TUW I CHAPTER 73

Chapter 73

The Lunatic of This District

At last, Um Jihoo had completely lost it.

Yoo Lee Yeon shoved him away with all her strength when he came too close.

But no matter how hard she pushed, he didn’t budge.

She realized again that no matter how much force she used, she couldn’t overpower a man’s strength.

It was a sensation she’d felt before.

Uncle Yeob.

That memory surfaced again.

Ever since Jihoo confessed his feelings, every time she saw him, that day came back to her mind.

Lee Yeon’s fingertips began to tremble uncontrollably.

Thankfully, Jihoo hadn’t come any closer yet, but the way he looked at her from that short distance made her feel suffocated and afraid.

It felt like he was about to do something terrible.

A bad premonition crawled up her spine.

She wanted to see him.

She missed Ahn Do Hyun so much.

“You little fox.”

At that moment, as if her desperate wish had been heard, Do Hyun appeared right before her eyes.

She felt a flood of relief and warmth seeing him there.

She didn’t know how he had appeared so quickly, but all her unease vanished the moment she saw him.

Then, almost instantly, a new kind of dread took its place.

Smack—

“Do Hyun!”

Do Hyun struck Jihoo across the face with his hand.

Lee Yeon quickly stepped in to pull him away.

“I knew I’d end up punching that bastard someday.”

Do Hyun wrapped an arm tightly around Lee Yeon, keeping her close to his side.

Jihoo stayed down for a moment, not even trying to get up.

“This is getting interesting.”

Finally, he brushed the dust off his clothes and stood.

‘What’s so funny? Is he seriously insane?’

He used to seem like a normal friend, but now he looked like a villain straight out of a movie.

A cruel one, who tormented the main characters.

Even the way he smiled looked devilish.

Did he plan to be the lunatic of this district himself?

Lee Yeon felt nothing but disgust toward Jihoo now.

Even the little affection she once had was gone.

“This isn’t the time to act calm, Vice President,” Jihoo said with a crooked grin. “I just had an interesting thought.”

Neither Do Hyun nor Lee Yeon responded.

Lee Yeon’s hand clenched tighter around Do Hyun’s sleeve as anxiety crept back in.

“That punch you threw—it’s all on camera, you know. How can you stay so calm?”

The lunatic pointed up at the CCTV.

How pathetic, she thought.

The guilty one acting like the victim.

“You’re unbelievable,” Lee Yeon snapped. “You don’t even think about what you did wrong? That’s rich.”

He was the one who’d crossed the line first, and now he was threatening the man who stepped in to protect her.

Maybe she really had bad judgment, for ever considering him a friend.

Regret washed over her.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jihoo said with a smirk. “We both know that footage won’t even be recorded.”

What was he trying to say?

Lee Yeon couldn’t tell what Jihoo actually wanted.

“Well, since you hit me, I think it’s fair that I tell you what I want.”

He stood with one leg cocked arrogantly.

“If that video goes public, Vice President, your reputation’s done. Years of hard work, gone in a flash. Only the three of us know what happened here.”

Lee Yeon was speechless.

His smugness made her furious.

Until now, she’d thought he was just pathetic—but this was worse.

In trying to push that monster away, she might have dragged Do Hyun into trouble instead.

Guilt twisted in her chest.

If she’d protected herself better, Do Hyun wouldn’t have needed to intervene.

‘Maybe it’s me… Maybe it’s my appearance that’s the problem.’

Every time something like this happened, that thought returned to her.

“What I originally wanted was simple,” Jihoo said. “After years of liking Yoo Lee Yeon, I just wanted one chance. But now… I’ve changed my mind.”

Lee Yeon wanted to smack him.

How dare he call that simple?

As if wanting a chance meant he was automatically entitled to one.

No wonder he could never keep a girlfriend.

“Tsk.”

“What I want now is for you two to break up. For good. It’s not that hard, is it? I can’t stand seeing you together anymore.”

Lee Yeon stared at him in disbelief.

She wanted to scream.

Why couldn’t anyone just let them love each other?

