A Fool's Tears
“M… Minjun!!”
“…Yeonju?”
I waited in the car, and soon Yeonju opened the front gate and stepped out. But something about her seemed… off.
“Did… did you buy new clothes? Th… they look so good on you!! You look amazing!!”
“…?”
There wasn’t just one strange thing. Yeonju stood right in front of the gate, practically shouting at me. She could have just walked over to the car, but for some reason she kept her distance and yelled from afar.
But that was nothing compared to the real problem.
Her outfit was completely bizarre.
Yeonju had pulled a bucket hat low over her head and was wearing oversized sunglasses that completely hid her face. On top of that, her hands were covered in thick mittens—the kind you only wear in the dead of winter. She wasn’t some top star dodging paparazzi, yet she had wrapped herself up like a mummy. It was incredibly suspicious.
“Yeonju. Come over here. Closer to me!”
I gestured for her to approach. I saw her flinch.
“Ugh… Th… that… I can’t!! Minjun!! My legs hurt!!”
“Really? Then I’ll come to you!”
“Ugh…!! N… no…!!”
I got out of the driver’s seat and strode toward her. Yeonju stood frozen in front of the gate, shifting anxiously from foot to foot.
“Uwaa… huuu…”
“Yeonju. Take off the hat.”
“What?! Th-th-th-the hat? Why… why? C-can’t I keep it on?”
As she spoke, she pressed both hands down firmly on the hat. Her determination not to remove it was obvious.
If Yeonju asked for something, I usually wanted to give it to her. Even I knew I was ridiculously weak when it came to her. I always had been, and today was no exception. The sight of her pushing down on that hat with both mitten-covered hands was unbearably cute.
But I couldn’t let this slide.
I was dying to know why she had wrapped herself up so completely. The curiosity was killing me.
In my impatience, I activated Leader's Brainwashing and gave her a command.
“Take off everything you’re wearing… No. Just follow me to the car for now.”
“…”
Leader's Brainwashing
Yeonju’s eyes went blank. She obediently walked over and climbed into the car. I followed her inside.
“Huh…? M-Minjun?”
Once inside, Yeonju looked at me in surprise, as if she had just woken up. I cast the brainwashing on her again.
“Take off every piece of clothing you’re wearing. Don’t leave anything on.”
“…”
The moment the command took hold, Yeonju began stripping. As her naked body was gradually revealed, I clenched my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white. I was so furious it almost surprised me. The rage burning inside me was intense.
“…Answer my questions honestly.”
“Yes, Minjun.”
Even though I was angry, I held it in and began interrogating her. I could vent my anger anytime. What mattered now was figuring out exactly what had happened to her.
“Why is your hair such a mess? And why are your eyes so swollen?”
“I was crying at home the whole time. After you left, I just kept crying. I was sobbing so hard I kept pulling at my hair.”
“…Did you chew up your own nails? And are those marks on your arms from you scratching yourself?”
“Yes. I was so anxious I couldn’t stand it. I thought you hated me and I felt like I was going crazy.”
“What…? Why would you think that? I never once said I hated you.”
“Mom told me. She said you hated me now. That you’d already lost interest in me… I wanted to die. If you hadn’t called me first, I really might have…”
“Then you should have called me to check if what your mom said was true! At the very least, you could have let me explain that she was lying!”
“I tried to pick up my phone, but I was too scared to call you. I was terrified that you really did hate me. I was afraid I’d hear that cold voice from you. So I couldn’t do it.”
BEEEEEEEP—!!!
I slammed my fist against the steering wheel in frustration. I normally hated the sound of the horn, but I needed to hit something—anything.
“Huu…”
After letting out some of that pent-up energy, my head cleared a little. The anger was still there, but at least it was no longer uncontrollable.
“Put your clothes back on, buckle your seatbelt, and sleep until I wake you up.”
“Yes, Minjun.”
Yeonju did exactly as I said. She dressed again, fastened her seatbelt, and soon nodded off, falling into a deep sleep. After crying nonstop all day, she desperately needed the rest.
I stepped on the accelerator and pulled away. The car sped smoothly down the road, but my heart felt heavy and suffocated.
I already knew Yeonju was a bit of an airhead, but…
She was even more clueless than I had imagined. And far too innocent. The moment I saw her, I could tell she had a glass mentality. That’s why I had always handled her gently, protecting her from breaking.
