Chapter 60: The Prank, the Permission, and the Protector

Yoon Bora pulled at the tattoo sleeve,

stretching it until the elastic material snapped back into place.

“It’s… fake?”

“Yeah.”

I answered while wiping away my tears with the back of my hand.

Yoon Bora let out a deep sigh of relief.

Clearly, the realization that my tattoo was just a prop had set her at ease,

just as I had felt relieved knowing her concern wasn’t misplaced.

‘I really messed up.’

Despite understanding how intimidating a tattoo could be, I had used it as a joke.

It was undeniably my fault. I needed to apologize.

“Yoon Bora, I’m sorry for scaring you with the tattoo.”

“No, no, Harang! This is my fault!”

“Really?”

“Yes. I panicked because I thought you were going down a bad path.”

A “bad path”? That was laughable I could never be that kind of person.

“Don’t worry, Yoon Bora. I’d never do anything you wouldn’t approve of.”

“Okay, heehee…”

Her cheeks turned pink as she twisted slightly, looking much more at ease now.

It seemed my words had landed just right.

‘Phew.’

I let out a breath of relief before a sudden realization hit me I had left the livestream on!

Everyone must’ve seen me crying earlier.

Mortified, I scrambled for an excuse.

“Yoon Bora?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t shake me anymore. When I get dizzy, tears just start coming out.”

I wanted to make it clear that I hadn’t cried out of fear.

My statement was aimed as much at the viewers as at her.

“Oh, right. Harang, you’ve always struggled with dizziness, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, even now I’m seeing two of you.”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry!”

Yoon Bora looked genuinely apologetic.

“If you’re really sorry, you can do me a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

After wiping my face, I grinned mischievously.

“Can I have one more ice cream?”

“That’s a no.”

“Aw, man.”

I’d really thought she’d agree. So close!

“It’s for your health, Harang. Eating too much cold food will upset your stomach.”

“Got it.”

I hadn’t expected that reason to be so genuine.

Feeling a bit disappointed, I absentmindedly stroked the fake tattoo.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in my mind.

“Yoon Bora, do you think I’d get in trouble if I showed this to the boss?”

“Hmm… not sure?”

Yoon Bora tilted her head, thoughtfully stroking her chin.

Even someone as familiar with Jinhyang as her seemed unsure.

‘Better not risk it.’

Jinhyang’s anger was far more terrifying than Bora’s.

“Yoon Bora, maybe we shouldn’t. What if I get scolded for being scary?”

I reached out to remove the sleeve, but Yoon Bora grabbed my hand first.

“Harang, let’s do it.”

“Huh?”

“I’m curious how she’ll react too.”

“But I’m the one who’s going to get scolded.”

As I hesitated, she clasped both my hands tightly.

“If you get in trouble, I’ll help.”

“You’ll stop the boss from scolding me?”

“No, I’ll get scolded with you.”

“Wait, what?”

That wasn’t helpful at all!

I looked up at her, bewildered, but Yoon Bora just chuckled innocently.

‘Sigh.’

Well, there was no stopping her now. If Yoon Bora wanted this, I couldn’t say no.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

With a resigned nod, I followed Yoon Bora out of the break room,

bracing myself to face Jinhyang.

‘This is terrifying.’

Standing outside her office door, fear bubbled up in my chest.

Pretending to intimidate Jinhyang with fake tattoos what was I thinking?

‘Should I just back out?’

The thought crossed my mind, but at this point, I might as well see it through.

It was a one of a kind prank, and the marketing potential was undeniable.

Knock, knock—

I lightly tapped on the door before stepping inside, still wearing the tattoo sleeves.

“Why are you—”

Jinhyang froze mid-sentence, staring at me.

Her reaction mirrored Yoon Bora’s earlier one.

Clearly, she wasn’t watching the livestream.

“How do I look? I’m about to embrace my rebellious side.”

I held up my arms, showing off the tattoos.

Even though I felt a twinge of fear, I managed to keep my composure.

Jinhyang might scold me, but she wasn’t the kind of person to lash out.

“…So, what’s your plan to go astray?”

Jinhyang rested her chin on her hand, gazing at me.

“Well, uh…”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

For a moment, I faltered, but my quick thinking kicked in.

I could make something up on the spot.

“From today on, I’m going to eat three ice creams every day.”

How’s that for a rebellious move?

Feeling confident, I raised my arms triumphantly and shot Jinhyang a smug look.

From behind, Yoon Bora’s voice broke the moment.

“Gasp. Three is way too much.”

“Really? Is it?”

For a second, I considered scaling it back and turned to Yoon Bora, only to catch her giving me a cheeky wink.

‘Oh, right.’

Yoon Bora was on my side.

I had gotten so caught up in focusing on Jinhyang that I’d forgotten.

