Crossing the Line
"W...why did you say that!!!"
About ten seconds after we stepped out of the police station, Kang Hanna shouted and scolded me.
"I just wanted to get it over with... We can't keep fighting forever."
"That doesn't mean you had to say it like that..."
"Don't worry about it too much. I only said it because I wanted to get out of there."
"Huh? No, that's not it..."
"Let's just wait until the lawyer comes out."
"O-okay..."
Kang Hanna nodded her head with difficulty.
"Lawyer! Is it all finished?"
"Yes. Of course, we'll have to see how it goes in the final trial, but it'll be at least life imprisonment."
"Hmm, that's a relief. Shall we head to the law firm now?"
"Yes, please get in my car."
"Uhm... I can ride along too, right?"
"You are Ms. Kang Hanna, correct?"
"Yes, yes!"
"If you're Miru's girlfriend, then it's fine. Please, get in."
"What?! No. We aren't in that kind of relationship..."
It seemed Lee Hyojung had misunderstood our relationship because of the last thing I said at the police station.
"Oh? Then what kind of relationship... are you already married?"
"No. We're just neighbors."
At my words, Lee Hyojung's eyes widened.
And Kang Hanna looked disappointed.
'Did I sound too indifferent?'
Our relationship was far too close to be described as just neighbors.
But the problem was that it was hard to define exactly what we were, so that's how I explained it.
"We are neighbors, of course, but I receive a lot of help from her. She's someone I trust deeply."
"...In that case, I suppose it's fine for you to come along together."
At my words, Hanna-nuna wore a touched expression.
"Thank you. For saying that."
"No, I meant it. Really..."
"...Let's hurry and get in!"
Kang Hanna, feeling embarrassed, headed toward the car door further away.
"Beep."
With the sound of the engine starting, Lee Hyojung opened the car door I was about to open for myself.
"Please, get in."
"Oh. Yes, thank you."
I bowed my head to express my gratitude, and Kang Hanna stared at it, dazed for a moment, before finally getting into the car after a few seconds.
"Nuna, what's wrong?"
Once in the car, Hanna-nuna seemed uneasy.
"Huh? It's nothing... just..."
"Just?"
"No. I don't want to talk about it."
Kang Hanna seemed to have a lot on her mind, but I decided not to pry.
'She probably has things she needs to think about on her own...'
"Have you both had breakfast?"
"Yes. We had pasta this morning."
"And you, Ms. Hanna?"
"I... ate with him too."
"Ah. I suppose Ms. Hanna did the cooking. There wouldn't have been any pasta places open in the morning..."
"No? I made it."
"Oh? Is that so..."
Hyojung looked slightly surprised and glanced at Kang Hanna through the rearview mirror.
"I see..."
Lee Hyojung swallowed her words as if holding something back and continued driving.
About ten minutes later.
The car arrived at the parking lot, and I woke up from my nap.
"We have arrived."
"Yes. It seems so. Hyojung-ssi, your driving was so smooth that I fell asleep."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Unlike me, who was chatting naturally with Hyojung, Kang Hanna had been looking anxious since earlier.
"Hanna-nuna? Let's go in together."
"Huh? Oh..."
When I called out to wake the dazed Kang Hanna, she finally seemed to come back to her senses and answered.
"Nuna, have you ever been to a place like this?"
"No? Not really..."
"I see."
We continued with casual small talk as we entered Lee Hyojung's office.
"The reason I called you today is to ask for your clear opinion regarding the settlement money."
"Yes? Couldn't you have done that over the phone?"
"Yes, that's true. But there is a slightly unusual part regarding the settlement..."
"What is it?"
"By any chance, are you interested in becoming a celebrity?"
"What?!"
"Uhm... you know tvZ, right?"
"Yes, I know it."
"And you're aware that the broadcasting station is a subsidiary of CZ, correct?"
"Yes."
CZ is a company that started as a confectionery business, grew larger, and eventually became a major conglomerate involved in various industries like media and department stores.
