Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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"You and Seo Yerim are fraternal twins!?"
"...Yeah."
Last night.
I'd dragged Junseok, who was too wasted to even stand, to a motel together.
The first thing I asked when I woke up early that morning was about Seo Yerim, and that's when he dropped the bombshell that they were fraternal twins.
But what really left me dumbfounded was...
"Hold on, so you asked Seo Yerim to pretend to be with me at the reunion so I wouldn't embarrass myself?"
"Yeah, sorry about that."
Junseok had heard I was going to the reunion and worried his ass off.
He'd sent an SOS to his little sister, Seo Yerim, wanting to help somehow.
Obviously, he figured I'd come back ignored and humiliated, so he asked her to sit at our table and prop up my image a bit.
Someone like Seo Yerim, the college goddess, was more than enough to overshadow Kang Jua.
I let out a deep sigh.
What could I do, though?
The guy had my back, so I couldn't really chew him out for it.
No wonder he'd kept apologizing nonstop while drunk yesterday. Who'd have thought there was a story behind it?
"But if you're fraternal twins, shouldn't you look at least a little alike? Or is this that 'all the genes went to one kid' thing you hear about?"
"Ha..."
"Sorry, it just slipped out."
"You wanna die, for real?"
Wait a sec...
If Seo Yerim and he were fraternal twins, that meant they were family—and Seo Junseok was from the Yeoksan Group?
If anything, that was the real shock.
I stared at Junseok with wide eyes.
"So your dad's the chairman of Yeoksan Group?"
"Technically, it's my grandpa."
"You little shit, you're a chaebol heir?"
"Didn't you hear from Yerim yesterday? I'm the black sheep they kicked out."
We'd met during college, so it'd been about eight years since we became friends.
I felt a twinge of resentment, sure, but I figured he had his reasons.
Plus, how pathetic must I have seemed for him to reveal his secret just to help me out?
"Whew! I told you I wouldn't embarrass myself at the reunion."
"Yeah! Seeing you yesterday actually made me regret asking Yerim for the favor. I was relieved."
"No wonder a girl-crazy guy like you didn't even glance at Seo Yerim. Blood relation and all."
"Ha..."
My head still wasn't working right, probably from the hangover.
I replayed last night's chat with Seo Yerim in my mind and spoke up.
"By the way, Seo Yerim brought up something about 'mutual help'?"
"M-Mutual help?"
"She said something like, 'I've kept my promise, so you better take good care of me too.' When I asked what that meant, she told me to ask you."
Junseok's face hardened instantly, his expression uneasy as he sighed and hung his head.
"You probably noticed in college too, but she's always been way too antisocial, even as a kid."
"She is pretty quiet."
"You know Daesung Group?"
Daesung Group was a conglomerate on par with Yeoksan.
No Korean wouldn't know it.
But why bring up Daesung Group out of nowhere while talking about Seo Yerim?
"Who doesn't?"
"The Daesung heiress is our age, and she's throwing a huge birthday party. Dad forced Yerim to go no matter what."
"So what does that have to do with what she said to me yesterday?"
"Turns out the party's a partner escort thing."
"You bastard! Don't tell me the 'promise' means I have to go to her birthday party with Seo Yerim?"
Junseok pressed his temples, grinding his teeth.
"...At the time, I really thought you'd crash and burn at the reunion!"
"And who's throwing a birthday party at twenty-eight? You age backwards or something?"
"I don't get it either, but in these circles, there's always some party or another."
Finding out Seo Yerim and Seo Junseok were fraternal twins was shocking enough, but escort her to a birthday party?
Our only tie to Daesung was their TVs—nothing else.
Even if his intentions were good, a no was a no.
Besides, what could I even do at some fancy birthday bash?
"Just find someone else besides me."
"I told you, Yerim's so antisocial she doesn't have a single person to take."
"Yeoksan Group's loaded. Hire an escort."
