[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
Sion, standing alone leaning against the railing and fiddling with her phone without any companions, was far too eye-catching. She was just waiting for Choi Ak like a normal person, but it's only natural for a beauty to draw attention wherever she goes.
Sion knew this, so she deliberately avoided looking elsewhere and feigned indifference, but there are always people who will cross that line and approach anyway.
And there were even people who had been approaching her since before they got to the amusement park.
"Hello?"
"......?"
Sion looked up at the man who had greeted her. If someone approached her even after she had explicitly signaled, "I am currently ignoring you," by feigning indifference, they clearly had a thick skin.
The man who spoke to her was a young man with quite a decent appearance.
At most, he was in his early to mid-20s—an age where one could still be considered young—and he had a good impression. Looking closer, he was wearing luxury brand clothing, so his wealth was apparent.
He was also a handsome guy who would draw attention anywhere, but to Sion's eyes, they were all much of a muchness. She'd much rather have someone with a unique look like Choi Ak.
"Ah, come to think of it, aren't you the car owner who caused that accident this morning?"
"You remembered me!"
No, if you crash that spectacularly in the morning, it's only natural to remember.
But the man seemed to have something else in mind, as he greeted her with a bright expression.
This is exactly the kind of situation where the idiom "different dreams under the same blanket" applies.
"I'm Lee Sang-soo. And you?"
"I'm Sion."
"Sion, huh? I didn't think you were Korean, but that's a pretty name."
Sion cut off Lee Sang-soo's words and got straight to the point. In the case of someone who hits on you this aggressively, if you don't reject them with logic, they tend to cling persistently.
"But it doesn't look like you came to the amusement park alone on a weekday. What business do you have? Don't tell me you came to get a settlement because of the accident this morning?"
"No! Of course not. I wouldn't do that over just one wrecked car. It's not something to brag about, but my father is the chairman of the Daesung Group."
"........"
Sion's face slightly crumpled. However, since she was so expressionless, it was a change in expression that only someone like Choi Ak could have noticed.
She also held shares in the Daesung Group, so she had some connections there. She didn't know much about their family affairs, but she had heard stories about the current chairman's children.
Probably two sons and one daughter. Among them, the youngest son seemed to be around the same age as the young man in front of her.
"The person driving that Lamborghini earlier, is he your boyfriend?"
"No, that person is......"
"It's a bit embarrassing to say this when we've only just met today, but I fell for you at first sight."
"..........."
Sion had heard out-of-the-blue confessions of love plenty of times. It was better when she was in her Default Form, but when she was in her Growth Form, guys would hit on her at all hours.
But among them, the most absurd confession line was "I fell for you at first sight."
No, that wasn't just absurd; it was a line she found repulsive.
Sion glared at Lee Sang-soo with a face that was subtly crumpled enough that even if others couldn't tell, Choi Ak would definitely be able to notice her discomfort.
"When did you even see me to say you fell for me at first sight? Do you know that there's nothing less convincing than that?"
"It doesn't take a long time for people who get along well to become friends. But it's not impossible to fall in love at first sight, so......"
"Are you putting friends and lovers on the same level? Are you crazy, human?"
Friendship and love are completely different. It's a story that anyone who knows anything would understand, and it was even more absurd to say that to Sion, who had lived for a long time and had made friends with thousands of people.
Even if she brought every friend she had ever made to Sion, they couldn't compare to Choi Ak alone.
Friendship was definitely a value she cherished, but compared to love, it didn't even come close.
"What do you know about me? Do you know what my favorite food is, or what I like to do on weekends? Do you know how old I am? At the very least, do you know what my last name is?"
"Th-that's something we can get to know as we go!"
"Setting aside whether our personalities or tastes match, how can you say you fell for me at first sight? Did you say we can get to know each other as we go? If so, shouldn't you have just not said you fell for me at first sight in the first place?"
You can't even get angry at a beauty. Especially if it's a beauty you have a crush on.
Listening to Sion's scathing remarks, he couldn't come up with a single proper rebuttal. No, he couldn't, precisely because she was logically correct.
