A Handsome Kinky Gangster Reporter

I rubbed my sleepy eyes while still hugging Claude like a child. Claude’s body temperature and hot breath brushed against my body. I patted his broad back and tried to calm him down.

“Have you been having the same dream lately?”

“Yes.”

“Phew. I won’t let you go when I meet them one day. What crime did a child commit to create such bad memories? You know, I cut my ties with your bullies a long time ago?”

Claude laughed with his eyes closed as I sighed.

“You can protect me forever.”

“Yes. Don’t worry. Trust me.”

“Ha… Seriously, why are you so adorable?”

Claude brushed his palm against my face as he slowly opened his eyes. His face started getting closer and closer.

“What, what’s wrong with you? Get your face off me.”

I pushed away his approaching face with my hand.

“Grown men are disgusting.”

When we were young, Claude used to hug me and ask to be kissed on the cheek if there was something to praise about him. We were both young back then, so the young Claude was as beautiful as a carved angel. Claude’s innocent appearance naturally made me smile, and her beauty was so adorable that I wanted to kiss him.

However, it was different now. It felt embarrassing to express such affection to him, also because we already acknowledged each other.

When I pushed his face away, his eyes seemed to droop. He pouted.

“You don’t like me anymore?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what? You often used to stroke my hair and hug me, noona. However, you’ve been keeping your distance from me lately.”

“Hey, it’s because of you.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You clearly figure out how embarrassed I feel every time you come out of the bathroom lately!”

Claude smiled at my words.

Look at that delightful gaze. It was clear he took pleasure in my misery.

The other day, Claude came out of the bathroom with almost nothing on him. He was only covering his lower body with a towel. When I saw him, I tried not to, but my eyes were instinctively glued to Claude’s body. It was such a pleasure to see the water droplets running down along his broad shoulders and stomach. My face would get hot as I stared at the lower half of his body without realizing it many times.

He seemed to enjoy my gaze every time. Where did that angelic child go? Was there only the mischievous side of him left now?

I assumed this tough man didn’t realize that his back had become so broad now.

Claude suddenly let out a sigh again.

“I keep feeling sad because I thought you don’t like me anymore. I only have you, Aunt Bella, and a scary father.”

Oh no. My little brother made that painful expression again.

When Claude made such an expression, I was bewildered and tried to do anything according to his will. This clever b*st*rd clearly knew that I was already quite weak to the expression he made.

I didn’t know what to say to him, so I just patted Claude’s back instead. He pulled my waist and trapped me in his arms. I tried to pull myself away because I was running out of breath, but I felt the increasing force of Claude’s arms around me. He whined at me as if a child.

“Hug me back, Noona.”

I wouldn’t be able to escape Claude’s embrace despite my struggle. I just gave up and tried to relax in his arms.

‘Okay, let’s just think of him as a doll.’

A huge teddy bear. I imagined I was hugging it right at that moment. As I thought so, I felt relief wrapped around me.

The side effects of the illusion seen earlier were accompanied by excessive emotions and drowsiness that would last for a few days. My mother didn’t even hesitate to cast a spell on her daughter with such side effects. Seeing that, I guessed the fact that my mother used to be a cruel witch was true…

“Hey, are you falling asleep?”

Sigh.

‘I’m hugging a man and I’m not nervous at all, am I not? I mean, does he even look like a man to me?’

I felt like I could hear this voice in my ears, but I got lost along with the consciousness as I entered an increasingly deep dream.

*  *  *

Claude couldn’t fall back to sleep. Not when the girl he adored was sleeping soundly in his arms. What kind of man can stay calm in this situation? Blood continued to flow to his limbs.

“Haa… This is driving me crazy.”

Haley’s regular breathing brushed his body teasingly. Her sweet breath continued to tickle the skin along Claude’s chest. Haley’s body smelled of red roses like her hair.

The woman in Claude’s arms was so beautiful that it made his heart pound as if it would burst. Nevertheless, Claude didn’t want to move from the bed. The arm supporting Haley’s head began to tingle as each second passed by. However, instead of paying attention to his arm that started to get numb, Claude kept his eyes on Haley’s red and glossy lips.

“It’s your fault.”

His noona, who entered the bed of a grown man fearlessly, was too helpless. Contrary to his well-known innocent self, ten restless wolves were occupying Claude’s heart while roaring in different voices.

‘What do you think of someone you’re grateful for? Pick up your senses, Claude.’

The battle between the conscientious wolf and the other nine wolves with different words continued in his mind.

‘After all, I am a man. I’ll do it right this time.’

‘It’s a perfect day to play with fire.’

‘Let’s pretend we are innocent. Let’s pretend it’s just an instinct.’

‘Finally the party is about to start!!!’

The other five wolves demanded a high-risk action from him. It seemed like Claude had gone mad for a moment and it changed every minute. The conscience that he barely held earnestly, was taken down in an instant. When he came to his senses, Haley’s soft lips had already met his.

