A Shared Weakness
That crazy woman disappears down the stairs, her heels clicking sharply with every step. I consider pulling out the second phone from my other pocket to check the recording, but after turning it over in my mind, there’s nothing in it that would actually work in my favor. Nothing that would work in hers, either. The second she tries to drag me under, we both go down together—she knows that better than anyone.
“…”
I brush off the faint sensation lingering on the back of my hand and stare out the window for a moment. The woman, face hidden beneath a pulled-low cap, walks away quickly. Yeah. I guess we’re just holding each other’s weaknesses now. That’s what she meant. Up until now, I’ve had all the advantage—literally nothing to lose. She probably needed a knife of her own to keep at my throat.
…Still. I can’t help feeling irritated. Her intentions are far too obvious. The moment anything threatens her, even slightly, she’s basically declaring she’ll kill me. And since it’s coming from the same woman who’s already tried to bury me once, there’s no way I can look at it kindly. Whatever happens from now on isn’t my fault. She started this. She brought it on herself.
**
…Boss. Your eyes looked pretty sunken earlier. You must be exhausted. Of course, with two women around, doing this and that… Plus, earlier you were whispering with that idol. Just what is it about you that makes you so popular? Well, you do look clean-cut and you’ve got a good body, so I guess there’s bound to be demand…
“…Hello.”
“Ah, hello…”
That said, it doesn’t seem like the madam who just started working here is so head-over-heels she’d die without you. I mean, if it were a normal relationship, maybe. But it was clearly a 3P on that call. With the idol involved. All three of you. The madam’s face is pretty enough, but her figure is so destructive she probably doesn’t even notice things like that. There must have been more than one or two guys chasing after her. How did she end up falling so hard for the boss? If this was back when he was still a baseball player, I could understand…
…Don’t tell me she fell for him back then?
“Where’s Juhyuk?”
“Ah, he should be inside.”
“…Right.”
If it’s not even that, then no matter how much I think about it, there’s only one other possibility. I swallow the fantasy I didn’t dare voice and point inside. The moment I do, the madam rushes straight to the boss without even looking back.
Hmm. “Madam.” Now that I think about it, that word doesn’t suit her at all. Just looking at her face, she seems younger than my few friends. Her age… judging by how casually she speaks with the boss, they’re probably around the same age? But calling her “noona” feels weird too—we’re not close enough for that.
…Ah, whatever. Too much trouble. I’ll just call her senior part-timer. She outranks me anyway.
“…Haa.”
Anyway, the fact that senior came in wearing leggings means there’s about an hour left until closing. She’s covering for the boss after his workout. I’ve heard rumors they spend the whole hour doing “PT” that’s really just skinship… I’d half-written it off as a joke, but after that phone call earlier, I can’t laugh it off anymore. If it had just been sex and she picked up, I could’ve erased it from memory with a quick “Ah, the boss’s private life—us humble part-timers should look away!” But when there are more than three people involved… even a pure soul like me takes fatal damage.
“Suah, you look tired?”
“…Yes.”
…I’m so drained I can’t even be bothered to respond to the trainer who keeps hitting on me like it’s routine. Honestly, his face isn’t even my type. He reeks of being an extrovert, and I’m not into that. I like the type who acts blunt and cold on the outside but plays with cats at home with a stern expression—the northern grand duke style. As a person… umm. Ah. That Seo Jia who left earlier would’ve been exactly my type if she were a guy.
Compared to her, this guy looks friendly on the surface but seems rotten inside. Not my thing.
“Want a Bacchus? I’ve got one left.”
“Yes, thank you.”
But I’m just a part-timer, so I don’t go out of my way to cause trouble. Still, you never know… I check the Bacchus he handed me for any signs it’s been opened, confirm it hasn’t, then twist the cap off and drink.
…Did that call earlier fry my brain? What am I even worrying about?
“You’re off soon too, right, Suah?”
“Yes.”
“I’m off at three. What are you doing after work?”
“…I have plans with a friend.”
“Ah, I see. I’ve got plans with a friend too. Well, since we’re off tomorrow, gotta enjoy ourselves after working hard.”
“…Right.”
But watching him try so blatantly to ask me out only to pivot with god-tier drifting skills makes it impossible not to worry. If I talk to him while my mind’s already compromised, I feel like I’ll naturally end up dragged into drinks. He gives off serious player vibes, and to someone like me—an introverted, gloomy, hardcore gamer—it’s terrifying.
…If he actually crosses the line, I’m reporting him to the boss. My uncle is the boss’s senior, so connections really do come in handy at times like this. At times like this, the boss really is reliable…
…Hmm, is he? The same boss who’s rolling around with two women and taking my call.
