Chapter 24: Lines Crossed

Jinhyang, sitting in the chair, was looking at me with a pitiful gaze.

“So, you only got Bora’s number?”

“……”

“And you couldn’t ask for Eunhyuk oppa’s number because you were too scared?”

“Yes…”

She didn’t even bother getting mad anymore.

She just hummed her usual tune, not saying much.

“Do you remember what I told you earlier?”

“That, that I should ask people I know for their numbers…”

“Am I and Bora the only people you know?”

“Well, there’s also Raxy…”

I hesitated and glanced at Jinhyang for her reaction.

For some reason, she just smiled, curling the corners of her lips.

“Hmm, so you’re saying you don’t know many people…”

Jinhyang lifted her hand to cover her mouth.

Was it that funny to her that I didn’t know many people?

I was a little annoyed, but honestly, it was funny, so I couldn’t argue.

‘Darn…’

As I was sulking over the undeniable truth, knock knock—someone tapped at the office door.

At the same time, the door swung open with a soft click!

Standing there was Yoon Bora.

“Sis, I brought him in.”

Yoon Bora entered with a look of excitement, but when she saw me, she suddenly clamped her mouth shut.

She swallowed hard.

‘What’s going on?’

I asked her curiously.

“Bora, who did you bring in?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, I caught a monster.”

“Weren’t you supposed to go to the dungeon this afternoon?”

“Oh, yeah. It was a weak dungeon, so I finished early.”

Yoon Bora had been gone for less than two hours.

I couldn’t even imagine how strong she must be now.

Feeling a sense of awe, I looked at her, and that’s when I noticed something red on her coat.

“Bora, you’ve got something on your clothes.”

“Huh?”

“There.”

Yoon Bora followed my gaze to the spot I pointed out.

Her mouth dropped open in realization.

“Oh, th-this is monster blood. Some of the monster’s blood got on me…!”

She shook her coat, trying to get rid of it.

But the blood had already soaked in deeply and didn’t come off easily.

“Tsk.”

I heard Jinhyang clicking her tongue from beside me.

For some reason, she seemed to be in a bad mood. Just moments ago, she had been laughing as if she was having fun.

‘Why though?’

It wasn’t like Jinhyang was scared of blood.

Maybe she didn’t like seeing her subordinate, Yoon Bora, looking so sloppy.

After all, Jinhyang was nearly a perfectionist no matter what anyone said.

“Bora, go change your clothes.”

Jinhyang spoke to Yoon Bora in a stern voice.

Her gaze didn’t leave me.

As Jinhyang scanned me from head to toe, I couldn’t help but shrink a little under her piercing look.

“……Sorry, unnie.”

Yoon Bora bowed her head and quickly left the room.

Even as she left, she kept glancing at me, which felt odd.

‘What is going on?’

As I stood there, confused by the situation, I heard a sigh from Jinhyang beside me.

‘Oh no.’

I glanced sideways to check on Jinhyang’s mood.

She was frowning, staring at the door Yoon Bora had exited through.

‘What should I do?’

Being left alone with Jinhyang in this suddenly tense atmosphere made me nervous.

It felt like her anger could shift towards me at any moment.

As I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do, she suddenly turned her head towards me.

“This won’t do.”

“Sorry?”

“You need to learn how to interact with people.”

“…….”

There were two shocks hidden in her words.

The first was how she made me sound like a clueless idiot who didn’t know how to deal with people.

……Honestly, that part was true, so I let it slide.

The second was her calling me ‘you.’

For some reason, Jinhyang occasionally referred to me as ‘you.’

I know I don’t always act maturely, but still, calling me ‘you’?

It would’ve been better if she’d just used my name.

‘Sigh.’

Lowering my head with mixed feelings, I noticed the tablet sitting there.

‘Ah… the broadcast?’

Come to think of it, we were live on the broadcast, weren’t we?

With so many people watching, she couldn’t exactly call me oppa.

I did look younger on the outside, and people thought I was her younger sister anyway.

‘Hmph.’

Maybe Jinhyang was just thinking carefully about how things would look.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head, but suddenly, she got up from her chair and approached me.

“When adults are struggling, it’s best to deal with the kids first.”

“Th-The kids…?!”

What does that even mean?

I could only look up at her in confusion.

Jinhyang grabbed my hand and started leading me somewhere.

It was a bit awkward since this was the first time she’d ever held my hand.

‘Women often walk arm-in-arm, after all.’

Since I’m short, she probably just grabbed my hand instead.

I decided not to think too much about it.

‘Still… her hand is surprisingly warm.’

I always thought Jinhyang was a cold and ruthless person.

But her hand was unexpectedly warm, and it felt comforting.

“Heh.”

As I held her warm, calloused hand, absentmindedly squeezing it, Jinhyang frowned and looked down at me.

“Stop that.”