"Isn't there an entertainment company called CZE under CZ?"
"Oh... I think I've heard of it."
"Yes. It hasn't grown into a major entertainment agency yet."
"That's true."
"So, I think they made this offer to you, Miru-nim. It's essentially a proposal to settle in exchange for them investing the entire budget needed for you to become a celebrity."
"What? Then isn't that just a celebrity contract? Not a settlement?"
"You could see it that way, but... please check this temporary contract."
I took the document Lee Hyojung handed me.
Contract period of 1 year, renewable at any time.
Monthly maintenance fee of 3 million won.
90% of profits allocated to me.
A penalty of 2 billion won if I fail to debut?
Along with various welfare-level support and a level of freedom that's hard to believe for a trainee...
It was, quite literally, a super-premium contract.
"...Are you going to do it?"
Kang Hanna looked at me cautiously from the side.
Honestly, I thought it would be a loss not to take it.
The terms were absurd, and even if I just held out without debuting, I'd get 2 billion won...
"I didn't find any loopholes in the contract. It seems they intend to support you exactly as written here, Miru-nim."
"I see..."
However.
"I'm sorry, but please let them know I refuse."
"...Yes. I understand."
"Oh? You're not going to ask why?"
"Because the terms of a settlement are decided by the victim, not by me, your lawyer."
"Aha."
"Then, shall I assume the contract is off and proceed with getting as much money as possible?"
"Yes. Please do that."
Just as the conversation was about to wrap up, Kang Hanna spoke up.
"Uhm... can I ask? Why didn't you do it?"
"Oh. Of course, Nuna."
It seemed Kang Hanna was quite curious about why I gave up on being a celebrity.
"First, it's far from my dream."
"Dream?"
"My dream is to have a lot of money, but no fame. But if I become a celebrity, my face will definitely be known to people... I don't want that."
"Ah. I see."
"And second, I want to keep doing internet broadcasting."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"At first, I started because of the money..."
The reason I first started internet broadcasting was definitely money.
I didn't want to go out and do manual labor, and I didn't have any particular skills...
Since I liked games, I turned on the stream, started playing, and earned a little bit of money.
While I was at it, I even did the netkama thing to hide my identity.
"But now, the broadcasting itself is fun."
A broadcast where I communicate with countless people, laughing and talking.
At some point, that kind of broadcasting became fun.
That's why I kept streaming while doing part-time jobs even when it didn't pay well...
It was a truly paradoxical situation.
"If I become a celebrity, I won't be able to do things like this..."
"Hmm... I see. Thanks for telling me."
"No, what's there to be thankful for."
I felt a bit embarrassed for revealing my honest inner thoughts, and just then, I needed to use the restroom.
"I'll be right back, I need to use the restroom..."
"Yes. Go out there, turn right, and you'll see it right away."
"Yes. Thank you."
I hurriedly opened the door and went to the restroom.
With Baek Miru gone, the office was left with only the two of them.
"Ms. Kang Hanna?"
"Yes? Why are you calling me?"
It was Lee Hyojung who spoke first.
"I'll be honest."
"W...what?"
"It's not that Ms. Kang Hanna is a bad person, but... honestly, I'm worried about Miru-nim."
"What? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Ms. Kang Hanna, do you own a car?"
"No... I don't, so I was taking the subway and then... ah."
"Exactly. Of course, since you appear to be a young professional, I can understand that much."
Lee Hyojung continued to reprimand her, looking straight into Kang Hanna's eyes.
"However, even so, you should be protecting Baek Miru properly. Do you know how flustered I was when I heard he was being secretly filmed on the subway?"
"But... there's no way I could have done anything about that..."
"You could have called a taxi, or if you were worried about that, you could have rented a car."
"...I don't have a license yet..."
"Ha... Ms. Kang Hanna. Don't you think you're lacking in many ways?"
"...*sob*."
"Crying won't solve the problem. Baek Miru is trusting you right now, but what are you going to do if you're this incompetent?"
"*Sob*... but... I..."
