episode_0029

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Don’t be too nervous.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with my will.

If you die, you die, and if you live, you live. At this point, Yeon-rim’s father’s fate is in the hands of heaven.

Yeonlim’s father. If the results turn out wrong, please don’t blame me.

Because this is not something I can do.

I carefully opened my eyes and spread out my palms.

This is the front.

Yes, it’s the front.

Yeonlim, who confirmed that the coin landed on heads, covered her mouth and cheered with her eyes.

Yeonlim’s father’s expression was unexpectedly calm.

It seemed like the old man was thinking that he would follow Hye-yoon’s decision without question, whether she died or not.

Hyeyoon blew a whistle and opened her mouth.

“Mr. Shin Man-sik is lucky. It came out on the front side. Oh my.”

“Okay. So Yeonlim’s father will be spared?”

“Okay. I’ll keep my promise.”

Then Yeonlim, who was standing over there, quickly approached Hye-yoon, bowed her head, and spoke.

“Thank you, Hye-yoon. My father tried to do something bad to you… Thank you for forgiving me.”

“Thanks to Yeonrim. I was concerned about your father because you gave us crucial information.”

“If the coin landed on tails… would my father be dead?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Hyeyoon nodded innocently, but Yeonlim, whose face had turned pale, looked tired.

Hye-yoon stood up from her seat, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and looked around at her subordinates.

“Of course, even if that’s true… It’s still true that Mr. Shin Man-sik tried to kill me. Alex. Just make sure you don’t kill him.”

Then Yeonlim protested.

“Huh? Lord, you said you wouldn’t kill me, right?”

“What are you saying? Of course I won’t kill you. I’m saying you should be punished just enough to not kill you. That old man installed the bomb in this room with his own hands, so he should be punished for that. Right?”

Yeonlim shut her mouth tightly as if she had nothing to say and stepped back.

I had nothing to say either.

The fact that Hye-yoon spared Mr. Shin Man-sik’s life just now is because she was very, very generous in forgiving him, given her personality.

The Red Cross members involved in this incident ended up not even being able to find their bodies… Compared to that, Mr. Shin Man-sik was clearly given a very lenient punishment.

A Red Cross member, kneeling with his hands tied, spoke in a trembling voice.

“Bin Hye-yoon.”

“Huh?”

“This may sound meaningless, but……. You won’t show us any mercy, right?”

Hyeyoon let out a sneer and answered with contempt.

“There’s no tolerance for you guys. You’re just going to die in agony. While peeing like a dog. Sounds fun, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll eat breakfast in the other world tomorrow. Just remember Bin Hye-yoon.”

The Red Cross member glared at Hye-yoon.

“There will come a day when you will pay for this karma. Even more miserably than we did.”

***

The next morning.

A public phone in front of Hye-yoon’s house.

I went there and called Seol-hee.

I felt like Seol-hee had to know about the incident I had experienced. In the first place, Seol-hee was the one who had first told me that Red Cross was after Hye-yoon.

So, it seemed that Seol-hee also had the right to know how this matter ended.

Anyway, since Hwarang Group’s information power was enough to quickly find out what happened at that restaurant… it wouldn’t have been a big deal if I told Seol-hee.

Seol-hee listened to what I said without making a sound.

What happened at the Distinguished Restaurant.

Yeonlim’s father suddenly appears with a pale expression. Captured by members of the Red Cross organization.

A coin toss where life and death depended.

Yeon-rim’s father was beaten so hard that he literally didn’t die.

“…….What a crazy person. Bin Hye-yoon.”

Seol-hee, who had been silent for a long time, reacted like this.

“Huh?”

“She’s a really scary woman. She’s a harder person to deal with than I thought. What do you think? Do you think I can handle her?”

Of course, I also know that Seol-hee has a smart personality.

But if you compare her to Hye-yoon… Well, I can’t really picture Seol-hee winning over Hye-yoon, whether it’s a battle of wits or a battle of charisma.

When I didn’t answer, Seol-hee smiled and continued talking.

“Yeah. It’s natural for you not to answer, Seongwon. Your opponent is Bin Hye-yoon. But you know what? In the end, I’ll win. I’ve never lost a competition.”

“I don’t know. Try your best, whether it’s fighting or something.”

When I answered playfully, Seol-hee smiled on the other end of the phone.

“By the way, Bin Hye-yoon is also very lucky. The assassin who was after her life was Seong-won, your ex-girlfriend’s father……”

“It seems Hye-yoon wasn’t destined to die yet.”

“Yeah. I can only explain it as fate. It must be fate, not coincidence.”

Seol-hee sighed and continued speaking.

