Chapter 70
If another man showed excessive interest in my girlfriend or wife, how would that feel?
Pretty damn uncomfortable!
I'd want to chop his head off. And I'd feel the same way.
If some guy had approached Valentine, I'd have hanged him in the name of Count Amolrang!
But this is different.
In reality, Nam Hae-su and Park Han-hee are married, but here, they're nothing to each other. Plus, skulking around claiming her as his woman was just sleazy.
The Swimming Emperor? He didn't deserve the title—just a petty coward.
"Wow!"
"......"
"Moon-soo! Look over there! The sea's emerald green! It's so pretty!"
"...Yeah, it is."
I was sick of the sight of the ocean by now.
"It'd be so nice to walk that beach just the two of us..."
"Can't be helped."
Park Han-hee, sitting beside me in the back seat of the luxury sedan with a police car trailing like an escort, looked a little disappointed. Still, her face had been lit up with excitement since we set off. She knew how to savor the vibe of a trip.
A trip, huh...
Did scouring the river with Valentine and the cabin for the legendary sword in that romance fantasy novel I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Count's Family count as a trip? I'd been too obsessed with finding that sword to really enjoy it.
"Athlete Kang Moon-soo."
"Yes."
The bodyguard driving us during the trip glanced at me in the rearview mirror.
"Be careful."
"Is the playground owner who's jealous of me at it again?"
"Be careful."
"Got it."
I smiled back at the meaningful look in his eyes reflected in the mirror.
Well, well?
I couldn't drive for shit, so we'd planned to use public transport, but after notifying the government about our trip, they'd loaned us this sedan and assigned a driver who doubled as security. The problem was the car itself. Could I swear it wasn't bugged?
As proof, the driver's only advice was that clichéd "be careful." And his glances. He was clearly aware of invisible watchers.
"Han-hee."
"Yeah?"
"Let's have fun."
"Huh? Of course!"
This trip was shaping up to be way more enjoyable than I'd expected.
* * *
Government pandemic guidelines meant we couldn't go anywhere crowded, no matter how free the trip. Beaches, amusement parks, pools... We'd carved out time for vacation, only to be stuck inside the hotel!
Still, better safe.
I didn't want to miss the Olympics due to carelessness and get flak for it, so I complied without fuss. Besides,
"No way! Stuck in the hotel?!"
"Olympics are right around the corner. Can't be helped."
"I get that, but...!"
Park Han-hee bit her lip in frustration.
Calculated move.
Telling us to stay inside because of disease was overreach. Wasn't this imprisonment, not a vacation? But I went along. Because Nam Hae-su, blinded by jealousy over losing his future wife, wanted this exact scenario.
"Nice room."
"Whoa! Outdoor pool too!"
"It's an open-air bath."
"Oh! First time seeing one."
"They're compensating for not letting us out."
"Seems like it!"
Apparently the best suite in the hotel. Mini theater, open-air bath, billiards table, computer, king-sized bed, full bath... Pricey as hell, but government support meant I only paid 10%.
"Hmm~"
I casually checked every corner of the room.
Of course I wouldn't find anything...
I figured there were hidden cameras or bugs somewhere, but as a non-expert, I had no way to detect them. Maybe there weren't any. Maybe I was just paranoid from the bodyguard's warning.
"Moon-soo! Come here quick! The view's amazing!"
"...Yeah, it is."
Fossil fuel-polluted haze from the old era's skies and seas. In the modern world of ideal politicians, global cooperation had restored the planet. Clean fuels, poaching bans, space development, water purification, eco power plants... Anywhere you went, the views beat the old days.
"Thanks. I get to enjoy this luxury because of you, Moon-soo."
"Don't sweat it. I wouldn't have come without you either. What would a guy do alone?"
"R-right...!"
She flushed bright red and whipped her head toward the window.
"Han-hee. Mind if I shower first?"
"Shower?! Why?!"
"Car was comfy, but we still went out and came back."
"...Oh! Right! Yeah! Go ahead! I'll go after."
"Thanks."
I stripped and headed into the shower.
Hope you're listening good.
Time to test the patience of Nam Hae-su, the power player in disguise.
* * *
Ring~♪
My smartphone buzzed just as I finished up and stepped out.
Unknown number. I'd spread my cell number all over the Player Village while poking around, so it wasn't some big secret.
But right now?
No one from the Village who didn't know I was on vacation. Regular folks might've heard through nosy reporters interested in my private life. Not where I was going, though.
"Not gonna answer?"
Park Han-hee eyed me in my underwear with a towel over my shoulders.
"On vacation."
"Could be important..."
"If it's that urgent, they'll come to the hotel."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"Wish I could be chill like you. I tense up every time Coach calls."
"She chew you out?"
"Nah, but... always bad news."
"Hm."
Probably because Park Han-hee's scores weren't Olympic caliber. And her aptitude wasn't track athlete anyway.
Not hopeless, though. Fresh out of high school, where she'd spent more time at desks than running. This was her first step as a track athlete. Build strength and flexibility she'd neglected for studies, train hard, and in four years, she'd be a pro. I believed that.
"Lately, I keep thinking... Do I even qualify to be your girlfriend?"
"That's up to that guy Kang Moon-soo's tastes, I figure."
"What are they?"
"...Definitely not Olympic national team material."
"What else?"
