Park Ji-hoon and Kim Tae-oh.
Park Ji-hoon and Kim Tae-oh.
As I focused on the drawing, the time to leave for my part-time job crept up before I knew it.
I had just washed up, thrown on some clothes, and started drying my hair when Da-yeon rang the doorbell.
When I opened the door, Da-yeon walked in with a smile.
"Si-yoon~!"
Having already finished her preparations to leave for the part-time job, Da-yeon naturally came over beside me and started touching my hair.
"Let's hurry up and go!"
"We still... have forty minutes left, you know?"
"We've gotta get there early~"
Da-yeon was grabbing my arm and shaking it. I looked at her and spoke seriously.
"No way. Commuting to a part-time job is about showing up as late as possible to hand over the shift. That's how you win."
"...You know I'm not an idiot, right?"
"What a shame~ Ahaha."
When I'd thrown on enough clothes and was heading out, Dad came to see us off.
"We're literally just going to the first floor. Do you really have to come along?"
"Yes!"
"Haah..."
In the end, Dad moved together with us all the way down to the first floor.
The men in black waiting by the convenience store entrance...
What is this, some TT Express delivery squad? ...They were split into Team 5 and Team 7, standing in two lines. It was an absolute spectacle.
But above all, the stares from everyone around us were drawn our way, which made it even more embarrassing.
And it was the same for Da-yeon.
Passersby flinched and actively avoided us. It was really something.
Da-yeon and I, wearing our uniforms, swapped shifts with the other regular part-time employees who had been working.
One of them kept fidgeting while looking at me, and normally I would've shot him a 'Want an autograph?', but the incident from a little while ago came to mind and I couldn't bring myself to do it.
In the end, the part-timer walked up to me and awkwardly made his request.
"Um... uh... could I get an autograph..."
"Here. Give it to me."
I held out my hand so he could give me paper to sign.
It seemed he didn't have any paper on him, so the part-timer started rummaging through the convenience store storage. He wandered back and forth for a bit, then came back out, having found some paper, with it in his hands.
The man was fiddling with his phone, his hands trembling.
"Want me to take a photo?"
"Huh?! Yes!!! Thank you!"
I lightly took the man's phone and raised the camera.
"Scooch a little closer."
"Ye...yessir."
The man, who had been about to lean in toward me... couldn't get any closer because of the piercing stares from Team 7, who were watching from a distance as if lasers were about to shoot out of their eyes.
"Th...thank you!"
The man clutched his phone to his chest like a treasure and went outside.
He'd gone out looking like he'd forgotten something, then came back inside. He took off his uniform and then went out again.
And then came right back in again, and this time, grabbed his bag and left.
"Good work!"
"".....""
A part-timer who truly displayed the full spectrum of the human condition.
Da-yeon and I naturally proceeded to check the money in the POS system.
As the bills were being counted at a ferocious speed, Da-yeon's eyes, which had been counting them one by one, went round.
"Whoa... you're so fast."
"Heh-heh-heh..."
I printed the receipt and stuck it into the POS handover log.
The instant the handover was complete, Team 7 swarmed in...
"Young miss! A pack of cigarettes, plus an autograph, and a photo too!"
"Do you honestly wanna get the shit beaten out of you? Just get out of here before I have to throw a punch."
"Just punch me right here, please, just a little bit."
"...?"
Bodyguard Song Sang-gil nodded with a flush of excitement on his face, as if giving me permission to throw a punch at his cheek.
I was genuinely about to hit him for real, but then I just gave him a look of sheer disgust, as if I'd just seen something filthy, sighed, and naturally pulled out the Dannhill Frosts.
I've memorized every single brand the smokers on Team 7 smoke, so I just handed them out before they even had to ask. Every last one of them looked deeply moved.
Bodyguard Song Sang-gil pulled out his cigarette case, which was absolutely covered in my stickers.
I signed it with a marker for him, and when he begged, ended up taking a photo anyway.
And I repeated that exact sequence of actions, precisely, twenty-six times.
Last of all, Kang Jong-hyeon came by carrying a drink.
I naturally pulled out a Bōham Cigar Mini and placed it on top for him.
