As Expected, the Protagonist Is the Protagonist
We had enjoyed a proper date for the first time in a while, and it ended in a passionate night together. Han Yugyeong must have been satisfied with how the day went, because she clung to me even more intensely than usual that night. We kept going until dawn before finally falling asleep, and only woke up when it was nearly time to meet her friends and her tutoring student. I was pretty exhausted. After all, I had been with Ha Juyun in the morning and then with Han Yugyeong until the early hours.
I got up, did a quick stretch, and washed up. Han Yugyeong shuffled off to the bathroom with sleepy eyes, but the cold water must have shocked her awake because she came out bright and alert.
“So how did the negotiations with Base Technology turn out?”
“It went well. Just like you said, the threats worked perfectly. Now I need to start buying up shares gradually and secure solid control.”
What Han Yugyeong described was the standard route to swallowing Base Technology whole. Because BS Group held its shares through dummy accounts belonging to homeless people and the like, she and Vanguard had to track those individuals down to claim the stock. On top of that, they would have to buy up the shares floating on the open market. Vanguard had a mountain of work ahead. Still, with BS Group now fully distracted by their internal succession war, they lacked the manpower to interfere. We probably wouldn’t face any major obstacles.
“I’m ready. Shall we head out?”
“Yeah.”
Even though it was summer break, everyone we were meeting lived nearby, so we had arranged to gather at a popular restaurant near the university district. If not for Lee Ji-soo—Han Yugyeong’s tutoring student—we could have met for dinner and drinks in the evening. But since Ji-soo was still a minor in her third year of high school, we settled on lunch instead.
Thinking about minors reminded me of a few other NPCs who were still underage. There were potential heroines among them, and even a student who was an outstanding VR diver. I should organize the capable ones and hand the list over to Han Yugyeong. Most minors didn’t have any affiliations yet, so recruiting them would be easy. Anyone with decent abilities in their early twenties usually already belonged to some group, making them hard to poach. The ones without affiliations were either mediocre or had personality problems.
It was mid-July, and the sun was brutally hot. I walked toward our destination with Han Yugyeong, squinting against the glare. We were meeting at a recently trending Mexican place. When we arrived, Son Nari and Hong Soo-yeon had already taken their seats. They spotted us and waved enthusiastically.
“Hello, I’m Jin Yongtae.”
“Hi! We met once before, right? I’m Son Nari, Yugyeong’s best friend.”
“I’m Hong Soo-yeon.”
After some slightly awkward introductions, we sat down. The stiff atmosphere must have amused Han Yugyeong, because she burst out laughing before speaking.
“You’re all the same age. Why are you being so formal? Just talk casually.”
“Hehe. Okay, I will. I was so disappointed last time—you two just looked at each other and vanished.”
“I heard rumors that Yugyeong’s boyfriend was celebrity-level handsome. Guess it was true.”
“Hahaha, come on.”
Son Nari had an ordinary face, while Hong Soo-yeon possessed the kind of looks people called a solid seven—top twenty to thirty percent. Han Yugyeong, of course, was easily top 0.1 percent.
We ordered food, including a portion for Lee Ji-soo who hadn’t arrived yet. Right after we finished ordering, a pretty girl walked into the restaurant. Han Yugyeong and the others immediately raised their hands.
“Jisoo! Over here!”
Lee Ji-soo was a beautiful girl with light brown hair and a slightly feline smile. She was already stunning, but the fresh, youthful energy that came with being a student made her the kind of girl you couldn’t help watching with a fond expression.
“Sorry I’m a little late. The taxi kept hitting red lights.”
She wasn’t actually late. The rest of us had simply arrived early because we lived nearby. Ji-soo apologized anyway, then looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“You’re Teacher Yugyeong’s boyfriend, right? Hello, I’m Lee Ji-soo.”
She offered her hand, so I shook it without thinking. Hmm. The way she positioned her hand felt very much like someone from a politician’s family.
Once we were all seated, the four girls launched into full chatter mode. They asked how we met, who confessed first, what our dates had been like. Han Yugyeong did most of the talking while I added occasional comments. Everyone seemed especially impressed by our first meeting. When I mentioned saving her from delinquents, their eyes turned dreamy. They were clearly imagining a knight rescuing a princess. Of course, I left out the part about us having sex that same night.
Even after the food arrived the conversation never slowed. I took the chance to check my phone after it vibrated with a notification.
I set the phone down. Just knowing I was on screen felt cringeworthy.
“What’s wrong?”
“That music video I filmed with your mother. They released it today.”
Han Yugyeong had been chatting with her friends but noticed my odd expression and asked. I deliberately used the word “mother” so she wouldn’t get upset about me calling her “Nuna.”
“Really? Let’s see it!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Teacher, I’m curious too.”
“From the way you’re talking, it sounds like some kind of video or photo?”
Everyone grew interested after Han Yugyeong’s excited reaction. I sighed and explained the whole story. When I told them a member of the boy group JBS had been caught with drugs and I had coincidentally gotten the chance to film the music video instead, they exploded with excitement and demanded to watch it immediately.
With no choice, I clicked the link Ha Juyun had sent. It opened on MeTube.
