Possessed an Academy Security Guard

78 – 078. The Secret of Kang Haneul (1)

The day after the sparring with Midwinter. Sunday lunch.

I wanted to enjoy the long-awaited weekend, but unfortunately I had a schedule today.

As the appointment time approached, I left the house after getting ready to go out. The weather in April went beyond spring in full swing and gradually approached summer, so I was wearing only a thin jacket over a short-sleeved T-shirt.

The destination is in front of Sokcho Station.

I had been to the area near the station for the first time the other day when I had an appointment with Kang Ha-neul, but coincidentally, I was also heading there to meet her this time.

On the bus heading to the station, I leaned against the window and thought about the future.

‘The ability of Kang Ha-neul… …. No matter how many times I think about it, it’s an ability that doesn’t appear in the original work.’

The ability to unlock the target’s potential. In the original work, no one other than Kang Ha-neul had such an ability. If I had to pick something similar, it would be Yeo In-hyeok’s musculoskeletal alignment.

For what reason did Kang Ha-neul come to have such an ability?

With that in mind, this time too, I could only say that it was one of the changes made by the Demon of Pleasure.

‘…… What on earth does he want to do with Kang Ha-neul?’

Kang Ha-neul was the most changeable character among the characters in the original work. Ryu Tae-hyeon, Midwinter, and other characters who came and went did not change much from the original work. Kang Ha-neul was the only person who changed so drastically.

There must be a reason why the Heavenly Demon of Pleasure possessed me in this world and touched a lot of things.

Then, why the hell did Kang Ha-neul become a character so far removed from the original story?

I earnestly hoped that at today’s meeting, I could find at least a clue to that question.

[ This stop is Sokcho Station. This is Sokcho Station. The next stop is Sokcho Police Station. ]

After getting off at the bus stop, I headed straight for the historical building. Due to the influence of the Green House, there was a woman with a familiar face standing in front of a huge fountain as big as Seoul Station.

“Heaven.”

As I approached and waved her hand, Kang Ha-neul looked at me and smiled softly. Kang Ha-neul was layering a white sleeveless t-shirt under a cropped tee with wide shoulders. Her bottoms were light-colored skinny jeans, and her cropped tee accentuated her waistline, showing off her straight legs.

“You are here early. We still have 15 minutes left for our appointment.”

“Because he came earlier. How long has she been waiting for you?”

“Not long ago. About thirty minutes?”

Kang Ha-neul looked somewhat awkward as he answered with a proud shrug.

“Why is that?”

“Yes, yes? What?”

“No. I haven’t been able to make eye contact since before.”

“Isn’t it?”

Saying that, Kang Ha-neul met her eyes with mine. However, the look of awkwardness was seldom hidden. I wanted to know why he was doing this, and I immediately remembered the purpose of today’s meeting and agreed to it alone.

‘Am I nervous?’

Kang Ha-neul’s new ability was suspicious at first glance. The circumstances surrounding that ability were obviously not something that could be openly disclosed to others. It was understandable that she was nervous.

“…… Shall we eat some food nearby? Is it lunch yet?”

“Yes? Ah yes.”

If you talk while eating, your tension will naturally be relieved. Thinking so, I went to a nearby Japanese restaurant with Kang Ha-neul.

“There are two of you, right? Sit in a comfortable seat and ring the bell when ordering.”

With those words, Kang Ha-neul and I headed for the most secluded seat without much discussion. Looking at the menu board erected on the table like a signboard, it seems that the main dish is rice bowl, and ramen and tempura are also sold on the side.

“Choose what you want to eat. I will live today.”

“Yes? You can’t do that…….”

“You bought it last time. Today I called and came out, so I’ll pay.”

“But… ….”

“It’s not a very expensive place. Just let me buy it.”

Kang Ha-neul, who had been hesitantly moving his lips, finally nodded. Afterwards, I ordered a katsudon set with mini udon, and Kang Ha-neul ordered a single piece of gyudon.

