Chapter 37: An Explanation About Kenn

I stopped beneath a shady tree, clutching my aching stomach. Only then did I realize that since morning I had not eaten anything. Breathing heavily, I rummaged through the pocket of my uniform, hoping there was still some money left.

That hope collapsed instantly. All I found was a rectangular eraser that was already half gone.

Damn.

Just as I was about to give in to the hunger, Tomi suddenly appeared, running toward me. I immediately stood up and greeted him with an overly bright smile.

Tomi frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

I was about to open my mouth when another memory struck me. My smile vanished.

I took a breath and crossed my arms. “Did you forget that you owe me?”

“Owe you what?” Tomi frowned. “About the treat? Didn’t I already pay you back?”

I remained silent, not responding.

“Okay,” he continued after a few seconds. “Let’s just go to the cafeteria. I’ll treat you again.”

Hearing the word treat, my body nearly jumped with excitement. But I quickly pulled myself together and shook my head firmly.

“It’s not about the treat, Tomi,” I said firmly. “This is more important. About Dara, Uncle Agus, and Kenn.”

Tomi’s reaction changed immediately. He sat down on a park bench, turned his face away, his fingers tapping his thigh restlessly before he finally lowered his head, lost in thought.

I remained standing, staring at him without blinking.

After a moment, Tomi looked up. “Which part do you want to know?”

“Why was Uncle Agus suddenly there that day?” I replied quickly. “Why did Dara suddenly change seats, and who exactly is Kenn?”

Before answering, Tomi cleared his throat first. “My mother asked Uncle Agus to eavesdrop on our conversation. He had already hidden under the table before I arrived at the restaurant.”

I fell silent, processing his explanation.

“As for Dara,” Tomi continued, “for now we shouldn’t bother her. Dara has her own plan. And to prove something, she really does have to change seats for a while.”

“Prove what?” I cut in impatiently.

“I don’t know,” Tomi answered honestly. “Dara doesn’t want to explain anything to me either.”

I looked straight into Tomi’s eyes, trying to find a lie there. But all I saw was a serious expression and a hint of exhaustion.

“I’m serious,” he said again. “Do you think I’m lying?”

This sleazy playboy did not seem to be lying.

I did not answer right away. Instead, another question now felt increasingly urgent.

About Kenn.

“Alright,” I finally said. “Then who is Kenn?”

“I already told you, Kenn is my cousin.”

“I know that, Tomi.” I let out a short sigh. “That’s not what I mean.” My words paused, hesitant. My head was filled with all kinds of guesses. “Who is Kenn really? And how could Kenn know that Uncle Agus was under the table?”

Tomi’s eyes widened instantly. “Where did you get that information?”

“You don’t need to know where I got it from,” I replied quickly. “You just need to answer all my questions.” My tone sounded sharper than I had intended.

My stomach had been protesting for a while now, and my patience was wearing thin. I stared at Tomi without blinking, as if warning him not to even try lying.

Tomi let out a long sigh, then nodded in resignation. “Okay. I’ll answer.”

He fell silent for a moment, as if arranging the right words. “You already know, right, that our family owns a company in the information technology field?”

I honestly did not understand where he was going with this. But to speed things up and draw out the next explanation, I simply nodded faintly.

“That company isn’t just spread across several cities,” Tomi continued. “It has expanded overseas. But there’s one thing you don’t know yet.” He looked straight at me. “Actually, Kenn oversees all of our grandfather’s companies.”

“What?” That was the only word that came out of my mouth.

My mouth fell open, my eyes widening completely. The truth about Kenn hit me without warning. For a moment, I even forgot how to breathe.

“Back then, after Grandpa passed the companies down to his children, almost all of them experienced a decline two years later,” Tomi went on in a quieter voice. “Especially the company run by my mother. At the time, it was nearly bankrupt. But Kenn, who was only thirteen years old back then, managed to make Uncle Tama’s company grow rapidly. Not just survive, but truly rise and become what you could call successful.”

Tomi paused for a moment, making sure I was still listening.

“Once the family realized just how extraordinary Kenn’s abilities were, all the companies were eventually handed over to him. And Kenn is also the one who holds the largest share of stocks in all of our family’s IT companies.”

I stood there like a statue. My body stiffened, as if it had lost its ability to move. Tomi’s words spun around in my head, far too big to process all at once.

Shocked, disbelieving, and utterly confused.

How could a thirteen-year-old possibly control so many major companies whose names were already known in various countries, unless that child had been a genius from birth?

“By now, you should be able to draw your own conclusion from my story,” Tomi said. “That Kenn could—”

“STOP.” I cut him off firmly.

I no longer wanted to hear any further explanations, especially about the reason behind Uncle Agus’s presence. With Kenn’s position as the most important person in the company, ordering his subordinates to do anything was clearly not difficult. Even if that order had to reach Tomi’s mother.

No wonder that guy always looked so confident, cold, and seemed to belittle everyone.

Arrogant.

Suddenly, Tomi burst into loud laughter. His voice was booming and completely impossible to hide.

“What’s wrong with you, Tomi?” I snapped irritably. “What’s so funny?”

Instead of stopping, his laughter grew even more uncontrollable. His shoulders shook, his breath coming in gasps from laughing too hard.

“Tomi!” I shouted, stomping my foot.

He finally wiped the corner of his eyes, wet with tears of laughter. “That story about Kenn really had quite an effect on you,” he said between laughs. “So much so that you didn’t even realize your stomach has been growling nonstop for a while now, Frel.”

I froze.

Oh no.

Oh God.

Luckily, only Tomi heard it. If anyone else around here had noticed, I was sure my face would have turned completely red and my dignity would have been utterly destroyed.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, then took a deep breath. Fine. There was no point denying it.

I made a decision.

Right now, I had to go to the cafeteria. I would run as fast as I could and repay my suffering stomach with all kinds of delicious food available there.

And of course, with one important condition. With Tomi. On his treat. Again.

As for Kenn?

Oh God. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy!

So all this time, I had been at odds with a guy who was unbelievably rich and insanely influential.

After this, should I just dig a hole and bury myself instead?

........................................