Chapter 329: Declaring (4)

Chapter 329: Declaring (4)

“Why isn't he coming out already?!”

Choi Yeon-Ha anxiously chewed on her nails. Only after arriving at Kang Jin-Ho's pizzeria did she realize that there was a fundamental flaw in her hopelessly-rushed course of action.

'What if he goes home with his friends instead?'

Choi Yeon-Ha wouldn't be able to do anything if Kang Jin-Ho closed the store for the night and got in a car with his friends. If it was before, she could nonchalantly stop Kang Jin-Ho from getting in the car with his friends and get down to business, so to speak, but now...

'Now, I don't think I can.'

It was so bizarre, but embarrassment had begun permeating into every little thoughtless thing she had done up until now. If she was seen calling out to Kang Jin-Ho by his friends, then... Then Choi Yeon-Ha might become the first-ever actor in human history to die of humiliation!

'No, hang on. Maybe that fate might be better...?'

Choi Yeon-Ha came here without any plan whatsoever. And now that she was about to stand before Kang Jin-Ho... It felt like she was making a huge mistake.

'Why did I even come here, anyway?'

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like something was going off the rails. That it wasn't supposed to happen this way. By the time she sobered up, though, she had already reached her destination.

While she wondered if she should go back before it's too late, the pizzeria's light went out, and four people stepped outside.

'Oh no!'

There being four people made Choi Yeon-Ha extremely anxious. Since Kang Jin-Ho and Ju Yeong-Gi owned cars, the odds of them dividing into two groups of two people and riding their cars home were uncomfortably high.

Crunch!

Choi Yeon-Ha bit her fingernails hard and continued to observe the unfolding situation in tension. Excluding Kang Jin-Ho, three people climbed into the car parked next to the pizzeria.

'Yes!'

Not knowing that Choi Yeon-Ha was silently clenching her fists inside her car, Kang Jin-Ho waved his hand at his friend's car. Once that car had traveled far away enough, Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly stepped out of her own vehicle.

“Fuu-huup!”

Her heart seemed to be beating weirdly fast for some reason, so Choi Yeon-Ha sucked in a deep breath to calm herself.

'Don't get too excited!'

They were hanging out only two days ago. Nothing of note happened since then, so why was Choi Yeon-Ha's heart fluttering like this? Was this what they called the power of suggestion? It had to be that, didn't it!

“Keuh-huhuhum!” Choi Yeon-Ha coughed to clear her throat.

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho heard that and turned around to look. His eyes opened slightly wider after discovering Choi Yeon-Ha standing behind her. “Miss Choi Yeon-Ha?”

“Hhhmmm!” Choi Yeon-Ha fake-coughed again. She acted without a plan again while hoping to seize this chance but couldn't think of anything to say.

Kang Jin-Ho asked her while tilting his head. “We've already closed for the day.”

“N-no, I didn't come for your pizza.”

“...Good thing because we don't have any leftovers.”

“I'm telling you, I didn't come for the pizza!” Choi Yeon-Ha's face reddened. This situation was getting sidetracked already!

“Then, what brings you here?”

Choi Yeon-Ha desperately racked her brain to craft a suitable excuse. The real reason was that she simply wanted to see Kang Jin-Ho regardless of the hour, but the situation didn't permit her to reveal the truth.

'Even if I die, I can't tell him that I came here to see his face hoping to sort out my emotions that had gone haywire because of him! Definitely not!'

Cold sweat began to trickle down her forehead now. This... This involved her pride as a woman!

“Ah, uh... I was in the neighborhood and thought I might as well stop by and say hello.”

“Oh, really?”

A probing gaze that said 'In that case, why didn't you keep going your way instead of standing here and stopping me?' landed on Choi Yeon-Ha next. Although she had no way of knowing if Kang Jin-Ho was thinking that, she still couldn't help but interpret his gaze that way.

“My, uh, my car... Yes, my car! It broke down.”

“I'm sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“My car broke down nearby, you see? And that's why I couldn't go home yet. Do you mind giving me a ride home?” Choi Yeon-Ha clenched her fist while asking that question.

'That's sooo perfect!'

For a story she cooked up in an instant in the middle of the night, it sounded pretty good. With this excuse, they should naturally...

Kang Jin-Ho replied earnestly. “In that case, do you want me to call your insurance company?”

“...I'm sorry?”

“If your car is broken, it needs to be fixed, right? I heard that calling your insurance company will sort it out in no time.”

