Chapter 445: Harmony
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 445: Harmony
A man was staring at us from outside.
— Kim Woo-jin? Hey! Kim Woo-jin!
Bong-geun’s urgent voice crackled through the phone.
I hadn't said a word, but strangely enough, I felt like I knew exactly what was going on. The explanation Bong-geun gave afterward was as predictable as it gets.
“So, you’re saying he’s Jin-ah’s stalker?”
— Sigh, it’s not something you can just brush off that easily. That guy is crazier than you think...!
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
I was just told by the girls earlier that I have fewer human qualities than a werewolf, anyway.
— Hey! I’m serious! This is no joke!
“You know what?”
I kept the call active while observing the guy.
He was stomping toward us, slipping something like a golden knuckle duster onto his hand. I couldn't help but think the kid had watched a few too many movies.
“That bastard’s timing is all wrong.”
— Argh, what the hell are you talking about?! Hey, this isn't the time for jokes!
— Where are you? We’re on our way right now. That guy isn't in his right mind! There’s no telling what he’ll do!
— Don’t be shocked, just listen. He’s out of it. You know how easy it is to get drugs these days if you watch the news, right?
— It looks like he’s involved in that kind of stuff. So stay calm and...!
The voice cut off abruptly.
Choi Jin-ah must have snatched the phone, as she screamed through tears.
— Woo-jin! Run! We’re coming, so please, just run!
“Why would I run?”
— Please! That man is insane! I... I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt because of me!
“...”
— Woo-jin? Woo-jin?!
“I’m hanging up.”
— Woo-jin!
Click.
Choi Jin-ah called out my name while sobbing pitifully. It felt like a scene straight out of a drama, but surprisingly, the situation wasn't actually that dire.
Rattle.
The guy opened the door and stepped inside.
He definitely looked like he was on something; the way he swayed while wearing a vacant, loopy grin made me want to keep my distance.
“Are you Kim Woo-jin? The youngest son of Uju?”
“Yeah, that’s me. Welcome.”
I’d heard he was the youngest son of a company called Connex.
With his wealth and delinquent appearance, he had the classic look of a total thug. He’d probably spent a good chunk of his life beating people up.
“Hey, what’s this? What’s going on?”
“Who’s this guy?”
Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo slowly stood up, looking bewildered.
This place was fairly spacious for a coin karaoke room, but with four adult men gathered inside, everyone was within arm's reach.
“Does it matter who he is?”
I shook my head. That wasn't important at all.
“Nothing matters. There’s only one thing we need to confirm in this room right now.”
The guy snorted at my words, clearly thinking I was talking nonsense, but I asked him anyway just to be sure.
“When are you enlisting?”
The most important thing to us right now.
The question that naturally arises whenever we see men our age. The common bond we all shared, like having a time bomb strapped to our necks.
The gazes of the three of us in the coin karaoke room shifted toward him simultaneously.
Perhaps thinking the question was too out of left field, the guy wore a blank expression before scratching his head and answering.
“I’m exempt, you dumbass. Why would I go when I have money?”
“Okay.”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Jeong Chan-woo and Ahn Hyun-ho, who had looked dazed just a moment ago, stiffened their expressions and began to loosen up their bodies.
“We’re really lucky.”
I nodded and muttered to myself.
“Just when we’re pissed off, someone to take it out on walks right in.”
The karaoke door slid shut.
A druggie who illegally dodged the military?
Honestly, I felt like God had sent this guy to us as a gift.
* * *
“Huff! Huff!”
Choi Jin-ah ran desperately into the shopping arcade. Leaving the others behind, she sprinted toward the basement.
One of her heels had slipped off along the way, but she didn't care. Her face was swollen from how much she had cried.
‘Woo-jin!’
She kept calling his name in her heart.
What if something happened to him because of her? She didn't think she could truly handle it.
‘Please, Woo-jin. Please.’
She wanted to see him and apologize. She wanted to see him accept her apology with his usual playful, goofy smile.
‘I’m so sorry because of me.’
This had happened because she had caught the eye of a freak. His abnormal obsession, combined with a desire to control a world-renowned violinist at his whim, had escalated the situation to this point.
‘If only I... if only I had...’
If she had handled it better, this might not have happened.
Choi Jin-ah ran toward the coin karaoke room, oblivious to the scrapes on her legs.
Glass shards were scattered everywhere. It looked like the glass wall of the coin karaoke room had been shattered, and the golden knuckle duster lying on the floor seemed to be the culprit.
And then.
“I-I-I’m sorry.”
The youngest son of Connex was on his knees.
He had been beaten so badly that his face was a swollen mess, with blood and tears streaming down his face.
“W-Woo-jin...?”
Choi Jin-ah approached slowly. She wore a dazed expression, not even noticing the glass shards piercing her feet.
“Hm? Oh, you’re here already?”
Kim Woo-jin, who was giving the back of the Connex heir’s head another smack, smirked at Choi Jin-ah.
It was the sight she had been praying for, but seeing it with her own eyes left her a bit flustered.
“W-what happened?”
