41 – How Gangsters Deal with School Violence (12)
1.
“I’m Harira. Um, I came because my brother said you should go here······ Can I come in?”
Brother? Who? The manager? Is she the manager’s sister? No, their last names are different. The manager’s last name is Kang, and this woman’s last name is Ha. So that means······.
Just before Choi Ha-an could answer the question that arose in her mind, Harira, who had entered the entrance and awkwardly stood there, opened her mouth.
“I walked all the way here, so my legs hurt a little. Can I come in?”
In Harira’s words, there was a faint trace of annoyance mixed in.
Surely it was because he didn’t like the way she stood there silently, staring at him with wary eyes, that she politely asked, “Can I come in?”
“······Ah, yes. Please come in.”
Finally regaining his composure, Choi Ha-an remembered that Hari-ra had come with Kang Jin-hyuk’s introduction and allowed her to enter. Hari-ra, having received permission, was able to set down her bag.
Thump.
“Phew. I can finally breathe now.”
Since it was a cheap bag that she had decided to run away with, its weight was comparable to full military gear.
“You brought a lot.”
“Well, yeah. I brought all my belongings from home. You have no idea how much I struggled to pack all that.”
“You brought everything from home…?”
“Yes, fortunately, I’m still in high school. So I was able to fit everything into one bag.”
Bringing all her belongings from home meant only one thing.
Hari-ra had packed her things to live here.
Having reached that conclusion, Choi Ha-an turned his head, releasing the tense muscles, and put Hari-ra as his top priority in terms of caution.
Calling the manager “oppa,” packing all her belongings and coming here, being young and pretty. On top of that, her figure… It was so beautiful that it sent shivers down his spine.
Though he couldn’t say the same about her face, Hari-ra had the advantage in terms of body proportions and elegance.
Of course, Choi Ha-an also had a figure that could be called “bagel,” with ample volume and a slender body to match, but there was no way he could beat Hari-ra, who had learned sports before speaking.
“······.”
Thump!
To Choi Ha-an, who had lived a life without anyone to protect him, her shining appearance was a curse, but that didn’t mean he resented her for losing with her looks.
Of course, when comparing Choi Ha-an to Hari-ra, the only area where she fell behind was her figure, and even that was very minimal. In terms of atmosphere, Choi Ha-an clearly had the upper hand.
Even if Harira had lived a difficult life, it was still a comfortable life compared to Choi Ha-an, who amazed even Kang Jin-hyuk.
Moreover, although Choi Ha-an’s face was barely noticeable, he was superior in status, so in reality, the two individuals’ appearances were on an equal level that could sway depending on their condition.
The fact that the manager sent him here probably meant that this kid would also become a trainee like me, right? Is this young one, who has a better figure and looks than me, going to become a member of the same group as me?
To Choi Ha-an, who thought that he could finally overcome the despair that had consumed his life and spend some comfortable time alone with Kang Jin-hyuk, Harira’s appearance was hard to accept.
That’s why, as Choi Ha-an, he couldn’t maintain a poker face and couldn’t help but show a wary gaze towards Harira.
I heard that a pretty sister would greet me, but isn’t this too pretty? Does one have to be this pretty to be an idol? This is the first time I’ve seen someone who seems prettier than me.
Of course, Harira was also subtly on guard against Choi Ha-an.
Because Choi Ha-an, who possessed the highest brilliance among Kang Jin-hyuk’s predictions, naturally made her body tense.
Moreover, it wasn’t just her exceptional appearance, but the intimidating atmosphere flowing from her whole body turned Choi Ha-an into a cliff-top flower, exuding an air of grandeur.
That’s why, as Harira, who had always believed she was the most beautiful, she couldn’t help but be nervous and wary when faced with Choi Ha-an.
“······.”
“······.”
Although their reasons were different, both of them were on high alert, so it was only natural that the silence continued, suffocatingly.
“······.”
“······.”
“······.”
“······.”
After about five minutes, like martial arts masters engaging in a battle of wits, the two individuals, who had been staring at each other in the silence, regained their composure.
Ah, come to think of it, this kid. The manager said he was sent here!
When he first heard those words and called Kang Jin-hyuk “oppa,” he was so shocked that his brain shut down, but now Choi Ha-an had regained his composure.
Thanks to Hari-ra’s self-introduction, I could recall the words he spoke when he said, ‘Sent by Kang Jin-hyuk.’ Realizing that he was currently making a mistake.
The manager must have trusted me to send this kid. How can I just be on guard and not even guide him!
Betraying Kang Jin-hyuk’s trust was something I definitely didn’t want to do, even at the lowest level.
Fortunately, Kang Jin-hyuk hadn’t arrived yet, and I hadn’t treated Hari-ra with disrespect, so the situation was still salvageable.
Of course, it was a bit annoying to have kept Hari-ra, who had walked all the way here with a bag heavier than a complete military uniform, standing for five minutes, but swift action was preferable.
“·····Hey.”
“Yes, yes?”
As the lowest-ranking staff, who had maintained silence until now, opened his mouth, Hari-ra was startled and trembled unexpectedly.
Why is he so surprised? Am I scary? I shouldn’t be. If I say I treated him frighteningly to the manager, it would be a really big problem.
Just by starting a conversation, Hari-ra was startled, trembling, and even took a half-step back, so the lowest-ranking staff, who had to treat Hari-ra comfortably, could only be perplexed.
Eventually, with even that sturdy expression breaking a bit, the lowest-ranking staff awkwardly and anxiously spoke.
“W-Want to take a bath?”
