Netkama Punch!!!

“You—You crazy bastard! Are you seriously out of your damn mind?!”
Of course, the first thing out of my mouth was a string of curses.

What the hell would he have said to the landlady if I hadn’t cut him off in time? That I was his girlfriend? No—used to be his girlfriend, but turned out to be a boyfriend instead?
The more I thought about it, the more dizzy and furious I became. Wasn’t it obvious this psycho was trying to blackmail me?
But Shin Heejae just gave a faint smirk as he watched my rage. Then, without a hint of shame, he calmly took off his shoes and walked inside.

I just stood there, dumbfounded, before I finally came to my senses and grabbed his arm.
“Hey. Where do you think you’re going?”
“What, am I supposed to just keep standing around? The place is tiny. Wouldn’t even be able to get in unless someone moved aside.”

I ground my teeth at that, then hurriedly kicked off my shoes. Meanwhile, he had already taken a few steps further in and was casually eyeing my one-room apartment.
I liked spending time at home, so I’d kept the place pretty clean and neat, but the building itself was as old as I was. There was no hiding its age.
It was a place I’d never been ashamed of—I'd even liked it for being affordable and decent—but now, seeing Shin Heejae standing in the center of the room, completely out of place… I suddenly felt embarrassed. That damn wristwatch on his arm probably cost more than my entire lease deposit.

‘Fuck, why am I thinking like this…’
He’s the one barging in like he owns the place, and yet I felt myself shrinking in the moment—and that pissed me off even more. I crossed my arms tightly and said,
“…Get out.”

“……”
But Shin Heejae just glanced at me, ignored my words, and stared silently at the corner of my bed. Following his gaze, I instantly turned bright red.
At the end of that gaze was the white cat plushie he’d sent me with a birthday cake.

I had this habit of tucking the plush in like a person when I left home—giving it a pillow and pulling the blanket over it. And of course, I had done exactly that this morning.
“…Hey, I said get out. Are you deaf?”
My face was burning so badly it felt like it might explode. But I’d already passed the threshold—shame didn’t even matter anymore. I’d reached the stage of total resignation.

Yeah, I get it—you probably think I’m a weirdo. But did I know you’d barge into my house today? If I did, would I have brought that damn chicken? With my shame at an all-time high, the only thing left inside me was bitterness.
He didn’t seem to care. Like it was his own place, he walked over to the bed, picked up the plushie, and turned to look at me.
“This the one I gave you, right?”
“Oh, that? That was from you? I had no idea. Guess that’s why I still had it.”

“……”
“Well, great. You can take it with you when you go.”
“……Ha.”

He stared at me, plushie in hand, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
I was just lashing out blindly at this point, but when I saw the expression on his face, something twisted in my gut.
Still, I couldn’t take the words back. I mean, how was I supposed to say something like, I actually liked its dumb little face, or I almost threw it away a few times but couldn’t—in this kind of situation?

And even if I did say something heartfelt, Shin Heejae would never believe it. In a moment like this, it would sound like nothing but desperate flattery.
His expression kept shifting as he stared at me. Like he was waiting for an explanation—or deciding whether or not to explode.
But since I said nothing, he finally muttered to himself.

“…So that’s how it’s gonna be?”
His voice was cold, clipped. It felt like something clogged in my throat. But I still couldn’t bring myself to apologize. I just… wanted this moment to be over.
He gripped the plush like he might crush «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» it and violently slammed it into the trash can beside the bed. Then he stormed toward me, looking like he was going to punch me right in the face.

From the moment I saw him, I’d been bracing myself to take a hit or two, so I stood my ground and glared right back.
But then…
“Mmph—!?”

He grabbed me by the collar like he was about to hit me—but instead, his lips slammed into mine.
My front teeth rattled. The metallic tang of blood quickly spread across my tongue.
What the hell was this…?

I stood there stunned, and he stayed there, biting my lower lip, for a good three seconds before finally pulling away.
“……”
But what shocked me even more was his expression.

