The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

“Hey, Baek Yeoul. What face are you showing up here again with? After causing that ruckus last time. If you’ve got a mouth, say something. When a person makes a mistake, shouldn’t they apologize?”

“…”

Baek Yeoul clammed up like a threatened shell.

As the atmosphere started to get tense, Chang-sik whispered softly to me.

“She’s a graduate. Jeon So-mi, a current explorer who graduated from Yeongsa High School last year. She’s also active as a celebrity. I didn’t expect to see her here.”

Even if I didn’t know much, it seemed that the person pressing Baek Yeoul for an apology was a famous woman.

Isn’t a graduate an adult?

So adults could attend this party too.

“…I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“What?”

At Baek Yeoul’s quiet voice, the beautiful woman’s expression twisted in an instant.

Maybe it’s because her features are so striking, the change in her expression felt drastic.

“…I… I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“What is she talking about? Wow, did you guys hear what she just said?”

The model girl laughed in disbelief as she glanced around.

Baek Yeoul’s face turned as red as if it were about to explode, and the murmurs of the people around them grew louder, making the situation seem bad.

On a day as fun as today, Baek Yeoul was stealing all the attention!

The worst!

I was supposed to be the star of today’s party!

I didn’t want to use this method, but…

“Yoojung, sit down for now. Today, we’re not here to see Baek Yeoul apologize, but to share the wedding invitation I made for everyone between me and Seo Ga-eul. I made this myself.”

While I waited for Baek Yeoul in front of the school, I handed the wedding invitation I had drawn on A4 paper to the model Kim Yoojung.

She took it with a bewildered expression.

“Huh? Wedding? With who? An invitation? And I’m not Yoojung, I’m Jeon So-mi… Wait, is this real? This invitation, is this—?”

Why does she keep asking if it’s real? C

ould there be something about my invitation that she didn’t like?

Ah!

There was something missing.

Oh no.

I must’ve lacked some sense.

I took out a pen and added my signature along with the Chanel luxury brand logo onto the invitation.

“Ta-da, it’s complete. Now it’s a luxury brand you like, right? This kind of thing, you can’t buy even if you wanted to.”

“Wow…”

The model girl’s mouth dropped open.

Even Baek Yeoul, who had been tense like an angry raccoon, blinked in surprise, her eyes wide.

Just when I successfully drew everyone’s attention to me—

Grrrrind.

Someone gritted their teeth loudly, slammed the table, and stood up.

“Ah, shit, I seriously can’t listen to this anymore.”

The guy had been sitting next to Wang Ja-hyun since the special class earlier.

What’s his name?

His sharp face made him look just like a mantis.

He gave off a delinquent vibe like Geum Tae-sung, but while Tae-sung was intimidatingly handsome, this guy just had a sneaky face.

I have an eye for people.

Anyway, the sneaky mantis-like guy walked up to me, getting right in my face as if he was about to kiss me.

“Hey, who the hell are you?”

“We even took classes together, and you still don’t know my name? I’m Han Nam-jin.”

“Wow… this guy’s ridiculous.”

“Hey, Ma-jun, stop. Let it go.”

“Calm down, calm down.”

A few male students grabbed the guy named Ma-jun by the arm and shoulder.

But Ma-jun, having lost his temper from the embarrassment of not remembering my name, shook off their hands and furiously ranted.

“Let go! Let go of me. Hey, who do you think you are? Stop acting all cocky. If you’re a bum wearing knock-offs, know your place. Don’t you know you’re being a nuisance to everyone?”

“How is me marrying Seo Ga-eul a nuisance to everyone? The real nuisance is you, ruining the mood by swearing. Do you think I’ll be scared just because you’re yelling?”

Shh—.

I reached out and grabbed the guy’s groin.

It was thinner than I expected, fitting right into my palm.

Ma-jun’s face froze in terror.

“You… You…! Yaaah! Let go! Let go! Aaaah!”

「Name: Sa Ma-jun
Status: 《Shock》 – He is in shock, caught in an unexpected situation with his weak spot held.」

“Threats don’t come from barking like a scared dog. Real threats are the final mercy given by someone who can thoroughly crush their opponent. Now say goodbye to your jewels.”

“Hey, hey! Argh! Stop! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was just bluffing! I’m sorry, Han Nam-jin! I apologize!”

His apology didn’t satisfy me.

I seriously considered crushing it right then and there, but I decided to let it go this time.

I saw Seo Ga-eul walking towards us, holding a drink in a glass bottle.

I couldn’t let my beloved Seo Ga-eul see me holding a guy’s junk.

She’d think I was gay.

Shhh—.

As soon as I let go, Ma-jun lost his balance and collapsed onto the floor.

In a state of exhaustion, he inspected his groin, looking quite pathetic.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Seo Ga-eul had returned to the VIP room.

As she smiled and glanced around, Wang Ja-hyun grinned.

“Nothing happened.”

As if Wang Ja-hyun’s words were a signal, Ma-jun, who had been making a scene earlier, and the model girl who had yelled at Baek Yeoul both shut up.

What boring people.

“Oh, what’s this?”

Seo Ga-eul noticed the wedding invitation on the floor, bent down, and picked it up.

It was the invitation I had made with care.

This was the moment I’d been eagerly waiting for, wondering how my love, my goddess Seo Ga-eul, would react.

Was Ma-jun’s current feeling the same as mine?

“Pfft, this is funny. Nam-jin, did you make this yourself?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve received many gifts, but this is the first time I’ve ever received something like this. I’ll definitely keep it. This is hilarious.”

Puhaha—.

