Chapter 118
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Ex-Boyfriend Confrontation
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A tremendous BOOOOOOM echoed out.
The sound of a bomb exploding. A massive one at that. Hell, this might as well have been an atomic bomb.
Of course, it was just in my head, but the shock was that intense.
"……."
I'd known Oh Hana had dating experience before. Hell, I'd even thought I was cool with it, brushing it off like it was no big deal.
I mean, after breaking up with your first love, does that mean you're supposed to swear off dating forever or something?
...That's what I'd thought.
But now that it was happening to me, it felt like I'd taken a few hundred thousand punches to the jaw. My head was spinning. It actually hurt.
Now I finally get why couples usually don't pry into each other's pasts or talk about them.
That's why they say all the simulations in the world from your room don't mean shit compared to one dose of real life.
I had no idea. I never imagined the mere appearance of someone you like's ex could hit this hard.
Fuck. I used to watch dramas and think, 'Why the hell do people freak out over this stuff? Just accept it and move on...'
I wanna slap that old me across the face.
Now, anyone getting worked up over an ex showing up seems totally normal, and the ones who brush it off like nothing are the real psychopaths. Grit.
"Ugh! Let... let go!"
I must've gripped his arm harder without realizing it, and this ex-boyfriend prick of Oh Hana's glared up at me in pain.
For a second, I thought he might be that Major League cap guy from before. Nah, not him. Then who the fuck is this asshole?
Ha, goddamn it.
"Hey! Let go... gah!"
"Huh?"
I was shocked too. I'd never even thought about it, but before I knew it, my hand had swung and slapped the guy across the face.
It wasn't even a light slap—it was a solid thwack, sending him tumbling backward.
"You little...!"
"Ah, sorry. Didn't expect you'd go down that easy. Oh, and you started with the informal talk first, by the way."
My voice came out shockingly cold, even to me. My head was a total mess, a chaotic warzone, yet I was handling this? I was more surprised by that than anything. Did I even have this side to me? Guess you only find out when shit hits the fan.
"......What?"
The guy facing me flinched, glancing nervously between me and Oh Hana.
Honestly, I was the same. Acting calm on the outside, but my mind was still a whirlwind. If Oh Hana suddenly yelled 'Oppa!' and ran to him right now, the shock might straight-up knock me out.
"Meet up again? ......You call that worth saying right now? Igin-hyung."
Luckily, that didn't happen.
From the looks of it, he'd fucked up somehow, and Oh Hana didn't have a shred of feelings left for this Igin guy. It was obvious on her face, and that made me relieved. She hadn't even used that icy tone with Han Aebom during their real fights.
"Wh-what's impossible about it! We had no choice but to break up! You get that too, right?!"
Oh Hana flinched.
Seeing that, Igin thought he had an opening and yelled again. If he'd seen the look in her eyes up close, he wouldn't have dared.
"Hana, please. Just give me one more chance. Yeah? We were good together."
I flinched reflexively.
Every word from that bastard grated on me like the most disgusting noise in the world. It was unbearable. If Oh Hana wasn't right there, I might've actually stomped his face in.
Every time these brutal thoughts hit me, I flinched again. Was I really capable of thinking like this?
"......It's really fine now. We just broke up temporarily because we had to. That's all."
"It wasn't temporary. We ended it completely. You dumped me first. Even said you'd never do it no matter if the sky fell—then bailed before the day was out."
Her words left me with a dumbfounded look. Is this guy an idiot? He didn't get dumped—he dumped her? No sane person would pull that.
"Th-that was...! I had no choice!"
"Ah! That 'unavoidable circumstance'! You think you can fix it now?"
At Oh Hana's question, Igin's eyes gleamed like he'd been waiting for it.
"Of-of course! For real. Because your brother said it himself? Th-that if we get back together this time, he won't interfere anymore!"
In an instant, Oh Hana's face drained to a pale blue.
"You... you're still getting played by that crazy bastard? You moron!"
What the? Her sudden change made me tilt my head in confusion.
Her voice was shaking hard. Probably reacted to 'your brother.' What the hell was up with Oh Hana's brother?
"Hana, please... I'm begging like this. I know I fucked up. I'll do better from now on. So please, let's get back...!"
"Fuck off. You still don't get it? You're just... still his puppet. That's why I knew I'd never take you back!"
"What're you...?"
"There's one thing I'd never forgive, even if the sky split in two. Being abandoned. You already did that. In the worst way possible. So get lost. Before I actually kill you."
Suddenly, Igin—who'd been kneeling and pleading with clasped hands—jumped in shock and tried to grab her legs.
I reflexively kicked him away. My body was moving on autopilot today. Nice.
"Guhk!"
He tumbled back, maybe bit his tongue or something.
