Chapter 158: Year-End Party (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: Year-End Party (3)
Woken by the sound of her alarm, Lee Yu-na turned it off with her eyes half-closed.
She buried her face in her plush pillow, remaining motionless as if she had fallen back asleep, before slowly pushing herself up. Her eyes, not yet fully awake, were hazy, and her disheveled hair covered half her face.
Despite being on vacation, Yu-na felt more tired than usual. It wasn't so much that her usual training rhythm had been disrupted, but rather that she simply didn't want to attend today's party.
She’d much rather fire an arrow between the eyes of a snarling monster than wear a smiling mask and exchange hollow pleasantries at a tedious party.
Yu-na forced her reluctant body out of bed. Since she always slept in only her underwear regardless of the heat or cold, her sleek, well-defined physique shimmered as it caught the morning sunlight. After checking her messy face in the full-length mirror and turning to inspect her figure, she pulled on a pair of tight leggings and stepped out of her room.
The cold winter air filled her lungs, but to a Hero like her, this level of chill was nothing.
Looking out at the city skyline, she rolled out her yoga mat and began with light movements to warm up, gradually transitioning into more difficult poses to increase her flexibility. While strength training was important, agility was paramount for her position; she had added yoga to her personal routine ever since she switched her primary weapon to a bow.
It was a form of training that wouldn't be reflected in her actual stats, but she practiced it diligently, following her older sister’s advice that numerical stats were merely like certifications and that one should value the abilities that couldn't be expressed in numbers.
At first, she had viewed it as simple training, but over time, she found it served as a form of meditation and left her feeling refreshed, which she found quite satisfying.
Kneeling and reaching back to grab the soles of her feet, Yu-na pushed her chest toward the sky and tilted her head back. Naturally, the curve of her chest rising above her slender waist was emphasized as she held the pose, maintaining the tension throughout her body.
An employee, who finished work in the evening and arrived early in the morning, brought over a glass of healthy vegetable juice and placed it in front of her. Since Yu-na had been practicing yoga faithfully every single day for a year, the employee knew exactly when her training would end.
"It’s a kale and banana blend, Miss."
"Thank you, Mr. Do-geon."
Jang Do-geon, who had worked for the household for ten years, gave a polite, modest bow before heading inside to prepare breakfast.
Jeong Yeon-woo would have been surprised to see it, but in this world, it was only natural for most domestic services to be performed by men.
Since the vegetable juice contained no sugar, Yu-na drank it, feeling grateful that it at least contained bananas for a hint of sweetness. It was a secret known only to the family, but Lee Ru-da absolutely refused to consume anything bitter. Jang Do-geon had tried his best to get her to drink vegetable juice since she was a child, but he eventually gave up in despair.
Since she was a Hero, she didn't have to worry about gaining weight. Feeling like her sister was getting all the tasty food while she was missing out, Yu-na shrugged, finished her juice, and took the empty glass to the kitchen.
"Just leave it in the sink, Miss. I'll wash it."
"No, it's fine. You're busy preparing the meal. It’s a simple task."
Yu-na brushed off Jang Do-geon’s protests and rinsed the cup.
With her parents abroad and Lee Ru-da busy clearing a dungeon, Yu-na ate the breakfast prepared by Jang Do-geon alone.
"You can head home early today. I have a schedule, so I'll be out from this evening onwards."
"Understood. Thank you. I'll leave a hangover tonic in the refrigerator, so please make sure to drink it."
Expressing her gratitude to Mr. Do-geon, who had looked after her health since she was a little girl, Yu-na rested until it was time for the year-end party.
She wanted to send a text to Jeong Yeon-woo telling him to have a good day at the Association, but she felt like she might be pressuring him. After drafting and deleting the message several times, she gave up and turned off her smartphone.
I hope he settles things smoothly with the police...
Knowing Jeong Yeon-woo had done nothing wrong, Yu-na felt the police officials were being unnecessarily difficult just to protect their pride. She passed the time until 3:00 PM, then began her preparations.
