Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Here to Pick You Up.
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Scene.25
Here to Pick You Up.
“A bit light, isn't it?”
Kang Man-dong eyed his son, who had returned with just a single backpack, his expression clearly saying, *You’re taking a year off, shouldn’t you have more stuff than this?*
“There wasn’t much in the way of personal belongings at my research lab.”
“Well, whatever. Hurry up and change. We need to go.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Something wrong? Have you forgotten already? Writer Kim is arriving today. Let's see, she should be here in about three hours.”
“I know. But what does that have to do with me changing clothes…”
“We have to go pick her up.”
“Alain was supposed to handle the transport…”
“When guests arrive, a pickup service is a given. Stop talking nonsense and go get her. You’ll be living with her for at least a month, so you should at least show your face.”
“Dad. I just got back from the airport. You want me to go back to the airport…”
“Who told you to come today? If you’d arrived yesterday, you would’ve had plenty of time.”
“…”
“You may be a professor out there, but at home, you’re the son of the pension owner. Get to work!”
“She’ll get here on her own if we just wait. Is there really a reason to go all the way to the airport?”
*No, wait. There is.*
Yu-hyeon recalled the list of actors Writer Kim had sent him.
His father's potential girlfriends were coming too. It wouldn't be a bad idea to go scope them out and make an introduction.
He wasn't just any widower; he was a widower with a son. It wouldn't hurt for the son to make a good first impression.
“Hm. You think so?”
Seeing Yu-hyeon, who he expected to remain stubborn, nod in agreement, Kang Man-dong looked surprised. *What? That easily?*
Usually, while Yu-hyeon went along with most things without complaint, he wouldn't budge on matters he deemed pointless. His easy compliance was slightly puzzling.
*Then again, some of Korea’s most beautiful women are coming. He’s a man, so it’s only natural he’d be curious.*
The father and son, each lost in their own thoughts, nodded at one another.
“I’ll change and be right down.”
Yu-hyeon went up to the second-floor study and quickly unpacked his backpack.
It was just a laptop, a diary, and a few small items, so it didn't take long.
Finally, he took out a small box and checked its contents.
An old 2G cell phone and a charger.
He stared at the phone for a moment, lost in thought, before closing the box and pushing it deep into a drawer.
After changing into a white shirt and jeans, Yu-hyeon headed to the garage. Then he immediately turned around and went back to the dining room.
“Dad.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Why do all the cars look like that?”
“Ah, that. With you back and guests coming, I figured I’d do some maintenance. You never know. They might be used for filming.”
Yu-hyeon looked at his father incredulously.
“I mean, even so, this is a bit much.”
Most of the parked vehicles were missing their front wheels, like a child with missing front teeth. He called it maintenance, but it was clearly deliberate.
Sensing Yu-hyeon's unease, Kang Man-dong continued.
“I was planning to change the tires and all that. But there’s one that’s perfectly fine. Take that one.”
As Kang Man-dong said, one car was perfectly fine.
More than fine, it had been washed and waxed to a brilliant, almost 부담스러울 정도로, shine.
The problem was that it wasn't an ordinary car.
“You want me to pick up guests in that?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“How am I supposed to pick people up in a sports car? Besides, it’s a two-seater.”
“Why can’t you? Just put one person in the passenger seat. Alain and his guys will take care of the rest.”
“…”
“If you don’t like it, you can take the motorcycle.”
Take the motorcycle? Not just any motorcycle, but an off-road mountain bike?
“You still here?”
“Haaah… I’m going, I’m going.”
Returning to the garage, Yu-hyeon stood before the car in question.
A Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster.
A car with the worst fuel economy, getting only 4.4 km per liter. The phrase ‘spilling gas all over the road’ was a perfect fit.
“I never should have accepted this thing in the first place.”
Others might drool over it, calling it their dream car, but to Yu-hyeon, it was just a nuisance wasting garage space.
When he started the engine, the Lamborghini's signature beastly roar shook the garage.
KRRRUUUMBLE! Grrrrr…
The engine's growl, like a wild animal, sent a tingle through his body.
Perhaps people cheered for this car not just for its unique appearance, but because the rumbling engine resonated with their bodies, creating a strange excitement.
As he pulled the car out of the garage, Kang Man-dong, who had been waiting outside, handed him a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
“Wear these. Don’t want the sun to hurt your eyes.”
