The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

Summary.

I asked Seo Ga-eul out on a date but was put on hold.

Not rejected, just postponed.

There’s a party tomorrow night at a place called ‘Saok,’ and she said she would give me an answer then.

“Then, Han Nam-jin? We should finish our meal, so let’s leave the conversation here, alright?”

“Good. Meals should be eaten on time.”

Swoosh-.

I slowly took a step back from Seo Ga-eul and returned to my original spot.

Seeing it all, Chang-sik, the candy maker, who had been watching, was startled and overreacted.

“Publicly asking Seo Ga-eul out on a date! You’ve really lost it! Where does such courage even come from, my friend?!”

“Amazing…”

Even the usually quiet Deok-soon seemed impressed, but Geum Tae-sung, who had always shown kindness to me since our first meeting, just shook his head with a serious expression.

“It wasn’t a good move. Look over there. You see those guys?”

Swoosh-.

Geum Tae-sung gave a small nod.

“That’s Wang Ja-hyun’s group from Class F. From what I know, Wang Ja-hyun confessed to Seo Ga-eul last week and got rejected. If you get caught approaching Seo Ga-eul, it could become a real hassle.”

Turning my head, I saw a group of boys gathered in the center of the nobles.

They were glaring at us as if they wanted to devour us, so I glared back just as hard.

At that moment, Baek Yeoul frowned and got a bit irritated.

“Han Nam-jin, are you coming to my house or not? You’re the only one left.”

Baek Yeoul’s house?

Is that important right now?

Seo Ga-eul had just said, “Every time I see that handkerchief, I’ll think of you. Will you marry me? Let’s have kids.”

She even invited me to her party, which must surely be to announce our marriage in front of everyone!

And that was the end of the meal.

While I was lost in my thoughts about what had just happened, the others were chatting cheerfully, mostly about their abilities.

“I haven’t scored a goal since I grew older. Whether it’s basketball or soccer. I’m just unlucky…”

“Really? You can’t even throw this can into the trash?”

Swoosh, clang-.

Geum Tae-sung perfectly tossed the crushed can into the trash bin.

Judging by his form, he seemed to have some experience with basketball.

“I want to try too!”

Baek Yeoul, feeling a bit competitive, decided to give it a go and rummaged through the trash.

She seemed determined to reuse the can that had just been thrown away.

“Huh? What’s this…?”

Swoosh-.

Baek Yeoul pulled something out of the trash.

In her hand was a handkerchief embroidered with a heart pattern.

“Han Nam-jin, isn’t this the thing you were messing with and sniffing all day?”

“That’s what I gave to Seo Ga-eul!”

Huh?

Why was the thing I returned to Seo Ga-eul in the trash?

Something was definitely wrong.

As I thought that, Baek Yeoul sighed quietly.

“She did it again…”

Again?

What does she mean by that?

“What do you mean ‘again’?”

Baek Yeoul and I had made a deal.

If I teamed up with her, she would give me information about Seo Ga-eul.

Baek Yeoul glanced around as if checking for eavesdroppers, then leaned in to whisper to me quietly.

Whisper, whisper-.

“What? Sex? Butt girl, what are you whispering in my ear?”

“When did I say that!!! If you come to my house today, I’ll tell you what I know! But there’s a condition! You have to act like my close friend in front of my mom and dad.”

So, she wanted to make a deal in her own way-.

But the condition was a bit tricky.

“Act like a friend? Aren’t we already friends? We’ve even seen each other’s underwear.”

“When did we see each other’s underwear! You were the only one who…!”

Baek Yeoul shouted hysterically.

Then she blushed as if she had just remembered something.

“Wait, was it on the crosswalk back then?”

“Of course.”

“Yaaaahhhh!!!”

Baek Yeoul clenched her fists and charged at me.

But in her excitement, she didn’t see the stone under her feet and tripped, stumbling forward.

What a fool!

“Hey, Butt girl, are you an idiot? Puhaha!”

It was when I burst out laughing.

As she stumbled forward, Baek Yeoul fell and punched me in the nose.

Thud-!

“Ugh!!”

###

Baek Yeoul’s house was located a bit away from the center of D city.

It was the kind of house you’d see in movies or dramas, with high walls.

Beyond those walls was a garden with grass, and a terrace in the living room, bathed in sunlight, that added a subtle satisfaction to life.

