Chapter 62: A Scary Woman (1)
Kang Ra-Eun was contacted by Congresswoman Hong Oh-Yeon only around two days after Announcer Min Yeong-Seon’s talk show recording, asking if she had time to have some tea together.
‘That was faster than I’d expected.’
The congresswoman seemed to have taken quite a liking to Ra-Eun, since there was otherwise no way that she would want to see Ra-Eun so soon after the recording. She had nothing else to do anyway, so she decided to accept the congresswoman’s abrupt offer.
She headed to Sadang via subway with horn-rimmed glasses and a mask on in hopes that no one would recognize her.
‘I wish I could drive soon.’
She was capable of driving, but it would be a massive problem socially if she drove a car around without a license. Not just that, but since she was not a regular high school girl but a popular top celebrity actress, she had to conduct herself accordingly.
Ra-Eun headed to Exit 2 as soon as she got off at Sadang Station. A black sedan parked by the side of the road honked twice. She could see the congresswoman as the back seat window rolled down.
“Please get in, Ra-Eun.”
The two headed to a deserted cafe in a car driven by the congresswoman’s personal driver. They were the only two people in the cafe, so Ra-Eun was finally able to take off her glasses and mask.
Congresswoman Hong said sympathetically, “Being famous has its downsides, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. I’d like to be left alone sometimes, but people around me tend to recognize me often. Is it the case for you as well, Congresswoman Hong?”
“It sure is.”
There were two main reasons why Hong Oh-Yeon drew people’s attention. One was that she was significantly younger than most members of the National Assembly, and the other was her outstanding beauty. She was frequently talked about by others because of her looks that could deceive others that she was in her twenties, despite being in her thirties.
However, the congresswoman did not like those who judged her based on her looks. She wanted to prove herself and be acknowledged solely through her ability.
‘But of course, that’s still far off in the future.’
Ra-Eun knew that Oh-Yeon would only distinguish herself as a politician from 2015.
‘It’s 2011 now, so there are still four years left.’
Four years was a long yet short amount of time.
Congresswoman Hong explained why she called Ra-Eun today.
“I wanted to speak with you privately after the recording. We weren’t able to talk much back then because we were both so busy, so I thought I’d try asking if you would like to see me today. You weren’t troubled by my sudden invitation, were you?”
“Of course not. Rather, I’m happy that you called me first.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Also, you can speak comfortably to me. I’m fine with however you address me,” Ra-Eun expressed.
“Oh, then... should I? You can call me unnie, too.”
Ra-Eun hated addressing people by oppa or unnie more than anything, and she had been caught by one of the two. But what could she do?
“Okay, un...nie...”
She had to do it since she was told to.
***
Ra-Eun and the congresswoman did not talk about anything serious; they simply chatted. It was the first time that the two had met privately outside the studio, so they could not talk about anything serious. All they did was talk about how they were doing. Ra-Eun found out something that she didn’t know about the congresswoman in the process.
‘She’s so damn talkative.’
Congresswoman Hong had been way more of a chatterbox than Ra-Eun had known. Two hours had passed just from listening to her speak. The congresswoman’s secretary could not stay still anymore and approached her.
“It’s almost time to go, Congresswoman Hong.”
“Oh, dear me. Is it time already?”
“Yes.”
Ra-Eun asked, “Do you have somewhere to be?”
“Yup. I have a meeting with the floor leader today. Congressman Kim Han-Gyo will also be there.”
Kim Han-Gyo’s name was frequently mentioned in conversations about politics.
“I had a lot of fun today. I’ll treat you to a meal next time, so let’s meet up again, okay?” Congresswoman Hong said.
“Okay. Have a safe trip, unnie.”
“You too.”
The word ‘unnie’ sounded natural coming out of her mouth now. She was momentarily scared by how gradually she was adapting as a woman.
‘Will I ever be able to turn back into a man at this rate?’
No, she could not even confirm if turning back was possible.
***
TV appearances were important, but SATs were just as important to Ra-Eun. She stretched as she solved the final question of the workbook.
“All done.”
She marked her answers, and got a perfect score on Korean language, math, English and social studies as she had expected. However, she could not afford to be careless.
“Of course I’d get full marks when I’m solving questions at the comfort of my own home.”
Getting a few questions wrong was well within the realm of possibility in the actual test. However, that was only limited to one or two questions. Ra-Eun was not that worried, but she could never be too careful.
‘I guess I’ll buy some more workbooks.’
Ra-Eun got ready to head out before sunset, and happened to see Kang Ra-Hyuk putting on a jacket.
“Hey, are you going out?” Ra-Eun asked.
“Stop calling your oppa ‘Hey.’ And yeah, I am,” Ra-Hyuk answered.
“Where?”
“Downtown. I’m dropping by the bookstore to get the new issue of a manhwa.”
“Really? That’s perfect. You’re taking the car, right? Give me a ride.”