People passing by started to whisper and gather around the two, whose voices were raised.
"What is it? Is it a lovers' quarrel?"
"Wow... the woman is drop-dead gorgeous, right? The guy is a pretty handsome dude too."
"Mom, why is that lady fighting?"
"Shh! Come here!"
Sion felt the need to leave the spot soon. And when she saw Choi Ak coming back from buying Churros in front of her, she brushed past Lee Sang-soo and walked toward him.
"I'll be going now."
"W-wait a second!!!"
He grabbed Sion's wrist. Thanks to that, Sion, who had been walking, stopped unexpectedly and this time glared at him with an expression that even others could recognize.
At the clear signal that she was displeased, he also felt a pang of guilt in his heart.
"Where do you think you're grabbing? I've never given permission for skinship like holding hands to someone I've met for the first time today!"
"Th-that's not it... but why is someone like you dating a guy like that? Are you doing it because of money?"
".........?"
Sion was even more dumbfounded.
.......Certainly, if Sion in her Growth Form stood side-by-side with Choi Ak, not a single person would think they were a married couple.
Even if he reincarnated and his appearance changed, Choi Ak's soul characteristics were always the same, so no matter how good his genes were, his dirty-looking eyes always remained. Even if his face was handsome when his eyes were covered, those eyes ruined everything, so it was meaningless.
So, at first glance, Sion and Choi Ak didn't look like a match at all. It was the same to other people.
In fact, because of Choi Ak's nasty-looking eyes, there were often people who thought Sion was being held hostage or threatened by him.
It was the same right now.
"If you're dating someone who drives around a Lamborghini like a nouveau riche, aren't you doing it because you need money? I have plenty of money too! Whatever amount you need, I can give you all that money!"
"That Lamborghini, I bought it for him."
"......What?"
He had a blank expression on his face. Sion sneered at him and delivered the finishing blow.
"I said I bought that car for him. To begin with, my husband has no money and no family, just his own body. He even has a mediocre appearance and a bad personality."
"H-husband?"
Love isn't about looking at material things. A marriage based on that kind of thing doesn't last long.
Sion and Choi Ak married because they cherished and understood each other from the depths of their hearts. Thanks to that, they had been continuing that married life even now, thousands of years later.
"Even so, we married because we liked each other. We married because we liked each other, regardless of whether we matched or not, so it's not your business to interfere."
"But......!"
"And did you say earlier that he drives around a Lamborghini like a nouveau riche? With the car I bought him?"
"I-I'm sorry......"
From Lee Sang-soo's perspective, he wouldn't have had anything good to say about Choi Ak, so he used the term "nouveau riche," but it was actually Sion who bought the car.
Well, how could he have known? If you want to date a woman like Sion, if you don't have the looks, you'd need a lot of money, so it wasn't strange for him to mistake Choi Ak for that type.
Honestly, his impression was the kind of face that looked like he might have committed a crime or two.
"Hey, what the fuck is this guy? Why are you holding someone else's wife's wrist?"
And Choi Ak, who had discovered the situation, rushed over in one breath and glared at him.
For reference, Lee Sang-soo was still holding Sion's wrist.
As he glared at him with his already nasty eyes and a faint murderous intent, he flinched and let go of the hand that had been holding Sion's wrist.
"What is it, a love triangle? Was it a lovers' spat?"
"Wow, but the man and woman really don't match. Doesn't the guy have a lot of money?"
"True, to date a woman like that with that face, it's only natural he'd have a lot of money."
Hearing the whispers of the people around him, Lee Sang-soo shouted in his mind.
No, that's not it! It's the opposite! The one with the money is the woman!
As people gathered around, his face was being exposed, and there was a sense that someone was about to take out their phone to record.
Sion, feeling the need to get out of there, linked her arm with Choi Ak's and moved away from the spot, while also restraining Choi Ak, who looked like he might throw a punch at any moment.
"Don't interfere between a perfectly fine married couple. I warned you."
"Why didn't you tell me you were a married couple earlier..."
"I was going to tell you, but you were the one who cut me off first. Can't you even remember the conversation from just a moment ago?"
