friends? Then we can all hang out together….. How nice would that be? Yeah? If you introduce me to a friend, I can introduce you to a friend too. Right?”

aha…….

I wondered what the purpose was.

Last time, Yeonlim saw me and Yoo Seol-hee together.

This kid is targeting Yoo Seol-hee, not me, right now.

I noticed Yeonlim’s feelings and stood up from my seat. Then I spoke coldly as if declaring something.

“Yeonlim-ah. We’re done now. The bus has already left. Do you know that?”

“Hey…… Sungwon. What I said when we broke up back then…… That…… was just hysteria. Can’t you forget it?”

“Hysteria?”

I laughed loudly and glared at Yeonlim in the face.

“It’s already over. Bye.”

***

That moment.

Hyeyoon’s office.

Knock, knock, knock. Then, Alex the secretary came in.

“Boss. We got a call from Hwarang Group.”

“Hwarang Group?”

“To be exact, it was Yoo Seol-hee who contacted me. Should I connect the call?”

Hye-yoon thought for a moment and nodded.

Then, the phone in front of Hye-yoon rang.

Hyeyoon stared at the phone and then picked up the receiver.

“Hwarang Group Miss? What’s going on? I wanted to meet you anyway.”

“That’s good, Hye-yoon.”

Seol-hee smiled bashfully and answered.

“I just called to say that. Shall we finally meet up? We should start talking seriously now.”