The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

063 – The Insolent Girl’s Normalization! #1

063 – The Insolent Girl’s Normalization! #1

After Hanamjin left, Seo Ga-eul and Yoo Yeoreum were each lost in deep thought.

It was only when the ice in the ice cup that Hanamjin had brought melted, making the cola flat, that Seo Ga-eul could roughly organize her thoughts.

“Isn’t it paranoia or delusion? It seems like he has Ripley syndrome too. He said he was ‘Brad Pitt,’ and it wasn’t a joke! What Brad, he looks like bread!”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Yoo Yeoreum asked cynically.

Thanks to the light emanating from this room, Yoo Yeoreum regained considerable composure and maintained her usual calm and cynical attitude.

Seo Ga-eul found it quite annoying that Yoo Yeoreum was so relaxed in this flower room, but what was important now was not that, but the stories Hanamjin had told earlier.

“Hanamjin! He must be mentally ill! I thought he was a crazy psychopath, but he was just a psycho! Saying that half the population will die within a year, what nonsense is that?”

“So that’s what you were talking about.”

“You, you can check heart rate and pulse with that X-ray vision, right? Did you check when Hanamjin was talking?”

As Seo Ga-eul said, Yoo Yeoreum had checked Hanamjin with the concept of ‘X-ray vision.’

“Body temperature, heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, breathing rate, all were abnormally fast and hot.”

“Look! I told you it’s a lie! It wasn’t normal because he was lying!”

“But Han Nam-jin usually feels like that. Basically, that’s how he is. Like someone who’s always excited or scared.”

In other words, Yu Yeoreum’s “clairvoyance” was useless against Han Nam-jin, who was always in a state of excitement.

How could a person be like that?

Maybe it was because of the backlash from Han Nam-jin’s concept.

While thinking that and coming to terms with it, Seo Ga-eul scratched his head in frustration.

“So, Han Nam-jin was just a crazy lunatic!”

In less than a year, half of the population would be gone.

And the reason was the monsters that appeared, cutting through the land, sea, and sky?

Yu Yeoreum recalled the monsters of the “Three Calamities” that Han Nam-jin had mentioned.

There was no proper explanation, but they were monsters that seemed to come out of the wild fantasies of children.

“Han Nam-jin’s goal is to train you to defeat those monsters. At least we know why Han Nam-jin wants to train you, so that’s something.”

“How am I supposed to defeat the monsters in a madman’s delusion?”

Seo Ga-eul was angry.

He thought Han Nam-jin had kidnapped him for revenge for the N-Mart arson incident.

Seo Ga-eul had also suffered a lot because of that incident, so he was willing to sincerely apologize if Han Nam-jin wanted it.

But Han Nam-jin didn’t want an apology.

He wasn’t even curious about Seo Ga-eul or the N-Mart incident.

Yu Yeoreum said,

“It’s common for people who have been through a big shock to suffer from mental illness. Maybe Han Nam-jin is like that. It could be. It’s similar to why I can’t eat food.”

Sluuurp.

Watching Yu Yeoreum drink strawberry milk through a straw, Seo Ga-eul felt annoyed.

“Why are you so relaxed? A crazy lunatic could do anything to you! He might suddenly decide that our baby is the key to saving the world and try to get you pregnant!”

“You’re just as delusional as Han Nam-jin.”

“Yaaah!”

The concept of “modesty” that he had imposed like a shackle had outwardly restored some composure to Yu Yeoreum, but Seo Ga-eul himself didn’t realize that.

So he just got annoyed.

━Someone is curious about who’s talking there…! That place is the princess’s room, and not just anyone can enter…! Could it be that the princess has returned…!

A voice was heard.

From the ceiling.

Yoo Yeoreum and Seo Gaeul both fell silent.

It was the first time their hearts, which had never mixed like water and oil, had become one.

“…Yoo Yeoreum, did you hear that too?”

“I heard it. A woman’s voice. It sounded like a child’s.”

Creak-.

