Chapter 138: I Like You

TL: Aniea

"I clearly told you not to go into the scene yourself! I even gave Seo Baek-ho a heads-up, so why are both of you ignoring what I said...!"

"......."

Quite a bit of time had passed with the two of them holding each other. Without even a moment to think about how to ease the awkward atmosphere, Kim Eun-ha began nagging.

Just a little while ago, her voice had been wet with emotion, but at some point, it returned to her usual clear enunciation.

Her expression, too, became stern and serious. Except for the slight puffiness under her eyes, she looked perfect in every way.

‘...This is a strange feeling.’

Looking at Kim Eun-ha like that brought up all kinds of thoughts. That someone like her existed in the world, someone who worried about me this much.

At the same time, the fact that this person was none other than ‘Kim Eun-ha’ made a corner of my heart twinge again.

"You're not listening to me right now, are you!?"

Chop-!

Suddenly, Kim Eun-ha grabbed my cheeks with both hands. Then she applied strength to the hands holding me and forcibly turned my face toward her, locking eyes with me.

Pupils trembling faintly.

Moisture not yet dried.

Through that, her emotions were transmitted exactly as they were.

Just moments ago, I had only seen eyes devoid of any human emotion, and now that I was confronted with such a human side of her, I felt extremely flustered.

‘I’m not sure if I should be thinking this right now, but....’

She's cute.

Seriously.

I did my best not to let the corners of my mouth lift. Just seeing Kim Eun-ha nagging made me feel like I was going to laugh without realizing it.

Honestly, I wanted to pinch her cheeks, puffed up with complaints. But if I did that, I probably wouldn’t be able to walk out of this house on my own two feet.

‘Ah... this is healing.’

Through the skin that touched, Kim Eun-ha’s warm energy was transmitted. It drove away the gloomy feelings in my heart.

Just by looking at her face, the unpleasant aura that had surrounded me until just moments ago disappeared like it was washed away.

"Woo-ju ssi! Are you listening!?"

"Um. Well...."

"I said don’t let it go in one ear and out the other! Do you know how worried I was listening to what happened? I was about to go right away but got caught by Team Leader Kang...."

"Ugh!?"

"......!!"

Maybe it was because the tension had finally relaxed.

Maybe it was the aftereffect of the adrenaline that had been constantly surging now settling down, but the pain in my right hand that I had momentarily forgotten began to come back.

Instinctively, I raised my hand to check the injury. As a result of smashing Kim Hee-tae’s face, the skin on the back of my hand had been completely scraped off.

Although the bleeding had stopped on the way home, since I hadn’t washed my hands yet, the horrific state of it remained as it was at the time.

"What is this..."

Following my gaze, Kim Eun-ha naturally spotted the injury and her eyes widened.

At that moment, I could witness in real time how a person's expression changes with their emotions. Who would’ve thought Kim Eun-ha’s expressions were this rich.

Watching this new side of her was quite fascinating, but the only problem was that the end of those emotions wasn’t very good.

"......."

Kim Eun-ha's body, frozen in place, began to tremble slightly. Her already moist eyes were on the verge of flooding due to a renewed downpour.

Having spent a fair amount of time with her, I knew just how rational her personality was, which is why this was all the more bewildering.

Could she actually be about to cry?

Then what should I do?

While all sorts of worries surged through my mind.

"...Should I kill him."

"Huh?"

I reflexively asked back at her completely unexpected words. I couldn’t quite believe what I had just heard.

Meanwhile, my brain spun quickly to interpret the meaning behind her words, but even the answer it came up with was hard to comprehend.

"What do you mean...."

Hicc-!

The moment our eyes met again, a hiccup burst out as I felt my breath catch in my chest.

The wavering look she had just moments ago had vanished completely, replaced by pupils glinting with a clear intent to kill.

Kim Eun-ha was looking somewhere other than at me, but it wasn’t difficult to guess who the target was.

“Eun-ha ssi! First, calm down....”

“Woo-ju ssi.”

Creak-!

Like a scene straight out of a horror movie, her neck turned unnaturally.

There was a softer smile on her lips than ever before, but in contrast, her pupils were dark and lifeless, making it feel extremely unsettling.

“Would you like to sit on the sofa and rest for a bit? I’ll contact a doctor and have them come to the house. I just have something urgent to deal with.”

“W-Wait a moment!”

As if she had nothing more to say, she tried to walk past me without hesitation to leave the house. In alarm, I grabbed her shoulder.

Then, without saying a word, Kim Eun-ha alternated her gaze between the hand holding her and my face.

“Eun-ha ssi.”

“Yes. Woo-ju ssi.”

“I’m fine.”

“.......”

Honestly, that was a lie.

Of course I’m not fine.

In fact, what Kim Hee-tae did still torments me like a thorn lodged in my retina.

If I could, I’d go back right now and beat that bastard to death, but that would clearly be crossing a line.

‘If Eun-ha ssi steps in....’

Kim Hee-tae would literally ‘die’. And if that happens, things would spiral too far out of control.

Sure, there’d be no one sad about that bastard dying, but it would put the prosecution and police in a tricky position. They couldn’t just stand by anymore.

“I’m okay. So for now....”

“I’m not okay.”

“Sorry?”

“I’m Kim Eun-ha. As the next heir to Mirae Group, I can’t just sit back and let some beast lay a hand on my person.”

