Chapter 96: This is more to your preference, right?
TL: Aniea
"I was mapping out unnie's stage movements-!!"
"......."
Gone was her usual awkward tone and small voice. Kang Han-na was actively asserting her innocence(?).
Srrrk-
Kim Eun-ha, who had been silently watching her, stepped forward without hesitation. She grabbed Kang Han-na's shoulders, who flinched and tried to back away, and held her in place.
"Is that all?"
"...Y-Yes, of course!"
"Hmm. I see."
Kim Eun-ha nodded lightly. Though I couldn't see her expression since her back was to me, judging by the terrified look on Kang Han-na’s face, I could guess.
"You didn’t say anything unnecessary, right?"
"...U-Unnecessary? What do you mean?"
"I know Han-na's talent is special. For example, you didn’t talk about personal preferences, or some inner feelings you wouldn’t want others to know, did you?"
...She's like a ghost.
I shook my head instinctively while listening to their conversation from behind.
If Kang Han-na analyzes people through empathy, Kim Eun-ha’s strength lies in her overwhelming knowledge and experience.
She has mastered all forms of behavioral psychology and can read a person's surface-level psychology just from eye movements or tiny gestures.
"...T-There’s no way I did that."
"Then why are you avoiding eye contact?"
"...B-Because I'm scared."
"Not because you’re feeling guilty?"
"N-No, that’s not it!"
Kang Han-na raised her voice desperately, like a new recruit under strict discipline. Meanwhile, her body was so tense that even a bystander would feel sorry for her.
"Eun-ha ssi, for now, maybe let go of her shoulders...."
As I placed my hand on her shoulder, Kim Eun-ha turned her head immediately and met my gaze.
Just her half-lidded eyes and tightly furrowed brow were enough to tell she wasn’t in a good mood.
To be honest, I wanted to pull my hand away and pretend I didn’t know anything. But if I did that, the misunderstanding would never be resolved, so I gripped her shoulder a little tighter and steeled my resolve.
"Don’t press her too hard. She was just trying to make an efficient stage movement for you, Eun-ha ssi, who’s working hard even at this late hour."
Hmm-
Kim Eun-ha’s expression softened slightly. She stared into my face as if trying to determine the truth, then slowly turned her head.
Eek-!
Kang Han-na flinched hard again as their eyes met. Kim Eun-ha spoke to her in a low voice.
"Han-na."
"Y-Yes!?"
"......."
"......."
"......."
"...I-I’ll keep it in mind. I’m sorry."
"Good. Be careful from now on."
Huh?
I tilted my head as I watched the two. Clearly no words had been exchanged between them, but somehow the conversation had ended before I knew it.
Kim Eun-ha turned away like she had said everything she needed to, while Kang Han-na let out a deep sigh of relief. I was the only one left in the middle feeling lost.
"...What just happened?"
"There's no need for Woo-ju ssi to know."
"It’s better if oppa doesn’t know."
They replied almost simultaneously. Although I didn’t get the answer I wanted, I could roughly understand the situation.
‘...So this is what they call telepathy?’
Kang Han-na had an eerily deep understanding of Kim Eun-ha, and Kim Eun-ha saw right through Kang Han-na in return.
Thanks to that, the two perfectly understood each other’s thoughts.
Which meant they could communicate everything with just their eyes, without any real conversation.
‘It’s not like this is some fantasy novel.’
It was hard to believe, but they demonstrated it right in front of me, so I had nothing to say. On the surface, things had settled down peacefully.
‘Honestly, I’m kind of curious though....’
What are Kim Eun-ha’s preferences?
It wasn’t like I had any ulterior motives, but if I knew, it might come in handy when I had to act like her boyfriend later.
With that thought in mind, I glanced toward Kang Han-na, but something got in the way.
Its identity was none other than Kim Eun-ha. The moment I flinched without realizing it.
“I-I’ll step out for a bit!”
“...Hey!”
“Woo-ju ssi.”
My attempt to stop Kang Han-na was instantly thwarted. That was because Kim Eun-ha raised herself up onto her toes and leaned her face in close.
The whole world was filled with Kim Eun-ha. To me, it felt like an unspoken message telling me not to even think about looking anywhere else.
“If you’re curious about something, ask me.”