“Come to think of it, midterm exams are coming soon, right?”

After the clerk took my order and left, I immediately opened my mouth to avoid making the atmosphere awkward.

“Yes. Years 1 and 2 are next week, and Years 3 and 4 are the week after that.”

“How are you preparing for the exam? Isn’t it hard?”

“Don’t talk. The theory is the theory, the practice is to fill it with the body, but even so, the theory is really crazy? In particular, among the required subjects, there is a subject similar to modern and contemporary world history called superhuman history-“

The preparation for the exam must have been quite difficult. He looked like a college student from the other side of the world.

“…… Anyway. It’s really hard right now, but do you know that it gets even tougher when you go up to the 2nd and 3rd years? I don’t know if I can handle it then. Ha ha, I’d rather just drop out.”

“I’m sorry about everything. You didn’t drop out because I told you not to drop out.”

“Right. It’s all my brother’s fault.”

Kang Ha-neul playfully pouted her lips as she flipped the gyudon served with chopsticks. The awkward tension in her had disappeared before she knew it.

“Well, thanks to that, I became close with her brother. Besides, if I drop out, those who want to kidnap me will be more mobile.”

“That’s right. Anything after that? A suspicious person wandering around.”

“If that had happened, I would have told my brother first. Fortunately, nothing like being followed happened.”

Maybe I simply didn’t notice.

After adding that, Kang Ha-neul looked around the inside of the store. I also looked at the other guests as well.

‘I don’t know about Na Joo-yong or Yeo-il, but at least Min Chae-ryeong’s surveillance is definitely attached.’

Not only is the danger of kidnapping, Kang Ha-neul is related to Min Chaeryeong’s weakness. It was unthinkable that the meticulous Min Chaeryeong hadn’t attached surveillance.

The guards did not deploy separate guards or monitoring personnel for Kang Ha-neul. However, Min Chae-ryeong had a lot of personal subordinates.

‘Perhaps Min Chae-ryeong’s subordinates might be among the guests who are having a meal like we are now.’

A handsome middle-aged man who looks like an office worker. A young woman who appears to be an academy student. Young mothers with children.

Those who seem extremely normal on the outside may be Min Chaeryeong’s eyes and ears. Thinking so gave me chills.

“…… Wouldn’t it be better to talk today in a place where there are no people around?”

“I originally intended to do that. Because it’s not a story to be told in a place where there are many listening ears.”

In other words, Kang Ha-neul’s ‘power’ was intertwined with some awkward circumstances. It was as I expected.

“Do you have a place in mind?”

“There is, but… ….”

The clouded river sky at the end of her words looked at me with her fingers intertwined. A light blush begins to appear on his cheeks.

“Where is it?”

“…… Don’t you think it’s strange to hear me? I really just picked it because it was a place where the two of us could be alone.”

“Are you planning on renting a motel or something?”

“Mo, it’s not a motel! In the middle of the day, when a man and a woman go into a motel, they look too sensible…….”

“That’s what… ….”

I wouldn’t know if it was the middle of the night when the last train stopped, but it was obvious that the men and women were intending to rent a motel in broad daylight. Even if the two of us were just going to chat inside, the staff and everyone else we would run into would think we were on the same page.

‘I don’t know if I need to worry about other people’s eyes that much, but… ….’

I don’t think much of it, but it could be a sensitive issue for Kang Ha-neul. I nodded her head in agreement with her moderately, then asked her again.

“By the way, if not a motel, where else? Even if it’s a place where the two of us can be alone, I can’t think of anything other than a motel.”

“…… That, …… Room.”

“What?”

“The DVD room! Well, even if you go there with a man and a woman, they’ll think you’re here to see a movie…… !”

That can’t be. The words climbed up my throat and I barely swallowed them.

‘Isn’t that like a motel or a DVD room?’

