23 – Who Found Whom (16)
1.
The sparkle that emanates from a person is more brilliant and beautiful than anything else.
The girl singing a song said that, and Haan, holding my hand and running, was just like that.
The dazzling and beautiful sparkle that feels so radiant brings happiness just by looking at it, and simply by existing, it evokes the admiration of countless people.
I cannot compare myself, skilled only in a bit of sleight of hand, to the countless others who possess the talent to bring happiness to many.
That talent is none other than ‘sparkle.’
So, how could one resist?
It’s something I don’t possess. Therefore, I can only admire it, and even more so, wish for it.
From the moment I saw Haan, I was captivated by the sparkle she exuded.
“I, someone like me. Why would the manager…”
But ironically, Haan herself didn’t know that she had a talent for sparkle, something a rogue like me could never possess, and still didn’t know how to love herself.
Because I didn’t like that fact, I expressed my feelings towards Haan more directly.
“Whatever Haan says, I’m a fan of Haan. Every action of Haan can only look beautiful to me.”
“A fan?”
“Yes, a fan. Haan made me a fan at first sight. Me, who can’t be hurt even by rogues like those. Me, who is not just anyone but the rogue of rogues.”
Instead of just saying ‘she made me fall for her,’ I used my old nickname to emphasize Haan’s greatness in making someone like me fall for her.
Although I blushed when I said the words ‘rogue of rogues,’ embarrassed by my own words, I was prepared to do more to boost Haan’s self-esteem.
“So, Haan, you’re definitely not an ugly person, and you deserve respect more than anyone else…”
“Manager, there’s one thing I’d like to say.”
“Oh, yes.”
I tried to avoid the highlight of praising Haan too much, but Haan’s cold voice interrupted my words.
I had planned to say many touching words that would make Haan love herself when she heard them.
Though I felt regret, it was a positive thing that I no longer felt self-loathing in Haan’s voice.
I erased my regret, put on a cheerful smile for Haan, and encouraged her to speak comfortably.
“Speak. What is it that you want to ask?”
In response to my question, Haan spoke calmly with a chilly voice.
“Being a fan, does it mean falling in love? Did you think of me as a prospective idol?”
“Yes?”
“Are you asking if I had a fangirl accident?”
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and I felt nervous, but surprisingly, it was a rather easy question.
However, it wasn’t a question I could just answer outright.
If I showed even a hint of suspicion, it might be misunderstood that I romantically liked Haan.
As a manager, harboring romantic feelings for the assigned idol is an absolute impossibility.
Moreover, there was only one answer to this question, so without any hesitation, I confidently nodded and replied.
“Yes!”
※※※
People tend to be disappointed because they have expectations.
That’s why if you don’t have expectations, you won’t be disappointed.
Among the few truths that Choi Haan learned while enduring the harsh world, this was one of them.
However, no matter how much you try not to have expectations to avoid disappointment, there are moments in life when you naturally want to have expectations.
Like now, having heard the confession of liking Kang Jinho.
When she only heard the words “liking,” she could somewhat control her expectations.
Choi Haan was, after all, a specialist in managing expectations.
The numerous disappointments and betrayals experienced in society made her shun the act of expecting altogether.
No matter how Kang Jinhyuk swiftly swept away the gangsters who had turned his life into despair, and even showed consideration by angering at her misfortune as if it were his own, respecting the right to revenge in the decisive moment.
Even if the emotion of trust, which was unimaginable for Choi Ha-an, began to sprout, she couldn’t rashly expect it.
If she were to expect now, the disappointment would also grow when that expectation crumbled.
Ironically, as Choi Ha-an’s feelings for Kang Jinhyuk grew, she could not harbor expectations for him.
No, I shouldn’t expect. Let’s not expect. Manager-nim is a good person, but still, let’s not expect.
That’s why Choi Ha-an firmly resolved not to expect.
However, the moment she heard the confession of liking followed by falling in love at first sight, Choi Ha-an’s resolution was instantly shattered, and she even showed a shy, girlish reaction.
Of course, it was only for a moment, and as she feared, expectations were shattered into pieces.
“······Is it a fan’s heart?”
“Yes! I am Ha-an’s first fan!”
Fortunately, what was fortunate is that although expectations were shattered, it was in a different direction from what Choi Ha-an had worried about.
The worst scenario Choi Ha-an envisaged was Kang Jinhyuk smirking with a sly smile, saying, ‘Heh heh. Did you really believe that? Trusting everything in a penniless loser like me.’ and betraying all her expectations and trust.
Of course, naturally, Kang Jinhyuk didn’t do that, and he betrayed her expectations in a completely different direction from Choi Ha-an’s concerns.
“A fan’s heart······.”
So perhaps. Choi Ha-an, even though her expectations were undoubtedly shattered, for some reason, did not despair.
