Chapter 91: The Barbell-Wielding Cinderella-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: The Barbell-Wielding Cinderella-2
You know that feeling, right?
That ominous sense of dread that washes over you even when you don’t know the details.
For instance, that feeling when you walk into the house and your parents, sitting in the living room, say, "Come here and sit down for a second."
Or that sensation when you call out the girl you’ve been crushing on to confess, only to realize the moment you see her face that you are absolutely fucked.
It happened after I’d come back from eating kalguksu in the chilly weather and had lain down for a quick nap.
I thought I might have heard my phone ringing—a sound that disrupts sleep—but I wasn't quite sure.
Since it was a light sleep, my eyes snapped open instantly.
I spent a few moments taking in the hotel room, where I hadn't even managed to turn off the lights, trying to distinguish between dream and reality.
Then, I saw my phone lying face down on the nightstand by the bed, and that ominous feeling hit me.
The moment I checked the screen, my suspicion turned into certainty.
Missed Calls: 47
Caller: Choi Garam
KakaoTalk Unread Messages: 128
Sender: Garam
The stream was already offline. I immediately tried calling her back.
At that point, I still thought whatever had happened to her was just a simple matter of money.
However, the situation had already spiraled far beyond my expectations.
[The person you have called is unavailable. Please leave a message after the...]
I tried three or four times, but the calls never went through.
Sweat began to trickle down my spine.
I dialed a different number.
"Ho-cheol."
[Brother! Are you getting some good rest? Have you eaten?]
"Ho-cheol, I’m sorry to bother you while you're off, but I need a favor."
[Uh... sure. What is it?]
"Can you head over to Garam’s center right now?"
[Garam Fitness? Why there all of a sudden...? Well, okay. I’ll head over.]
After hanging up, I immediately packed my bags and checked out.
The highway was deserted on a weekday late at night. I kept my foot pressed firmly on the accelerator.
The car tore down the road, fueled by my urgency and anxiety.
At this speed, I could make it in two hours. Once I arrived, I figured I could handle most problems.
But in truth, I was desperately hoping it would turn out to be nothing—just a simple misunderstanding.
Ring, ring.
A call came in.
"Yeah, Ho-cheol."
The voice on the other end was heavy.
I heard the sound of him swallowing and taking a breath, as if hesitating to speak.
"Tell me, Ho-cheol."
[Brother, I think you need to come to the hospital first.]
"The hospital? Is Garam sick?"
[I don't know if 'sick' is the right word... I mean, she is hurt, but...]
"What the hell is it? Stop beating around the bush and just tell me. Was it a dizzy spell or something?"
Dumbass. How would someone who fainted from dizziness contact me? I thought to myself the moment the words left my mouth.
[It’s a long story. It looked like... self-harm. Anyway, when I got to the center, the place was a total wreck.]
[Dumbbells were scattered everywhere, glass was shattered, the camera was smashed... and Garam’s state was weird, too. It was like she couldn't breathe.]
"Why? So suddenly?"
Did she have some illness she hadn't told me about?
[I don't know the reason either. She’s in the emergency room now. They said her life isn't in danger, though.]
"Right. Just stay there until I arrive. Thanks for doing this so late."
[It’s fine. But Brother, are you really coming all the way here? I can just stay and look after her.]
"No, it’s right that I go. Anyway, I’m driving. Let’s talk more when I get there."
[Okay. I’ll send you the address.]
What could have caused her to act like that?
Money? If it were a money issue, it wouldn't have been this sudden. On the contrary, her finances were slowly improving, so that made no sense.
Family? She had a troubled family history, but it was the same as the money issue. It didn't seem like enough to cause such a sudden breakdown.
"Then that leaves only one thing."
The broadcast. I had told her until my ears bled to ignore simple aggro-trolls...
Had some malicious viewers invaded her stream?
I opened OceaniaTV and pulled up her past broadcasts.
I moved the playback bar toward the end, about 20 minutes before the stream cut off.
"......."
On the screen, she was following her usual routine.
Working out, then cleaning the center.
But the chat window was different than usual.
Existing viewers and newcomers—if you could even call them viewers—were split into factions and fighting.
