129. My Buff is a Drug
The clock read 5:21.
Apparently I'd burned about an hour and ten minutes on Kwon Jin-ah.
'My business is done. Might as well bring it up casually.'
I couldn't just keep blowing off Ahn Se-rin forever, after all.
'How do I shake her?'
A slightly prickly, obnoxious approach seemed like the play.
[ Choi Hye-yong : So what's this business of yours? How did you even get my messenger ID? ]
'Heh. Even I can hear what a smug little prick I sound like.'
Return resentment with an ocean's worth of pettiness — that's the rule.
She must have been glued to her phone waiting for a reply, because an answer shot back instantly.
[ Ahn Se-rin : I apologize if I upset you. I asked student Han Chae-hyun in order to contact you. ]
'Figured as much.'
[ Ahn Se-rin : As for my business, I would like to propose a dinner to apologize for the rudeness I committed that day. ]
[ Choi Hye-yong : Dinner? ]
[ Ahn Se-rin : Yes, I would be grateful if you attended. ]
The word dinner held exactly zero appeal.
'I was planning to eat cozily with Lanfang today.'
Kick back and enjoy a drink together.
That had been the plan.
'Still, I should probably go, right?'
Even if I went, the goal was to keep deflecting non-stop like some haughty noble lady.
Why?
Because it was fucking entertaining.
[ Choi Hye-yong : I have absolutely no desire to share a meal with you. Like I said last time, I'm the type who can't stand being in the same space for long with people who dislike me. I'd rather not spend a pleasant mealtime unpleasantly. ]
'She's gotta be boiling inside by now, right?'
Sure enough, the reply took a little longer this time.
'Ah, I'd burst out laughing if I could see the face she's making right now.'
Pity I could only imagine Ahn Se-rin's expression.
[ Ahn Se-rin : I am aware that I was in the wrong. Please, give me a chance to apologize. ]
'Heh. She's being this polite about it? She must fucking hate my guts too.'
Looks like her actual young lady chewed her out real good.
Is this why powerful people get so twitchy when they can't lord it over someone?
This was a surprisingly immense thrill.
The feeling of having become someone who actually matters.
It hit even harder because this was forced deference from someone who'd openly radiated blatant dislike at first.
'She's going this far. It'd be awkward to keep deflecting. Let's accept for now.'
[ Choi Hye-yong : Fine. I'll hear you out. ]
[ Ahn Se-rin : If it's no trouble, could you tell me where you are right now? ]
[ Choi Hye-yong : I'm in the dormitory. ]
[ Ahn Se-rin : If you come out to the nearest shuttle bus stop, I will come to you. ]
Such politeness, and from someone who once snapped at me just for looking at her. Unbelievable.
'Is it really true that everything comes down to ability?'
The slow-burning excitement felt less like porn and more like some kind of power fantasy — no, scratch that, this actually is porn.
Hye-yong left the dormitory and headed for the shuttle bus stop.
Less than thirty seconds after he arrived, a sleek, razor-sharp black sedan pulled up.
The person stepping out from the driver's seat was Ahn Se-rin.
She personally walked around and opened the passenger door for him.
"Get in."
The students standing nearby buzzed with murmurs.
"Who's that guy?"
"A chaebol heir, maybe."
Ah, she knew how to pump up a guy's ego.
Feeling unnecessarily puffed up, Hye-yong climbed into the passenger seat, and Ahn Se-rin closed the door behind him.
She got back into the driver's seat.
Right, these guys were adults. Driving themselves around was no big deal.
And Ahn Se-rin was Yoon Eun-ha's direct bodyguard, so she'd have been drilled hard in this kind of training.
"Rough gig, huh?"
"Excuse me?"
"Having to go this far for someone you hate to death."
Ahn Se-rin's already cold, expressionless face hardened further.
"Thank you for understanding."
The car pulled away the second Ahn Se-rin finished speaking.
The place we stopped was an obviously pricey Japanese restaurant.
A place specializing, most likely, in fresh sashimi and high-end seafood.
We were seated face-to-face at a table inside what was clearly a reserved room, already set and waiting.
"This place looks seriously expensive. You sure it's okay to treat me here?"
"The Eunha Group is covering it, so don't concern yourself."
"Then I won't hold back."
Tch.
Ahn Se-rin clicked her tongue, ever so softly.
Every time we spoke face-to-face, a visceral rejection churned inside her.
It had to be even worse now, thinking about how she was supposed to apologize with utmost humility from here on out.
