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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Did Ye-na smoke in her previous life?
I remember not even smelling the scent on her when I first met her as a cafe owner…
Am I mistaken?
That couldn’t be.
There was no way I, who had become a nicotine addict unable to live without cigarettes after divorcing Ha-rin, could be mistaken about this smell.
I didn’t want to suddenly ask Ye-na if she was a smoker while she was diligently explaining, so I listened intently to her explanation for now.
“Now. Look. Do you understand? This concept of perspective and vanishing point?”
“Uh… Roughly?”
“Try it.”
Ye-na brought a sample monster photo and told me to try the composition.
I tried it roughly as I learned, but…
Hmm. It seemed that even in my second life, a talent that didn’t exist before wouldn’t suddenly appear.
Even to me, it looked quite different from the photo.
“Did it turn out well?”
Ye-na, who approached me, frowned deeply.
“…Hey Choi In-wook.”
“Y-yes.”
It felt like I was getting scolded.
“Sigh… Don’t you think this isn’t it, even when you look at it?”
“It’s… a bit strange. Haha.”
“A bit? Just a bit?”
Ye-na spoke to me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Alright. I’ll teach you from the beginning again. Listen carefully this time.”
Perhaps considering that I was a beginner, she repeated the explanation she had given a little while ago almost exactly the same.
I thought I definitely focused a bit more this time, but the result was…
“…Miserable.”
An unfiltered honest thought slipped out.
“I agree.”
Ye-na, who was watching me from behind, also seemed at a loss for words looking at my drawing.
“Hmm…”
I tried my best but it wasn’t working out, so I felt frustrated.
Just as I was thinking of giving up on drawing, thinking what kind of drawing this was,
“…Let’s try again.”
Ye-na looked at me with determined eyes.
“…Huh?”
“Try it one more time. If it doesn’t work, then give up or learn from the president later.”
I nodded at her, who seemed to have a competitive spirit.
“Yeah. Sorry. Then please just one more time.”
And on the third attempt, with a demonstration and explanation,
I thought I had fully grasped the theory, but my hands definitely had some defect.
Looking at the drawing with the axes completely misaligned, Ye-na slapped her forehead with her palm.
“…Oh my God.”
No words could better describe the current situation than her single phrase.
Oh my God indeed. Oh my God.
Ye-na, who let out a deep sigh, looked out the window for a moment.
…Don’t tell me she wants to leave because of me.
“Sigh… Choi In-wook. I’ll go to the restroom for a bit. Take a break and try again. Although it’s minimal, it’s still better than when you started.”
“Ah. Yeah. Got it.”
Ye-na opened the room door and stepped out.
It had been about 5 seconds since she left. Ye-na’s cell phone on the desk started ringing.
Checking the screen, it said [Part-time job boss].
Thinking I should let her know just in case, I grabbed Ye-na’s phone and left the room.
Coming out into the hallway, I turned towards the restroom but saw no one, so I thought she had already gone in.
So I turned my head in the opposite direction, but for some reason, Ye-na was heading towards the stairwell.
“Ye…!”
I tried to call her name, but she had already disappeared from my sight.
No. But why is she there when she said she was going to the restroom?
Curious and having something to pass on, I quickly followed her.
Hurriedly turning the corner and arriving at the stairs, I heard footsteps coming from above.
Up here is… the rooftop?
Is she trying to go to the rooftop?
Soon, I heard the sound of a door slamming.
I climbed the stairs, arrived at the rooftop, and grabbed the doorknob.
As soon as I opened the door, what caught my eye was…
Ye-na, exhaling cigarette smoke with a relieved expression.
Perhaps sensing a presence, she turned her head to look back and our gazes intersected.
Ye-na, looking at me who had stopped in shock, was startled and dropped her cigarette.
“Ouch, ouch. What the. Why are you here?”
She seemed to be in pain as the cigarette ash touched her fingers.
Of course, Ye-na also seemed surprised that I had followed her, but the feeling was mutual.
Ha Ye-na… smoking…?
I was wide awake, faced with an image 180 degrees different from what I remembered from my previous life.
In my previous life, had she originally smoked and then quit?
She never told me though…
Is this also happening because the world line has changed?
What woke me up from my daze, unable to properly grasp the situation, was Ye-na’s trembling words.
“Hey. Choi In-wook. Why did you come all the way here?”
“…This. I thought it might be an urgent call.”
I held out her cell phone.
She took the phone and swiped to unlock the screen.
“Boss. There was a call… Aish… Asking to change the schedule again… Phew…”
She seemed to have complaints about her part-time job boss.
