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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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After much deliberation.
Han Saebyeok told Ju Hana that Kang Cheol-jin and Pi A-reum were dating.
“They’re dating…?”
Ju Hana asked back with a blank face. Her expression showed considerable shock.
Han Saebyeok instantly wondered if she had spoken unnecessarily, but on the other hand, she thought it was for the best. If she was this shocked now, how disappointed would she be if she confessed without knowing anything and got rejected?
Ju Hana asked again, looking like she was about to cry.
“Did Cheol-jin say that?”
“He didn’t, but… circumstantially, it’s clear.”
“Circumstantially? Tell me in detail, unnie.”
“It was the day I first met A-reum…”
Although she hadn’t heard directly from him that they were dating, Han Saebyeok was certain.
Pi A-reum, drunk and being targeted by men.
Kang Cheol-jin, who came to pick up Pi A-reum.
The two of them meeting again in the laundry room the next day.
By all accounts, they were clearly a couple. Even just recalling Pi A-reum’s words confirmed it. Though she was drunk, hadn’t she openly told Kang Cheol-jin to have sex with her?
In fact, there was an even more important reason than those words.
Han Saebyeok recalled the two she saw in the laundry room.
Pi A-reum, asleep leaning on Kang Cheol-jin’s shoulder, and Kang Cheol-jin, looking at her with affectionate eyes. The sight of the two that day was like a picture of lovers.
And so, Han Saebyeok cautiously unraveled the story, observing Ju Hana’s complexion. She hoped her beloved dongsaeng wouldn’t get too hurt.
“This is all I saw and heard.”
“I see. Thank you for telling me, unnie.”
“…Hana, are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Ju Hana, nodding her head, surprisingly seemed to have regained her composure. Her expression was the opposite of how she had looked just moments ago, as if she were about to cry.
Han Saebyeok looked at Ju Hana worriedly. She seemed too calm, which made her even more concerned. The Ju Hana she knew wasn’t the kind of child who could be so calm after hearing what she just did.
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
‘Could it be that she’s thinking of stealing him?’
Han Saebyeok quickly dismissed the thought that had just popped up. Ju Hana, of all people, stealing someone’s partner? It was unimaginable.
Nevertheless, she asked out of worry.
“Hana, are you perhaps…”
“Huh?”
“Are you going to confess? To him.”
“C-confess?”
Ju Hana’s face instantly flushed red. Her expression showed she hadn’t even thought of it. Sure enough, Ju Hana shook her head vigorously.
“Oh, no. I can’t do something like that…”
“Right? He’s already dating someone.”
Han Saebyeok nodded with relief.
“Don’t be too disappointed. There are many other good people besides him.”
“Oh, uh-huh.”
“You don’t necessarily have to date a guy… If you’re lonely, I’ll hang out with you. Noona Bam is there too. Contact me anytime.”
“Uh-huh. Thanks.”
Ju Hana nodded in reply.
But her mind was already elsewhere.
‘I don’t think they’re dating…’
Just moments before, despair had overwhelmed her, but listening to the story in detail, another possibility emerged.
‘A-reum is like me too?’
She recalled the time when her “backsa” was discovered.
Considering Kang Cheol-jin’s attitude back then, implicitly drawing a line by mentioning the club’s no-dating rule, this seemed more plausible.
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The lecture ended.
As I gathered my things and stood up, A-reum approached and said,
“Kang-chul, let’s go to the club room! Duo go?”
I crossed my arms, making an X.
“Nope. I told you I have plans today.”
“Oh, right.”
A-reum clicked her tongue in disappointment. Lately, A-reum had grown fond of gathering in the club room and playing various games.
“Tsk. Then maybe I should go home early today too.”
“Oh, why the sudden change?”
“Sometimes I have to go home early so Mom doesn’t say anything when I’m late.”
Somehow, A-reum’s mother seemed pitiful. It was almost like A-reum was training her.
“That’s such a you reason.”
“Why, what? Got a problem?”
“No.”
“Hmm, good. Am I doing this just for my own good?”
Saying that, A-reum pulled my ear.
“If my curfew disappears, we can do it a lot. Sex all day at Kang Cheol’s studio apartment. Hee hee hee.”
Her whispering and laughing close to my ear were very pretty, but the content was not.
I chuckled and exaggeratedly curled one corner of my lip.
“What are you talking about, amateur?”
“…What?”
A-reum’s eyebrows shot up.
I ran away before I could get hit.
“I’m leaving first because of my plans!”
“What did you say?! What did you say?! Hey!”
I ran, leaving A-reum behind, swinging her fists and chasing me. The speed difference was so great that I quickly pulled away.
When I figured she couldn’t catch me anymore, I called Hana.
“Hey, Hana. My lecture’s over, where are you?”
– Mine’s over too, I’m on my way… Ah!
“Oh! Hana, here!”
Hana was visible a few steps away. She must have been coming to my department.
