By Zephyria 
“Ah, are you the ones we’re supposed to be meeting today?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you!”
The blind date partners called Min Si-hu by strange names, and Min Si-hu responded as if it were natural. I lowered my hand, which had been resting on my chin insolently, under the table.
“Ah, we are Manhaego’s Yoon Se-yeon, Park Gyeong-a, and Kim Yi-dam, in order.”
Kim Yi-dam!
At the familiar name, I looked closely at the person who introduced herself as Kim Yi-dam.
Kim Yi-dam, the friend of Ban Pyo-ran I needed to find. According to my memory, the Four Heavenly Kings would eventually meet Ban Pyo-ran at the hospital. But since I met Kim Yi-dam first like this, couldn’t it hasten that encounter?
My hope circuit whirred, and I smiled.
“Nice to meet you all.”
“Hello. I’m Seong Hae-min, this is Min Si-hu, and this is my twin, Seong Hae-jun. Please, have a seat.”
Seong Hae-min introduced us in order. The girls, who giggled that we were even more handsome than our rumors, sat on the opposite side.
The conversation atmosphere wasn’t bad. My personal objective of finding Ban Pyo-ran quickly seemed to be progressing steadily.
However, the problem was that my hands and feet were being sacrificed.
“Is it true that you guys fought with Jeseong High School last time?”
“Yeees! The Jeseong High guys kept provoking us!”
“I really never dreamed Do Yun-hyeok would get beaten up like that.”
“Me neither. You guys are so cool. Especially Si-hu, he’s so cute but also a great fighter.”
“Kyaa! Thank you for noticing Si-hu!”
“Seoyeon High’s Min Si-hu and Seong Hae-min are really famous as the top kings.”
“Oh right, can I get your autographs? I brought my diary!”
“……”
I almost lost my mind listening to the conversation, but I managed to maintain my sanity with my practiced resistance to cringe. It was a huge relief that I wasn’t the center of the conversation. If I had been brought up, I would have stormed out immediately, regardless of Kim Yi-dam or anything else.
Fortunately, Min Si-hu and Seong Hae-min were signing autographs with great familiarity, creating a warm atmosphere. I made a firm decision to watch this cringeworthy scene as comfortably as possible. It would have been perfect with popcorn.
“By the way, is there someone among you who knows Pyo-ran?”
“Yeees! Hae-jun here!”
As the conversation lulled, Kim Yi-dam, who had been relatively quiet among the girls, brought up Ban Pyo-ran.
“How do you know Pyo-ran?”
“Ah, well…”
Kim Yi-dam’s eyes narrowed. I stammered.
I hadn’t expected to be asked so directly and sharply. I was so caught up in the thought that I had to find him that I hadn’t made a rational judgment. I had come to the blind date impulsively, so I had no prepared answers.
As I fumbled, rolling my eyes, Min Si-hu smiled brightly and calmed the situation.
“Yi-dam Yi-dam! If you get so angry, Si-hu gets scared! Kyaa!”
I didn’t know how he managed to be persuaded by such words, but Kim Yi-dam’s eyes softened slightly. I made an excuse, saying I’d heard a classmate mention a good person and the name had become familiar.
“A friend? What friend?”
Seong Hae-min, hearing the word “friend,” asked again who it was, but I just smiled, sipping through the straw in front of me. I couldn’t say an internet novel had told me about him, not a friend. Fortunately, Kim Yi-dam didn’t press for further details.
“You even care about friends, Si-hu is so considerate!”
“Yeah, that’s my charm! Ahem!”
“Kya, so cute! Shall we… pair up now?”
The girls suggested, their eyes sparkling. I took a breath inwardly.
Nice timing. It was a relief to escape a difficult situation… or was it? Come to think of it, this was a disaster. The mere thought of being split into three pairs and having to go on a date with someone made me break out in a cold sweat. I busily scanned my surroundings.
I was experiencing firsthand that impulsively participating in something inevitably leads to a difficult situation. My vision had narrowed with the obsession of needing to find Ban Pyo-ran quickly, and I had overlooked too many factors.
Could I sneak away? But judging by the atmosphere, it seemed unlikely.
It couldn’t be helped. If a pair was formed, I’d just take them out, apologize, and run.
While I was racking my brain, help, or rather, something that wasn’t help, came from an entirely unexpected direction.
“Oh, who is this? It’s Hae-jun?”
“Huh?”
“Hi Hae-jun? See you again.”
Red hair.
The person who appeared out of nowhere was Do Yun-hyeok. The moment I saw his red hair, my face stiffened like a machine.
“Who? Oh my!”
“You’re… Jeseong High’s pride, Do. Yun. Hyeok?”
