Chapter 51: Go away, you're a nuisance (6)
TL/Editor: Raei
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Holding hands and walking, Song Soo-yeon felt as if she had the world's happiness all to herself.
Just this alone seemed like a reward for all the times she had endured without giving up.
Her body kept twisting nervously. Her breath grew rougher, and chills ran down her neck.
She wished this moment would last forever.
But the walk passed in a fleeting instant.
When she came to her senses, they had already circled the neighborhood and were back in front of the restaurant.
"....Huh?"
But before she could feel any regret, a sense of shock overcame her.
She couldn't believe her eyes.
'F*cking bastard.'
'Damn a*shole.'
The restaurant was defaced with yellow spray paint.
Frozen for a moment, she soon felt anger rising within her.
This place was precious to her.
There was nowhere else she had poured so much affection into.
It was where she connected with Jung-gyeom and grew close to him.
It was her sanctuary, almost like home.
And now, her restaurant was desecrated.
Song Soo-yeon stepped forward, wanting to vent her rising anger.
But she couldn't move more than a couple of steps as Jung-gyeom stood rooted to the spot.
Song Soo-yeon turned to look at him.
He was quietly staring at the scene.
Slowly, his expression began to crumple.
"Ah, Mister..."
For the first time, Song Soo-yeon realized Jung-gyeom could wear such a cold and fearsome expression.
It was chilling enough to cool her anger.
He turned his head, looking around as if trying to spot the culprit.
"..."
Jung-gyeom silently walked towards the restaurant.
He let go of Song Soo-yeon's hand.
He gently wiped the yellow profanities with his hand and sighed deeply.
"Let's call the police, Soo-yeon."
After contacting the police, they went inside the restaurant.
Jung-gyeom, with a dazed expression, tapped the desk as if trying to control his emotions.
But as he calmed down, Song Soo-yeon began to feel her own anger rising.
"Mister...we can punish them severely for this, right?"
She was upset that someone had dared to violate her sanctuary.
"..."
"....They should rot in jail, these bastards..."
"..."
Jung-gyeom kept tapping the table.
Song Soo-yeon, unable to hold back, spoke up.
"Mister. This... it's because of Unni, right?"
At her words, he finally quietly responded.
"...Stop it, Soo-yeon."
But Jung-gyeom's continued defense of Solace made Song Soo-yeon's blood boil.
A surge of irritation rose in her.
"It's true...! It's because you kissed Solace Unni yesterday!"
"..."
"I told you! I knew something would go wrong because of her! There's nothing good about being involved with a hero!"
"..."
Song Soo-yeon thought it was actually a good thing.
It gave her a reason.
She had never been happy about Solace being around Jung-gyeom.
She said,
"Mister. Tell Unni to get lost."
Jung-gyeom turned to look at Song Soo-yeon.
Despite his somewhat cold gaze, she did not back down.
"Tell her not to come here anymore. Who knows how often this kind of thing will happen?"
"I said I would bear it. Don't talk like that."
Was it because they had walked holding hands? Song Soo-yeon, feeling a stronger attachment to him, disliked his persistent care for Solace.
She wanted him to care only for her.
She planned to do the same for Jung-gyeom.
They would have no difficulties moving forward if it was just the two of them.
Instead, they would be happy.
Driven by that desire, Song Soo-yeon stood her ground.
"You can only bear what you can handle. It's just paint now, but what will you do if real villains show up? F*ck, think properly!"
At that moment, the door chimed and two police officers entered.
Without responding to Song Soo-yeon, Jung-gyeom greeted them.
"Hello."
"What's the matter?"
Song Soo-yeon looked at them, then sighed and sat down.
One officer glanced at her face and was momentarily distracted.
But soon, after a cough, he looked at Jung-gyeom.
"You might have seen it coming in, but someone wrote profanities on my restaurant."
"Do you have CCTV?"
Jung-gyeom paused, then shook his head.
"...No."
Hearing this, the more senior officer nodded and spoke to the other.
"Min-cheol, check if there are any CCTVs nearby."
"Got it."
As one officer left to check, the senior asked,
"May I know your name?"
"Jung-gyeom."