From our very first meeting until now.
I had only ever said things I knew she would like. I had openly shown her how much I cared. That was how I had won her over—completely and utterly made her mine.
But the moment I took my eyes off her for a second, she had fallen completely for Han Seolyeong’s cheap manipulation. She had become a wreck. Her mind was as broken as her love for me was strong.
If I hadn’t called her because of that eerie gut feeling, Yeonju might have actually made a terrible, irreversible decision.
How could she fall for such an obvious trick… Huu.
From my perspective, the manipulation had been painfully obvious. But Yeonju was a fool. A fool who had believed her stepmother’s every word, too scared to call me, and had simply locked herself in her room and cried.
Crying would have been one thing… but damn it.
I shook my head, trying to erase the image of her naked body I had just seen. Her hair had been a complete bird’s nest. Her nails were bitten down to the quick. And the ugly scratches covering her forearms—self-inflicted while she cried—were hideous.
But even worse than the wounds was how gaunt and hollow she looked. I had only dropped her off at home that morning. Not even a full day had passed. Yet in that short time, the emotional torment had destroyed her.
She had refused to eat or drink, crying from morning till night. The cute, chubby cheeks that still held a hint of baby fat were now sunken. The once-bright, lively eyes were dull and lifeless.
“Ha… She’s like a damn glass cannon. I have no choice. From now on, I’m just going to keep her with me.”
I never wanted to see my precious little Yeonju deteriorate like this again. I had planned to strengthen her mentality through brainwashing, but even that didn’t feel like enough. So I made a decision—I would kidnap her right now and have her live with me in the new house.
I didn’t know how she would feel about it, but since I was going to do whatever I wanted anyway, her opinion didn’t really matter.
Screeech.
As I drove toward the house, my swirling thoughts gradually settled. By the time I arrived, the boiling rage inside me had calmed considerably.
I parked the car in the garage and gently woke Yeonju.
“Yeonju, we’re here. Wake up.”
“Mmm… Huh…? M-Minjun! Wh-where are we?”
“This is our house.”
“Your… your house?!”
Still half-asleep, Yeonju’s eyes snapped wide open at my words. She whipped her head around, looking everywhere.
“Come on, Yeonju. I’ll give you a tour.”
“Y-yes. Okay, Minjun.”
I got out of the car, took her hand—despite the thick mittens—and escorted her inside. Even with the gloves on, Yeonju still blushed furiously at the simple act of holding my hand.
Beep.
There was a private elevator in the garage that led straight into the house. I took her up and gave her a quick tour. Yeonju stuck right by my side the entire time, looking around with sparkling eyes like she was on a date at an art museum.
Well, this was going to be her home from now on, so it was good for her to get familiar with it.
Looks like Mihyeon is still passed out. Thank god.
I had secretly peeked into the room where Mihyeon was still unconscious. She was completely out cold and probably wouldn’t wake up until tomorrow afternoon. That meant I wouldn’t have to worry about her noticing whatever I did with Yeonju.
“Hey, Yeonju.”
“Y-yes?! Wh-what is it? M-Minjun?!”
We were currently in the walk-in closet attached to the master bedroom. While I had been lost in thought, Yeonju had been sneaking a peek inside the wardrobe. Her startled reaction when I spoke made it obvious she had been thinking something naughty.
“It’s evening now.”
“Y-yes… it is evening.”
“And we’re indoors. Are you really not going to take off those sunglasses?”
“Umm… uhh… well… that’s…”
“You don’t need the gloves or the hat either, right?”
“Th-that’s true, but… Minjun… um… you see…”
The house tour had gone on long enough. It was time to pressure her a little.
I could have used brainwashing to strip her instantly, but I was curious how she would react in her normal state. Would she confess everything to me honestly, or would she keep trying to hide it?
“Do you not want to show me your face?”
“Ugh…!! N-no!! It’s just… I look so ugly right now… It would be incredibly rude. My face is such a mess… I can’t possibly show it to you, Minjun…”
Even under pressure, Yeonju was surprisingly stubborn. To break through her defenses, I activated Prophet's Voice.
Prophet's Voice
“I really want to see your face. Are you still not going to show me?”
