Chapter 94: I’m Not Letting You Go
TL: Aniea
“You look unusually tired today.”
“Well… I always do.”
“Hmm. Look here for a second.”
“…Huh!?”
All of a sudden, Kim Eun-ha grabbed both of my cheeks and turned my head toward her. Then, with half-closed eyes, she examined my complexion.
“Look at those dark circles. Are you getting proper sleep? You’re not skipping meals and just eating convenience store food or bread again, are you?”
“Wow… You sound like my mom.”
"Don't just brush it off like that."
Ugh-
Kim Eun-ha lightly tugged at both sides of my cheeks. It was playful, so it didn’t hurt.
Rather, I felt a strange kind of energy from this unexpected skinship. While my cheeks were still pinched, I raised the corners of my mouth.
"I'm fiiine-"
“What do you mean you’re fine? Your eyelids are twitching. That’s a magnesium deficiency. You’re not taking Omega-3 either, are you?”
“I don’t need to take that stu- Ow!”
Suddenly, Kim Eun-ha added pressure with her hands, and a childish cry escaped me. She let out a sigh and resumed nagging.
“You have to take care of your health in advance. If you slack off just because you feel fine now, it’ll hit you out of nowhere, you know? I’ll make a supplement plan for you, so follow it. And take a picture as proof after you take them.”
“That’s a bit too much…”
“Sss-”
“Okayy…”
Grinning-
Only after I reluctantly answered did Kim Eun-ha finally smile and release my cheeks.
Thump-
At that moment, a heavy shock hit one side of my chest. My heart dropped with a jolt, and I panicked.
…This is dangerous.
Maybe it was because I didn’t sleep well last night. Normally, her smile wouldn’t have fazed me, but today it felt threatening.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Your cheeks are red.”
“That’s because you were pulling on them.”
“You?”
“We’re leaving now, so please fasten your seatbelt.”
“You?”
“……”
She kept repeating the same word, as if she couldn’t concede even on how I addressed her.
If I just called her ‘Eun-ha ssi’, this would be over. But for some reason, I didn’t want to do that today.
Swoosh-
Without a word, I leaned toward the passenger side. Startled by the sudden movement, she flinched.
“Wh-What are you…!?”
“Seatbelt. Your seatbelt.”
Click- Snap-!
I pulled the strap and fastened her seatbelt for her. In that instant, as the distance between us shrank, the scent of peaches I smelled last night wafted over.
I tried not to turn my gaze, but with a sidelong glance, I caught a glimpse of her flustered face.
‘She really is cute at times like this.’
Although Kim Eun-ha acted like she had a lot of experience with men, I knew well that it was all an act.
Of course, given her age and position, she must’ve dated a few guys.
But seeing her react so freshly like this, it was clear none of them had been serious relationships.
'Well, with Team Leader Kang around...'
I shuddered as I imagined Kang Dae-ho watching us with wide eyes from somewhere even now.
The security team might have rules against interfering in personal affairs, but when does life ever go according to rules?
No doubt, most of the men who approached Kim Eun-ha had been filtered out. Without her even realizing it.
“……”
Zap-!
Maybe because she was annoyed at being caught off guard, Kim Eun-ha stared fiercely at me.
In response, I kept my expression as neutral as possible and fixed my eyes on the road ahead.
Vroom-
Just as I started the car and was about to drive off, she suddenly grabbed my hand as I reached for the gear.
“Hey.”
“…Hey?”
Surprised by the unfamiliar address, I turned my head. And then, I met her eyes, ones that had gone beyond cold, to outright icy.
Despite the soft touch I felt on the back of my hand, my internal crisis detector, which had saved me from countless dangers, blared like a siren.
“……”
“……”
Kim Eun-ha called out to me but didn't actually say anything. However, her eyes were telling so many stories that they felt chatty.
“Um…”
“……”
“CEO-nim?”
“……”
“…Eun-ha ssi.”
“Yes?”