"Are you the restaurant owner?"
"Yes."
The officer then turned to Song Soo-yeon.
"And your name?"
"..."
Song Soo-yeon felt resistant even to this simple question.
She didn't see the need to share her name.
"What do you need my name for? It's not necessary."
Song Soo-yeon retorted.
The officer, clicking his pen, seemed momentarily confused, then looked back at Jung-gyeom.
"...Did you witness the incident?"
"No."
"Any enemies or someone who might hold a grudge against you?"
Jung-gyeom paused, then lightly shook his head.
"...No."
Song Soo-yeon interjected.
"Why say there aren't any? It happened because you got a kiss from Solace."
"Song Soo-yeon."
Jung-gyeom called her name in a cold voice.
Immediately, Song Soo-yeon turned her head away, pretending not to know.
The officer, hearing her comment, stared intently at Jung-gyeom.
"Oh, is that the person...!"
"...Anyway, my acquaintance isnt involved in this. I can't specify anyone in particular."
"Hmm..."
As the senior officer was noting everything down, the other officer returned from outside.
"There are no CCTVs. The alley is quite secluded."
"...Is that so?"
Hearing this, the senior officer began to wrap up the situation.
He put his notebook and pen back in his pocket.
Looking alternately at Song Soo-yeon and Jung-gyeom, he explained.
"Jung-gyeom, we'll try our best, but it will be very difficult to find the culprit."
"...Really?"
"With no CCTV and no specific suspect, and since you didn't see it, it's going to be tough."
"It's tough?"
"Sorry, but it seems so. However, as I said, we'll try."
---
---
I was left alone in the restaurant again, tapping on the table.
It was clear to anyone but a fool that the police officers' words were a mere formality.
It's not about effort; they're just giving up.
They had decided it was impossible to catch the culprit with their capabilities, or even if they could, it would be too much trouble, so they just gave a roundabout answer.
I was doing everything I could to suppress the anger boiling inside me.
Truthfully, I could catch them if I wanted.
It wouldn't be hard.
But that would require using my abilities, and even if I caught them, there was no chance of following a legal procedure.
Yet, I still wanted to catch them.
This unfamiliarity with having to swallow such injustice felt odd.
I had resolved to endure injustice, but when faced with it directly, it was hard.
I wanted to punish those who defiled my beloved restaurant.
I've never loved a place this much before.
Even before my return, nothing mattered more than this modest restaurant.
So, it's probably why it's hard to restrain myself now.
Even a light punishment would suffice.
Even just a fine.
I just didn't want to let them get away with this as if nothing happened.
"Call Unni."
Song Soo-yeon suggested beside me.
It was already on my mind.
The problem was, it would make Solace feel guilty.
Knowing she's the reason for my trouble, she would likely blame herself, given her character.
"Mister, we should catch them."
Song Soo-yeon, gritting her teeth, said.
She seemed frustrated with my inaction, grabbing and shaking my shoulder.
"....Sigh."
Finally, I nodded.
Solace would probably have no trouble catching those men.
I didn't want to let this go either.
After all, I couldn't hide this from Solace forever.
It's better to tell her early and catch the culprits.
It's not her fault, I need to make that clear.
I took out my phone and contacted Solace.
As the phone rang, Song Soo-yeon became quiet.
Soon, Solace answered the call.
A few minutes later, Solace burst through the door into the restaurant.
Jung-gyeom was about to speak, but Song Soo-yeon was quicker.
She stood up and, as soon as she saw Solace, raised her voice filled with numerous emotions.
---
---
"Oppa-"
"-I told you."
At that sound, Solace stiffened and looked at Song Soo-yeon.
"If we get involved with you, Unni, we're the ones who suffer."
"...Soo-yeon..."
"I told you."
Solace couldn't utter a response.
For the first time, Song Soo-yeon saw her gaze falter.
It was almost pleasurable, a welcome fuel to her anger.
"Soo-yeon, please step outside for a moment."
But again, Jung-gyeom intervened.
Song Soo-yeon felt irritation surge but decided to suppress her emotions.
Jung-gyeom was clearly very angry too.
She didn't want to provoke him further.
