Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Cha Hee-ra
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The revenge could be called a resounding success.
Unlike the early days when she wouldn't even make eye contact, as soon as she pretended to soften just a bit, Kim Ki-yeok thought this was his chance to confess. He packed up a bunch of stuff and hatched a plan.
Convinced he'd cleared all his past karma, he prepared an event so irresistible that any girl would swoon, and waited for Hee-ra.
But at the meeting spot, not only was the Hee-ra he'd been dreaming of, but she showed up with some guy who looked suspiciously young.
His little brother... yeah, probably just a close younger bro, he convinced himself.
That's when Kim Ki-yeok saw it clear as day.
His childhood friend and secret crush—the girl he'd poured his heart into, thinking he'd finally cracked her guarded heart—was locked in an embrace, kissing a boy younger than him.
He couldn't believe it.
No, he didn't want to believe it.
She smiled so tenderly, leaning her waist against the boy's arm, wrapping both arms around his neck as they kissed.
Kim Ki-yeok felt a betrayal, emptiness, and rage unlike anything he'd ever known surging up inside him.
It was like he'd been hitting on a girl who already had a boyfriend, only realizing too late after playing the fool all by himself.
"Sh, shit. That fucking bitch?!"
But Kim Ki-yeok blamed only Cha Hee-ra.
She'd never seen him in a good light, always pushing him away.
Still, he'd never given up, convinced she'd come around eventually. He'd kept pursuing her—not because she'd hidden her boyfriend and let him suffer, though.
"I was gonna treat you so well!"
Even if it started as a prank, he'd felt a little guilty about how harsh it was, so he'd planned to make amends and treat her right if she became his girlfriend.
But to stab him in the back like this?
Kim Ki-yeok couldn't even imagine treating her nicely anymore.
Still, she was so damn beautiful now that he vowed to make her completely his, boyfriend or not.
That's what he'd thought, anyway.
"Boss. This punk's smirking."
"Punks like that are a dime a dozen. Thugs are all the same."
Strutting triumphantly toward the pair, Kim Ki-yeok was grabbed by burly gangsters with scarred faces and menacing glares, dragged to a deserted spot, and let out a hollow laugh.
That boy she'd been kissing must've been some rich kid from a wealthy family.
How else could thugs show up in person to harass them, then threaten to kill him if he messed with her?
"Fuck... filthy slut..."
Was that really the same nerdy girl?
He never dreamed she'd use her new beauty to pull something like this.
"Hey. We can beat this guy, right?"
"Go for it. He called the boss's girl a slut—deserves a beating."
"Sweet. I was getting bored just taking money without using my fists. Lucky break."
One of the big thugs chuckled as he cracked his knuckles and approached Kim Ki-yeok.
"Go easy. Don't kill him. Boss said he'd cover everything as long as he lives."
"You got it~!"
The last thing he saw was a massive fist flying at his face, followed by a dull thud as he crumpled unconscious.
"Whoa. Down in one hit?"
"Tch tch. This is why kids these days are useless. What kinda school bully is this? More like a punching bag."
With the thugs' fading voices behind him, he blacked out completely.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ahahahaha."
"Noona. That funny?"
"You bet. Of course I'm thrilled. Ahahahaha."
Hee-ra burst out laughing like the world was ending.
It was so hilarious, tears welled up and her eyes grew misty.
"I can still picture it? He got knocked out by one punch from the thugs, they woke him up, beat him again, and he passed out."
Hee-ra mimed punches in the air like she'd done it herself, reliving the memory.
Ahh. Too bad. She should've recorded that pathetic Kim Ki-yeok and spread it around school.
"And today at school, he wouldn't even look at me. That horny mutt who'd been trailing me like a puppy, begging for attention, was totally meek. Ahh. Maybe I should've beaten him myself."
"Wanna do it now?"
"Hm... Nah. I won't."
"Why not."
"Haha. If I did, I'd be no better than him. Suddenly lost interest."
