SIDE STORY 16
Alexei.
His nickname was Major.
Not much was known about him except that he was from the Soviet Union and had served in the military for many years.
He was a high-level chess master, a travel writer, a president of a private military company, and an arms dealer.
The relationship of Kang Jin-ho with him was seriously complicated and mysterious, but if one had to objectively define it, it would be a ‘master and disciple’ relationship.
A teacher.
He was a man who taught Kang Jin-ho many things – no, pretty much everything necessary to live.
Kang Jin-ho was always grateful for his teachings, and often used those teachings to solve problems.
And it was still the same even now, six years after his death.
‘Alexei! Alexei!’
What should I do?
Please?
How!
What should I do!
Alexei taught him everything he needed to live.
He taught Kang Jin-ho a lot of things such as shooting, a.s.sembling and maintaining a gun, using and maintaining a knife, fighting barehanded, survival skills, and so on.
There was even a teaching on how to dance with a woman.
So he had danced with Natasha a few times.
Anyway, Alexei had taught him a lot, so until this day, Kang Jin-ho had never felt that the teachings of Alexei were lacking.
But at this moment.
Kang Jin-ho realized.
None of the teachings of Alexei were useful in a situation like this one.
‘Alexei!’
The afternoon after spending a night under the same roof with the girl next door, I met her parents while seeing her off the house-
If it was Cowabunga, he would have liked it and said that it was the perfect light novel t.i.tle, but this was reality for Kang Jin-ho.
‘Ca-Calm down, Kang Jin-ho.’
First of all, it’s necessary to correct the vocabulary itself.
I spent the night under the same roof.
But that sentence had to be interpreted literally.
It shouldn’t be interpreted metaphorically.
We really just slept under the same roof!
I didn’t do anything shameful that would get me caught by others, I didn’t-
‘No!’
I don’t know what happened last night, but I woke up hugging Hong Yoo Hee.
And even though I woke up, I kept hugging her because I was embarra.s.sed.
Because I enjoyed her scent and body temperature!
The agony of Kang Jin-ho deepened, and it was the same for the Kang Jin-hos in his mind.
“General! General! Things are not going well! Our defense line is being breached in an instant!”
“The enemy is coming from all sides! They’re too strong!”
At the reports of the Kang Jin-hos, General Kang Jin-ho groaned and clenched his fists.
No matter how much he stared at the battlefield map, he could not think of a suitable solution.
“General! I have an idea!”
It was at that time.
Child Soldier Kang Jin-ho raised his hand and spoke, and General Kang Jin-ho and the other Kang Jin-hos looked back at him with hope.
“What’s your idea?”
“If we’re scared, just blow up everythi-”
“Get him out!”
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
At the command of General Kang Jin-ho, another Kang Jin-ho expelled Child Soldier Kang Jin-ho from the tent.
That crazy kid.
What do you mean by blow up?
As I thought, the Kang Jin-ho in those days has too many problems.
“Calm down! Calm down! Our opponent is a civilian! He’s not an enemy! We can resolve it through dialogue!”
“But general! Look at those eyes! Those are the eyes of a beast!”
It was true.
The gaze of Hong Yoo Won towards Kang Jin-ho was undeniably vicious.
It was like the eyes of someone looking at an enemy.
But General Kang Jin-ho tried to calmly speak after adjusting his breathing.
“I-It’s okay! It’s okay! Didn’t we already research when we moved in? He’s an ordinary man! He has nothing to do with blood, guns, and war!”
But while he was talking, he had a thought.
Could it be that he did not research enough?
In fact, it was possible that the man was a professional a.s.sa.s.sin disguised as a civilian.
Otherwise, they could not explain that vicious look.
“General! There is no time! Just say anything!”
Soldier Kang Jin-ho was right.
Time was pa.s.sing even at this moment.
It would even be stranger if he did not say anything.
He had to give an excuse, no, an explanation.
“I-I was at oppa’s house. Uh, yes. I couldn’t enter my house, yes, yes. The oppa next door saw me, and uh… yes… that is… he said, would you like to rest…”
Hong Yoo Hee spoke with an awkward smile, and Kang Jin-ho unconsciously gulped. It was because of the last sentence.
“Would you like to… rest?”
Kim Eun Jung, the mother of Hong Yoo Hee, narrowed her brows and looked at Kang Jin-ho who gasped and swallowed his breath, forcing his mouth to open.
“T-That is… Because…”
He stuttered without realizing it.
In addition, he was also sweating profusely, so anyone could only see him as very suspicious.
“Uh… well, the locked door. She was troubled, so… uh… yeah. I helped her.”
Kang Jin-ho was good at acting.
Because he also received spy training from Rachel who was believed to be the lover of Alexei.
But at this moment, that acting ability was not showing at all.
Rachel would have lamented if she had seen him now, but it could not be helped.
He was stiff, speaking in complete monotone.
The eyes of Kim Eun Jung narrowed, and the gaze of Hong Yoo Won became even more vicious.
And Hong Yoo Hee spoke again as if shouting.
“T-The house of oppa next door is better than spending the night at an internet café or a bathhouse! Yes, yes! I ate well too!”
