Side Story Chapter 75 - Home Alone (5)

"Wh-What? What's up with you?!"

Cha Yeon-Joo trembled subtly. She could see the unbridled rage in Oh Kang-Woo's eyes. An uneasy feeling ran down her back; she sensed that she might have opened Pandora's box.

"Urgh!"

Yeon-Joo pushed the uneasiness away and threateningly raised her smartphone.

"Y-You'd better look down!!" Unlike her fierce tone, her voice was slightly shaking in fear. "If you don't, I'll send that picture to Seol-Ah—"

"Now that I think about it," interjected Kang-Woo calmly. He smiled as he also took out his smartphone. "You're not the only one with a weapon, are you?"

"What...?"

"I have one too. An album filled with our precious memories, that is."

Kang-Woo played one of the videos on his drive.

- I wanna do it too!! I don't wanna be Adamantium anymore! I wanna do it with you too, oppa!!

"

Gasp

."

It was Yeon-Joo when she was drunk. The dark past was so nightmarish that she had purged it from his memory but she was reminded of it through Kang-Woo's smartphone.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You!!! You son of a—!!"

"That's not all of it."

Kang-Woo also played the other videos he had recorded in the past. Yeon-Joo's expression crumpled more and more as Kang-Woo played each video.

"A-Are you blackmailing me?" Yeon-Joo said.

"I think that's enough, don't you think?"

"Ngh."

"Now... what's your choice?"

"Wh-What do you mean?" asked Yeon-Joo as she bit her lip.

Kang-Woo answered as apathetically as possible, "Either we both die... or we both live. You make the choice."

'The intimidated one is always at a disadvantage in situations like this.'

"What are you gonna do... if I send this to Seol-Ah?" Yeon-Joo asked.

"I'll release these videos to Red Rose. I exchanged emails with a few of your guild members back when I was helping with your files."

"Y-You son of a bitch! What the fuck?!"

Just thinking about her guild members seeing those videos plunged her into deep terror.

"But of course, I won't release them if you don't send that picture to Darling."

Kang-Woo had recorded far more of Yeon-Joo's dark pasts but the one she had on him was just as bad. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if Seol-Ah were to see that picture.

"..."

"..."

The two of them stared at each other warily. The silent war of nerves heated the air around them.

"Th-Then let's do this," Yeon-Joo said first. She gulped and said quietly, "I'll delete your picture on my drive, so you delete everything you have on me."

"Oh, are we negotiating now?"

"Just answer me! Will you delete them or not?!"

"Mm." Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He stroked his chin as he continued, "The conditions aren't mathematically equivalent, are they?"

Yeon-Joo only had one picture of him while Kang-Woo had several videos of her. It would be an equivalent exchange to delete one of his videos on her but not all of them.

"Urgh! Who gives a shit about math when you took those videos without consent!"

"Right back at you."

"Wh-Whatever!"

"..."

Kang-Woo continued to think in silence.

'It's not a bad deal.'

The conditions were not mathematically equivalent but he didn't care as long as Yeon-Joo would delete the picture. He would rather die than let his Darling see such a humiliating picture.

'And most of all...'

Kang-Woo smirked.

"Fine, you have a deal."

"Fuck yeah!!!" Yeon-Joo cheered as she pumped both fists in the air.

She could finally get rid of all the humiliating videos Kang-Woo had of her.

"Right. First, let's delete the files we have of each other on our smartphones," Kang-Woo said.

"Okay."

They both showed the other proof they deleted the file.

"Stay away from me for a second," Yeon-Joo remarked.

Yeon-Joo logged back into her drive and clenched her smartphone, being on high alert.

'He might try to take it by force.'

As long as she was holding it like this, not even Kang-Woo could take it from her. Although Kang-Woo was far stronger than her, she could at least crush the phone before Kang-Woo could try anything.

"We'll delete it together on the count of three, alright...?" Yeon-Joo suggested.

Kang-Woo calmly nodded.

"Okay, then."

They hovered their finger over the delete button on their drives.

"One, two."

