If the federation had not, seven years after the assault incident, generously placed her on the league’s last-place team as though doing her a favor, she might still have been wandering around outside the stadiums even now.
But time had passed, and the owner of Black Fury had changed as well. Even so, merely hearing that name still made her shudder with disgust.
“…The more I think about it, the better this position is. If I play my cards right, I can screw over either the player or the club.”
Eungil muttered, carefully concealing the venom in her voice.
“Anyway, let’s do our best, Mina.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Let’s just act like we normally do. Don’t awkwardly pretend to be a couple. Just be yourselves! You know, that realistic side of you where you practically lose your mind the moment you pick up your light stick.”
“That much is ea, easy! It’s my li, lifeline!”
“Good!”
The two of them firmly shook hands.
“But how famous is this brother of yours, anyway, for him to be that confident? He didn’t even bat an eye at your scandal.”
“That man, no, my, my brother…”
Seo Mina repeatedly licked her lips as though her throat had gone dry.
“He has about a hu, hundred more scandals like mine.”
“…He’s really that much of a bastard?”
His face was as smooth as some European candy, though. At the thought, Eungil immediately shook her head in disgust.
“Op, Oppa is fa, famous in high society. They say he’s been fa, famous since he was fi, five.”
“How could he be famous at five?”
“At, at his first social gathering, he bi, bit a dog by the ne, neck.”
“…”
“The do, dog died. They said it was a mi, military dog…”
European candy, my ass.
He was a candy blade that would slice your tongue off if you bit him wrong…
“He was re, really fu, fucked up. I, I remember a few things too. When he met that wo, woman… Ah… No…”
Suddenly, Mina looked horrified and clapped a hand over her mouth. Her anxious eyes darted around as though she had accidentally talked too much and said something she shouldn’t have.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-no, no, no, it’s nothing!”
Mina was even breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Pl, please fo, forget you he, heard that.”
Beep beep beep beep. Brrring.
“…!”
“…!”
The two women stiffened at the sudden mechanical sound.
From a distance, the front door opened, and someone strode inside along with the cool outside air. As that chilly presence drew closer with every step, Eungil found herself uncharacteristically tense.
She had already experienced firsthand that her opponent was no pushover. More importantly, she could sense that the real match had just begun—a table tennis game in which sharp balls would be exchanged dozens of times.
Seo Hahyun approached in a well-tailored suit. His hair, which had undoubtedly been neatly styled that morning, had now fallen casually over his forehead. It made him look almost like a college student.
While entertaining that rather pointless thought, Eungil greeted him first.
“…Hello—”
“When you hit cross-court in the middle of the second set.”
He cut straight in.
“Pardon?”
“You looked strange. What were you thinking?”
Leaning against the wall, he casually took off his watch with a faint smile. With one or two effortless movements, the watch came loose, and all the while, his eyes remained fixed on Eungil.
Objectively, his expression looked as though he were simply observing her. Yet even that gaze made Eungil uncomfortable, as if she were being examined.
“…I wasn’t thinking anything. It was nothing.”
“You weren’t?”
“No.”
“Hm.”
A doubtful sound escaped him.
The silence that followed was what unsettled Eungil.
What? Did he actually catch that?
During today’s match, she had attempted cross-court spikes at least twenty times. Yet she knew exactly which cross he was vaguely referring to.
There had been only one.
The moment when an inexplicable personal emotion had surged through her.
When she was young, she had first learned how to find her hitting course. That day, for some reason, the sensation of the switch striking her after she jumped had suddenly come back to her.
The line she had desperately trained herself to master in midair to avoid being beaten had happened to overlap with that moment.
A brief recollection. A brief frown. Nothing more.
He noticed that?
His probing question made her uncomfortable. She could feel her face stiffening without even having to look in a mirror.
Then his gaze quietly settled upon her.
His eyes moved slowly, as though he were holding his breath, tracing her eyes, nose, and mouth before drifting downward.
It was a persistent yet dry gaze.
“Well, never mind.”
“…”
“Let’s get straight to the point. Follow me for now. It’s too distracting to discuss things in front of the newlyweds’ bedroom.”
After briefly looking at the two women sitting side by side on the bed, he turned around.
More importantly, the newlyweds’ bedroom? This room covered in my pictures?
Eungil quickly whispered to Mina, who followed close behind her.
“I think we’re going to have to openly fight once in a while. I’m putting separate bedrooms into the contract.”
Mina nodded resolutely, as though she understood perfectly.
The three of them passed through the living room, one entire wall of which consisted of glass windows, and sat around the spacious table in the kitchen.
“This conversation looks like it’ll take a while. Would you like something to drink?”
“You’re going to serve it yourself?”
Eungil asked in surprise, and he smiled with a slight frown.
“What I lack is refinement, not arms.”
“That’s a relief.”
Without asking twice, the man brought warm honey chrysanthemum tea for Eungil and orange juice for Mina.
After sunset, he looked extremely languid, almost defenseless at first glance. Not the look of someone worn down by fatigue, but rather someone who had become calm after being soaked by rain.
