Chapter : 52
“Hwang In-woo, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Se-jin snapped, her voice low and sharp.
“What does it matter whether we’re dating or living together?”
“What?”
“What business is it of yours?”
“Are you saying you’re actually dating?”
Hwang In-woo shoved his face close to Se-jin, glaring at her as if he wanted to kill her with his eyes.
“Mind your own business and keep walking,”
Yoo-shin said calmly, rising from his seat.
Hwang In-woo’s gaze shifted to Yoo-shin.
“And if I don’t go?”
Hwang In-woo opened a drink and started pouring it onto Se-jin’s book left on the desk.
The liquid gushed, pooling on the desk and spilling onto the floor.
“What are you going to do about it?”
Hwang In-woo threw the empty bottle aside and stepped closer to Yoo-shin.
“Wanna try hitting me?”
“……”
“Why, can’t you?”
He continued taunting, pushing buttons.
“Oh, right. Our model student shouldn’t get involved in school violence. You’ve got to get into Korea University, right? Getting involved in school violence would be a bit problematic, wouldn’t it?”
Hwang In-woo smirked, and the rest of his gang snickered.
“Or are you going to call your older brother? He always shows up to help whenever you’re in trouble.”
Yoo-shin clenched his fists.
“Go ahead and call him.”
Yoo-shin smirked.
“You’re laughing?”
“You’re just as prohibited from getting involved in school violence, aren’t you?”
“What?”
Hwang In-woo’s eyebrows twitched when Yoo-shin fired back.
At that moment, Se-jin intervened.
“Back off, Hwang In-woo. You failed your exam, okay? Don’t take it out on innocent people—go home and get some sleep. Yoo-shin, these guys aren’t even worth your time. Ignore them.”
Se-jin bent down to pick up the fallen book and snacks, but Hwang In-woo stomped on the cookies.
“Hah.”
“Jang Se-jin, talk to me for a sec.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Hwang In-woo grabbed Se-jin’s wrist and forced her to stand.
“I do, so stop talking back and come with me.”
“Let go.”
Yoo-shin grabbed her other arm.
“Can’t you hear me? Let go.”
“You back off, you f*cking bastard.”
Hwang In-woo spat out curses with a menacing expression.
Footsteps echoed, and everyone turned toward the sound.
It was Tae-shin.
“What’s all the noise? Isn’t the library for quiet studying?”
His gaze landed on Se-jin’s wrist.
“Didn’t you hear me say let go?”
“Mind your own business and keep walking.”
Hwang In-woo stood his ground without backing down.
Bae Young-seop and Kim Hee-rok slowly stepped back, wary.
This guy didn’t seem to learn after just one encounter.
Tae-shin snapped Hwang In-woo’s wrist in an instant. The boy let out a low groan as his strength drained.
Se-jin was freed naturally.
Hwang In-woo struggled to pull his hand free, but Tae-shin didn’t budge.
He looked as if bound by immense force, completely unable to move.
Yoo-shin swallowed hard.
Even though he was his older brother, Tae-shin could be terrifying at times.
He was grateful Tae-shin was his brother, not an enemy.
“Where are you going? Clean up the mess first.”
Bae Young-seop and Kim Hee-rok, who had been trying to sneak away, hurried to pick up the fallen items.
Yoo-shin and Se-jin tidied the desk.
They wiped the spilled drink with wet wipes until it was finally clean.
“Let go! I said let go! F*ck!”
In-woo, wrist still held by Tae-shin, grimaced, his face red.
He was too embarrassed to even scream in pain.
“Done, sir,” Kim Hee-rok said.
Only then did Tae-shin release Hwang In-woo’s wrist.
Hwang In-woo glared at Tae-shin with murderous eyes, kicked the door, and stormed out of the library.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are you okay?” Tae-shin asked Se-jin.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Se-jin’s wrist was red.
“You should be careful around those guys. You never know what they might do.”
Se-jin nodded.
“If anything happens, contact me through Yoo-shin anytime.”
“Thank you.”
Lee-seol, who had arrived late, asked,
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, teacher.”
Yoo-shin glanced between his brother and Lee-seol.
They were together, it seemed.
A strange scent came from his brother.
He never wore perfume—what was it?
“Good thing the books got wet, though. If you need new textbooks, let me know.”
“I think I can still use the books if I dry them properly.”
Se-jin wiped the water from her books with tissue, looking somewhat gloomy.
“We should be going now,” Tae-shin said, leading Lee-seol out of the library.
Yoo-shin studied Se-jin’s expression and asked,
“You okay?”
Se-jin remained silent for a moment, then lifted her head, her eyes resolute.
“I’ll go on my own now.”
“But you said you had something to ask me.”
Se-jin packed her books and stationery.
“It’s okay. I can manage alone.”
“Are you scared of those guys? Want me to walk you home?”
“No. Don’t bother with my business. The more you’re involved, the more troublesome things happen. That annoys me.”
Yoo-shin knew it wasn’t her true feelings.
She only didn’t want him to get caught up because of Hwang In-woo.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t say sorry. It’s not your fault. Why would you be?”
Se-jin closed her bag and looked Yoo-shin straight in the eyes.
“You’re smart, so you can get into the college you want even if you study lightly. I’m not. I can’t even waste time eating or going to the bathroom. Look—I’ve already wasted 30 minutes of my precious time.”
“……”
“When you’re not around, Hwang In-woo didn’t bother me this much. If I stay with you, it’ll keep happening.”
Yoo-shin had nothing to say.
“It’s better for you not to hang around me either. I’m leaving.”
And with that, she left, leaving Yoo-shin alone in the huge, empty library.
He stared at the closed door, feeling a vague emptiness.
The office door opened, and delivery workers from a Chinese restaurant poured in.
Jajangmyeon, jjambbong, tangsuyuk, and palbochae were placed on the tables, filling the office with the smell of food.
The accountant handed over cash, and the delivery workers dashed out, faces full of fear despite doing this job every day.
Those seated around the office either continued their work or passed time playing hwatu, savoring the food.
The manager didn’t even notice the food and sat on the desk, legs up, lost in thought.
“Sir, aren’t you eating?”
“You guys eat first.”
Slurping and smacking noises erupted as soon as he spoke.
“Is something bothering you? You’ve been quiet all day, which is unusual.”
“One doesn’t really have worries, sir. Not having worries is what’s worrying, maybe.”
One of the men joked, flicking his pinky, and everyone burst out laughing.
“Why don’t you introduce someone before saying that?”
The manager moved to a one-person sofa, devoured five spoonfuls of jajangmyeon, and lit a cigarette.
Even the other men, who had eaten quickly, lit their cigarettes.
“Go on, tell us. What’s the trouble?”
One subordinate asked, all eyes on the dark-haired manager.
“I might need to kidnap someone.”
“Excuse me? Who?”
“Yoon Lee-seol! You guys know what our branch manager….”
“Oh, sir. How can you call a woman who might be your sister-in-law a ‘b*tch’? You’ll make the branch manager see red.”
The man imitated a low growl.
“Stop talking nonsense about a sister-in-law.”
“Sir, when the branch manager looks at her, he can’t look away. These days, they call it ‘melo eyes.’”
“Melo eyes? Ridiculous.”
The office erupted with laughter again.
“Even if we looked with our eyes, we’ve seen her hundreds of times.”
“No matter what.”
“She’s insanely beautiful. No wonder our high-standard branch manager fell for her at first sight.”
“Right. The prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Everyone licked their lips, imagining her.
