Netkama Punch!!!

chapter 90



‘What kind of stupid bet is that, you lunatic…….’
Even as I thought that, I couldn’t deny that Yuna probably hated my guts. Lying to her the other day when I went to pick up Shin Heejae after he got blackout drunk… Thinking back on it now, it was one of those curl-up-and-kick-the-blanket kind of humiliating moments.
‘Why the hell did I even do that back then?’

I should’ve just left him there.
With that late regret gnawing at me, I sat back quietly in my chair, keeping my eyes fixed on the stage. Shin Heejae didn’t talk to me or try to annoy me, either.
But every now and then, I could feel his gaze on me, and he seemed to be doodling something in the notebook and pen they handed out as freebies. I was curious, but I pretended not to care. Asking to see it would’ve bruised my pride, and knowing him, it was probably something idiotic anyway.

“Now, for our final special stage! The hottest group right now—iai! Please come out!”
“Uoooooooh!!”
“Seyoung-ahhhhhh!!”

And just like that, the last special performance began.
The first floor was already in chaos as fanboys dashed all the way to the front of the stage. Security guards shoved them back roughly, but the fanboys fought back with sheer bulk, shaking the fences wildly.
Clicking my tongue at the pandemonium, I crossed my arms and stared at the ten ridiculously skinny girls dancing to the fast beat.

‘They look like high schoolers at best… Fanboys are insane.’
It was pathetic to see grown men screaming that they loved a bunch of high schoolers, so I turned my head away—only to see Shin Heejae staring straight at me instead of the stage.
And no, it wasn’t pleasant. Honestly, I’d rather he ogled that iai girl named Seyoung than stare at me like that.

So eventually, I snapped.
“What are you looking at?”
“Do you really need to ask?”

“When I said ‘what are you looking at,’ I meant stop looking, idiot.”
Apparently too stupid to get the hint, I had to spell it out for him. But Shin Heejae just had the audacity to reply with,
“Then stop being pretty.”
“Ah, for fuck’s sake!”

A chill ran down my spine, and I immediately glanced around to see if anyone heard that bullshit. Thankfully, everyone nearby was too busy hanging over the railing, gawking at the girl group.
Relieved yet horrified, I smacked Heejae’s shoulder hard as I passed by. He didn’t so much as flinch, but the moment I tried to walk past him, he grabbed my wrist.
“Let go.”

“Where are you going?”
“The event’s over.”
“You’re coming with me. You don’t even have a car.”

“……”
And just like that, he trailed after me, still holding my wrist. I glanced back to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything and ended up slamming my nose right into his chest.
“Ah, fuck…”

“Whoa, why are you suddenly throwing yourself into my arms?”
“#&%@$#!”
The way he talked—it was impossible not to curse. And yet, his hand cupping my cheek, brushing softly as if to soothe the sting, was embarrassingly gentle.

Blinking in surprise at my tear-brimmed eyes, Shin Heejae asked,
“……Does it hurt a lot? Does it sting?”
“Get… Get lost.”

Flustered, I slapped his hand away and yanked free from his grip, storming toward the exit.
“Seyoungie hyung~.”
And there, right at the entrance, stood Urara—no, Sim Woohyun—as if he’d been waiting for us.

He waved casually, like he’d known we’d be coming this way. The way he stood there, completely relaxed, gave me a bad feeling. It didn’t look like he was going to let us pass that easily.
So I stopped, clutching my reddened nose, and of course, Heejae caught up and grabbed my wrist again. He must’ve noticed Sim Woohyun too because he muttered a low curse, though his grip on me was barely firm—just a light tug, really.
I considered shaking him off again, but then I met Sim Woohyun’s cheerful eyes and decided to stay put.

‘Yeah… Better to deal with the devil you know than a total psycho.’
Not that Shin Heejae knew what I was thinking. He glanced at me, smirked triumphantly, and then called out to Sim Woohyun in a mocking tone.
“Oh, Woohyun. How’d you even get in here? ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Losers like you get stopped at the entrance.”

“You got in just fine, didn’t you?”
“That’s different. How’d you work up the guts to come in here? Aren’t you scared of all the ex-girlfriends lurking around?”
Sim Woohyun froze for a second, then grinned and strode right up to me, grabbing my shoulders firmly.

I flinched, and Heejae shot him a murderous glare, clearly on the verge of throwing a punch. But instead, Sim Woohyun just said—
“Actually, that’s why I came. Hyung, hide me, please.”
Then he spun me around, shamelessly using me as a human shield.

Like hell my body could hide someone bigger than me, but that didn’t stop him from pressing close against my back. And worse—he turned me so I was directly facing… Yuna, who had just walked out of the first-floor doors.
“Hey, you…!”
This was not okay. I turned my head, ready to tell Sim Woohyun off, but it was already too late. Yuna had spotted us—three guys tangled up suspiciously in front of the exit.

Her face twisted in disgust as she scanned us up and down, especially me. She snorted and strode toward us, her steps sharp and purposeful.
I could feel my face heating up. Yuna stopped barely two or three steps in front of me, crossed her arms, and smirked.
“Childhood friends? …Yeah, sure.”

