The Thug Hides the Villainess

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059 – The Room You Can’t Leave Without Apologizing #4

Jeon Som-i and Jang Hyeon-ah were trapped in a room.

How many hours had passed?

They had knocked on the walls and shouted here and there, but there was not a single reply.

“Those crazy bastards, locking up their seniors? If we get out, we’re all dead.”

Jeon Som-i cursed Hanam-jin and Baek-Yeoul almost like a spell.

But Jang Hyeon-ah scolded Jeon Som-i instead.

“Just be quiet. Stop wasting energy. You never know how to stay calm when things go wrong.”

“What? What did you just say? What am I supposed to do?”

Jeon Som-i, who was already in a bad mood, couldn’t hold back.

The frustrations she had been building up against Jang Hyeon-ah all day exploded.

“Hey, if you think about it, this is partly your fault too, you know? You were the one who foolishly handed over the team to Hanam-jin, and look what happened. If we get out, you better take responsibility. I’m telling Ja-hyeon everything that happened today.”

“Pfft.”

“You’re laughing? Hey, did you just laugh? You’re mocking me!”

“No, I’m not mocking you, I just remembered something funny. You know I just laugh by myself, right? Pfft.”

“What are you rambling on about all of a sudden? No wonder boys don’t like you. What’s up with that outdated four-dimensional concept? It’s well past its prime!”

Jeon Som-i was just annoyed with the situation.

She felt she needed to scratch Jang Hyeon-ah’s face with her nails to feel better, but Jang Hyeon-ah was getting angry from hearing all the complaints.

“You’re so popular with the guys, huh? Yet you can’t even keep a relationship and break up all the time. Isn’t that because they all got tired of you?”

“What are you saying, you crazy peasant girl! The only one who got tired of you is your dad! He got tired of you and your mom and ran off to cheat!”

“Did you just go there…!?”

Jang Hyeon-ah felt her patience snap at the mention of her father.

She had long known that Jeon Som-i looked down on her and treated her like a maid.

It was laughable.

How dare she look down on her.

“Why do you act all high and mighty when you don’t know anything? Have you ever spent a night out with Ja-hyeon? No? Did Ja-hyeon ever confess anything? Do you even know what the zero-level files are?”

“Wha, what….”

Jeon Som-i was taken aback by the unexpected attack. Jang Hyeon-ah felt a great thrill sharing information that only she knew with her.

It felt like a tightly blocked path was finally cleared.

“Jeon Som-i, self-reflect a bit. Calm that short temper and stop blabbering. That’s why Ja-hyeon gets tired of you so quickly.”

“Ugh…”

“Ja-hyeon said you’re pretty, but when he actually spends time with you, your head is empty and there’s no fun at all. If you want to be a rich man’s wife, you need to build up some culture and grace!”

The extroverted Jeon Som-i preferred to show off by hanging out with friends, drinking, and partying rather than reading or acquiring knowledge.

Even if she was an awakened one, she was still a twenty-year-old rookie in society, so it was natural for her to enjoy life as it was.

‘Wang Ja-hyeon, you said you liked me just the way I am. You said when you hang out with me, you forget all your worries!’

While Jeon Som-i was getting sad with those thoughts, Jang Hyeon-ah was thinking about Wang Ja-hyeon.

“Hyeon-ah, I like that you treat me just like a normal guy. Most girls just try to look good in front of me, and it gets boring.”

“I’ve never been interested in dating or anything. And besides, I haven’t even graduated, what do I care about boys? I’m older than you; just call me ‘noona.’”

The two quickly became close.

After some time, Wang Ja-hyeon even opened up to Jang Hyeon-ah.

“My father entrusted me with zero-level classified files instead of my older brothers and sisters. He said if I’m going to inherit the Je Wang, there’s a lot I need to know.”

He was always wearing the mask of a confident outgoing guy, but at that time, Wang Ja-hyeon was trembling, looking terrified.

“Honestly, I wasn’t interested in dating, but seeing her suffer somehow awakened my protective instincts. It was last Christmas.”

“Last Christmas…!?”

