LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 108
Chapter 108
“…Grrr, please, …please forgive me.”
[Quest completed! As a reward, you’ll receive a choice of buff rewards.]
Nice.
Using the senses of a sword master, I wrapped up a proper training session with Ban Seong-cheol, but I was worried about Oh Yoori and whether she had any injuries, so I approached her.
“Yuri… sniff.”
“Hey, I’m fine, Eunbyeol unnie. I’m totally okay.”
As I comforted the tearful 20-year-old Seo Eunbyeol with a grandmotherly kindness, middle schooler Oh Yoori, noticing me, turned her expression from that of a little old lady to one of a sassy kid and shouted, “Team Leader Seon! What do you think you’re doing, acting so recklessly and getting hurt!”
…Even I have to admit, that was pretty reckless of me.
Feeling the heat from her accusation, I quickly squeaked out a lame excuse.
“Well, still… I didn’t really get hurt…”
“The risk of getting hurt was huge! Just think about how many people are worried about you. What do you think they would feel if you were in danger?”
“…. ”
Wait a second, the more I listen, this doesn’t seem to apply to me alone…
It wasn’t just me; Seo Eunbyeol, who had been crying in Oh Yoori’s arms, seemed to feel the same déjà vu and looked up at Oh Yoori with wide eyes.
“The problem in the first place is that you came to such a dangerous place all alone. What were you thinking coming here by yourself!”
“‘…’”
“When someone gets captured, you should run away! Or call the police. …Okay, I get that might be late or you might not get through, but thinking you can solve it all by yourself is such a reckless idea!”
“‘…’”
“And what were you thinking when you ran at a person with a knife? You could actually die!”
“‘…’”
Seo Eunbyeol and I stared at her in silence.
Oh Yoori glanced at our expressions and asked, “…What?”
Not able to bring myself to answer, Seo Eunbyeol glanced at me, then muttered, “…Is it contagious?”
I didn’t recall catching anything…?
*
Seo Soo-yeon, Jin Yeoreum, and Cheon Aram, who had brought in various legal professionals and associates from Jinkang, looked at me and screamed, “Team Leader Seon, what crazy thing have you done this time!”
…I sure am hearing a lot about being crazy today. With the mess I caused, it’s hard for me to deny it.
I started my awkward excuse again.
“Well, I think the outcome turned out pretty good, right?”
“The process was a huge problem! If anything had gone slightly wrong, it could’ve led to a real disaster! That’s why I suggested waiting and going in together! Why do you always throw yourself headfirst into things to fix them all alone?”
“Are you trying to solve this by barging in?”
“The situation forced it upon me. I feel wronged too.”
“…I didn’t want to do that either, but thinking about what those two kids might experience in that dangerous space made it hard to stop. So, I thought let’s at least buy some time.”
“Sigh… Honestly, I get it, but please understand how it feels to us when Team Leader Seon does that every time.”
“…I have no excuse.”
As Cheon Aram rubbed her temples and sighed, she glanced at me with a worried expression and said,
“So, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. In fact, we should worry about Ban Seong-cheol, who got hit. I didn’t hold back.”
“Who cares about that jerk? Leave him be. Let him suffer. It would be fitting if he was groaning on the prison floor.”
Honestly, I agreed. If it weren’t for the aftermath to consider, I would have physically half-killed Ban Seong-cheol.
“Don’t worry about post-handling. Soo-yeon, Yeoreum, and I prepared a few things. There won’t be any negative impact on Team Leader Seon, whether criminal or financial. No lawsuits or revenge attempts will come either.”
“Though I hate to say this, but I’m not the usual troublemaker—are you sure you’re okay?… Are you pushing it?”
In response, Cheon Aram smiled as if to reassure me.
“What’s good about having connections as a chaebol’s daughter? It’s good because it can help when I get entangled in annoying issues like this. Plus, if we plan to deal with those punks, we won’t incur losses, so don’t worry.”
…She really gives me confidence.
“President Cheon, you’ve always been impressive, but today you seem even more amazing. You are the true leader of the era! If I were a knight in the Middle Ages, I would have sworn my loyalty.”
Seeing me sincerely complimenting her, Cheon Aram chuckled, shook her head, and said,
“I don’t expect a loyalty oath; just don’t end up in the hospital. I know it’s ridiculous for a manager to worry, but given past cases, I think Team Leader Seon might really do it again as a joke.”
“…I will do my best.”
“Alright, let’s try to live a bit more calmly. Do you know how worried Gaeul was? It took a lot to stop her from rushing over here. She looked really anxious, so make sure to call her later and ease her mind.”
“I’ll do it right now.”
“Good attitude. Then, I’ll help Soo-yeon with the aftermath.”