'This is my karma. I have to endure it, even if I hate it to death.'
The problem was timing.
When would be the most appropriate moment to bring it up?
Ahn Se-rin carefully gauged Hye-yong's reactions.
Amid the awkward tension, three employees came in.
"Your food is served."
The table filled with sashimi platters decorated with a severed fish head, eyes wide open, and various dishes that looked like seafood sculpted into art pieces.
It all looked incredibly appetizing, but Hye-yong didn't even touch his chopsticks.
"Please, eat first."
Hye-yong shook his head at Ahn Se-rin's words.
"Sitting across from you just killed my appetite."
For a split second, Ahn Se-rin's facial muscles spasmed, but her expression didn't really shift.
Hye-yong inwardly admired it.
'Whoa, she's actually holding it in.'
It was an obvious lie.
Ahn Se-rin was an atmospheric beauty to the point where just having her across from you would make plain rice taste delicious.
But Hye-yong wanted to savor this situation a little longer.
The position of an absolute superior who could lord it over someone all he wanted!
'Your skills have been totally exposed, you see.'
It had been confirmed that Ahn Se-rin's attacks couldn't pierce his shield.
She couldn't take personal revenge on Hye-yong.
Then what about revenge through connections?
The chances of that were very low too.
Right now, Ahn Se-rin had been thoroughly scolded by her young lady and sent to apologize to Hye-yong.
If that weren't the case, there was no way Ahn Se-rin, who had initially looked at him like a bug, would swallow her rage this desperately and manage her expression while hearing such things.
Who could Ahn Se-rin, Yoon Eun-ha's direct bodyguard, possibly know who was a bigger connection than Yoon Eun-ha herself?
If her biggest connection had commanded her to apologize, then even if Ahn Se-rin called on personal connections, it would ultimately reach Yoon Eun-ha's ears, making it difficult to act rashly. And even if it somehow worked, he had holy relics, so it wouldn't be an issue anyway.
So right now, he could scratch at her insides all he wanted.
If someone treats you like shit for no reason, give them a fucking reason to!
It was time to put that into splendid practice.
'Detestable bastard.'
Grind.
Ahn Se-rin quietly ground her teeth, yet maintained a respectful attitude.
"I understand. In that case... may I now offer my apology?"
"Do as you please."
Ahn Se-rin stood up from her seat and bowed her head at a ninety-degree angle.
Holding that posture, she spoke.
"I, Ahn Se-rin, on a past day, expressed unjustified hostility and caused displeasure to you, who graciously came to verify your skills for the Eunha Group. I hereby apologize, and I would be grateful if you would generously open your heart."
Oh....
Hye-yong was impressed.
'Now that is a textbook-perfect apology.'
An apology that thoroughly erased personal feelings, pride, her very existence — solely to soothe Hye-yong's mood.
Receiving an apology like that almost made the remaining dislike toward Ahn Se-rin evaporate.
But if he obediently nodded here, he'd end up joining the Eunha Group.
Why else would her direct bodyguard come in person to apologize?
Yoon Eun-ha hadn't just sent Ahn Se-rin to soothe Hye-yong's feelings.
The goal was to flip his stance through the apology so he would join the Eunha Group.
Hye-yong wasn't blind to that.
"Only with words?"
Ahn Se-rin's frame, which had been bowing without so much as a twitch, trembled faintly.
She raised her head and settled back into her chair.
"Of course, the apology is not just in words. If there is anything you desire, please tell me."
Though her words came out calm, a volcano seemed to be boiling inside Ahn Se-rin.
'To think I must endure such humiliation just to place this bastard at my lady's side.'
Just imagining spending the entire day glued to Hye-yong for duty made her dizzy, her head spinning.
Bowing her head while swallowing sarcasm from a man she considered lower than an insect wasn't just an act of trampling her own pride — it was turning her future into hell.
Yet the reason Ahn Se-rin endured and endured and endured was because the young lady she served wished for it.
There was nowhere left for her to run.
"Something I desire...."
The way Hye-yong's gaze swept over her body was revolting.
No way....
Anxiety slithered up inside Ahn Se-rin's head.
"I don't really have anything."
It wasn't the dreaded remark she feared, but it was just as problematic.
Not offering any conditions here was the same as saying he wouldn't accept the apology.
Ahn Se-rin had a duty to fulfill the order Yoon Eun-ha had given her, by any means necessary.