The modern, minimalist interior included a Swiss kitchen or something, and it seemed like a chubby housekeeper lady would always be slicing fruit.

“I’ve never been inside such a big house before. I knew Yeoul lived well, but I didn’t think she was this rich!”

“Amazing. It’d take me a lifetime of part-time jobs to buy a house like this.”

“…It looks like the house from the movie Parasite.”

Everyone in Team ‘No Leftovers Day’ was in awe.

But I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

I expected at least a fairy tale gingerbread house, but it was all concrete, cement, and stone.

“Wait here for a bit! I’ll bring my parents! Mom! Dad!”

Baek Yeoul kicked off her shoes and rushed upstairs.

A moment later, she came down with a middle-aged man and woman who seemed to be her parents.

“Our Yeoul brought friends home! How many years has it been?”

“Nice to meet you all! I’m Yeoul’s father.”

The woman, who looked elegant like a lady, and the man, whose hair was slightly thinning, welcomed us.

They guided us to a large dining table and placed an array of dishes in front of us.

From bright red lobsters to beef cuts that I didn’t know how to eat.

“Uh… Mom, isn’t this a bit too much?”

Baek Yeoul asked, looking a bit uneasy, but the woman just smiled, covering her mouth with her hand, and gently patted Baek Yeoul’s back.

“Our daughter brought friends home. How could I not do anything? I personally whipped up something special. Eat up, there’s plenty more.”

“……”

“……”

Everyone seemed a bit intimidated by the high-class dining atmosphere.

I figured this was my chance.

“Ma’am, can I take some leftovers home if there are any?”

When I pulled out a small container from my bag, the lady burst into laughter, clearly amused.

“If you want more, I’ll pack it separately just for you!”

Her laughter loosened up the tense atmosphere, and everyone started eating.

The father seemed like a quiet man, while the mother was lively, constantly striking up conversations during the meal, ensuring there was never a dull moment.

“Our daughter is a good kid, but she’s a little clueless, so I always worry─”

“Oh my!”

“I always worry about whether she’s making friends or if she’s being bullied. So, how is she at school? She’s a real troublemaker at home.”

How is Baek Yeoul at school?

I thought about how she’s always being teased by everyone, but before I could answer, Baek Yeoul cut in.

“I have lots of friends! Everyone wants to team up with me!”

Clearly, her parents didn’t know much about how things were at school.

I guess Baek Yeoul hadn’t told them.

Her clumsy lie made the atmosphere a bit awkward, but the food was undeniably delicious.

Crunch, crunch-.

“Hey! How can you eat the lobster shell too? You’ll break your teeth!”

“Ma’am, you’re an amazing cook.”

“Pfft, really? How’s your mom? Is she good at cooking too?”

“Uh, Mom─”

Baek Yeoul was visibly flustered.

Name: Baek Yeoul

Status: 《Nervous》 – Worried her parents might say something unnecessary.

Baek Yeoul began to watch everyone carefully.

They all stared at me with questioning eyes, so I gave a simple answer.

“My mom isn’t the best cook. She always made weird food. Like putting ssamjang and ketchup in kimchi stew.”

“Oh my, she must be quite the character. You can tell a lot about someone from how they cook.”

Just as the mood became friendly again, it happened.

Thud, thud, thud-.

A group of men in black suits suddenly barged into the house.

At first, I thought it was some kind of surprise event, but seeing the shocked expressions on the lady, the gentleman, and even Baek Yeoul, it clearly wasn’t planned.

“Who are you people?”

“Sir, we’re from the National Tax Service. There are unpaid taxes that have passed their due date, so we’ve come to enforce a seizure. Apologies for the inconvenience, but according to legal procedures, we’ll be placing liens on the property.”

The men in black began slapping yellow stickers all over the house.

They even stuck one on the dining table where we were eating.

Even on the plates with food!

The gentleman and the lady were speechless, their mouths opening and closing in shock.

Name: Baek Jung-won

Status: 《Humiliated》 – Mortified by the situation in front of his daughter and her friends.

Name: Dang Hwa-yeon

Status: 《Worried》 – Fearing her daughter might be hurt by this.

Everyone was just watching each other.

Baek Yeoul, her face twisted, clenched her fists and trembled, tears welling up in her eyes.

She looked like a raccoon with rabies, and I was worried she might cause a scene.

