Chapter 188: Reemployment (2)

Kang Ra-Eun recalled the time when she had worked with Team Leader So Ha-Jin. She had been a sunbae that had taught Ra-Eun everything about being a bodyguard in a friendly manner at times and in a strict manner at others.

Ha-Jin, who had been respected by every single one of her team members, had suddenly quit bodyguarding work entirely one day. From the rumors that Ra-Eun had heard, she had apparently been forced to leave the security company after protesting an unreasonable circumstance that she had been put in.

‘I was never able to confirm whether that was true or not.’

But one thing that was for sure was that Ha-Jin was an exceptional bodyguard. Ra-Eun had been searching for a personal bodyguard who could replace Kim Tae-Seon.

‘So Ha-Jin isn’t a bad replacement.’

Ra-Eun had never expected to come across such a profit from a meeting with Vice President Park Hee-Woo.

‘I’ll have to give her a call later.’

Ra-Eun hoped that Ha-Jin hadn’t changed her number. But just then...

“Ra-Eun.”

“...Yes?”

Hee-Woo teasing narrowed her eyes at Ra-Eun. “Please focus only on me right now. Don’t think about anyone else.”

Albeit for a moment, Ra-Eun felt Rita vibes from Hee-Woo.

***

Ha-Jin quit her bodyguarding job and went down to the countryside where her parents lived. Her mother watched as Ha-Jin helped in the fields.

She then asked, “Why’re you here?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You used to go around singing that you wanted to become a bodyguard ever since you were little. At least tell me why you suddenly quit and came back to your hometown. You’re killing me here.”

“There’s no particular reason.”

There was no way that was true; Ha-Jin was keeping it a secret, frustrating her mother even more.

“You’d told me for a long time now, didn’t you? You wanted me to get out of Seoul and work at the farm with you and Dad while breathing in the fresh countryside air. I came back because I was reminded of that,” Ha-Jin remarked.

“Hah, after all this time? You were saying that you’d rather die than come back to the countryside just last year.”

“A person’s values are meant to change, aren’t they?”

“That’s what people call having no backbone.”

The mother and daughter continued their fierce battle, both with zero desire to back down. As their battle of words continued, Ha-Jin’s smartphone vibrated in her pocket. She doubted her eyes when she looked at the display.

“Miss Kang Ra-Eun...?”

She had gotten a call from someone she had never expected.

***

Ha-Jin’s face was still full of anxiety as she arrived at the security company that had set up its office in the same building as Levanche. She was guided to the meeting room by an employee, and was surprised when she saw Ra-Eun and Ma Yeong-Jun.

“I was honestly half in doubt until now. I still can’t believe it,” she expressed.

There were so many points to be surprised about. She was shocked that Ra-Eun had actually called her, and once more when she saw the chairman of the security company.

‘He looks like a gangster, no matter how I look at him.’

This was not limited to just Yeong-Jun. Park Du-Chil, Lim Seok-Jun, and everyone else here had dark shadows cast over them. It could simply be prejudice, but Ha-Jin couldn’t easily erase the thought from her head. As Ha-Jin was thinking about how strange this place was, Ra-Eun spoke.

“What a relief. I don’t know what I would have done if you had changed your number.”

“I was going to, but I’d been pushing it back because of a few things.”

Thankfully, that had allowed Ra-Eun to reach Ha-Jin. Ha-Jin had come here because she had received an offer from Ra-Eun.

“You wanted to hire me, right?” she asked.

“Yes, that's right.”

Ra-Eun had gotten straight to the point during her call with Ha-Jin.

“Is it because of the recent stalker incident?”

Ra-Eun nodded. “You must have read the article.”

“Yes. It was a pretty hot topic from everyone around me.”

Ha-Jin had naturally come to know because it had been treated as the headline in many news media.

“There’s that too, but I also need more and more people to actualize my plan,” Ra-Eun stated.

“Your plan?”

“Yes. It’s a revenge plan against a certain someone.”

Yeong-Jun, who was sitting next to Ra-Eun, unconsciously shifted his eyes to her as she mentioned revenge. There were very few people who knew about Ra-Eun’s revenge plan, so Yeong-Jun found it hard to understand that she was revealing it so easily to someone whom she had only met twice.

Of course, to ‘Kang Ra-Eun,’ this was her second time meeting Ha-Jin. However, there was absolutely no problem if her past life experience as a man was included. Ra-Eun already knew very well what kind of person So Ha-Jin was; she was extremely tight-lipped, and not the kind of person who would go around blabbering others’ secrets.

“And what plan is that?” Ha-Jin asked.

Ra-Eun smiled meaningfully and slid something over to Ha-Jin.

“I’ll tell you if you sign this.”

It was a contract entailing that she would work for this security company.

Ha-Jin asked while reading through the contract in great detail, “You’re not going to make me do anything weird, are you?”

“Sometimes.”