Jeon Som-i recalled Wang Ja-hyeon telling her he couldn’t meet her because of a family meeting for the Je Wang on Christmas.

‘He was lying!’

She couldn’t tolerate it.

The fact that both Wang Ja-hyeon and Jang Hyeon-ah had betrayed her filled her with rage.

Just then…

Creeeak-.

The door, which had been closed for a while, began to open, and Hanam-jin stepped in.

“Okay, that’s enough. From now on, tell me what those zero-level files are. Just so you know, if you act foolishly, you’ll be stuck here. I can turn this into a ‘The Room You Can’t Leave Without Apologizing.’”

# # #

Late afternoon.

I re-entered Yeongsa High School’s Great Labyrinth.

“Our seniors are still inside the Labyrinth. Jang Hyeon-ah and Jeon Som-i. It looks like there are no exit records for either of them, right? I need to give them some triangle kimbap.”

The employee in charge of the labyrinth’s entry-and-exit management didn’t have a shred of suspicion!

As I approached the “Fairy Princess’s Room,” I heard voices softly coming from the cold stone door.

Pressing my ear against the stone wall, I could vividly hear Jeon Som-i and Jang Hyeon-ah fighting. I also picked up the desired keywords.

“Zero-level classified files.”

So, it turned out that Jang Hyeon-ah, not Jeon Som-i, held the secrets about the Je Wang.

“Looks like everyone is having a hard time being trapped. I brought drinks and triangle kimbap, so let’s share.”

“Hand it over!”

Whoosh-!

Like a ferocious weasel, Jeon Som-i snatched the cola straight from my hands. She popped the can open and chugged it down, taking care not to leave any for Jang Hyeon-ah.

“Hey, why did you drink it all by yourself?”

Jang Hyeon-ah asked Jeon Som-i, but all she did was let out a loud belch. It seemed like another fight would break out, so I decided to make my move first.

“Jang Hyeon-ah, if you know anything about that ‘zero-level file’ you mentioned, you should tell me.”

“Why should I tell you that?”

“If not, then you’ll be trapped here for life with Jeon Som-i. What reason do you have to endure that kind of humiliation for Wang Ja-hyeon? There’s no such loyalty, right?”

“Loyalty? Pfft-. That’s funny. We’re in love.”

Love is nice.

I liked love too.

The reason I was doing this was all for Seoga-eul.

So, how about this?

I took out a photo from my pocket and threw it onto the floor.

“Wang Ja-hyeon is quite something. He’s handsome, just like me, and he’s super popular with the girls. He’s met with celebrities, internet streamers, Olympic medalists—no exception.”

This was the photo the Seo Nam Group’s newspaper was going to handle last week.

It featured a guy wearing a school uniform surrounded by numerous girls; my older sister had given it to me after receiving it from Seo Do-cheol.

“This, this is….”

“Wang Ja-hyeon that bastard! He said he’d cut off contact with girls and only meet me!”

Jang Hyeon-ah and Jeon Som-i’s faces flushed red as they stared at the photo, then turned pale; the change was highly amusing.

“Just so you know, there is actually one girl whom he can truly call his ‘girlfriend.’ The only girl he’s invited to his home is this one.”

Waving the photo again, the girls began to stir.

“Ja-hyeon invited her home!?”

“I, I was told to never invite anyone home because my parents are always there! Give me that photo!”

Jeon Som-i lunged at me.

I figured this would happen, and just as she reached for me, a bizarre thing occurred.

Slip-.

My palm brushed past Jeon Som-i’s cheek. It felt more like gliding over something slick. Was it due to Jeon Som-i’s notion of “slipperiness?”

Jeon Som-i, who snatched the photo from my hands, shouted.

“This, this is Jin Eun-byeol! From the Samjin Group!”

Samjin Group was the top company in the industry ten years ago, before Seo Nam Group even emerged.

That is to say, they were powerful in a bygone era when there were no concepts like “Awakened Ones.”

And Jin Eun-byeol was the daughter of the vice-chairman of Samjin Group. To put it another way, one could say she might be a distant relative of the current president.

“In the end, it’s all about networking. No matter how hard the crayfish and crabs fly and crawl, cranes will only meet with cranes. To Wang Ja-hyeon, you lot were all mere amusements.”