It was better to stay at the house of oppa next door than to spend the night in an internet café or a bathhouse.
Right after Hong Yoo Hee said those words, chaos erupted in her mind.
“Get that b*tch out! Get her out!”
“Aaaah! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Midde School Girl Hong Yoo Hee pleaded, but Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee was firm.
After expelling Middle School Girl Hong Yoo Hee, she looked back and asked the remaining Hong Yoo Hees.
“Those words are strange no matter how you look at it, right?”
The house of oppa next door is better than an internet café or bathhouse!
Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee recited that line again and struggled with shame, and it was the same for the other Hong Yoo Hees.
But one of them, gla.s.ses-wearing Hong Yoo Hee, raised her hand and said.
“But raid leader! If you look at it objectively, it’s better! It doesn’t cost money! It’s not dangerous at all!”
“It’s not dangerous?”
“That’s right! An internet café and bathhouse are places where unknown people come and go! Rather, it is easier to become a target of crime! But oppa next door is okay! Because he’s neither a random person nor a complete stranger… Ah! That’s it! That should be emphasized!”
The gla.s.ses-wearing Hong Yoo Hee clapped loudly, and turned to everyone, saying enthusiastically.
“He’s not a stranger! He’s not a dangerous person! He’s not a b*stard who’s targeting the girl next door with a sinister motive!”
“H-How do we say that?!”
Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee asked and gla.s.ses-wearing Hong Yoo Hee answered with a smile.
She came up with a solution.
“W-We played games together. Uh, Legend of Heroes 2. He’s not a stranger. I’ve known him for almost 6 years. Yes. That’s right. He’s in the same guild as me.”
When Hong Yoo Hee enumerated those while stuttering, Hong Yoo Won was confused on what she was talking about, but not for Kim Eun Jung.
Because she knew the name of the game that changed the life of her only daughter.
“Legend of Heroes 2? You played that together? The bachelor next door? For how many years?”
“Yes. We’re friends. R-Right, oppa?”
Hong Yoo Hee looked back at him in desperation, and Kang Jin-ho reflexively nodded his head.
“Uh… well… yes. We’re… friends. Yes, we’re very close.”
So he’s not someone else.
I mean, he’s not a complete stranger.
We know each other well.
“Hehehe.”
Hong Yoo Hee nervously laughed and Kang Jin-ho had an awkward smile.
But despite her desperate excuse, the expression of Hong Yoo Won did not go away.
Because s.e.x crimes were more likely to occur between acquaintances rather than others!
‘However…’
The situation seemed to be a bit far from a s.e.x crime.
Rather, it seemed like the two were in love.
Either way, from the perspective of a father with a daughter…
‘Hmm…’
Hong Yoo Won furrowed his brows and pondered.
In the former case, he definitely had to beat up to death the person in front of him, but in the latter case, if his now adult daughter and the man next door was in a romantic relationship, it would be hard for him to say anything.
‘What about the age difference?’
The young man next door.
He did not know the age of the man.
The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties from the outside. So they seemed to have a difference of around 4 or 5 years.
‘I’m a bit anxious that I don’t know what he does.’
In any case, he thought that it would be too much to question the man right now.
But it was true that his daughter was in a rather awkward situation last night.
‘That’s why we gave up the trip and came here.’
His daughter might be an adult, but she had just become an adult.
His wife had casually said that she could go to an internet café or a bathhouse, but those were far.
Moreover, his daughter was pretty, cute, and adorable!
It was very, very dangerous for her to stay outside.
“Hmm…”
In the end, Hong Yoo Won decided to take a step back, and Kim Eun Jong looked back at her husband. She then turned to the front and said as she looked at Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yoo Hee.
“We’re indebted to you for taking care of our daughter. We need to fix the door first, so can we talk to you again after the situation has been resolved?”
Kang Jin-ho immediately nodded while Hong Yoo Hee breathed a sigh of relief.
“T-Then, oppa. I’ll be going.”
“Uh, yes. Yes, be careful.”
“Yes.”
After their strange conversation, Kang Jin-ho bowed to Hong Yoo Won and Kim Eun Jong before he entered his house.
And a few seconds later.
Kang Jin-ho caught his breath and hurried back to his room instead of putting his ear to the door and eavesdropping on the conversation outside. He watched the situation outside his door through the CCTV that was always in operation.
The key man was opening the door, and Kim Eun Jung was pulling the cheek of Hong Yoo Hee.
“Ugh.”
I want to pull it too.
N-No. That’s not what I meant.
Kang Jin-ho shook his head to come to his senses, and tried to focus on their conversation, but fortunately, there did not seem to be any more problems.
“Haa.”
Around 20 minutes later.
When the family of Hong Yoo Hee entered the house after thanking the key man, Kang Jin-ho sighed and collapsed in place.
The feeling he felt was similar to when he was alone in the enemy camp and barely escaped.
Now that his tension was completely gone, he felt so tired and unable to do anything.
“Haa, f*ck.”
Kang Jin-ho let out the exclamation Hong Yoo Hee always used, and closed his eyes. And he unknowingly laughed.