Seo Hahyun leaned deeply against the back of his chair and folded his arms. There was a looseness to him, as though the edge of a blade had been slightly dulled.
Surprisingly, that characteristic lazy air had a strangely provocative effect on the person facing him.
“Gong Eungil.”
She took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea. The rich honey flavor was unnecessarily sweet, so instead of swallowing it immediately, she let it linger in her mouth for a moment longer.
“How do you like this house? This is where we’ll be living together from now on.”
His drawn-out tone was strangely suggestive.
“…Well, it looks pretty nice.”
“I’ve also received a thorough handover from your devoted number-one fan. Are you ready to suck me dry, Player Gong?”
“Of course.”
The answer came without hesitation.
She saw him lightly bite his lower lip.
She couldn’t tell what it meant.
“What would you like me to confirm first? Basically, we’ve prepared all the daily necessities, sports equipment, leisure items, and luxury goods you’ll need. On top of that, I’ll separately cover your living expenses, self-development expenses, travel expenses, and expenses for maintaining your social standing.”
“…”
When she glanced at Mina, the girl couldn’t keep her hands still for even a second. She was doing everything possible to show how nervous she was, yet she kept her back perfectly straight.
It was adorable in its own timid way.
Seo Mina was naturally shy, but once she became absorbed in something, she could focus on it with frightening intensity.
Eungil could easily imagine how much Mina must have stumbled over her words while trying to sell the idea to her intimidating older brother.
She could practically picture Mina shrinking back in fear, then suddenly coming alive again with those sparkling eyes.
That man probably reached the limits of his patience and couldn’t even smile anymore. Mina’s fangirl obsession can be impossible to handle sometimes. Obviously. He’s a beginner.
Eungil secretly bit back a laugh.
“I’ll check everything slowly from now on. I was planning to gobble up as much as possible anyway. Expensive crumbs.”
“Did you mistake your sponsor for a bean tree? No matter how hard you shake it, Player Gong, it won’t drop everything for you immediately.”
“That’s because I’m spoiled. Mina is so devoted to me, and she’s always been so good to me in every little way.”
Eungil shrugged, and Seo Hahyun narrowed his eyes.
“Apparently, I’ve even had to be compared to Mina in this lifetime.”
“I just meant that I hope you’ll take good care of me.”
“Let’s make one thing clear at this point.”
He unfolded his arms and leaned forward.
That simple movement was enough to tighten the previously relaxed atmosphere in an instant.
“As the head of the household, I’m the one in the superior position. You two, who’ll be living under my roof, are the subordinates.”
It was a show of dominance.
Eungil set her chrysanthemum tea aside and leaned forward across the table as well.
“Well, I see it differently. I’m the one lending you the role of wife, so I’m the one in the superior position. You’re the one using it, so you’re the subordinate. You’ve been to a rental shop before, haven’t you?”
“Your premise is wrong. I’m the one with nothing to protect, so I’m the superior. You two are the ones with a relationship to protect, so you’re the subordinates.”
“I’m the one who has nothing to lose, so I’m the superior. You’re the one with an ulterior motive, so you’re the subordinate!”
“I’m the one with plenty to offer, while you two have absolutely nothing.”
Their eyes collided, and a tense atmosphere hung between them.
Eungil’s blood pressure was rising, but Seo Hahyun remained completely relaxed.
Damn it!
That fox bastard doesn’t give an inch.
Seo Hahyun deliberately curved his handsome lips upward.
Those thick lips, as seductive as a crimson moon, were exceptionally good at getting under people’s skin.
“You must be afraid I’ll throw my weight around, Player Gong.”
Why wouldn’t I be? They say you bit a military dog to death when you were only five. If you bite dogs, why wouldn’t you bite people too…?
“I do like vulgar things, but I’m careful about doing anything truly trashy. I had no intention of openly making your life miserable.”
Eungil gulped down the chrysanthemum tea, which had already cooled halfway.
“I’m willing to accommodate everything you want, Player Gong. In exchange, let’s simply understand our respective positions.”
“What does that—”
“The one holding the leash is me, brother-in-law.”
“…!”
He grabbed Eungil’s wrist as though warning her.
No—he merely pretended to.
His large hand enclosed her wrist like a cage. Their skin never actually touched, but she could feel his warmth.
“I’m the one who decides whether to keep Player Gong by my side or throw her away. If you agree to that, I’ll accommodate everything else.”
“…”
“Are you following me so far?”
He raised a fingernail and tapped lightly against the table.
It sounded strangely like the rain that used to fall like thunder beneath an umbrella.
When she suddenly came to her senses after taking refuge from the downpour, she realized that the two of them had already locked onto each other’s gazes, stubbornly pulling at one another’s attention.
“Even if you break up with Mina, that doesn’t mean it’s the end between you and me. I decide when this contract ends.”
“…I suppose you’re the type who can’t easily let go of something once it’s fallen into your hands.”
“I’m naturally tenacious. And I’m pretty good at making things tenacious too.”
