Chapter 38
“Ah!”
I couldn’t help but let out a loud exclamation.
This crazy bastard, seriously!
I wanted to smack my former self who had been so focused, thinking he might say something serious. Of course not, this guy would never say anything sincere! I covered my burning red face with an irritated expression and snapped at him.
“Why are you like this, really!”
He shouldn’t be saying those kinds of things, seriously! Of course, sometimes… No, I remember that day quite often when I look at Shin Hae-jun! Shin Hae-jun seems to remember it more often than I do. Rolling my eyes with a sentiment of ‘just stop it,’ he smirked and gently placed his hand on my forehead.
“It was a joke.”
His hand was surprisingly soft, and I shivered involuntarily. The feeling of his slender fingertips gently brushing through my hair wasn’t unpleasant.
“Stop treating me like a kid.”
Despite being relatively tall myself, Shin Hae-jun’s height made my forehead prominently visible when I stood in front of him. It made me feel a bit awkward, like a child. No one has ever touched my head affectionately before.
“Well, a friend.”
Having obediently withdrawn his hand, Shin Hae-jun gave a slight nod, as if acknowledging it. It was his way of telling me to lead on. The way the word “friend” slipped from his slightly smug lips sounded oddly sensual. Though the word itself means ‘friends,’ there seemed to be an underlying meaning to it.
“Alright, let’s really go this time.”
I moved forward without looking back at Shin Hae-jun. I could faintly hear him muttering behind me.
“Well, starting as friends isn’t a bad idea.”
🕂
“Woaaah!”
As soon as we entered the shelter, I found myself trapped in the embrace of people pulling me close, unable to breathe.
“Min Ahyeon! Ahyeon Nuna!”
“Ahyeon Unnie!!”
“How long has it been!!!”
I missed you all so much. I really, really missed you!
The children who crowded around me were examining me all over, seemingly checking if I was hurt or in pain anywhere.
Even though it’s been a solid year since they last saw my face, they were still worrying about me like this… These kids… I felt both grateful and sorry, my heart tingling with emotion.
“Nuna.”
At that moment, the youngest among the minors, Kang Minchan, approached.
“Nuna, you’re really mean.”
Minchan pouted his lips and gave me a sullen look. His constantly grumbling personality was still the same, but his appearance had changed quite a bit.
Kids really do grow up fast.
Seeing how much taller and more masculine he had become in just a year was quite surprising. If it were before, I might have found that expression cute, but now, I couldn’t even say it was cute in jest.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Minchan continued with his grumbling.
“I heard you’ve been going back and forth between Seoul and Incheon. But why haven’t you come to Gangwon even once a year? Are you ignoring our region? Are you ignoring us? Huh? This is regional discrimination.”
“What are you talking about?”
I responded to his whining as if making excuses.
“I didn’t come because I had nothing to do. If I did, I would’ve come long ago.”
“You didn’t come because you didn’t have any business?”
Minchan narrowed his eyes as if judging the truthfulness of my words. Since he had grown so much by now, he wasn’t particularly cute anymore, but to placate him, I rambled on more than usual.
“Yeah. Look, I’m here today because I had business, and as soon as I arrived, I came straight here.”
“Wow… Nuna. I’m really disappointed.”
Despite my sincere response, Minchan covered his mouth and made an exaggerated expression.
“So our relationship only matters when there’s something going on between us? Is that the extent of the bond between you and me? Are we just business associates?”
He completely toyed with me. No, he toyed with Gangwon!
Since when was he the representative of Gangwon? I was dumbfounded by Minchan starting to sell me out.
“Hey! When did I play with Gangwon? You never played with it either. What am I? Some kind of toy for you?”
“You never even wanted to see me before! What kind of relationship were we in!”
I started to feel incredulous at Minchan’s shouting.
What kind of relationship? It was just between a big sister who played well with her little brother.
But Minchan didn’t stop, continuously speaking as if interpreting my silence.
“Wow, so all the time we’ve spent together is just meaningless? We’re not in any kind of relationship? It doesn’t mean anything at all?”
I knew he was exaggerating, but the fact that I hadn’t been able to visit Gangwon lately did sting my conscience a bit. Moreover, he was the one among the kids here who seemed to follow me the most.
“…Were you that upset?”
I asked cautiously, and Minchan pressed his dry eyes, pretending to be on the verge of tears, and cuddled up to me. Cuddled up, except that now we’re about the same height, so I ended up being the one hugged.
“You guys… What’s this? Why aren’t you stopping Kang Minchan? Are you kidding?”
As I felt embarrassed, I looked away from Minchan and glanced at the others. They just shrugged and giggled. Instead of stopping him, they even chimed in.
“No, well. Minchan didn’t say anything wrong.”
“Yeah, come more often, Min Ahyeon. Kang Minchan seems upset.”
“…Looks like everyone’s in on this but me.”
“Yeah, we’re all in the Gangwon gang.”
I wrinkled my nose at Minchan’s friends’ joking response.
Seeing them speak like this, knowing what I do and who I’m looking for, it seemed like they were just teasing me for fun.
“Yeah, you guys are really all in cahoots. I’m jealous, you know.”
So, I casually responded to their words, trying to change the mood. But before I could, Shin Hae-jun spoke up first.
“Business relationship.”
He interjected into the conversation about Kang Minchan and me with a serious expression.
“Isn’t it better that way? It seems a bit too attached right now.”
Then he shot a slight glare at Kang Minchan, and his gaze was so fierce and intimidating that I felt a chill run down my spine.
Why did he have to pick a fight with a kid for no reason? I instinctively moved forward to intervene before things escalated.
“Whoa.”
“Wow.”
Some of the kids, including Kang Minchan, exclaimed while covering their mouths. This reaction didn’t seem to be due to Shin Hae-jun’s words, but rather as if they recognized him, with a peculiar tone and expression.
Ah, could it be that they were surprised to recognize Shin Hae-jun, who is practically an enemy of Gangwon? I stepped forward to hide him behind my back—not that his massive build could really be hidden.
“Aren’t you General Shin?”
But I was taken aback by the sudden mention of his rank by one of the kids.
What? How do you guys even know that Shin Hae-jun is a general?
Perplexed, I looked at Park Eunjin…
“I think he’s General Shin! Wow!”
“He’s even more handsome in person!”
“Please shake my hand once!”
Before I could even fully grasp the situation, the underage kids started swarming towards Shin Hae-jun, clinging to him like fans meeting their favorite idol.
What’s going on? Why are they so fond of Shin Hae-jun, the mastermind behind the downfall of Gangwon? Could it be that as long as someone has a handsome face, it doesn’t matter if they’re the enemy of Gangwon?
“Why are they like that?”
I asked Park Eunjin, who shrugged nonchalantly and replied.
“The power of propaganda materials.”
“Ah.”
If you were to ask me what profession would survive even if the world collapsed and the end of days arrived, I wouldn’t hesitate to say ‘journalist.’
Among them, journalists who are often derogatorily called “scribblers” still wield their pens like swords, manipulating public opinion with their fabricated articles, just as they always have, serving the interests of the powerful.
So,
“General, did you really fight against the infected at 17 to 1 odds?”
“Did you really single-handedly stop the wave?”
It’s only natural for them to cling to Shin Hae-jun, who represents the pinnacle of that power. It’s like a naive puppy not knowing how dangerous a tiger can be—or rather, not knowing that the tiger destroyed their territory.
A bitter chuckle escaped me.
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
Crazy