Chapter 70

Chapter 70 – DATE HARD 2 . 0 #3

The restaurant cafe, Ludwig, was a so-called hidden attraction .

By default, it was a live cafe where people could eat while simultaneously listening to music . The high quality performances and delicious food meant that it was one of the most popular dating venues among couples .

The owner’s taste meant that there were fairly high quality music equipment . Amateur bands and folk singers came in overwhelming numbers with a desire to perform .

Right now, there was only one couple present . Cho Kang-suk and Seo Ha-ran were sitting down and waiting for their food, but behind the scenes, a fierce war of nerves was occurring .

“Originally, it was impossible for me to do this at this price, but I specifically did it for you . ”

Tae-hyuk just glanced at the restaurant owner . Sometimes silence was worth 100 words when bargaining .

“C-Cough!”

The owner couldn’t stand it and cleared his throat . Tae-hyuk slowly opened his mouth .

“A contract to rent the entire restaurant obviously included the food and the stage . ”

“Yes… Of course, the food is made by the best chef as you said…”

“But the problem is that the show is missing . ”

Sweat flowed down the owner’s chin . Today was Christmas Eve, the best day of the year . However, it was from the evening onwards . From 15:00 to 17:00, it was literally called Break Time where the restaurant was closed .

A customer specifically wanted to rent that time . As the owner, he naturally welcomed the customer with both hands . The meals could be cooked in advance, and he could serve it himself . But there was a problem . This wasn’t a simple restaurant, but a cafe restaurant that served food while watching a show .

“Ha, ha, ha… I am sorry for that . But really, you don’t have a person to perform?”

Tae-hyuk sighed .

By doing this, he could rent the restaurant at an unbelievably low price . But this trap was waiting for him . The atmosphere wouldn’t exist if there were no performances .

“It can’t be helped . Can I borrow the stage instead?”

“The stage?”

“Yes . A date should have music . ”

The owner’s eyes shone .

“Will you be performing directly?”

“I will use classical music to set up the atmosphere . ”

“Cough . Yes, I understand . ”

Normally, he would absolutely never allow customers on stage . The expensive equipment could break, and it was against the policy of the restaurant . However, what was happening today was at the fault of the restaurant, so it was natural for the owner to take a low profile .

Tae-hyuk added one last thing .

“Oh, please note that the stage might be noisy . Even if the equipment is broken, I will reimburse you in full so don’t worry about it . ”

“Haha, I understand . Then please show a great stage . ”

The owner nodded with a pleasant expression . However, he was inwardly laughing . He thought that the customer just wanted to stand on the stage . At best, it would be a tambourine and some karaoke skills . Did he even know how to turn on the amps?

However, it was a money-giving customer, so the owner bowed politely .

“Then I have to go and prepare the dessert . The stage is opposite of the hallway . ”

Tae-hyuk quickly headed to the place that the owner directed .

No show? Then he would do it himself .

Fortunately, there was still a bit of time until Nuclear Bomb’s henchmen arrived . He would come up with something suitable during that time .

@

Indeed, a sweet song added to the dating atmosphere . However, Tae-hyuk couldn’t handle instruments, no matter how many crime skills he had . But he could imitate voices, and he could use a CD for the accompaniment .

“Shouldn’t Ave Maria be played on Christmas?”

It was the song of greeting that was sung when the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary when baby Jesus was conceived . It was the best song for a date on Christmas Eve .

[Voice Modulation has been used . ]

-You can directly imitate the voice of Lee Yong-ho .

Singer Lee Yong-ho! With his profound voice and gentle stage manners, he was a celebrity that sometimes appeared on TV .

‘It was worth spending a lot of money to watch his performance . ’

Tae-hyuk laughed and turned on the microphone before singing along with the accompaniment . The restrained voice of a soprano spread throughout the restaurant and into the hearts of those listening .

After singing a song to praise Mary, it was time for a carol . The favourite song of the Koreans was Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You . It would make the heart that rose up from Ave Maria pound even more .

Cho Kang-suk and Seo Ha-ran . The stage for only those two was unfolding .

@

“Omo, there is suddenly a song . What song is this?”

“Ave Maria . It is so powerful that it doesn’t seem to be coming from a CD . It seems like someone is on stage . ”

“I can’t see it from here… Are we sitting in a corner?”

Kang-suk discovered that they couldn’t see the stage from where they were sitting . Why did Tae-hyuk tell him to sit here?

Fortunately, the restaurant was empty . It would be good to sit in a place where they could see the stage well . Kang-suk thought so and asked Ha-ran .

“Do you want to move to a place where we can see the stage better?”

“Ah… I just feel like listening . In addition, I’d feel sorry for the waiter if I move the food after eating . We can just keep eating here…”

“Yes, I don’t care as long as Ha-ran is fine with it . ”

Kang-suk gazed at Ha-ran sitting in front of him . She was so beautiful that it was hard for him to even look at her properly . Ha-ran blinked at him .

“I-Is there something on my face?”

“No . You are so beautiful . ”

“…Y-You don’t need to go that far…”

“Nope . I am serious . It is embarrassing that I can’t even express the full extent of your beauty . ”

Kang-suk’s eyes were serious . At first, he thought that she was just a beautiful woman when they first met . When he met her the second time, he realized that it wasn’t just her appearance that was beautiful . She was really sweet and beautiful…

“Hmm hmm…”

Kang-suk coughed while blushing,

“Ahaha… Kang-suk is also cool . Those clothes suit you really well . ”

The two quietly started eating the food, and the music turned into an exciting carol . It was like a Christmas blessing for both of them . The date that started from the bowling alley, planetarium, and amusement park was nearing its end .

