Be Honest With Me
The next day was a Saturday afternoon. Jaehyuk and Jihun were walking through the apartment complex where Jeonghan and his family lived.
‘Come to think of it, in my previous life I never came back here after Suyeon died.’
As Jaehyuk strolled through the complex, faint memories from his past life surfaced. The days when he, Jeonghan, and Suyeon would happily run around the grounds as elementary school kids. ‘If things had gone wrong back then… those would have become painful memories I could barely stand to recall.’
Thinking that, Jaehyuk felt glad he had acted immediately upon seeing Suyeon walking with Hyeji that day.
“Jeonghan’s place is Building 504, Unit 302, right?”
“Yeah. 504, 302. That’s it.”
The two of them entered Building 504. When Jihun saw the elevator heading up to the eighth floor, he turned to Jaehyuk.
“Let’s take the stairs. It’s only the third floor, no big deal, right?”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
They climbed the stairs to the third floor and stopped in front of Jeonghan’s front door. Jaehyuk pressed the doorbell, and the door opened to reveal Jeonghan greeting them.
“Hey. Oh? Kang Jihun’s here too?”
“Figured I might as well come help out if there’s anything to do.”
At Jihun’s words, Jaehyuk shot him a meaningful look. ‘Says that, but he’s really here to see Suyeon…’
“Anyway, come on in.”
Jaehyuk and Jihun took off their sneakers and stepped inside. Jihun glanced around before asking Jeonghan,
“How’s Suyeon doing?”
“She’s a lot better than before. Right after she got discharged she was having nightmares and stuff… but she’s almost fully recovered now.”
Just then, a door to one of the rooms opened and Suyeon poked her head out through the gap.
“Oppa, who’s here?”
Jeonghan turned toward her and said,
“Oh, you’re up? You could’ve slept longer.”
“I couldn’t fall back asleep. Maybe because I slept so much yesterday.”
“Suyeon, are you feeling okay now?” Jaehyuk asked.
Suyeon opened the door fully, smiled at him, and answered,
“Yeah. I’m fine now.”
Her smile was the kind of pretty smile she’d give to someone she liked. But it wasn’t the deeply affectionate smile of a girl in love. It was more like the warm smile you’d give to a close older cousin you hadn’t seen in a while.
Jaehyuk introduced Jihun to her.
“This is Kang Jihun. He’s the guy who helped me save you that day.”
“Uh… hi?”
Jihun waved with an awkward smile. Suyeon, looking equally awkward, simply gave a small nod.
“Want something to drink? Cola? Sprite?”
At Jeonghan’s question, Jaehyuk asked back,
“No Fanta?”
“We don’t have that.”
“What snacks do you have?”
“Potato chips and a few cookies.”
While Jaehyuk and Jeonghan talked, Suyeon brought some snacks from the kitchen and set them on the table. Then she went to the living room and sat on the sofa. Jihun approached her carefully and spoke.
“So… what high school do you go to?”
“……I go to Mansung High.”
“Oh, really? I go to Taegwang High.”
“Ah… I see…”
‘Wait… is the conversation already over…??’
Worried that the talk might die there, Jihun racked his brain for another topic.
“Uh… do you play games at all?”
Suyeon’s eyes suddenly sparkled like a freshman who had just found a friend with a very specific shared interest.
“You like games?”
“Yeah. I mostly play League of Myths and Guardians…”
“Wait, really? I play those too. Especially Guardians—I’ve been playing it nonstop since it launched in 2016.”
Suyeon answered with a bright, beaming smile, like an idol girl meeting her biggest fan. Jihun cheered internally and smoothly continued the conversation.
“But why are you speaking so formally? You can drop the honorifics.”
“Uh… really…? Then… I’ll drop them…?”
Jihun looked at her with eyes practically dripping with honey, as if he found her utterly adorable.
While setting cups on the table, Jaehyuk saw this and thought, ‘Looks like Kang Jihun’s got it bad for Suyeon.’
Jeonghan poured drinks into the cups Jaehyuk had set out, then called over to Jihun and Suyeon, who were happily chatting.