Soon, a sound like a window opening came from the ceiling, and honey-colored eyes and a small face appeared. Everyone just realized that there was a very small secret window in the ceiling.

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“Ah-! There are strange Koreans in the princess’s room…! This Inonoi was expecting the princess to return and is greatly disappointed…!”

Creak-.

The window is closed again.

Seo Gaeul’s hair stood on end.

“Hey, hey, hey! Hey, hey! Wait! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Hold on! Hey! Hey, hey!”

While Seo Gaeul was flustered, Yoo Yeoreum, who realized something, shouted at the ceiling, “Inonoi… Joino… Could it be…!?”

“Wait! We have candy! Candy!”

Creak-.

“I wonder if that’s true…! This Inonoi likes candy…! When the princess was here, I often ate candy, but I haven’t even seen it in recent years…!”

The strange girl Inonoi appeared again from the secret window in the ceiling.

The problem was that Seo Gaeul and Yoo Yeoreum didn’t have any candy right now.

There was only one way.

Yoo Yeoreum looked at Seo Gaeul.

# # #

Ahhh─.

With my mouth wide open, I sucked in the fried eggs.

I am now the very disaster of eggs.

Even the monster of the “Three Disasters” that swallowed half the population like peanuts would have conceded if it saw my momentum in eating eggs.

Shook, shook, shook, shook-.

It was when I had eaten five fried eggs without even breathing.

━Yingyingying.

Yingying, who was peeling a boiled egg next to me, trembled and said a word to me.

Yingying is really nagging.

“It’s okay. There’s still time. And since I might come home late today, if you’re hungry, order jjajangmyeon like last time and eat it. If there’s any leftover tangsuyuk, put it in the fridge! If you understand, say ‘ ng-!'”

━Grrr…!

Is it thinking of ordering malatang instead of jjajangmyeon today?

These days, Yingying is so obsessed with delivering food, it’s a real problem.

Money is leaking out of my wallet like there’s a hole in it.

It used to be happy with just ketchup ramen!

Now it has completely developed a taste for gourmet food.

Anyway, off to the Great Labyrinth!

We arrived at the Great Labyrinth.

“This is the third day. The exploration of the Great Labyrinth ends today.”

Team leader Jang Hyun-ah stamped my test paper with a thud.

It was the moment I achieved a perfect score on the midterm exam.

Baek Yeoul’s test paper was the same.

“This is the first time I’ve gotten a perfect score on a test! Amazing!”

Dum-chit-dum-chit-.

Baek Yeoul was shaking her butt and doing a strange dance.

That’s how we spent the afternoon, roughly passing the time.

“Han Nam-jin. Jin Eun-byul’s birthday party is today.”

Jang Hyun-ah whispered to me in a small voice.

Today, without getting sidetracked while playing with Baek Yeoul, my goal is to go straight to Jin Eun-byul’s birthday party, approach Wang Ja-hyun, give him a good knock on the head, and extract information from him.

With the information I extract, I would teach Seo Do-chul of the Seonam Group a lesson, and a ladder to the higher-ups would come down.

It was a truly perfect plan.

Thinking that, I headed to the Samjin Group’s villa where the party was being held, but seeing the long line of people waiting to enter at the villa’s entrance made me feel dizzy.

“Why are there so many people? There must be at least 100.”

“They’re all people with some influence or their children.”

Indeed! They all looked like people who held important positions.

There was even an old lady with white hair who recognized me and greeted me.

“Hey! I saw you in the newspaper. Was it Sang Nam-jin? The high school student who catches bad people!”

“Grandma, if there are any people you don’t like, just tell Han Nam-jin here.”

Wow, that was quite gentlemanly. Don’t you agree?

But then, Jang Hyun-ah, as if having a seizure, tapped my back and whispered very quietly.

“This lady is a very famous landowner in Korea! She even lends money to the chairmen of large corporations! Quickly, greet her politely again!”

Having a lot of bottle caps might move me, but having a lot of money and land doesn’t.

So when I rubbed my chin subtly, the landowner lady laughed softly.

