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n.

nI pointed at my dad and said, “Let me ask when he will leave, so stay right here.”

n“Okay.”

nYi Ruda replied with a joyful grin when Ban Yeo Ryung was about to say something. It made Yeo Ryung lose her temper again that she scowled at Yi Ruda fiercely; however, Ruda played it cool against her angry glance. Oh, lord. I looked back and forth between them then walked along the stone steps to approach my dad.

nMy dad looked truly happy. His face looked red under the Chinese lampshades hanging on the storefront. Surprisingly, Ban Yeo Ryung’s father was also in such a good mood and so was Yi Ruda’s father, Ian Reed, who was between the two men.

nHoly Christ, it sure looked like they had found a kindred spirit among them. Mmm, as I disallowed myself from sighing, my dad saw me and spoke cheerfully.

n“Oh, Donnie! Get back home first. We will have our second round here.”

n“Excuse me?”

nWhile I asked back, feeling dumbfounded, something popped up in my head. Oh, I knew this would happen somehow. They looked like they were going for another round though.

nBut… still… I looked at Ian Reed and asked, “What about Ruda?”

n“I can help myself.”

nA calm voice cut in from my side. Yi Ruda already came closer to us with Ban Yeo Ryung, who was staring at me silently from two steps behind.

nUm, by herself? Was she sure? I heard it hadn’t been a long time since her arrival in Seoul. As I looked at Ian and Ruda with that in mind, the astute gentleman nodded nonchalantly. Yi Ruda then turned to look at me with a bright grin.

n“Let’s go. You guys are also taking the subway, right?”

nI just nodded with my eyes wide opened as a response to Ruda. Next to me was Ban Yeo Ryung, who looked as if she almost adhered herself to my side.

n* * *

nBan Yeo Ryung, Yi Ruda, and I were now commuting together. Until this morning, I never expected that the three of us would walk together side by side like this. If the author’s intention was to have the female crossdresser connect with other people, then I guess this development was going a bit too rushed. How could this all happen in a day?

nOnly the shallow end of the moon was visible through the blurry fine dust clouds. The night sky above Seoul was twinkling with many red lights, and I felt dizzy looking at the 4-story buildings that were emitting those glares all over. The big outdoor signs on the buildings flashed the words ’24h Massage Parlor,’ or ‘Cam Chat’ in their storefronts. It was a typical feature of the streets in front of a station where many tourists could see.

nSeoul Station was a little farther from where we were, so we walked for a while after crossing the crosswalk. There continued a long tree-lined street where one could find many unpopular gopchang restaurants. The street was so dark that one could hardly see the face of a person passing right by.

nI thought it would be very awkward for the three of us to walk together alongside; however, it was not that as uncomfortable as I expected. We said nothing to each other at all, but people were still looking at us in wonder. Ban Yeo Ryung gave a curious glance at Yi Ruda, while I moved my steps casually. We were just walking as silently as that in the darkened street.

nAt some point, I felt that there should be some talk anyway, so it was me who broke the ice at last.

n“Are you sure you can go by yourself?”

nYi Ruda looked at me after hearing my words. I saw her pupils shining blue under the dim lights. The glow in her eyes reminded me of Yoo Chun Young. I wonder who this girl would go out with? Maybe Yoo Chun Young?

nYi Ruda smiled while she gave me a long stare.

nShe then replied, “Of course. Thanks for asking.”

nWhat a classic talk. I just asked her what I should be asking, but her appreciation for what I have done made me shy and embarrassed, so I closed my eyes in silence.

nMaybe I was acting too mean to her. To be completely unaware of Ruda, I tried to avoid talking to her in class, but she always treated me with a bright smile on her face.

nIt would be unwise to evade her just because she was a female crossdresser. As I considered that, a sharp voice flew over from my side.

n“You, you! Stop flirting with Donnie.”