“Everything’s ready. Come eat.”
“Got it!”
Jihun answered and casually slid into the seat right next to Suyeon.
As Jaehyuk munched on snacks, he asked Suyeon,
“You’re going back to school next Monday, right?”
Suyeon pouted in disappointment.
“Yeah. I want to rest more… but maybe I should just tell the teacher I’m still hurting and skip.”
‘She must be feeling a lot better. That’s a relief.’
Jaehyuk smiled softly at her. The fact that she could joke about something so serious meant she really had recovered quite a bit.
Then Jihun, popping a snack into his mouth, asked Jeonghan,
“Jeonghan. You don’t need a bodyguard for Suyeon, do you?”
“Why? You offering?”
“I can’t do it myself, but I know some uncles who could. I heard they used to be MMA fighters.”
Jaehyuk set down his drink and listened closely to the conversation between Jeonghan and Jihun.
“Uncles?”
“If I ask, they’ll definitely help. They’ve been close to me since I was little.”
At Jeonghan’s question, Jihun answered,
“A bodyguard feels a bit… I think I’ll be fine going alone.”
“Yeah. They probably have their own lives too.”
Both Suyeon and Jeonghan politely declined, looking uncomfortable at the idea. Jihun made a sheepish face, then downed the rest of his drink in one go.
“Well… if that’s what you guys want… but if you ever need help later, just say the word. Okay?”
“I’ll think about it when the time comes.”
Jihun changed the subject and asked Suyeon,
“Do you have a favorite PC bang? Or do you game on a computer at home?”
“A computer’s kind of expensive… so I usually go to Ares PC Bang.”
Suddenly Suyeon’s eyes lit up as she said to Jihun,
“Wait, didn’t you say you go to Taegwang High, Jihun oppa? Ares PC Bang is really close to Taegwang.”
Jeonghan pouted, clearly not thrilled, and glanced back and forth between Suyeon and Jihun. Jaehyuk, however, simply let the corner of his mouth curve up slightly.
Jihun smiled brightly and kept the conversation going.
“Really? I usually go to Hana PC Bang instead of Ares, so I didn’t know.”
“How about we play a round together sometime? I want to see how good you are, Jihun oppa.”
“Sure. Oh, but… do you have my number?”
“I don’t… so… can I get it…?”
The two of them exchanged phone numbers.
‘So this is how it slowly begins?’
Watching Suyeon smile brightly while talking with Jihun, Jaehyuk silently prayed that nothing bad would ever happen to her again.
After chatting happily with Jeonghan and Suyeon for a while, Jaehyuk and Jihun left their house. As they walked along the dimly lit street under the glow of streetlamps, Jaehyuk spoke to Jihun.
“Suyeon’s pretty, right?”
Jihun grinned like just thinking about her face made him happy and answered without hesitation.
“Of course. She’s really pretty and super cute… huh…?”
Jaehyuk let out a small laugh at how naturally Jihun had answered. Jihun’s face turned bright red like a ripe apple as he stammered,
“No, that’s not— I mean… it’s exactly what I said. She’s just pretty and cute, that’s all. There’s no, you know… romantic feelings or anything like that!!”
“Be honest with me. You like Suyeon, don’t you?”
“……Yeah, I do… for real…”
Blushing as he confessed his true feelings, Jihun cautiously asked Jaehyuk,
“But you don’t have any romantic feelings for her?”
“Nope. She’s like a little sister to me—closer than my actual little sister. And I’m pretty sure Suyeon feels the same way about me.”
“Oh, really?”
“Definitely. If she saw me that way, she would’ve shown it a long time ago. At the very least, she’d watch her language around me…”
“Suyeon swears…?”
“I’ve heard her when we game together. She does swear sometimes. But it’s really rare.”
“Well… everyone swears when a game isn’t going their way. As long as it’s not anything too extreme like parental insults, it’s fine.”
“Okay. Then it’s not a big deal.”
Jaehyuk then asked carefully,
“But do you really think she doesn’t need protection?”
“Well… if they say it’s too much of a burden…”
When Jihun answered that way, Jaehyuk made a request.