Even after he'd finished paying, Kang Jong-hyeon just cleared his throat... ahem... and didn't leave the spot.
"....."
"....."
Carefully, he took out his notebook and phone.
"....."
I sighed, took a photo together with him and gave him an autograph. Only then did Jong-hyeon seem satisfied and let the faintest hint of a smile tug at his mouth.
"Young miss, thank you for your hard work."
"Yeah..."
But the one sliver of consolation was that Da-yeon was being put through the exact same wringer by Team 5.
"I'm exhausted..."
Knowing that Da-yeon does social media, I turned the camera on with my phone.
"Da-yeon, say kimchi~"
Da-yeon had already snapped into a perfect ulzzang-angle pose in a flash.
"Wow... your photos really do come out amazing."
"That's because Si-yoon is the one taking them, you know?!"
Then Da-yeon took a photo of me, and we uploaded the pictures to Da-yeon's social media ID.
The reactions exploded...
People began to speculate on why we were working a part-time job at a convenience store.
And they also began trying to find the convenience store we were at.
Da-yeon and I only realized we'd acted without thinking once the next day came around.
Da-yeon started restocking the items that had run out, so I started helping her.
"High-hat snacks, corn flavor, 2 of them, spicy flavor, 2 of them... honey butter chip, 1... soggy old chocolate chip..."
Da-yeon was trying to move them one at a time.
So I took Da-yeon with me into the storage room and listed off everything we needed for her.
And that's when a customer walked in.
It was Kim Tae-oh.
"Busy. Fuck off."
"Understood..."
He was about to turn around and walk right back out, so Da-yeon, who was pulling out snacks, spoke up.
"Tae-oh! Don't go!"
I smirked and took over what Da-yeon was doing, and Da-yeon headed out to deal with Tae-oh.
When I came back out carrying the goods, Da-yeon was at the register ringing him up.
She still liked him, but seeing her talk to Kim Tae-oh like this, with an easy, natural smile now, made me think, 'Our Da-yeon is all grown up.'
After I finished stocking the items, I went over to the counter.
"You busy tomorrow?"
"Nah, not really busy."
"Da-yeon's gonna be at her grandpa's and won't be around tomorrow, and Park Ji-hoon's not here either. Wanna hit up the PC bang?"
"Alright."
"But I wanna hang out with Si-yoon, too~"
"Me too~"
Da-yeon likes Kim Tae-oh, but she wasn't feeling awkward or put off by the fact that Kim Tae-oh would be hanging out with just me.
On top of the sheer volume of things that had happened in the meantime, by now I had become an even higher priority to Da-yeon than Kim Tae-oh.
Once the transaction was done, Tae-oh handed over the coffees.
Watching little moments like this, the guy definitely has a certain awareness Park Ji-hoon lacks.
A latte for me, an Americano for Da-yeon.
"Oh... Tae-oh~ I'll enjoy it~"
Tae-oh smiled back gently at Da-yeon's words, then looked over at me as if to ask, 'Don't you have anything to say?', so I flipped him off in return.
"...Ahem... I'll be going..."
"Ahahaha! He really does have better sense than Ji-hoon, huh~ I'll drink it well~"
"Yeah."
Once every last HSW member had cleared out, the convenience store finally settled into calm silence.
A thoroughly bored Da-yeon turned her phone on, then was absolutely horrified.
Whether it had become an issue overseas just because I was there, Da-yeon's social media was drowning under an overwhelming tide of comments...
The vast majority of the comments were nothing but abusive posts from Chinese users.
Da-yeon knows absolutely no Chinese characters at all, aside from a handful used in Japanese.
There were a lot of words she kept asking me about, but I answered her with a smile.
"They're saying, 'Don't hang around with that filthy bitch'."
"What?!"
"The term was actually even cruder... I cleaned it up some."
"Why... why... about Si-yoon..."
Da-yeon watches my streams often, but it seems she must have missed today's broadcast.
I turned on my phone and showed Da-yeon what had happened with Dad.
"Wow..."
When I translated the things I'd said for Da-yeon, she started side-eyeing me more and more nervously.
