Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Rats Eyeing the Granary (4)
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"Hmmmmm."
A long, drawn-out sound mixed with a nasal hum.
Ham Chae-eun narrowed her eyes, a sly smile playing on her lips, and looked at me without so much as a perfunctory greeting.
"How old are you? Older than me, oppa?"
Her eyes sparkled with a foxiness that seemed etched into every double eyelid.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, tapped her foot lightly, then leaned toward me just a bit.
"I think we're the same age."
"I like that we're not. But you're gonna keep using formal speech like that?"
"Wouldn't that be more comfortable until we get closer?"
"What is that? You're not some old geezer."
Her words fizzed like a cocktail loaded with soda, sharp and bubbly.
Her tone had a slight edge, but her gaze didn't match it.
She looked... like someone eyeing a rare specimen she fancied, her curiosity swelling.
Like a kid sticking her hand through zoo bars, unable to contain herself, she spoke to me again.
"I hate passive guys. Didn't you ask Oppa Beom-ho to introduce us in the first place?"
"That's true. But for now... I'll just call you Chae-eun."
I paused for a moment.
I placed my interlaced hands on the low table and carefully chose my words in my mind.
"The truth is, there's a reason it's hard for me to speak casually to you. How should I put it? I feel a bit sorry too."
Ham Chae-eun.
Sitting across from me, her face lit with amusement... she was far too much for the simple label of "tomboy."
A complex, flashy painting that captured the eye. Yet somehow, it was the blank space around it that drew you in. That kind of woman.
That's why I relaxed and let a casual remark slip out.
"I had feelings for you. For you."
"You..."
She snorted outright, incredulous.
Her response was pure art. The kind I'd want to steal for later use.
"Did you by any chance eat one of those purity candies on your way here?"
"...What?"
"You know, the ones those weird cult ladies hand out to high school girls heading home, lecturing them. 'Treasure your body' and all that crap."
She slurped up the rest of her cocktail through the straw with a loud hooo-ro-ro.
Stretching both arms out in front of her chest, she said,
"Hey. A guy shows up to a blind date without any ulterior motives? That's the weird part. What, pretending to be all innocent when you look like that."
"Ah, not romantic feelings. More like... business interests."
Was it like hearing a total dud of an answer?
Her expression froze, awkward smile cracking like bits of a shattered mask.
"Oh, for fuck's sake... that's what it was."
Her foot thrashed wildly under the table. She seemed pissed.
Pop! Ignoring the bottle opener, she pried the cap off a beer bottle with a spoon.
Without pouring it into a glass, she chugged the whole bottle straight from it, then slammed the empty down with a bang.
"Kaha! This blind date's fucked!"
* * * *
"Fucked how?"
"God, that old-man talk! Anyway, if it's money talk, I'll give you our residence address. Go bug my old man dad there. Unless you wanna get your ass kicked."
She balled her fist like a potato and swung it around overhead. She looked ready to flick my forehead.
I gazed at her with a playful smile.
Ignoring her slightly flared-up reaction, I snatched her empty cocktail glass and filled it to the brim with strong liquor.
"Kaha. Since it's already ruined, might as well have a drink before I go."
Empty glass.
I wiped the foam from my lips with my suit sleeve.
Ham Chae-eun watched quietly. Her slightly pouted red lips seemed to hint at a change of heart.
Suddenly, she crossed her arms and sank deep into the backrest.
"...Way better than that shitty business talk from earlier."
"I think so too. Kuuuuh."
"Ah, pour me one too. Don't sit there looking like a dumbass drinking alone."
Full glass.
She spun her finger around the rim, then spoke softly, adding one more word.
With a somehow sad look.
"...You look pathetically pitiful."
"Sounds like you're talking about yourself."
"...What'd you say?"
"Just a vibe. You come off like a total psycho bitch on the surface, but a big part of it feels staged."
"Ah, shut up! You don't know shit."
Did one word from me hit the nail on the head?
She seemed lost in thought, not even touching her full glass.
Seeing that, I grinned mischievously and added,
"Ah, of course, you are basically a psycho bitch at heart. With all those major scandals you've caused."
"You wanna get slapped right now by this psycho bitch?"
Her palm shot toward me.
I leaned forward and grabbed her wrist.
Her hand, pulled by my grip, came to rest lightly on my cheek.
"No reason I can't take it."
She relaxed her grip, but her small palm stayed on my cheek.
