★★★Chapter 16 : There’s Only One Way★★★
“Having Bada-ssi around makes me feel secure.”
As I quickly added my words, noticing Kang Bada’s sharp gaze, I must say, even though I said it in a hurry, it’s not exactly a lie to say it’s good.
“It’s better to have at least one adult, right?”
The childcare center is quite small, with about ten kids. But we can’t ignore the energy and activities of these little ones that can be like wild animals.
Especially when we visit a place like ‘Lego Land,’ where the kids go all out, one adult trying to handle two or three kids can be overwhelming.
“Well, it’s not a lie.”
“Do you also have tricks up your sleeve?”
“Not to that extent. It’s just that since I was young, I’ve interacted with different people, so I naturally developed an eye for observing people.”
“What kind of person am I?”
In response to my question, Kang Bada turned to look at me. She pondered seriously, touching her chin, and cautiously gave her answer.
“INFJ?”[1]
“But that’s a pseudoscience.”
“It has some credibility. Haven’t you tried MBTI (personality type test)?”
“Well, I have.”
Since MBTI has been popular lately, I thought it could be useful in my web novel.
I haven’t directly introduced it in the novel, but I still use it extensively when creating characters.
“What did you get?”
“I got INFJ.”
“See? I said I’m good at reading people, right?”
Kang Bada shrugged her shoulders.
Sometimes I doubt if she’s really a researcher, but her demeanor is quite adorable, so I just chuckled it off.
“What about me?”
“Yes?”
“Now it’s your turn to guess, Bada-ssi.”
“Hmm… ENTP[2]?”
“Yep!?”
Kang Bada widened her eyes in surprise, as if shocked to have guessed correctly. Seeing her clever reaction made me feel that my prior studying paid off.
As part of my research, I thoroughly searched Kang Bada’s social media accounts, and one of the things I discovered was her MBTI (personality type).
Even a simple computer collects big data to provide personalized services, so this level of effort is expected.
“While this simple test may not reveal all aspects of a person’s personality…”
It’s much better than not knowing anything at all.
Whether someone is extroverted (E) or introverted (I). Whether they are intuitive (N) or sensing (S). Knowing which way Kang Bada leans in these key traits can be helpful.
‘The advantage of information is important.’
Gaining information means having a better position in dealings with others.
In addition to MBTI, I also found useful information about Kang Bada’s favorite foods and the atmosphere of her favorite places through exploring her social media accounts.
‘She also has a lot of followers.’
1 million followers.
I was amazed by that number, which could rival that of many celebrities. It didn’t seem like she was putting much effort into her activities.
She only posted a selfie or a picture of her cat at home once a week. Yet, her popularity soared.
‘I still don’t understand why she chose me.’
The more I learned about Kang Bada, the more puzzled I became. It didn’t make sense that someone like her would like me, and there must be a plausible reason for it.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Honeymoon.”
“What!?”
“Just kidding.”
“…Wow, you surprised me.”
“Well, I should start planning my wedding soon.”
“Oh my, are you two getting married?”
Suddenly, someone interjected into our conversation. It was Park Mi-kyung, who is in charge of education and nutrition at the orphanage for children.
“Oh, yes…”
“Oh my, how wonderful. No wonder you’re beaming. It’s so nice to see a handsome man and a beautiful woman together.”
“Ahaha… Thank you.”
“But it’s okay if you don’t live together, right?”
“L-Live together!?”
Kang Bada raised her voice in surprise at the sudden word. Miss Park smiled mischievously at him.
“Well, these days young people try living together before getting married. It’s not just because the divorce rate is high. You should check your compatibility and lifestyle compatibility.”
“C-Compatibility…”
“These days, young people try living together before dating too. Oh my, are you two still at that stage?”
The sharp-tongued old lady’s words made Kang Bada’s eyes widen with meaning. Seeing her expression, I felt a cold sweat run down my back.
‘Something seems fishy here.’
My crisis detection sensors, honed through years of eye contact battles, have gone wild. I need to step in before it’s too late.
But unfortunately, very unfortunately…
Kang Bada’s reaction was quicker than mine.
“Why are you asking such embarrassing questions? Geez.”
“Right? Who does that in today’s world? Unless it’s a fake marriage. Hoho.”
“Exactly! It’s not a fake marriage. Ha… ha… ha.”
As I listened to Kang Bada’s words, I felt dizzy. Although she didn’t directly say “yes,” it was practically an admission.
‘…This could be dangerous.’
Miss Park is quite talkative. Asking her a question is no different from shouting into a loudspeaker.
You know how sometimes people say, ‘A word travels a thousand miles’? Well, it’s not just an empty saying. The moment a strict word enters Second Brother’s ears, I’m as good as dead.
“Miss, that kind of question is a bit overwhelming…”
*Bump!*
I tried to stop Miss Park from talking, but someone else slapped her on the back first. They hit her so hard that her back hurt.