I had worried for a second whether this might hurt Hanseong, which is currently making inroads into China, but it didn't look like that was the case.
It was the first time the two of us had been out together like this since that time last winter when I'd gone to a café alone with Tae-oh.
Of course, by now, there definitely were parts of Team 7 guarding me, even if from a great distance.
Whenever Kim Tae-oh isn't at school, he's always in a suit, and maybe it was thanks to his good proportions and that clothes-hanger build, but it suited him remarkably well.
"Nice weather~"
"Definitely... remarkably good weather today."
I smirked and looked up at the sky, as if reminiscing about the past.
"The weather was exactly like today..."
"...When are you talking about?"
"The day you confessed your love to me."
"Stop it!"
Watching Kim Tae-oh bristle the split second I finished speaking, I gave him an oily, wide grin that was a little too much.
"You little punk, you still like me, don't you? Huh?!"
But maybe it was because I'd teased him far too often for it to work anymore, because Kim Tae-oh had started ignoring me now.
"And on top of that... that day had this weather too..."
My eyes went kind of wry and I let a faint, bittersweet smile cross my face. Kim Tae-oh looked at me again.
"The day you copped a feel of my ass and my thighs."
"Haaaah....."
"Honestly, the feel was fucking insane, right? Admit it."
Kim Tae-oh's face finally started to redden.
"Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I really don't get why I even bother reading fantasy novels."
"....."
I folded my arms and looked down at my own body as I spoke.
"I mean, the fantasy was right here all along."
"You're crazy... your personality wasn't always... like this..."
I propped my chin on my hand in thought.
"And you too, Park Ji-hoon too, and me... honestly... do you realize every single one of us has had our personality change?"
"....."
"You two were reborn as men and grew up that way, but your very speech patterns changed completely. The completely unmoored dialect Park Ji-hoon had at first vanished. And you've got that weird ass way of talking too."
Kim Tae-oh nodded his head, seeming to agree with what I'd said.
"It's... a speech pattern the Boss liked."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Tae-jun did dote on you for real."
Kim Tae-oh gave a little smile, as if thinking of his own older brother.
Just like me, Park Ji-hoon and Kim Tae-oh had each been building new memories with their respective families, I expect.
"You guys were both born male, and you still changed to that extent."
"....."
"I was born a girl. You get what I'm trying to say, don't you?"
I looked up at the sky and chuckled, then went on.
"I've got a memory that remembers everything, so the past is even more vivid in my mind. But all that did was leave me in confusion over who I even was... so I just... decided I'd live however I damn well felt like."
"....."
"Like how you confessed to me— kyahaha!"
"That's... haah..."
Kim Tae-oh and I naturally walked into a café.
Even without me having to say a word, Kim Tae-oh placed the entire order of everything I wanted and came over holding the vibrating puck.
He sat down and looked at me.
"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
On a day just like this, with weather just like this... I'd done something a little unfair to Tae-oh... no, to Park Gi and Jae-hyeong.
I'd thought that I'd have to tell them someday. And I didn't think they'd ever leave me just from hearing a story like that, but...
Even so, it wasn't an easy thing to bring up.
"What're you looking at~? What, do I still look hot as fuck in your eyes?"
"...Ask any random passerby who walks by and they'll answer that you're beautiful."
I chuckled and brought up the real subject.
"Is your goal still to bring down Taebaek?"
"Inevitably, it's going to threaten Da-yeon... no, Hanseong itself. Then... you..."
"Me? Hmm... Taebaek, huh... I dunno. I'm having more than enough fun as it is right now, you know?"
"'Fun,' huh... That's an answer that suits you... Perion... is still alive."
"....."
The vibrating puck started going off, but Kim Tae-oh didn't move. I just stared at him.
Kim Tae-oh, having retrieved what we'd ordered...
"For real?"
Kim Tae-oh lowered his head in a shallow nod in response to my question.
"They've all erased the 'Tiger' title, but... they remain on as Taebaek executives."
"Sounds like they've been... getting along pretty well..."
Kim Tae-oh was gauging my reaction...