"I'm not exactly short on money. Nor do I need artifacts. I have no lust for power either, so I don't even see what's so great about climbing the ranks. What is there that you could possibly do for me?"
At Hye-yong's words, Ahn Se-rin's face contorted slightly.
She had finally failed at managing her expression.
'He doesn't need money, doesn't want artifacts, doesn't care about status....'
Then what was she supposed to offer?
This was outright saying he wouldn't accept any proposal.
'He's spouting nonsense to jack up his own price.'
Ahn Se-rin interpreted Hye-yong's words slightly differently.
She firmly believed there was no one in the world who would refuse money, strength, or power.
'If that were truly the case, he wouldn't have come for the skill verification.'
The intent behind such words was obviously for her to figure out his price on her own and present it.
It was a painfully transparent move, but she had to accept it.
"My lady takes a great interest in you. Most conditions will likely be accepted, so please state your terms without hesitation."
Hye-yong took those words and ran with them, sneering.
"Look here. I don't think you understood what I meant by that. Conditions or whatever, I have no intention of accepting your apology. I told you at the start. I'm the type who can't be in the same space for long with people who dislike me."
His speech switched instantly from formal to informal.
As Hye-yong began to push hard, Ahn Se-rin clenched the fist resting on her knee tightly.
"Seeing as they told you to apologize and come crawling, that means I'm supposed to work as your bodyguard or whatever, just the two of us, right?"
"......That is correct."
"Even just thinking about bumping heads with you all day is already making me want to puke."
That makes two of us, you pathetic bastard.
"I'm not the only one who hates you — you hate me too. Seeing you like this now, don't you just want to kill me? Want to bury me somewhere no one will ever find me? Right?"
Yeah, a guy like you.
I swear, not in a million years will I ever come to like you, even a little.
Fall straight into hell, you worthless shit.
The sounds of cursing Hye-yong rang shrilly inside her heart.
But she could never utter them aloud.
Forcing down the surging hatred, she had no choice but to give the answer she least wanted to.
"......No."
"What was that?"
"I don't... dislike you."
Hye-yong flinched momentarily.
She was still being this submissive?
Just how badly had she been scolded for her to act like this?
I thought she'd tap out by now, but she was too tenacious.
Did I really have to go all the way to 「that」?
'No matter what, that seems a bit too risky....'
Though somewhat reluctant, Hye-yong genuinely didn't want to do something like bodyguard work.
If it was just having his name loosely associated with the group, maybe, but no matter how much of a career boost it was, he had no desire to play chauffeur like Ahn Se-rin, glued to Yoon Eun-ha's side and following orders.
Of course, sticking close to a pretty young lady was a happy thing in theory, but being with Yoon Eun-ha inevitably meant he would end up as the absolute subordinate.
He might stand above many people, but before the master he served, he'd be thoroughly beneath them.
Because of that, it didn't look particularly appealing, nor did it look like success.
Just look at Ahn Se-rin, desperately cooling the rage boiling right before his eyes.
She clearly hated and loathed this situation, but because of a single order from Yoon Eun-ha, she could do nothing but bite down and endure.
What kind of benefit or success was that?
At least, that's how it looked to Hye-yong, who was somewhat detached from worldly affairs with the Creator at his back.
'Well, nothing to do about it.'
For now, let's rile her up a bit more and try to make her give up on Ahn Se-rin's end.
"Anyone can see you hate it and are forcing yourself."
"Did my expression change?"
"I can see your facial muscles spasming."
"I'm sorry. Something funny suddenly came to mind."
Her cracking a deadpan joke here told me she was dead serious.
"You serious? That you don't dislike me."
"That's correct."
"Doesn't seem like it."
"I have been telling you repeatedly. I don't dislike you. My feelings of dislike for you have already disappeared. Only my regret over my own wrongdoing remains."
No emotion seeped into the voice saying that, but in that very absence, it carried a kind of ferocity.
'Whew, that's hardcore. So hardcore!'
Hye-yong, finding it remarkable, stuck his tongue out inwardly.
But he couldn't be intimidated here.
"How am I supposed to believe that?"
"What can I do to make you believe me?"
In the end, it had flowed to this point.
Only one response came to mind for what to say next.
Hye-yong pointed to his own lips.
"Go ahead and lay a deep kiss right here or something."
Ahn Se-rin's face, which had maintained a businesslike mask the entire time, instantly flooded with emotion and turned menacing.
"You just crossed the line."
At the same time, she snarled in a low, rough voice.