Unverified internet links were being spammed as if the chat were being carpet-bombed.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I was the cause of this disaster.
>> Explain yourself.
>> Is it true you were playing both sides?
>> You're just a small-fry streamer, were you that greedy for the Chairman's money?
>> Link to Lonely Trainer's cam-girl photos
>> The Chairman is a dumbass for believing this bitch, sigh, I only feel bad for Hana...
Hana, you finally did it.
I thought she would, at most, send Garam the messages I had sent her in the past.
She had gone far beyond my imagination.
I slammed on the accelerator, pushing the speed even higher.
The engine roared, and the force threw me back into my seat.
That bitch. Just you wait.
*
After meeting Ho-cheol in front of the hospital, I filled out some basic paperwork and entered the emergency room.
Following a nurse's guidance, I found Garam sleeping with ragged, shallow breaths.
It was better for her to be asleep than to remain in a state of constant anxiety.
"The patient is much more stable now. Once she wakes up, the doctor will do a quick check," the nurse said in a dry tone before moving on to another patient.
I sat down on a small chair next to the bed.
The chair creaked under my weight.
"......."
This was the situation as I had pieced it together on the way here:
I didn't know exactly what Hana had said, but Garam had been framed—framed for supposedly badmouthing Hana to me.
Of course, it was all circumstantial. The cunning Hana never explicitly said Garam did it. She simply dropped hints that would lead people to that conclusion.
They were tiny clues, but for the people who live on community boards looking for drama, it was delicious bait.
While broadcasting, Hana had mentioned me and briefly opened and closed her friend list.
Internet detectives captured that frame, found my friend code, and checked my recent watch history.
Since I hadn't set my watch history to private, the entire list was exposed.
And what do you know? The "Supreme Building Owner," who used to roam around every female streamer's channel throwing coins, was now watching only one single broadcast.
And that broadcast belonged to the "Lonely Trainer."
It wasn't enough for a court of law, but in the court of the internet, the case was already closed.
Community members who loved trolling and Hana’s die-hard fans gathered and swarmed Garam’s stream to tear it apart.
Fortunately, the "cam-girl link" turned out to be a "Mrs. Shimura" bait link.
If they had actually photoshopped Garam’s face onto something, the psychological impact on her would have been even more devastating.
To be honest, compared to the usual atrocities committed on the internet, this was relatively mild.
But for Garam, who had no immunity to such things, it must have been unbearable.
I took Garam’s hand as she lay there.
As I stroked her freezing hand, I felt a wave of deep regret.
Since this happened because of me, I intended to take responsibility and resolve this situation.
"Mmm..."
Perhaps she felt my touch, as Garam began to stir.
"Hm?"
Her eyes slowly opened and met mine.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get to the phone. Garam... Urgh!"
Before I could finish, she bolted upright and threw her arms around me.
"Why... why! Why did you only come now! Why!!"
Like a cornered lioness, she pinched, scratched, and pounded on my back.
All the while, she buried her face in my chest and sobbed.
By the time her hot tears began to soak through my shirt, she slowly lifted her head to meet my eyes.
"I'm sorry."
I stroked her hair once and spoke softly.
Only then did her expression calm down slightly, and she pulled back from my embrace.
"Since you're awake, I'll go get the doctor."
I stood up to find the physician.
Grip.
My body was jerked back with a pain that felt like my arm was being torn off.
"Don't go. Don't go anywhere from now on."
Garam, who had grabbed my right arm before I knew it, was staring at me with sunken, hollow eyes.
"Ga-Garam."
It was like looking at the Garam I had seen at the Han River.
"Don't go. I feel like I can't even breathe without you, President. Please, don't let me out of your sight."
She pulled my arm once more, and my body was drawn helplessly toward her.
Then began an infinitely uncomfortable, long stare.
Garam, staring intensely into my face, opened her mouth and spoke, enunciating every syllable.
"President In-ho... no. Da. ddy."
You know that feeling, right?
That ominous sense of dread that washes over you even when you don’t know the details.
That was exactly what I felt.
Oh, I am in deep shit.