As I watched Cheon Aram getting ready to leave, I mentioned the thought that had been running through my mind,
“President, can you ensure that Seo Eunbyeol doesn’t get affected during the post-handling process?”
“Huh? Team Leader Seon knows her?”
“…Yes, they do. Quite well.”
It was a one-sided connection based on the last episode, but I didn’t want to deny that we at least knew each other.
After all, she and I were lovers in the last episode.
The ending wasn’t great, but I hoped she would be happy this time around.
…Having already failed once with her made it even more so.
“Okay, I’ll do my best to minimize any bad effects with Yeoreum.”
I bowed my head to express deep gratitude.
Towards the departing Cheon Aram, I politely bowed and, just like I told her, pulled out my personal emergency phone to reassure Gaeul, including the TwoBear family.
“What’s up with the battery?”
Wasn’t it around 96% before I left? Why is it running low now?
Unlocking the screen, I quickly discovered the reason.
There were hundreds of missed calls, messages, and notifications piling up—numbers I’d never experienced before.
And 90% of them were all from Gaeul.
“… Oh no.”
This is bad.
Taking a deep breath, I called Gaeul.
The ringing tone connected in less than 2 seconds.
“Hello? Gaeul…”
“Brother Taeyang!”
“Yeah, Gaeul. Sorry for worrying you. I’m…”
Just as I was about to slowly reassure her, Gaeul fired away questions at me without giving me a chance to interject.
“Are you okay? No injuries? Are you in a safe place? After hearing what Yeoreum said about how dangerous the situation was and what you went through, I was so worried I thought I’d go crazy! …I know, I know! You’re not the kind of person to turn your back on someone in danger. I totally get that, and because of you, I can dream like this. But I am selfish! I just wish you’d show that kindness only to me… no, to family and the TwoBear people. After all, if you see someone in need, you tend to rush in without a second thought because there are so many vulnerable people in the world. But if something were to happen to you, I… I….”
“Gaeul! Calm down! Just take a breath!”
It took me a solid 30 minutes to convince her that I wasn’t in much danger and I was perfectly fine, making the promise to never worry her like this again a record-breaking 8 times before she settled down.
“Gaeul. I’ll come see you after it’s over. Just rest well.”
“…You promise. You must promise.”
“Yeah, I promise.”
After sweating buckets from the call with Gaeul, only then did I realize someone was standing really close to me.
“…Whoa! Yeoreum, you were right next to me?”
It was Yeoreum who unexpectedly came out to help me, bringing a large number of personnel from Jinkang.
“Thank you for joining me in this unreasonable task. I wanted to handle it on my own, but being the foolish adult I am, I ended up relying on you. I don’t know if I can do it, but I promise I won’t forget this kindness and will repay you.”
If Yeoreum hadn’t actively supported me, Cheon Aram would likely not have felt confident in dealing with the current situation. From what I heard over drinks once, her relationship with her family isn’t that great. In that sense, I can’t thank her enough, even if I bowed my head a hundred times.
But Jin Yeoreum was just staring at me blankly, ignoring my words.
What’s going on? Did I say something weird?
“Yeoreum?”
“…A wound.”
“Huh?”
“…There’s a wound on your neck.”
“A wound?”
I unconsciously touched the part of my neck she was looking at.
With a sharp pain, blood started to drip onto my hand.
“Ouch, it’s really there.”
It seemed I got scratched by some guy swinging a tool during the fight with the muscleheads. Realizing I had a wound made the pain more pronounced.
Yeoreum was staring blankly at the wound, murmuring.
“…You’re bleeding.”
“Are you worried about me? Thanks, but it’s okay. It’s just a little scratch.”
“Blood, the wound, …Team Leader Seon.”
“Yeoreum?”
Yeoreum took a ragged breath and, muttering, said:
“…How dare, …how dare, who did you touch with those filthy hands? Those trashy things.”
“…Ms. Yeoreum?”
With her shaking eyes focused, Yeoreum shouted with a rising voice:
“Manager Seok!”
“Yes, Miss.”
In an instant, Seok Hyun-woo appeared from behind, slightly bowing his head, waiting for Jin Yeoreum’s words.
…By the way, hadn’t Seok Hyun-woo quit Jinkang?
No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem to have the demeanor of someone who had resigned.
“Lead the legal team of Jinkang, and make sure none of those involved in this ever see the light of day again. …Let them know who they touched and make them regret it for the rest of their lives.”
Seok Hyun-woo nodded and firmly said:
“Understood, Miss. It won’t be difficult to send these cockroaches scurrying back out of sight. I’ll make sure to tie everything together so they can hardly breathe.”
“Great. Show me how pitiful the sandcastle these trash made really is.”
…I’m really glad to have Yeoreum on my side.