The moment I pressed play, a gentle ballad began. The video opened on an old school building. Ha Juyun, playing a teacher, was writing something on the blackboard while I stole glances at her. I had to admit, I looked pretty handsome. When our eyes met, she smiled and I shyly looked down, pretending to read my textbook.
“Oh my, oh my!”
Son Nari let out an auntie-like exclamation as she kept watching. Han Yugyeong and the others stayed quiet, completely absorbed. The lyrics were about the pain of forbidden love. The singer’s strong vocals matched the music video perfectly and captured the desperate atmosphere well. Scenes of the alley fight we had filmed alternated with classroom shots. When the song ended, the final scene showed me as a college student visiting Ha Juyun’s house and kissing her.
“Wow! The song was great. The video too.”
“Were you originally an acting major? You were really good.”
“Sniff…! It was so moving.”
Son Nari and Hong Soo-yeon were full of praise while Lee Ji-soo was actually shedding tears. Han Yugyeong remained strangely silent. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the kiss scene. After a moment, she finally spoke.
“Ugh! Yongtae looks way too cool…! I shouldn’t have told you to do it. Once you get famous, girls are going to swarm all over you…!”
So that was why she had gone quiet. Everyone else let out awkward laughs at her words. It wasn’t like one music video would turn me into a superstar. Even if it gained some unexpected attention, I wouldn’t be appearing on TV or MeTube regularly, so interest would fade quickly. In a world where new scandals popped up every single day, any buzz around me would soon be swept away by the next wave of information. That was why I wasn’t as worried as Han Yugyeong.
“What should we do after eating?”
“Let’s go to karaoke!”
I asked about the next destination to clear the slightly awkward atmosphere caused by Han Yugyeong. Lee Ji-soo raised her hand and suggested karaoke. It was a safe choice, so everyone nodded in agreement.
That was when it happened.
A deafening boom shook the air, followed by a deep rumbling and the sound of something collapsing. Shit, what the hell?
I ran outside the restaurant. In the distance, one of the buildings was visibly crumbling, thick black smoke pouring from it. Han Yugyeong and the other girls followed a moment later. They stood with their mouths open, staring at the collapsing structure.
“What building is that?”
“It’s the one that houses BS Defender and several BS Group subsidiaries…”
So Park Il-soo had really lost it after losing his son. He was going all out with no regard for consequences. Why attack so recklessly? The BS Group stock price was going to crash hard.
“First Park Sang-beom dies, and now this… BS Group really can’t catch a break lately…”
Son Nari muttered to herself. I felt a slight pang of guilt. After all, we were the ones who had killed Park Sang-beom and stirred up trouble. I couldn’t claim we had zero responsibility for this incident, but Park Il-soo had still gone way too far. Blowing up a building in the middle of Seoul? He had crossed the line by a mile.
The situation must have hit the news, because everyone’s phones started ringing. Han Yugyeong received a call from Ha Juyun, and the others seemed to be getting calls from their parents as well.
“Looks like karaoke will have to wait for next time.”
“Yeah, my family’s worried. I should head home.”
“I’m going straight back to my parents’ house.”
We had barely met up, so everyone looked disappointed, but the circumstances left us no choice. Han Yugyeong finished her long call with Ha Juyun and told the group they should meet again later and part ways for now.
After saying goodbye to her friends, Han Yugyeong turned to me with a helpless expression.
“I have to go back to the family house too. Yongtae… what do I do? You finally came from Japan after so long… I couldn’t spend much time with you because of work, and now with this explosion I have to go home. We won’t be able to see each other anymore after this…”
Han Yugyeong still needed the protection of the Shinkang Group umbrella, so she couldn’t refuse the order to return home. At the same time, she couldn’t bring me with her. If our relationship became known, it would cause problems for both of us. If the youngest grandson of a massive Japanese conglomerate was revealed to be dating her, she would be treated as someone who had married out of the family and lose all influence. On my side, I would be seen as trying to use a Korean chaebol as a stepping stone to enter the succession race, which would bring intense scrutiny and interference from my uncles and aunts. That was why we couldn’t make our relationship public until we had both secured our positions. Ha Juyun knew, but she had promised to keep it secret, so that was fine.
“Let’s head home first. Dixon will come pick you up, right?”
“Yeah…”
If Han Yugyeong returned to the Shinkang family home, she would be there for at least three days. My trip to Korea would end during that time. The trip itself wasn’t over today, but I wouldn’t be able to spend any more time with her during this visit.
“Next time…”
“Hm?”
“Next time I won’t let us part like this. I’ll either gain independence or build real power inside Shinkang Group. And…”
“And?”
“I’m going to completely destroy the BS Group that created this situation.”
Han Yugyeong’s eyes burned with determination. It was exactly the kind of gaze you would expect from the protagonist. It was a little funny that what fueled that protagonist’s fiery eyes was having her long-awaited date with her boyfriend interrupted, but since I currently occupied the largest place in her heart, it couldn’t be helped. Besides, after everything from the Park Sang-beom incident to the Base Technology case and now this bombing, the BS Group could only look like an enemy in her eyes.