The tension in the air was palpable.

Yeon-Joo said the final number, "Three."

Beep.

The sound from a smartphone rang throughout the living room.

"Pfft!" Just then, Yeon-Joo burst into laughter as she clenched her smartphone. "KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Hehehe! You seriously deleted them?"

"You..."

Kang-Woo's eyes shook. Yeon-Joo smiled brightly as she stared at Kang-Woo's flustered expression.

"Fufu. What? It's your specialty, isn't it? Huh? The deceived one has no one to blame but themselves, right? Bwahahahaha!"

Yeon-Joo took her finger, which purposefully missed the delete button, off of the smartphone display. The file was gone forever from Kang-Woo's drive but the picture she had of him remained intact. It was a childish ploy but it didn't matter since it had succeeded.

"..."

Kang-Woo remained silent, his expression frozen. He tried to slowly lift his arm but Yeon-Joo quickly pulled back her hand holding her smartphone.

She shouted, "Stop! Don't move! Fufufu! With this, I'm the only one with a weapon, huh?"

"Cha... Yeon-Joo."

"Mwahahaha! Huh~? Are you sure you don't wanna call me Yeon-Joo noona~?"

Yeon-Joo taunted Kang-Woo as she burst into laughter after being sure of her victory. However, Kang-Woo smiled brightly as if he were never furious.

"Do you know, Yeon-Joo?"

"Huh? Know what? The fact that you lost hopelessly against me? Hehe!"

Yeon-Joo giggled, drunk on the joy of victory.

Kang-Woo continued, "Do you know why our sister-in-law can accept Gaia into her body?"

"Huh?"

Yeon-Joo expressed confusion. She did not understand why Kang-Woo was bringing up Layla and Gaia all of a sudden.

"What's your ploy? Are you changing the subject?"

"No, it's relevant to the situation we're in right now."

"The hell are you talking about?" Yeon-Joo tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand. "Do I know why Layla can accept Gaia into her body? Naturally, because Layla is Gaia's incarnation... Ah."

Yeon-Joo's eyes widened. Kang-Woo smiled.

"Yes, and you're my incarnation, Yeon-Joo."

Fwoosh—!!

Gold and black flames ignited Yeon-Joo.

"W-Wai—!"

Yeon-Joo was about to crush the smartphone in her hand.

"Deific Manifestation."

But before that, Kang-Woo took over Yeon-Joo's body through the Deific Essence of Voracity before she could.

"A-Argh."

Yeon-Joo convulsed as if she were having a seizure, then lowered her head with drooped shoulders.

"I never thought I'd use Deific Manifestation for the first time in this way."

The one who raised their head was not Yeon-Joo but Kang-Woo, who took over Yeon-Joo's body through Deific Manifestation.

[WH-WHAT THE HELL IS THIIIIIIIIIIIIIS—?!!]

Yeon-Joo's screams echoed inside Kang-Woo's head. Kang-Woo smiled and raised the smartphone containing the humiliating picture of himself, in Yeon-Joo's hand.

[Y-Y-Y-You son of a...! G-Get the hell out of my body!!]

"Don't rush me. I'll leave as soon as I'm done."

Kang-Woo pressed the delete button to permanently erase the picture, and then Yeon-Joo's body suddenly bent forward.

"Pwah!" Yeon-Joo regained control of her body. "Haaa! Haaa!"

Deific Manifestation consumed an enormous amount of stamina. Yeon-Joo did her best to calm her breathing and glared ferociously at Kang-Woo.

"Y-You crazy bastard!!!"

She couldn't believe Kang-Woo would do something as crazy as forcibly using Deific Manifestation to delete a picture.

"That's what you get for deceiving me," Kang-Woo remarked.

"Urgh!"

Yeon-Joo flinched. She bit her lip in frustration and clenched her fists.

'That shameless scumbag!'

There was nothing Yeon-Joo could do if all Kang-Woo needed to do was take over her body through Deific Manifestation.

"If you could do something like this, why didn't you do it in the beginni—"

"Because it would've been pointless."

