Pretty.She was pretty.
"Pretty, pretty, pretty..."
For as long as he lived, Joo In Guk never felt that his vocabulary was so narrow. But looking at the dainty girl, with her frazzled look and big, watery eyes, he could only think of one word: Pretty.
He thought that she was so pretty that he had completely frozen up when her eyes brushed over him, the brief look sending an electrifying feeling down his spine.
"How can someone be so pretty?" He asked himself. This girl, this Lee Yeo Ri, was the most beautiful person he had ever met, he thought. But then again, Hyuk himself was not bad-looking, so how could his sister be ugly?
It was only when Lee Hyuk had raised his voice and told the girl to go away for the second or third time that Joo In Guk finally snapped out of his daze.
It was only after he observed her for another half-minute that he realised, that this girl... she seems kind of young?
Joo In Guk knew that he had always favoured baby-faced female artists, but he was not actually interested in real kids. That was a crime, wasn"t it? His heart palpitated nervously. Hopefully, this girl was only young-looking and not actually... young.
"Hmph! I"ve had enough with this farce! I"ll be contacting my husband, and I will make sure this boy pays his dues!" His mother suddenly said, storming off.
"Ah, mom!" In Guk jolted in a hurry, looking as if he wanted to chase after his mother, but somebody had already beaten him to it.
Yeo Ri"s face paled at the older woman"s words, then she quickly pulled away from Hyuk to run after the woman.
"Yeo Ri!" Hyuk yelled.
"Where are you two going? We"re not done here yet."
In Guk looked between Hyuk and the direction where Yeo Ri had ran to. In the end, he defeatedly went back to his seat and try to finish the report as soon as possible. The thought of his mom chewing off that pretty little girl"s head off did not sit well with him.
Hyuk also seemed restless. He begrudgingly complied with the police officer and had his statement taken.
Joo In Guk could tell that despite his violent tendencies, Hyuk really cared about his sister. This further strengthened his thought of taking back the charges. In any case, the ones who wanted to press charges were his parents, not him.
Once he finished his turn, In Guk immediately ran off to find the girl and his mother while Hyuk was stuck with the police officer for a few extra minutes of lecturing.
"Please... Please forgive Hyuk-oppa!" The young girl begged, gripping the older woman"s arm tightly.
"Get off! What do you think you"re doing, girl?! Let me go!" Mrs. Joo frowned at the girl"s desperation. Her intestines felt like were about to burst from annoyance. The older woman shook her arm strongly, trying to pull away from the girl.
Unknowingly, she had placed too much strength in her arm that the girl was thrown to the floor like a piece of paper. Yeo Ri was not actually that weak or fragile, but she had ran all the way to the police station from home. She was actually quite tired and her legs were shaking from exhaustion. Very easily, she collapsed on the floor the moment Mrs. Joo shook her off.
"Mom!" In Guk rushed to the girl"s side, looking at his mother reproachfully. The girl was innocent; how could his mom just take out her anger like that on her?
A flabbergasted expression flashed on her face, then she flushed. "I-I didn"t do anything to her!" Mrs. Joo frantically explained as she looked around. Many people"s eyes were on her, looking at her strangely and disapprovingly.
"F-forget it! I"m going home!" Mrs. Joo announced. "Well talk more about this at home, In Guk-ah. Let"s go."
In Guk shook his head. "Mom, you go home first."
Mrs. Joo was too embarra.s.sed to stay after knocking down the seemingly fragile girl, so she nodded her head to her son and immediately walked away quickly.
Now, it was just the two of them.
In Guk helped the younger girl stand up.
"Yeo Ri... was it?" He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry about my mom. She can be a drama queen sometimes."
"No... it"s fine, sunbaenim. It"s my fault for being too pushy," Yeo Ri lowered her head with a guilty voice.
"You"re really a good girl, huh?" In Guk wistfully muttered. He patted her head reflexively, but retreated his hand in a flash once he realised his actions. His face reddened, "Ah, s-sorry."
Yeo Ri offered him a small smile as she touched the spot he had patted her. "No, it"s fine. I don"t mind it."
Then, she looked up at him with her eyes misting over. "Sunbaenim, please don"t press any charges. I beg you. I"ll do anything!" She held his sleeve tightly and begged, her lips trembling.
In Guk was overwhelmed by the attention she was giving him. He fought hard to control his expression. "If you go on a date with me, I"ll consider dropping them," he blurted out half-jokingly. Actually, he wasn"t planning on pressing charges but his mouth already moved before he could think. Once again, In Guk realised that having such a loose cannon mouth was not good for his health.
"Ah-ahaha, I was just jok—" In Guk hurriedly added, his face cramping.
"—Really?! If I go on a date with you, you won"t press any charges?!" Yeo Ri jolted with excitement, her face flushing. If all it took was sacrificing her time, then she"d do it without hesitation. A grateful look bloomed on Yeo Ri"s face, making her shine. The smile on her face was so bright that In Guk could not help but want to close his eyes.
"I-I"ve never gone on a date before. What should I wear? Where do we meet?" Yeo Ri asked eagerly. Truthfully, she was more excited about helping Hyuk get out of trouble than going on her first date.
"a dress would be fine. Sh-should we meet up at the outlet mall? Ten o"clock on next Sat.u.r.day," In Guk mumbled dazedly. His head felt as if it had became blank and his arms were trembling slightly.
"Okay. Thank you, sunbaenim!" Yeo Ri bowed deeply several times. "Thank you! Thank you!"
Noticing Hyuk"s figure coming close to them, Yeo Ri bowed one last time before whispering, "I"ll see you then. Ah, please keep it a secret from my brother. He"ll get angry at me." Then, she dashed towards Hyuk and the two walked away together.
As they walked past him, Hyuk threw a dirty glare to him and Yeo Ri flashed a secretive smile.
In Guk stood there blankly, thinking, "...Did I just swindle a little kid?"