In the Middle of a Date...♡!!! (3)
Right now, there was only one piece of information every reporter in Korea was dying to get their hands on: Why had Botal Rabbit taken a leave of absence?
Heroes rarely filed official leave while surrendering their tax breaks and other special privileges. In a country that bent over backward for superhumans, what could possibly be serious enough to make someone give up those perks? And for an S-class hero, it was completely unprecedented. The only national duty imposed on superhumans was “eligibility for conscription,” and even that got downgraded to a mere “standby order” for anyone S-class. On top of that, Iron Colossus had filed the paperwork for her. The same morning, she had checked herself in at the Superhuman Emergency Support Center. The chart showed no records at all—which only poured gasoline on the rumors.
Was it really a coincidence that Botal Rabbit had suddenly taken leave on the exact day Eight Bomber fled the country? Maybe she had suffered an injury that could never heal. Eight Bomber was barely B-class once you discounted his terror tactics and slippery elusiveness. Could someone like that actually defeat an S-class physical powerhouse like Botal Rabbit in a straight fight? If he had won… if his combat ability truly approached S-class… then it would be nothing short of the birth of a new arch-villain. An S-class villain—one of fewer than ten that existed on the entire planet.
“So basically, if I manage to snag even one decent shot, it’s an exclusive. That’s what I’m saying.”
Kim Deuk-chul clicked his tongue as he watched the horde of reporters and paparazzi camped out in front of the Rabbit Hole penthouse.
“Idiots. Use your brains. Botal Rabbit isn’t stupid. She knows damn well that everyone’s eyes are on her. Why the hell would she come leaping out a window?”
Ever since Iron Colossus’s announcement two days ago at dawn, Kim Deuk-chul had been waiting inside his car. He slurped down another cup of instant noodles while staring daggers at the back door of the Rabbit Hole Penthouse. Maybe it was because of her famous ride—the bright orange Aventador nicknamed “Bouncy.” Half the reporters chasing Botal Rabbit had their lenses glued to the rooftop windows. The other half were clustered around the private parking entrance. None of them had considered what he had. As if the very idea that an S-class hero might slip away in secret had never crossed their minds.
“Well… if I’m wrong, I’m the only one who loses out. I get why they’d rather blend in with the crowd, but still…”
How on earth were they supposed to land a real scoop with that attitude?
Kim Deuk-chul smirked and checked his camera battery. Still plenty of power left. He hadn’t been home in over two days; his whole body ached and his clothes reeked of stale sweat. But let’s look on the bright side.
“At least I haven’t had to listen to my wife’s nagging for two whole days. I’m practically in heaven.”
Even if he went home, she wouldn’t cook anything better than instant noodles anyway. The kids were too busy with their academies to come out of their rooms and look at his face. Dinner would be cold rice, half-burnt spam, some kimchi, or—worst of all—whatever scraps the brats had left behind, all dumped together into a pathetic jjam-bap.
Kim Deuk-chul let out a long sigh and shook his head. He needed to focus.
“Huh…?”
Just then the back door cracked open. A woman poked her head out, eyes darting left and right. She wore a mask and ordinary college clothes, but those eyes… those features… that body!
“Botal Rabbit’s out!”
-Click! Click!!
He had disabled the flash and applied anti-reflective film, so the image quality was a little soft. Still, the day was bright enough that it didn’t matter. The hulking figure stepping out beside her wore a mask, sunglasses, and a cap pulled low, but there was no mistaking Iron Colossus.
“A secret date? Is it a date? These carefree bastards! The country’s falling apart and they’re out here playing lovey-dovey?”
Whether the country was actually falling apart was debatable, but Kim Deuk-chul’s heart was definitely shattering. Burning with fierce jealousy toward the tall man, he kept hammering the shutter button.
The pair slipped quietly through the alley and walked off at a brisk pace.
*
Whether to avoid revealing her powers or not, Botal Rabbit chose public transportation. When she boarded the bus, he regretted not bringing his car, but tailing them by vehicle from the alley would have gotten him spotted even faster. No helping it.
That bus was headed for the nearby subway station. All he had to do was reach the station ahead of them. Kim Deuk-chul headed there with the desperate feeling of rolling the dice again.
After some time, just as predicted, Botal Rabbit appeared. She was walking energetically toward the ticket gates, chattering away with Iron Colossus. They were too close—he couldn’t raise his camera. Kim Deuk-chul clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“She really is disgustingly pretty…”
In the distance, Botal Rabbit seemed to flinch for a split second. Kim Deuk-chul followed after her, watching the way she clutched the hem of her skirt tightly while walking with quick, nervous steps, and entered the station.
*
Fuck, there are way too many people!
Kim Deuk-chul grumbled as the crowd shoved him all the way into the corner of the car. Iron Colossus’s height made him easy to spot from afar, but locating Botal Rabbit was proving difficult. She had to be nearby, yet he couldn’t get too close. At the same time, he couldn’t afford to lose her. It was a frustrating dilemma.
Still, for a veteran reporter who had eaten his share of bitterness over the years, this was nothing. Repeating that to himself, Kim Deuk-chul began gently pushing his way through the sea of bodies.
Huh…? She’s not here?