“Oh my! What have I done?!”

It was just a simple peck on the lips. They often shared these kinds of kisses when they were young. Obviously, Claude made several attempts to aim for Haley’s lips when she was about to kiss his cheek.

It was sweet for a brief moment, and it was such a shame that he had to let it go. Did Haley smear honey on her lips? Claude kept having the urge to taste that red lips glossed with honey again and again.

“I love you, Haley.”

Although Haley didn’t hear him, Claude managed to express his sincere feeling and got up from the bed vigorously. When Claude pulled her arm, Haley’s body wobbled. Fortunately, she didn’t wake up from a sweet dream. Claude felt someone’s pricking gaze as he sat up and stroked Haley’s soft hair. Claude turned his head to look.

“Gloria?”

Gloria’s cold gaze was sensed all the way from the open door. When Claude looked at her, he tried to contain his expression. However, somehow her eyes still looked angry as they stared at him.

“Uh… please pretend as if you never saw it. Please.”

Claude hadn’t even expressed his feelings yet. How bad would it be if others heard him do this because he couldn’t contain his lust? With that thought in mind, Claude asked Gloria to pretend not to see him.

“Do you love unnie?”

Gloria’s expression was laced with a hint of reluctance. Claude quickly corrected her misunderstanding.

“I don’t know what you misunderstood, but we’re not related by blood. I got help and lived in this house when I was young, so I still live here. And I’ve only loved Haley for the past eight years.”

The difficult confession he had tried to tell Haley was revealed in front of Gloria, whom he thought of as someone else. Perhaps, because she had nothing to do with him. Hearing her confession, Gloria turned around.

“Alright, I’ll keep it a secret for you.”

*  *  *

Gloria turned around and walked out of the house. After having a frown for a while, her expression did not return to the original. She thought that she could probably breathe relievingly after taking a walk around the neighborhood. As she walked with a strained heart, she unknowingly reached the rock at the top of the mountain behind the house.

Perhaps, because she was in a bad mood, she unknowingly climbed the mountain all by herself. Gloria couldn’t even hear the usual sound of chirping birds. However, when she reached the top of the mountain, a large black crow hovered lonely over her. Gloria looked up.

‘I envy you. You can fly freely anywhere because of your wings.’

She directed her thoughts to the crow. In her eyes, it was a desperate way of not thinking about Claude. Did the crow have a family that only causes it trouble? Perhaps, there was a lover who loved the bird wholeheartedly and waited for the black and ugly creature somewhere in the forest?

Before long, the crow disappeared into the darkness. In the distance, the bright sun began to rise, lifting itself up little by little. Gloria realized that she was not a crow that had wings. She had to return to the real world. To the lonely and strange place where she felt no love from anyone.

Gloria thought that she was lucky to become useful for her father because she was young and beautiful. She was so grateful that even the wealthy Baron Stephen wanted to protect her. Despite the fact that her dream of building a family with the wonderful person she loved had been shattered.

Standing on tiptoe and moving one more step, she saw an abyss. Her future would change depending on which way she turned her body. Gloria thought of her family members who had yet to change. If she left like this, her father and sister would be falling apart due to debt.

“Yes, I will get married, I’m going to get married.”

She finally turned around again and walked along the path she had walked through. Gloria returned to the Haley Family’s home and left a note saying that she would stay at the Baron’s house before officially getting married. She thought it was a good thing that she had brought only a few things.

“You know what, Claude? First love cannot come true.”

In the end, what she said yesterday came back to her like a boomerang and left a big scar. If you know it’s going to be a prophecy, don’t declare love to him. Gloria wished, if only she hadn’t done so, she wouldn’t have gotten that cold stare from Claude.

Gloria couldn’t believe the sight she saw at dawn even until now.

The compassion that was attached in Claude’s hand was only directed at her one and only friend, Haley. He said that it was the kind of emotion that had started a long time ago, even before he realized it. In the end, it was her who stepped in as the uninvited guest between them.

‘I actually knew it. His feelings.’

Without realizing it, Gloria’s feelings of hatred towards her innocent friend kept on growing. It was obviously clear that Haley didn’t know about her unrequited love by seeing how she supported Claude with her. Even so, Gloria felt that her pain and emotions would be erased just by hating someone.

“Oh, right. I won’t give the ring back.”

She took out the square box containing the ring from her pocket.

Inside the box was a slender ring. She stared at the ring before putting it on her finger. Perhaps, because she now knew it wasn’t hers, it was a little loose than her expectation that it would fit before. She moved the ring from her left hand to her ring finger on the right. After that, the ring felt comfortable as if it had figured out its place.

“Sorry, Claude. I’ll take this.”

‘Think of this as recompensation for the sinful crime of having swayed someone’s heart.’

Gloria walked to the Baron’s residence with a broken heart.