The girls’ eyes widened as they saw Do Yun-hyeok.
Of course, I was also very surprised. Not only was I surprised by the appearance of the villain Do Yun-hyeok, but I was also taken aback by the choice of words, “pride”…
“This isn’t even Jeseong High territory, how would you know Do Yun-hyeok is here?”
“How do you know this won’t soon be Jeseong High’s turf?”
“…….”
Following “pride,” now “turf”…
His word choice was truly something. I reminded myself again, these guys were supposed to be 17 years old.
‘Don’t they study…?’
Do Yun-hyeok shrugged off Min Si-hu’s wary gaze. Min Si-hu and Seong Hae-min had scowled the moment Do Yun-hyeok appeared and took a protective stance, surrounding me. I also found Do Yun-hyeok very uncomfortable, so I retreated behind them. Do Yun-hyeok was a scary guy who had even come to our school before.
“Get lost.”
“I heard Seong Hae-min has a phobia of girls, yet you’re out in a place like this?”Do Yun-hyeok, you oily tteokbokki!” You, you, you! You’re going to go bald!”
A phobia of girls… what was that now?
Min Si-hu hurled a curse at Do Yun-hyeok that made no sense in context. Meanwhile, the girls they were meeting were screaming next to them, saying Do Yun-hyeok was really handsome. Everything descended into chaos.
Why did I have to run into Do Yun-hyeok of all people? I should have just obediently paired up and left. My thinking was too short-sighted. This was a case of trying to avoid one thing and ending up with another.
The gazes of everyone else sitting in the cafe were all fixed on us. My face burned with shame.
I wanted to disappear from everyone’s sight.
Please exclude me. They are strangers to me. I wanted to beg.
After enduring Min Si-hu and Seong Hae-min’s bickering for a while, Do Yun-hyeok gave me a sly smile, then suddenly reached out and snatched me into his embrace. My body trembled like a fish caught on a hook. Even though I was a reasonably built young man, in front of Do Yun-hyeok, I was no different from a piece of paper.
“Ack.”
“Shh.”
Do Yun-hyeok whispered in my ear. Goosebumps rose wherever his breath touched. I tried to resist, but it was no use. Was it because he was a top dog? (The fact that I was using the word ‘top dog’ myself was the most shameful part.) The grip on my wrist was firm.
Seong Hae-min and Min Si-hu looked extremely flustered by the sudden turn of events.
…Perhaps the way delinquents fight is by having a person in the middle and whoever snatches their wrist first wins?
“Let go of his hand.”
“I don’t want to.”
“What do we do, Do Yun-hyeok stole Seong Hae-jun!”
Do Yun-hyeok skillfully stepped back, avoiding Min Si-hu and Seong Hae-min who were trying to pull me back by my other wrist. Holding my wrist, Do Yun-hyeok put his arm around my neck and shoulders. As I was completely enveloped in Do Yun-hyeok’s embrace, a brief standoff ensued.
‘If you’re going to fight, please leave me out of it. Seriously, please….’
Seong Hae-min glared at Do Yun-hyeok with eyes burning like a bonfire. Min Si-hu, abandoning his usual cute act, was biting his lip crookedly. His usual cute expression was gone, replaced by a glint in his eyes as if he were about to stab a voodoo doll with needles.
As a form of resistance, I pushed hard against Do Yun-hyeok’s chest, but he didn’t budge. I didn’t know how these guys were so strong. Was it worth living as a normal person? I should start doing strength training.
Just then, Do Yun-hyeok’s lips twitched, and with a refreshing wink, he delivered a thunderous announcement to everyone.
“Seong Hae-min, I’m borrowing your brother today!”
What?
And then he immediately grabbed my arm and ran out of the cafe.
I almost swore out loud, but the incredible speed at which he was dragging me prevented me from even letting it out. I could hear Seong Hae-min and Min Si-hu calling my name and chasing after us, but I was being dragged along so fast by Do Yun-hyeok that I didn’t have the presence of mind to look back. ‘Aaaargh!’ I was too busy letting out a desperate scream for survival.
This was it, I was going to be kidnapped by this despicable villain and used as a weakness for the Four Heavenly Kings…
As the surroundings blurred past, my mind rapidly unfolded a typical internet novel scenario.
Either way, I knew I was screwed!
After dragging me for a long time, Do Yun-hyeok finally stopped running when we reached an unfamiliar place. My lungs felt like they would burst from running too fast. My throat felt like it was on fire.
As I gasped for breath, Do Yun-hyeok kindly patted my back. But it hurt so much that I defensively flinched away. Even though I suddenly moved away, Do Yun-hyeok seemed unhurried, as if he could catch me if I tried to escape.
“Why are you so weak?”
What kind of person is this?