Chapter 36 : Fruit of Patience

“Iris. You were the first to disappear from the hospital, huh? Take care of Laika tomorrow. He just woke up, and he was really disappointed not to see the one who risked her life to save him.”

“What is this?”

Iris frowned as if she’d just seen something unbelievable.

She had no real connection with the manager — they’d only exchanged a quick greeting on the movie set earlier today.

And now, this… this rude message.

It was sarcastic, and then suddenly ordered her to take care of Laika, all in informal speech.

For a moment, she thought it might be spam and even checked who sent it.

Are staff always like this?

I mean, I am the youngest… and definitely lower on the ladder.

But still… hmm, the manager did look a bit older. Maybe that’s why…

She wanted to respond, “Why are you talking like that?” but biting back was risky — she could get fired.

This wasn’t just a typical part-time job.

It was a precious connection to the villains.

So even if it was frustrating, she had to endure.

Gritting her teeth, Iris began writing a polite reply.

“Ah… caregiving? Is that really something I have to…”

Caregiving?

Why take care of someone who’s perfectly fine?

No matter how she thought about it, it felt unfair.

She considered saying something like, “That’s not part of my job. Will there be extra pay?” — but paused.

Now wasn’t the time to complain.

Actually, this might be a good opportunity.

A chance to get close to Laika.

No reason to refuse.

Iris erased her message and rewrote it.

“I was actually worried about Mr. Laika. I’ll visit him first thing tomorrow.”

Soon, a reply came back.

This time, it included a news article link.

“See? People are saying bad things about you. I was worried you’d be hurt. I really hope you’ll come tomorrow.‘Who’s the staff member Laika saved? Saved twice, yet couldn’t be more ungrateful.’”

“What the hell is this?”

Eyes wide, Iris quickly clicked the article.

It said the female staff who’d received Laika’s help at the bakery café was his road manager, and that even now, after receiving help again, she heartlessly went straight home.

She deliberately avoided the comments section, worried they might give her a heart attack she didn’t even have.

“Why make an article out of something this trivial? These trash reporters have no shame.”

There had been plenty of real news today — breaking incidents one after another.

Reporters should’ve been overwhelmed.

And yet here they were, tossing this meaningless non-story to netizens to chew up and tear apart.

Absolute trash…

Iris was too stunned for words.

As she let out a hollow laugh while reading the article, more links started popping up in her messenger.

It wasn’t out of concern that she might be hurt — it felt more like they were worried she wouldn’t be.

Uselessly kind shares.

Iris frowned at the titles.

“Forget the grateful magpie — here comes the ungrateful jerkpie.”

“Ungrateful road manager. Who is this ‘I-XX’? Netizens already digging up her info…”

“What the hell… they’re digging this deep? But they completely ignore the actual villain cases. They go full detective mode on this nonsense…”

Iris’s heart pounded.

She didn’t even want to click anymore.

She was worried she’d go from heart pain to nausea.

Who enjoys being publicly hated?

And now people were digging into her personal details.

For what?

The internet in Gyodam City really was crawling with lunatics who dreamed of becoming criminals.

Face pale, Iris quickly sent a message.

“Should I come right now?”

“Ah, no. I understand you’re scared and surprised, but Laika needs rest. And technically, no visitors are allowed at night.”

“Ah, I see.”

So… they didn’t mean right now.

Then why send the articles so late at night?

If it was that important, they could’ve shared them in the morning.

Why cause panic in the middle of the night?

Iris frowned sharply as she recalled the friendly-looking face of the manager she had seen earlier that day.

She shouldn’t have judged people based on first impressions.

She’d heard plenty of stories about how young staff members often got mistreated in the entertainment industry.

This manager was clearly a creep who enjoyed watching powerless newbies suffer.

Birds of a feather — maybe working as Laika’s manager turned him into the same kind of person.

A moment after Iris sent her reply, another message arrived.

Was it just her imagination, or did it feel like he was deliberately trying to provoke her, sending messages that he knew would make her anxious — like offering medicine after making her sick?

“Did you read the article? The headline is just clickbait — the content is nothing. No way they’d reveal your personal info just because you did something wrong. Don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll head over first thing in the morning.”

“No, no need to rush. Finish whatever you need to do first. The title is just sensational — no one really has the time to dig up a civilian’s personal details.”

At that fake reassurance, Iris ground her teeth.

Don’t worry, he said — but hadn’t he already sent her a flood of articles in the middle of the night, scaring her out of her wits?

She inhaled slowly, then exhaled.

Getting mad wouldn’t help.

She held back and carefully wrote a polite message.

“Okay. Then instead of the morning, I’ll come by in the afternoon.”

“Sounds good. See you tomorrow.”

But then, shortly after—

“Oh right, Laika says he wants to eat some melon. And mango too. A fruit basket would be a perfect gift for a hospital visit.”

Is he out of his damn mind…?

Iris had been about to turn off her phone after reading the “see you tomorrow” message.

But when the next one came in, she stared at it, silently carving the word patience into her heart.

Melon and mango — both expensive fruits.

She was just a road manager, and not even a full-timer — she was registered as a day worker.

Everyone knew that pay was meager.

And yet here he was, telling her to bring a fruit basket with those fancy fruits?

She was planning to bring a bottle of Bacchus or something cheap…

Maybe it wasn’t Laika who wanted melon and mango — maybe this bastard did.

Annoyance bubbled up.

Yeah.

This is so annoying.

But still… he did save me.

I mean, technically I was about to save him, but who would believe that?

To outsiders, it totally looks like Laika saved me.

“Of course. I’ll definitely bring it. Have a good night.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow ^^”

Seeing that obnoxious smiley face, Iris slammed her phone onto the side table and flopped into bed.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her ragged, angry breathing, and closed her eyes.

Somehow, it was already 3 a.m.

The day had been far too intense, and sleep didn’t come easy.

Still, she had to rest, no matter what.

After tossing and turning for a while, she finally found a comfortable position.

Even though she tried not to think, news of Desnes’s death kept floating through her mind.

Haah… I’m not going to die quietly like Desnes, right?

No one will ever find out who I am.

Absolutely not.

***

“Pfft, you can tell how mad she is just from her words.”

Laika, lying sideways on his VIP hospital bed, snickered while holding the manager’s phone.

He’d just sent those messages to Iris while pretending to be the manager.

Watching him laugh like that, the manager — seated on a metal chair — grew increasingly nervous.

He’d lent Laika his phone when asked, but now he was worried.

What on earth had Laika said to Iris to make him laugh that hard?

A moment later, Laika, wearing a satisfied expression, turned off the phone and tossed it back to the manager.

“Done.”

“Huh? All the messages are deleted…”

The manager checked the phone, then looked at Laika with disbelief.

Laika rested his chin on his hand, puffing out one cheek and speaking in a mocking tone.

“What? Something wrong?”

“N-no, nothing.”

When Laika glared, the manager quickly pocketed the phone and shook his head.

Then he hurried out of the room.

He knew all too well how volatile Laika could be — better to stay low.

“I’ll be going now.”

After the door shut, Laika laid back with his arms behind his head, resting on his pillow.

It had been a long time since he’d had such a fun, thrilling day.

That chandelier falling really did surprise me.

But I had a feeling I should faint.

Turns out it wasn’t an accident — that bastard Desnes was behind it.

Laika smirked, amused at the memory.