The Thug Hides the Villainess

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037 – A Strong Woman Generally Has Weaknesses #3

“Ying-ing, come here. Play with me.”

Seoga-eul called out to Ying-ing, unable to endure the boredom and monotony.

Ying-ing, who was floating like a cloud stuck to the ceiling, seemed indifferent to Seoga-eul’s words.

“Nothing goes my way here.”

Seoga-eul had spent quite a long time in this basement, setting aside school, relationships, and the affairs of the corporation, merely introspecting or chatting with the “kidnapper.”

“What if I finally shared some information but ended up missing Yu Yeoreum’s weakness? I’d have to go to the foster home to find out.”

Thud.

Seoga-eul lay down on the dirty, grimy mattress.

There was nothing in this basement.

No pretentious bragging about money from students, nor the awkward acting out between family members.

In this place, Seoga-eul could solely be herself.

And that felt immensely comfortable.

It was like the shackles and heavy yoke binding her limbs had finally been released.

‘It’s true that my limbs are bound right now.’

Clink—. Seoga-eul looked at the chains restraining her body.

No matter what they were made of, they were quite sturdy chains.

“If only these weren’t here, I’d escape immediately.”

—Kyu-ing.

“What, why?”

Floating down, the mysterious cloud Ying-ing snuggled into Seoga-eul’s arms. She felt the soft and cool texture and suddenly recalled the face of the kidnapper who brought this Ying-ing.

“I wish they’d come a bit earlier today. I’m already hungry. I’m starting to want a bath too.”

Seoga-eul was exceedingly bored in this place.

Thus, the news from the outside world communicated by the male kidnapper was her only source of enjoyment.

But just when those thoughts were trailing along, irritation surged up suddenly.

“Why should I even think about that guy? Who even is he?”

Seoga-eul despised the male kidnapper.

At the same time, she was just as curious.

After all, for someone like her who had been kidnapped, the kidnapper was the entirety of her daily life, so it was inevitable.

‘Maybe it’s just my feeling, but it seems like I’ve met him before somewhere other than Yeongsa High School. Hanam-jin. I feel like I’ve heard that name before….’

If she thought about it, the male student knew a lot about Seoga-eul.

From knowing that she was weak to “full moons” to the fact that she could transfer “abilities” to others.

These were secrets she had never shared with anyone.

Though she realized it as a concept of “emotion,” Seoga-eul thought that “emotion” couldn’t be that significant.

Seoga-eul acknowledged that she didn’t know anything about the male student at all.

He was the type to chatter without much thought, but when she reflected on it, he never talked about himself.

Though he often laughed playfully and acted impulsively, there were many times when his eyes weren’t smiling.

“That guy isn’t just what he appears to be. He didn’t just go crazy and kidnap me for no reason. There’s something more. Something I don’t know—.”

All Seoga-eul definitely knew about him was that he was an orphan who lost his parents in an incident two years ago.

The N Mart fire that occurred two years ago.

Recalling that incident made Seoga-eul feel a chill run through her.

Her life had started to accelerate irreversibly from that point onward.

However, Seoga-eul stopped thinking about the lost “foster home” and the “N Mart fire.”

Everyone had memories that pierced them like thorns; they had weaknesses.

# # #

On the table, steaming hot food was laid out. Among them, the white and creamy Samgyetang caught my eye the most.

“Don’t be modest, eat up.”

At the Madam’s elegantly rolled-up hair, I reached out without holding back and shredded the chicken.

It had big ginseng and dates in it, making it not only pleasing to the eye but also delicious.

This was a proper revitalization!

“…….”

However, the Madam, who had just told me to eat without modesty, seemed slightly flustered as her lips quivered.

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

“So, you’re Yeoreum’s boyfriend?”

Her voice was cautious.

It would be polite to answer honestly when an adult asks.

“Um…”

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

“Eh—.”

Mumbling—. Just as I was chewing a tender yet chewy chicken leg, the man facing me, who had been staring me down, politely answered instead.

“Mother, he’s not my boyfriend; he’s just a school friend. Just a friend. Nothing more.”

“Taeyang, I asked the student here. And how old are you that your mother still calls you ‘mom’? You should call me ‘mother.’”

“…….”

The man called Taeyang was left speechless by the mid-aged woman he referred to as his mother. With that exchange, I also managed to grasp the situation.

A sense that the family hierarchy had been established in my head?

Yu Taeyang. This man was Yu Yeoreum’s older brother.

He was twenty-seven. It seemed his standing in the family was low.

And the mid-aged woman here was Yu Yeoreum’s stepmother, the wife of the opposition leader Yu Do-gwan. The atmosphere around her could be described as that of a “queen.”

I wondered if a proud Seoga-eul would grow up to be like this.

“Taeyang, shouldn’t you head home soon? How could someone who’s about to become a father leave his new wife alone for too long? Thanks for carrying the baggage today.”

“It’s fine, Mother. I told Gureum that I would be late today. I think it’s time for this student to head home instead. The sun has set. Shall I take him back after he’s done eating?”

Shiver-. Yu Taeyang looked at me with an openly exclusionary gaze. Did he dislike seeing me enjoy the Samgyetang?