“Anyway, good work today, Suah.”
“Yep.”
After efficiently sending the fly back to his own workplace, I slump down again and sip the Bacchus while slowly organizing my thoughts.
…Senior part-timer Seo Haeun is head over heels for the boss, though I don’t know why. Idol Hinami is enjoying a 3P with senior and the boss, though I don’t know why. And Seo Jia, who came and went earlier, asked me for the boss’s contact info, then had some kind of conversation with him after he arrived at work.
And… the boss retired after getting ground down for a year on our pathetic team. Jia is the team director’s daughter. Senior is Jia’s older sister, so she’s also the director’s daughter.
If I think about it with maximum dramatic logic, the boss—who holds a grudge against our team—seduced the director’s daughter for revenge. But that’s probably just because I’ve watched too many dramas and manhwa. A more reasonable fantasy would be that his desire to conquer just burns hotter during sex…
But Hinami… honestly, I don’t get it. I mean, she’s incredibly successful, right? If you think of pretty Japanese idols, she’s one of the first names that comes up. Why would someone like that go after the boss? Seriously, just how good is his dick…
…Ahem. Just how skilled is he at nighttime activities that he managed to reel in an idol?
“…”
…If I let that fantasy develop a little further, the mental image is pretty intense. The boss is listed as 193cm on his profile. Even with shoes on, he’s probably around 190. Compared to that, both Hinami and senior are smaller than me…
…Does the size even match? Still, looking at senior’s figure, it might work… Hinami, though…
…That reminds me. In those videos with white women and Black men, sometimes they have to hold it…
“Kehk, keck… Ah, shit, it stings…”
…Maybe because the fantasy went too far, the Bacchus went down the wrong pipe. But when you picture that delicate body standing next to the boss, it’s inevitable. You could probably lift her with one hand, seriously. And Hinami-chan, small as she is, is surprisingly glamorous. I’ve visited those sites for game info and stared at her cleavage dozens of times…
In real life, it looked even bigger than mine.
“…I want to see…”
I barely manage to catch the words that slip out unconsciously.
…What do I mean, “want to see”? I have zero interest in watching some vulgar sex scene between a tall, muscular former baseball player gym owner, the director’s slightly haughty daughter with her explosive figure, and a petite but perfectly proportioned pale idol who secretly runs a thirst account on Twitter. I absolutely don’t want to see it.
…But honestly, I am curious.
“…”
And… if my earlier fantasy is actually true—if the boss, who retired after being ground down by those bastards, is really dreaming of revenge against the director’s daughter—then, if I’m being honest…
I want to see Jia join in too.
Even I think that makes me sound like a piece of human garbage… What’s the word again? Schadenfreude? It’s just that she seems like such a flawless, perfect idol. In a romance fantasy, she’d be the northern grand duke type—slightly relaxed at home, but meticulous in public.
…So if she fell, it would probably be incredibly lewd. Maybe this is how those people who love corrupting their favorite characters feel. Of course, I’m not exactly a fan, but…
“…Haa.”
I swallow the sinister thoughts I’ll never say out loud along with the rest of the Bacchus, then prepare to greet the member walking in.
…Ah, maybe I should go to a baseball game on Sunday. This year’s team looks like it could be historically strong. If they just had one more relief pitcher like the boss…
…It would’ve been nice if he hadn’t retired. A shame. What kind of trashy people ground down the boss when he was my age? Once I find out the inside story later, I’ll curse them out properly.
…If it’s like my fantasy, though, maybe I won’t even need to.
**
“…My ears are itching.”
Second shower. While drying my hair with the dryer, wind gets in my ear and makes it itch, so I dig into the canal.
…Hinami’s probably downstairs. Maybe unni too. I still haven’t mentally prepared myself to face those two. Even if I do meet them, I don’t know what I’d say. Telling them to stay away from that man won’t work—they won’t listen.
…If it were just an affair, I would’ve exposed it. But the recording on my phone is that man’s voice. Even this isn’t enough. This is just a weakness I prepared for the worst case. Shoving it at those two won’t change anything.
In the end, while nothing’s gone wrong yet, the only way to make him lose interest in those two—or to get a weakness that’ll make him too afraid to touch them freely—is that one thing.
“Haa…”
…Part-timer. I’m sorry. I don’t have any ill feelings toward you, but I need you to play along as my pawn for a while. Because aside from those two, you’re the woman closest to him. If I go through you, I should be able to get the CCTV footage prepared for emergencies too.
…Whether I buy you with money or build a relationship using my fame and status, I won’t let anything truly dangerous happen to you. Getting rid of one piece-of-trash boss—I’ll help you with that.
…With no ulterior motives. Purely out of goodwill.