Only when its warmth reached my face did she snap back with a pouty tone.
Now in her own unfiltered words.
"Ha... seriously. Nerds like you are totally obsessed with girls slapping them."
"You're in your rebellious phase, Chae-eun. It's just hitting a bit late."
"Shut your trap. For real."
She pinched my cheek with her fingers out of nowhere.
The strength in her grip faded, just like the haze in her brown eyes.
Soon, her pinching fingers brushed my hair aside.
"...You're pretty hot."
"You're pretty too, Chae-eun. Objectively and subjectively."
"Always with the smooth talk."
Click. A blue flame flickered from the metal lighter she pulled out.
She held it to the cigarette between her red lips and said,
"I don't know what you want from my dad, but I'm the disowned kid, so talking to me won't get you anywhere. And."
Along with a long cloud of smoke came her unspoken true feelings.
"...I hate how he keeps chasing higher positions. All that grand business talk just gets him carried away."
It suddenly came back to me.
Minister of National Defense Ham Pung-deok. Even years ago, as a soldier, he skipped his wife's funeral—cancer took her—because he was on the verge of three-star general promotion and chose to command a massive military drill instead.
That's why Ham Chae-eun had started going off the rails after that. Which made today's meeting all the more ironic.
Ham Chae-eun, who didn't want her father's further success. And what I wanted professionally.
Our two overlapping circles unintentionally formed a Venn diagram.
I leaned forward, locking eyes with her startled gaze, and spoke.
"I'll make sure your father never looks up high again. For you, and for me."
"Sounds like you wanna smash the tower of his life's achievements to bits."
"Just knock off the useless ornaments on top and leave the solid foundation."
She propped her chin, head tilted slightly aside.
She stared blankly at me. I gently grasped the back of her small hand on the table and added,
"So you can sit there and rest with him."
Her mouth hung open like a fool, eyes wide.
"Hmmmmm...."
Her deep contemplation ended with a totally unexpected remark.
"Ah, fuck! Seriously! This feels exactly like that time last year when the host bar got raided."
"What kind of trouble haven't you gotten into...?"
"Shut up. Hold on. But thinking differently... no reason I can't fall for it."
She gulped down the entire bottle of whiskey in front of her with loud glugs.
Her face flushed before I knew it, and with resolve, she tossed me an out-of-left-field question.
"You, Han Seo-jun. Like beds?"
"What...?"
"Well, from how you talk to me, you're a total wolf. No way you don't. You've probably bedded tons of girls."
That one's unfair.
But sadly, now's not the time for excuses.
"My dad loves beds too. In a different way."
Because right now... the insider Ham Chae-eun was dropping me a clue about massive defense corruption.
"But that bed? Total cheap Chinese knockoff, but priced like some fancy French brand."
"......!"
My hand grabbed hers roughly, our fingers interlocking tightly in midair.
Our pinkies locked like a promise seal.
Her thumbs pressed our palms together, and from her pouted lips came a threat that wasn't quite one.
Annoying, but not that annoying.
"Don't go too hard on him. If you make our old man cry, you'll die by my hand for real."
* * * *
"Aigoo, daughter. Having one daughter is like having an enemy, an enemy."
Yongsan, Ministry of National Defense building.
Minister Ham Pung-deok seemed to have a massive headache. He pressed his temples with his thumb and immediately questioned his aide standing beside him.
"So, you still haven't figured out where that brat went?"
"...My apologies. I'll do better."
"Ugh. Forget it! It's not your fault—it's mine for raising her wrong."
He added another butt to the ashtray piled like a mountain.
He had far too much on his plate to dwell on such personal family matters.
It wasn't just the new weapons development project at Defense Ministry involving National Security Office Director Yoon Hak-gil and even Seo Yun-ji.
"The guy from the bed company—is he already here waiting?"
"Yes, Minister. Should I tell him to wait longer?"
"Nah. Send him up. Time to stop stringing him along and lock this down."
Thud. A document on his desk.
Titled "Modernization of Barracks for Service Members," it allocated a budget in the trillions of won.
"This one's not sharing with outsiders like Yoon Hak-gil. We'll keep it in-house with our military family."
"The budget's huge... you sure?"
To his concerned aide, Minister Ham Pung-deok replied indifferently.
As if it was obvious.
"You idiot! It's all for livelihoods. Everything's adjusted quietly—no slip-ups, got it."