“Aviator sunglasses this time?”
“They look cool.”
“You’re determined to turn your son into a nouveau riche caricature.”
Yu-hyeon grumbled as he took the sunglasses.
“Nouveau riche? It's the symbol of a self-made man. Now hurry up and get back. We’re having a welcome party tonight, so don’t even think about skipping it.”
*
Across the way, among a long line of taxis, he spotted Alain, Writer Kim, and the Korean broadcast team.
It seemed he had arrived just in time.
But something was wrong; their expressions were grim. He could see them raising their voices at each other.
Yu-hyeon called Alain.
—Camu!
“Yes, Alain. What’s going on? It looks chaotic over there.”
—Are you close?
“Yes. I came to pick you all up, too.”
Alain glanced around, trying to find Yu-hyeon.
“First, tell me what happened.”
—The head of the broadcast crew here lost his bag.
“Lost it, or was it stolen?”
—A little while ago, two women came up and seemed to be asking a bunch of questions. I think it disappeared then. It looks like they got hit by pickpockets… Huh?
“What is it?”
—Across the street, those women. It’s them!
Alain pointed to the other side of the road, repeatedly shouting that it was them.
Yu-hyeon immediately scanned the area.
“Blonde, redhead. Tank tops and dolphin shorts. A black bag. Is that right?”
—Yes! I’m going to cross right now and—
“No. I’ll get them. Do you see the Lamborghini across the street?”
—What? Camu, you came in a sports car? Wasn’t that just for show?
“Circumstances. And that’s not what’s important right now. When I move forward, wave your hands at the women. Act like you’re about to come after them.”
—But don’t actually catch them?
“Right. That’s all you need to do. If they have accomplices waiting in a car, they’ll flee before you even cross the street.”
—Right. You have a point there. Got it.
Hanging up, Yu-hyeon drove the car toward the women.
“Hey, honey.”
The two women glanced back, and their eyes lit up when they saw the car Yu-hyeon was driving.
“Where are you headed? I'll give you a ride.”
Yu-hyeon pushed his sunglasses up and winked at them.
The two women, who had been slightly surprised by the appearance of the Lamborghini, now had their eyes sparkling for a different reason upon seeing Yu-hyeon’s face.
They had already scored big by fooling one idiot at the airport, and now it seemed their luck with men was holding out.
The blonde and the redhead exchanged a look and approached the Lamborghini.
“Isn’t there not enough room for both of us? Who are you going to take?”
The redhead stepped forward, leaning her arm on the passenger door and pushing out her chest. Her ample breasts swelled, creating a deep cleavage.
“I prefer two over one.”
The two women giggled at Yu-hyeon’s playful response.
Just then, someone from across the street shouted, making a scene as if they were about to dash across the road.
The two women glanced in that direction and, without a second thought, jumped into the Lamborghini. With a seductive look, they cooed, “We prefer three over two, too,” and smiled with their eyes.
“Go, go, go!”
The women even waved their hands, urging him to drive off.
“Okay. Hold on tight.”
With a roar, the Lamborghini shot forward. The two women glanced back toward the airport and burst out laughing.
“So, where are we going?”
The redhead placed a hand on Yu-hyeon’s shoulder and curled her lips.
"Somewhere nice."
"Somewhere nice~ Where?"
“The police station.”
“Huh?”
“If you commit a crime, you have to face the consequences.”
“…!”
The moment the redhead realized something was wrong, the Lamborghini screeched into a sharp U-turn, heading back the other way. The woman, who had been putting on a full display of seduction, let out a string of curses.
“What the fuck! Who are you! Stop the car! Stop the damn car!”
As Yu-hyeon gave her a contemptuous look, the redhead tried to grab the steering wheel. Yu-hyeon swatted her hand away as if it were nothing and chopped her in the neck with the side of his hand.
Thwack!
“Gack!”
The redhead clutched her throat, gagging.
“You want some too?”
“N-… No. No.”
The blonde shook her head quickly, her face pale with terror.
His cold glare made it clear he wouldn't hesitate to use his fists.
*
The actors’ team, having belatedly grasped the situation, began to bicker.
“CP-nim, we should call the police or contact the Korean embassy.”
It was Manager Park, lead actress Lee Ha-na’s manager, who spoke up.
