The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

Yoo Yeoreum was quite beautiful.

She had a face you could even describe as handsome.

That such a girl would like me and show kindness.

Honestly, as a man, it made me happy, and my self-esteem soared, but I had to reject her feelings with a heart that felt like it was being torn apart.

“I’m sorry, but I already like another girl! If you’re okay with being a mistress or a concubine, I could accept that!”

“That’s quite a shame.”

Yoo Yeoreum said that as she handed me her phone.

I thought she was asking for my number, but a video started playing.

“I saw everything you did at the company building. It’s blowing up on Stargram. You were amazing, even taking down Sa Ma-jun and Jeon So-mi. I don’t think I could have done that. That’s why I’m helping you.”

Is she saying I’ve become a celebrity?

It made me feel slightly smug.

Tat-tat.

Yoo Yeoreum began warming up lightly, like a boxer stepping around the ring.

“Huh?”

When I came to my senses, a fist wrapped in bandages was right in front of my nose.

Whoosh─.

The wind from her fist was surprisingly refreshing.

As she withdrew her fist, Yoo Yeoreum spoke.

“But provoking Wang Ja-hyun’s group wasn’t a smart choice. So, if you want to avoid troublesome situations, it’s best to train yourself hard enough to dodge punches like mine. ‘Monster’ Han Nam-jin.”

When did she even throw that punch?

I’m confident in my speed too, but I didn’t even see her move.

Impressive.

“For reference, I’m not interested in guys weaker than me.”

“You’re the opposite of me. I like strong women. But more than that, ‘Monster Han Nam-jin’?”

“That’s your callsign. Didn’t you know? They were debating between ‘Monster’ and ‘Tiger Underwear’, and they settled on this.”

It felt like the sky was falling.

My callsign is ‘Monster’?

Why not ‘Brad Pitt’?

I was willing to accept even ‘Cha Geum-woo,’ but ‘Monster’?

Why!

It was a silent scream, and at the same time, anger surged within me.

I felt like I could jump all the way up to the 40th floor.

In fact, that was my plan.

To jump up to the 40th floor of the company building.

Is that possible?

Pop─.

I jumped into the air with all my strength.

Whoosh─.

Did I rise about 10 meters?

It was more than twice the height of my previous jumps, but it still wasn’t enough by my standards.

But─.

Pop─.

I twisted my body in midair and used a nearby utility pole as a foothold to leap again.

It was a double jump.

Thanks to that, I soared up to about 20 meters.

“Jumping off nearby obstacles in midair for another leap? It’s like a triangular jump in parkour, but a more enhanced version. So, your concept can do things like that too. You’ve entered the phase where you’re applying your concept. Reaching second grade should be a matter of time.”

Even Yoo Yeoreum, who’s called a genius in the history of Awakened beings, was impressed by my double jump, but all I could do was laugh at the feelings surging inside me.

“Puhaha!”

Right now, I was grinning like the complete Han Nam-jin.

I had obtained the last piece of the puzzle for Seo Ga-eul’s kidnapping, and if I wasn’t happy, I’d be emotionally dead!

As I laughed wildly, Yoo Yeoreum looked a bit flustered but soon regained her calm demeanor as if she realized something.

“Is laughing the backlash of using your ability?”

Backlash?

Come to think of it, the others had said they experienced some form of backlash when using their concepts.

Laughing wasn’t really a backlash for me.

Until now, I had never felt any backlash from using my ability.

“I’m off now.”

Swish─.

With a nonchalant attitude, Yoo Yeoreum, who had helped me, disappeared lightly like a boxer running to adjust their weight before a match.

All that remained was the faint scent of strawberries.

# # #

There were many security personnel at Seonam Group’s headquarters.

They were mostly concentrated on the first floor, and most of them were indoors.

In other words, if I wanted to enter the building, I’d inevitably have to face the guards.

But no one was watching the exterior walls of the building.

They probably didn’t think it was necessary.

Who would think someone would scale the outer walls to infiltrate the headquarters of a global corporation?

“Hoo─.”

I caught my breath.

The height to the 40th floor of the building was roughly 150 meters.

The important thing was that there was another building next to Seonam Group’s headquarters, almost like a twin.

