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Chapter 28
He scanned Yuseong from head to toe with his trademark mischievous expression.
It was still an unpleasant and filthy look.
“Do you think I have any affection for you? Don’t even think about greeting me, because we’re not at that level.”
“Move aside.” Yuseong said coldly, attempting to step past him, but Kim Jiho blocked the way once again.
“Ah, seriously, why are you like this? We were classmates. We were really close, right? Huh? I always kept you company too.”
“Kept me company?” Yuseong thought, dumbfounded.
Had the meaning of “keeping company” changed without him realizing it?
He had only ever been harassed, kicked, and beaten by Kim Jiho.
“You didn’t keep me company—you vented your anger on me…”
“Ah! I was just about to contact you. Did you block me or something? You weren’t answering.”
Kim Jiho quickly interrupted Yuseong, seemingly concerned about the girlfriend beside him.
If that’s the case, why did he bother pretending to know Yuseong at all?
His mindset was still incomprehensible.
Yuseong glanced at the younger girl standing close to Kim Jiho, seemingly on alert because of him.
She had the clear, innocent face of a college student.
‘This girl probably doesn’t know Kim Jiho is a school bully.’
He was a worthless, club-obsessed brat. But then again, any girl who knew that probably wouldn’t be dating him.
“Babe… who’s this girl?”
“Ah, that’s Hyeokjun’s fiancée. You saw the article back then, right?”
Kim Jiho pinched his girlfriend’s cheek affectionately, then turned to look at Suhyeok, whose wrist Yuseong was holding.
Soon, he laughed as if he had noticed something amusing.
“Whoa, looks like I just saw something I shouldn’t have?”
Suhyeok felt his fist clench instinctively.
“…!”
Yuseong stared at him in surprise, but Suhyeok’s eyes were hidden in the shadow of his cap.
“See? Shin Yuseong isn’t dead yet. Right? You even know how to make a second move.”
Since Suhyeok’s expression and face were hidden, Kim Jiho didn’t stop talking, oblivious.
“I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense. Let’s just go our separate ways, alright?”
Fearing a fight might break out if they stayed any longer, Yuseong finally struck Kim Jiho’s shoulder and exited the showroom.
“Oh my, oppa! Are you okay? Who’s that girl, seriously?!”
“Geez, has his brain gone soft or what…”
Murmurs came from behind, but Yuseong didn’t look back and quietly walked toward the lounge area with Suhyeok.
They reached a corner where a bench and a vending machine were located.
Once he confirmed that no one was around, Yuseong finally exhaled and released Suhyeok’s hand.
“Sorry for suddenly dragging you out like that…”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. Don’t.”
Yuseong nodded and sat down on the bench.
“….”
She subtly hid her trembling hands behind her back while holding his hand.
But keen Suhyeok had already noticed her subtle change.
‘Looks like she got startled.’
Yuseong avoided eye contact with him.
“Um… Kwon Suhyeok, I’m really sorry, but can I be alone for a bit?”
Facing Kim Jiho right after having such a nightmare made her heart pound and her breathing shallow. She wanted to bend over and breathe deeply to calm herself.
She had maintained her composure around Kwon Hyeokjun before and thought she had overcome everything.
‘Guess not yet.’
Repeated stressful situations were taking their toll.
“Alright. Stay here. I’ll go smoke for a bit.”
“Okay… thank you.”
Suhyeok left, and after confirming he had gone, Yuseong removed her mask.
Her face was drenched in cold sweat.
She pulled out a handkerchief from her handbag and wiped her face while taking deep breaths.
It had truly been a relentless series of nightmares.
Suhyeok went outside to the outdoor smoking area.
Since it was a weekday afternoon, no one was around. He naturally pulled a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.
Just as he was about to light it…
“And also, cigarettes are bad for your health, so try to quit. You smoke too much.”
The memory of a kid nagging him to quit smoking flashed through his mind.
Tick, tick. He fiddled with the lighter but eventually put it away.
“To quit or not to quit…”
As Suhyeok chewed on the cigarette filter, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
It was that unpleasant man he had encountered earlier—one of Kwon Hyeokjun’s clique and Shin Yuseong’s high school classmate.
Kim Jiho glanced at him and called someone.
After a few rings, the man impatiently hung up and glared at his phone.
“Geez, why isn’t he answering?”
Suhyeok sighed and tried to move away. He didn’t want to deal with that punk.
But then he heard:
“Hey, you remember Shin Yuseong, right? That loser? I saw him earlier.”
It was a provocation, deliberately aimed at him while making a phone call.
“Ha, that girl still hasn’t stopped her gold-digging ways, sticking to some rich guy again?”
Suhyeok slowly turned his body.
“So, Hyeokjun would be furious if he knew. I even called, but why isn’t Hyeokjun picking up? Something happened?”
He stared coldly at Kim Jiho, eyes full of lethal intent. But Kim Jiho didn’t notice.
Suhyeok silently watched Kim Jiho, who brazenly babbled nonsense.
It was no wonder Kwon Hyeokjun couldn’t answer the phone—he was locked in his house and couldn’t step outside. Suhyeok had warned him that if he moved, he’d break his neck instead of his legs.
Suhyeok snapped the cigarette he was holding, scattering brown fragments everywhere.
“Ah~ that’s his cousin sister? That’s mine.”
Kim Jiho made a crude gesture, consciously aware of Suhyeok beside him.
“So the girl he’s with now is ugly, a little embarrassing to carry around. Ha, Shin Yuseong fits perfectly.”
He tossed the ruined cigarette into an ashtray and walked straight in front of Kim Jiho.
“What—hey! What are you doing?!”
He grabbed the phone mid-call.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Kim Jiho jumped in shock.
“What? Why are you taking someone else’s phone?”
He made a fuss, oblivious to the danger he was in.
Suhyeok returned the phone with a click of his tongue.
“And why are you talking casually? I wasn’t speaking to you; I was on the phone.”
Kim Jiho’s explanation was pathetic. Suhyeok snorted in disbelief.
“Hey.”
Suhyeok tilted his cap and looked down.
“Are my ears just for decoration?”
“….”
Kim Jiho froze, overwhelmed by the sheer deadly aura he had never experienced before.
If he acted out any further, he instinctively knew he would die.
“Ah, no. I was just… impressed. You look impressive, tall, and well-built.”
Desperate to survive, Kim Jiho forced a smile and began flattering Suhyeok.
It was a classic example of weak-strong-weak-strong dynamics.
Kim Jiho scanned Suhyeok’s high-end clothes from head to toe.
“You seem rich. It’s a shame for someone like Shin Yuseong to take advantage of you. Huh? She’s about to get married anyway. You knew that, right?”
“….”
“Ha, obvious. She probably begged you to buy that disgustingly expensive bed. No conscience at all.”
Suhyeok stood silently, staring at Kim Jiho.
Kim Jiho, intimidated, kept talking faster.
“Don’t give too much to a toy you’ll just play with and throw away. That girl next to me? She’s just turned twenty. Guess what? She’s the minister’s daughter.”
Kim Jiho chuckled, whispering to Suhyeok as if boasting.
“She’s insanely rich. And she’s generous, so she came to buy me a bed even though it wasn’t a special day. So, you should use your looks to extract a little from girls too.”
Kim Jiho finally stopped talking, and Suhyeok raised an eyebrow.
He said only one thing to the pathetic man before him:
“What, so the gold-digger was you.”
Kim Jiho’s face flushed.
“Hey!!”
A woman, visibly more furious, approached quickly from afar.