He kept laughing perhaps because he overcame an embarra.s.sing, difficult, and challenging situation, or because of some other reason.
He just laughed.
***
Time pa.s.sed.
It was evening again.
Unlike yesterday, he had dinner alone as always.
He did not log in to Legend of Heroes 2.
The group and private chat rooms were full of messages sent by the chat room members, but he did not read or look at those at all.
And it was probably the same for Hong Yoo Hee.
“Haa… seriously.”
What in the world is this?
The ident.i.ty of Yellow Storm.
The girl next door.
I can’t believe that Yellow Storm was actually a cute, pretty, and lovely woman.
“Ah, seriously.”
It feels weird.
It’s strange and odd.
And the scent.
When I close my eyes, I recall the warmth and scent of Hong Yoo Hee’s skin.
Now that I think of it, it’s been years since I’ve hugged someone.
Isn’t this the first time since I hugged my colleagues when I retired?
‘What should I do next?’
When I meet Yellow Storm in the game.
No, if I meet Hong Yoo Hee on the street.
I’ve actually resolved myself.
I’ve figured that something will change after I go to the offline meeting and see the actual appearance of Yellow Storm.
But this has gone beyond what I have imagined.
I have never considered this situation.
“Ah… Should I just quit the game?”
At the time he was thinking.
His cellphone vibrated and Kang Jin-ho glanced at the cellphone.
He had turned off the notifications for most of the group and private chat rooms, so if a new notification rang, it was either a new person he added or someone whom he did not purposely turn off the notification.
[Oppa, are you sleeping?]
It was the message of Hong Yoo Hee.
A private chat and not a group chat, so Kang Jin-ho unconsciously swallowed hard. He grabbed his cellphone and reflexively answered.
[Not yet. You?]
[LOL, how can I chat if I’m sleeping? What are you doing?]
Her statement was reasonable.
He did not expect Norfolk to say such a reasonable thing.
But what should he reply now?
[I see.]
Why did I answer ‘I see’ to ‘What are you doing?’
Even Kang Jin-ho himself thought that it was a pathetic answer, but could not help it.
‘Uh, what is this? Why is my heart pounding like this?’
Not bathump-bathump, but tugudug-tugudug.
A heartbeat that was out of control.
[Oppa.]
[Yes.]
[Oppa.]
[Yes.]
[Oppa.]
[Yes.]
[LOL Why is that all you can say?]
Then why do you keep calling me oppa!
He almost cried out, but did not. Rather, he found it more urgent to think about how to overcome the situation.
‘W-What should I say?’
And why is she doing this to me now?
If it was the usual.
If it was the usual message Norfolk gives me…
[Have you forgotten to take your medicine?]
I would have answered that, but I can’t do that now.
How could I send such a message to Hong Yoo Hee, the girl next door.
[Oppa.]
[Yeah.]
[LOL It changed. He said Yeah.]
Are you making fun of me now?
Kang Jin-ho was furious, but strangely kept smiling.
Is Hong Yoo Hee smiling like me on the other side?
[Oppa. Yesterday was fun. Let’s play together next time.]
[Okay.]
They had said that despite the fact that they had been playing Legend of Heroes 2 together every day.
[So… What are we going to say to the chat room members about our meeting?]
That was an important issue.
A really, really important issue.
[Hmm… Well, if you’re uncomfortable with it, how about keeping it a secret for now?]
[Is that so? Oppa thinks that’s a good idea too?]
Because AAA and Cowabunga would be busy teasing the two if they found out the truth.
[I’m sure that they’ll spread it to the entire community. Don’t you think so?]
When Hong Yoo Hee began to send messages quickly, Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat and turned on the computer.
He wanted to talk to Hong Yoo Hee via the KakaoTalk for PC.
[My dad had been completely grilling me, you know? But we just played games, right? LOL]
Hong Yoo Hee continued to send messages quickly.
She was literally chattering.
It was just a chat message, but he strangely felt like he could hear her voice. He could vividly imagine it.
[I’m glad that I didn’t get scolded though.]
[Hey, you did nothing to be scolded, right? O-Or just a bit…]
Why am I feeling embarra.s.sed in writing this?
Kang Jin-ho recalled what happened in the morning and slightly blushed. He coughed for no reason and continued his conversation with Hong Yoo Hee.
10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour…
The two did not sleep until late at night.
***
The next morning.
When Hong Yoo Hee who was busy on KakaoTalk until dawn and slept late as she knew that she did not have cla.s.ses at this time.
When Kang Jin-ho habitually woke up and began exercising in the morning.
A huge crisis arrived in South Korea.
A person who could pose a great threat not only to Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yoo Hee, but also to Jude and Cordelia.
“Is this… the country of Gino?”
A beauty who stood out so clearly that everyone pa.s.sing by could not help but stop and look at her.
The blue-eyed woman with long platinum blonde hair took off her sungla.s.ses and looked out the windows of the airport.
Gino.
Kang Jin-ho.
The name of the disciple of Alexei who inherited everything.
“Gino.”
Saying the name again, the woman smiled.
Natasha Molotov.
The owner of a fatal beauty remembered the face of Kang Jin-ho and walked forward.