"What?"

Kang-Woo smiled faintly and shook his head. He would've used it as soon as he had the chance if it could resolve the situation. However, it would have been pointless.

"Deific Manifestation only allows me to take physical control. I don't have access to your thoughts."

"Then..."

"Yeah, I would've had no way of deleting the picture if you hadn't made that proposal and logged into your drive."

"D-Dammit!"

Yeon-Joo's expression dyed in despair. She never expected to fall victim to her own ploy.

"Kurgh!" She glared at Kang-Woo in frustration. "Shit... I thought I finally had a hold of your weakness I could take advantage of."

It seemed like there was still a long way to go until she had a weakness of that scumbag to exploit. Yeon-Joo sighed and wiped the sweat on her forehead.

"Well, whatever. The deal's off, right?"

The plan had derailed midway but it had been a success in terms of the result since both of their dark pasts were deleted forever.

"Off?" Kang-Woo stared at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about. He smirked nastily and continued, "There's no way it's off."

"What...?"

"Yeon-Joo. Did you think I only had one album of the precious memories we've made?"

"Wh-What did you say?!" Yeon-Joo shouted in pallor.

Kang-Woo cackled and typed away on his laptop connected to the TV.

- I don't wanna be Adamantium anymore!!!

The video of Yeon-Joo throwing a temper tantrum on the floor played on the TV screen.

"Y-You son of a bitch!!! You tricked me!!!" Yeon-Joo screamed in despair.

She teared up due to the betrayal as she glared at Kang-Woo.

Kang-Woo cackled and replied, "The deceived one has no one to blame but themselves, isn't that right?"

It was not wrong; it was only natural to consider Kang-Woo had made backups of the footage since it had been a while since he took them. Yeon-Joo had nothing else to blame but her poor plan and letting her guard down midway.

"Y-Y-Y-You...!"

"Right, then." Kang-Woo smiled brightly and licked his lips. Since his humiliating picture was gone for good, he had only one thing left to do. "Yeon-Joo?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Is that any way to talk to your oppa?"

"..."

"Answer."

"Y-Yes... oppa?"

Yeon-Joo's face turned as red as her hair.

Kang-Woo sat leisurely on the couch and continued, "Right, then~ I wonder what I should have you do?"

"..."

"Oh, right. That should be good."

He had already decided on what he would have Yeon-Joo do for his sweet revenge.

"My little Yeon-Joo, could you dance for me?"

"F-Fuck you!! I'm not gonna dance, you motherfucker!!!"

"Bwehehehehe!!! What? Are you embarrassed? Hm~? You were having the time of your life making me do it, but you're embarrassed when you have to be the one to do it?"

"N-Ngh!"

Yeon-Joo stomped the floor in frustration and gritted her teeth. No matter how much she wanted to defy him, she no longer had any cards to play in retaliation.

"F-Fine! I'll do it!! I just have to fucking do it, right?!!" Yeon-Joo screamed in tears. She danced awkwardly with no music in the background. "

Sniff

. Hurghhh!"

She felt like her heart was going to burst from humiliation.

"Th-That's enough, right?!" she shouted in tears after dancing in the middle of the living room.

However, the corners of Kang-Woo's lips rose.

"No, of course not." Revenge was only fun if it was paid back several times over. "We've only just gotten started."

"Wh-What?"

Yeon-Joo froze like a frog face-to-face with a snake. She couldn't imagine what other humiliating acts Kang-Woo would make her do.

"Okay, why don't you dance again wearing this?"

"Y-You...! Those clothes are...!"

They were the leather clothes she had worn for Kang-Woo this morning. Dancing was embarrassing enough as it was, but Yeon-Joo might seriously go insane if she danced in those clothes.

"K-Kang-Woo! I-I mean, Kang-Woo oppa!! P-Please!!"

"Don't worry." Kang-Woo embraced the begging Yeon-Joo and whispered sweetly, "We're the only ones home tonight."

"N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

That night, desperate screams of humiliation did not stop until dawn in Kang-Woo's home.