“Anyway, our immediate goal is to control Bin Hye-yoon as much as possible. She’s a dangerous person like a time bomb, so if we turn her into an enemy, it’ll be a headache. Do you agree with that?”

“I’m not in the Hwarang Group’s shoes, so I don’t know. But I think I would do the same if I were you.”

“What is that? ”

Seol-hee, who had been laughing bashfully, remained silent for a moment before opening her mouth again.

“Tell Bin Hye-yoon to give you some time.”

“Time? Want to meet up and talk?”

“No. I want to go on a trip together. I want to hear the whole story from Bin Hye-yoon’s mouth.”

“Travel, you say?”

Seol-hee smiled again and answered.

“Yeah. Travel. I couldn’t go to the beach this summer. This time, I’m going to go with Bin Hye-yoon. Should I go with you?”

“shi, I don’t like it. I want to distance myself from Hye-yoon right now.”

That was true.

After the last restaurant incident, I realized with all my heart that Hye-yoon was a mafia.

So I distanced myself from Hye-yoon again… and wanted to go back to my old peaceful daily life.

I was also thinking about leaving Hye-yoon’s house.

Seol-hee responded to my words with a serious expression.

“Oh my. If you don’t go, there’s no point in taking Bin Hye-yoon to the sea. The only person on Earth who can properly control Bin Hye-yoon is Woo Sung-won. You. Don’t you know that?”

“Hye-yoon is listening to me? Ha-”

When I laughed at that, Seol-hee answered seriously.

“No. That’s because you don’t know Bin Hye-yoon. Bin Hye-yoon relies on you more than you can imagine. You’re the only one in this world who can control Bin Hye-yoon. Got it?”

……what?

***

That night.

“Sea?”

Hyeyoon, wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt, responded by fiddling with her fingernails.

“Yeah. The sea. Yoo Seol-hee told me to go to the sea with you.”

Hyeyoon, who had a thoughtful expression on her face, asked again.

“What about you? Didn’t I ask you to go with me?”

“Huh? That’s what happened, but… um. I’m busy preparing for a job these days. I don’t think I’ll have time to go to the beach.”

Let’s just take a quick step back.

Then Hyeyoon, who was trimming her fingernails with a nail clipper, answered nonchalantly.

“If you don’t go, I won’t go either. Why are you excluding me now? You were just playing games at home these days anyway. Why are you preparing for a job all of a sudden?”

“……Oh, no. I was preparing for a job in my own way.”

I cleared my throat and carefully said what I wanted to say.

“When I get a job, I think I’ll have to move out of this house and get a studio apartment and live alone. After all, I’m used to living alone.”

“Huh? It’s dangerous for you to live outside. Don’t you remember the last time you were blown up by a bomb in a one-room apartment?”

“No. That was a long time ago. Anyway, I feel a little awkward about living here. I like my house, which is like a thatched hut, rather than someone else’s house, which is like a palace.”

“Why is this someone else’s house?”

Hyeyoon’s voice became slightly cold.

Ugh… I said I would bring up the subject as carefully as possible. Did I hurt Hye-yoon’s feelings?

No. But I think it’s better to say what you want to say.

I answered in a tired voice.

“This big house isn’t my house. I don’t fit into living in a house like this.”

Hyeyoon put down the nail clippers and sat down next to me.

Then he took my hand in both his and opened his mouth again.

“No. You should stay here. I don’t like being home alone and having unfamiliar maids waiting for me. Did I treat you badly?”

“That’s not it, but… my life… I’m not a mafia.”

That’s what I wanted to say.

I am not a mafia.

But the closer I got to Hye-yoon, the more I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper into a swamp I couldn’t escape from. The swamp called the mafia.

“Come here. Lie down here.”

Hyeyoon made me lie down with my face on her lap.

Ugh… I can smell something coming from Hye-yoon’s legs. What is this skinship?

Hyeyoon, who was stroking my face, spoke calmly.

“Okay. You can do whatever you want, whether you get a job or work somewhere. I won’t touch your private life as much as possible. I won’t ask you to work for our organization. You can just live here. Is that not okay?”

A voice slightly mixed with emotion.

If I do this, my heart will waver again.

Ugh… Bin Hye-yoon. Why won’t you leave me alone? Do you want to ruin my life?

No. In a way, Hye-yoon’s feelings for me are certain.

Can I reject Hye-yoon now? Hye-yoon likes me this much. Then shouldn’t I enjoy that feeling?

At that moment, many worries became tangled in my head.

After a long time I answered.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll do that. But Hye-yoon.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to walk around the house in your underwear? I can clearly see the black panties you’re wearing right now in front of my eyes.”

“Really? Then you want to get a nose job?”

“……No. Okay.”

Hyeyoon laughed loudly and lightly hit my forehead. Then she whispered.

