037 – Strong women usually have some kind of weakness #3
—
“Yining, come here. Play with me.”
Seugal, unable to endure her boredom and monotony, called out to Yining.
Yining, who had been floating like a cloud stuck to the ceiling, half-heartedly ignored her call.
“Seriously, there’s nothing here that goes my way.”
Seugal had spent quite some time in this basement. She had set aside school, human relationships, and the positions of various companies, only peering into her own inner world or exchanging idle chatter with her “kidnapper.”
“What if the information I rarely gave away was useless in finding Yu Yeo-reum’s weakness? I’d need to go to the orphanage for that.”
Thud.
Seugal lay down on the dirty and messy Matrix.
There was nothing in this basement.
No meaningless boasting about money from obnoxious students, no strained pretense of familial discord that she no longer needed. In this place, Seugal could truly be herself.
It was strangely comforting.
The feeling of shackles and heavy burdens tied to her limbs being lifted.
‘Although, technically, the shackles are real right now.’
Chirrrk—Seugal looked at the chains binding her body. She didn’t know what material they were made of, but they were incredibly sturdy.
“If only these weren’t here, I could’ve escaped already.”
—Quiiing.
“What? What is it?”
Bouy-bouy—The curious cloud-like Yining floated over and cuddled into Seugal’s arms. As Seugal felt its soft, cool texture, her mind suddenly drifted back to the face of the male student who had brought her here.
“I hope he comes a bit earlier today. I’m already hungry, and I want to take a bath soon.”
Seugal was incredibly bored here.
Therefore, the updates about the outside world that the male student kidnapper delivered were, perhaps, her only source of enjoyment.
But as these thoughts trailed off, a sudden wave of irritation surged through her.
“Why should I even think about that guy? Who does he think he is?”
Seugal detested the male student kidnapper.
Simultaneously, an equal amount of curiosity arose.
After all, to the kidnapped Seugal, the kidnapper was her entire day-to-day existence. There was no escaping it.
‘It feels like… maybe, just maybe, we didn’t meet for the first time at Yeongsa High School. Hanamjin… it sounds familiar…’
Upon reflection, the male student knew a lot about Seugal.
From her vulnerability to the “full moon” to her ability to transfer “powers” to others—secrets that she had never told anyone.
He claimed he understood through “emotions,” but to Seugal, those “emotions” didn’t seem that remarkable.
Seugal admitted that she knew practically nothing about him.
Though he often spoke freely without much thought, a closer look revealed that he never talked about himself. Behind his boisterous laughter and impulsive actions, his eyes often remained unsmiling.
“That guy, he’s not as straightforward as he appears. It wasn’t just a random act of madness that led him to kidnap me. There’s something… something I don’t know—”
All Seugal truly knew about him was that he was an orphan who lost his parents in a fire two years ago.
The N-Mart fire disaster two years ago.
Recalling that incident sent a chilling fear through her. It was after that event that her life began to spiral uncontrollably.
But Seugal stopped thinking about the “orphanage” that disappeared and the “N-Mart fire.” After all, everyone has thorn-like memories, things they consider their own weaknesses.
—
# # #
Steam rose from the food laid out on the table. The dish that caught my eye the most was the pure white samgyetang.
“Please, don’t be shy—eat.”
The matron, elegantly coiffed, spoke, and without hesitation, I reached out and tore into the chicken, savoring bite after bite.
The glutinous rice and large jujubes inside made it not only visually appealing but also delicious.
A proper body-replenishing dish indeed!
“….”
Though the matron had told me not to be shy, the corners of her lips flickered slightly, as if slightly surprised.
She placed her hands on her chest, perhaps trying to calm her startled heart, and every finger bore a ring with a large gemstone.
“So, you’re Yeo-reum’s boyfriend?”
It was a cautious question.
It’s proper etiquette to answer truthfully when an elder asks.
“Gua-uh-muhk-ahhh.”
“Swallow what’s in your mouth first and then speak.”
“Eh—”
While I chewed on the tender yet chewy chicken drumsticks, the man who had been glaring at me across the table spoke politely for me.
“Mom, it’s not a boyfriend. Just a school friend. Just a friend. Not related at all.”
“Taeyang, I was asking the student here. And you, how old are you now? You should start calling me ‘mother.’”
“….”
The man called Taeyang shut his mouth stiffly at the woman he’d referred to as “mom.” By now, I’d already pieced together the hierarchy of this household.
Yu Taeyang. This man was Yu Yeo-reum’s older brother.
Age, twenty-seven. His position in the household seemed relatively low.
The middle-aged woman, Yeo-reum’s stepmother and the wife of opposition leader Yoo Dogwan, exuded a regal air fit to be called ‘queen.’
Would Do-do from Yeongsa High School grow up to be like this if she kept her proud attitude into adulthood?
“Taeyang, isn’t it about time you headed home? Your wife will worry if you leave her alone too long. I appreciate you helping with the luggage today.”
“Don’t worry, mother. I already told her I’d be coming home late. Instead, I think it’s more urgent to get this young man home safely. The sun’s already set. When we’re done eating, shall I drive him home?”
Chill—Yu Taeyang looked at me with an almost aggressive gaze. Did he not like the fact that I was enjoying the samgyetang so much?
Regardless, the matron spoke.
