Chapter 396: Excuse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 396: Excuse
Shall I be honest?
I like strong women.
I don't mean I like getting beaten up, nor do I mean I like delinquents.
I like people with a strong sense of self.
That’s why the first person I felt an attraction to in the English Department was Oh Yun-ji.
"What are you doing?"
But.
"Hurry up and get in here."
The person standing before me looked a bit too strong.
So much so that I didn't even dare to approach her carelessly.
"Ahem."
Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and stole a glance toward the door.
Could I make a run for it?
I considered it for a second but gave up immediately.
The moment I imagined the Senior chasing after me with the agility of a hunting leopard, I felt like I’d piss my pants.
She’s probably much faster than me at sprinting, so escaping would be impossible.
I might have a chance in a test of endurance, but I wouldn't even last that long.
"..."
Did she know what I was thinking?
She stood there with her arms crossed, watching me intently.
The moment I turned my back, she looked ready to leap over the ropes and pounce.
In the end, feeling like I was sticking my head into a tiger's jaws, I slunk into the ring.
"Senior, please go easy on me."
"It's sparring."
Why doesn't this feel like sparring?
She began to warm up.
Her defined, 11-line abs were clearly visible; her physique was truly impressive.
Unlike Yoo Ah-rin or Choi I-seo, her muscles were much more prominent.
'No, this isn't the time for such thoughts.'
Ding!
The bell rang, signaling the start of the match.
My heart pounded at the thought of my first-ever sparring session, but it felt more like fear than excitement.
Naturally, I expected her to attack first, just as she had with the two guys she’d just flattened, so I took a guard stance I’d heard about somewhere.
I tucked my hands tight against both sides of my face to minimize the impact.
But instead of striking, she lunged for a tackle.
"Gah!?"
My center of gravity shifted forward, and I slammed onto the mat.
She mounted me instantly.
I couldn't even tell what happened next.
Moving with blinding speed, she took my back and wrapped her arm around my neck in a choke.
"Ack—!?"
"Like this. There are simple ways to subdue someone."
She hooked her legs around my waist and tightened her forearm against my throat.
For a split second, I wondered if it was okay for a man and a woman to be in this position, but that thought vanished instantly.
"Gack! Ack! Senior, save me!"
I felt like I was actually going to die.
Gender didn't matter; my survival instinct kicked in, and I started flailing.
"Stay still."
She whispered into my ear.
The moment I heard that, I stopped resisting.
I felt like a hostage with a gun pressed to my forehead.
I couldn't see her face, but I suspected she might be smiling slightly.
I could hear a hint of excitement in her voice.
Once I calmed down a bit, she loosened her grip slightly.
"Haaah...!"
To be honest, she hadn't been squeezing hard enough to actually cut off my air, but I took a deep breath anyway.
I felt like I had to do something.
She whispered to the now-quiet me.
"Young Master, why did you bring them here?"
"Huh? Oh... I just wanted to work out and then grab a drink with the guys."
Jeong Chan-woo had been whining so much about being lonely that I figured we’d exercise and then go drinking.
After all, once I head off to the military, I won't even be able to look at alcohol.
"I think I deserve overtime pay for this."
"Of course! I'll tell my brother—!"
"No."
Chomp!
She bit me!
She actually bit my ear!
"Eek!?"
Startled by the bite, I tried to struggle, but she pulled on my earlobe and sucked on it as if she were tasting it.
"I—I don't taste good!"
"Mmm."
Releasing my ear, she asked with a smirk.
"Does this bring back memories?"
"Huh? I don't remember anything!"
"When you were doing it in Hawaii, you bit my ear just like that."
"...Ah."
Right.
She was right.
I remembered doing all sorts of things to her while trying to be "sensual."
"Are you... seeking revenge for that?"
"Maybe a little...? That, and I wasn't too thrilled about you bringing those guys along."
"Wait, Senior. We shouldn't be doing this. I'm already a husband to three—ack!"
The choke tightened immediately.
Having silenced me, she replied with a laugh.
"Young Master, do you know something?"
"Yes? Ack!?"
"During my time in university, I've hunted down plenty of bastards who tried to skip out on group projects."
"I-I know!"
"Those types of people have one thing in common. The first time is hard, but the second or third time, they skip out without a second thought."
I decided not to ask what happened to those people.
They probably met an end far more brutal than what I was currently facing.