The gap between the buildings was about 10 meters.

It was the headquarters of the Jaewang Group.

It was fascinating how the height and appearance of the Jaewang Group building were identical to Seonam Group’s headquarters.

From what I heard, ‘Jaewang’ and ‘Seonam’ used to be the same company, but they split for various reasons.

Yet, the buildings still stood side by side in harmony.

“If I leap with all my strength, I can jump about 10 meters high….”

How many times would I have to jump back and forth between those buildings to reach the top?

Could I do it?

If I failed, I’d fall to the ground from whatever height I reached, and I’d become a flat pancake Han Nam-jin.

In other words, this challenge was a matter of life and death.

I had to take this seriously.

Swoosh─.

The time on my smartwatch showed it was just past midnight, around 1 a.m.

Tatat─.

I sprang into the air like a coiled spring.

The sensation of floating in the sky was incredibly liberating.

But before I could fully enjoy that freedom, I kicked off again, pushing toward the opposite building.

“Jump!”

Pop─!

Pop─!

Whoosh─.

As I jumped repeatedly between the buildings, my body kept rising higher and higher.

Swish, swish, swish─.

Three jumps, four jumps, five jumps─.

My thighs felt like they were going to burst, but stopping meant death, so I squeezed out every last bit of strength.

After several attempts, pushing past my limits over and over again, I finally reached the floor I had aimed for.

But then a problem arose.

Crash─!

The window of Jaewang Group’s top floor, which I was about to step on, couldn’t support my weight and shattered.

I immediately lost my balance and was on the verge of plummeting to the ground.

Damn it!

If this continues, I’ll end up a pancake!

Is this the end?

No way!

In a panic, I flailed my limbs, and then something amazing happened.

Pop─!

My legs, which had been suspended in midair, suddenly found a foothold as if they had stepped on something invisible, and I sprang back into the air.

It was like an air jump, or something you’d see in a wildly exaggerated Chinese martial arts film!

Was my “Leap” ability capable of this too?

Whatever, I didn’t care!

With my heart pounding like it was going to explode, I finally set foot on the penthouse terrace.

My breath was ragged, and I felt dizzy, but it was within the expected margin of error.

“……”

Just hours earlier, there had been a party, yet the room was now eerily quiet.

The most important thing was that the terrace windows were open.

Security wasn’t tight.

They must not have expected anyone to breach the 40th floor.

Perhaps, because Seo Ga-eul herself was a powerful Awakened, there wasn’t any need for additional security.

As I had already confirmed during the party, there were no indoor CCTV cameras either.

Silence filled the air.

Using the tiptoeing skills I’d honed while raiding Manager Kim Jang-dong’s potato fields, I quietly slipped into the room.

I arrived at the door.

Click, creak.

…Wasn’t that door opening sound a bit too loud?

Fortunately, Seo Ga-eul lay quietly on the bed.

Snooore, snooore.

From the steady sound of her breathing, it seemed she was fast asleep, but as I looked at her, I couldn’t help but become dazed.

Was this how the prince felt, standing in front of Snow White after she’d bitten the poisoned apple?

If I reached out my hand, it felt like I could touch the ‘softness’ that Seo Ga-eul had promised, and my heart pounded wildly, my vision blurring.

Reality began to feel distant.

Now, to start the kidnapping with the items I had prepared in advance─.

Ding-dong.

Ding! Dong!

“…!”

Startled by the sudden noise, I hastily hid under Seo Ga-eul’s bed.

Just like a cockroach, scurrying away in a flash!

# # #

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang again.

It seemed like someone had come to visit from outside.

Was it security?

Could there be a CCTV I didn’t know about that detected my intrusion?

As countless thoughts raced through my mind, I heard the bed rustle above me.

Swoosh.

Soon, Seo Ga-eul’s white feet touched the floor right where I was hiding.

She slipped her feet into soft indoor slippers and left the room.

“Who is it?”

━ Open the door. It’s me.

“Wang Ja-hyun?”

Wang Ja-hyun?

Wang Ja-hyun, at this hour, visiting Seo Ga-eul’s place?

Click.

The sound of the door opening followed.

“What’s going on? At this late hour.”

“Seo Ga-eul, do I need a reason to meet you?”