Only after I called her name did Kim Eun-ha finally answer. Tilting her head innocently, she looked as if she had never put on a serious face.
‘…Can’t win against her.’
Shaking my head inwardly, I looked down at the hand she was still holding onto.
“Eun-ha ssi, could you please let go of my hand now? At this rate, we’re going to be late for work.”
“I’m not letting go.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Get out. I’ll drive today.”
Click-
As if she had made up her mind already, she unfastened her seatbelt without hesitation. Then she opened the passenger door and stepped outside.
I stared blankly, unsure what kind of situation this even was, as she walked around the front of the car and approached the driver’s side.
Knock knock-
She tapped the driver’s side window, clearly signaling for me to get out. After briefly locking eyes with her through the window, I surrendered.
“I just need to drop you off at the Orphanage, right?”
A moment later, with her hands on the wheel, Kim Eun-ha asked in a cheerful voice.
“No. Just go straight to the department store. I’ll drive myself from there. Once you’re done with work, I’ll come pick you up.”
“If you were going to do that, you could’ve just taken a different car.”
"Should I do that?"
“No way.”
Kim Eun-ha firmly shook her head, as if it was out of the question. Honestly, I hadn’t expected her to agree anyway.
It wasn’t like Kim Eun-ha didn’t have another car, which was why we commuted together.
According to Secretary Yoon, the pressure from potential groom candidates had been rising again recently.
-What if we use the fact that the two of you are living under the same roof? Commuting together would send a strong message.
-Deal.
That’s how we ended up commuting together, and it had already been two weeks. Since Kim Eun-ha went to work so early, I’d been the one driving her most of the time.
“If the routine is too predictable, it’ll look suspicious, right?”
“…Well, that’s true too.”
“Then I’ll get going. Oh, right!”
“Hm?”
As if she had just remembered something, Kim Eun-ha turned her body toward me. Then she suddenly leaned over to the passenger seat.
Click- Snap-
Caught off guard by her sudden movement, I froze. Then, just as I had done earlier, she fastened my seatbelt for me.
“You need to wear your seatbelt, don’t you?”
“……”
So this was why she insisted on driving. Shaking my head, I thought to myself, “Can’t stop her.”
Hehe-
Without saying another word, Kim Eun-ha smiled quietly and stepped on the accelerator. The car gained momentum and surged forward.
***
“The stage is ready.”
“Oh, really? That was faster than I expected.”
Well, that’s probably because you paid them extra.
I swallowed my comment. The most pointless worry in the world was fretting over how Kim Eun-ha spends money.
From the start, the scale of the funds she handled was different from what normal people dealt with. And she only invested this much because she was confident she could get more out of it than she put in.
“So from today, we’ll begin practice on the new stage. Since the CEO-nim also rented a bus, let’s all move together.”
“…If this keeps up, I’m worried I won’t be able to adjust when we eventually have to film without the two of them. Things have gotten so comfortable lately.”
"...Mm-hmm. That's right."
At Director Kang In-ho’s words, Writer Jung Ha-rin and the rest of the staff nodded in agreement.
Just like when they filmed <Peaceful Chaebol Life>, they had benefited a lot from Kim Eun-ha’s tremendous financial support.
“The scariest part is that she never asks anything of the production team. It would almost be easier on us if she did, so we could feel better.”
“She probably planned it that way. It’s not like we could repay CEO-nim in any meaningful way, financially speaking.”
“Is this what it means to surrender to capital?”
“…If this is it, then I’m willing to surrender anytime.”
Mmhmm-
One by one, the staff made their comments and boarded the bus. Soon after, the nuns and children also began boarding one by one.
“Oppa, where are we going?”
“Is this a field trip?”
“I want to go to an amusement park!”
“Mina wants the aquarium!”
“If you all listen to the adults until the event is over, I’ll take you anywhere you want.”
Waaaah-!
When I threw out a blank check, the children all cheered in unison. The way they followed the nun onto the bus looked just like a bunch of baby chicks, and it made me laugh naturally.