Since Hari-ra seemed uncomfortable with the lowest-ranking staff, guiding him to an empty room where he could rest without worry would have been the best choice, but the lowest-ranking staff, who had as much social skills as a mouse, couldn’t come up with such a witty idea.
Hari-ra, who seemed to have sweated a lot and looked tired, saw the suggestion of taking a bath as the best consideration the lowest-ranking staff could come up with.
“T-Together?!”
However, as the bath proposal was so endless, Hari-ra, who felt a great sense of intimidation from the lowest-ranking staff staring at him, interpreted that consideration differently.
“Together? Uh······ Do as you like.”
Not stopping there, with the unique drop in social skills, the lowest-ranking staff also interpreted Hari-ra’s bewildered question as ‘Do you want to take a bath together?!’
In order to live up to Kang Jin-hyuk’s trust, the lowest-ranking staff handed the choice over to Hari-ra.
“S-So, shall we?”
The words, “Do it as you please, in a situation where you’re already in too deep,” were accepted as, “Just handle it with discretion.”
“Uh, yeah. The, um, bathroom is at the end of the corridor. No, wait. Since we’re going to shower together, let’s go together.”
“Yes, sure. Let’s go together.”
“Uh, yeah. Did you bring your clothes?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll get them now!”
“Uh-huh. I’ll bring my underwear from the room, so go ahead and take your clothes and wait in the bathroom.”
“Yes, your sister.”
In the end, the two individuals who faced the conclusion of this shocking and fearful cohabitation ended up confused in their minds, heading to retrieve their respective clothes.
※※※
Drip!
A droplet falling from the faucet created ripples in the calm water, accompanied by a clear sound.
However, a single water droplet alone couldn’t create a significant impact, and the water returned to its calm state as it was before.
This place was the bathroom, a sanctuary for organizing the day’s events and washing away both dirt and fatigue simultaneously.
“······.”
“······.”
But at this moment, this space was more uncomfortable than any other place.
Why, why did it turn out like this?
Entering the bathtub together with bare bodies, with only a towel wrapped around them, alongside subjects they needed to be cautious and attentive to.
It was only after entering the bathtub, filled with warm water, together with Hari Ra, that Choi Ha An realized how strange this situation was.
However, with the purpose of providing satisfactory treatment to Hari Ra, she couldn’t break this strange atmosphere, even though she felt that something was off.
What on earth is this? Why am I bathing in the same tub as a girl I’ve never seen before, and that too, a stunning one?
Harira felt that this situation was strange as well.
However, she knew the strict hierarchy in the entertainment industry, and being aware that standing still like Choi Ha-an alone could overpower others with an overwhelming aura, she couldn’t escape the thought that if she appeared resentful, a huge disaster might befall her in the future.
It was truly a situation where they were eyeing each other in misunderstanding.
In this horribly awkward situation, it was Choi Ha-an who opened her mouth first.
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“So, what is the manager doing right now? Did you send Harira alone for some reason?”
But Choi Ha-an, who didn’t know how to make appropriate remarks, could only talk about Kang Jin-hyuk.
Still, Kang Jin-hyuk was the only link that could connect the two silent individuals, so the choice of the topic was considered correct.
Upon hearing that question, even Harira could now respond with relief.
“Oh, Oppa is probably…”
2.
“Ha… Ha… Crazy bastard.”
As Ha Hyeok-soo sat on the street and cursed at me, it sounded like praise to me.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
So, thanking him, Ha Hyeok-soo raised his voice as if he still had strength.
“It’s not a compliment, you bastard! If you’re going to block, block it decisively! Is it sane to wait until the other base explodes before blocking?! Why would you do that?!”
“Oh, that?”
I managed to block all of his kicks until Ha Hyeok-soo, exhausted, fell and went out.
To be precise, I should say I received them.
Waiting until the kick reached the position where it could exert the most powerful force, I inserted my forearm to block it.
Even if it would have been better to block or counterattack before all the strength was transmitted, when the strength got dispersed, blocking was a much better defense. There was one reason why they chose to withstand all the impact.
“So that Mr. Hahyeoksoo can let off some steam.”
It was to efficiently alleviate Mr. Hahyeoksoo’s anger.
Literally, it made them a human punching bag.
There is no punching bag that can avoid or deflect a punch swung with full force by a person.
That’s why people who use punching bags can exert their full strength, relieve stress, and release built-up emotions.
The reason they were able to withstand all of Mr. Hahyeoksoo’s strength was exactly for that purpose.
“······Huh.”
Hearing my response, Mr. Hahyeoksoo couldn’t believe it and let out a hollow laugh, but his face no longer showed the same anger and hostility as before.
All that was visible was a slight sense of relief and a sense of futility born from the recoil of anger and hostility.
I have successfully achieved my goal.
“Of course, my arm hurts like hell. No, why did Mr. Hahyeoksoo kick like that? Are you okay, sir?”
It was clear that there were bruises. He’ll probably suffer for a few days with his arm hurting.
“You crazy bastard?! You blocked my kick like that and didn’t even break anything? What the hell? Are you deceiving me?”
“I wouldn’t do that. I took it all properly, and I also blocked it properly, so this means Mr. Hahyeoksoo’s kick is really strong.”
“Ah, forget it! I don’t want to talk to a freak like you!”
Still, it was worth the effort.
Thanks to that, they were able to prevent Mr. Hahyeoksoo from becoming a murderer like Lira’s father.
“Is that so? Then let’s stop this useless conversation here. Shall we move on to the important talk?”
“What important talk?”
Now, I’ve achieved my biggest goal. It’s time to get to the point. The underlying picture of the big picture has already been drawn, so I just need to fill in the details according to the underlying picture.
“Well, revenge is what we need to prepare for.”