Hana pointed to the campus shuttle bus stop near the back gate.
“You can take the shuttle bus.”
“Oh, it’s my first time taking the shuttle bus. My studio apartment is close, so I never had a reason to take it.”
“R-really? Don’t you take it a lot to go downtown?”
“Lately, I haven’t been drinking, so I don’t have much reason to go far. I’m losing weight, you know.”
“Ah… Come to think of it, you’ve lost a lot of weight.”
“Really? Does it show?”
I asked back with a wide smile.
Honestly, I had been in a plateau for a while, so I was concerned, but hearing that I had lost weight made me feel good. When I was around 100kg, the weight loss was very noticeable, but in the 90kg range, it was strangely less obvious. It was a relief that changes were visible again lately.
At my enthusiastic reaction, Hana smiled slightly and nodded.
“Yeah. You’ve lost a lot since I first saw you. Your jawline is showing a bit too.”
“Hmm. My workouts are paying off.”
“Are you going to keep dieting?”
“Yeah. I decided to do a concept profile shoot. So I’m trying to get my body in really good shape.”
“I see. Uh, I’ll cheer you on.”
“Thanks.”
Actually, a concept profile doesn’t require as intense body preparation as a body profile. That’s because you don’t necessarily have to take your clothes off.
But I intended to get my body in proper shape since I was doing it anyway. Sung-hyun’s shirtless photos looked cool. And my father’s competition photos too.
‘The biggest reason, though, is that Seora noona expects it.’
How should I put it, perhaps because we had sex, noona’s gaze became a bit more of a concern. Since she was a noona who liked a well-defined body, I needed to lose enough fat for my muscle definition to show clearly.
…Thinking like this, I feel quite materialistic. Before, when she asked me to enter the competition, I refused, saying it would be too hard.
I cleared my throat unnecessarily and asked Hana, who was sitting next to me.
“By the way, where are we going? I just got on because you told me to.”
“Oh, that’s…”
The reason we met was to have a meeting about cosplay costumes. But if there was a reason to take the shuttle bus instead of just talking in the club room? Were we going to buy props needed for the costumes?
As I was thinking of plausible reasons, Hana said shyly,
“My house.”
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Suddenly, I was going to a girl’s house.
I suddenly felt nervous. This is my first time going to a house where a girl lives alone…
‘…No, it’s not?’
Come to think of it, I’ve been to Soyeon noona’s studio apartment a few times. I completely forgot.
Anyway, thinking it wasn’t my first time, the brief tension that had risen dissipated. I don’t even know why I was nervous in the first place. I didn’t think anything of it when I went to Soyeon noona’s.
But the subsided tension suddenly rose again. The scenery before my eyes was different from what I had expected.
I looked at the high-rise apartment building, then back at Hana.
“Hana, is this your parents’ house, not your studio apartment?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I’m empty-handed… I would have bought some Bacchus or something if I had known.”
I was taught that it’s polite to bring something when visiting a house where elders live. Well, I didn’t care when I was young, but they say visiting empty-handed as an adult is rude.
‘Though it’s information from an online community.’
A man who learned life from internet communities, that’s me.
Anyway, as I was flustered, Hana waved her hand, telling me not to worry.
“It’s, it’s okay. No one’s home.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief.”
“Yeah. No one’s home.”
Why did she say it twice? And with a blush?
…Suddenly, my lower body started to stiffen.
‘Am I crazy? How many times did I cum this morning?’
I was in sage mode until I got here, but suddenly my mind is filled with wicked thoughts. My libido is unbelievable, even to me.
I calmed myself and went up the elevator.
Ding-
Hana opened the door and gestured.
“Come in, Cheol-jin.”
“Oh. Excuse me.”
“No one’s really here, though…”
“No, still, just in case.”
Hana’s house had an antique feel with many vintage furniture pieces. She seemed to use woody air fresheners, which gave a calm and heavy feeling that matched the interior well. Was it her father’s taste?
“Cheol-jin?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“You can come this way.”
Opening the door, I saw a calmly decorated room. I had expected Hana, who loved cosplay, to have a room full of fan merchandise, so this was a surprise.
“It’s different from what I expected. You don’t buy many goods?”
“That… I’ve gathered them here.”
“Huh? Oh, wow.”
Hana pulled back a curtain that was covering one side of the room. Then, all sorts of cosplay items, from posters and figures to various props, were revealed. It turned out she had separated a large room with a curtain.
Hana smiled with an embarrassed expression.
“Actually, I have one more storage unit. I ran out of space, so my room ended up like this too.”
“Wow, Hana, you’re more of an otaku than I thought?”
“…That’s true, but you’re not insulting me, are you?”
“It’s a compliment. I have a display case at home too.”
When I gave a thumbs-up, Hana smiled with a relieved expression. I knew that feeling well. There’s definitely something that otakus understand about each other.
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