11 Virtues A Hero's Civilian Friend Must Uphold (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
Ever since the hotel terror incident last year, her parents hadn’t been fond of letting Na Eun attend official events, but this time was an exception.
Though it was a distant dream, for the sake of his daughter who once expressed an aspiration to enter politics, her father Seok Hoon took her to a charity gala hosted by a well-known figure with extensive political connections.
They said all proceeds from the art auction would be donated, but Na Eun, ignorant of such matters, could do nothing at the event but follow her father around, introducing herself to important guests.
Forgetting even the unfamiliar heels that hurt her ankles, as she darted about, she spotted a figure standing alone in a corner slightly away from the main hall and let out a sigh.
It’s not easy to run into each other this often. Seems like that person really tries hard.
Hee Won, dressed head-to-toe in a crisp white suit and standing slightly crooked, looked exactly like a fashion magazine model.
Sure enough, young women nearby kept sneaking glances at him, a fact now plainly obvious to her.
In hindsight, he was her mother’s friend’s son, frequently attended these kinds of gatherings, and had such a striking appearance—it was almost strange she’d only just gotten to know him.
But that was merely an objective observation; her dislike for that rascal remained unchanged, so Na Eun turned her head away, not wanting to pretend she knew him.
Fortunately, even though Hee Won noticed her, he didn’t approach or speak to her first.
If you don’t acknowledge me, I’m perfectly fine with it.
Hoping he’d continue pretending not to know her whenever they crossed paths like this, Na Eun deliberately put even more distance between them.
“Oh, you must be Na Eun.”
Congressman Kang—the very reason her father Seok Hoon brought her here and the host of this event—approached her with a warm, friendly smile.
As the host, he’d been far too busy to exchange even a brief greeting, but luckily, an opportunity finally presented itself.
Seok Hoon, standing beside Na Eun, gently nudged her forward and introduced his daughter.
Having known Seok Hoon for years and treating him like a close friend, Congressman Kang regarded Na Eun warmly, as if she were his own daughter, and extended his hand for a handshake.
Na Eun quickly clasped his hand with both of hers and bowed slightly.
“It’s a true honor to meet you, Congressman.”
“Ha ha! An honor? Don’t exaggerate.”
“It’s no exaggeration. Every word you spoke during the debate before the last general election resonated deeply with me, and I’ve remembered it all. My dream is to become someone like you.”
Truthfully, it was partly flattery.
Na Eun did dream of becoming a politician, but she had no intention of joining the same party as Congressman Kang.
Yet, remembering her father’s words that personal connections were everything in politics, she unabashedly laid on the charm.
Beside her, Seok Hoon watched his daughter’s newly refined social skills with evident pride.
“Even if it’s flattery, it still makes me happy. To think a young person like you looks up to me as a role model.”
Thankfully, the compliment seemed to work; Congressman Kang appeared genuinely pleased.
He glanced around briefly, then lowered his voice slightly and spoke.
“After the auction ends, stay around a bit longer, if you can.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh! Are you really serious?”
“Ha ha! For a budding talent like you, something like this is nothing. It’s perfectly fine.”
Baffled by his cryptic words, Na Eun tilted her head, while Seok Hoon looked visibly surprised.
When Seok Hoon asked if he truly meant it, Congressman Kang laughed heartily, saying it was no trouble at all, then immediately excused himself and hurried off with his aide.
Once Congressman Kang had moved a fair distance away, Na Eun quietly asked Seok Hoon.
“What was that about just now?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Looks like our Na Eun made quite a good impression.”
Seok Hoon ruffled his daughter’s hair gently, careful not to mess it up, and smiled fondly.
[This is the timeline separator]Could it be because she drank too many of those non-alcoholic beverages circulating at the event?
Suddenly needing the restroom, Na Eun briefly left Seok Hoon’s side, and after finishing her business, she dried her wet hands with paper towels and stepped out of the bathroom.
And at that exact moment, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her away.
Before she could even let out a scream, a hand ghosted over her mouth with uncanny speed, roughly dragging her toward an unoccupied emergency exit.
She tried to resist, but the arm wrapped around her from behind held her with unnatural strength, rendering all her struggles useless.
Helplessly dragged all the way to the emergency stairwell, Na Eun’s eyes widened as she recognized the person who’d pinned her against the wall.
Instantly, all her frantic wriggling ceased.
“Shh, shh—it’s me. Be quiet!”
Could this be a dream? No, it couldn’t be. Am I hallucinating because I missed you so much?
In front of her stood her friend—with whom she’d lost contact for several months—pressing her against the wall, one hand still firmly over her mouth.
Though only his eyes were visible beneath the deeply pulled-down cap and mask, she recognized him instantly, just as she always had.
Her wide eyes then darted between him and the tall man standing behind him—and Seung Joo.
The man behind Seung Joo was also familiar.
Just moments ago, he’d been wearing a sharp suit, flashing that smug smile that drew all the women’s attention; now, like Seung Joo, he was fully clad head-to-toe in black military attire.