“Thanks. But you could have just left it as it was.”
“The call came right after you left, so I thought you might be able to answer.”
“…I see.”
After silently looking at the cigarette she dropped on the floor for a moment, Ye-na took out a cigarette pack from her pocket and put a new cigarette in her mouth.
…That’s not the pose of someone who’s only smoked for a day or two?
I could definitely say she wasn’t a beginner who had just started smoking.
As I blankly watched her light the cigarette, Ye-na, perhaps feeling awkward, held out a cigarette to me as well.
“…Do you want to smoke one too?”
“…Ah. Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you give me one.”
Ye-na lit the cigarette for me.
I naturally shielded the flame with my hand and lit the cigarette.
Sharing a cigarette with my ex-wife…
While this moment I couldn’t even imagine in my previous life felt new, it also felt awkward.
Let me take a puff first.
I took a deep breath and instantly couldn’t hold back the tickling sensation rising in my throat and started coughing.
Cough, cough.
Ah. Right. My current body has zero nicotine content.
I couldn’t stop coughing like a novice trying a cigarette for the first time.
Ye-na seemed very flustered seeing me suffering.
“Hey. What the. Choi In-wook. You don’t smoke?”
I was a notorious heavy smoker in my previous life though.
Only after my breathing returned a bit could I answer Ye-na.
“No. This is my first time.”
Ye-na had an expression as if she had received a serious shock.
No. But can’t a 20-year-old not smoke?
Or do I look like someone who would smoke that much?
I never thought that way.
“Ah. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have. It’s like I made you smoke for no reason.”
Ye-na sounded like she sincerely felt guilty.
“No, no. I was curious anyway. Haha… But it’s a bit spicy since it’s my first time.”
I tried taking another sip, but I still couldn’t hold back the cough that came up.
“No, you smoked so naturally. I thought you were a smoker.”
She snatched the cigarette I couldn’t even smoke much from my hand.
“You shouldn’t smoke this. There’s nothing good about starting something bad for your health.”
“Ah, why. You smoke too. I was curious too.”
Even if you say that, I’ll end up smoking eventually.
I only felt regret for the unfinished cigarette she confiscated.
“It’s really okay…”
“No.”
When did time pass like this?
The sun was setting diagonally.
The clock was also approaching 6 o’clock.
I thought I’d play for a bit and then leave, but it felt like time had flown by due to the continuing art lessons.
Still, it felt good to have talked a lot with Ye-na today.
Is this something I should thank the president for, who messed up the group assignment?
Ye-na, who deliciously smoked the last sip, familiarly extinguished the remaining fire in the ashtray.
Her back to the sunset, casually extinguishing the cigarette, had a rather poetic atmosphere that seemed to come out of a noir film.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
I blankly looked at her and silently followed her.
“I have to go now. What about you?”
Ye-na, who had gathered her things in the club room, asked me.
“Ah. I was going to wrap up and leave soon too.”
Anyway, I had planned to train after going back.
“Is that so? Then take care.”
I grabbed her as she was about to open the door and leave first.
“Ye-na.”
…We learned art together and even smoked together, so I tried to gather some courage.
“Yeah?”
She turned her head towards me while holding the door.
“Do you want to… have dinner with me?”
I was actually going to eat before going to train.
Since I thought we had become a bit closer…
Ye-na made a subtle expression for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“…I don’t want to.”
…It seemed I was the only one who thought the distance had narrowed.
* * *
“Sheesh. What is it. Choi In-wook.”
For some reason, In-wook in this life felt lukewarm compared to the previous life.
In my previous life, In-wook always felt like he was leading the conversation, but in this life, it felt like I was the one who kept talking to him.
[In-wook. What are you doing?]
[In-wook. I’m looking forward to our pair activity next week. Hehe.]
[In-wook. Which one do you think suits me better, this outfit or this one?]
Even though I was actively appealing like this, his reaction was cold… not quite cold, but it didn’t feel like he was responding to me as much as I wanted.
He did reply diligently, but he didn’t respond as much as I wanted.
This feeling of always lacking 2%.
Am I not cute…?
But the 20-year-old lady Yoon Ha-rin reflected in the mirror had the confidence to not lose to anyone in terms of appearance.
I was the “Flower of the Academy”!
Buzz.
Oh! It seemed to be In-wook’s reply.
[Hmm… I think this one might suit you a bit better?]
…At times like this, you should answer that both look good on me, as I had diligently taught you.
Phew…
No. I can try again.
Yoon Ha-rin. Get it together.
In-wook is destined to be with me anyway.
Let’s not be impatient.
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