While bathing, she thought of Jeong Yeon-woo again and was almost tempted to masturbate, but she held back. After finishing her skincare routine, she went to a pre-booked hair salon for styling.
Returning home, Yu-na put on the outfit she had prepared long ago. Was it because she hoped to show herself to Jeong Yeon-woo, even though he likely wouldn't come? She had been invited to this party many times, but she had never prepared this meticulously before.
Practicing her smile in the mirror, Yu-na stood up. It was only 6:00 PM, but she packed her essentials into a pouch, said goodbye to Jang Do-geon, and left.
Since neither Lee Ru-da nor Song Ha-el would be attending, she was the face of Square Garden tonight.
Vowing not to make even the slightest mistake, Yu-na entered the party hall before it became crowded.
Perhaps believing that arriving late made them look more prominent and busy, the various dignitaries began to appear one by one after the party officially started.
With a soft smile plastered on her face, Yu-na greeted the guests. Most of them began by saying how disappointed they were that Lee Ru-da couldn't make it, to which Yu-na proudly replied that her sister was absent to protect the citizens.
Even though these were powerful people, she felt no need to be intimidated. She wasn't just Lee Yu-na tonight; she was representing Square Garden, and she had to carry herself with pride.
"Yu-na, it’s been a long time."
At the sound of the familiar voice, Yu-na’s mask almost cracked. She calmly maintained her smile and turned around.
A woman in a flashy dress stood there, smiling as she flaunted a model-like man on her arm.
"Why did you come alone?"
Yu-na had known her since high school, but they weren't exactly friends. In fact, she was a bitch Yu-na would have loved to punch in the mouth if she could.
Whether out of jealousy toward Yu-na’s successful Hero sister or Yu-na becoming a Hero herself, the woman had been subtly picking fights since their school days. She was the type of snake who cleverly crossed the line just enough to be annoying but hard to openly get angry at. Despite her appearance, Yu-na didn't lose her smile.
"Unfortunately, my sister couldn't attend due to her dungeon conquest schedule."
"No, no~ I didn't mean her. Partners are allowed to attend today, aren't they?"
The woman gave a sly smile, as if confused.
"But why are you alone... Oh, I'm sorry. Was I too rude? I'm sure you have your reasons."
Yu-na stared blankly at the woman’s hand as she touched Yu-na’s shoulder with a mock-pitying expression.
"You know him, right? The movie that just came out... what was it called again?"
"The Mad Pierrot’s Laughter," the man said proudly.
Yu-na thought the title sounded ridiculous, but the man seemed quite full of himself. The woman looked at him lovingly, pressing her chest against his arm.
Just get lost and book a room already.
As Yu-na suppressed her urge to curse, the woman looked her up and down with a mocking sneer.
"Hmm~ You came alone last time too, didn't you? Is your family a bit conservative? No, wait—if they were conservative for a woman, they'd tell you to meet many men. So, are they... progressive? Should I call it progressive? It’s so 'progressive' to be a virgin, puhuhu."
"He said he’d be a little late, so you don't need to worry," Yu-na replied.
"Oh? Really? Then we get to see Yu-na’s boyfriend? Is it Jeong Yeon-woo? Nah—there’s no way."
Yu-na lamented the fact that there were witnesses; otherwise, she would have punched the woman, smashed a window, and tossed her out of the building.
The woman cackled, clutching the uncomfortable-looking man’s arm even tighter.
"But do you even have Jeong Yeon-woo’s number? Could you introduce me? He’s seriously sexy. I saw a video of him shooting while prone, and his firm ass was going boing, boing from the recoil..."
"I’m sorry, but could you refrain from speaking so flippantly about the leader of Black Unicorn?"
The woman flinched when Yu-na dropped the formal honorifics. Facing Yu-na’s cold, unsmiling face, the woman’s eyes darted around as she avoided her gaze. She then scurried away, grumbling as if she were the one who was offended.