At a glance, she had a good idea of what they were up to.
What else would heroes do when they transform? Obviously, they’re out saving the world or stopping villains’ evil schemes.
But of all days, it had to happen right here—at the charity event she’d attended.
Seung Joo only released her mouth after Na Eun nodded, signaling she wouldn’t scream.
Na Eun coughed lightly a few times. She’d known it before, but Seung Joo really was strong.
“Are you…?”
Are you fully recovered? The moment she could speak again after her little coughing fit, that was her first question—but unfortunately, she got no answer.
Seung Joo, her face unusually anxious—a rare sight—grabbed both of Na Eun’s hands.
“Na Eun, I’m really, really sorry, but please help us out.”
“What?”
After months of being injured and cutting off contact, she suddenly reappeared like this and blurted out a request for help out of nowhere.
Na Eun’s expression turned utterly bewildered, but Seung Joo pressed on urgently, clearly in a rush.
“You got permission from Kang Jung Man earlier to enter the VIP floor, right?”
Kang Jung Man referred to Congressman Kang, the event’s host whom her father had introduced to her earlier.
Seeing her long-lost friend wearing such an earnest, desperate look, Na Eun couldn’t voice any of the worry or resentment she’d built up over the past months—she simply nodded obediently.
“He did mention I should stay a bit after the event ended… Is that what you mean?”
“Yeah. Kang Jung Man opens a separate floor just for his close acquaintances after these events, where he shows off his private art collection. Inside that area, there’ll be another room deeper in. You won’t be allowed in normally, so you’ll have to sneak in. Once inside, look for something in the center…”
“Wait, wait!”
She understood roughly what they wanted her to do, but the suddenness of the request gave her a headache.
They’d been inseparable friends all through high school, yet this was the first time she’d ever heard such an outrageous demand from Seung Joo.
“Couldn’t he do it instead? He was probably invited here today too.”
“Ah, that damn bastard.”
Na Eun pointed toward Hee Won, who’d been standing silently like a statue behind Seung Joo, but the response she got was Seung Joo’s all-too-familiar, now oddly nostalgic, curse.
Seung Joo glared at Hee Won with murder in her eyes, grinding her teeth.
“It was originally his job, but apparently, after that son of a bitch dated Congressman Kang’s daughter and pulled some despicable stunt, he got permanently blacklisted. Kang remembers him clearly and won’t let him anywhere near—forget the VIP floor, it’s a miracle he wasn’t kicked out of the event altogether.”
“…”
That guy’s a team leader, and I’m supposed to…?
Muttering under her breath while grinding her teeth, Seung Joo shot Hee Won a furious look. For once, Hee Won, seemingly aware of his own fault, said nothing in defense and simply stared blankly into space, avoiding eye contact.
Apparently, he’d completely forgotten that he’d left such a terrible impression on his ex-girlfriend’s father.
Na Eun’s expression turned just as cold as Seung Joo’s.
So that’s why he couldn’t even go near Congressman Kang earlier and just hovered in the corner.
She felt no sympathy—this was entirely his own doing.
“Anyway, I really didn’t want to drag you into something like this… But we truly have no other choice. Please, just this once.”
“…What exactly do I need to do once I get inside that inner room?”
“There’ll be a book. I’ll tell you the title—just find it and bring it out.”
“What?”
She asked, but the answer was alarming. Was she seriously being asked to steal something? Na Eun turned pale.
“I’d love to help, but that’s just…”
“Or just tear out the last two pages and bring those out. Make sure the content stays intact.”
“No, that’s still cultural property destruction!”
Though she wasn’t an expert, anything in Congressman Kang’s art collection was likely of significant cultural value.
“We’ll handle the aftermath. Just get it out.”
Hee Won, who’d been standing behind Seung Joo like a lifeless tree, finally spoke up. Na Eun glared at him, now completely flabbergasted.
“What? Don’t ask. Don’t dig deeper. Who’s the one disrupting the life of someone trying to live peacefully right now?”
Hee Won, seemingly embarrassed, turned his head away. Seung Joo, saying they were out of time, grabbed Na Eun’s shoulders and shoved her toward the exit door.
“Anyway, Na Eun, I’m really sorry. I’m begging you—just this once, just this once!”
“Hey, hey, wait!”
She didn’t even care what that book was or why they needed it. She didn’t want to know.
She guessed that, at times like this, the less a civilian like her knew, the better.
But this brash, sudden demand felt almost like a mission being forced upon her.
Na Eun frowned as Seung Joo roughly shoved something into her ear.
What is this now?
“It’s a communicator. You can talk to us through it. If anything happens, just speak into it.”
“Wait, I never said I’d do i—!”
“Please, my friend!”
Before she could finish protesting, she was shoved through the now-wide-open emergency exit. Bang.
The door slammed shut behind her as if nothing more needed to be said. Na Eun frantically tried to reopen it, but it was no use.
Frustrated, she kicked the bottom of the door and stomped her feet.
Why do you keep doing this to me!
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
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Wow! Finally a glimpse of the Center Directors scolding >.<