“.......”

Through her dignified voice, I could feel the resolute sense of self that was uniquely Kim Eun-ha. I had forgotten for a moment, but this is who she truly was.

She had considerable greed and possessiveness for what belonged to her, and she couldn’t tolerate anyone else touching what was hers.

Bold.

Decisive.

The embodiment of narcissism.

If it’s going to break, she’d rather break it herself.

That’s the essence of the human named ‘Kim Eun-ha.’

“I mean, technically, I’m the one who hit him....”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that, in the end, my person bled. Kim Hee-tae must pay the price.”

“No, but still....”

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him.”

Grin-

As if to reassure me, Kim Eun-ha raised both corners of her lips, but did she even realize it felt scarier than before?

Regardless of how I felt, Kim Eun-ha tensed her body and tried to move forward.

“I’m thinking of just severing a few tendons for now. If I cut off his limbs, there are too many things to manage. So maybe just one ankle for starters....”

“Wait wait wait-!!”

“???”

When I yelled, Kim Eun-ha tilted her head as if wondering what was wrong. That’s when I finally realized she wasn’t in her right mind.

On the surface, she looked relatively normal, but it was as if her frontal lobe had gone on strike, there was zero filtering going on.

If I let her go like this, there was no telling what kind of horrific situation would unfold.

“Ah, this really isn’t enough for you, is it? Then should I stage it as an accident and just remove one part entirely? Doing it without anesthesia might work too.”

“Let’s just talk for a bit....”

“It won’t take long.”

Kim Eun-ha spoke cruel words with an innocent expression. Horrified, I gripped her shoulder even tighter.

Yet I still couldn’t completely stop her steps. She worked out regularly, but even so, how could someone with such a delicate frame have this kind of strength?

“Eun-ha ssi-!!”

Only after I shouted did Kim Eun-ha come to a halt. For a brief moment, her focus returned, and our eyes finally met.

Maybe it was because I had never raised my voice in front of her before. Surprised, Kim Eun-ha widened her eyes and stared at me.

“Why are you yelling all of a sudden? Are you hurt? Should I call an ambulance? No, I’ll call security right now....”

“No. That’s not it.”

Kim Eun-ha, rambling unusually. Even this didn’t seem enough to bring her rationality back.

At this point, I couldn't afford to be cautious anymore. I was consumed with the thought that I had to somehow tie her down in this spot, no matter what it took.

“Please stay with me.”

“Mm?”

Kim Eun-ha made a dumbfounded sound. Then she froze completely, like a broken machine.

As if it had been waiting for this very moment, the instinct that had been suppressed within me raised its head. Awakened from deep slumber, it whispered like a devil.

Right now.

This is the moment.

If you want to hold onto her, this is the only way.

[This isn’t enough.]

Even more than this is needed?

Normally, I would’ve dismissed that as complete nonsense, but with all the abnormal events I had just faced, I was mentally cornered.

To make things worse, I noticed her gaze growing blurry again. The last thread of her reason was about to snap.

“Don’t go. Eun-ha ssi.”

“.......”

“I want to be with you, Eun-ha ssi.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes....”

“It’s not a joke.”

I tightened my grip on her shoulders once again. Meeting her eyes directly, I spoke in a voice full of seriousness.

An act wouldn't work on her now. The only thing that could reach her was my pure and honest heart.

“Right now, I need you, Eun-ha ssi.”

“.......”

Kim Eun-ha’s drifting gaze returned to focus. She blinked a few times and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“W-What does that mean?”

“Just what it sounds like.”

“Don’t play with words.”

Kim Eun-ha, now sharply tense with a slightly different tone than before, started demanding clear answers from me under the influence of the emotion stirring within her.

Now that things had come to this, my reason, buried deep inside, desperately waved its hands. But it was far too late to take anything back.

The danger sensor that had saved me in countless crises was now sounding the alarm.

I was standing at a crossroads of fate. If I brushed it off as a joke now, I’d be in serious trouble.

“See? I knew it-”

“I like you.”

“Huh?”

As I delayed my answer, her eyes began to fill with an unknown sense of disappointment. But now, they opened wide in shock.

Her lips, which had been ready to reply curtly, began to tremble, fully exposing the confusion and emotions within her.

That little tremble spread from her lips to her whole body, creating a massive ripple like a stone tossed into a lake.

“W-What did you just say!?”

“I said I like you.”

“There’s no subject or object in that sentence....”

“I like you, Eun-ha ssi. As a woman.”

Maybe my brain had completely broken down. I’d been extremely nervous before opening my mouth, but once I got here, I didn’t even shake much.

The engine had already started.

And the brakes were out of service.

All that was left was to move straight ahead.

“Huh? Um? Wait! W-Woo-ju ssi!? Hold on a second! Did you hit your head or something? Or maybe I’m dreaming right now?”

“I’m fine. And this isn’t a dream.”

“That can’t be....”

“I’ll show you myself.”

“...Mmph!?”

Completely surrendering to instinct, I grabbed both her cheeks a bit forcefully. Then, as she looked at me in shock, I dove in.

Our lips met.

The soft sensation wrapped around my whole body.

A sweet silence erupted into an unrestrained fanfare.

“.......”

“.......”

Srrrk-

As if we had made a promise, we closed our eyes at the same time and surrendered ourselves to the swirling torrent of our senses.

*****

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