"I'd prefer my girlfriend debt-free."
"That's not taste."
She scolded me like it was the dumbest thing ever. I knew, but hey—her gloomy expression had cleared up. Mission accomplished. And it steered away from me!
"Not showering?"
"Wanna hear your tastes first."
"......"
"Spill it."
"Hm... Guess I'll hear Miss Park Han-hee's guy preferences first."
"M-me?!"
"You first."
The moment I heard Nam Hae-su got shot down at cram school, I knew something was off. Could the Swimming Emperor not know his wife's tastes? There had to be a reason she'd accepted him later—looks, skills, personality. But he'd confidently charged in and got rejected flat.
One-shot KO.
"Secret's fine."
"Nah, I'll tell. I wanna hear yours that bad."
"O-okay."
Felt like a dead end.
"I... uh... It's embarrassing to say out of nowhere!"
"Don't have to."
"I will."
"......"
"Dunno how to put it, but I'm drawn to guys with a mysterious vibe."
"What's that mean?"
"Hm... Usually, you can tell from speech or expressions why a guy likes you."
"Hm."
Maybe because she'd been pretty and popular with guys since childhood? She assumed they all liked her from the start.
"But not you."
"Me?"
"You're interested, but you don't try to learn about me. Normally, that'd mean a wolf chasing looks..."
"I'm a wolf too."
Song Seon-yeong and Valentine proved it, even if briefly.
"But you don't ogle my body. Boobs, butt, legs..."
"Gentlemanly to sneak peeks."
"No pervy moves either."
"We held hands?"
"Listen, Kang Moon-soo. We're way past the age where hand-holding is some big deal."
"Ahem!"
Of course—I was using her to find Nam Hae-su.
You know that.
I'm a total bastard.
"...It's okay. I get it. You're hung up on an ex. I'll wait. But no fooling around with other girls."
"Noted."
I had no plans to be total trash.
"Your turn."
"Hey! I haven't said my tastes properly. Any guy not interested in you is fine?"
"Confidence."
"Confidence?"
"Yeah. Looks and skills aside—lying if I said otherwise—but confidence is key."
"Why?"
"No spark with timid guys. Oh, no fake bravado. Hate that."
"Aha!"
Couldn't see why Nam Hae-su got rejected.
"Good? Your turn!"
"Damn..."
"What're your tastes?"
Her eyes burned with determination to hear it. I gazed at the ceiling and answered slowly.
"Women who teach me."
"Huh?"
"Drawn to pros who teach me what I can't do."
"...Teacher?"
"Not office workers."
Song Seon-yeong—whose mom was a national athlete and whose aptitude was swimmer—taught me swimming. Valentine, overcoming physical disadvantages to become a great knight, taught me swordsmanship.
"Looks?"
"Wolf."
"Details."
"Pleading the fifth. Don't wanna get canceled."
"My lips are sealed."
"Still no."
Couldn't say it with bugs around.
"...Fine, just this: Compare me to your ex—who's prettier?"
"...Similar."
"Similar? Means ex is prettier."
"......"
"I'm showering now! And no peeking. I'm not pretty anyway!"
Hurt pride sent Park Han-hee grabbing a towel and storming into the shower.
Click!
The lock sounded like thunder.
"She's pissed."
Ring~♪
Phone buzzed again. Same number.
"Molrang?"
Why not pick up?
"Molrang~"
My buddy, who'd stayed still like a hat to avoid suspicion, molrang-ed on the bed.
Wanna see your face.
"Molrang molrang."
No? Wrong?
"Molrang~"
I ignored it fully, and the phone went silent.
Got the setup I wanted... Wonder what Nam Hae-su does next?
Nothing to do, so I threw on the hotel robe over my underwear and checked the view. Hazy skies from fine dust. Radiation-tainted sea. Random helicopter.
"...Helicopter?"
Thought it was mountain rescue at first, but it hovered in place.
Broadcast filming? I shrugged it off—
"Molrang!"
I flinched—body reacting before brain.
Please no...!
I rolled across the floor behind the wall, out of sight.
Thud!
A nail-sized hole punched through the intact window.
"......"
"Molrang?"
"...I'm fine. Thanks. You saved me."
"Molrang~"
The chopper, losing sight of me, fled like a coward.
A sniper!
Sweat trickled down my forehead. I'd nearly died pointlessly.
"Moon-soo! What was that noise?"
Park Han-hee called from the shower.
"...Not nothing, but take your time."
"What? Wait! Finishing up quick!"
"Hm..."
Made me rethink. Nam Hae-su—what kind of monster had he become to pull this off? Gangs, choppers, snipers... In safety-conscious Korea, where women roamed freely at night.
Thinks he's a god?
He's just a frail human lost in sweet dreams.
Time he learned that.
"I'll make sure he does."
"Moon-soo. Make who learn what...? What the hell's wrong with the window?!"
"Bug flew in."
"B-bug?! What bug smashes glass?! We gotta call the cops...!"
"Hold up. No need—"
Ding-dong!
"Police here! Athlete Kang Moon-soo, open the door!"
How'd they know? Stank of conspiracy.
"Huh?"
"Han-hee. Start filming on your phone now."
"You called them already?"
"No way."
"......"
She caught on, phone in hand.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Opening."
From here on, it was a life-or-death PR war.