Chapter 279.


    <strong>Chapter 279. Thearium, Operation Hook Up: <b>The Post Show</b><b>. </b>(2/4)</strong>


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Kid, can you let go of my hand?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“K-Kid?” Zale awkwardly stuttered out when Ang showed little courtesy. It was obvious Ang wasn’t the slightest bit moved by his looks.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, you’re in high school, so it’s only appropriate that I call you ‘kid.’”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Well, Ang was a celebrity after all. She was around attractive guys all the time so Zale was just another one of those guys.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Hehehe, it had all worked out so well. He’d taken blow after blow to his inted pride. My objective was to humble him, and everything had gone so well it was almost scary. When would something go wrong? Things couldn’t possibly y out in my favor forever.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It’s probably best for me to make my exit and slip away while they’re all distracted with each other so I can avoid anything going horribly wrong for me. The worst-case would be Ang discovering me here and everyone else discovering my connection to Ang.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It’s not that I intended to hide it forever from Alicia, Rosa, and Irene. It’s just that I needed a way to test the waters. I needed them to meet naturally on their own like this. For them to be acquainted and get on good terms.


    <span style="font-weight:400">This was a side objective in inviting Ang here today. It was a seed nted for the future. I needed to know if I could trust Ang if she came to know the women I was entangled with. That she wouldn’t try to harm them. If they built up a positive rtionship first, I wouldn’t need to worry as much in the future should everythinge to light.


    <span style="font-weight:400">While nobody was paying attention to me, I took a step back, turned around, and exited out the back exit in the main hall on thearium side undetected.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Outside I removed my phone from my hoodie pocket and held it up close to my ear to listen in on their conversation inside. This was the reason I’d gone through the effort to call myself from Alicia’s phone in advance. It was in the event we sessfully initiated contact with Ang. I knew I couldn’t say anything in front of her, so it’d be useless if I stayed behind, but I still wanted to know how things yed out so I could n my next course of action.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ugh. This is starting to get troublesome,” Ang let out a distressedint through the phone.


    <span style="font-weight:400">What was troublesome were the eyes that had gathered on the group right when I slipped out.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Look, I’m really not a criminal. I’m actually just wearing a wig because…” I couldn’t hear the continuation of what Ang said.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That voice… no way… seriously? Your identity... is…” Agitated, Alicia hesitantly sought rification.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Judging by Alicia’s startled reaction over the phone, it seemed Ang had quietly whispered her identity to the trio using the distinct voice she was best known for.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. So, can you guys please not go around bbing to everyone that you saw me here?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“But of course! We wouldn’t ever do something so discourteous!” Zale enthusiastically responded on behalf of the group.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ria, you promise too.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Since Alicia wasn’t asked to promise the way Izora was, I assumed she’d vehemently nodded her head in agreement with what Zale said. By her reactions, it seemed Alicia was most likely a bit of a fan and enjoyed Ang’s music.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Huh, sure. Whatever, I guess.” Izora didn’t sound particrly interested despite having encountered this big-shot celebrity. Well, Ang’s music probably wasn’t her cup of tea after all. She probably enjoyed darker genres such as death metal.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Will you really keep this a secret?” Ang asked worriedly.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Of course she will. I’ll make sure of it.” Zale had taken on the role of the group’s leader in front of Ang. It was pretty obvious he was trying to make himself look good in front of her.


    <span style="font-weight:400">His eagerness to form a connection with her was all but too obvious even when I couldn’t see him through the phone. Was he simple-minded? No. He was fully aware of exactly how important connections were in the real world. This was the opportunity of a lifetime and he couldn’t squander this chance.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ah. That’s right, I forgot about that guy. He needs to promise as well.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Huh? Where’d he go?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, you’re right… where did he…” Alicia let out a puzzled remark when she finally noticed my absence.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“There was someone else with you three?” Ang asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">I’d slumped down against the wall and hidden behind Alicia’s back when she first made contact, so Ang hadn’t paid much attention to me. It was the skill I’d honed all throughout my school life to avoid being caught in ss pictures. Who knew it woulde in handy in such an unexpected ce?


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, he was here just now… I’ll text him and find out where he went,” Alicia muttered.


    <span style="font-weight:400">What the hell is Izora doing? Speak up, woman.


    <span style="font-weight:400">After a bit of static, and a short silence, I received a text from Alicia.


    <span style="font-weight:400">‘Where’d you go?’


    <span style="font-weight:400">It seemed she hadn’t noticed there was a call connected as it was minimized. She was too distracted by Ang and she hadn’t paid much attention to the icons on her phone screen. She hadn’t even questioned why her phone was unlocked. Just how shocked was she by this encounter?


    <span style="font-weight:400">Did she feel guilty about using Ang of being a criminal and exposing her identity as a celebrity?


    <span style="font-weight:400">I quickly texted Alicia back, ‘Sorry, I had to go to the toilet.’


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, I forgot, he told me he was going to go to the toilet just now.” The one who said that wasn’t Alicia. It was Izora. It was about damn time she spoke up. She’d forgotten this part of the n. I’d told her I’d slip away to the washroom after provoking him one more time after the show was over so she could be alone with him until he left.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, you’re right... he had to use the restroom.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. If he left already then he never heard what I told you three just now anyway.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. That idiot doesn’t matter at all. He’spletely irrelevant, there’s no need to concern yourself with him.” Zale didn’t miss the chance to take shots at me.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hmm, is that so?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yes.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">I’m her boyfriend though.


    <span style="font-weight:400">I wonder what sort of expression Zale would have if I said that. Well, not that I’d ever go and reveal that to an enemy.


    <span style="font-weight:400">As I listened to their conversation, I made my way around the building on the outside and entered through the entrance near the coatroom. While they chatted, with my hood up, I slipped in amidst the crowd of students as they excitedly chattered and discussed the show. Nobody paid any attention to me.


    <span style="font-weight:400">I yanked my jacket off the hanger as I passed by, retrieved my bag from the locker at the back, and changed my clothes in the restroom. I removed the red spiked cor around my neck, earrings from my ears, and pink contacts from my eyes. I stuffed the wig into my bag and returned to my usual appearance.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Once Alicia and Zale departed with their ss, I’d be free to leave.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hey, shouldn’t you two be leaving with your ss now?” Ang suddenly posed that question to Zale and Alicia. It seems she didn’t assume Ria was in high school. Well, that was natural with the way she was dressed right now whenpared to the two who were in their school uniforms.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? You’re right. It looks like everyone’s almost ready to leave.” Alicia agreed.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“We still have some time.” It was clear Zale didn’t want to miss out on this chance. However, Ang had made it pretty clear from their interaction that she had little to no interest in Zale. The way she interacted with him sounded like she wanted to get rid of a pest.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Do you mind me asking what your ns are today? Do you n to watch another show?” Zale inquired.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hmm? Why?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, I was just curious was all.” Bullshit, his n was too easy to see through. He’d head back to school, im he was sick to go home, then return here and try to deepen his connection with Ang.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No, I don’t n to stick around. I’ll be leaving now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Are you nning to go shopping or something?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No, I was nning to get something to eat at a restaurant.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? Really? I’d rmend this restaurant at the mall, I know someone there. If you tell him I referred you, the food’s on the house. But, I suppose you wouldn’t care for free food when you’re as well off as you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Not at all. I’m actually low on funds. Every penny counts.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Hahaha, so things were progressing on that end.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You? Low on funds?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, recent investments.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I see. For an investment you made to have you low on funds, it must be something big.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, you could say that.”