Chapter 102 Ch. 102 .｡.:✧ A Life-or-Death Game of Push and Pull - 4 ✧:.｡.—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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"Cu-customer… it hurts…"
"...."
Despite the employee's plea, Ga-ram was unmoving.
"Ga-ram-ssi, what are you doing!"
The sound of the falling tray drew everyone's attention, and the employee's hand, held in her grip, was turning white from the lack of blood flow.
"...."
Startled by my shout, her resentful eyes turned to me, then back to the employee with fierce hatred.
"Let go of this!"
I grabbed Ga-ram's arm and tried to forcibly pull it away, but it wouldn't budge.
"Ahk…"
Instead, her grip only tightened, and the employee's groans grew louder.
"Ga-ram-ssi!"
I tried to use more strength. But still, it wouldn't come off.
"Ga-ram-ssi, let go of this. If you don't, I'll never see you again."
"..."
At the ultimatum, she released her grip.
As Ga-ram let go, the employee clutched her arm and groaned in pain.
"I'm sorry. This friend of mine has some issues. I think she misunderstood something."
I pushed Ga-ram behind me and bowed deeply.
I bowed again to the other customers in the cafe and to the manager who came rushing out to assess the situation.
"I'm sorry. We'll leave right away. Ga-ram-ssi, go wait outside."
"Boss…"
Ga-ram grabbed my sleeve.
I pulled my arm away, swatting her hand off.
"Go wait in the car first."
With a thud, her body swayed slightly.
I turned around and faced her directly.
Her pupils were trembling unusually, and her lost hands cut through the air.
As if she thought I would understand her actions.
Faced with this unbelievable situation, my head started to ache.
"I was just… Boss, it's not like that…"
Now, I could see the original Ga-ram.
"First, go ahead. I'll talk to the people here and then leave."
I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently pushed.
With a force that she would never have been pushed by, she took a step back.
I turned her around and guided her towards the exit.
Even as I was pushing her, she tried to turn her head and meet my eyes.
But I didn't have the mental capacity to worry about making eye contact with her.
The thought of having to deal with the countless stares pouring down on me was a big part of my mind.
She went out the door and was cut off from me by the glass window.
As if her feet were reluctant to leave, she loitered in front of the window, but when I gestured for her to go, she finally went to where the car was.
Her shoulders, as she walked away, looked unusually small today.
After sending her out of the shop like I was chasing her away, I turned around and went to the manager and the employee.
"Once again, I'm truly sorry."
I bowed again to express my apology.
The employee was clutching her now red and swollen arm, her eyes welling up with tears.
Seeing that, my heart felt strangely heavy.
I repeatedly apologized to them, trying to cover for Ga-ram.
"Um… that friend from earlier, she has some issues, she's a bit sick."
"Ah, yes…"
The manager chimed in with a sympathetic expression.
"So, she sometimes shows violent behavior. She didn't used to do it often. I don't know why she did it today."
I had no choice but to put Ga-ram down.
"It's a small token for your pain and shock… but as a sign of my apology…"
I took out whatever money my hand could grab from my wallet.
I handed a bundle of 50,000 won bills to the employee.
"To be honest, money can't compensate for this, but I hope you'll accept it."
I added, so they wouldn't think I was trying to buy my way out of it.
Seeing the obviously large sum of money, the employee waved her hands in refusal, but I forcefully placed the money in her hand, like a relative giving money to a nephew on New Year's Day.
I hope she doesn't sue or anything.
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"Take care!"
The manager and the employee came out to the door and bowed.
We were the ones who caused the trouble, but to be treated with such courtesy… I guess money really is the best.
Aww… what a waste of money. No matter how rich you are, a waste is a waste.
As I trudged to the parking lot, I saw Ga-ram standing blankly next the car.
Ah… I didn't give her the keys.
Unlike my lightened wallet, my heart felt heavy.
"!!!"
She and I recognized each other.
She hesitantly moved her body as if to come towards me, but I told her to stay there and quickened my pace.
"Sorry. I forgot to give you the car keys."
It must have been a short time, but I felt sorry for leaving her standing outside.
I hurriedly opened the car door, and she silently got into the passenger seat.
Sitting in the driver's and passenger's seats, we looked ahead.
A common parking lot in the city. There was no particular scenery.
