The President’s Teasing and the Girl’s Resolve
The atmosphere on the top floor of the largest resort in Busan felt strangely cool, like frost clinging to the air, in sharp contrast to the bright sun pouring in from the windows and the warm sand beach where waves gently crashed below.
After my mother’s final words, the woman standing right in the center who had been shouting at her fell silent.
Hearing the hurried footsteps retreating down the hall, the women and men positioned on either side of her followed the woman’s suggestion and left by car.
Noticing that I was still standing there without saying a word, I slowly turned my head to look at my mother and the woman.
Tears streamed down her face as her whole body trembled.
But it wasn’t the kind of trembling that came from being wounded by my mother’s words. This was pure, unbridled rage shaking her from the inside out.
Normally someone in that state would be yelling or lunging forward, yet the woman didn’t move. She just stood there shaking.
My mother walked over with light steps and slapped the woman hard across the cheek.
The impact had been strong. The woman’s head didn’t even twitch.
Only then did I realize she wasn’t moving on her own—she was frozen in place by my mother’s ability.
I had never seen my mother use her power directly before, so I wasn’t certain at first, but the woman’s left cheek was already swelling into the perfect shape of a palm.
My mother struck the other side as well, then released the ability. The woman was sent flying straight toward her, tumbling out of control.
As she fell, our eyes met for a split second and I flinched, but the woman paid no attention to me. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and shouted, “Security!”
At the sound, my mother let out a snort and took out her own phone, dialing someone right there.
I worried she might take out her frustration on Ryu-yeong and me, so I held Ryu-yeong close and slowly backed away from the woman.
A moment later the elevator doors opened, and a swarm of women in black suits and sunglasses poured out, quickly surrounding my mother.
My mother held her phone toward them.
A woman’s voice, laced with playful amusement, soon came through the speaker.
[Hey, hey, is the mic working? Can you hear me?]
“Yes, I can hear you perfectly. Please say whatever you want to say, President.”
My mother called out “President” to the voice coming from the phone, sounding irritated as she urged the woman to hurry up.
The black-suited women around her visibly jumped at the familiar voice.
The President heard my mother’s voice and let out a strange, booming laugh.
After laughing for a long time, she spoke again, still filled with that playful edge.
[Ah~ Yeah, you all know my voice, right? Of course you do, right? Who do you think I am?! Kahahahahaha!!]
At those words the women around my mother murmured, glancing between my mother and the woman who was probably Ryu-yeong’s mother.
Ryu-yeong’s mother shouted directly at the President through the phone.
“Who the hell do you think you are?! Security!! What are you waiting for?! Grab that girl right now!!!”
Even after her mother’s shout, none of the security guards moved to take the first step.
The President’s laughter grew even louder.
The booming sound of her laugh echoed through the entire lobby.
Ryu-yeong’s mother hesitated for a second, then stepped away from the phone.
[Who am I? Who am I?! This is the first time I’ve heard that question in forever!! Jeong-ah! You’ve really pissed off a crazy woman!!]
“…President, even if that’s true, she’s my daughter’s friend. Saying ‘crazy woman’ sounds a little extreme.”
[Kahahahaha!! Sharing with another woman was the extreme one, wasn’t it? Fine, you want to know who I am? Then I’ll tell you—consider it obvious!]
The cold, quiet lobby fell even more silent, and the sound of the elevator stopping echoed through the space.
That sound was clearly the same one the guards had made earlier, yet it now felt strangely out of place and oddly playful.
The elevator doors opened, and a striking woman in a black coat with “OFS” written in bold red letters walked out slowly.
My mother gave a small sigh, slipped her phone back into her pocket, and the security guards parted ways to let her through.
The woman walked with a light step through the frozen lobby and stopped in front of Ryu-yeong’s terrified-looking mother, letting out a long, shark-like laugh.
Her deep navy hair and the sharp teeth visible when she smiled gave her a shark-like appearance.
At that moment Ryu-yeong slipped from my arms and ran straight to her mother.
She spread both arms wide, blocking the shark-like woman from reaching her mother, and snarled in a shaking voice, “Shut up!”
[Kahahaha! Jeong-ah! That girl’s got guts, huh? I only came here because you asked who I am and I answered. You don’t need to be so on edge.]