I took a sip of my drink, then looked over at him.
"Nah... I figured as much. Hmm... even so, I think I'm just gonna leave it alone anyway."
Kim Tae-oh drank his Americano, then seemed to make some kind of resolution.
"If you're not here... then I'll have no choice but to wait... at least until Da-yeon's next generation."
"Tae-oh. Do you remember what I said back when we left Russia and first came to Korea?"
"...I remember."
"That if anyone dares lay a hand on us, that's when we'll show them exactly who we are... What are you, some kind of champion of justice?"
"Even if that's true, a stone that's embedded in the ground should be pulled out before someone trips over it. That's what I think."
I took a long sip of my drink, then nodded my head.
"Fine. I was the same in the past, so I won't stop you. And you call me if you need anything. I won't refuse."
"...Alright."
Kim Tae-oh and I arrived at the PC bang together.
And there's one thing I discovered: when Kim Tae-oh plays alongside someone who's bad, he becomes even worse.
The moment he hears my command, he charges in, then just dies on the spot.
"Wow, you fucking suck."
"Were you not the one who said to go in?!"
"Well, what're you gonna do about it? Wanna fight?"
"...I'm going home."
"Heh, you pissed off? Wanna cop a feel of my chest? It's different this time from all the tits we felt up in the old days. Fucking mind-blowing, honestly."
"Are you genuinely... mentally ill...?"
"Let's just play some Maple Leaf~"
"Fine."
I took out my phone and turned on selfie mode.
"Yo, look here."
With Park Ji-hoon, whenever I said let's take a picture, there'd be so many days where he'd ask if I was a little girl and run his mouth, then get beaten half to death by me.
Tae-oh, though? He looked at the camera at my words and flashed an awkward attempt at a smile.
Holding my phone up, I motioned for him to come closer.
Just the same as any other kid, I took the photo and, completely satisfied with myself, spoke up.
"Tae-oh."
"What are you calling me for?"
"Put on some music."
Unlike Park Ji-hoon, Kim Tae-oh doesn't listen to much music at all.
So I was thinking I'd figure out some of Tae-oh's tastes, but then he went and started playing some old ballad.
"Awesome. Picking music that's a total downer while we're gaming. Fucking legendary. Looks like the tears are about to start pouring."
"....."
At what I said, he quickly changed the song, then looked over and started gauging my reaction.
And then from the speakers came some old-school hip-hop.
Some trash Tiger song...
"What year is this from, gramps?"
"....."
Tae-oh just glared at me, full of attitude...
Normally, I would've jabbed my fingers straight into both his eyes, but I just pretended I didn't notice that look and stared at the monitor.
Eventually, Tae-oh sighed, and this time, he put on the song Dad and I released on Next-Door Hyungnim.
"Now *that's* what you call music~"
"...Ji-hoon's words were correct..."
"...What's that... supposed to mean...?"
At my abruptly shifting expression and the glare filled with a desire to kill, Kim Tae-oh flinched, then suddenly started killing monsters with furious dedication.
"Yo."
A silence hung in the air for a moment, like he was at least trying to rack that small brain of his, and then Kim Tae-oh answered.
"...That you were the ultimate... 'tell me what I want to hear' type... he said."
Kim Tae-oh, who even back in the day was always shit at lying.
I read Kim Tae-oh's expression, tilted my head, and said,
"If you tell me honestly, I'll only beat up Park Ji-hoon."
"That you'd turned into a total... little bitch... he sai..."
Just as expected, without even a single second of hesitation, Tae-oh sold out his very best friend, Park Ji-hoon, and spat out the truth...
Before Tae-oh was even finished speaking, for the second time in Si-yoon's life, I laid my hands on Kim Tae-oh's body.
"Agh!!! Did you not just say you wouldn't hit me?!"
"Get the fuck over here, you piece of shit! So in your eyes, you think I've turned into a total little bitch too, is that it?"
Kim Tae-oh got a proper, solid beating from me for the first time in ages; at first, he tried to resist.
But the more I hit him, the more it must have brought back memories of the old days, because he started squealing every single thing Park Ji-hoon had ever said behind my back.