‘Let’s see how this plays out.’

With Yoon Bora backing me up, I was practically invincible.

No matter how outrageous my act, this was a rare moment where I could push boundaries freely.

Confidence surged within me.

“Boss, did you hear that? Even Bora thinks it’s shocking.”

“Hmph…”

Jinhyang shifted in her seat, leaning back against the chair’s backrest.

She crossed her legs and studied me intently.

I had no idea what emotions flickered across her face,

but it felt like I’d successfully provoked her.

“Well? Isn’t it terrifying?”

Jinhyang gave a silent nod in response,

confirming my suspicion she was genuinely unsettled by the tattoos.

‘Wow.’

The thought that I managed to rattle Jinhyang filled me with glee,

and my tail would’ve wagged in a wide arc if it could.

“Hehe.”

This felt amazing.

But I knew better than to push too far.

What might seem like a fun prank to me could be deeply unsettling for the other person.

One of my personal rules was to never let a joke go on long enough to truly bother someone.

“Boss, these are fake, so don’t worry too much.”

I stretched the sleeve a little, revealing its elasticity with a lighthearted grin.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I borrowed it from the set downstairs where they’re shooting a movie.”

“And they just handed over props like that…?”

Jinhyang examined the sleeve with curiosity,

her fingers lightly running over the material.

In response, I twisted my arm this way and that to accommodate her inspection.

“They let me borrow it in exchange for delivering a message to you.”

“A message?”

“They wanted to ask if they could extend the filming time by one more day.”

Relaying requests was part of the deal.

I didn’t care what Jinhyang’s answer would be I’d just pass it along.

That was the extent of my involvement.

But her response caught me off guard.

“That’s your decision to make.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Jinhyang nodded at me as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

“You’re saying I can make that kind of decision?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Her calm affirmation left me speechless.

“Extending the filming by a day isn’t going to cause the Tower to collapse,” Jinhyang remarked casually.

“Well, I guess not, but…”

Could I really make decisions like this? It was baffling.

For a moment, I wondered if Jinhyang was teasing me, but her expression was completely serious.

‘Huh, surprising.’

I thought things like this were beyond my authority.

Turns out there was more I could handle than I initially believed.

“Think it through and decide wisely, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am…”

As I pondered her words, staring at her blankly, Jinhyang suddenly rose from her seat.

“Anyway, keep an eye on the Tower while I’m out. I need to step out for a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have some business with the Association.”

“Oh, the Association…”

She must’ve meant the Awakened Association, the exclusive organization only accessible to awakened individuals.

As awe filled me, Jinhyang caught my gaze and added, “Yoon Bora’s coming with me, so you’ll be on your own this afternoon. Will you be alright?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

“Can you manage eating alone, too?”

“Yes, I can eat by myself just fine.”

Satisfied with my response, she patted the top of my head.

“If anything comes up, reach out to Eunhyuk or message me, like last time, okay?”

“Yes, got it. Have a safe trip.”

I almost waved as she walked away, but stopped myself.

After all, we’d both be heading to the elevator together since I needed to visit the film set downstairs.

Meanwhile, Raxy Bora was her usual self, browsing internet forums.

More specifically, she was lurking on Harang’s streaming channel and fan sites.

Jinhyang was so sweet today.
Did you see her pretending to be scared? That reluctant nod was the highlight, lol.
Her face though? You could tell she was debating whether to play along or not, lol.

Raxy Bora had been watching Harang’s stream too ,

and knew exactly what the commenters were talking about Jinhyang had seen through Harang’s tattoo prank but chose to humor her anyway.

Her twin, Yoon Bora, might’ve been fooled a little, but that was another story.

I never thought I’d like Jinhyang this much, lol.
She’s all sharp words and stern looks, but she seems like a genuinely kind person underneath.

“Hehe.”

Jinhyang’s reputation was gradually improving.

The image that  Lee Taesung had tarnished so thoroughly was beginning to recover,

and Raxy Bora wasn’t blind to the fact that Harang’s streams played a significant role in that shift.

‘That kid’s a real blessing.’

Thanks to Harang, the Tower was setting record-breaking visitor counts every day.

Revenue was soaring alongside the foot traffic.

In a way, Harang had proven herself more than capable as a Tower administrator.

‘It’s amazing, really.’

Just one person. One person had changed so much so much that it was hard to even put into words.

“Aww, I miss Harang!”

Raxy Bora hugged herself, rolling dramatically across the floor, before springing up with sudden resolve.

‘Anyway, since my sister and Yoon Bora aren’t at the Tower today…’

She decided she could spend the entire day with Harang, officially as her “guardian.”

After all, Harang might get lonely and end up crying without company.

Throwing on some casual clothes without much care, Raxy Bora headed out.

Lately, she realized, almost all her outings revolved around Harang.