"Geez, he’s not even hers, so why is she acting like that? Anyone would think they’d already slept together."
Suppressing the urge to grab the back of the woman’s head and hurl her away for running her mouth until the very end, Yu-na put her smiling mask back on.
She checked her smartphone anxiously—still no message. She continued to smile and engage in cookie-cutter conversations with the people approaching her.
This is driving me crazy.
"So, you're saying you have no evidence for your whereabouts between 14:00 and 19:00 on the 2nd?"
The police officer sitting across from me was interrogating me as if I were a criminal. It was a question that had been repeated several times already. Whenever I tried to answer, she’d cut me off with "Fine, next—" making me exhausted just trying to respond.
Are these bastards doing this on purpose?
It felt like they didn't care about restoring their pride anymore; they just wanted to annoy me and screw with me.
As I stared at the officer who was irritably flipping through the papers on her clipboard, she frowned and spoke.
"Since you can't answer, I assume you're admitting to our claims?"
I glanced at the clock on the wall and spoke.
"How much longer are you going to keep up this act?"
"This act?"
"Yes, this act. What are you trying to pull? I came here because you asked me to testify to prove the charges, but all you're doing is interrogating me. Am I a criminal?"
When I, who had been cooperatively keeping a low profile, suddenly pushed back, the officer exchanged looks with her colleague and spoke in an overbearing tone.
"Aren't we just trying to verify if Hero Jeong Yeon-woo’s testimony is accurate?"
"Hmm. I've shown you so much evidence, yet you keep asking the same questions."
"We're asking because there are questionable parts. Do we look like we're joking right now?"
"Hmm—questionable. It seems there are many parts you find questionable."
I nodded, then met the officer’s gaze directly.
"Then shall I prove it to you again? Like I did back then?"
"..."
At the suggestion that I might cut loose again, the officer couldn't find an answer.
"Are you threatening the police right now...?"
"Pardon? Is proving the truth and uncovering a crime threatening? Usually, only villains or criminals would find those words threatening. Why do you think it's a threat?"
"Don't play word games with me!"
There was no reasoning with her. I couldn't take it anymore. I wiped the relaxed smile from my face and glared at the officer with a hardened expression.
"You think this is a game?"
"..."
Seeing the atmosphere in the room turn ice-cold, I stood up.
"The investigation isn't over yet."
"Let's postpone it."
"Do you think testifying is a joke?!"
"It’s not a joke. But seeing you bastards playing games makes me want to play along. Next time, I'll be recording everything. If you don't want to be humiliated, come prepared."
"Personal recordings are not permitted."
"Then there will be no witness statement either."
The officer bit her lip and looked at me, then spoke with a smirk, as if playing her trump card.
"The trial results might turn out unfavorably for you. Are you okay with that?"
"Unfavorably? How? Are you going to let Han Byeong-sin go free? Go ahead, try it. Do you think you can handle the fallout? What do you think the public will say?"
A detective had already been caught taking money from the Hanseong Group. If they brazenly acquitted Han Byeong-sin in front of an already furious public, there would be a literal riot.
Go ahead, let him go. I’ll just hold a press conference and squeeze out some tears while announcing that Han Byeong-sin used Im Yu-jin and Moon Yoo-jeong to try and rape me.
They won't snap out of it until they taste the legendary logic that "the victim's tears are the evidence."
I left the room, leaving the speechless police behind.
I checked my phone, which I had left outside. There were many notifications, but none from Lee Yu-na.
Even if I left now, I’d be over an hour late.
I went to the restroom and changed into the clothes I had brought. I meticulously groomed myself in front of the mirror and put on a luxury watch I rarely wore.
I couldn't believe this thing cost tens of thousands of dollars. Even though it was borrowed, I was terrified of even scratching it. For the sake of Yu-na, who always seemed to get the short end of the stick, I packaged myself to look as appetizing as possible.
I was satisfied with my reflection.
Alright, time to go boost our Yu-na’s confidence.