He had gotten right up next to Iron Colossus, stood on tiptoe, and scanned the area, but Botal Rabbit was nowhere in sight. He had assumed she would be glued to the big man’s side…
A chill ran down Kim Deuk-chul’s spine. If he failed now, all those sleepless nights would have been for nothing! He bit his lip hard and whipped his head around, searching frantically.
It had already been fifteen minutes since they boarded. They had passed at least three stations. If Botal Rabbit had gotten off somewhere in between, it would be an absolute disaster.
Fortunately, he caught a glimpse of her back in the distance. It looked like she had gotten separated in the crowd; she was urgently tapping away at her phone.
Hmm…?
Something looked strange. She was practically buried against the chest of the fat man standing right in front of her. The car was packed, so that was understandable, but… why did she keep squirming like that?
What the—?!
Looking closer, the man’s hand had slipped under Botal Rabbit’s skirt!
What the hell? An affair? With Iron Colossus right there?
The possibility that she was being molested on the subway never even crossed his mind. Who would dare sexually harass an S-class hero? Unless she wanted it…
Wait. She’s not a hero right now…!
Botal Rabbit currently held no hero status. She couldn’t assault a civilian. But if she reported it like any ordinary person?
The rumors would spiral out of control. Botal Rabbit can’t even handle one civilian and has to call the police—that kind of narrative. It would be unfair to her, but public perception didn’t care about fairness. A woman who had lived her entire life as a hero suddenly running to the police claiming she had been “sexually assaulted”? Impossible. People would ask why she hadn’t resisted, whether she had secretly enjoyed it. Words no one would dare say to an ordinary female citizen could be thrown at her without hesitation.
Kim Deuk-chul kept his phone’s flash off and frantically photographed their backs. The overseas-bought investigation smartphone had a custom spec that silenced the shutter sound completely. Without making a noise, pretending he was simply playing a mobile game, he cleverly captured Botal Rabbit’s image.
When he perfectly framed the shot of her clinging to the man’s chest while being molested, he cheered inside.
Jackpot. This is a total jackpot!!
He could ride the views with articles like these, then drop the follow-up:
TSS stock would crash. He could short the related shares or invest in rival hero teams. Or he could simply sell these photos directly to TSS. Kim Deuk-chul trembled with excitement at the thought of easy money and kept snapping pictures of Botal Rabbit being molested.
But… does she actually hate it?
The way she leaned against him almost as if clinging to his chest, never once knocking his hand away, only gripping the hem of her skirt desperately to cover her backside—it didn’t look like a one-sided assault at all.
Every time the man’s hand moved, the shape of that pale, fleetingly visible ass changed. Kim Deuk-chul swallowed hard, unable to tear his eyes away.
Maybe this is…?
*
Contrary to Iron Colossus’s expectations, the date itself was extremely ordinary. If you ignored the way his junior kept grinning mischievously and pressing him with, “You still don’t get it?”
Seonyudo Park on a bright spring day was wonderful just to walk through. Beneath the refreshing breeze and carefully landscaped flowering trees, she smiled brightly the entire time, snapping photo after photo with Iron Colossus.
“Smile a little, you rockhead!”
“Mm.”
“That’s not smiling!!”
His junior used her fingers to yank the corners of Iron Colossus’s mouth upward into a ridiculous expression and burst out laughing. The photos taken beneath the fully bloomed cherry trees looked like works of art simply because she existed in them.
“Oh! There’s a rabbit!!”
Seonyudo Park was home to a population of feral rabbits. They weren’t officially released by the park, but rabbits that had wandered in from somewhere had gone wild and could be seen hopping around everywhere. That was exactly why his junior loved this place.
Every time she spotted one, she would dash over with quick little steps and take photos right beside them. Click.
“Mm…”
“No, don’t come closer!”
When Iron Colossus tried to approach, his junior shouted at him. The rabbits followed her with unnatural obedience. But the moment he got even slightly near, they would flee. Probably because she carried the distinct scent of a rabbit hero.
Iron Colossus nodded and took pictures of her instead.
The date was perfectly ordinary. Except for the fact that she ran off to the bathroom far more often than usual.
-Vrrrr!
“Junior. I think your phone is ringing.”
“Mmph? Oh, yeah. I’ll take the call real quick!”
“You can take it here.”
“I-I need to use the bathroom too!! And this is your penalty!”
“…Penalty?”
“Because you, you big rockhead, still haven’t figured out the secret… it’s a penalty! After the date ends, I’ll tell you everything at once!”
His junior laughed brightly and once again dashed off toward the restrooms.
*
In the last stall of the women’s bathroom—dark and damp, a stark contrast to the bright scenery of Seonyudo Park outside—a sound so faint that an ordinary person would have struggled to hear it drifted out.
“How many times are you going to make me…!”
“Do you realize how shameless you’re being right now?”
“That pathetic excuse for a threat…!”
“You’re really going to delete it, right…?”
“Ah, I already told you that’s not allowed!! You’re dead. I’m really going to kill you!”
“Hngh… Ngh. Uh… Uhhk?! S-stop. Stop, I get it, okay?!”
“With your mouth only. Promise me.”
Such whispered exchanges floated out, followed by the soft rustle of clothing. Then, inside the now-silent bathroom stall—
-Chup, churup, tzup, tzuup.
The wet, slippery sounds continued for a long time.