A Wavering Heart
For Kim Taeyang, wandering the nightlife districts was simply a way of life.
There was no grand reason behind it. He loafed around during the day, drank with his friends once evening rolled around, and once the alcohol wore off, he prowled the alleys all over again. If he spotted a woman who caught his eye while out and about, he approached her. On a lucky night, he got his fill of fun. On a bad one, he simply waited for the next. That was the whole of it — a routine so ordinary to Kim Taeyang that he never once questioned it.
Crime? The thought had never so much as crossed his mind. He had been raised that way, after all. The strong took what they wanted. Even if a woman said no, a little pressure was usually enough to make her come around. That was common sense in the world he lived in.
Lately, though, things had been a little disappointing. The waters just weren't what they used to be. No matter how many nights he spent roaming the streets, no one worth his interest ever seemed to turn up.
Another bust tonight, huh.
Kim Taeyang was yawning his way down an alley when it happened.
"...Oh?"
Beneath a streetlamp, a woman was walking slowly toward him. The first thing that struck him was her white shirt, stretched taut as if it might burst. Long, straight hair cascading to her waist. An H-line skirt. The sharp click of heels against the pavement, echoing over black stockings. And above all, the face revealed in the streetlight's glow — it seized his attention in an instant.
"Heh heh."
The corner of Kim Taeyang's mouth curled upward.
Looks like my luck's turning around.
Even among the people you happened to run into on a night street, she was a beauty who stood out from the rest. He casually nudged his friend's elbow.
"Yo, you see that?"
"Damn, look at that ass."
The big guy with the gold necklace grinned lewdly. Kim Taeyang licked his lips, a sly smile spreading across his face. Just imagining what came next was already enough to get a rise out of him.
The two of them casually blocked the mouth of the alley she was heading into.
"W-what do you think you're doing?!"
The woman recoiled a step, her face pale with shock. Kim Taeyang grinned at the sight of her, all oily charm.
"No need to be scared."
"Just wanna talk for a minute, yeah? Spare us a little time. Nights get lonely for everyone."
He was reaching a hand toward her when —
A firm grip closed around his wrist.
"...?"
He glanced back without thinking, and his expression froze. A massive frame. A brutish face. A man built like a bear had seized his wrist — Kang Taeseong, the president of KJ Group.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The voice was low and heavy. Kim Taeyang snorted, unfazed.
"What does it look like? You can see for yourself, pal."
He jerked his chin toward Park Soyeong. Kang Taeseong looked at him with undisguised contempt.
"Forcing a woman who said no is a crime."
"Come on, they all say no at first. Give it a little time and they'll be the ones clinging to you."
Kim Taeyang grinned as he said it.
"If you've got any sense, you can join in t—"
"Tch."
Kang Taeseong clicked his tongue. Open disgust was written all over his face. Kim Taeyang's own irritation began to rise.
I tried to be nice about it, and this fat bastard...
There was clearly no room for negotiation.
"If you don't like it, get lost. Go on your way."
Kim Taeyang twisted his wrist hard, trying to wrench free.
"..."
It didn't budge.
"What the hell?"
He tried again, putting everything he had into yanking his hand free. But his wrist might as well have been wedged in a crack of solid rock — it didn't move so much as a millimeter. Kim Taeyang's smile slowly drained away.
...What is this?
"Nngh...!"
He gritted his teeth. No matter how hard he strained, the captured wrist refused to give. "...Y-you son of a—"
The gold-necklace thug beside him was about to throw a punch when Kang Taeseong casually shifted his gaze and spoke.
"Want to keep going?"
A low, weighty voice. Both men flinched at those few words. Only then did they truly take stock of who they were dealing with — a frame as massive as a bear's, an overwhelming bone structure buried beneath the bulk, and above all, the monstrous strength that had just shrugged off their combined force as if it were nothing.
"..."
Kim Taeyang swallowed hard.
What the hell is this monster?
His instincts told him flat out that a fight was unwinnable. He finally wrenched his wrist free and stumbled two steps back.
"Ghh..."
Grinding his teeth, Kim Taeyang jabbed a finger at him.
"Just you wait!"
"Watch your back at night, you bastard!"
The blonde punk and the gold-necklace thug fled the alley, leaving behind the kind of lines only third-rate villains would deliver.
"..."
Kang Taeseong watched them go for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank god.
Truth be told, he hadn't been confident about a fight either. Even in his original world, he had almost never thrown a punch, and after possessing this body, all he had done was exercise — he had never once actually fought another person.
But something else had caught his attention.
Charisma of the Wicked Lv.1
◈ Price: 1000 NTR Points
◈ Effect: Projects an aura of intimidation. Weak-willed opponents are easily cowed.
It was a skill he had bought from the shop for a thousand points. Free points had come his way, so he had purchased it on a whim — mostly out of curiosity about how a skill would actually manifest in reality.
Didn't expect it to work like that.
Just now, all he had done was grab a wrist. He hadn't done anything else. And yet those two had never managed to throw a punch. The skill must have done exactly what it said on the tin — projected an aura of intimidation. Judging by the name alone, he had figured it would just make his face look a little meaner. But once he actually used it, the effect was far more powerful than he had expected. Because his opponents had been cowed by his presence and backed down first, he had managed to keep things from escalating into a real fight.
Better than I thought.