If she did, it’d be a disaster.

There was no other choice.

I grabbed Baek Yeoul’s wrist.

“Hey, the adults are busy. Let’s give them some space.”

“……”

I pulled Baek Yeoul out of the house, and everyone else, still overwhelmed by what had just happened, followed us in silence.

We put on our shoes and left the garden, crossing the high wall, and it felt like the whole thing had been just a dream.

Everyone’s faces were filled with awkward expressions.

It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

“It’s all because of me…”

Finally, Baek Yeoul cried out, her face crumpled in sorrow.

She looked even uglier when she cried.

“Because of my ‘Misfortune’, our house is falling apart. My parents keep getting hurt because of me…”

So, Baek Yeoul’s family was struggling more than it seemed?

That’s why her phone’s screen had been broken for so long.

Baek Yeoul seemed to believe that her family’s hardships were due to her ‘Misfortune’.

But as I’ve told her before, luck is like a seesaw.

If something goes up, something else goes down, and vice versa.

“Hey, you’re actually super lucky today. You’re about to eat something truly delicious. Let’s go!”

I led everyone back to my house.

Crossing the alley filled with junk and old scraps, we finally arrived, and everyone looked shocked.

“This is your house? It’s so quiet here.”

Geum Tae-sung admired the peaceful atmosphere.

Choi Chang-sik, on the other hand, seemed a bit worried.

“My friend, wouldn’t we be imposing if we all barged in without warning your parents?”

“It’s fine. My mom and dad aren’t home. This is my house. Come on in. You can wear slippers if you want.”

I led the hesitant group inside and immediately headed to the kitchen to boil some water.

Into the pot went the meat side dishes I’d packed from earlier, the precious ramen seasoning I’d been saving, ssamjang, and ketchup.

The pot soon bubbled with a delicious aroma.

“Here’s my special ramen.”

The thick broth looked delicious already.

As our mouths began to water, everyone exchanged nervous glances.

“…Can we really eat this? Why did you mix everything together?”

Geum Tae-sung asked, still a bit tense.

He must’ve been overwhelmed by how tasty it looked.

“Why did I mix it? It’s all going to the same place in your stomach anyway. People with an IQ of 140 or higher all eat like this.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“I’ll try it. You should never leave food uneaten.”

The first to pick up a spoon was still-sniffling Baek Yeoul.

She scooped up the broth and took a big gulp, her expression changing dramatically.

“It… It’s delicious…!?”

“Is that true, Yeoul? This twisted hellish broth is really that good? Let me taste it! Oh, this flavor, ugh…”

Too tasty to handle, Choi Chang-sik ran to the bathroom.

“Haha, sorry, Nam-jin, but I can’t eat this.”

“This isn’t food, it’s poison…”

Even Geum Tae-sung and quiet Oh Deok-soon couldn’t handle more than one spoonful, but only Baek Yeoul continued to scoop up the broth, even eating the solid bits with her chopsticks.

“…Why is this delicious? It’s not supposed to be! Why? Why is this so good?! I can’t accept this!”

The revolutionary taste seemed to make Baek Yeoul forget the sadness that had been weighing her down.

In the end, it was just me and Baek Yeoul who finished the whole pot.

In fact, she ate more than I did, which made me angry, but I decided to forgive her since we’d eaten so well at her house earlier.

“Look at that! There’s a praying mantis in the yard! A golden one!”

Just as I was about to start cleaning up, Choi Chang-sik suddenly shouted from the yard.

Excited to see the golden praying mantis, I rushed outside, but as I did, Geum Tae-sung tapped me on the shoulder.

“Nam-jin, you’re a lot cooler than I thought.”

Out of nowhere?

Was it because my cooking was so good that even my face looked better?

That was entirely possible.

It’s the era where guys who cook well are seen as attractive.

In the end, I didn’t get to see the golden mantis.

It flew away before we got there.

Missing such a rare golden mantis—what terrible luck.

But it was funny seeing Baek Yeoul timidly trailing behind me into the yard.

“Are you pretending to be the golden mantis?”

“…No! You! You said you were going to Seo Ga-eul’s party, right? The one at ‘Saok’.”

“Yeah. I said I was.”

“Don’t go. It’s a trap. I’ve been caught in it too…”

Baek Yeoul seemed to have a lot more to say about Seo Ga-eul.