"The groups are at each other's throats looking for dirt. You think they could handle getting caught with a ringer? They'd die of shame."
"I-I don't care! I'm not going, even if it kills me!"
"Fine. If it bothers you that much, I'll tell Yerim the truth."
He gave in surprisingly easily.
I felt bad, but put a hand on his shoulder anyway, like there was no helping it.
"I really appreciate you looking out for m—"
"It just hit me—I broke a promise with Yerim when we were kids. I once caught her searching something online by chance..."
"...And?"
"Hitman services. Turns out she even called one... Lucky she was just a kid then."
"N-No way. She'd kill her one and only brother?"
"Me? Nah, we've got history, so she'd spare me. You, though..."
This was blackmail.
And coming from Seo Yerim, it carried real weight.
I could practically feel myself getting murdered in a bathhouse before I even made any money from it.
Wither away before my prime?
I grabbed my hair with both hands and yelled.
"Fuck! What the hell do you want me to do?!"
Gulp. Gulp.
A day had passed since my blowout with Junseok and returning home from Seoul.
I shuffled to the fridge, chugged water straight from the jug, and plopped down on the living room couch.
'Shouldn't have followed Grandpa Hong last night...'
Even after getting back home, I couldn't shake the unease, so I stopped by the supermarket for some hangover meds.
Everything was fine up to that point.
'The trouble started after I bought them and left.'
As I stepped out, Grandpa Hong quietly called me over without Grandma Choi noticing.
No choice but to follow him.
And there, on a wooden platform, sat a bottle of ginseng liquor aged ten years.
—Wanna drink this?
—Ha! I had way too much yesterday...
—Good for men.
—...Perfect for a wake-up shot. Cheers.
Guess I'd gotten older.
I heard it was good for me and just kept drinking whatever Grandpa Hong poured, and next thing I knew, my memory blacked out.
Opened my eyes to the tiny back room at the supermarket.
No clue how I dragged my drunk ass there, but Grandma Choi's colorful curses greeted me first thing.
'It was hell. Though her hangover stew was damn good.'
Her stew had settled my stomach, but my head still throbbed even back home.
I sighed shortly, tilted my head back, and stared blankly at the bedroom ceiling.
'Oh yeah, I saw Park Gwangho at the supermarket yesterday too.'
Park Gwangho.
Two years younger than me, right?
Kid was always causing trouble growing up, keeping the neighborhood in chaos.
His parents were constantly apologizing.
'Heard he started a business in Seoul. Probably grown up by now.'
Once, the punk stole money from the supermarket.
I heard, dragged him to the school field, and beat the dust out of him.
And with his accomplice testifying, Park Gwangho had no choice but to take his punishment.
But.
Grandma Choi told the detective who showed up that nothing was missing and covered for him.
It was a hefty sum, and he'd already blown it all, so back then, I couldn't understand her actions.
—Tsk tsk. Kids who keep going in and out of the station get hooked on it.
Couldn't hold back my curiosity and asked her later.
Her unexpected answer floored me.
It was so unlike her usual cursing and weird jokes that it hit even harder.
That's why.
Unable to confess the crime, we couldn't even get compensation from his parents.
Pretty sure that's around when it started.
When I secretly began respecting Grandma Choi.
'Though Park Gwangho still seems clueless about her kindness.'
♪♬♪
I was about to drag my tired body up to catch up on cleaning and bath maintenance when the doorbell rang through the house.
I tilted my head and headed to the front door.
Creeeak.
I turned the knob and slowly opened it.
Two average-looking guys stared back at me.
Hard to tell under their clothes, but they looked solidly built. Early thirties, maybe.
Strangers around here, so I eyed them warily.
"Who are you?"
One of them stepped forward, flipped open his coat slightly, and pulled a black wallet from his inner pocket.
He flipped it open deftly with his fingers, revealing a silver police badge and ID.
"Detective Yoo Seongjae, violent crimes unit, Jangwon Police Station. Mind if we talk for a bit?"