Chapter 59: A Tattooed Trick and a Frightened Heart

After returning from the zoo, the days had been packed with constant activity.

Delivering fur to the plush toy store, indulging in ice cream, and even taking a dip in the kiddie pool when bored.

There were moments of bravery too like venturing near the monstrous shark tank at the aquarium.

Though from a distance, of course.

To an outsider, it might seem like I was just playing around.

But that was far from the truth.

As the manager of Huntress Tower, I had responsibilities,

the most pressing of which was promoting the Tower.

Standing in the food section of the Tower’s grocery store,

I held a tablet up for my audience.

“This is our food market. It smells amazing here it’s actually my favorite spot.”

[Whoa, it looks like a regular supermarket!]
[I thought the Tower only sold luxury goods.]
[Same here lol.]

“Not at all! We have a variety of stores here, including places like this where you can casually shop for groceries.”

A lot of people, like the ones in the chat, had misconceptions about Huntress Tower.

Many thought it was exclusive, a place where only the wealthy belonged.

Breaking that stereotype was part of my job.

“And if you do visit, make sure to try the ice cream here. ”

“I get one every time I stop by though not today, unfortunately.”

[Why not today?]

“Because Yoon Bora said I can only have one every two days.”

[Too much cold stuff isn’t good for your stomach!]
[If you get sick, your sisters will have to deal with it lololol.]

What nonsense! I wasn’t a child who got tummy aches from eating ice cream.

“It’s not because of that,” I muttered.

[Then why?]

“Um…”

Honestly, I didn’t know why. With no real answer, I awkwardly glanced around the store.

Then—CRASH!

A thunderous noise echoed through the store, drawing everyone’s attention.

A man had flown across the aisle, crashing into a display shelf.

“Huh?”

The impact sent the items on the shelf raining down on him.

‘This is bad… really bad.’

Panic surged through me as I ran toward him.

“Are you okay?”

Of course, he wasn’t. His upper body was buried under the fallen shelf and scattered products.

“Hold on, I’ll help you out. Just stay still for a moment.”

With trembling hands, I grabbed the edge of the fallen shelf, trying to lift it.

Despite my best effort, it was far too heavy for me alone.

“Someone, please”

I looked around, desperate for assistance.

But all the bystanders were just standing there, murmuring amongst themselves.

A man was hurt, and they were just gawking like it was some sort of spectacle.

‘What a cold world we live in.’

Disappointment welled up inside me, but then I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind.

‘Finally, someone’s coming to help.’

Relieved, I turned around to thank them, but my heart sank.

The person approaching… something about them seemed alarmingly off.

The scene took a surreal turn as the man in grotesque zombie makeup stood before me.

Torn skin, dull eyes, and blood dripping from his mouth it was a sight straight out of a horror movie.

“A… zombie?”

My legs gave out as fear swept over me.

Clutching the hem of the fallen man’s jacket, I desperately tugged.

“P-please get up…”

No matter how hard I pulled, he wouldn’t budge.

Tears prickled my eyes as I struggled with what to do. A zombie in the store? And someone trapped under a shelf?

Then, the “zombie” opened his mouth.

“I’m, uh… actually filming a movie right now.”

“…What?”

A moment of silence passed before I noticed them.

A swarm of people actors in makeup, extras, and staff nearly a hundred of them, all staring at me.

Among them, one person even had dragon tattoos coiled around their arms.

“Ah, I… I’m so sorry!”

Realizing my mistake, my face burned with embarrassment.

Because of me, the shoot had ground to a halt.

Now, the store was in shambles.

The shelf needed to be righted, the spilled products collected, and the broken glass and fake blood cleaned up.

The director, a man with a weary expression, sighed deeply.

“Well… it’s fine. You didn’t mean any harm.”

Even as he waved it off, the weight of my mistake hung heavy in the air.

Delays in filming meant a hundred people standing idle, each moment bleeding money.

At minimum wage alone, this was a disaster worth a million won.

‘What can I do to fix this?’

After a moment of deliberation, I pulled out a coupon book from my tablet bag.

These were promotional coupons for Huntress Tower, practically as good as cash.

‘I hope this works…’

Flicking through the options, I found everything from small denominations to larger ones I’d sworn never to touch.

There were even coupons for rare experiences and exchanges.

Taking a deep breath, I offered a handful of them to the director.

“What’s this?”

“They’re coupons you can use at Huntress Tower…”

“Huntress Tower?”

His gaze shifted from the coupons to my name badge.