Just a succession of passing people and cars.
The scenery outside the car was a continuation of daily life.
The situation inside the car was an extension of the extraordinary.
I felt helpless, as if I was holding a tangled ball of yarn.
A ball of yarn that I couldn't cut with scissors or give up on unraveling.
"Ga-ram-ssi. Why on earth did you do that?"
"I'm sorry."
"I don't want an apology. I'm curious about why you did it."
I hoped she would say that she had misunderstood the situation and reacted that way.
"That, that woman was hitting on you, Boss… and she brought you cake to seduce you…"
There were many things I wanted to say, but I decided to stay quiet, thinking it wouldn't be right to cut her off.
"And then, if you get c-close… I thought you wouldn't even look at me… and then."
Ga-ram's voice grew smaller. It seemed she realized how absurd her words were as she was saying them.
"Then, I'd be all alone again…"
I could see her hands, resting on her knees, clenching tightly, as if something was so sad.
She's going to break her knees at this rate.
"Ga-ram-ssi, first of all, the cake was for all the cafe customers to evaluate a new product. And just because I ate that cake doesn't mean I'll get close to the employee."
I tried to make her understand and reassure her as much as possible.
Instead of scolding her blindly, I soothed her and made her understand.
If there's a push and pull in dealing with people, this would be the pulling part.
"But…"
"Buts and ifs aside… Ga-ram-ssi, you can't use violence like that."
Especially since she's so strong.
Now it was time to gently push her away.
"And even if I did get close to the employee, it doesn't justify you using violence."
"What? You're going to get close to her?"
She looked at me, startled.
"You know better than anyone that's not what I meant."
"...."
"Anyway, if you hit and hurt people like this, I think I'll be very disappointed. I was a little disappointed today."
Finishing my words, I started the car.
"I'm sorry. I was really wrong."
As I was paying the parking fee and about to leave, Ga-ram said quietly.
I put on a faint smile and tried to change the mood.
"Don't apologize to me, apologize to the employee later."
"Yes. But, where are we going now?"
"Let's call it a day."
"What?"
"I'll take you home."
"Ah… um, that's… we were supposed to do our afternoon workout…"
According to the original plan, we should have, but what kind of workout and what kind of activity could we do in this atmosphere?
I shook my head.
"No, I think it's better for both of us to stop here for today."
"That…"
She tried to say something, but in the end, she didn't.
The car drove on and on, and we arrived in front of her now-familiar house.
"Ga-ram-ssi, we're here."
"Boss. I was really wrong. I'll never do it again."
She apologized again. I patted her shoulder a few times.
"Yes. Just reflect on what happened today and don't do it again, so don't take it to heart too much."
"Then, you don't hate me, right?"
"I don't hate you. Don't worry."
As I spoke strongly, as if to reassure her, she finally showed a smile.
"Thank you, Boss. Then I'll go home and 'reflect'."
She opened the passenger door, got out, and gave me a deep bow.
– I'll see you tomorrow.
She said as she closed the passenger door.
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"Honey, go check on the next-door neighbor."
As soon as he came home from work, his wife said something out of the blue.
"Why the next-door neighbor all of a sudden?"
Kim Geon-woo asked his wife, who was fuming.
"I don't know, there's been a strange noise coming from there for a while. It's so loud…"
He was a little upset that she was nagging him as soon as he got home from work, but he couldn't refuse his lovely wife's request, so he put on his slippers and went next door.
Bang, bang, bang!!!
As he knocked on the paint-chipped steel door, he heard a presence inside.
Bang, bang, bang!!!
"Hey there."
Creeak!
The door opened a crack, and a woman's voice came from the gap.
"What can I do for you?"
"I don't know what you're doing, but the noise is reaching next door. Could you please be a little quieter?"
"Ah…"
The door opened wide.
"I'm sorry for being loud."
A woman in a shabby tank top and shorts bowed her head.
"…Um, yes, well, as long as you know."
Flustered, Kim Geon-woo roughly accepted her apology and immediately returned to his house.
"...."
"What did the neighbor say? Did they say they'll be quiet?"
His wife came and asked, but he was leaning against the door, breathing heavily.
"Wh-what did I just see?"
Remembering the image of the next-door woman, covered in blood as if she had been cut and torn by something, Geon-woo sank to the floor.
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