“Yes.”

Come to think of it, I might have been squeezing her hand like a pervert.

I looked up at Jinhyang for a moment, then turned my gaze forward again.

It seemed like we had arrived at our destination.

“Where… is this?”

A small slide and a ball pit filled with colorful balls.

It was definitely a center where parents could leave their kids while they shopped peacefully.

‘So, she wants me to manage the kids here?’

Indeed.

Dealing with innocent children was easier than dealing with adults, and it might even help me gain some confidence.

Jinhyang’s decision wasn’t as bad as I thought.

‘This is actually… doable!’

I braced myself and looked up at Jinhyang.

But what she said next was unexpected.

“Play with the kids here.”

“……?”

Why would I play here?

As I stood there, bewildered, I looked up at her.

Jinhyang looked down at me and said, “Isn’t playing a more natural way to bond than working?”

“But, but I’m supposed to be working?”

“What work?”

“……”

I had no answer.

I knew very well that I wasn’t doing any real work anyway.

I wasn’t exactly top-tier labor.

“Just play. Help yourself to snacks, and wait until Bora comes to pick you up.”

“B-Bora is coming…?!”

Yoon Bora already treated me like a kid on normal days.

If she saw me playing like this, she wouldn’t just treat me like a kid — she’d really see me as one.

“You’re not telling me you can’t even play, are you?”

“N-No, I’m actually good at playing…”

“Then go ahead and play.”

“……”

I stared blankly at Jinhyang’s back as she walked away.

‘I really have to play here, huh.’

With a sigh, I glanced at the tablet.

“Everyone, today I’ll be taking care of kids. I guess I’m a temporary teacher.”

[“Taking care of them? A teacher? Lol”]

[“LOL LOL LOL”]

[“I’m seriously dying of laughter lol”]

“…Why? Taking care of kids is super important.”

Ugh.

The viewers were always so mean.

I put down the tablet and looked around.

Among the kids, I spotted a woman wearing an apron.

She was probably the teacher in charge of managing this place.

‘…Alright.’

I slowly approached her.

I made sure my name tag was clearly visible on my chest.

At least for this moment, I needed to rely on the little power that came with my temporary position.

“Ahem, excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Could I get an apron too? I’m here to inspect this place today.”

“Oh, of course.”

She glanced at my name tag once and then nodded.

Power really was amazing.

I guess I fooled her well enough.

As I chuckled to myself, she flashed a bright smile at me and said, “Harang.”

“Yes?”

“I’m a fan. I always watch your broadcasts.”

“…”

Turns out she was one of my viewers.

Feeling embarrassed, I lowered my head, and she handed me an apron.

“Here you go.”

I took the apron from her, feeling a bit mischievous as I asked, “But how do you watch streams while working…?”

“I watch clips during my breaks.”

“C-Clips…?”

“Yes, a lot of people upload them on your channel.”

That means she already knows I’m just here to play.

My face burned with embarrassment, and I quickly turned around and fled.

“Ahh.”

I tied the apron around my waist and looked around.

At least if I wore this, I’d just look like a kind staff member playing with the kids.

‘But what now…?’

Jinhyang told me to play with the kids.

But I couldn’t just turn my brain off and play like a child.

I guess I’ll just ‘play’ with the kids in a more controlled way.

With that thought, I approached the kids.

Away from Yoon Bora and unnoticed by anyone else, Jinhyang stood in a private space of her own.

She was staring at her palm.

The spot where she had held Harang’s hand.

She stayed like that for a while before snapping out of it and looking straight ahead.

“1700…”

A man was lying on the ground in front of her, bleeding.

His hands and feet were tightly bound, making it impossible for him to move.

“Was it necessary to tie him up?”

Jinhyang examined the man’s condition as she spoke.

With his hands and feet pierced, he didn’t seem capable of walking or even crawling.

“Better safe than sorry, right?”

From the shadows behind Jinhyang, Yoon Bora emerged, as if she had been there the whole time.

“Someone who handles things so thoroughly didn’t even bother to clean up the blood?”

Yoon Bora trailed off, feeling awkward.

Without even glancing at Yoon Bora, Jinhyang continued, “You didn’t get caught, did you?”

“Of course not.”

“Hmm.”

Satisfied with the answer, Jinhyang nodded and picked up the bottle lying beside the man.

It contained a liquid that would make anyone regret being alive, even if just a drop touched their wound.

Usually, it needed to be diluted to one percent of its original concentration, but what Jinhyang was holding was pure, undiluted.

“…I don’t have any personal grudge against you. I just have a few things I’d like to ask.”

Jinhyang wasn’t the only one good at handling the dirty work.

She knew how to do it, but she’d always refrained because it wasn’t the right thing to do as a human being.

But not anymore.

What Jinhyang hated most was when someone messed with what was hers.

There would be no more mercy.

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