It felt a bit empty, too.
How many years had she suffered because of a loser like him? Ending it like this seemed too easy, but when it came time for revenge, she just couldn't muster the drive.
Maybe that was enough. Mostly, she just didn't want to deal with him anymore.
"You cool with that?"
"Eh... Seeing him slink around school like a nobody feels pretty good. If he bounces back later and tries something, you'll help, right?"
"Of course."
"Then we're good. Whatever."
Kim Ki-yeok, the classic bully to the weak and coward to the strong, wasn't likely to come after Hee-ra anyway.
The power gap—money and influence—was too clear for even a fool like him to ignore.
"Noona."
"Yeah."
"If he so much as touches a hair on your head, tell me right away. I'll send him to the slammer."
"The slammer...? Oh, prison? But can you even do that?"
"Plenty. In this country, money can turn a good person into a cripple or a criminal. Sending some punk to jail? Piece of cake."
"Ahahaha. True that."
In a country where money bought everything, it was totally possible.
But it also meant Ji-hoon had the power to make even that happen.
Hee-ra, whose affection for him had already maxed out, felt it tick up just a bit more, piercing the ceiling.
"Anyway, Ji-hoon."
Hee-ra met his eyes softly and opened her mouth carefully.
"I'm... your second, right?"
What if... just what if he'd helped with revenge out of pity and was only hanging out temporarily?
The talk about her being his second all this time wasn't a lie, was it?
"Why bring that up suddenly."
"Just... you know..."
In a way, the two biggest obstacles in Hee-ra's life had vanished.
Her ugly looks blooming into beauty, and removing Kim Ki-yeok—that alone had changed her life.
But now that everything was wrapping up, she wondered if it had all been a dream.
Honestly, would any guy with a girlfriend as pretty as Na-young cheat openly?
No, he'd pour even more love into her.
And what was she lacking that she'd share her man?
"Worrying about the weirdest things, Noona."
"...?!"
Ji-hoon's arm wrapped around Hee-ra's waist, pulling her close.
Suddenly pressed against him.
Even though they'd kissed many times before, her heart pounded and her face heated up.
Still, like the experienced one, she closed her eyes gently, waiting for his lips.
"Have I ever lied to you? I said you'd get pretty, and it was true. I gave you allowance as promised for working out steadily. Haven't given you the 100 million yet, but you'll get it soon."
"Ah... the 100 million..."
The promise she'd forgotten.
A bit more effort, and at this young age, she'd have 100 million in her hands.
A smile crept onto Hee-ra's lips.
"Look at you smiling at money talk. Anyway, I've never lied to you, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Exactly. And you're still my second. You're mine now."
She'd been in pitch-black darkness without a sliver of hope, standing at a sheer cliff where one step meant falling.
He'd lit up her life brilliantly.
Ji-hoon wasn't some flawless hunk, but completely honest.
To him, Hee-ra had given her body and soul entirely.
She felt like she could never love another man now.
Hee-ra fell for him all over again at his manly claim: my woman.
"Yeah... right. I'm yours."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, affirming she was his girl.
His lips drawing closer.
Hee-ra closed her eyes.
"Eek?!"
Then her eyes flew open as she shoved his chest, creating distance.
"Ah..."
Ji-hoon's guilty expression.
"B-butt... m-my b-butt...!"
Ji-hoon had groped her butt.
This kid, barely out of diapers, had groped her ass out of nowhere in this romantic moment.
"It was an accident..."
Accidents happen elsewhere!
Hee-ra dropped her flushed face downward.
"Um..."
Yeah... Ji-hoon was a guy too.
A horny one.
And since she'd decided to be his woman, this was inevitable someday.
"L-later... not now... later... so when I lose all the weight to the goal... th-then... I'll do it..."
No matter how she thought about it, now was too soon.
Was he mad? Disappointed?
She peeked, but Ji-hoon nodded understandingly.
So Hee-ra beamed, content with a kiss for today, and pressed her lips to his.