n“…”

nHow long would Ban Yeo Ryung act like this towards her? Yi Ruda, who was walking in front of me, looked at Ban Yeo Ryung with a smile this time. Her beautiful grin was as sweet as honey.

nWith that smile on her face, Ruda replied, “What if I say no?”

nHer sweet grin then suddenly turned into a malicious sneer. How could she switch her face like that? Ban Yeo Ryung went blank. The only people I knew in my life who could change their faces like that were only Ban Yeo Ryung or Eun Jiho.

nWas that change of facial expression a specialty for the protagonists in web novels? When I had that thought in mind, Yi Ruda, who turned back to grin at Ban Yeo Ryung, became hard-faced.

nThe sudden change in her facial expression looked as if he was taking off a mask. Her eyes were bearing enmity out of the blue. Um, what was happening…? Her face was spine-chillingly frightening. A face like that hardly belonged to a high school student. Because of that, I was sweating in my neck despite the cold winter night.

nHer sudden change made me clench my fists, but it was then when I noticed that Yi Ruda’s stare was not directed at me nor Ban Yeo Ryung.

nThe crowd in the streets ebbed outstandingly. Where Yi Ruda threw her gaze at was somewhere far behind us.

nWho was behind us right now…? As soon as I had that question in my head, Yi Ruda asked with that malicious smile.

n“Who’s there?”

nI swallowed hard and looked back. I saw no one there. Was Yi Ruda lying after all?

nOnly the lights from the street smeared through the trees and lightened up the sidewalks. There was nothing else we could see. Something happened then when I tried to look in front again with that thought in mind.

nClack, clack. I heard someone thumping toward us. At the same time, a man’s big silhouette appeared under the light. Surprisingly, he was wearing black suits.

nThe men in black with the limos in school came across my mind. Then, was he…?

nYi Ruda scowled at him and asked with a snarl, “Who sent you?”

nShe then stretched out her hands to let Ban Yeo Ryung and I step behind her.

nBan Yeo Ryung slightly stumbled but backed off quietly and stood behind Yi Ruda. She then had her eyes on the man in black with a surprised look on her face.

nShe whispered, “What’s going on?”

nWow, there existed a situation that made Ban Yeo Ryung wonder! Who would have thought? I replied in confusion about whether I should feel happy or sad about it.

n“I have no idea either.”

nI was not sure what was happening even though my brain was working as hard as it could.

nAs I saw earlier today, the men in black, who were riding the black limos, were obviously chasing Yi Ruda. Perhaps, what I had thought earlier was spot on. She probably was the successor of a mafia gang or something.

nOf course, I could assume something more general and common, such as Ruda being chased as a delinquent borrower; however, the way she and Ian Reed dressed was so decent that it did not seem like a loan shark was running after them. Besides, Yi Ruda came to Korea recently, so she wouldn’t have time to take out a loan.

nWhile I was busy speculating on the possibilities of how Yi Ruda became a fugitive, she continued on facing the man in black for quite a while.

nA wind blew from somewhere and swept through them.

nThe night sky of Seoul was still reddened with the dim lights, and the shades of the street-trees were swaying with the wind. The poker-faced man in black stood there, staring at Yi Ruda for a time.

nYi Ruda questioned again, “I asked, who sent you?”

nThe way she spat out the words sounded like a staccato. It looked as though she was stressing out her annoyance rather than projecting her anger through her words. I could hardly imagine the innocent-looking girl I knew in school is the same girl like the one I was looking at right now.

nAs Ban Yeo Ryung held my hand tightly with a nervous look on her face, Yi Ruda suddenly turned back to see us. She looked as if we were in a state of emergency.

n“Run… oh, **!”

nHer face suddenly darkened as she dropped the word ‘run’. Then she jumped to my side like a ninja in an invisibly fast speed. At the same time, I saw her feet flying high into the air.

nWith a loud bang on my ears, she struck a guy with a flying kick to his chest. There was another man in black standing right behind me and Yeo Ryung. Finally, I felt the fear in me seeping through my spine.

n