She was certain that if she were betrayed by Kang Jinhyuk, she would despair even though she expected it.
But the betrayal remained unchanged, and naturally, negative emotions followed betrayal.
“A fan’s heart······, you say.”
What visited Choi Ha-an, who had her expectations betrayed, was not a dreadful despair, like falling endlessly and endlessly beneath her feet, but a hot emotion boiling up from deep within her chest.
“A fan’s heart······. To like with a fan’s heart. Fell in love. Not just saying I fell in love, but fell in love at first sight. Is that what you’re saying, Manager-nim?”
It was a tremendous anger that made Cheong Ha-an’s cheeks puff up on their own.
“······Ha-an, what’s wrong?”
As Cheong Ha-an’s voice began to bubble and boil, Kang Jin-hyuk finally realized that something strange was happening.
But by the time he noticed, it was already too late, and Kang Jin-hyuk had to face the slightly puffed-up cheeks of Cheong Ha-an.
“Ha-an, w-why are you making that expression all of a sudden?”
“You said you’re a fan.”
“Yes, I’m a fan of Ha-an.”
“Ugh!”
With a simple and clear answer, Cheong Ha-an cutely tapped her chest and pouted.
She couldn’t exactly pinpoint why she was angry, but one thing was for sure: every time Kang Jin-hyuk confidently answered, her irritation grew little by little.
But Kang Jin-hyuk was an undeniable benefactor in her life, her only trusted ally.
Expressing this boiling anger and irritation towards him would be outrageous.
“Ha-an, did I perhaps make a mistake…? If I made you angry because of my actions, please tell me…”
Moreover, just by expressing that Ha-an was angry, Kang Jin-hyuk’s face turned pale.
He had defeated dozens of gangsters armed with knives and pipes without a single scratch, and he had completely destroyed three extremely wicked gangsters who were notorious in this area, without throwing a single punch. And now he didn’t know what to do because of one person, Cheong Ha-an.
This fact made Cheong Ha-an feel incredibly happy.
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How could I get angry at my manager? I can never get angry at him.
In the end, Cheong Ha-an couldn’t direct this anger that arose because of Kang Jin-hyuk towards Kang Jin-hyuk himself.
So, let’s direct this intense anger towards someone who can handle it.
“······Gulp, gulp.”
“······Heh, heheheheek.”
In the gaze of Choi Ha-an, the sound of swallowing dry saliva and a gruesome voice emanated.
Until just a moment ago, Jo Cheol-man and Park Hyeok-soo, who were quietly pleased with the fact that they seemed forgotten, were now staring at each other with pants stained.
Choi Ha-an, pale, turned her gaze away from the two visibly shaken individuals and looked at Kang Jin-hyuk.
“······The manager said he would do anything for you except killing, right?”
“Oh? Ah, yes. Except for things that ruin Ha-an’s life.”
“Then it should be fine. Those bastards are nothing but trouble in my life.”
“Yes, that’s right. They have already proven themselves to be nothing but trouble in Ha-an’s life.”
Kang Jin-hyuk, who distanced himself from violence, couldn’t help but nod in agreement with her words at this moment.
Those two trash, or rather, even dirtier gangsters than trash, were nothing short of the source of despair in Choi Ha-an’s life.
“Well, since killing is not allowed. Can you make them suffer painfully until just before they die?”
So, asking to get rid of those two was more accurately interpreted as getting rid of the garbage that had been emitting an increasingly foul stench for the past three years, rather than teaching them a lesson in violence.
Since Kang Jin-hyuk himself shared that perspective upon Choi Ha-an’s request, he lightly nodded in response.
“As much as you want!”
And then, a horrific violence that couldn’t be seen with open eyes poured towards the three gangsters.
Teeth flew, and blood spurted in a gruesome scene. Watching this, Choi Ha-an could feel the anger that had been suppressed inside her unraveling, bringing a sense of relief to her chest.
“This is the debt Ha-an incurred without you!”
Bang!
“This is the debt Ha-an incurred, making you run away on this cold day with a thin coat!”
Thunk!
“This is the result of making an already difficult life even more difficult by interfering with the job that Haan-ssi struggled to find!”
Thunk!
“This is the result of forcing Haan-ssi to give me a hundred hugs from a man she’s never seen before… Hm, should I be grateful for this instead? If it weren’t for that, Haan-ssi wouldn’t have met me. Then again, there’s something else.”
…
“Yes, this is the result of these bastards using me to threaten Haan-ssi!”
Thunk!
“And this is…!”
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Of course, Kang Jinhyuk couldn’t even figure out in his dreams that the reason for this beating he was carrying out against Choi Haan now, with the teacher’s revenge not being her own motive, but rather the absurd reason that she had to release her anger wherever she could, was because of that incident.