For a fleeting moment,

I felt the weight of my responsibility as the Tower’s manager,

just like when I had reassured Yoon Bora about her leadership.

With so many eyes on me, I couldn’t afford to falter.

“You’re the General Manager?”

“Yes.”

He stared at me in surprise, and I couldn’t help but nod shyly in response.

“Ah, so you’re the General Manager!”

“Lol…”

His loud exclamation made me feel embarrassed.

The position might sound high-ranking, but in truth, I had no real authority.

Even after all this time, I hadn’t grown accustomed to it.

“U-um, General Manager?”

“Yes?”

He clasped his hands together as if in prayer, looking as though he was hoping for something.

“Sorry to ask, but… could I request something else, apart from the coupons?”

“What is it?”

No matter what he asked, I knew I couldn’t fulfill his request.

My role only allowed me to hand out coupons, nothing more.

‘Ugh.’

It was a little painful to face the prospect of turning down a request I couldn’t fulfill, but I had no choice at the moment.

“Could you extend the filming schedule for just two more days?”

“Two days?”

“Yes, of course, if that’s not possible, I understand.”

I was taken aback by the unexpected request.

Extending the filming schedule was something I hadn’t anticipated.

‘If this filming location gets known as a movie set, it might serve as automatic promotion, though.’

It was connected to my marketing responsibilities,

and asking Jinhyang wouldn’t hurt either.

“Well, I can ask the CEO for you, if you’d like.”

“Ah! Could you?!”

“Yes.”

I nodded lightly in response, and then curiosity got the better of me.

“By the way, is that tattoo on the person’s arm real…?”

“Oh, that? It’s just a sleeve tattoo.”

“Ah, I see.”

It was a relief. He wasn’t a scary person, just someone playing a role.

Before heading to Jinhyang, I decided to stop by the staff lounge to try on ‘that’ thing I had borrowed from the director.

‘Looks cool.’

I admired the dragon tattoos now adorning both my arms.

They were props from the movie shoot, but they looked so real.

“How do I look? Scary?”

I glanced into the mirror and put on a fierce expression,

trying to look like a gangster from a crime movie.

[No,]
[You’re not a gangster, you’re a “cat” gangster;]
[Ahh, so scary!]

Had my image really changed that much?

The viewers seemed to be surprised. Some were even scared.

“Wow. So scary.”

Lately, I had only shown silly sides of myself.

But now, with the villainous look, I felt much better.

The fierce dragon tattoos accentuated my wildness.

‘Maybe I should have a little fun?’

I had worked hard all day without a break, so a little bit of playtime wouldn’t hurt, right?

“Hmph.”

I adjusted my posture in the mirror,

furrowing my brow and spreading my arms to make my shoulders appear broader.

I was practicing for the role of a bad person.

“Hey, do you want to die?”

As I pretended to be menacing, my mind wandered to Lee Taesung,

the person who used to torment me.

’90……’

Seeing my reflection, I felt as if I had become Lee Taesung,

and it was frightening. I instinctively closed my eyes.

Click – The door opened and someone stepped in.

I slowly opened my eyes, and there she was Yoon Bora.

“Harang……?”

Yoon Bora stopped halfway through calling my name, her eyes fixed on my arms.

‘Bora must be surprised.’

Feeling playful, I wanted to tease her with my scary tattoos.

“Bora, you’re here?”

I said in a voice that sounded much tougher than usual.

“Harang, what is that on your arm…?”

Yoon Bora gulped, slowly approaching me.

She seemed to be frightened by my tattooed appearance.

“Bora, I look cool, so I got the tattoo.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets and tried to appear as tough as possible, shaking my legs.

“No!”

Yoon Bora suddenly yelled louder than I’d ever heard her.

“Bora?”

In the brief moment of surprise, Bang!   she rushed up to me with an overwhelming force.

“Harang, why…?!”

Yoon Bora grabbed my shoulders and shook me furiously.

“B-Bora, Bora….”

I should have told her by now, but I couldn’t speak because her shaking was making my head spin.

“Harang, you need to remove that tattoo right now! I’ll help you make sure it leaves no trace.”

I wanted to explain the truth, but the continuous shaking made it impossible to gather my words.

“If you don’t remove it, I’m really going to get mad, okay?”

For the first time, Yoon Bora said she would punish me,

and hearing that made me feel so scared that tears welled up in my eyes.

I was dizzy from the shaking, and I couldn’t help but cry.

It really was unavoidable.

“Ugh…”