At Choi Jin-ah’s question, Kim Woo-jin shrugged.
“There’s no way a son of the Republic of Korea who received Grade 1 on his physical exam would lose to a piece of shit trying to dodge service for no reason, right?”
“Damn right. We are the great soldiers of the Republic of Korea, Grade 1 status. Drugs? My fist is the cure.”
“Comrade, can you hear us!”
Jeong Chan-woo and Ahn Hyun-ho joined in, speaking with pride. Looking at them, it seemed they hadn't been hit at all; they had just done the hitting.
“Hahaha!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Hahhahahaha!”
For some reason, even though they hadn't been beaten, tears were streaming down the eyes of all three men.
“Ha, haha...”
Choi Jin-ah let out a hollow laugh and approached Kim Woo-jin.
“How could you? I was so worried.”
She tugged at his collar. Her voice was thick with tears, causing Kim Woo-jin to look at her in surprise.
“Why are you crying? We’re the ones who want to cry.”
As the glass shards shifted, it looked as if a path had been cleared behind Choi Jin-ah. Noticing the damp, red bloodstains on the floor, Kim Woo-jin looked down in shock.
“What the?! Hey, where are your shoes? Why did you come here like—”
Kim Woo-jin’s eyes widened at the soft sensation enveloping his lips.
The moment he looked down, Choi Jin-ah had timed it perfectly to kiss him.
Startled, Kim Woo-jin quickly pulled back, his face flushing red.
“W-what was that?!”
When he covered his mouth and asked what was going on, Choi Jin-ah gave a faint smile, tears still welling in her eyes.
“Sorry. I just felt so relieved without realizing it.”
“Huh?”
“I’m so, so glad you’re okay, Woo-jin.”
Then, Choi Jin-ah threw her arms around him. Even if he wanted to pull away, he couldn't push her off for fear of her getting hurt by the glass shards in her feet.
Click, click, click, click.
‘Those bastards.’
Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo were busy snapping photos to report Kim Woo-jin’s "infidelity."
* * *
The situation ended right then and there.
We, the brave sons of Korea, had caught a draft dodger and a drug addict. Thanks to that, we had one more story to tell in the military.
Since we now had a story to entertain our seniors with during night guard duty, I figured today was a pretty productive day.
‘Fuck.’
On the way home, I was carrying Choi Jin-ah on my back.
Because this idiot had just stomped over glass shards, the soles of her feet were a bloody mess. She’d received treatment, but since she couldn't walk, I was carrying her.
For the record, Bong-geun took that bastard to the police station. He might not be going to the military, but he’s going to prison.
Still, prison food is better than military food. Thinking about that made me feel strangely good.
Isn't that what happiness is? The miracle of feeling happy just because someone else is more miserable than you.
“Um, Woo-jin.”
“What.”
Choi Jin-ah, who was clinging tightly to me, whispered softly.
“I-I’m hungry.”
Should I just kill her?
“Can’t we buy some ramyeon over there?”
Choi Jin-ah pointed at a convenience store. I let out a sigh and trudged inside.
“Welcom—”
The convenience store employee looked flustered at the sight of me carrying her. Having grown numb to such stares, I walked inside as if it were nothing.
“Hmm.”
Choi Jin-ah pondered while on my back.
“Next.”
“Next is 씨 (Ssi).”
I wanted to snap at her, but I let it slide since she was technically a patient.
What Choi Jin-ah eventually picked was Pepero.
“Thank you.”
After paying and stepping back outside, the chilly air greeted us again. I immediately gave Choi Jin-ah a piece of my mind.
“Do you want to die? You said you wanted ramyeon.”
“I just started craving Pepero after seeing it.”
And so, she began eating the Pepero while on my back. As I walked in silence, Choi Jin-ah reached her hand forward and offered me a stick.
“H-here, have some.”
As I nibbled on the Pepero in my mouth...
“Woo-jin.”
Choi Jin-ah called my name meaningfully.
“Don’t.”
I shut her down immediately.
“...”
“Don’t do it. Don’t confess. If you do, I’m dropping you right here.”
“...”
“You know I’m dating three people already.”
When I spoke with a sigh, Choi Jin-ah hugged my neck tighter and murmured.
“They say love comes in many forms.”
“...”
“Even if you don’t accept it.”
There was a certain resolve in Choi Jin-ah’s whispering voice.
“I want to love you in this form.”
It was nice that she was confessing her feelings, but...
“The Pepero, Ssi.”
On the packaging, there was a slogan that read: ‘Isn't Pepero also one of the many forms of love?’
“You’re even using a line from a snack box for your confession.”
I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it, but Choi Jin-ah hugged me even tighter and popped a Pepero into my mouth.
“Doesn't that make it very 'me'?”
A world-renowned violinist.
The only daughter of a chaebol family.
A pure-hearted woman who had carried a torch for me since childhood.
A female lead who seemed like she belonged in a fairytale.
And yet, her confession line...
Was a promotional slogan written on a cheap box of snacks.
“Ha.”
It was ridiculous, but really...
“It does suit you.”