IRLPLBIO Chapter 25 Part 2

Na-eun tore at her hair with a silent scream. It was clear her father had deliberately ignored her words. In fact, Na-eun’s father had appeared with even more force, specifically to intimidate the boy who was with Na-eun.

“…Wow.”

Kim Min-jae exclaimed, completely unreserved. Fortunately, he didn’t possess the kind of spirit that would be crushed in such a situation anyway.

From the cars in front and behind, burly men in pitch-black suits with short, sporty haircuts emerged. Not just one or two, they lined up in precise formations. Soon, the driver of the sedan in the middle stepped out, bent at a 90-degree angle, and opened the back door.

As expected, the man who emerged with a grand posture was none other than Na-eun’s father. Even at night, wearing sunglasses, he looked exactly like someone who would be mistaken for a gangster.

[Don’t come in Don’t look at us Go somewhere el-]

Pop-pop-pop, before Na-eun could finish typing her frantic message, the cafe door opened with a jingle. Everyone’s eyes immediately fixed on Na-eun’s father.

“Na-eun.”

At that moment, Na-eun genuinely pondered. Which phrase, ‘Who are you?’ or ‘Let’s get out of here quickly,’ would make her father leave faster?

However, the world didn’t operate as simply as Na-eun thought. Kim Min-jae, who had been looking around, recognized Na-eun’s father, rushed out in one stride, and bowed deeply. It seemed his usually absent perceptiveness only decided to appear at times like this.

“Ah, hello! I’m Kim Min-jae! I’ve heard a lot about you!”

“You have?”

“Yes, yes! Na-eun and I met through the internet cafe ‘Science Lab,’ and we’re good study friends, learning a lot from each other!”

“…”

Na-eun’s father, Lee Young-hwan, looked at Na-eun. He was annoyed that his only daughter had come all this way to meet a boy. On the other hand, it was absurd that the boy kept talking about being “friends” even after seeing a cute girl like Na-eun.

Moreover, his adorable daughter, Na-eun, ignored her father completely, then even made a zipping motion over her mouth towards Lee Young-hwan, as if to side with Kim Min-jae. Lee Young-hwan couldn’t win against his daughter.

Pretending to look away, his eyes scanned the cafe’s interior and landed on a young-faced student. It was surprising enough that he was incredibly handsome despite his frame not being fully grown, but even more astonishing was his utterly unshaken demeanor, despite the large men in black intentionally exuding an intimidating aura.

At that moment, Jae-gu, who had been enjoying the spectacle, joined the fray. Standing slightly angled as if to shield Kwang-cheol, he opened his mouth.

“Introduce me to your father too.”

“What? You said you weren’t interested earlier.”

“I’m collecting the laundry fee, see this?”

Na-eun, who had glared at Jae-gu, saw the pink stain on Jae-gu’s school uniform shirt and pouted discontentedly. It was the mark from when she had spilled the strawberry smoothie.

“Laundry fee? Are you saying my Na-eun did something wrong?”

Lee Young-hwan, having overheard the exchange, stepped forward. The six burly men who had followed him in took a step forward in unison.

Thump.

Even though it was impossible, it felt like an illusion of the ground shaking beneath their feet.

Kwang-cheol moved so fast it was imperceptible when he stood up, blocking Jae-gu’s front. However, Jae-gu took another step forward, extending his arm. It was clear he intended to keep Kwang-cheol behind his back, protecting him.

“Hyung.”

Kwang-cheol grabbed Jae-gu’s arm, but Jae-gu shook his head while his arm was held. His gaze remained fixed on Lee Young-hwan.

“Of course she did something wrong. Do you know how expensive this is?”

“Are you kidding? That’s a school uniform. Where are you trying to overcharge?”

Unlike Na-eun, who immediately retorted, Lee Young-hwan simply gazed intently at Jae-gu. Sparks flew between their locked gazes.

In his younger days, Lee Young-hwan had done rough work, and even now, in the underworld, he was involved in matters where violence was exchanged. He had seen hundreds, even thousands, of young, vigorous men. However, it was extremely rare to find someone who could face him boldly without wavering, flinching, or backing down.