“You need to take a shower. You smell like sweat. Should I scrub your back?”

“No. That’s fine too.”

After Hye-yoon got off the bridge, I headed to my room.

Huh- Honestly, if I put my mind to it, I could somehow do something about it with Hye-yoon… But not now.

The reason inside me was speaking.

If I cross the final line with Hye-yoon here, my life will be irreversible.

Not crossing the final line with Hye-yoon is the minimum condition for me to live a normal and healthy life.

I don’t want to be a mafia member. I never want to live a life with blood on my hands.

I entered the room, locked the door, and looked for my phone.

Phew… Hye-yoon’s outfit must be so stimulating.

I guess I should first watch some porn to calm down…

Ah. Fuck.

There’s no toilet paper in the room again.

***

the next day.

I went to the hospital where Yeonlim’s father was hospitalized.

To be exact, Yeonlim said that her father wanted to see me. I got a call from Yeonlim.

Well… I was good at flipping coins, so that old man’s life was saved. Is that a good thing?

Anyway, I got dressed up and went to the hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Yeonlim was waiting for me.

“How is your father?”

When I asked, Yeonlim answered coldly.

“He didn’t die. Anyway, Bin Hye-yoon did keep her promise.”

“Ah…..”

Yeonlim continued talking as she guided me to the hospital room where my father was lying.

“A person from Hwarang Group came and paid for my father’s medical expenses and hospitalization fees. What happened?”

“Hwarang Group?”

I burst out laughing.

“It’s Seol-hee’s doing. What is she up to now?”

“Seol-hee? Hwarang Group Chairman’s youngest daughter Yoo Seol-hee?”

“Yeah. I’m the type that thinks a lot. Well. The reason is obvious, but…….”

Perhaps Yeonlim is trying to build a network of connections to get information. Information about me or Hyeyoon.

“You’re really amazing. How did you become friends with those people?”

Yeonrim asked as if she was really surprised.

“Because I’m a loser in life.”

“……I was wrong back then. Can you please forget what I said back then?”

It was just a joke, but Yeonlim unexpectedly apologized seriously.

If I do this, I’ll just feel embarrassed for no reason.

Anyway, while we were talking like that, I arrived at the hospital room where Yeonlim’s father, Shin Man-sik, was lying.

Mr. Shin Man-sik, with bandages wrapped all over his body.

It looks like he was beaten just enough to not die.

“Fractures all over the body, ruptured internal organs, damaged spinal discs……. Dad didn’t die, but this is what happened.”

Yeonlim looked at her father and muttered in a trembling voice.

Mr. Shin Man-sik opened his eyes dimly and looked at me, opening his mouth.

“You’re here… Don’t I look so miserable?”

“No. Still… I guess it’s fortunate that he didn’t go back.”

I answered honestly.

Mr. Shin Man-sik, who smiled awkwardly, opened his mouth again in a small voice.

“I heard the story from Yeonrim. I can only say thank you to you. My daughter did something so shameless, and you helped me.”

“The coin toss was a good result. There was nothing I could do.”

“No. Bin Hye-yoon was very hesitant about killing me. That’s where Bin Hye-yoon asked for your permission. To give me an excuse not to kill Shin Man-sik. That’s what I think?”

“Yes?”

“Bin Hye-yoon is the boss of the organization. It would have been disrespectful for Bin Hye-yoon to spare me without a reason while her subordinates were watching. That’s why she brought you in. She even made you flip a coin.”

“……”

“Anyway, you saved me. Thank you.”

I couldn’t agree with that.

Yeonlim just looked at her father, who was lying there badly injured, with a blank look in her eyes.

Mr. Shin Man-sik swallowed hard and continued speaking.

“I wanted to say thank you……. and……. Can you forgive Yeonlim?”

“I already received an apology for that.”

“Yeah. That’s good.”

Mr. Shin Man-sik groaned in pain and with difficulty changed his posture slightly before continuing to speak.

“I was greedy. I was so blinded by debt that I was out of my mind. I can’t face my wife and Yeon-rim right now. Because of my greed, I almost put my family in danger.”

Then Yeonlim turned her head, took out a tissue, and wiped her eyes.

It seemed like his situation was miserable right now.

Mr. Shin Man-sik, who was coughing and sneezing, barely managed to open his mouth again.

“I won’t ask you to date Yeonlim again. Will you be able to protect and take care of Yeonlim in the future?”

“Me?”

“Your name is Seongwon, right? You have the power to do that now. You have Bin Hye-yoon and Yoo Seol-hee by your side.”

…….What is this man mistaken about?

When I didn’t answer, Shin Man-sik coughed again and spoke.

“This is a request from an incompetent father. Please don’t hate Yeonrim.”