“Ow! Director-nim!?”
“Miss Park, stop saying unnecessary things and go sit down. These two are adults, they can handle it on their own.”
“But…”
“But nothing! Focus on the kids.”
Director-nim, who had suddenly returned with the children, was the one who hit Miss Park on the back.
With a stern expression, Director-nim made Park Miss return to her seat, looking upset.
“Phew, Bada we can start.”
The Director gave a light wink towards me and Kang Bada. We awkwardly smiled and started the car.
—
“Hmm, does it still look suspicious?”
Kang Bada’s mind became complicated. She was already concerned about physical contact, so Miss Park’s suspicions were even more troubling.
– Bada, do you have a boyfriend?
– Oh my, what’s going on? Who is it?
– How far have you guys gone? How is he? Is he good?
During a recent gathering, Kang Bada couldn’t gather his thoughts amidst the barrage of questions from her friends.
They hadn’t even held hands properly yet, but everyone assumed they were compatible. It was even worse because most of them were married moms.
“Our husband hasn’t been feeling well lately. During our honeymoon, his legs were so sore that he couldn’t even go outside…”
“In that case, you should feed him first. Remember when my in-laws took care of the baby for a while? I gave them eel and buckwheat jelly soup, and that day we had a nice outing.”
“Really!? Tell me the brand. Next week, my mom said she’ll take care of the baby.”
In fact, they had been having these kinds of conversations for a long time. When women gather, all sorts of trivial stories come out.
However, every time these conversations came up, Kang Bada, who had no experience with relationships, always felt out of place.
“If you let loose after having a child, it’s not good, you know? You should wear lingerie for special occasions.”
“Oh, you’re right, Kang Bada.”
“I don’t regret getting married, but sometimes I feel like I got married too early when I see the ocean.”
“Agreed. I should have enjoyed life a little more.”
That’s right.
Amongst their friends, Kang Bada’s position was the relationship expert. She was a true peacemaker who loved everyone equally, regardless of their race.
‘I don’t want to be called an old maid!’
➤‘노처녀로 불리고 싶지는 않아
Even though she had no personal experience, she gathered information from the sea of knowledge and played the role of an experienced person.
At that time, she somehow managed to get through the crisis, but if someone’s question, like Miss Park’s, suddenly came up, she would freeze and couldn’t think properly.
‘Did you kiss oppa?’
And now, even someone as young as five-year-old Yena was ahead of her. Kang Bada’s heart became a little restless.
“How did things turn out like this?”
She needed to make progress, confess, or do something. But this oblivious person showed no signs of understanding the situation at all.
They suggested that Kang Bada should just go for a kiss right away to make progress.
They said most people would respond positively to that.
Kang Bada’s gaze shifted towards Kim Ha-neul’s lips while he was focused on driving. She noticed her slightly furrowed brow and his thick lips tightly closed.
‘Wow, he looks cool.’
It was impressive to see him drive such a big car.
She also liked how he glanced at the children through the rearview mirror from time to time. It was a good thing she had questioned her brother and decided to join this trip.
“Bada-ssi, could you do me a favor?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, but could you take out my sunglasses from my bag? The sunlight is stronger than I expected.”
“Oh, sure.”
So that’s why he had a furrowed brow.
Kang Bada quickly searched for Kim Ha-neul’s bag. But the bag was strangely thick and heavy.
“Why did you bring so many things?”
“I just brought the essentials. Clothes to change into, toiletries, lotion, and emergency medicine.”
While the other items were understandable, when did emergency medicine become an essential item? Kang Bada wondered as she opened the bag and was met with an even more surprising sight.
Towels, a hairdryer, a power strip, a charger, a power bank, and all sorts of items were inside. It was so thorough to the point of being astonishing.
‘Wow, he’s really well-prepared.’
Although Kim Ha-neul claimed to be spontaneous, in Kang Bada’s eyes, it seemed like he just had high standards for himself.
She, on the other hand, was often clumsy and disorganized. If Kim Ha-neul could fill in these meticulous details, they might make a great couple.
“They should be somewhere near the bottom. I should have anticipated this situation and taken them out in advance…”
“How can someone anticipate things to that extent? Just wait a moment. I’ll find them for you.”
Rustle, rustle…
Since the car was moving, Kang Bada couldn’t take out the items, so she rummaged through the bag and finally found the sunglasses case.
‘Is this it?’
After searching diligently, she came across an object that resembled a box. Kang Bada quickly took it out.
‘Huh?’
First of all, the box fits, but no matter how you look at it, it is not a sunglasses case. She glanced down and saw the number ‘003’ on the surface.
“···Yes!?”
“Did you find it?”
“Oh, not yet!”
Embarrassed, Kang Bada quickly pushed the box back in. Afterwards, she was able to use her superhuman senses and find the sunglasses case.
