She truly seemed taken aback. People usually cowered or fled the instant Irina showed up. One slip, and they might end up tasting the full force of an S-rank’s punch. That was a shortcut to the afterlife.
Suhyeon was ignoring all that danger and hissing at her like an angry cat. Irina was too shocked by such a scenario to lash out.
Bodyguards crept toward Suhyeon, and Irina wailed in protest.
“Wow, that hurts my feelings. I haven’t done anything yet! Why is everyone acting ?!”
It was time for me to step in. Irina hadn’t come here to kill time, which meant only one reason remained.
‘Why me again? First the Elder, now the crazy lady. Did my Gatekeeper Trait come with some hidden pheromone effect or something?’
I rechecked, but I found no sign of that.
“Irina, I already have dinner plans with Student Kim Suhyeon.”
“Dinner with a girl? Wow, Handsome Seojin oppa. So you’re not single?”
Why was she still going on about singledom? She needed new material.
“…I don’t think she’s as good as me.”
Irina muttered, glaring at Suhyeon. Then she let out an “Ah!” as if she realized something.
“Is that your preference? Since I’m not Korean? Maybe you only want to date a Korean?”
“Don’t say weird stuff. We live in a global age, right?”
Her question was so random that it froze me up. What went through that head of hers?
“Or do you mean you refuse to date me but like dating her?”
“Wait, hold on. I never said anything about dating.”
“When a man and woman have dinner, that’s it, isn’t it? They eat, then visit a cafe and watch a movie. If it gets late, they go to a motel. Then they taste each other’s bodies….”
That was outrageous. I slapped my hand over Irina’s mouth without thinking.
She gave me a strange look. I realized a second too late that grabbing her face might earn me a sudden death.
I cleared my throat and withdrew my hand. Thankfully, she didn’t snap. I was still alive.
“Ahem. There are students around, you know. You’re Korea’s strongest, so please act the part.”
“Wow! You’re complimenting me, right?”
I told her to have some dignity, but she interpreted it that way. What a remarkable mind she had.
“Anyway, we’re just having dinner.”
“So you say. Right, Suhyeon?”
…Suhyeon? Why was there no response? Was she still angry?
I turned to see her face bright red, ready to pop. That wasn’t good. If she reached her limit, there was a chance she’d explode and rampage.
“Fine. Then I’ll come along.”
“If it’s really just a simple dinner, I’ll join.”
“Why would you tag along? What’s your reason?”
“Plenty of reasons. I clashed with the Elder because of you, Seojin oppa.”
Excuse me, what? Since when was that my fault?
“I heard some punks attacked you. I was furious when I found out.”
“Why would that make you angry?”
Yes, Suhyeon. Exactly. That was my question too. What does that have to do with anything?
“Obviously I’m mad. I claimed you first. If someone wants to fight you, it has to be me alone. If you get hurt, it has to be by me. I can’t let anyone else touch you. Never. I’d kill them.”
She said if I got injured at her hands, it was better. But that would be more lethal than any minor wound.
“I won’t stand by and watch the Examiner get hurt.”
Kim Suhyeon’s voice was low and steady as she cut Irina off. She seemed like a pissed-off cat, or maybe more.
“Hey, you keep spouting off. It’s getting on my nerves, so enough.”
“I think you’re being even more rude.”
The timid Suhyeon had truly changed, or maybe she just acted this way around Irina. The bodyguards looked just as surprised.
…Oh, maybe they were stunned that she dared speak to Irina that way.
“Plus, I already hit a few villain groups in your name, Seojin oppa. I was scolded so hard by Mom and Dad. I also plan to wreck Jinhan Group next.”
“The scumbags I cornered last time kept mentioning that name. I got sidetracked by Russia, so I didn’t finish them off. The prosecution said they would handle it, so I waited. Now I suspect they sponsored the punks who attacked you.”
“Doesn’t matter. They tried messing with my Seojin oppa, so they’re as good as gone.”
She was unhinged. I had no idea why she obsessed over me. She planned to punish random folks without evidence.
I expected Suhyeon to call that insane, but she stayed quiet. She even nodded like she understood Irina’s point.
“In any case, after all that trouble, I deserve a dinner with you. I worked for it.”
I never asked her to do any of that. Still, telling her that would cause trouble.
Suhyeon spoke up again.
“You. I said stop butting in.”
“I mean it. The Examiner—he’s coming to my place tonight.”
“He’s going to your house?”
What? Out of nowhere, she said I was going to her house.
Irina glanced at me, obviously waiting for an explanation. I couldn’t give one. I was clueless. Don’t look at me like that, you crazy lady. I have no idea.
“G-Grandpa asked! He said he wants to share a meal with you, so… right, yes, that’s why.”
“Chairman Kang Minseong.”
A bodyguard provided that detail. Irina said, “Oh,” then mumbled, “I find that old guy a bit of a pain.”
“So are you still coming?”
“Argh, that’s right. You’re that old man’s granddaughter. Ugh, so annoying.”
Irina scratched her head in frustration, let out a sigh, and shrugged.
“I can’t help it, Seojin oppa. I’ll have dinner next time. You’re not going there alone, so I won’t bother. I hate that old man. I’m not crazy enough to do that.”
She grumbled, then suddenly stepped closer. She grabbed me in a quick hug, whispering in my ear.
“Promise me. Next time, it’s my turn. I worked hard for that much, at least.”
“…I’m not sure you ‘worked hard,’ but okay.”
“Don’t be stingy. Let me have that. This super gorgeous lady is asking you so nicely. Do I look easy or something?”
She definitely wasn’t easy. She was just crazy.
“Fine. We’ll have dinner next time.”
“Okay, deal. Then I’ll be off.”
After Irina left, I got into Suhyeon’s car again. I asked, just to confirm,
“Suhyeon, about going to Chairman Kang Minseong… that’s real?”
“That… I kind of said it on the spot. I’m thinking about it… but it seems like we have to go, right?”
“Yeah. I think we should. If Irina finds out we lied, things would get messy.”
I’d rather endure a visit to Kang Minseong’s estate than get on Irina’s bad side.
“It actually works out well, Miss. The Chairman has been saying he wants to thank Examiner Baek Seojin properly. He’s brought it up more than once.”
The chief bodyguard grinned as he said so. Looks like everything lined up, though I wasn’t expecting to end up at Kang Minseong’s place.
Is this okay? I turned down an offer to visit the Tower clan because I was a public servant, yet now I was heading to a place more prestigious than most clans.
Well, if that causes issues… maybe Ma Hakjun or Kang Minseong can handle it somehow.