Yet, she wanted to have the last word.
Yet, she wanted to have the last word.
"...Unni. Just one thing."
"..."
"After we catch the culprit... go away, you're a nuisance."
With those words, Song Soo-yeon brushed past Solace and left the restaurant.
She knew she was the winner, and Solace must know it too.
"..."
A slight smile almost formed.
Initially, she was furious about the vandalism... but the outcome was too satisfying.
Solace couldn't shamelessly stay by Jung-gyeom's side anymore.
"Phew..."
She calmed herself down.
Now only happy moments lay ahead.
Especially since she had started physical contact with Jung-gyeom.
Getting closer and closer...
Song Soo-yeon smiled faintly.
She stopped and began to look forward to the future.
---
---
It didn't take long for the rising hero to bring in the culprits.
With the help of a tracking hero, Solace had the two men kneeling before Jung-gyeom in less than an hour.
Song Soo-yeon found Solace's frantic face amusing.
The hero couldn't even look at Song Soo-yeon anymore.
But no matter how sorry she was, Song Soo-yeon had no intention of forgiving her.
It didn't matter that Solace had brought in the criminals.
She planned to completely separate Solace from Jung-gyeom.
Solace commanded the kneeling men.
"Don't even think about denying it. Just apologize for your wrongdoing."
The two men couldn't overcome Solace's heavy charisma as she spoke with authority.
They quietly apologized to Jung-gyeom.
"...So we meet again."
Jung-gyeom whispered similarly to the men.
Then he looked at Solace.
"Solace, thank you for helping us out like this. But what happens to these guys now?"
"...They'll probably have to pay a fine."
Jung-gyeom nodded.
It was Song Soo-yeon who raised her voice.
"That's it?"
"Soo-yeon, stay quiet."
Every time Song Soo-yeon snapped, Jung-gyeom repressed her.
As the victim didn't say anything, she also kept quiet.
Well, that wasn't important.
Jung-gyeom sighed and rubbed his face dryly.
Then he turned to Solace.
"Thanks for catching the culprits. That's enough."
He stood up and turned his back.
Song Soo-yeon quickly followed him.
Solace also nodded, grabbing the napes of the two men with a guilty expression and stood up.
"Wait a moment."
But before they left, Jung-gyeom stopped the two men again.
The men, looking down, cautiously turned to face Jung-gyeom.
Jung-gyeom asked,
"...I just want to ask one thing. Why did you do it?"
"..."
"I'm really curious."
Jung-gyeom seemed to be trying to let go of his last bit of curiosity, to tie up this moment.
Song Soo-yeon caught a brief exchange of glances between Solace and Jung-gyeom.
"Please tell me the reason."
Jung-gyeom pleaded again.
"...If we tell you... will you consider some leniency?"
"...Maybe."
The men exchanged glances, and then one of them nodded.
Slowly, one man's finger pointed.
.....It pointed at Song Soo-yeon.
"...What?"
Song Soo-yeon blinked in surprise, as did Solace and Jung-gyeom.
Everyone was too startled to make a sound.
The man said,
"...She was so beautiful... we were jealous..."
The other man spoke up.
"...When we heard at the baseball game that she wasn't your lover, we came to see her... but seeing you holding hands..."
A long silence followed.
No one moved except for the heads of the men drooping again.
Finally, Song Soo-yeon broke the silence.
"Wa-wait a minute...!"
Growing desperate, Song Soo-yeon approached the two men held by Solace.
Her heart started pounding in that moment.
It was the first time she had felt so embarrassed in her life.
Confused and scared, she couldn't understand what was happening.
"So... you're saying you did the graffiti because of me...?"
They nodded.
Song Soo-yeon's eyes shook violently.
She cautiously looked up at Solace, who also wore a stunned expression.
Song Soo-yeon and Solace exchanged looks.
Song Soo-yeon felt the words she had said earlier coming back to her.
'Go away, you're a nuisance.'
".....Uh... Unni."
The tables had turned.
The vandalism wasn't because of Solace.
And Song Soo-yeon saw it.
The corners of Solace's mouth, which had been frozen in shock, twitched ever so slightly.
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