Chapter 06: How Dare He Seduce Our Innocent Little Sister?

“So… what was up with that emoji anyway? Was that a death threat or something?”

“…Total misunderstanding. I had no idea it was animated. I’ve literally never used an emoji before.”

Who would’ve thought my innocent thumbs-up would look like someone slicing their own throat? What kind of twisted stuff are people selling these days?

I’m actually grateful for my insomnia tonight. Woke up in the middle of the night, saw the mountain of messages from Kang Bada, and nearly had a heart attack.

How do I even reply to this?

It’s the crack of dawn. Is it okay to text her now?

While I was stressing over it, my phone suddenly rang—her name on the screen. I picked up fast.

– Ha-neul-ssi! Are you okay? Are you hurt? If someone kidnapped you, don’t say anything—just stay put. I’m calling the security team right now—

– Wait wait wait!

All the leftover sleep vanished in an instant. Why is she panicking this hard just because I didn’t reply for a few hours? What kind of life does she normally live?

After that, once she calmed down a little, she got teary-eyed and I ended up comforting her until the sun came up. Turns out she has some kind of trauma.

She was too shaken for me to ask details, but from the way she talked, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t actually about kidnapping.

‘So that’s why she sees a psychiatrist.’

I thought it was just regular insomnia. If something like that happened, it’s way more serious than I realized.

That’s a sensitive topic—no need to poke at it unless she brings it up herself.

“Bada-ssi, you look exhausted.”

“I’m fine.”

“……”

She turned her head away sharply.

Even with sunglasses on, those dark circles went all the way down. Up close, her eyes looked a little puffy too.

“Wanna go for a drive instead?”

“…No. We said today was for story planning.”

She’s right—today was supposed to be practice for how we’ll talk to family and friends.

Like where we first met, what we did on our first “date”—basic stuff any married couple should know.

“When my brain’s this stiff, sitting here won’t make words come out. I need fresh air, a walk, something to shake things loose.”

“You just want to drive Scarlet, don’t you?”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Come on—are you seriously gonna—?!”

“Kidding. Just kidding.”

Okay, maybe half-serious, but sitting around like this isn’t getting us anywhere.

She glared at me over her sunglasses. I played it cool, sighed, and pulled out the car keys she’d handed me earlier.

“You sure you’re okay to drive?”

“Of course I am.”

“You’ve only grown up on the outside, huh.”

“Huh?”

“…Here. Keys.”

Click!

She dropped them into my palm. Attached was a cute bear-shaped keyring—one of those Bearbrick things that collectors lose their minds over.

Not just Marvel or Disney collabs—this thing partners with world-famous artists too.

“You into Bearbricks?”

“…It’s just a little hobby. Someone gave me one as a kid.”

“Whoever it was had good taste. Back when you were little, this brand wasn’t even that big yet.”

“Probably didn’t think much of it.”

“Hm?”

She turned away like she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I’ve watched enough dramas to know what to do here.

‘Time to feed her something sweet.’

When a girl’s grumpy or upset, the golden rule is: give her something delicious. I stood up right away.

“Okay, let’s head out.”

“Where to?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“……”

She pouted but stood up anyway. I took her hand and we walked to the parking lot.

Vrrroooom—!

The second I turned the key, Scarlet answered with that deep, powerful growl. I hit the button—the roof folded back. Instant convertible.

“Never thought I’d actually get to drive this thing.”

So far the best car I’ve ever driven was a beat-up Korando Sports I rented once in a while, or some random cheap thing.

Heart racing, I pulled out of the lot fast. Then I just started laughing—the ride was stupidly smooth. Other cars were practically parting like the Red Sea for me.

And it wasn’t just that.

The exhaust note, the engine hum, the gear shifts—everything felt buttery beyond imagination. No vibration at all. Felt like driving while lying in bed.

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Honestly…? Yeah, I really am.”

All the buried car-lust I’d been ignoring came rushing up. I’d work myself to death just to own one of these.

“What have you even been driving before? This 8-speed PDK smoothness is on another level… Ah, sorry—I got carried away.”

“No, it’s nice to see. Makes me feel better too. Good call on the drive.”

I thought she was just being polite.

But when I glanced over, she was looking out at the Han River with this soft little smile. Seemed genuine.

She looked like a painting. I forgot I was even driving a dream car for a second—just kept stealing looks at her.

“So how’d you know this driving route? Old girlfriend?”

“I’ve been single my whole life.”

“…I told you not to lie.”

“I’m serious.”

I’m too busy trying to survive to date. A couple weirdos said they liked my passion, but my heart had zero space for that.

Things are a little better now, sure. But the future’s still shaky, and staying cooped up at home all day doesn’t exactly help me meet anyone.

“You’ve never been to a club or anything?”

“I don’t like loud places.”

“Hmm, makes sense.”

“What about you, Bada-ssi?”

“Huh?”