Why did everyone keep telling her to leave Do Hyun?

She was on the verge of bursting.

She was so angry she wanted to scream at the top of a mountain.

Her chest felt tight, her mouth dry.

“You okay?”

Do Hyun, who’d been ignoring Jihoo completely, finally turned to her when he noticed something was off.

“I’m fine,” she said.

She wasn’t, but what good would saying so do?

“Honestly, I just want to punch him too.”

She glared at Jihoo out of the corner of her eye and growled quietly to Do Hyun.

He gave her back a reassuring pat.

“By the weekend, decide what you want to do,” Jihoo said. “Whether you want me to leak the footage or break up. I’ll be waiting.”

Then he walked off, grinning.

Even his back looked infuriating.

Lee Yeon felt her blood boil.

“Do Hyun, what do we do now?”

It felt like everyone was trying to tear them apart.

“That guy’s an ass, but what can we do?” Do Hyun muttered. “My head just snapped for a second.”

He pulled her closer, his expression darkening.

“Did he touch you again?”

Thankfully, Jihoo hadn’t.

“Just the back of my head,” she said.

“The back of your head?”

Do Hyun’s face hardened instantly.

“What kind of idiot touches the back of someone’s head? One hit wasn’t enough.”

Lee Yeon touched his arm, trying to calm him down.

Jihoo’s threats weren’t their only problem.

Chairman Gapsu’s demand that they break up still lingered.

It all tangled together like a mess of strings.

She felt like she might actually lose her hair from stress.

They needed time to think.

“Let’s take a few days,” she said. “Jihoo’s probably trying to secure the footage right now. He’s the type to cover his tracks.”

“Then we’ll make our own copy,” Do Hyun replied. “Before that bastard tries anything.”

Resting in his arms, Lee Yeon’s eyes sharpened with resolve.

It was time to think clearly and plan.

***

“What are you doing?”

[I’m home.]

Lee Yeon had already sorted out her thoughts faster than she expected.

She called Hwayul to ask for her opinion.

[Why? What happened?]

Lee Yeon told her everything about the recent chaos threatening her and Do Hyun’s relationship.

[That psycho! Who the hell does he think he is? Who cares if you’re dating or breaking up or getting married—what gives him the right to decide anything?]

Hwayul’s furious rant made Lee Yeon burst into laughter.

“I know, right? I can at least understand the chairman, but Jihoo? Maybe he’s bitter because he never got to properly confess.”

She heard Hwayul click her tongue on the other end.

[He’s a total psychopath. What’s the point of those demands? What does he even gain from that?]

“Exactly. I’m just worried he’ll leak the video out of spite if we don’t give in.”

[So what are you going to do?]

“Do Hyun doesn’t know the chairman told me to break up. I didn’t tell him because I didn’t want to cause family drama. But after Jihoo’s nonsense, I made up my mind.”

[And? What’s your plan?]

“I don’t want Do Hyun and the chairman to drift apart because of me.

They’re both scared of repeating the same pain. The chairman’s afraid of it happening again, and I just don’t want to lose Do Hyun.

I want his grandfather to see me properly—to accept me. So I’m going to ask him to spend three weeks with me and decide for himself.”

She’d made up her mind.

She would earn Gapsu’s approval with her own strength.

Running away would solve nothing.

[Are you sure? He’s scary, isn’t he? I just don’t want you getting hurt. But still—props to you, that’s brave. Not everyone could do that.]

“I’ve only had a few meals with him, so I don’t know him well. But I can’t help thinking he’s not as cold as he seems. Maybe this is my chance to find out.”

[And if he kicks you out before the three weeks are over?]

She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Hwayul had a point.

“There’s no plan B,” Lee Yeon said simply.

Still, she liked her decision.

It felt right to face this head-on.

But she wasn’t sure what to tell Do Hyun.

She wasn’t good at lying.

How could she make it sound believable that she’d be unreachable for three weeks?

If she said she was going somewhere with no signal, he’d probably come find her himself.

Even so, she clenched her fist.

She would protect what they had—no matter what.