Summer Festival (5)
Honestly. It was a lie. Whether it was for Seo Jia or to toy with her, I had zero energy left to leave her behind, drop the others off, and then pick her up separately. There was no point arguing about it. I felt like I was going to drop dead from exhaustion. I'd been busting my ass since morning helping Haeun get ready. If I'd at least enjoyed myself it might be different, but thanks to our cute part-timer who ditched her shift and stuck us with a substitute, I hadn't had any real free time. Driving back and forth in the car all day for two straight days meant it was only natural that sex or anything else was the last thing on my mind. That went for both Haeun and me. Everyone was completely wiped out except for Hinami, who was still bursting with energy like she was actually here to 'play.'
In my honest opinion, I was so sick of Seo Jia and everything else that I just wanted to scrap it all, go home, eat, and use Haeun as a pillow while I slept.
"Th-that's not what I meant…."
"No. Stop adding useless excuses and just wait by yourself for an hour while you eat dinner. …Of course, by the time I come get you the sun will have already set."
"…."
Even so, I had to direct my anger at Seo Jia somehow. Of course I knew the truth. She simply didn't want to ride in the same car as me and was making up an excuse. But if I let it slide after she boldly declared right to my face that 'that car is too cramped,' the fragile leash I held would clearly snap. I couldn't just smile like a good guy and laugh it off. Just as I could destroy her socially at any time, she could do the same to me. It was different from the days when I rolled around with Haeun without thinking. Back then I had nothing to lose. Now there was far too much at stake.
"Um, boss…?"
"Ah, sorry, Suah. She must still be mad at me for making her eat something spicy last time."
"…Are you two close?"
"She's essentially my sister-in-law, so about that much. I'm more surprised you two are so friendly."
"We see each other a lot at the gym, and one thing led to another… Haha…."
As I kept whispering into Seo Jia's ear, Suah—who had picked up on the chilly atmosphere—cautiously spoke to me. After giving an appropriate excuse to the unnecessarily perceptive part-timer, I trudged toward the parking lot. If this girl hadn't lied and gotten a substitute, I wouldn't have ended up this tired and irritable. She was the niece of a close senior and pretty enough to earn some leniency, but without that I might have dumped all my anger on her. Thinking about it made me feel a little sorry for Seo Jia. I'd basically used her as a punching bag for stress I got elsewhere. Well, she had brought it on herself.
"…Um, Mr. Kang Juhyuk."
"What."
"I'll get in. …And what I said earlier, that's not what I meant."
"I know."
Trailing behind the slightly awkward Suah and the grinning Hinami, that emotional trash bin spoke to me. Maybe the trauma from that day had resurfaced, because she couldn't even look at me properly, her head drifting. She mumbled something that resembled an apology without actually being one. When I listened with an indifferent expression and gave a small gesture, she followed me again like a loyal puppy. Though I couldn't see it, she was probably biting her lip. The mask had shifted.
"…."
It would be fun to see her like this when we were alone. Having two other people who knew her nearby made me feel like I'd acted like a needless tyrant, which left a bad taste in my mouth. It had been genuinely enjoyable when I was teabagging that manager bastard. When I tried to figure out exactly what was different, no matter how much I thought about it, the one who had changed wasn't me—it was her. Back then she had been an idol getting stalked by her manager. Now she was just a pitiful girl who had said one wrong word to her irritated future brother-in-law and gotten scolded for no reason.
Naturally, I had no hobby of tormenting pitiful people. …I simply enjoyed watching a bitch who used to have no manners grovel before me.
"Aren't you hot? Walking around dressed like that."
"Ah, wait…."
So I removed Seo Jia's hat, sunglasses, and mask in that order. When she tried to pull away from me, I handed back only the sunglasses and stuffed the rest roughly into Hinami's shopping bag. …As expected, Seo Jia looked far better with that slightly rude, shining aura than in this crumpled state. Look at her. Just wearing those sunglasses made her look incredibly cool. Since her fearful eyes were completely hidden, she looked like nothing more than a famous celebrity dressed with style. And in reality, she was exactly that kind of woman, without a single flaw.
"It's hot, so go around like that. How many people are even in our group that you're worrying about useless things?"
"…."
"Your sister will get angry if we're late, so walk faster."
I lightly flicked her forehead as she glared at me from behind the dark sunglasses, her body trembling with humiliation. Feeling the surrounding gazes lock onto us, I didn't shake them off. I simply walked ahead with firm steps. …Hinami, who had been secretly trying to grab my hand since earlier, looked dejected. Instead, Seo Jia—who had been mumbling—let out a long sigh and habitually swept her bangs back with a sharp flick.