“...Um, do we count too, by any chance?”
Before I knew it, Kang Han-na had cautiously approached and asked. It was clear how much more sociable she had become, to the point where she now initiated conversation with others during rehearsals.
Though she still stuttered and her voice got quieter toward the end of her sentences.
But she was working steadily to fix that, so the rest would resolve itself with time.
“Why? Is there somewhere you want to go?”
“...Yes.”
“Where?”
“Well…”
Kang Han-na hesitated for a long time, unable to speak. Perhaps finding it too frustrating, Kim Cheol-su, standing behind her, suddenly cut in.
“She wants to go to Japan. Japan.”
“Yah-!!”
“Ugh, my ears. Why are you always so extreme?”
“...Sorry.”
“…No, who told you to apologize? It’s just that you’re so different from how you act when you're performing. It’s kind of scary sometimes. Try to be like that normally too, okay? Be confident, yeah?”
“...I’ll try.”
Scratch scratch-
Her voice trailed off again, and Kim Cheol-su scratched his head in frustration before boarding the bus first.
Even if his tone was a little rough, no one misunderstood that his words were for Kang Han-na’s sake.
‘That’s quite a bit of progress.’
I watched the two of them fondly.
Considering how, at first, he’d suddenly cussed out me and Kim Eun-ha, this change was almost unbelievable.
Of course, I had pushed him hard and reshaped his mindset, but he must’ve also felt something through acting.
At the same time, ever since he was paired with Kang Han-na in the roles of “king” and “queen,” their relationship had grown significantly closer.
‘Their personalities are polar opposites, so maybe that’s why they meshed.’
With his fiery nature, Kim Cheol-su became more mindful of his words and actions around her, and in turn, Kang Han-na became more assertive being with him.
Two people who ordinarily would never have interacted were now growing together in mutual understanding. Isn’t that the charm of acting?
“But why do you want to go to Japan?”
“Uh… um… I want to go on an overseas trip. But Japan has a culture similar to ours, and it’s safe, and it’s close… Most of all.”
“Most of all?”
“While preparing for the play this time, I did some studying, and now I really want to see a 2.5D performance in person. Even just watching videos, the quality is way higher than I expected…!!”
Once she got going, Kang Han-na poured out her thoughts without hesitation. With her eyes sparkling, she wasn’t all that different from the kids who had gotten on earlier.
“See? She’s one of us.”
“Ah, Master!”
Suddenly appearing from behind, Seo Jun-woo placed a hand on top of Kang Han-na’s head. Realizing what had just happened, she quickly lifted her head in surprise.
“…Master?”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
“Han-na’s still in high school.”
“I didn’t tell her to call me that!”
When I lightly poked him, Seo Jun-woo flared up. Judging from his reaction, it didn’t seem like he was lying.
“Y-Yeah! I just have so much to learn from him, so I call him ‘Master’! Absolutely. Never! There's no other meaning!"
“…Thanks for defending me, but don’t you think you’re denying it a little too hard? You learned a lot from Kang Woo-ju too, right?”
“Ah… um… Woo-ju oppa is… oppa.”
“You called me ‘uncle’ the first time, didn’t you? I’m the same age as Woo-ju, you know!?”
“I-I’ll just go ahead and get on the bus!”
Kang Han-na climbed aboard the bus as if fleeing. Seo Jun-woo, left staring blankly at her back, soon turned to me with a pitiful expression.
“Do I really look that old?”
“To a high schooler, our age is uncle-tier, no doubt.”
“Then why are you ‘oppa’?”
“…I’ll be checking if the headcount’s right. You make sure no one’s still inside the building.”
“Don’t run away!”
I casually ignored his cry and stepped onto the bus. Unconsciously, the corners of my mouth twitched.
There was a time I never imagined I’d be exchanging this kind of banter with Seo Jun-woo. It was a moment that made me realize just how much my life had changed.
*****
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