“Our Yeo-reum has never brought a friend home before, so we’re a bit flustered. You’re Namjin, right? Please forgive us if our hospitality is a bit clumsy. Namjin, what kind of student are you?”
Is this what it feels like to be personally interviewed by a queen? Even though I’m not an Awakened One, I can feel the intensity of her bearing.
She wants to know what kind of person I am, does she?
“I’m what you see—a man among men.”
“…Ah, I see.”
My honest answer didn’t change the queen’s gaze. Her eyes were like an ancient oak tree—firm—or like a foggy lake, deep and inscrutable.
I was suddenly reminded of “The Little Prince” that I’d read before.
Adults really only care about numbers, don’t they?
If I introduced myself by saying, “I live in a rosy-bricked house where dandelions grow by the windows, pigeons perch on the roof, and there’s a dungeon with a dungeon maiden named Seugal,” adults wouldn’t understand who I am or where I live.
But if I say, “Our house is worth 20 billion,” only then would they exclaim, “Oh! What a splendid house!” and make their assessment.
Since that’s how it is, maybe I should show off a bit about money.
“Actually, I have 200 bottle caps.”
“Bottle caps? Did you just say bottle caps?”
That’s when Yu Yeo-reum, who hadn’t touched any of the food on the table, burst out laughing.
At her laughter, both Yu Taeyang, who had been glaring at me, and the queen herself, were visibly startled.
“Yeo-reum, did you—”
“Laugh just now?”
Can such laughter from a woman really be surprising?
If they’d seen the manly me, any woman would have found it hard not to smile.
“….”
The queen looked at Yeo-reum, who had laughed, with great surprise. Then, she suddenly smirked, stood up, and said to me, without facing me, “It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave. Namjin, when you visit again, please let us know beforehand. We wouldn’t want any uncomfortable misunderstandings like today to happen again.”
“Mom! What do you mean ‘next time!’? This guy is definitely after Yeo-reum—”
“Yu Taeyang, you will drive Namjin home. It isn’t safe out at night.”
And so, I got to eat my fill at Yu Yeo-reum’s house before leaving.
Yeo-reum came down to the parking lot and waved at me as I got into the car.
“Jin-a, safe travels.”
Swish—
As I was about to wave back through the window, Taeyang, seated in the driver’s seat, promptly rolled it up.
The luxury sedan growled like a hungry lion as it drove out of the parking lot, when Taeyang was the first to break the silence.
“I’m sorry for earlier. I mistook you for a thief.”
He was referring to the earlier incident when he attacked me, only for me to kick him between the legs. He had come to her house to deliver the queen’s luggage when he must’ve misunderstood the situation between Yeo-reum and me.
“Still, I don’t like you. Yeo-reum deserves someone with more refinement. I’m being honest—don’t have any sinister intentions. Remember that.”
Yu Taeyang was indeed like his name—sunny and without a single shade of shadow. It’s rare to find men who can be so honest with their thoughts.
This man didn’t like me, but as a man, he impressed me.
“Brother, is the baby due soon?”
“That’s right. I’m about to be a dad. The head of a family. I’m starting to understand what it means to have a family and take responsibility for one.”
“…”
“Therefore, a man and woman must meet each other with responsibility. Not out of fleeting curiosity. Understand? That means you shouldn’t do anything you can’t handle. You get me?”
“Brother, don’t worry. I already have a woman I like. I’ve sworn to give up my life for her. I’m ready to burn my soul. So, even if Yeo-reum were to come at me n*ked with affection, I would still reject her.”
Squeak!
Suddenly, the brakes were slammed.
“What?! You little—what does our Yeo-reum lack that you’re rejecting her?! Being right next to Yeo-reum and still pledging your life to someone else? You rotten brat!”
Just when it seemed like he was trying to push me away from Yeo-reum, now he’s angry because I said I would? He turned out to be more fickle than I thought, but I now understood that he was trying to act as Yeo-reum’s older brother. With evident dedication and affection.
That sense of duty and care was also felt earlier from the ‘queen.’
Regardless of method or attitude, it became clear to me that they were trying to protect Yeo-reum. Like ordinary people trying to protect a Supergirl capable of burning through steel with her laser eyes—ridiculous.
—That was the problem.
“Seugal didn’t have anyone to protect her.”
Seugal lived alone in her expansive penthouse.
That’s why, when I took her out, no one stopped me.
But at Yeo-reum’s house, at least two guards kept watch tightly. Getting inside might be easy, but sneaking Yeo-reum out while escaping their notice would be a difficult task for even me.
‘The abduction date might have to be postponed.’
As I thought this, we had arrived at my house.
Chewing nicotine-free gum, Yu Taeyang stepped out of the car.
“You live here all alone?”
“Pretty much.”
“So that’s why Yeo-reum has an interest in you, huh. You know she’s from an orphanage, right? Looking at this place reminds me… your dad introduced her as his younger sister. Do you remember?”
Yeo-reum knew Yu Taeyang since about the age of seven and was adopted when she was ten, he said.
A ten-year-old girl. Was she already a superhuman then?
“What was she like back then?”
“She was a bright kid. She loved peaches and strawberries. She laughed easily, and there was not a wrinkle on her. But at some point, she became more reserved… around the time the orphanage disappeared and she came here, she stopped laughing altogether.”
Yeo-reum’s personality changed around the time the orphanage disappeared. Perhaps further information could be of help.
“Could you tell me more about that time in detail?”