Maybe I’ve got a rag on my head, but when it comes to DVD rooms, I wondered if there were a lot of people who visited for that purpose rather than just watching a wholesome movie. According to common sense, if you want to watch a movie together as a couple, you should go to the cinema, but why go to a DVD room?

There must be men and women who only watch movies in a healthy way, but most couples probably put aside movies. Employees will think so too.

“… ….”

Thinking so, I wanted to ask Kang Ha-neul, but when I saw her looking up at her with an uneasy expression on her face, even her ears turned red, she had no choice but to give up.

Perhaps Kang Ha-neul knows about other uses of DVD rooms. Still, she asked to go to the DVD room because she thought it was better than a motel.

Even if I openly say, ‘The DVD room is also used by couples for such and such purposes?’, It will only unnecessarily embarrass her. I don’t think there’s any need to point it out because I can’t think of any other places.

“…… Ho, what is your favorite movie genre?”

I smiled as I watched Kang Ha-neul hesitantly ask that question as if he were really going to a DVD room to watch a movie.

‘Movies must be put on the back burner anyway.’

Just as other couples don’t focus on the movie they borrowed, Kang Ha-neul and I will too.

Of course, the reason is slightly different.

***

It didn’t take long to find a suitable DVD room, probably because it was a downtown area with many bars and karaoke rooms. When we went down to the basement of a building full of karaoke rooms and bars, we were greeted by a strangely old-fashioned name called “Craft DVD.”

After receiving the response from the staff who were sitting helplessly at the counter, we chose a melodrama that seemed to be moderately quiet and headed to Room 07 following the staff’s guidance.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve been to a DVD room in my life.’

I never thought I would find my first DVD room in the world of novels. The moment I opened the door, wondering what kind of structure the inside was, I couldn’t help but let out an embarrassing exclamation.

“Kuhm.”

The DVD room I know is a small space with a sofa that doubles as a bed on a big screen…… It was about the same, but the scenery in front of me was almost believable as a motel. The sofa was a sofa, almost a bed, and in fact there was a thin blanket and pillow in one corner. There was even a toilet next to the entrance, but when I looked inside, it was literally an accommodation facility with a shower as well as a toilet.

“Let’s sit down for now…… Yo. This?”

Kang Ha-neul went inside the sofa…… He hesitated in front of a similar bed. It seems that Kang Ha-neul was also confused by the internal structure.

“… ….”

Soon after, Kang Ha-neul sat on the bed and looked up at me. I looked at her and sat on the edge of her bed with my head facing her.

“Let’s play a movie.”

As soon as I put the DVD I brought into the player, the movie started. A foreign film with unknown actors, directed by an unknown director. I looked at the screen reflecting the scenery of the calm lake and immediately turned my head to the river sky.

“… ….”

Kang Ha-neul was looking at me all the time, as if he had no interest in movies. It was the same for me that the movie was behind the scenes.

I came here in the first place because I just needed a quiet place to have a conversation.

‘If Min Chaeryeong had a supervisor, what would she report to Min Chaeryeong now?’

I was a little curious about what kind of expression Min Chaeryeong would make when receiving a report like ‘Kang Ha-neul and Ahn Su-ho held hands and went into the DVD room.’

“Heaven. I will ask straight forward.”

At my words, Kang Ha-neul looked at me with a nervous expression. The shame I felt when I came here was gone.

“The ability you used on me in the double dungeon last time. What kind of ability are you?”

A mysterious ability that allowed me to face the boss of an overrank dungeon, even though I was only at or below B-class no matter how good it was.

After coming out of the double dungeon, I conveyed to Kang Ha-neul the question that had been sitting in the corner of my heart.

“… ….”

And the answer is silence.

I didn’t rush her, I just waited and waited. Perhaps there are circumstances that cannot be easily explained.

Amid the calm silence, only the lines of the characters in the movie, in French or Italian, echoed quietly.

How long has it been?

“That ability is-“

Finally Kang Ha-neul opened his mouth.