“It’s better now. thank you.”
“······.”
Kim Ha-neul, wearing sunglasses, smiled. However, Kang Bada had no time to care about him.
‘Kyaaah, that’s a condom, right!?’
003.
This is a number that often comes up when friends talk.
When she first heard it, she thought it was a code name like 007, but she only found out later that it meant ‘0.03mm.’
‘Why, why, already!? We haven’t even kissed yet! Is this what the honeymoon I mentioned earlier meant!?’
No, from the beginning, didn’t Kim Ha-neul think this was simply a contract marriage? She can’t believe he was going to spend it with another woman…
“Bada-ssi, are you having motion sickness?”
“···you beast.”
“yes?”
It’s a shame.
‘How dare he try to deceive people with such an innocent face. The statement that he was single from birth is definitely a lie.’
‘As soon as I return, I will order Kim Ha-neul’s past to be thoroughly investigated. Something will definitely come out.’
‘…But what kind of underwear is he wearing today?’
As time passed, kamg Bada’s mind got more complicated.
.
.
.
“Children, don’t go alone in the rest area, you have to stay with the teachers?”
“to-“
“So we can buy tasty snacks.”
“Yes!”
After going through various obstacles, they arrived at the rest stop.
The kids were excited at the mention of delicious snacks and couldn’t wait to get off the car, making a loud noise.
Following the principal and Miss Park, the kids got out of the car. Kim Ha-neul, who had been watching them, turned her head towards Kang Bada.
“Are you okay, Bada-ssi?”
“… “
She had been silent all this time, and I wondered if she needed to use the restroom urgently, but it didn’t seem like that was the case.
“What’s wrong?”
I don’t think I did anything wrong. Maybe she was upset when I asked her to get my sunglasses.
“Ha-neul-ssi, what about you?”
“We need someone to stay and watch the bus.”
Even though the teachers were there, it’s better to leave the door open since they didn’t know when the kids would come back. It wasn’t like they urgently needed to use the restroom or anything.
“Well, then maybe I’ll just…”
“Unni.”
“Yes? Yena, haven’t you gotten off the bus yet?”
“I want to eat a baked potato.”
“If you go with the principal, she’ll buy it for you.”
“Umm… I want to eat with unni.”
Since their heads were tied together, Yena had been sticking to Kang Bada like a piece of gum.
Today, once again sitting on Kang Bada’s lap, it was a journey she had come running for, barely separating from him.
“Hmm…”
“Go ahead and come back.”
“It’s lonely if I’m alone in the car.”
“I’m used to it. If it’s not too much trouble, please buy me a drink on your way back. Something refreshing.”
After briefly considering Kim Ha-neul’s words, Kang Bada finally got up from her seat. She held Yena’s hand and they got off the bus.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“You can take your time.”
Kim Ha-neul watched Kang Bada until she disappeared from her sight. Immediately after, she quickly began searching her own bag.
‘There’s definitely something wrong here.’
From the timing and the situation of Kang Bada keeping his mouth shut, there was definitely something wrong with his bag. For example, maybe it was his underwear.
“Underwear must be separately packed in the back zipper.”
They were driving on the highway, so Kim Ha-neul couldn’t see it properly, but Kang Bada must have only opened the front zipper. There was no reason for the underwear to be in contact with anything.
While searching through the bag, Kim Ha-neul finally discovered the cause of the problem and touched her forehead.
It was condoms.
Not just one, but three boxes bundled together.
‘Kim Ha-neul, you idiot.’
I often traveled alone for research purposes, so I always had a ‘basic travel package’ prepared because I found it bothersome to pack my luggage each time.
In the bag that contained basic travel items like toiletries, I roughly packed only underwear and towels for today’s trip. Of course, that’s how I came out today as well.
“Jingu, you useless bastard…”
Once, when they went to a pension with friends, they heard a story that many people meet and get married at travel destinations.
At that time, Jingu said that he always carries condoms just in case of a ‘special night,’ so he forcibly put them in my bag.
The problem is, I’m also a guy, so I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility. Thanks to that, I kept carrying them and completely forgot about them.
‘You beast.’
That’s what it meant.
That’s why she covered her body.
I thought she was conscious of her chest being exposed because of the seatbelt, but it seems like it was a more serious problem than that.
‘What should I do with this?’
Even if I try to think from a different perspective, it can easily be misunderstood. If it’s thought that there was an impure intention, it’s a clear violation of the agreement.
The words ‘Bad Ending’ flashed before my eyes. Kim Ha-neul rubbed his temples and fell into deep contemplation.
‘Now that it’s come to this…’
There’s only one solution.
Determination filled Kim Ha-neul’s face.
[1] An Advocate (INFJ) is someone with the Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging personality traits.
[2] ENTP stands for extroverted, intuitive, thinking and perceiving.