“Ugh… uuu…”
“Yeonju, I like people who listen to me well. You know that, right?”
“I-I’ll take them off!! M-Minjun!!”
The moment I said I liked people who listened, Yeonju immediately pulled off her sunglasses and the rest of her ridiculous coverings, setting them down in the corner.
I stared at her bare face with a hardened expression.
“Why are your eyes so swollen? And why is your hair such a disaster?”
“Uuuu…”
“What happened to your nails? Why are they all broken?”
“Th-that’s… Minjun…”
Sensing how terrifying my aura had become, Yeonju shrank in on herself, trembling violently.
“Huu… Take off everything. Including your underwear.”
“Umm… M-Minjun…”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“Haa… Yes…”
After a brief hesitation, Yeonju stripped completely and set her clothes aside. She then curled into herself, crossing her arms to hide the scratches on her forearms. The sight of her frail, wounded body trying to cover itself made her look like an abused sex slave.
“…”
I stared at her naked form with eyes full of fury. After a long silence, Yeonju, who had been shivering under my gaze, finally spoke.
“M-Minjun… I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“Th-that’s… It seems like… you’re really angry because of me…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence and hung her head. At this rate, her head might actually hit the floor.
“…Tell me exactly how this happened.”
“It’s… it’s nothing. It was just an accident. I’m sorry, Minjun. It’s all my fault. I did everything wrong. I’m sorry, Minjun.”
Even after all this pressure, she was still trying to hide the truth. It made my chest feel tight. I couldn’t hold back anymore.
I used Leader's Brainwashing and gave her a direct order. Her previously shaky, unfocused eyes went completely blank. Strangely, that vacant look was easier to watch.
Leader's Brainwashing
“Why won’t you tell me the truth?”
“……Because I was afraid you would hate Mom. If I told you everything Mom said to me, it might cause trouble for her.”
I was speechless. Even in this situation, Yeonju was still trying to protect Han Seolyeong. There was a limit to being a pushover.
“Even though your mom is the reason you ended up like this, you’re still protecting her? Didn’t you say she torments you every single day?”
“She’s still my mom. The only family I have besides you is her. She’s precious to me. You’re the most precious person in the world to me, but my parents are still important too.”
“…Ugh, fuck.”
The frustration made me curse out loud. That innocence was part of her charm, but it clearly needed to be adjusted. If I left her like this, that venomous woman Han Seolyeong would manipulate her again, and one day Yeonju might seriously hurt herself.
“Never harm yourself. Ever. No matter what happens.”
“…”
“And trust me unconditionally. Trust me more than anyone else in the world. If I say I like you, you believe it without any doubt. Understand?”
“…”
Apply permanent brainwashing?
Since this was a permanent alteration, the cost was significant. But I nodded without hesitation. Yeonju was my healing button and an SSS-grade cultist. Taking care of her like this was only natural.
“Ugh… I-I’m sorry. I was wrong, Minjun.”
Once the brainwashing was complete, Yeonju immediately began apologizing again. I hated seeing her like that, so I stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Eep…!”
“I like you, Yeonju. You know that, right?”
“Hic…!! Yes! I know! I-I like you too, Minjun!! So, so much!!”
“Good. Then that’s all that matters.”
“Yes. Hic… sniff… Minjun… thank you… hic… thank you so much, Minjun.”
Yeonju cried in my arms once again. She claimed she had been crying all day at home, yet her tears showed no sign of stopping. My shirt was soaked. She kept saying thank you over and over, though I wasn’t entirely sure what she was so grateful for. I could only guess.
To help her calm down, I activated Pope's Aura and gently patted her back. Her shoulders, which had been shaking violently, gradually stilled.
Pope's Aura
“Hic… haa… Minjun. I’m sorry. Your shirt… it’s all wet now.”
“Are you feeling a little better now?”
“Yes… Being in your arms like this… makes me feel okay.”
“That’s good. Yeonju, let’s wash up first. I’ll put some ointment on your wounds after.”
“Y-you’re going to do it, Minjun?!”
“Yes, I will. I’ll apply it myself.”
“Ugh… auuu… Minjun… doing it himself… hehe…”
I had simply said I would apply ointment, but from the way her face slowly turned bright red, it was clear she was imagining something entirely different. This… this was the real Yeonju.