Seo Ga-eul burst into laughter.

Thanks to her laugh, the tense atmosphere in the VIP room lightened up a bit.

A beautiful woman’s laughter really is something else.

# # #

Despite the chaos earlier, the party continued as if nothing had happened.

People were sitting in groups, chatting, but I felt uneasy.

My friend, my blue-chip, Choi Chang-sik, was mingling well with the kids decked out in luxury brands.

“You can make candy?”

“And you can change the flavor too?”

“Y-yes.”

“What about those shoes? They’re the same brand as that guy earlier.”

“You’re a pretty unique guy too. Just like Han Nam-jin.”

Thanks to the luxury shoes I had drawn for him, it seemed like Chang-sik was earning points with the people around him.

But Chang-sik looked a bit embarrassed, stammering as a few girls offered him something.

“I’ve got an extra pair of slippers. Want to wear them?”

“Huh, t-these are Armes slippers!”

Chang-sik, after glancing around nervously, took off his shoes and put on the fancy slippers. It stung.

They all knew how amazing Chang-sik was and started bribing him.

A guy who can make endless candy—he’s the best, isn’t he?

At least some of them had an eye for talent.

Clang—.

Then someone dropped a cup, shattering it.

It was the model girl who had been yapping like a Chihuahua earlier.

“Oh no, another cup broke. How many is that now? I knew someone was bringing bad luck.”

“Right? Earlier, my stockings suddenly got torn. What awful luck.”

“Seriously, if you have any sense, you wouldn’t come to a crowded place like this when you can’t control your ability. It’s such a nuisance.”

The sharp comments were directed at someone quietly sitting in the corner.

Baek Yeoul, the person they were targeting, couldn’t refute a single word, trembling slightly.

I was quick on the uptake.

I understood that Baek Yeoul and everyone in this VIP room had some past connection, and for some reason, it had gone sour.

But I didn’t like how they were circling around it, dropping hints like petty girls.

Let me show you how it’s done.

“Enough already. If you’ve got something to say, just say it. I briefly considered you as a candidate for my girlfriend because you’re pretty, but it’s not going to work out. You’ve got an ugly heart.”

“What? What did you say?”

The model girl jumped up in anger.

Her face was flushed red, maybe from drinking, and the expression she made only made her look uglier.

“Who do you think you are to call me ugly? Take that back!”

“Okay, I take it back.”

“…What?”

The model girl looked like she had just stepped in dog poop, unable to find the words to respond.

Unable to control her temper, she reached out and slapped me across the face.

Smack—!

The loud slap made everyone turn to look at me.

For a moment, my vision flashed as if I had been spiked by a volleyball player.

It wasn’t painful, more surprising than anything.

But my reaction was lightning quick.

Smack smack—!

I slapped the model girl’s cheeks in return, alternating sides.

“Kyaaa!”

“Do you know the saying ‘a kind word goes a long way’? I always return what I receive twofold. I don’t hold back just because you’re a woman.”

She hadn’t expected to get hit back, and she staggered, slipping on the drinks spilled on the floor, flailing about.

“Uwaah, uwaah!”

She wobbled on her high heels over the puddles, and it looked like she was doing some bizarre dance.

Like a newborn fawn wobbling.

“Kyaa!”

Finally, she fell down with a thud, legs spread wide, her underwear visible.

Black.

With lace.

「Name: Jeon So-mi
Status: 《Anger and Embarrassment》 – She’s overwhelmed with embarrassment at being humiliated in front of Wang Ja-hyun, whom she has a crush on.」

“Ah, shit, such bad luck! Seriously, such terrible luck!”

The model girl cursed in frustration.

But I wanted to make one thing very clear.

“Don’t throw around the word ‘bad luck’ carelessly. Do you even know what true misfortune is? Real bad luck is being trapped in a burning house, unable to even scream.”

I was the only one who knew this world had only one year left.

It was agonizing that I couldn’t tell anyone.

“You all clinging to things that will burn and disappear one day—brands? Money? That’s all worthless. What’s truly important is this. This.”

Shh—.

I held up a bottle cap.

Everyone’s eyes were on me.

“This is what’s really valuable.”

No joke, bottle caps were going to be worth more than gold in the future.

The reason is hilarious, but I’ll explain that later.

Since the topic came up, I might as well start collecting bottle caps now.

And with that mindset, I roamed the party, gathering over 100 bottle caps!

This party rocks!

Now that I’d collected everything, it was time to leave.

“I thought the party would be fun, but it’s really boring. Going home to rewatch Game of Thrones sounds better. Guys, I’m leaving. You can stay and have fun if you want.”

“Y-you’re leaving?”

Choi Chang-sik, who had been trembling like a nervous wreck, looked flustered.

It seemed like he wanted to stay longer.

“Chang-sik, are you leaving too? Why not stay a bit longer?”

“Yeah, tell us more about the candy-making.”

Chang-sik looked back and forth between me and the girls.

After what seemed like a long internal struggle, he took off the fancy slippers he’d been wearing and put back on the sneakers I had drawn the logo on.

“I… I guess it’s time for me to head out too. It’s getting late…”

“I’ll go too.”

Baek Yeoul also stood up.

We left the VIP room and headed for the elevator.

As we were about to leave the building, Seo Ga-eul’s soft voice called out to us.

“You’re leaving already? Why? Things were just getting fun. Why not stay a bit longer?”

It was a voice like that of an angel.

Hearing something like that, even a man whose heart had turned to ice over a millennium would melt in love.

But no meant no.

“Seo Ga-eul, do you think I’m an idiot?”