“Today was really fun . I’m scared to be this happy…”

At that moment, Ha-ran stopped . There was something strange . All of a sudden, she felt a deep despair as she thought back .

As Ha-ran’s face darkened, Kang-suk’s expression became serious . He quietly wrapped his hands around Ha-ran’s .

“Ha-ran . You know that my job is to catch criminals who have done bad things . ”

“Yes… I’m aware of that . You are doing a really good job . ”

“I punish those who are doing bad things . However, is there nothing in the opposite direction? I think I give their victims the right to be happy . ”

Ha-ran’s eyes shone .

“Happy?”

“Today was fun . ”

“Yes, indeed . ”

“I don’t want it to end today . I hope that Ha-ran will continue being happy in the future . So… Ah… That…”

Ha-ran realized that there was a strange attitude around Kang-suk . He kept putting his hands in his pocket and was touching something .

Ha-ran smiled gently at the nervous Kang-suk .

“It’s okay . If your words are hard to say then I’ll wait . I’m really good at waiting . So please slow down and tell me . Yes? For example, I think I waited a long time for someone… Ahaha . I’m sorry . I’m tired . ”

“Umm . T-Then, by the way, will you date me again next time?”

Kang-suk stuttered out . Ha-ran replied with a smile .

“Yes, okay . ”

Kang-suk cheered . Although he couldn’t communicate everything properly, he could do it slowly from now on .

“Ah right, Ha-ran . After the meal, there is a place I’d like to go with you . This wasn’t in the original plan, but I’m sure that you’ll like it . ”

“Huh?”

There was a large sack beside the table where the two people were sitting, large enough to accommodate one person .

Kang-suk looked at it and smiled . If he missed this on Christmas Eve then he would feel regret .

@

It was time for Nuclear Bomb to arrive .

“Wow, I thought this was going to be Hiroshima . ”

He bribed one of the henchmen to report the movements of the group . They betrayed their group so easily for one million won . That was the weight of a bad group .

Unfortunately, the time constraints meant there was no encore . He received information from the source that the point of entry would be the through back door of the restaurant . Tae-hyuk moved to set up a trap that was prepared in advance .

Then once it was the scheduled time, voices were heard .

“It is here . ”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes . ”

“Then let’s go through the back door as I said before . ”

The henchmen quickly followed Kang Han-seong’s instructions, holding iron pipes and baseball bats in their hands . They weren’t properly armed because they thought it would be a one-sided fight against Tae-hyuk .

Tae-hyuk clicked his tongue as he watched through the surveillance camera .

“Aigoo . Don’t you know the basics of a raid? At least 30% of the total number of infiltrators should support from outside . Everyone coming in…”

Tae-hyuk confirmed that all of Kang Han-seong’s group had entered and activated the trap .

“Uh, darkness?”

“Turn on the LED of your phones!”

“U-Ugh!”

“W-what is this?”

Kang Han-seong’s group started screaming, as something sticky had covered them . Tae-hyuk turned on the light of the room and looked down at Kang Han-seong’s group who were tangled together .

“…In this way, all of you are wiped out . ”

It was a basic booby trap . Tae-hyuk set up a large net with glue at the expected point of infiltration . It had fallen and neutralized all but two people of the group of 10 .

“W-What the fuck!”

“L-Let us go!”

Tae-hyuk shrugged . What was the point of installing a trap if he was just going to release them?

“Using this much force against a student . ”

Tae-hyuk twisted the iron pipe that he equipped with the Violence skill and winked at one of the two people not trapped . That person was the spy .

Then Tae-hyuk asked,

“The two people left, do you want to be stuck together?”

“Ah, no!”

“Don’t!”

Tae-hyuk smiled wickedly at the mice stuck together .

“Now, what do I do with you?”

“I-I will kill you! Release me right now!”

“There are so many false words . Ah, yes . This is an opportunity to experiment with a new magic . ”

“M-Magic? What are you…!”

Kang Han-seong trembled .

“It won’t hurt . Hang in there . ”

Tae-hyuk lightly stepped forward and touched the bodies of the gangsters lying on the ground . Numerous messages appeared in front of him . He practiced so much that he could alternate stealing the clothes of the opponents .

The clothing that the opponents were wearing moved to his right hand . He threw them away and tapped another person lightly with his other hand . After repeating this a few times, he was able to strip all eight people of their clothes .

“Argggghhh!”

“W-What? What did you do?”

“T-T-That bastard!”

The gangsters started to scream . Tae-hyuk smirked .

“I left your underwear behind due to my conscience . Now, shutter time!”

He pulled out a camera and started to take photos of the naked men thrashing around .

Click! Click!

“Ohhh… . . ”

Kang Han-seong’s group moaned .

“Your personal motto was ‘to live and die like men’ right? Then what would happen if these photos were scattered around the neighbourhood?”

“S-Stop!”

“Are you short on words?”

“P-Please stop!”

Tae-hyuk sat on a chair and showed the people the photos he just took on the digital camera . Screams could be heard from here and there .

“Now, let’s negotiate . Will you continue to fight me as enemies? Of course, if you do so, then you won’t be able to prevent these photos from being printed and scattered around . Or I can give you a part time job taking care of things that I’d rather not do . Of course, I will take care of the costs . Well . This much for one time?”

Tae-hyuk quietly raised two fingers . Kang Han-seong swallowed his saliva .

All of a sudden, there was an offer from the opponent .

“This doesn’t mean that you will become my subordinates . It is just a formal contract . Of course, I am the one in charge . ”

“D-Do you mean things like beating up your enemies?”

“You understand quickly . It is something similar . ”

Tae-hyuk looked at Kang Han-seong and his henchmen .

‘I need some long-term pieces I can move at will . ’

If he gave them money then he could use them moderately . He would be able to use them to fight other criminals in the future .