The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

037 – Strong women generally have weaknesses #3

037 – Strong women generally have weaknesses #3

“Yingying, come here. Play with me.”

Seo Ga-eul, unable to overcome her boredom and tedium, called out to Yingying.

Yingying, who had been sticking to the ceiling and floating like a cloud, barely acknowledged Seo Ga-eul’s words.

“Nothing here goes my way at all.”

Seo Ga-eul had spent quite a long time in this basement. She had set aside school, human relationships, and the company’s stance, focusing only on her inner self or chatting with the ‘kidnapper.’

“What if I finally shared some information and ended up missing the mark on Yoo Yeoreum’s weakness? I’d have to go to the orphanage to find out.”

Thud.

Seo Ga-eul lay down on the dirty, filthy mattress.

There was nothing in this basement.

No pretense of students boasting about useless money, nor the need for strained family interactions.

In this place, Seo Ga-eul could be entirely herself.

It was incredibly comforting.

It felt like the shackles and heavy yoke binding her hands and feet had been released.

‘The truth is, I’m currently bound by shackles on my hands and feet.’

Creak-. Seo Ga-eul looked at the chains that were restraining her body.

She didn’t know what they were made of, but they were certainly strong chains.

“If only this wasn’t here, I would have escaped right away.”

━Gyu-ing.

“Why, what.”

Floating-.

A strange cloud, Ing-Ing, flew into Seo Ga-eul’s arms. As Seo Ga-eul felt its soft and cool touch, she suddenly recalled the face of the kidnapper who brought this Ing-Ing.

“I wish he would come a bit earlier today. I’m already hungry. I also want to take a bath soon.”

Seo Ga-eul was extremely bored here.

So, the news from the outside world that the kidnapper boy brought was her only source of joy.

But as those thoughts continued to spiral, she suddenly felt a surge of irritation.

“Why do I have to think about that b*stard? Who does he think he is?”

Seo Ga-eul hated the kidnapper boy.

At the same time, she felt an equal amount of curiosity.

For Seo Ga-eul, who had been kidnapped, the kidnapper was her entire daily life, so it was inevitable.

‘I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like I didn’t meet him for the first time at Yeongsa High School. Han Nam-jin. It sounds familiar…’

Come to think of it, the boy knew a lot about Seo Ga-eul.

From the fact that she was vulnerable to the ‘full moon’ to the fact that she could transfer her ‘abilities’ to others.

These were secrets she had never told anyone.

Although he claimed to have figured it out through ’emotions,’ Seo Ga-eul thought that ’emotions’ alone couldn’t be that extraordinary.

Seo Ga-eul admitted that she knew nothing about the boy.

He would often talk about various things without much thought, but upon reflection, he never talked about himself.

Even when he laughed frivolously and acted impulsively, his eyes often weren’t laughing.

“That b*stard, what you see on the surface isn’t everything. He didn’t just go crazy and kidnap me. There’s something. Something I don’t know─.”

What Seo Ga-eul knew for sure about him was that he was an orphan who lost his parents in an incident two years ago.

The N-Mart fire incident that happened two years ago.

Recalling that event, Seo Ga-eul suddenly felt a chilling sensation as if her blood had turned cold. It was from that time that her life began to accelerate irreversibly.

But Seo Ga-eul stopped thinking about the lost “orphanage” and the “N-Mart fire.”

Everyone has memories like thorns, weaknesses embedded in them.

# # #

Steam rose from the food laid out on the table. Among them, what caught my eye the most was the white, milky Samgyetang.

“Don’t hesitate, eat.”

At the words of the lady who elegantly tied up her hair, I reached out without hesitation and tore the chicken apart to eat.

It had thick ginseng and jujube, making it look good and taste good.

A proper health boost!

“… … .”

The lady who had told me to eat without hesitation seemed slightly flustered, her lips trembling slightly.

As if trying to calm her startled heart, she placed her palm on her chest, and the stones on the rings on her fingers were quite large.

“So, you’re Summer’s boyfriend?”

Her voice was cautious.

When an adult asks, it’s polite to answer honestly.

“Ugh, ah.”

“Finish what’s in your mouth before you speak.”

“Eh-.”

Munch, munch-. I was chewing on a tender yet chewy chicken leg when the man who had been glaring at me from across the table answered in a polite voice instead.

“Mom, he’s not her boyfriend, just a school friend. Just a friend. “Nothing more.”

“Taeyang, I was asking the student here. And how old are you that you still call me ‘Mom’? Call me ‘Mother’.”

“… … .”

The man called Taeyang couldn’t move and kept his mouth shut in front of the middle-aged woman he had called ‘Mom’. With that, I also understood the situation.

The hierarchy of this household was now clear in my mind.

Yoo Taeyang. This man was Yoo Summer’s older brother.

He was twenty-seven years old. His rank in the household seemed low.

And the middle-aged woman here was Yoo Summer’s stepmother, the wife of the opposition party leader Yoo Dogwan. Her presence could be described as ‘queenly’.

Wouldn’t the haughty Seo Gaul become like this if she aged while maintaining that attitude?

“Taeyang, shouldn’t you be heading home soon? How can a soon-to-be father leave his new wife alone for so long? Thank you for helping with the luggage today.”

“It’s fine, Mother. I told Cloud I’d be home late today. But shouldn’t we be sending this young man home now? It’s getting dark. Should I take him home once he’s finished eating?”