“.......”
Kim Eun-ha spoke as if she had read my mind. Her expression was businesslike, but maybe it was my imagination, there seemed to be a hint of poutiness.
Then, from deep within me, a mischievous impulse quietly emerged.
“If I ask, will you answer?”
“Of course.”
“Anything?”
“...Except company secrets.”
“I’m not particularly interested in those anyway.”
Smirk-
I deliberately stretched one corner of my mouth into a sly smile, and Kim Eun-ha flinched and lowered her heels.
Sensing something ominous, she subtly tried to distance herself from me, but I wasn’t about to just let that happen.
“The truth is, what I’m interested in is something else.”
“If you say it’s me, I’ll pour cement in your mouth and throw you into the middle of the Pacific Ocean.”
Oh no-
Her expression turned even colder than when she was looking at Kang Han-na earlier. Even without telepathy, I could be 200% sure she meant what she said.
My heart wanted me to drop to my knees and beg forgiveness, but the dice had already been cast.
“You’re being so harsh. Considering what we have.”
“What do we have, exactly.”
"A relationship sharing secrets we can't tell others."
“...If wrapping things up like that is a talent, I suppose you have a talent. Sigh, enough nonsense, let’s go practice already.”
Kim Eun-ha shook her head like she couldn’t take it anymore and turned to leave. Or rather, she was about to.
I swiftly grabbed her wrist and, using some force, pulled her toward me.
Startled by the sudden move, Kim Eun-ha was dragged right in, and I leaned my face in close to hers just like she had done earlier.
“W-W-What are you-!?”
“You look really cute when you’re flustered.”
Eh?
Kim Eun-ha, who had let out a dumbfounded noise, froze in place as if time had stopped.
That line I’d just delivered came straight from some B-grade movie, but now that I’d seen Kim Eun-ha frozen like that, she honestly did look cute.
‘...Even up close, her features are perfectly proportioned.’
It was clear how much effort God had put into making Kim Eun-ha. No matter how many times I looked, she made me lose focus.
Especially now, with her usual commanding presence gone and her eyes wide like a startled rabbit, she was truly a masterpiece.
I had achieved my goal, but stopping here felt somehow unsatisfying.
“It’s true.”
“......?”
“So this is your preference, Eun-ha ssi.”
“......!!”
In that instant, Kim Eun-ha’s ears turned bright red. I had tossed the joke expecting a nonchalant comeback, but her unexpected reaction flustered me instead.
“...Kang Han-na.”
Grind-
For some reason, Kim Eun-ha clenched her teeth and called out Kang Han-na’s name. I felt like I had made some huge mistake and hurried to do damage control.
“...How much did you hear?”
“What?”
Her voice was so small and uncharacteristic of Kim Eun-ha, but since our faces were so close, it rang clearly in my ear.
“I said, how much did you hear!”
“Well... um... it’s a misunderstanding.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?”
Thud-
Kim Eun-ha suddenly grabbed both sides of my jaw and, without hesitation, bumped her forehead against mine.
She had only gently pressed her forehead against mine, so the impact wasn’t strong, but the emotions transmitted through our skin were incredibly heavy.
“Tell me the truth.”
“...About what?”
“Exactly what you and that girl talked about here. From start to finish. Don’t leave out even the tiniest detail. Everything.”
“.......”
Kim Eun-ha’s eyes were so close that I could see her cornea. Her determination was so intense, it wouldn’t be strange if lasers shot out of them.
Only then did I understand how Kang Han-na was able to communicate with Kim Eun-ha without much verbal exchange.
“We really didn’t talk about anything special-”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“C-Can you let go first-”
“Talk. Right now.”
Nod nod-!
Her eyes, which even held a hint of madness, made me nod frantically in desperation. What followed was a long time of atonement.
.
.
.
“Is that really everything?”
“...I told you, yes.”
Kim Eun-ha looked down at me with disbelief in her eyes, legs crossed while sitting in a chair.
Kneeling in front of her, I tried to ease my numb legs as I spoke out my frustration.
“I was just teasing, really. I mean, no matter how amazing Han-na’s talent is, there’s no way she could figure out someone’s personal preferences, right?”
“You know that’s not true, don’t you, Woo-ju ssi?”
“...Yes. I’m sorry.”