To me, who knew her soft inner nature, the way she cooled her temper was cute. But to outsiders who didn't know the circumstances, it looked like a photoshoot, drawing countless eyes to her. Unlike before, that actually felt quite pleasant. I melted away some of the built-up stress and approached the car where Haeun waited. When I confirmed through the window that she was passed out in the passenger seat, I stopped the girls following me, climbed into the driver's seat, and simply watched her sleeping face.
"…They really are sisters."
She had changed her clothes, but her makeup was still on. I'd seen her bare face so often that the made-up version actually looked strange. It resembled the younger sister's face I'd glimpsed earlier when I removed the sunglasses more than Haeun's own. The only shame was that, unlike with Seo Jia, I'd never seen Haeun's face twisted in fear. The last time I'd seen that expression was during the days when I played with her out of pure revenge and selfishness. That look had been quite similar to her sister's too. Or more precisely, Seo Jia had taken after her older sister's face.
"Hey, wake up."
"…Mmm? Ah…."
I poked her cheek until she rubbed her eyes, then opened the window and gestured for the others who were waiting. Among the girls who had been whispering—probably badmouthing me—Hinami noticed my gesture first and climbed into the back seat. They followed one by one, with Seo Jia squeezed in the middle. Apparently that wasn't good enough, because Hinami suddenly stood up, twisted her body, and plopped straight down onto Seo Jia's lap.
"…Hey."
"What are you doing, Jia? Move over. I want the middle seat."
"…."
It felt like watching high school girls bickering on a school trip bus, and I fell into a strange mood. But Haeun poked my cheek while glaring at me, snapping me back to reality. I carefully pulled out of the parking lot. It was funny that I had already slept with two of the three younger girls here and was scheming to sleep with the last one. …Actually, thinking about it, the kid had simply said something wrong to her father when she was a clueless high schooler. Maybe I didn't need to hate her that much. The thought of forgiving her rose for a moment, but then Seo Jia's face as she screamed at me kept flashing through my mind, which only made my sadistic urges burn hotter.
Maybe because I was tired, those trivial thoughts kept surfacing. But thanks to Haeun pinching my thigh hard from the side, I snapped back to focus on driving. After all, an accident wasn't something we could laugh off. While getting pinched, I pinched her left thigh back with my own hand. Thanks to the cool air conditioner, I left the three girls dozing in the back seat and talked with Haeun.
"Why did you bring all three?"
"It just happened."
"…I said I'd kill you if you cheat."
"I'm not cheating."
"For someone who says that, you didn't do anything with me yesterday."
"You were the one who passed out saying you were tired."
"You're acting like you didn't try to climb on top of me while I was sleeping."
"…That's why I did it in the morning instead."
"…."
The conversation turned embarrassingly detailed for people who weren't fully asleep but simply dozing. I spilled everything without hiding a thing. After dropping Suah off at her house—the only one with a different destination—I stopped the car, turned around, and woke the girl sitting right behind me.
"Suah, we're here."
"…Eh? Ah, we're here…?"
"Yeah. Get out. Be grateful you're still alive."
"Huh? Uh… yes. Thank you…."
After confirming that Suah, who looked just as exhausted as me, stumbled out of the car in a daze, I reclined my seat all the way back and lay down. Haeun, who had been diligently pinching my thigh, saw my eyes close and let out a deep sigh. She rummaged around, pulled out a sleep mask, and placed it over my eyes. Grateful that I didn't need to turn off any lights, I ignored the fidgeting from the back seat and let my mind drift away.
…This was exactly what I'd said from the beginning. Whether it was Seo Jia or anyone else, I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion. Since the kids in the back were all heading to our house anyway, it probably didn't matter. It was better than causing an accident, so it should be fine….
…What is this? My memory is hazy. Why are only me and that man left in the car…?
"…."
I remembered him trying to force me into the car with a sinister look at first. When I refused, I remembered him getting irritated in that crowded place and threatening me. I got caught up in it and eventually got in the car… and then I fell asleep.
…Ah, now that I thought about it. I seemed to remember drinking some mineral water from Kang Juhyuk.
"…No way."
No way. …But if it was him, it was entirely possible. Since I was already entangled with him as a participant, the idea wasn't difficult to reach. Considering his personality, it wasn't impossible. Then the man sprawled out wearing that sleep mask right now….
Had he really fallen asleep? …Or was he pretending, waiting for me to stir?
"…."
There was only one way to find the answer. If I touched his phone sitting between the driver's and passenger seats, all my questions would be resolved. If he was truly asleep, touching it wouldn't wake him. If he was pretending, the slightest rustling sound would make him rip the mask off.
Very carefully. So that the moment the mask came off I could pull my hand back and act like nothing happened….
"…Ah."
The instant I carefully reached for Kang Juhyuk's phone while he slept soundly—
"Hey."
…From outside the window.
With eyes full of murderous intent.
My sister glared at me like she wanted to kill me.
I was so startled I forgot I was supposed to put his phone down. I couldn't even scream.