“Of course, you do. We’re not exactly in a relationship.”

Seo Ga-eul’s voice from the living room was colder than expected.

It felt like the mask she had been wearing at the party had been removed.

Wang Ja-hyun didn’t bother hiding his emotions, feeling anxious in response to Seo Ga-eul’s chilly demeanor.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? That bastard, I mean.”

“That bastard?”

“Han Nam-jin. You brought him here and treated him well just to provoke me, didn’t you?”

“Ja-hyun, you’re full of yourself. Why would I do something like that because of you?”

Her words were harsh.

If I had heard them, I probably would have cried for days.

But Wang Ja-hyun wasn’t one to be easily deterred, and he pushed on, unaffected by her brutal words.

“Seo Ga-eul, you shouldn’t treat me like this. You know Jaewang Group was instrumental in securing the president’s re-election. From now on, it’ll be Jaewang Group’s world. And I’m the one inheriting it!”

“……”

“You and I are a perfect match, aren’t we? Even you have to admit that. I’m the only one who’s on your level. You know that better than anyone else!”

Wang Ja-hyun, the guy sure could talk.

I wanted to jump out and say something, but that would only make things more complicated, so I stayed still.

Thankfully, Seo Ga-eul was disgusted by Wang Ja-hyun’s nonsense and yelled back.

“I’m tired, so leave now.”

“Seo Ga-eul!”

“Get out. I won’t say it three times. Or do you need me to remind you again that you’re not on my level? Wang Ja-hyun, you know that with your ability, you’ll never beat me. Don’t you?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense.

What would Wang Ja-hyun do now?

“……”

Wang Ja-hyun, though full of things to say, hesitated as if his mouth was glued shut, then turned on his heel abruptly.

Click.

The door closed, and Seo Ga-eul returned to the bedroom, lying back down on her bed.

“Damn bastard. Just a concubine’s son.”

It was a sharp curse.

Was this the ‘true nature’ of Seo Ga-eul that Baek Yeoul had mentioned?

Her fiery attitude was something I found quite appealing.

It might even be more to my taste than I thought.

The important thing, however, was that Seo Ga-eul was now lying directly above me.

In this bizarre situation, I found myself feeling a bit excited.

My heartbeat was so loud I worried she might hear it.

Ten minutes passed like that.

“Ugh, how annoying. I just managed to fall asleep.”

It seemed Seo Ga-eul couldn’t fully drift back into sleep.

She got up from the bed and began pacing around her room.

No one would have imagined that someone as perfect as Seo Ga-eul might suffer from insomnia.

An hour passed.

No joke, Seo Ga-eul wandered around for an entire hour.

Then, as if she’d finally made up her mind, she headed to the bathroom, turned on the water, and began showering.

Was she planning to stay awake all night?

If morning came while I was still here, things would get complicated in all sorts of ways.

As Seo Ga-eul had once told me, the only chance was when the full moon was up.

Should I retreat for now and wait for the next full moon?

No, that would take too long.

When a man draws his sword, he needs to show something for it.

Ssshhk-.

Having made my decision, I slipped out from under the bed like a cockroach and headed toward the bathroom.

In my hand, I held the blanket I had taken from Seo Ga-eul’s bed.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

My heart pounded so hard I thought it would drive me crazy, but I grabbed the bathroom doorknob and opened it.

Click.

As the door opened, Seo Ga-eul turned to look at me.

Through the white steam, various things were obscured, but her shocked expression was clear as day.

“You─!”

It was the most raw expression I had ever seen on her face.

Seo Ga-eul immediately raised her hand and, in a voice as fierce as a wild animal, yelled at me.

“Perverted bastard! Take another step and I’ll kill you.”

Was she going to fire some kind of energy beam from her palm?

It was hilarious.

“You’ll kill me? How? I know that your powers weaken during the full moon.”

“…What?”

As Seo Ga-eul faltered, clearly thrown off by my words, I rushed forward like a crashing wave and covered her mouth with my hand.

Then, I bound her hands and feet with black tape, wrapping them tightly, and sealed her mouth with tape as well.

After that, I took the blanket I had brought from her bed and wrapped her entire body in it, rolling her up like a tightly wound kimbap.