“Can’t you just put one bodyguard near her? Have them watch from a distance and only step in if something happens.”
He continued persuading the silent, thoughtful Jihun.
“Honestly, even though they turned it down… I can’t relax. There’s no guarantee something like that won’t happen again.”
Even though Jeonghan and Suyeon had refused protection, now that Jaehyuk knew the Burning Island cartel was targeting her, he believed Suyeon absolutely needed a bodyguard. Jihun might act like he knew nothing about Gangryonghoe’s real business, but he was still someone who could gather manpower. He could help keep Suyeon safe.
“Hmm… alright. I’ll talk to one of the uncles I know and set it up.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
A few days later, Monday arrived. Jeonghan left the house with Suyeon to walk her to school.
“Got it? If anything happens, contact me or Jaehyuk immediately.”
“What about Jihun oppa?”
Suyeon’s eyes sparkled as she asked. Remembering how Jihun had seemed interested in her on Saturday, Jeonghan hesitated, looking conflicted.
“Um… it’s not that you can’t… but he just… gives off a certain vibe…”
“Why? Jihun oppa seems really nice.”
“Ugh… fine. You can contact him too.”
Even though it didn’t have to be Kang Jihun, the thought of his precious little sister dating anyone other than someone he deeply trusted—like Park Jaehyuk—made unnecessary worries bubble up first. Having acted as Suyeon’s parent in place of their late father and busy mother, Jeonghan had always paid close attention to her. It was only natural he’d worry. Especially after what had happened to her just days ago.
As the siblings were talking, a luxurious Benz pulled up in front of them. Jihun stepped out of the back seat, grinning.
“Good morning?”
“Uh… good morning my ass. What’s with the car?”
“What else? I brought an uncle I know to give you and your sister a ride.”
Jihun stepped aside to let them in first. Suyeon climbed into the back seat, followed by Jeonghan. Jihun got in the passenger seat and told the driver,
“Mansung High first.”
The man was around 170 centimeters tall with a lean build. His somewhat gaunt face and hollow-looking eyes carried a faint but unmistakable murderous aura that made him seem extremely dangerous.
The man drove without a word. While the car was moving, Suyeon asked him cautiously,
“Um… how do you know Jihun oppa?”
“……An uncle he knows.”
“If it’s not rude, may I ask what you do for a living?”
“……”
The man kept his unreadable expression fixed on the road ahead and stayed silent. Worried she had asked something wrong, Suyeon spoke again in a small, intimidated voice.
“Sorry… if that was an unpleasant question.”
“It’s not that. This uncle just doesn’t talk much. He’s not mad at all. Right, Uncle?”
Jihun spoke in a reassuring tone. The man blinked once with his stoic face and answered Jihun.
“……Yeah.”
A short while later, the car stopped in front of Mansung High. Suyeon got out, smiled at Jihun and Jeonghan, and said,
“I’ll be going then.”
“Yeah. Have a good day. Be careful around the other kids.”
“Contact us right away if anything happens.”
Suyeon bowed politely to the man in the driver’s seat.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“……Yeah.”
The Benz drove off again, dropping Jeonghan off at Cheongang High as well. Now alone with the driver, Jihun sighed and said,
“Uncle. Why do you stay completely quiet and scare a sensitive girl like that? If you make that face on top of your usual expression, even the Grim Reaper’s grandpa would run away crying for his mom.”
“……You talk too much.”
Shin Taebum
Gangryonghoe Organization Member
After saying that, Taebum seemed a bit awkward and changed the subject.
“That girl was very polite.”
“Exactly. So why scare a polite girl like her?”
“I didn’t mean to scare her.”
“Sigh… Uncle, you really need to get in the habit of speaking with sincerity and kindness. Stop giving those dry, one-word answers, okay?”
“……”
Taebum continued driving while staring straight ahead in silence. Jihun looked almost ready to give up as he said,
“Fine. I’ll take that silence as agreement that you’ll try to fix it from now on.”
The Benz weaved through the heavy morning traffic and headed toward Taegwang High, where Jihun was a student.