Around the afternoon, Kim Yeon and her delinquent friends were in a karaoke booth, all cheering her on as she sang a K-pop song.
They clapped their hands in rhythm, some waving their arms like backup dancers, hyping her up and chanting her name. They supported her wholeheartedly for the upcoming audition she had been selected to join.
"And that's how you deal with an audition," said Kim Yeon Mikage as she puffed down onto the sofa, fanning herself dramatically while her friends surrounded her with cheers.
"Wow, now it hits me why you got scouted, bitch. Ahahaha..." said one of Kim Yeon's friends, leaning forward and snapping her fingers in approval.
"Oh, I'm so horny for my princess that I gotta take a leak, baby!" said Kim Yeon's boyfriend Jon Kin Kon jokingly, patting his stomach as if he couldn't handle the excitement.
"What?! I'll kill you, asshole!" Kim Yeon kicked her boyfriend playfully in the leg, sticking her tongue out before throwing a cushion at him.
"Ahahahaha..." They all burst into laughter together, some clapping and others rolling on the sofa, the booth filled with wild energy and youthful chaos.
Jon Kin Kon smiled at Kim Yeon's closed eyes and relaxed face. He raised his hand and gently rubbed and patted her hair.
"So cute. My princess," he said, and then added,
"But you know, some guys are really getting on my nerves, stalking you."
Jon Kin Kon pulled open the door, and stumbling out was Bae Sik Gong, Kim Yeon's tutor.
"Isn't he the tutor, princess?" asked Jon Kin Kon.
Kim Yeon looked down at her tutor, then looked away with annoyance.
"Geez, you've never been interested in me before. So why now? Afraid you'll get fired?"
"No... it's not that," Bae Sik Gong tried to explain, but Kim Yeon just passed him by. Jon Kin Kon clutched Bae Sik Gong's t-shirt by the collar.
"What shall I do with him? Say the word, princess," asked Jon Kin Kon.
"Whatever, let's just go. Do what you think is right, babe," said Kim Yeon as she left with her friends.
Before turning her back, she said to Bae Sik Gong,
"Just do what you've always done—chasing after my mom like a dog instead. Or perhaps... did my mom put you up to this?"
She and her friends left, leaving Bae Sik Gong and Jon Kin Kon alone.
"It would be a shame to let you go," Jon Kin Kon said.
Bae Sik Gong saw Jon Kin Kon raise his hand into a fist and...
Back to the present, Bae Sik Gong rubbed his cheek where Jon Kin Kon had landed a hard punch.
Ingrid sighed in frustration. "She's gonna hate me more."
"I'm sorry, it's my fault," Bae Sik Gong apologized, sitting beside her on another stool.
"No, it isn't. I asked you to," said Ingrid.
Ingrid glanced at Bae Sik Gong, her eyes lowering for a moment before she reached out and rested her hand on his thigh.
"Ah… Ma'am…" Bae Sik Gong gasped, feeling a sudden rush from her teasing touch.
"You've done more than enough," Ingrid said softly, her voice carrying that dangerous charm. "And who knows… maybe I'll find a way to reward you. I never like leaving things unfinished."
Her tone was low and magnetic, making Bae Sik Gong tense up under her gaze. She leaned closer, her perfume faint and intoxicating, their faces nearly touching.
"Right?" she whispered, her lips hovering close enough to steal a breath.
At the same time, in Rae Yoorin's apartment—
She pushed Shan Wolf down onto the bed, straddling him as she captured his lips in a fierce kiss. When she finally broke it, she was panting, eyes burning with frustration and desire.
"I hated you from the moment you first transferred here to Malaysia and saw me," she said, pulling off her jacket and tossing it aside. "And I still don't like you now."
Her voice cracked slightly. "I thought I wouldn't have to feel this way."
She leaned forward, sliding her fingers over the buttons of Shan Wolf's black office shirt and slowly undoing them one by one.
Her gaze trailed over his form — the sculpted lines of his chest glistening faintly under the soft light. Her hand traced along the curve of his torso, stopping at his waist.
"Could it be… that I might actually…" she whispered, the words fading into the stillness between them.
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Chapter 53 — End.