The shark-like woman seemed to like Ryu-yeong’s stance. She grinned, then reached out—whether to stroke or swat Ryu-yeong’s head was unclear—and the gesture landed somewhere in between.
Ryu-yeong flinched at the touch, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, but she still stood with both arms spread wide in front of her mother.
I slowly stood up as well and walked over to stand beside Ryu-yeong.
“I am the President of Out Focus Security, Cheon Sa. Doesn’t my name suit me? Kahahahaha!! Ah, so you’re Jeong-ah’s daughter! Kahahahaha! You really aren’t like your mom at all—you’re beautiful!”
“…President, you’re the president of my mother’s company. Why do the guards look so nervous?”
I scanned the area to make sure no more arguments or fights were about to break out, then turned to the security guards lined up behind us and asked my question.
When the President introduced as Cheon Sa saw my gaze, she flashed a shark-toothed smile and patted my head twice with her hand.
The touch felt more like a gentle stroke than an actual hit, but I still felt it.
“That’s because I make and manage every single CCTV system this country’s security and private protection companies rely on! When I speak, their entire livelihood is on the line! Kahahahahaha!!”
Even though the President’s words should have been clear, I kept my skeptical expression and tilted my head.
My mother sighed, took my hand, pushed the President back, then crouched down to meet Ryu-yeong’s eyes and spoke softly.
“…Ryu-yeong, if you want, I can call the Child Protection Agency right now and make sure your parents don’t hurt you anymore.”
“…No… I… I’ll handle it myself… but… thank you for getting angry for me…”
No matter how hard I tried to cover my ears, my mother’s shouting still reached Ryu-yeong.
Ryu-yeong let out a small sob of gratitude.
My mother smiled warmly at her and gently stroked Ryu-yeong’s hair.
Ryu-yeong closed her eyes, feeling her mother’s touch, and took a slow breath.
Then she opened her eyes, turned around, and looked at her fallen mother.
“…I won’t stop at being an Imugi… I’ll get stronger than a dragon and prove it.”
“Stop talking nonsense!! That… that won’t happen!! Just listen to your mom—”
“You!!”
Ryu-yeong stared straight at her mother and declared her resolve.
Her mother’s voice came back, now mixed with tears, rejecting what her daughter had just said.
My mother shouted and cut her off, but her tone carried a warmth I had never heard before.
“…If Ryu-yeong is your daughter, trust her. A child can do it, you know.”
“How would you know!! You were born with superpowers from the start!!! I’ve worked my ass off my whole life and I’m where I am today!!!”
“So just trust her!! You don’t have to make your daughter suffer just because you did!!”
My mother started shouting again, but Ryu-yeong turned away, gently pushed her mother, and gave a faint smile.
It wasn’t the usual bright, confident smile of hers—it was weak, sad, and full of pain.
After pushing her mother aside, Ryu-yeong faced away from her and spoke in a voice thick with tears.
“…Mom, you said I was dumb… I probably couldn’t have done it alone… but my friend is smarter… she’s fine… so, Mom… I’ll be okay… I’m sorry…”
“Ryu-yeong… what are you talking about…”
“Hey…”
I slowly reached out and gently took Ryu-yeong’s mother’s hand that was reaching toward her daughter’s back.
Then I smiled softly at Ryu-yeong’s mother and said, “My ability is Battle Coach. According to Ryu-yeong, it’s a little special, right? So… I’ll definitely make Ryu-yeong strong. So… she’ll be okay.”
“Ah… ah… ah…”
By now the security guards were all gone, vanished along with the President.
My words left Ryu-yeong’s mother unable to speak. She began to sob, and my mother slowly walked over, stood her up, and held her.
I walked over to Ryu-yeong, took her hand, and started walking down the hallway to clear the way for her.
It was the moment when adults needed comfort from other adults and children needed comfort from other children.
Holding Ryu-yeong’s hand, we began walking slowly down the corridor.
Because the resort had a circular design, we would eventually return to the lobby.
The small dragon held my hand in silence the whole way.
Normally she would have adjusted her grip so it wasn’t too tight, but today her fingers squeezed mine with surprising strength, as if they hurt just a little.
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