“Yes. The embassy. Let’s call the embassy. If we can at least get temporary passports reissued, we should be okay, right?”
One of the FDs who spoke some English quickly translated Yu Han-seong’s words. Alain shook his head.
“There is no Korean embassy here.”
The FD looked shocked and quickly reported back to Yu Han-seong.
“What? No Korean embassy?”
“No, that’s what he said. What do we do now? Forget our passports, we lost all the actors’ passports too.”
Yu Han-seong’s face fell, a picture of utter defeat.
Kim Seong-hui, who had been watching from the side, chimed in sharply.
“I knew it from the moment you were grinning like an idiot just because some scantily clad women talked to you. As if you know anything about Malta. Waving your hands and feet with your broken English. Men, I swear.”
At Kim Seong-hui’s words, Yu Han-seong’s face flushed as if it would burst.
“Is that really what you should be saying right now? This all happened because you were saying weird things!”
“What?”
“I told you! You jinxed us! Now what are we going to do!”
“That’s absurd. You’re the one who got pickpocketed, so why are you taking it out on me!”
As Kim Seong-hui and Yu Han-seong raised their voices, Alain, who was on the phone, looked across the street and shouted something.
“CP-nim! He says those women from before are across the street!”
“What!”
At the FD’s words, Yu Han-seong and Kim Seong-hui, who had been arguing, quickly turned their heads.
“There… Over there! There they are!”
Yu Han-seong moved as if to cross the street, but just then, a sports car appeared, scooped up the two women, and sped off with a roar.
“What… What was that!”
Yu Han-seong could only stare after the Lamborghini’s taillights, like a dog that had been chasing a chicken only to lose it.
Just then, Alain said something to the FD, whose expression instantly brightened.
“CP-nim, he says not to worry.”
“What does that mean?”
“That sports car is from Camu Pension. He said he’ll catch the women and come back, so we should just wait. Ah, he’s making a U-turn over there!”
At the FD’s words, everyone’s attention focused on the Lamborghini.
As the Lamborghini made its U-turn, they saw one of the women squeezed into the passenger seat reach for the steering wheel.
“Whoa! Hey, that’s! That’s dangerous!”
Yu Han-seong’s face tensed. Getting the bag with the passports back was important, but if the Lamborghini got damaged or the driver was hurt in the process, it would be another disaster entirely.
But then, an unexpected scene unfolded before their eyes.
“What was that? Did he just karate-chop her?”
Yu Han-seong spoke, bewildered. Others chimed in.
“Wow, she’s a woman, but he didn’t hold back at all.”
Everyone else also looked on in amazement at the Lamborghini driver's decisive action.
Vroom, vroom. Vrooom.
The convertible Lamborghini, which looked incredibly expensive at a glance, pulled up in front of them.
Alain and the taxi drivers immediately rushed over, pulled the women from the passenger seat, and retrieved the bag.
The FD took the bag and handed it to Yu Han-seong.
“He said to check if anything is missing.”
“Oh? Oh. Right.”
Yu Han-seong quickly opened the bag and checked its contents.
“It’s… It’s all here. Everything’s here.”
Looking like he’d just been saved from death’s door, Yu Han-seong let out a sigh of relief. But just then, gasps of ‘Whoa…’ erupted from all around him.
A burnt child dreads the fire. Yu Han-seong, thinking something else had gone wrong, quickly looked up.
And then he made the same sound.
“Whoa…”
The Lamborghini driver who had mercilessly karate-chopped the woman’s neck was walking toward them.
“His proportions… are just criminal.”
Not only the broadcast team but the actors as well couldn’t take their eyes off the driver. He was wearing just a simple, flowing white shirt and jeans, but it felt as if the entire airport entrance had brightened.
The man exchanged a few words with the driver, Alain, as if they knew each other, then approached Yu Han-seong’s group.
As he took off his sunglasses, a gentle breeze blew, as if on cue, rustling his hair.
And the face of the Lamborghini driver that was revealed…
*What… How can someone be so handsome!*
A collective, sharp intake of breath swept through the crowd, who were staring at the driver as if hypnotized.
“Welcome to Malta. I’m Camu, and I’m here to pick you up.”
At Yu-hyeon’s, or rather, Camu’s, greeting, someone couldn’t hold back and blurted out.
“Oh my, oh my, that voice. I can’t handle it!”