“N-no, wait! We can't do that at this hour! I, uh, I'll just leave the car here and go home, then come back tomorrow to fetch it.”

“Oh, I see. In that case, should I grab you a taxi?”

“A... taxi?”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeon-Ha freaked out and hurriedly waved her hands. “N-no, you mustn't!”

“How come?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head again.

Next to the Han River...

“...I'm really sorry,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

“...”

“I-I was... Well, I was really scared, you see...”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't say anything. However, the veins popping up in his forehead were all the visual proof one needed to understand how furious he was right now.

Choi Yeon-Ha cautiously piped up again. “Are you angry?”

“No.”

“But, you look angry?”

“No, I'm not.”

“...You're definitely angry, aren't you?”

“I said, I'm not!” Kang Jin-Ho yelled loudly.

Choi Yeon-Ha clamped her mouth shut.

'Yup, he's definitely angry.'

If he was angry, he should've just been honest about it. Why did menfolk have this tendency to become the most small-minded boomers in the world whenever they lost their temper?

“Uhm, h-here...” Choi Yeon-Ha cautiously pushed forward a cup of coffee toward Kang Jin-Ho.

“Hah...” Kang Jin-Ho groaned and accepted the coffee, his expression hollow.

'I never once screamed while stuck in the dens of the demon cult's monsters, so this...!'

Not to forget, didn't Kang Jin-Ho remain calm just as blades of experts stabbed him? He didn't even let a pained moan escape his mouth back then, but to think he'd scream just because his hair was being yanked!

If Azure Demon witnessed that scene... He would have fallen off his chair laughing while holding onto his gut.

Kang Jin-Ho took a large gulp of the coffee Choi Yeon-Ha bought from a nearby cafe.

She blinked her eyes in surprise. “Isn't that hot, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“No, it's not hot.”

The coffee did feel a little hot, but such a trifling temperature couldn't damage Kang Jin-Ho's body. Even if he one-shotted a pot of boiling water, he'd still walk away unscathed, anyway.

Since Choi Yeon-Ha made someone like him scream in pain, maybe it was time to acknowledge that she was one 'amazing' woman, indeed...

Kang Jin-Ho sighed under his breath while glancing at the distant river.

Choi Yeon-Ha muttered helplessly. “Again, I'm really sorry.”

“No, wait. It's not that, but...” Kang Jin-Ho was about to say something, only for a chuckle to overtake his words first.

'Really now. Live long enough, and I get to experience some weird things.'

And he sure got the opportunity to feel the truth behind that musing today.

Choi Yeon-Ha still looked flustered. “D-don't worry, I'll grab a taxi this time.”

“Mm? Didn't you say you can't do that?”

“...I'll somehow deal with it. I don't think I can keep riding on the back of your bicycle.”

“I'm not going to fall, Miss Choi.”

“I know. I know that, but it's still too scary...” Choi Yeon-Ha's nervous eyes fixed on the Golden Elephant. From the perspective of the bicycle that had not once gotten into an accident in the past five years or so, her words would've been quite displeasing to hear. Thankfully, though, the Golden Elephant didn't have ears.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “I didn't know you could get so easily scared.”

“No, it's not true! I'm infamous for being fearless, you know. This is a first for me, too.”

“Mm? Does that mean you've never ridden a bicycle before?”

“No, uh... I was told that I used to ride around in a tricycle when I was really young, but...”

“...?”

“This must be the effect of my trauma. Apparently, I fell and got really badly injured while learning to ride a bicycle. Ever since then, I kind of get nervous whenever I see a bicycle...”

Kang Jin-Ho's expression hardened just then.

Choi Yeon-Ha noticed that. “...Please don't make that face. I know it sounds pathetic, too.”

“No, it's not that, but...” Kang Jin-Ho was about to explain something, only to shake his head. “You said you're scared of bicycles, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then, don't grab my hair. Hold onto my waist.”

“Sorry?”

“Hold onto my waist with everything you've got and don't look up. I'll take care of everything.”

“What... are you talking about?”

“This way, please.” Kang Jin-Ho quickly mounted his bicycle and pulled Choi Yeon-Ha close.

“Eh?” She blinked her eyes in puzzlement.

“Get on.” Kang Jin-Ho half-forced Choi Yeon-Ha on the saddle behind him, then scanned the surroundings with his withdrawn eyes. He sensed the increasing number of presences around him. And the dense killing intent overflowing from them caused his displeasure level to shoot up.

Before long, martial artists of unknown origin had completely surrounded Kang Jin-Ho with no room to escape.