Both the timing and destination were perfect. Ra-Hyuk willingly accepted his little sister’s favor.
They headed downtown in a rattling, old car. Ra-Eun said as she looked at the car interior, “How about we buy a new car?”
“I was thinking of doing that.”
“We have plenty of money anyway. Get a price estimate later. Oh, and don’t buy a Reflector or a RAY4.”
“Huh? Why?” Ra-Hyuk asked.
They were both popular sedans with great reviews, so he could not understand why she was excluding them.
Ra-Eun simply answered, “I think they’ll get recalled soon.”
She didn’t think so, but she knew so. She could only give such advice because she knew the future. However, the oblivious Ra-Hyuk only tilted his head in confusion.
They parked the car at a nearby parking lot. Before getting off, Ra-Eun put on the glasses and mask that had become a necessity in her daily life.
Ra-Hyuk asked while looking at her, “Aren’t there people who recognize you despite the disguise?”
“There are, but most people don’t.”
“Oh, really?”
Unless they were a huge fan of Ra-Eun, most people did not recognize her when they walked past her. Hence, Ra-Eun always took glasses and a mask with her, even if it was a hassle. She wore sunglasses at first, but she had no choice but to switch them for horn-rimmed glasses since wearing sunglasses indoors attracted even more attention.
The siblings headed to the bookstore. Once they entered, Ra-Hyuk headed to the manhwa aisle and Ra-Eun headed to the workbook aisle for SAT examinees. She headed to the counter with a few mock exam workbooks in hand.
“Your total comes to 25,000 won.”
The bookstore employee looked closely at Ra-Eun who pulled out her card. Ra-Eun turned her gaze elsewhere not to make eye contact. She also stayed silent in hopes that the employee would not recognize her.
Ra-Eun suddenly recalled Congresswoman Hong saying that she had felt troubled by her fame countless times.
‘I feel the same way.’
However, it could not be helped. She had already resolved herself for such events when she first stepped foot into the entertainment industry, so she decided not to stress over it that much.
Ra-Hyuk came out of the bookstore after Ra-Eun.
“Why are you waiting outside?” he asked.
“People might recognize me if I wait inside.”
“Oh, I guess that’s true.”
His little sister had a lot to deal with.
“Wanna grab a coffee before heading home?” Ra-Hyuk suggested.
“Sounds good.”
The siblings walked through the bustling crowd. Ra-Hyuk gestured toward Ra-Eun.
“Stick close to me and try not to get pushed around.”
Ra-Hyuk was far taller than Ra-Eun. He was almost 180 cm, while Ra-Eun was only 163 cm. She was by no means shorter than the average female height, but there certainly was a large difference between them.
As Ra-Hyuk was getting through the crowd with his little sister, someone strongly shoulder-checked him.
.
Thud!
Ra-Hyuk fell on his butt from the unexpected attack. The men who shoulder-checked Ra-Hyuk said while snickering, “Be careful, man.”
“You’re so weak. What would your girlfriend think of you?”
They seemed to have mistaken Ra-Eun as Ra-Hyuk’s girlfriend. Hearing that, Ra-Eun uttered, “Don’t fuck with me, you crazy sons of bitches. What the fuck are you talking about when you picked a fight first?”
It had been a while since Ra-Eun cursed in such quick succession. No matter how unreliable her older brother Ra-Hyuk was, he was still her family.
The men were momentarily lost for words. Ra-Hyuk quickly urged Ra-Eun, “Calm down, Ra-Eun. I’m fine.”
Their opponents were three men with large builds. Not just that, but Ra-Eun was a popular top-star actress. She would definitely sustain more damage if trouble were to occur here.
Meanwhile, the faces of the men who were verbally abused by Ra-Eun turned serious.
“Hey, man. Your girlfriend has quite the pottymouth.”
“How did your mouth get so foul?”
“You’d better apologize, yeah?”
One of the men tried to snatch Ra-Eun by the arm. But before Ra-Eun had the chance to act...
Grasp!
Someone grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it.
“Arrggghhh!”
A familiar man said to the three men who picked a fight with Ra-Eun and Ra-Hyuk, “How dare you snot-nosed brats try to lay a hand on our valuable client? Do you want to die?”
The loan shark Ma Yeong-Jun arrived on the scene along with his subordinates, who surrounded the three men.
“You sure have a lot of guts to be pulling shit like this.”
“Shall we teach you some proper manners?”
“How should we deal with these bastards, Boss?”
“I wonder,” Yeong-Jun pondered. He then said with a smile, “Well, I’m sure a few broken fingers should do the trick.”
At that moment, the three men who had tried to harm Ra-Eun and Ra-Hyuk knew that they had picked a fight with the wrong person.
1. Sadang is a neighborhood of Dongjak District in Seoul.
2. There is formal speech and casual speech in the Korean language. It doesn’t come across well when translated to English, but they have both been speaking formally to each other.
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