“And will those things be life-threatening?”

“Sometimes.”

“...”

It was far too shady. Ha-Jin laid down the contract after deep thought.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve decided to quit bodyguarding.”

Ra-Eun responded, “It’s because you were treated poorly at your old workplace, isn’t it?”

“...”

Ha-Jin softly sighed after a long silence. She then decided to come clean about what had happened.

“There are tons of people that treat me disrespectfully just for being a female bodyguard. The bald man who had recently hired me to protect him was especially bad.”

The man sexually harassed and insulted her without hesitation. She strongly protested to the security company that she was affiliated with, but they had simply told her to endure it. After that incident, she had been massively let down by her own occupation, which had led to her resignation.

Hearing that, Ra-Eun pointed at herself in delight, “I’m a woman, so it’s all good.”

Although she was a man on the inside, it was completely fine since she was a woman on the outside. Ha-Jin was not worried about that either, but she was still hesitant about signing the contract. There was another reason why she was refusing, and Ra-Eun happened to know very well what it was.

“Would you like me to raise your salary?”

Ha-Jin’s long eyelashes lightly quivered. There was no one in the world that didn’t like money, and Ha-Jin was also one of them.

“Ahem! Even so, I’m not going to sign the—”

Ra-Eun interrupted Ha-Jin and raised her hand. She then made a V sign with her index and middle finger and smiled alluringly.

“How about twice the amount that your previous company was paying you?”

“Twice the amount?!”

“Isn’t it better to just raise it a bunch? It’s not my style to raise salaries little by little.”

The unmoving Ha-Jin wavered for a moment at the mention of twice her former salary. Ra-Eun gestured to Yeong-Jun, and he placed the pen that he had been holding, right in front of Ha-Jin.

“If you like these conditions, please sign.”

“...”

Ha-Jin was about to be swept by temptation, but...

“No! I’ve already made up my mind to clean up my hands completely from bodyguarding work!”

She just barely managed to overcome the temptation. Ra-Eun clicked her tongue. Ha-Jin was about to get up while praising herself for overcoming her desire for money, but it was not over yet. Ra-Eun straightened her ring finger.

“How about three?”

Ha-Jin thought she had heard wrong. There was no other company that would offer three times her former salary.

“Why would you go that far to—”

“To hire you? Would you like to know?”

Ha-Jin nodded. She was more suspicious than happy about Ra-Eun’s absurd offer.

“Because that’s how important your job will be,” Ra-Eun answered.

Ra-Eun had almost blown up from rage as she trained the men by herself. She had also almost injured them from being unable to properly control her strength. Only after those experiences had she realized that she needed a new instructor that could properly train the men physically and mentally in her place, and she was thinking of entrusting that role to Ha-Jin while also having her act as her bodyguard. It wasn’t a bad plan. That was why Ra-Eun needed Ha-Jin, whatever it took.

“If three’s not enough, how about four?” Ra-Eun proposed.

“N-No! I-It’s okay!”

Ha-Jin would feel far too burdened to accept such a salary.

“Do I just sign here?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Ra-Eun imagined how wonderful it would be if she could just take care of her revenge easily with money like this, instead of having to do all this complicated thinking.

***

Ra-Eun was drowning in fatigue after leaving her home in the morning and coming back home late at night.

“Sigh... I’m dying.”

Seo Yi-Jun freed up space on the couch for the weary Ra-Eun.

“Have a seat, noona.”

“Thanks. Where’s your sister?”

“She’s taking a shower.”

“Really? I’ll have to wait until she’s done, then.”

Ra-Eun gently hit her back with her hand while sitting on the couch, but that was not enough to relieve the accumulated fatigue.

“Are you good at massages?” she asked Yi-Jun.

“Massages? Yes, I’m great at them.”

“Then massage my back and waist for me.”

“M-Me?!”

Yi-Jun was worried if it was really allowed for him to touch Ra-Eun’s body. She laid down prone on the couch to not even give Yi-Jun time to think.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Yi-Jun couldn’t refuse a request from his crush. He squeezed on Ra-Eun’s upper shoulder area with both his thumbs.

“Ahhn...” Ra-Eun moaned erotically.

“Noona. Could you please... not make that sound?”

“Hm? What did I do?”

Ra-Eun had no idea that her moan had sounded erotic because it had come out unconsciously. Yi-Jun wondered if he had just heard wrong and squeezed a little lower this time.

“...Nnngh...”

He knew he had not heard wrong.

“I don’t think I can do this, noona.”

“Why? You were doing so well.”

He could physically do it, but he felt like Seo Yi-Seo would look at him weirdly if he went any further. He was not confident that he would be able to clear up the misunderstanding, so he forcibly surrendered. Not understanding how Yi-Jun was feeling, Ra-Eun looked at him disapprovingly.

“Damn cheapskate.”

Yi-Jun would rather be called a cheapskate than be wrongfully misunderstood.