"If it had been just one person, I would have accepted it."
"...?"
"Whether it was Ye-rin, I-seo, or Ah-rin. If you had chosen just one of them, I wouldn't be obsessing over you this pathetically."
There was a firm resolve in her voice.
A sort of determination not to waver anymore could be felt even in the arm wrapped around my neck.
"But it's not one, or even two—it's three. Woo-jin, there are three of them!"
Squeeze!
"Gack! Woo-jini's dying!"
Only after I tapped out did she loosen her grip.
"Who knows! Three could become four! Four could become five! What I’d really regret is if I gave up, and then three became four anyway."
She tightened her arm again, saying she couldn't stand that thought.
"Then there would have been no reason for me to give up in the first place."
Is this how people who are stuck with plummeting stocks feel?
It seemed that after her internal conflict, she had decided to "HODL" rather than cut her losses.
"I have three kids on the way!"
Actually, they aren't pregnant yet, but still.
"If they're all pregnant at the same time, you'll need someone to handle your sexual desires during that period, Young Master."
"I can just use my hand!?"
"I shall become your right hand."
"Senior, are you serious right now?! Honestly, this makes no sense! It's illogical!"
"...You're talking to me about logic?"
"Gack! D-don't squeeze!"
Exhaling a sharp breath, she poured out her emotions.
"Logic? I'm acting more logically than ever."
"What!?"
"I come from a 'dirt spoon' family. Both my parents are dead, and my twin siblings only have me to look up to. I want to make my siblings happy, no matter what."
"Sen...ior?"
"You've shown me too much of what kind of man you are. You're a good person. Even after everything, you haven't given up on hiring me as a bodyguard."
Well, I wanted her to live a happy life. If there was a way I could help, I wanted to.
"How many times have I told you? My dreams kept changing because I was weighing the possibilities. The greatest possibility that ever came to me is you."
"..."
"The youngest son of Uju Group. You might be the richest man in Korea. On top of that, you're kind-hearted and try to take care of everyone you're involved with."
"..."
"Even if... even if that person is just a concubine."
"Senior!?"
"Logically, calculatingly, you are a man I can never let go of. For the sake of my family! For the sake of my kids! Office wife? Concubine? I'll be whatever it takes!"
"W-wait a second, Senior!"
"You've been caught by a real piece of work, Young Master!"
As she shouted, her grip momentarily faltered.
I didn't miss the opening. I pried her hands off and twisted my body.
I couldn't shake her legs from my waist, so I couldn't create distance, but I ended up face-to-face with her at point-blank range.
"Ugh...!?"
There she was, her face flushed red and her eyes brimming with tears.
"Is this the face of someone who's only after a chaebol's money?"
When I stared at her and asked, she hurriedly covered her face with both hands.
I grabbed her wrists and pulled them aside, revealing her biting her lip hard.
As she tried to unhook her legs and escape, I pressed down with my hips to stop her.
"Ah...!? It's... it's touching!"
"Just bear with it! I was incredibly conscious of your chest until a moment ago!"
"Why is it standing up!?"
"Maybe my reproductive instincts kicked in because I thought I was dying! More importantly, don't dodge the question! Is this really the face of someone who's only approaching me for money!?"
I yelled at her, and she looked like she wanted to argue, but the words got stuck in her throat. She closed her mouth, then...
"Just..."
She spoke softly.
"Just take it that way."
She whispered her true feelings, disguised as an excuse.
"If I don't find a pretext like that, I can't rationally justify why I keep liking you."
"..."
"Young Master."
Her moist gaze met mine.
At such close proximity, the moment our hot breaths mingled, an uncontrollable urge to kiss her surged within me.
The woman before me had searched for a reason to submit to me.
She had forced a justification to love me. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to conquer her.
"Uuugh."
"Ow, my head..."
The voices of the guys who had been knocked out of the ring drifted up.
Startled, we scrambled apart and stood up.
'Oh, shit.'
That was close.
I had to admit, for a moment there, I was completely entranced by Senior Ju-hee.
It just went to show how charming she really was.
"What happened? I remember stepping into the ring to spar, and then nothing."
"I... I'm going home."
While Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo were babbling nonsense in their daze, the Senior, who had been lying on the mat, slowly stood up.
"Where do you think you're going?"
She glared at the two of them, gritting her teeth.
"You're finishing your workout before you leave, you bastards."