"What? You saved Miru? Yes. You did well. But, will you be able to do that in the future?"
"What?"
"Miru-nim is clearly a special man. Can you protect him even if the pressure comes not from physical attacks like before, but from mental or social levels?"
"What is that..."
"I'm asking if you're confident. Are you confident that you can protect Baek Miru all by yourself..."
Having said everything she wanted to say, Lee Hyojung glared fiercely at Kang Hanna.
'Confident?'
There was no way.
Even before coming here, Kang Hanna had felt an inferiority complex toward Lee Hyojung.
Currently, she was just an ordinary college student, and it was uncertain if she could even become a proper judo athlete.
On the other hand, Lee Hyojung was clearly a young lawyer driving a luxury sedan...
Moreover, she hadn't even been able to protect Baek Miru well, ending up at the police station, and while she was clumsily arguing, Hyojung had come in and completely solved the problem.
"*Sob*, *sob*."
"..."
Lee Hyojung seemed slightly flustered by the unstoppable tears.
"Creak."
"The restroom facilities are nice... Nuna?"
As soon as I returned to the office, I was surprised by the changed atmosphere, and even more surprised to see Kang Hanna sitting there crying.
"What happened?"
I glared at Lee Hyojung, who was clearly the cause.
"...I apologize. I didn't realize I was saying so much."
"What did you say to make Hanna-nuna cry!"
"The truth is..."
"No. Hyojung-ssi didn't do anything wrong..."
"Nuna?"
I was very taken aback by Kang Hanna suddenly shielding Lee Hyojung.
"What did the lawyer say?"
"Th... no. I'm sorry."
"No! Tell me what she said!"
"I will explain."
Setting aside Kang Hanna, who wasn't communicating well because she was crying, I focused on Lee Hyojung's words.
"First of all, I..."
After hearing the whole story, what I thought was...
"Lawyer Lee Hyojung?"
"Yes?"
"...You know you crossed the line, right?"
"...Yes."
Why was Lee Hyojung, a third party, scolding Kang Hanna when I hadn't said anything?
"If you have nothing else to say, we'll be going now."
"Th... yes, I understand."
"Nuna, let's go."
She seemed a bit better than before, as if she had calmed down a little.
"Miru. Am I really the right person to be by your side?"
"Nuna."
"Huh?"
I grabbed Kang Hanna's shoulders firmly and said,
"If you say that kind of thing one more time, I'm really going to get angry."
"...O-okay."
Kang Hanna nodded, signaling she understood.
"Lawyer, goodbye."
I said my final farewell to the lawyer and left the office with Hanna-nuna.
I couldn't see it properly, but the lawyer's expression didn't seem very good.
"Let's take a taxi."
"Okay. If that's comfortable for you..."
I used a phone app to hail a taxi.
It was quiet in the taxi, and we arrived home quickly.
"Nuna."
"Yes?"
She seemed a little better now, but she still looked like she had a lot on her mind.
"Nuna, you're lacking in many ways."
"Huh?"
Actually, I'm not good at comforting people.
Because of my personality, I can't seem to say false things with sincerity.
"But, I trust you, Nuna. And it's okay even if you are that kind of person."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"How could anyone be perfect? You'll grow in the future... and so will I... we can just move forward together, right?"
"..."
"Don't cry again, why does a woman cry so much?"
"...But I couldn't protect you again, could I?"
"What are you talking about? You were the one who saved me from the kidnapper before, and you were the one who discovered the secret filming this time too. If it weren't for you, I would have already been kidnapped or my photos would be floating around the internet."
"...Still."
"Shh, stop it. I'm really grateful to you, Nuna... If you keep doing that, I won't do cosplay for you anymore?"
"What? No, that can't happen..."
"Pfft, is cosplay that important?"
"...Yes."
"Haha, alright, alright, so just go in and rest for today, let's see each other at dinner."
"Oh, okay."
After talking in the hallway like that, we went into our respective homes.
___
Below is an illustration.
This is Lawyer Lee Hyojung!