True to a shop item, its performance was rock-solid. Taeseong was quietly impressed when —
"P-President..."
Ah.
Snapping back to the present, Taeseong turned around. Assistant Manager Park Soyeong was still standing there, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. The tension must have drained out of her all at once.
"Thank you..."
"Are you all right?"
"...Yes."
She answered, but her voice was trembling. Taeseong clicked his tongue inwardly.
This really is a dangerous world.
It hit him all over again. This was the world of an eroge — a place that had lost its mind. Things might look normal during the day, but the moment night fell, incidents like this played out as if they were nothing. For women especially, it was a merciless place.
How am I supposed to ask anyone to work overtime like this?
Park Soyeong had stayed late tonight because of his suggestion. And because of that, she had nearly been assaulted. From the company's standpoint, this was not something he could simply brush aside.
Maybe I should cover taxi fares for female employees who work late.
Though thinking about the eroge... cab drivers aren't exactly reassuring either... Hmm.
As he sorted through various thoughts, Taeseong looked at Park Soyeong.
"But President, what brings you out here...?"
"I need to head home too."
Taeseong said it evenly.
"Let's go."
"...Pardon?"
"I'll walk you."
And with that, he naturally held out his hand. Park Soyeong stared at it — a large, solid-looking hand. She started to reach for it, slowly — then flinched. Her fingertips stopped in midair.
"...?"
"I-I can walk on my own."
"...Ah."
Understanding the situation, Taeseong nodded.
Of course.
After what she had just been through, even taking a man's hand might be frightening.
"I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me."
"...It's fine."
Taeseong withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened. And then —
She swayed.
"...!"
Park Soyeong's body pitched forward. Taeseong caught her on pure reflex.
"Are you all right?"
"...U-uhh."
Park Soyeong's face flushed a deep red. Her legs seemed to have given out; she couldn't stand properly.
"...I'm sorry. My legs just... suddenly went weak..."
The tension had finally left her body. Taeseong nodded slowly.
"Don't push yourself."
"Just for a moment..."
Park Soyeong carefully took hold of Taeseong's arm.
"...I'll lean on you for just a little while."
"That's fine."
A brief silence settled between them. Taeseong matched her pace, walking slowly.
"...Where do you live?"
Park Soyeong's shoulders gave a slight jolt. Realizing how that might sound, Taeseong quickly added,
"Please don't misunderstand. I don't mean anything by it."
"..."
"It's just that tonight, I won't be able to rest easy until I see you get home safely. Would you trust me, just this once?"
Park Soyeong was quiet for a long moment. Then, head bowed, she murmured her address in a voice so soft it was barely audible.
"...About a ten-minute walk."
"Not as far as I thought."
Taeseong nodded naturally.
"I'll walk you to your door."
Without a word, Park Soyeong tightened her grip on his arm ever so slightly. Her face was still flushed a deep red.
"..."
Park Soyeong walked in silence, clinging to Kang Taeseong's arm. Strength still hadn't fully returned to her legs. The terror from moments ago had yet to fully leave her body.
...
And yet something felt strange. Holding onto Kang Taeseong's arm, she could feel her heart gradually settling. Park Soyeong carefully lowered her gaze. The thick forearm she was gripping. A solid, firm sensation transmitted through her fingertips.
So hard...
The thought came unbidden. That a man's body and a woman's body were fundamentally different — Park Soyeong was feeling that truth more vividly in this moment than she ever had before.
Come to think of it...
There had been plenty of talk around the office lately. That President Kang Taeseong worked out morning and night. That he hit the gym before coming in. That he exercised for hours even after leaving work. She hadn't believed it at first. But gripping this arm for herself, she found it hard to dismiss the rumors as false.
And then another thought surfaced, unbidden.
His arm is so much thicker than Junho's...
Park Soyeong's eyes went wide.
What did I just think—
Startled, she shook her head hard. Side to side, vigorously.
"...?"
Kang Taeseong, walking beside her, looked over with a puzzled expression.
"Is something wrong?"
Park Soyeong startled and waved both hands.
"Ah, it's nothing!"
Her face flushed crimson in an instant.
I'm losing it. What am I even thinking right now.
The person next to her was... Kang Taeseong. That Kang Taeseong. The lazy, overweight man who used to sexually harass the female staff. The man with the worst reputation in the entire company. And she had just thought of him as more reliable than her own boyfriend, Lee Junho.
No. This is—
Park Soyeong scrambled for an excuse inside her head.
It's just because he saved me. Because I'm grateful.
Yes. That was all. He had rescued her in a dangerous moment. She had nearly been assaulted, and he had saved her — so of course she was leaning on him right now. It absolutely did not mean she was seeing him as a man.
...As if that would work on me.
She snorted softly to herself.
D-do I look like that easy of a woman? Hilarious.
And yet —
"..."
Without realizing it, her grip on Kang Taeseong's arm tightened a little more. Firmly.
"...?"
Kang Taeseong glanced at her, but said nothing. Park Soyeong pretended not to notice.
...This is strange.
She was only holding onto his forearm. And yet her body, which had been trembling just moments ago, was settling with a calm that bordered on miraculous. It felt like being nestled snugly inside a warm blanket.
Just a little... just a little longer.
Until they reached her place. Only until then. She would stay like this just until then. Park Soyeong told herself that — but her racing heart showed no sign of quieting down.