"Wh-what makes him any different? He's the same! Exactly the...!"
Slurring through it, Igin shouted, and Oh Hana looked down at him not with sadness, but with eyes devoid of any remnant emotion.
"He's different. At least he wouldn't sell me off for money like you did."
......What?
I blinked, trying to process, when Igin's voice cut in amid the chaos.
"Fuck, you saw that, huh."
This bastard—what now? Goosebumps shot up everywhere. His whole demeanor flipped in an instant, making everything before feel like a lie. Even horror movies weren't this scary.
"You fucking bitch! Do you know how much I lost because of you! Can't I at least get that much? You ruined so many lives—what makes you so goddamn smug!"
He bellowed it loud for everyone to hear. Security guards who'd been watching from afar started heading over. Plenty of onlookers were already staring.
I couldn't stand listening to his bullshit anymore and moved to act—but someone beat me to it. A pretty skirt fluttered in the wind, revealing sleek, beautiful legs thrusting forward.
"Keurgh...!"
Oh Hana's kick nailed Igin square in the face as he was just sitting up. Probably broke his nose bone. Didn't give a damn.
"I'm smug because it's not my fault. And I always gave my all to do right. Hell, I regret even being nice to trash like you."
"......Fucking bitch."
"Wipe your nosebleed. Pathetic asshole."
She whipped her head away, hooked her arm in mine, and said,
"Oppa, let's go."
"Huh?"
Threw me off. What about the fan sign?
Yeah, with this mess, joining the fan sign casually would be impossible... Damn, should I be happy about this? Fuck.
That was when it happened.
"You whore! Look at you talking like that. Bet you spread wide for him too! Think that'll change anything? Guess why I'm even here! Why do you think?! Your brother set this up again... guk!"
Her white sneaker flew and smacked Igin's face dead-on again.
And not just that—the girls who'd been whispering coldly whenever Oh Hana showed up now surrounded Igin like they were on her side, glaring murderously.
"Piggyback me."
"......Pardon?"
"I said piggyback. Can't go back for shit-covered shoes."
"Pfft, fair enough."
Oh Hana, in her socks with cute bunny prints, hopped onto my back.
"......Sigh. I was so looking forward to today. Emptied two months' pay for this fan sign......"
"Yeah, yeah."
"What a mess. Really... the worst."
Her grumbling came muffled against my back. Carrying her like this, I could feel it—how down she was, and the fear lurking underneath.
Probably tied to that 'brother' the asshole mentioned. No clue what the story was, so all I could do was stew in frustration. Can't think without info.
I swallowed a sigh and kept walking briskly when Oh Hana asked,
"......Oppa, you're wondering, right? Why that happened. And why I'm like this."
I always noticed, but her intuition was supernatural. Seriously.
Some people are just good at reading rooms, but Oh Hana was top-tier.
"Damn, you could be a fortune teller. Nailed it."
"Pfft! I'd go bankrupt."
Nah. She'd kill it.
"Only an idiot or a robot wouldn't be curious after that."
She swung her legs casually, voice bright and unbothered. Honestly, that creeped me out more. Felt like if she decided to act, I'd never spot it.
She was already back to her usual self. Even the faint tremble from before was gone.
"Course I'm curious. Gonna tell me?"
"Mm! Can't just spill it. But if we were dating... maybe. Hehe...! Oppa, wanna pretend we're dating just for today? One day only. Pleeease?"
One day only...
I chuckled at that. She always acted mature, but she was such a kid here. If I'd known it'd show this much, maybe I wouldn't have bothered asking the cafe owner lady.
"Sounds good? One day as a couple then. But what changes? Never dated anyone."
"Oh right. Oppa the pure solo. Nah, not much really."
She pecked my cheek with a smack and grinned.
"Just the little things, maybe?"
Even looking normal, my heart wouldn't settle. For all sorts of reasons.
*
[Novel24]
"W-welcome..."
Walking into the convenience store with Oh Hana on my back, the clerk startled once, then double-took at her beauty.
Whatever. Oh Hana, hyped up unusually, yelled,
"Full speed to the booze aisle for soju!"
"As you command, Your Majesty."
She grabbed eight bottles. Trying to kill someone? Sides were just popcorn, chips, ramen, and frozen dumplings.
And...
"Oh, grab this too."
[Good Idea Premium]
[Ultra-Thin Condoms 5-Pack]
"......."
Silence hung as the two 5-packs dropped into the basket. Then we both casually headed to checkout like nothing happened.
Way too obvious, right?
[Prevent Oh Hana from Leaving the Studio Apartment]
📍 Progress: [0/1]
🎁 Reward: 1,000,000 won, Strength +1, Stamina +1, Random Skill
I stared at the quest that popped up naturally and thought. Finally, the time had come.