“……”
I didn’t need a mirror to know my face was bright red.
She looked like she was about to say something else, but then she frowned deeply, put her hands on her hips, and jerked her chin toward the back.

“That’s Sim Woohyun behind you, isn’t it? What the hell is he doing here?”
I really didn’t want to answer, but her sharp eyes pinned me in place, and I found myself blurting out politely,
“…I don’t know.”

Sim Woohyun flinched, his fingers trembling on my shoulder. Apparently even this shameless bastard was terrified of Yuna.
After giving us both a disgusted glare, Yuna brushed past me, barely avoiding bumping into my shoulder—probably thanks only to Heejae pulling me closer protectively. Still, the killing intent in her gaze only grew as she passed.
“Phew… Thanks, Seyoungie hyung…”

Only after Yuna disappeared around the corner did Sim Woohyun lift his head and grin, looking infuriatingly smug. I wanted to punch him in the face, and apparently Heejae felt the same—he immediately grabbed Sim Woohyun by the collar and yanked him hard.
“How dare you use Seyoung as a shield?”
“Gah! …I-I had to! If she saw me alone, she’d rip my hair out… Yuna’s grip is insane… I’d end up bald—Ow!”

“Ha…”
Listening to his pathetic excuse made me want to kick him, so I did. Wham! He staggered, and Heejae burst out laughing like a maniac while Sim Woohyun clung to my arm, limping dramatically.
Then he had the audacity to say—

“Ugh! Sebyeok-nim, you’re a martial artist, right? Feels like you’re at least yellow-belt level…”
“Fuck, get off me!”
At this point, I realized this bastard was starting to treat me like some kind of joke, so I snapped.

Heejae grinned approvingly and grabbed Sim Woohyun’s arms, egging me on to hit him again.
‘What the hell, does he think I’m on his team now?’
And Sim Woohyun just kept laughing, even pinned down like that.

“Agh, screw you both! Go mess around by yourselves, you psychos!”
Deciding the smartest move was to ignore them, I turned to leave. But of course, Heejae immediately threw his arm over my shoulder, and Sim Woohyun stuck to my side like glue, chatting at Heejae instead.
“Come on, you’re really not drinking? Seriously? Heejae, you never miss stuff like this.”

“Shut it.”
Heejae cursed shortly, not even bothering to argue. He just shot Sim Woohyun a murderous glare and then glanced at me, as if checking my reaction.
It almost felt like he was skipping out on this because of me, which… caught me off guard.

‘What the hell are you looking at me for?’
I never told him not to drink. He just brought his car, so obviously he couldn’t…
But apparently, I wasn’t the only one who misunderstood that look. Sim Woohyun clearly thought Heejae was skipping it because I didn’t want him to. He clung to my arm like a whining kid and started pestering me.

“Sebyeok-hyung, come on, that guy lives for clan meetups. Don’t be so cruel to a gamer like him.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Caught off guard by his accusatory tone, I sputtered defensively.

“Cruel? I didn’t stop him!”
“Yeah, right. It’s obvious he’s skipping because of you.”
“The hell are you on about?”

I frowned at Heejae, but he just shrugged like he didn’t know anything.
It annoyed me that Sim Woohyun kept blaming me, but… I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he was right. If Heejae really was distancing himself from his friends just because of me, it felt… weird.
‘I mean, it’s not like I’m… his controlling girlfriend or anything…’

Still, the idea of him drinking, getting drunk, and causing a scene with me there… Ugh. No thanks. And being dragged to a clan meetup where people whispered “Hey, that’s the netkama” behind my back? Hell no.
But still…
‘If he really goes to every single meetup… it feels wrong if he’s skipping just because of me.’

I glanced up at Heejae, who was brushing his shoulder against mine sneakily. The moment our eyes met, he grinned like an idiot, then, as if caught doing something naughty, quickly looked away.
‘Moron.’
Always sneaking chances to touch me, but sometimes acting like a clueless idiot… It left me completely unsure how to deal with him—whether to push him away or just let him be.

And right now was one of those times. Him ignoring all his usual hangouts just to drive me home… It was kind of burdensome, but also hard to outright reject.
“You can just drink if you want to.”
“What?”

“Don’t mind me…”
It was meant as a considerate gesture—I didn’t want him giving anything up because of me. But the only one who smiled was Sim Woohyun.
Heejae’s eyes widened for a moment, then he frowned, glaring at me like I’d just offended him.

‘Idiot.’
I’d already expected that even if I tried to be considerate, it’d go right over his thick head.
“……If you go, I go. If you don’t go, I don’t either.”

As expected, he was stubborn as hell. His lips stuck out ridiculously, and I wanted to pinch them, but I just sighed.
“Ha… Fine, let’s go then.”
“What?”

“Hell yeah!! I knew you’d say yes, Sebyeok-nim!!”
Meanwhile, I was indifferent, Heejae looked pissed, and Sim Woohyun was practically bouncing with joy.
‘Yeah… This was a mistake.’

The regret hit me instantly, but I swallowed it down, poked Heejae’s side, and muttered,
“Well? Lead the way.”


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