Zap-. Yoo Taeyang looked at me with an openly hostile gaze. Did he dislike me enjoying the samgyetang so much?

Regardless, the lady spoke.

“It’s the first time our Summer has brought a friend over, so we were a bit surprised. You’re Namjin, right? Please understand if our hospitality is a bit clumsy. So, what kind of student are you, Namjin?”

Would it feel like this to be interviewed by a queen? Gooo, it felt like a strong spirit was emanating from her, even though she wasn’t an awakened one.

Was she asking what kind of person I was?

“As you can see, I’m a man among men.”

“… Ah, I see.”

Despite my honest answer, the queen’s gaze remained unchanged. It seemed as solid as an old tree, and as deep as a serene lake shrouded in mist.

Suddenly, I was reminded of the Little Prince I had read long ago.

Adults only like numbers.

When I introduce myself by saying, “I live in a house made of rose-colored bricks. There are dandelions at the windows, pigeons on the roof, and a library in the basement,” adults don’t really understand who I am or what kind of house I live in.

But if I say, “My house is worth 2 billion,” then they exclaim, “Wow! What a wonderful house!” and finish their evaluation of me.

So, should I brag about my wealth too?

“In fact, I have 200 bottle caps.”

“Bottle caps? Did you just say bottle caps?”

At that moment, Yeo-reum, who hadn’t touched the food on the table, burst out laughing.

Then, Tae-yang, who had been glaring at me, and the Queen, both flinched as if greatly surprised.

“Yeo-reum, you…”

“Did you just laugh?”

Is it so surprising for someone to laugh?

When they see my manly appearance, any woman would have to smile.

“……”

The Queen looked at Yeo-reum, who had burst out laughing, with a very surprised look, then she too snorted.

Then she stood up and turned her back to me.

“It’s late today, so I’ll be leaving first. Nam-jin, next time you come over, please contact us in advance. So that there won’t be any strange ‘misunderstandings’ like today.”

“Mom! Next time? This guy, he definitely…”

“Tae-yang, you should drive Nam-jin home. It’s dangerous at night.”

With that, I had a good dinner and left Yeo-reum’s house.

Yeo-reum came down to the parking lot and waved at me as I got into the car.

“Jin-ah, take care.”

Shooom-.

As I raised my hand to wave back, Tae-yang, who was in the driver’s seat, rolled up the window.

Grrr, the luxury sedan roared like a hungry lion as it left the parking lot, and Tae-yang spoke first.

“Sorry about earlier. I misunderstood. I thought you were a thief.”

He must be referring to when he attacked me earlier and I kicked him in the groin. He had come home to help the Queen with her luggage and saw the situation between Yeo-reum and me, leading to some ‘misunderstanding.’

“Still, I don’t like you. You’re not cultured enough to be Yeo-reum’s boyfriend. I’m telling you honestly so you don’t get any wrong ideas.”

Tae-yang seemed like a man without a shadow, just like his name. It’s rare to find a man who can speak his mind so honestly.

He said he didn’t like me, but I liked him as a man.

“Brother, is a baby on the way?”

“That’s right. I’m going to be a father. The head of a family. I think I’m starting to understand what family is and what it means to take responsibility for it.”

“……”

“So, men and women should meet each other with that sense of responsibility. Not out of a moment’s curiosity. Got it? Don’t do anything you can’t take responsibility for.”

“Brother, don’t worry. I already have a girl I like. I’ve sworn to give my life for her. I’m ready to burn my soul for her. So even if Summer comes at me naked with affection, I ‘ll refuse her properly.”

Screeeech-!

Suddenly, the brakes were slammed.

“What? You b*stard, what’s wrong with our Summer that you’d refuse her! You’re willing to give your life for another girl while Summer is right next to you? You ungrateful brat!”

He told me to stay away from Summer, but now he’s angry because I said I would.

He was more fickle than I thought, but I could tell he was trying to play the role of Summer’s brother. And very passionately at that.

I could feel his sense of duty and affection.

It was the same feeling I got from the ‘Queen’ earlier.

No matter their methods or attitudes, they were trying to protect Summer. Ordinary people trying to protect a supergirl who could shoot lasers from her eyes and pierce through steel plates, unbelievable.

─And that was the problem.

‘In Seo Ga-eul’s time, there was no one to protect Seo Ga-eul.’

Seo Ga-eul lived alone in that spacious penthouse.

So even if I took him out, there was no one to stop me.

But there were at least two ironclad guards at Summer’s house. It might be easy to break into Summer’s house, but deceiving their eyes and kidnapping Summer would be tricky even for me.

‘I guess I’ll have to postpone the kidnapping date.’

As I was thinking that, we arrived at my house.

Tae-yang got out of the car and chewed on his nicotine gum.

“Do you live here alone?”

“That’s right.”

“Is that why Summer is interested in you? You know Summer is from an orphanage, right? Seeing this place reminds me of when Dad first introduced her to me as my little sister.”

Summer had known Tae-yang since she was about seven years old and was adopted when she was ten.

A ten-year-old kid. Was she a superhuman even then?

“What was she like back then?”

“She was a bright kid. Loved peaches and strawberries. She laughed a lot too. She didn’t have a single wrinkle. She became aloof at some point… She hadn’t smiled since the orphanage closed and she came home. “

Summer’s personality changed around the time the orphanage closed.

There might be some useful information if I dig deeper.

“Can you tell me more about that time?”