Her immediate rebuttal made me lower my head even more. I knew, even as I spoke, that it didn’t make any sense.
“Indeed, Han-na’s talent... should I call it profiling? It’s honestly at a bizarre level. She should be a detective, not an actress.”
“And you say that, yet use it as an excuse?”
“I mean I was pretending not to know, even though I do. Truthfully, Eun-ha ssi, you know it too, right? That Han-na’s not the kind of person who’d blurt out someone else’s story without reason.”
“.......”
Kim Eun-ha answered with silence. Things had gotten a bit out of hand, but with her reason restored, her mind must have already reached a conclusion.
“...Then what was that earlier?”
“Hm? What do you mean? Oh, you mean grabbing your wrist? That was really just a coincidence. I didn’t think you’d actually be into that kind of thing...”
“I’m not into that kind of thing.”
“For someone who’s not, you looked pretty flustered.”
“Well, if someone suddenly yanks your body from behind, of course you’d be startled. I think anyone would’ve reacted the same way, not just me.”
“Hmm.”
Kim Eun-ha responded calmly, as if that was the answer she’d expected. Her logic was airtight, and I couldn’t come up with any counter.
“Well, let’s just say that’s the case.”
“It’s not ‘let’s say’. It is the case.”
“Same difference.”
“It’s totally different!?”
Kim Eun-ha never backed down on things like this. As I had expected her reaction, I massaged my numb legs and stood up.
“Anyway. The misunderstanding’s cleared up now, right?”
Sigh-
Kim Eun-ha glared at me with eyes full of dissatisfaction. Then she let out a deep sigh and stood up to follow me.
It seemed like everything was peacefully resolved, until Kim Eun-ha suddenly spoke up.
“From now on, don’t be alone with Han-na.”
“Huh? What do you mean-”
“Same goes for the others. I’ll assign a separate surveillance no, security team for Han-na. Please be aware of that too, Woo-ju ssi.”
“Come on, that’s a bit much...”
I tried to brush it off like usual with a joke, but the moment I saw the utterly serious look in Kim Eun-ha’s eyes, my mouth shut on its own.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’m serious.”
“No, but still-”
“Then should I just take care of it cleanly?”
“.......”
I was speechless at the sudden reappearance of Kim Eun-ha’s true nature. There’s no way I didn’t know what she meant by “cleanly” at this point.
At this moment, Kim Eun-ha truly considered Kang Han-na a potential threat to herself. Perhaps even someone whose mouth needed to be shut permanently.
‘Right. She was always like this...’
It hit me again.
That Kim Eun-ha is also a member of Mirae Group. Within her flows the cold-blooded nature that shows no mercy toward threats to herself.
In that light, her approach to Kang Han-na might be an unusually merciful one. She was leaving a potential threat unchecked, after all.
‘...I just stepped on a landmine.’
If I took even one more step here, I’d be out. It was something I could instinctively feel, even without anyone explaining it to me.
Of course, I’m only human. I was curious about Kim Eun-ha’s hidden past too. But I wasn’t naive enough to bring that curiosity to the surface.
After all, our relationship was built on a contract. I must not forget that fact.
“I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Yeah. Really do.”
Kim Eun-ha nodded.
The atmosphere had grown much heavier than before, and I felt the need for some air. If things stayed like this, it would interfere with the practice later on.
“But hey, Eun-ha ssi.”
“What now.”
“You told me earlier, if I’m curious about something, I should ask you directly, right?”
“......?”
Kim Eun-ha stared at me suspiciously, like she was trying to figure out what scheme I was up to this time. In response, I took a big step forward toward her.
I moved faster than her flinching retreat, pushing her back toward the wall.
“W-What are you trying to do now...”
“Just checking something.”
“What?”
Smirk-
I gave her the freshest smile in the world as she stood there, question marks practically floating above her head.
Then slowly.
At a pace that was neither too slow nor too fast, I leaned my face in closer to hers. Kim Eun-ha’s pupils began to tremble slightly.
“W-W-Wait a second...”
She turned her head in a panic. Suppressing a laugh, I leaned in close to her ear and whispered softly.
“This really is more to your preference, isn’t it?”
“......!!”
Thwack-!
And after that, I got beaten up pretty badly.
*****
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