She whipped her head toward me like she didn’t expect the question flipped back.

“You’ve been to a club?”

“…Yeah, once. Friend’s birthday party. Not a great memory.”

“Why? What happened?”

Turns out the club belonged to one of her little brothers’ businesses. Five minutes in—someone grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out.

“……”

Just how big is the Kang family network gonna get? Even the “little brother” is clearly no ordinary guy.

‘Kang Bada getting dragged out by her hair…’

She doesn’t look like someone who gets into fights. Being forcibly removed like that? Huge red flag.

And clubs are usually tied to serious power players, right? Cold sweat ran down my back.

‘One wrong move and I’m actually dead.’

What I used to say half as a joke is starting to feel way too real. Gotta watch myself.

“Oh—don’t get the wrong idea. He’s actually really nice most of the time.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. Probably because of the age gap. That’s the only time we’ve ever fought. He was super good to me when I was little.”

“How old is he…?”

“Big brother’s 45, little brother’s 42, sisters are 36. And I’m the youngest.”

Oh lord.

I caught myself praying to a god I don’t even believe in. Rich family, five older siblings—and she’s the baby.

‘Bada-ssi’s 29 this year, right?’

Two years older than me.

So the age gap with her siblings is 7 to 16 years minimum. At that point they’re not just brothers and sisters—they’re basically extra parents.

‘One mountain after another.’

The distant mountains blocking the horizon felt like they were quietly warning me about all the obstacles ahead.

I tried to keep my face neutral, but I guess it showed. She noticed and hurried to explain.

“They’re all good people, really!”

“Of course.”

“I’m serious! They don’t even touch the business side—”

That’s exactly the problem.

No threat to their shares, huge age difference—who wouldn’t dote on the baby sister? Difficulty level just keeps climbing.

Screw the ride quality now. If I want to survive in this world, blindly struggling isn’t gonna cut it.

‘Maybe I should take husband lessons.’

If something like that exists, sign me up. I want to live a long, long time.

‘If I quit right now…’

—How dare a lowly commoner leave a mark on our innocent little sister. Reflect in hell, you insolent bastard.

In my head, her little brother kicked me into the ocean. Chains around me, sinking forever into the dark.

As I fade, I think:

If I could turn back time, I wouldn’t have been blinded by money and made this mistake.

Credits roll.

Bad End.

My first game over.

‘No running away.’

Family’s already tied to Daehan Group hospitals—no way. Even if I ditched everything and fled, they’d hunt me down with nationwide CCTV.

Been through it once already.

That option’s dead.

‘What else is there?’

As a web novel writer with years of experience, dozens of endings flashed through my mind.

All bad. All bad. All bad.

No good ending in sight—except one.

The car stopped at a red light. I looked over at her. She tilted her head like “What’s up?” I took a deep breath and finally said it.

“Bada-ssi.”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna go on a date with me?”

“……?”

The only way I survive this.

The only way to turn Kang Bada into a real lover.

* * *

“Sir, here’s the weekly report.”

Nod.

The middle-aged man in glasses kept his eyes glued to the documents while listening to his secretary.

“The ‘cleanup’ you ordered is starting to take shape. We’ve mapped the main transport routes—should locate the base soon.”

“Approach carefully. They’re definitely connected to local police.”

“Understood.”

“The equipment team will handle it. Next?”

“There’s something unusual about your younger sister.”

Swish—

The man finally looked up from the papers. He pushed his glasses up and asked the secretary.

“Unusual how?”

“It seems your youngest has a boyfriend now.”

“Damn it—that little—! I always knew she’d cause trouble someday, but how dare she—?!”

“Her name is Kang Bada, sir.”

“…What did you say?”

Thud!

Kang Taeyang, second son of the Kang family, froze solid. Slowly he turned to stare at the secretary.

“Kang Bada? The baby sister?”

“Yes, sir.”

Thump.

He collapsed back into his chair. The secretary handed him the prepared file without a word.

“…Kim Ha-neul? Who the hell is this?”

“A web novel writer.”

“Not someone planted by the other side?”

“Unlikely. Would you like to see the final page?”

Kang Taeyang flipped through fast. His brows furrowed deeper. Eventually he tossed the file aside like it gave him a headache and started furiously cleaning his glasses.

“…It’s him.”

A few years back the youngest had pissed off the chairman. He’d looked into why—and this name came up.

“What proof do we have they’re dating?”

“They went on a date at the department store today.”

“A date!?”

Crack!

The glasses frame in his hand snapped under the sudden pressure. He blinked, then pulled a spare pair from the drawer.

“Investigate this guy thoroughly. His whole life story, what drinks he likes, what brand of underwear—everything.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary slipped out quietly. Alone, Kang Taeyang sank deeper into the chair and picked up the discarded file again.

“How dare he seduce our innocent little sister…”

He stared at the blank-faced photo of Kim Ha-neul for a very, very long time.