The crazy bastard kissed me, and then had the audacity to wrinkle his face like he was the one who’d been violated.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he erased the expression and stared at me again—like he hadn’t just done something completely unhinged. His eyes were cold, but his lips slowly curled into what almost resembled a smile.
This lunatic kisses me out of nowhere and then smiles?!

That shameless grin made me want to explode.
“Hey, you psycho! What the hell are you—?!”
But I didn’t get to finish.

He abruptly pressed his index finger to my lips.
Like in some cliché drama where the male lead silences the female lead mid-rant.
Seriously… What the hell was this?

I was so freaked out I forgot to even be angry, stumbling back as a chill ran down my spine.
And then, he cut me off again.
“Noona… I think I might be the kind of guy who can swing both ways.”

“…What?”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind if you’re a guy.”
What… what the hell did I just hear?

My skin crawled. Every hair on my body stood on end.
Heejae seemed to get even more relaxed as he watched my pale face.
I stared at him—and suddenly, I slapped his arm away from my face and shouted,

“Hey—are you gay?!”
“Nope. You’re the gay one.”
“What kind of fucked-up logic is that?!”

“If a guy pretends to be a girl and seduces another guy, he’s the gay one.”
“You son of a—!”
I couldn’t even come up with a proper retort. Meanwhile, he calmly closed the distance between us again.

There was nowhere left to retreat. I tried to hold him back with an outstretched arm, but he easily overpowered me.
He grabbed my elbow and pulled me halfway into his chest. With the bed right behind him, I got this terrifying sense that I was about to get dragged onto it. I clawed at his wrist, trying to break free.
“Let—Let go of me!”

He glanced down at the fresh red scratch on his arm and then stopped walking.
Then he had the nerve to ask,
“What’s with the reaction? I said I’m fine with it.”

This guy is completely out of his mind.
So if he’s fine with it, that’s all that matters?!
I was dumbfounded, but I still shoved him away with all my strength and yelled:

“Fuck off! I’m not gay! When the hell did I ever say I liked you?!”
At that, Shin Heejae’s smirk vanished instantly. He tilted his head with a sharp snap, the speed of the shift making my body go rigid.
He folded his arms and looked me over with a flat, unreadable expression.

And then…
“If you didn’t like me, then why’d you date me?”
“……”

“If you were planning to take the money and run, why give it back? Why make it all so messy?”
His questions hit exactly where I was most conflicted. They were the same ones I’d asked myself over and over these past two weeks.
Which is probably why—for once—I was able to answer without a flicker of hesitation.

“Like I said, I gave it back because I was afraid of getting sued. I’d lose my job if that happened. So—whatever the fuck you think—”
“……”
“Don’t go imagining I gave it back because I liked you or some shit.”

His face didn’t even twitch at my deliberately cold words. If anything, he looked a little bored. He lowered his eyes and asked quietly,
“So you gave it back out of fear. Nothing else?”
“…Y-Yeah.”

“You were just trying to leech off me from the start? And got scared when it turned into real money?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then it’s all your fault, huh? Pretending to be a girl, scamming some innocent guy for money and gifts, even dating him after he confessed… then ghosting him…”

“……”
His words stung with injustice—but I figured if I bowed my head here, he’d finally give up.
“…Yeah. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry. So just… please leave. Get out of my house.”

But instead of cussing me out, Shin Heejae calmly pulled out his phone.
He tapped the screen a few times.
And then, our conversation played back—clear as day.

—Then it’s all your fault, huh? Pretending to be a girl, scamming some innocent guy for money and gifts, even dating him after he confessed… then ghosting him…
—…Yeah. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.
The whole thing had been recorded.
I froze in shock. And while I was still trying to process it, he tucked the phone back into his pocket and muttered to himself:

“XX Center, wasn’t it? XX Building, 6th floor, right?”
“…What?”
“Your workplace, noona.”

A shiver ran down my entire body.
That’s when I finally understood what Shin Heejae was about to do—and my eyes widened in horror.