The Honeymoon (Part 2)
At the school gate, I was held in place.
Because I arrived at school with kiss marks on, every passing student had been busy admiring me.
In the end, I was dragged to the counseling room.
While cautioning me, they mentioned covering up with the gym uniform, but...
I couldn’t hear it properly.
Amid their fun of kissing my neck and leaving marks...
I still feel drunk.
Only after I changed into the gym uniform and returned to the classroom...
Just as my intoxication was beginning to wear off...
Oh Hae-in appeared.
With an expression that lacked any teasing, wounded.
She had been waiting for me alone.
“Noona… why are you like this?”
With her mouth firmly shut, she approached and pulled me into a hug, whining.
“Oh Hae-in… you really are a bad guy, huh? I was a pretty fish that had come to manage your pond...”
“What are you talking about… am I someone who plays with both legs?”
“That’s what it looked like to me...”
Oh Hae-in nodded silently with a pouting face.
She had firmly gotten the wrong idea.
“It’s because the friends I met again couldn’t control their emotions… don’t misunderstand...”
“How am I supposed to trust you if you don’t? The first time I saw you coming with kiss marks all over your neck… my heart was shaking.”
“I was just panicking at the time… believe me...”
Oh Hae-in’s wounded expression then broke into a grin...
And she forced a smile mixed with teasing, greeting me again.
“It’s fine if you meet other people… but you have to stay by my side, okay? I don’t want to get mad at you, but if I do… I’m afraid you’ll leave, you fool...”
“Leave? There’s no way I’ll leave. I don’t want to experience that kind of farewell where I’m forced to leave without saying goodbye again.”
I brought a hand that was not cold to Oh Hae-in’s torn cheek.
After gently stroking her surprised cheek, I slowly slid my fingers through her hair, then bent down and pressed my lips softly to her forehead.
Oh Hae-in closed her eyes and hugged me tightly.
Our relationship had simply become that way...
Without needing to say it.
One more person was now responsible.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to take responsibility for all of them... but....
* * *
It was an empty classroom with no one in it.
Park Jun-woo stood at the front, fidgeting.
He had to explain the current status of the White Flame Cult’s plan for me...
But he was sweating cold sweat and didn’t want to look me in the eyes.
“Speak up? I didn’t ask you to say everything… do you remember what Kim Do-hoon told you?”
“Oh Hae-in hyung, hyung needs… help...”
“Yeah. You said you needed help, but you’re refusing?”
I patted his shoulder firmly.
“If you don’t bring out even a small thing, I won’t be able to get out of you regarding Yoo Min-soo’s case, understand?”
After a long moment, Park Jun-woo just lowered his eyes and started speaking weakly.
“The situation with your father became a big mess… I almost couldn’t handle it, and I was only involved in suppressing the leaders of the incident… I was told not to touch you at all.”
“I don’t know whether to be glad or sigh, but keep reporting, understand?”
I warned him not to hesitate in reporting, and Park Jun-woo nodded and left with a promise to understand.
According to Lee Ga-rang’s father, Lee Hyuk, the White Flame Cult still had amateurish aspects, but...
After cutting off all its branches, it had to be destroyed...
They had to be made unable to target me again.
Choi Byung-su had contacted me earlier saying he couldn’t spread it yet, but...
I could no longer endure it.
I had also considered going to Lee Ga-rang’s parents for a showdown, but...
Seeing them again... was too unsettling...
Because the image of them enjoying me as a toy at the restaurant was burned into my mind.
I couldn’t give even the slightest trust.
I couldn’t bring myself to conclude that I would be lower than Choi Byung-su...
And so I opened the door.
It was next week’s summer break...
I had been walking blindly, unaware of the passage of time.
“Oh Hae-in hyung.”
It was Jeong Min-jae.
Seeing his serious demeanor instead of his usual cocky attitude, I approached immediately.
Something serious had happened.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hyung... the thing on your neck in the morning... I know how amazing it is...”
It seemed like he had come out of curiosity because of the kiss mark incident.
But Jeong Min-jae was hesitating to say what he wanted to say...
“Kim Do-hoon went crazy, huh?”
“Y-yes. That guy… no, wait. Treat this as if you never heard it!!”
Jeong Min-jae must not like Kim Do-hoon either.
It was really impressive that he was trying so hard to put the student council tail on his resume.
Thinking this, I decided to listen to him.
“So, what do you want to say? I have time, so speak calmly.”
“Actually, in the morning, senior Do-hoon found out about the thing on hyung’s shirt… and senior Na-rin, haa...”
Even though I had strongly warned senior Na-rin not to approach her anymore...
What did he do this time?
“Tell me everything.”
“Senior Do-hoon said that about hyung’s shirt… this is what senior Do-houn actually said, I’m making it up...”
“Make it concise!”
The cocky kid suddenly became polite, and I started to feel scared too...
Jeong Min-jae cleared his tongue and continued speaking.
“That senior Na-rin fell for that guy who was playing around... she poured out such harsh words to me and the student council hyungs… that senior Do-hoon was swaggering somewhere...”
“Jeong Min-jae, move.”
Kim Do-hoon stood behind him.
Jeong Min-jae, much smaller than his build, jumped back in shock, looking between me and Kim Do-hoon in confusion.
“You’re talking about what’s on my neck? Why are you angry?”
“You didn’t know? While you were playing with Eun Na-rin while managing your pond!”