Regardless, the Madam continued to speak.

“Our Yeoreum bringing a friend for the first time surprised us a bit. He said his name was Nam-jin? Please forgive us if our hospitality is a bit clumsy. So, what kind of student is Nam-jin?”

Is this how it feels to undergo a direct interview by a queen? It felt like a powerful aura radiated, despite me not being an awakened one.

Was she planning to ask what kind of person I was?

“As seen, I’m a manly man.”

“…Ah, I see.”

Despite my honest answer, the queen’s gaze didn’t change. It seemed as solid as an ancient tree, or deep like a fog-covered lake.

Suddenly, the Little Prince I read about long ago came to my mind.

Adults only care for numbers, they say.

When I introduce myself, if I say, “I live in a house made of pink bricks. The window has dandelions, and there are pigeons on the roof, and in the basement, there’s Seoga-eul—,” adults wouldn’t know who I was or where I lived.

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

Now that I thought about it, should I brag about money a bit?

“In fact, I have 200 bottle caps.”

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

At that moment, Yu Yeoreum, who hadn’t touched the food on the table, burst out laughing.

Then both Yu Taeyang and the queen stared at me, startled, as if a shockwave had hit them.

“Yeoreum, you….”

“Did you just laugh?”

Is someone laughing really that surprising?

Once a woman sees my manly side, she can’t help but smile.

“…….”

The queen looked at the laughing Yu Yeoreum with wide eyes, then soon snorted while chuckling to herself.

Then she stood up, turned her back to me, and said.

“It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave now. Nam-jin, I hope next time you come to visit, you’ll let me know in advance. So that no strange ‘misunderstandings’ occur like today.”

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

“Yu Taeyang, you should see Nam-jin home. The night roads can be dangerous.”

With that feeling, I finished my delicious dinner and left Yu Yeoreum’s house.

Yu Yeoreum came down to the parking lot and waved her hand as I got into the car.

“Jina, take care.”

Zoom—.

As I raised my hand to greet her outside the window, Yu Taeyang rolled up the window from the driver’s seat.

As the luxury sedan rumbled out of the parking lot like a starving lion, Yu Taeyang opened his mouth first.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I misunderstood. I thought you were a thief.”

He seemed to be talking about the moment when he lunged at me and kicked me earlier. He had come home to help carry the Madam’s luggage and saw me and Yu Yeoreum in a situation that led to a certain “misunderstanding.”

“But I still don’t like you. You lack the refinement to be Yeoreum’s boyfriend. I’m saying it honestly to prevent you from harboring unnecessary thoughts, so remember that.”

Yu Taeyang seemed like a man without a single shadow, just as his name suggested. It’s rare for a man to be able to speak his thoughts so directly.

Although he honestly said he didn’t like me, I found him admirable as a man.

“Brother, is a baby coming soon?”

“Indeed. I’m going to be a father. I think I’m beginning to understand what it means to be the head of a family. What family is, and what it means to be responsible for it.”

“…….”

“Therefore, men and women should meet with mutual responsibility. Not on whims. Got it? Don’t do things you can’t take responsibility for.”

“Brother, don’t worry. I already have a girl I like. I swore to give my life for her. I plan to burn my soul for her. So even if Yeoreum comes at me naked, I will firmly refuse.”

Screech-!

Sudden slamming of the brakes.

“What? You bastard, what’s wrong with our Yeoreum that you’d refuse her! You’d give your life for another girl even with Yeoreum beside you? You rotten bastard!”

Though he had told me to stay away from Yeoreum earlier, now he was angry because I was distancing myself.

He was more fickle than I had expected, but I sensed that this man was determined to be a good brother to Yu Yeoreum. Very passionately too.

I felt both a sense of duty and affection.

It was something I had felt from the “queen” earlier as well.

Regardless of the method or attitude, they were all determined to protect Yu Yeoreum. Ordinary people trying to guard a supergirl, who could shoot lasers from her eyes and bore through steel plates, oh my.

—That’s why it was a problem.

‘In Seoga-eul’s time, there was no one to protect her.’

Seoga-eul lived alone in that vast penthouse.

That’s why there wasn’t anyone who could stop me even if I brought her along.

However, in Yu Yeoreum’s house, there were at least two layers of tight security. While it might be easy to break into her house, deceiving their watchful eyes and kidnapping Yu Yeoreum would be a challenging task for me as well.

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

Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, we arrived at my home.

Once Yu Taeyang stepped out of the car, he began chewing on gum.

“Are you living here alone?”

“Well, that seems to be the case.”

“Is that why Yeoreum is interested in you? You know she’s from a foster home, right? This place reminds me of when Dad first introduced her as my little sister.”

Yu Yeoreum had known Yu Taeyang since she was about seven years old and was adopted when she was ten.

Such a little girl at ten. Was she already a superhuman back then?

“How was she back then?”

“She was a bright child. She loved peaches and strawberries and laughed easily. There was not a wrinkle on her. But at some point, she became rather stoic…. Since the foster home disappeared and around the time she began living at home, she hasn’t smiled.”

Yu Yeoreum’s personality had changed since the foster home disappeared.

If I played my cards right, I could gather useful information.

“Could you tell me more about that time?”