"Ugh.....!"
Lee Sang-soo had heard scathing remarks from her, but he couldn't bring himself to pour his anger out on her.
That anger turned into fire, and the sparks flew at Choi Ak.
"You......!"
"What, you little shit? If someone I've never met before grabs my wife's wrist hard enough to leave a mark, the situation is one where I'd have no choice but to call the police and sue for sexual harassment, but where are you getting the nerve to act all pissed off when I'm holding back from throwing a punch?"
Choi Ak, who was grinding his teeth, glanced at the red handprint left on Sion's wrist and clenched his fist threateningly.
Given his personality, it wouldn't be strange if a punch flew immediately if Sion had been harmed. To begin with, if only Sion remained, Choi Ak was the type to laugh off throwing away all the reputation and career he had built up, but the only reason he was holding back right now was because Sion was holding his arm and restraining him.
As long as they had been together, Sion knew Choi Ak well.
If she let go of this arm right now, Lee Sang-soo would be beaten until his face was mush before he died.
"Don't touch a woman who's clearly taken and get lost. Some piece of shit trying to pull moves."
"......You'll regret this. And you know yourself that a man like you doesn't suit Sion-ssi, don't you?"
"Cut the bullshit. Both you and I are just squids compared to Sion in terms of looks, and as for money, Sion has more than a half-baked guy like you. Neither of us means much in front of Sion, so what makes you think you're better than me? The allowance you got by sucking up to your fancy conglomerate dad? Yeah, right!"
"I may look like this, but I'm sitting in the position of president of Daesung Electronics."
"Yeah, your daddy's parachute power~. My wife bought me a company and I'm sitting as president there too, so you know that's a meaningless position, right? You should've gone to the Joseon Dynasty to brag about your title. At the very least, brag about a foreign company or a company you founded yourself. Right?"
"Keuk.....!"
Lee Sang-soo's fist clenched. Seeing his fist trembling as if he were about to throw a punch, Choi Ak laughed.
"Go ahead and hit me, but I can't take responsibility for what happens after."
Shudder!
His instinct stopped the punch he was about to swing at him, enraged by the injury to his pride as a second-generation conglomerate heir.
It was a sense of crisis that rang his alarm bells, as if he had stuck his head into the maw of a beast. He felt that if he threw a punch here, something irreversible would happen.
"......Let's see about this next time."
"Most of the guys who say 'let's see' turn out to be losers. And you're definitely a loser."
"........"
He glanced at Sion and soon left the spot and disappeared. With that, Sion and Choi Ak were also able to leave the spot.
Only after going to a place with few people, beyond the crowd that was watching, did the two start talking.
"You held back well."
"Ah, what a waste. If I had thrown a punch at that bastard earlier, I was planning to beat him until he died."
".......That's not a metaphor, is it?"
"Exactly."
Lee Sang-soo's judgment was correct. If a punch had been thrown there, Choi Ak really intended to beat him until he died.
Whether he was a second-generation conglomerate heir, or there were eyes watching, he didn't care about any of that; he would have crushed his face to death, then ground up all the police who came to arrest him, come out as Raccoon Man, then crush the incoming military, destroy the National Assembly building, collapse the Blue House, and in the end, he intended to ruin this country too.
It was a familiar process anyway, so it wasn't even difficult. There wasn't just one or two countries he had blown away like that.
Even if he did that troublesome and disadvantageous thing, the reason he was going to do it was, of course, because Sion was involved.
The friend-like human relationships he had built as Choi Ak, the fame he had gained as Raccoon Man—it didn't matter if he threw it all away at once. Because as long as Sion remained at the end, it was fine.
"We came out to play for the first time in a while, but it ruined the mood. Let's hurry and go ride another ride. That's good for clearing the mood."
"That's fine by me."
Sion leaned on him more. Feeling each other's body temperature, they decided to enjoy their date for the first time in a while.
"But what happened to the Churros you said you were buying?"
"........Sorry."
I was so pissed off I crushed them earlier.
Choi Ak said, growling.
"Later, I'll make that bastard end up just like the Churros."