“Playing with her… so what can you do?”
“... Say it again, right now.”
I slowly approached Kim Do-hoon and looked down at him, and he looked up without trying to run.
Jeong Min-jae looked embarrassed and couldn’t pretend not to see.
“You forgot so quickly that I told you to live quietly before I reveal what you did to Na-rin, huh, Do-hoon?”
“Just you wait… I’ll definitely...”
Kim Do-hoon’s face showed the veins about to burst, as if remembering that I held a weakness he couldn’t touch.
It was like forgetting a goldfish in an instant and attacking again.
I calmly explained to the arrogant Kim Do-hoon.
“No matter what I do, if you try to approach... I’ll raise it? I won’t say it twice, so when I say good words, you’ll go.”
“I’ll go... don’t forget. Regarding taking Na-rin away from me... I’ll repay you in any form, Oh Hae-in.”
Forewarning revenge, Kim Do-hoon left.
Jeong Min-jae followed with a tired expression.
Weaknesses involving things I couldn’t do to those around Na-rin were in my palm...
I had sent a warning.
It was too confident for them to ignore and brush aside.
It was a long-drawn-out curse that manifested.
Just as I was turning away in disgust...
Choi Byung-su’s call rang again.
“Let’s finish later, you’ll get the answer you want to hear.”
Speaking with ill intent openly, he said what he wanted and hung up immediately.
The probability of meeting the Shepherd Teacher had increased slightly.
I might get attacked as soon as we meet...
But I might not be able to negotiate...
Instead of an unstable future, I would wait by the side of the people who were waiting for me.
I had to create that proudly.
* * *
The gym uniform was too tight, and it had been a long time since I had taken it off.
Because of the kiss mark on my shirt, people’s gazes had been intense...
But I was waiting for Choi Byung-su to come.
Finally, Choi Byung-su appeared and greeted me with a surprised expression.
“What are those?”
“Those are marks you’ll never be able to hide in your entire life.”
Choi Byung-su, unwilling to understand, sat down at the table where I was seated and brought up the main point.
“... No matter what, the Shepherd Teacher said he would make time for a meeting with you. This week, a text will come from an unknown number. It won’t be in a space with only followers, but like here, it’ll call you in a normal place, so don’t worry and just come out.”
“How kind. Is that all you have to say?”
“That’s it! Erase it quickly.”
While sending the photo from the gallery to the trash and completely deleting it.
I showed it to Choi Byung-su.
“You didn’t leave a backup, right?”
“You’re suspicious from the start... the contract was good, so... no need for that worry...”
Hearing my words, Choi Byung-su said nothing and left the cafe full.
Actually, there were still more people there, but...
Since he didn’t hear that I had many weaknesses to use again, he left.
It would probably be turned upside down later.
Leaving the cafe, I had to...
Go back to the house where she was...
The intense emotions that morning on my nape...
That’s what caused it.
I shouldn’t have thought that way.
* * *
I opened the door.
Gong Na-rin didn’t run and hug me, but grabbed my collar.
“What are you doing...?”
“I heard everything. Don’t deny it.”
“What? Are you talking about the trouble from the kiss mark?”
“Why is that embarrassing!”
Gong Na-rin, with transparent tears, looked up at me while holding my collar...
The other two were also just staring coldly at me.
At the entrance...
“Why are you all like this...?”
“Eun Na-rin.”
Eun Na-rin’s name came out from Gong Na-rin’s mouth.
I could barely look down...
“Why is that noona again?”
“You and that sister hugged each other... and moreover, on my forehead... daring to cheat on us while leaving us? It’s too much... Oh Hae-in...”
I was going crazy.
Already the three of them were treating me as a joint lover...
I swallowed the rising words and tried to calm them down.
“Na-rin-ah, you met that noona once before and got along well, right? You even played with me...”
“Did that look like playing? You were treating me like a doll and playing with me like you!”
“Playing with me? That’s ridiculous...”
“Innocent thing. So innocently innocent... that you’re playing with us. As expected... you haven’t reflected at all.”
“Reflection... ha, yeah. You have three girlfriends, what about four?”
“AAAAH!!”
Gong Na-rin’s scream tore through the air.
I hurriedly covered her mouth.
- Ang!
“Aah!!”
I asked.
This damn...
While holding back a curse, I barely managed to calm Gong Na-rin and sat her on the living room sofa.
Her tantrums, throwing punches at me...
It was really frustrating...
“Whose fault is this? Hae-in.”
Lee Ga-rang blamed it on me, and Cha Sang-hwi’s eyes also blamed me.
“Whose fault? All damn White... no. Let’s stop.”
“Stop? You’re running away again? While seducing other girls and hurting us, what exactly is ‘stop’ supposed to mean!”
Cha Sang-hwi scolded me angrily.
Gong Na-rin was crying and grabbing my leg, apologizing that it was her fault...
Lee Ga-rang was patting Na-rin, asking why it was my fault...
And staring at me...
Even so, we all love you.
That love...
Was too much to accept......
I lay down on the sofa.
As the complaints of my loving girlfriends stopped...
They started caressing my head and kissing me.
Since I didn’t want to accept it...
I tried to push her away with my hand, but I hit my chest.
With pained eyes, I furrowed my brows, but the kissing didn’t stop.
Perhaps today...
More kiss marks were going to appear.
I decided to think that way....
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