“I’m not. I’m the only one who knows about the ‘zero-level file.’”

Jang Hyeon-ah adopted a stubborn expression.

I asked her.

“So you know exactly what it is?”

“……”

She didn’t know. I kind of expected that.

It seemed like trying to extract useful information was futile; time to switch to Plan B.

“Cooperate with me. I only need to have a word with Wang Ja-hyeon, the prime suspect in Seoga-eul’s kidnapping. Just give me a chance to get close to him.”

Jeon Som-i and Jang Hyeon-ah managed to maintain their position as Wang Ja-hyeon’s mistresses.

Even if they weren’t glamorous, they still held the keys to approaching Wang Ja-hyeon. Even if it wasn’t a fancy car key, I could at least manage a bicycle lock.

So, I could smoothly approach Wang Ja-hyeon on a bicycle provided by Jeon Som-i and Jang Hyeon-ah, digging deep into the secrets of the Je Wang to hand them over to Seo Do-cheol.

“…Why should we cooperate?”

But Jang Hyeon-ah remained obstinate.

She didn’t seem to realize her own plight.

Instead, Jeon Som-i appeared to be the quicker thinker here.

“I-I can help! Wang Ja-hyeon and Jin Eun-byeol? I won’t let that disgusting couple off the hook! Messing with my purity? I’ll take revenge! Revenge! Nam Jin-ah! I’ll cooperate!”

“Okay. Then only the model gets to leave this room. I don’t need two accomplices. So Jeon Som-i, from now on, you’re in charge of managing Jang Hyeon-ah. Just so you know, I plan to keep you both in here for about half a year.”

I could release them just before the world ends.

Jang Hyeon-ah seemed to be genuinely flustered.

“Are you insane? Keeping someone locked up for half a year? That’s kidnapping and a crime! Do you want to end up in prison? If I’m gone, will people just sit tight?”

“They probably will. The world is still running fine even though Seoga-eul and Yu Yeoreum have disappeared. And look into my eyes. Do I look like someone who just says empty words?”

I gazed passionately at Jang Hyeon-ah.

Feeling any sincerity in my eyes, Jang Hyeon-ah turned very tense and yelled at Jeon Som-i.

“Hey! Jeon Som-i! You don’t need to listen to someone like him!”

“Shut it, you crazy lady! You’re the same! If you’re so confident, why don’t you try fighting Hanam-jin with your vibrating punch!? In reality, you’re just a coward who doesn’t even have the courage to fight!”

Jeon Som-i seemed to have made up her mind.

Okay, I had secured some pawns.

“…A coward? Me?”

Vrrrm-.

Jang Hyeon-ah’s vibrating fist.

Was she planning to charge at me as if she were crazy?

What a wishful scene.

“If you want to try, go ahead. By the way, have you heard of Hanam-jin from Alkkagi? Every man who dared challenge me has ended up in the same way, so what do you think I’ll do to a girl? If you’re curious, come at me.”

“……”

[Name: Jang Hyeon-ah Hold: 《Vibration Lv.3》 - Can emit vibrations as precise as construction site machinery. Condition: 《Ultra Tense》 - You feel like things are turning against you. You’re feeling fear from the chaos and uncertainty within you, and you’re under extreme stress, believing that you can't control the situation.]

“…Fine! I’ll help. You just need me to help with the approach, right? I’m not yielding to Hanam-jin’s threats. I’m doing this of my own free will. I’ll do it. But leave Jeon Som-i out. She has no talent, no matter what she does. She just messes things up.”

“What are you saying, you crazy lady! You just stay trapped here!”

In the midst of Jang Hyeon-ah pivoting to cooperate, Jeon Som-i and she got into another scuffle.

I clapped my hands to gather everyone’s attention.

“Alright, from now on, this is a room where you must apologize to get out. Apologize sincerely for all the wrongs you’ve done to me and Baek-Yeoul. I will let the one who expresses the most ‘sincerity’ go.”

I raised my phone camera and started filming.

“Like you requested earlier, strip down and do a dogeza in front of the camera.”