“You are very brave. I have some candy I made myself, would you like to try it? Making candy and chocolate has become my hobby in my old age.”

It was candy wrapped in luxurious gold foil.

When I crunched and chewed even the wrapper, the lady liked it even more.

“Hoho, that’s funny. Nam-jin, did you come to have your fortune told too? Eun-byul is very good at reading fortunes. I came to ask how my grandson, who is very sick, can get better… But “I wonder if my turn will ever come…”

Is she a princess who even elderly people come to see with their feet bare?

I heard that some people come and wait from the day before.

I wanted to meet her quickly.

How good is she at reading fortunes that even distinguished gentlemen line up like this?

I wonder if she will answer if I ask who I will marry or about my love fortune?

Did I wait about an hour on the street like that?

When I was getting really bored and thought about looking at my phone, Jang Hyun-ah explained.

“By the way, using phones is prohibited at Samjin’s villa. Especially in front of Jin Eun-byul, don’t take pictures with your phone. Absolutely. Absolutely. Got it?”

“What happens if I take pictures?”

“Just don’t do it if you’re told not to.”

Being told not to makes me want to do it more.

At that moment, someone waved their hand vigorously.

“Han Nam-jin!”

“I’m Nam-jin.”

“Do you know Bbang-deng and Deok-soon?”

Why are Bbang-deng and Deok-soon at Jin Eun-byul’s birthday party?

Before I could ask, the villa entrance opened with a clatter and people started to enter in a rush.

“Let’s go!”

“Hurry in! Hurry!”

“Don’t push!”

In the end, I lost Bbang-deng and Deok-soon in the crowd.

I was wandering around the garden for about 10 minutes without much gain, killing time.

Someone appeared on the high terrace.

“Welcome, everyone.”

A woman in a jet-black evening dress with long, flowing black hair. Her pale white skin contrasts sharply with her black eyebrows and eyes.

Black and white.

If you were to paint a woman with two colors, it would look like this.

“Jin Eunbyeol.”

“…Jin Eunbyeol.”

Everyone looked up at her with a subtly fearful gaze.

As if they were looking at the queen of darkness or the goddess of death.

Indeed, that must be the Jin Eunbyeol.

In terms of sheer presence, she surpassed even Yoo Yeoreum and Seo Gaeul.

“I apologize for the long journey, but today’s party is over. Now, everyone, please go back. I will not be meeting anyone today.”

“What?”

“What are you talking about?”

The crowd murmured.

The party ended as soon as it began.

“I will not say it again. Everyone, leave.”

Jin Eunbyeol said in a cold yet clear voice.

Sss- A strange swept atmosphere through the garden, and people, as if sensing something ominous, pushed each other’s backs and hurriedly left the party venue.

“Han Namjin, it won’t work today. This happens often. Jin Eunbyeol always acts capriciously, making things difficult for people. But I kept my promise, right? You’ll delete the video, won’t you?”

“……”

In my eyes, the old landlady who had given me candy kept looking back with regret. She seemed reluctant to leave just like that.

Honestly, I’m angry.

“Inviting people who value their time and then canceling right away?”

It’s not like we’re being trained like dogs.

This ruins my plan to meet Wang Jahyeon at this party.

How precious is my time?

There’s no choice.

“Hey, you nasty woman! Calling everyone here and not even offering a glass of water before sending us back? Where did you learn such manners? Just because you’re a chaebol’s daughter, you think you can do anything? Huh!?”

My voice, having eaten five fried eggs, echoed through the banquet hall.

Of course, Jang Hyun-ah was so startled that her pale face turned even whiter.

“Hey, wha… what are you doing! You! Are you crazy?”

“…Who just now?”

Jin Eun-byul tilted her head with an expressionless face.

I raised both hands high and said.

“I am Hanamjin, the tiger of Yeongsa High! Wang Ja-hyun, Jin Eun-byul! You rude brats! I’ll give you 10 seconds to jump out in front of me! Ten! Niiiine─!!!”