—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“This fucking asshole.”
It wasn’t Kang Cheol-jin who cursed.
Nor was it Park Mincheol.
Following the curse, a sharp crack echoed through the room.
“Ow!”
Park Mincheol, struck on the back, yelped and jumped. Behind him stood Ahn Seora, her eyes blazing.
Ahn Seora shoved Park Mincheol, who was jumping around. It looked like she pushed him out of anger, but a closer look revealed she was separating him from Kang Cheol-jin.
Standing in front of Kang Cheol-jin, Ahn Seora scolded Park Mincheol.
“Are you crazy? Just spouting whatever comes to mind because you’re drunk.”
“No, I was really just joking…”
“If you’re the only one having fun, is it a joke? Huh? Apologize right now.”
Ahn Seora was a 4th-year sports science major. While not comparable to the notoriously strict practical physical education departments, the sports science department was still considered a physical education field.
Ahn Seora had been through four years in that department. Her furrowed brow and sharp words created a rather intimidating atmosphere. Moreover, Park Mincheol was a 3rd-year in the same department, a year junior to her.
Park Mincheol flinched at her reprimand and looked at Kang Cheol-jin. Then he bowed his head slightly and apologized.
“S-Sorry. I, I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m really sorry.”
Embarrassment and bewilderment were evident on his face. However, he didn’t hesitate to apologize.
Ahn Seora turned to Kang Cheol-jin, who was still frozen, and said,
“Cheol-jin, calm down. He’s thoughtless, but he’s not a completely terrible person…”
“……”
“Are you very angry?”
Ahn Seora looked at him with a troubled expression. She sensed anger in his stiff face.
But contrary to appearances, Kang Cheol-jin wasn’t angry. He was just frozen in surprise.
‘Oh my god, what’s with this atmosphere? I just glared at him.’
Glaring at Park Mincheol was the best he could do. He hadn’t even considered fighting him. After that, he’d frozen because of Ahn Seora’s sudden outburst.
Amidst the chaotic situation, Kang Cheol-jin tried his best not to say anything wrong. He nodded as calmly as possible and opened his mouth.
“I-It’s okay. I was just going to tell him it was a misunderstanding.”
His voice, lowered from surprise, trembled as he spoke.
Some of the members, hearing his trembling voice, flinched and whispered.
“Look at his voice trembling.”
“He must be really angry.”
“He has a right to be. It was sexual harassment.”
Regardless of Kang Cheol-jin’s true feelings, his deep voice, lowered and trembling, sounded like he was suppressing his anger.
Before the situation escalated further, Kang Cheol-jin forced a smile and said,
“Park Mincheol sunbae, A-reum and I aren’t dating. We’re just close friends.”
“Uh, uh… Y-Yeah… still, I’m sorry.”
Kang Cheol-jin nodded curtly and returned to his table. The situation had become more serious than he’d anticipated, and he lost any desire to say anything more.
He joined the table with his friends, not the ghost members. Kim Sung-joo and Ahn Sung-hyun, who were sitting separately, greeted him.
“Good job. Kang Cheol, you’re assertive.”
Kim Sung-joo gave him a thumbs-up.
“Are you okay? If that senior gives you any trouble later, tell me.”
Ahn Sung-hyun wiped his usual goofy expression and frowned. The muscles under his tight-fitting t-shirt twitched.
Kang Cheol-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“What are you going to do if I tell you, you idiot?”
“Just… you know.”
Ahn Sung-hyun subtly lifted his head and glanced towards Park Mincheol.
Kang Cheol-jin, startled, quickly pushed his head down.
“A guy your size looking at someone like that is practically a challenge. It’s super intimidating.”
“……?”
Ahn Sung-hyun looked at Kang Cheol-jin with a bewildered expression. You’re one to talk? That’s what his expression conveyed, but Kang Cheol-jin didn’t understand it at all.
He was completely oblivious to the fact that his own words applied to himself as well.
·
“Sigh.”
Just minutes after returning to the party, I stepped back outside. I felt too awkward to stay inside after causing such a scene.
‘I’m a total troublemaker today.’
Overreacting to someone criticizing my favorite anime.
Making a fuss about taking A-reum home.
Creating a near-fight situation with a 4th-year senior.
Nothing was going right today. At this rate, wouldn’t I be labeled a weirdo right after joining the club? I’d done so well hiding my otaku side until now, but it all seemed to unravel today.
As I stood outside, dejectedly staring at the night sky,
“Oh, Cheol-jin, what are you doing here?”
“Mina?”
“I thought you went to the bathroom.”
“Ah, well… I made things awkward, so…”
“Ahaha. You came out because you felt awkward?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
I gave an awkward smile, and Mina burst into laughter. She had a very low bar for laughter.
“If you’re not busy, keep me company. Oh, do you smoke?”
“No, I don’t.”
As I answered, I raised my hand and covered my neck. It was a subconscious, defensive gesture I made whenever the word “cigarette” came up. Because of my trauma, I’d probably never smoke in my life.
Mina dangled a cigarette and asked,
“Do you mind if I smoke? There’s a smoking area behind the building.”
Was that an invitation to follow her?
“…Sure.”
After a moment of hesitation, I nodded. I’d been racking up negative points all day, so I felt reluctant to refuse.
‘I’m okay with the smell now.’
It must have been because a long time had passed. There was a time when just the smell would make me throw up.
‘My father quit smoking because of me. Thinking about it, wasn’t that filial piety?’
Or not.
As the smoking area came into view,
“Oh, Saebyeok’s here already?”
Mina raised her hand in greeting. Han Saebyeok, just coming out of the smoking area, was walking towards us.
“Saebyeok, want another one?”
“…I’m done. I’ll get going.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mina nodded with an awkward expression.
‘Is it because of me?’
For a moment, I thought Han Saebyeok’s gaze flickered towards me. It would be a bit harsh if she really left without smoking more because I was there.
Then Mina said,
“Saebyeok is a bit cold, isn’t she?”
“Huh?”
Was it that obvious?
I was a little flustered, but Mina continued with a smile,
“She’s just blunt, but she’s a good person. She might just be awkward around men.”
“Awkward around men?”
Despite that, she was yelling and fighting with two guys last time. Of course, I was grateful that she protected A-reum.
“She went to all-girls schools and has never dated.”
“Ah……”
“Makes sense, right? People who’ve never dated are often awkward around the opposite sex.”
“Mm-hmm. That’s true.”
If that was the case, it certainly made sense. Maybe it was harder to interact casually in everyday situations than to fight?
“But you seem to know the members well, even though you said you’re only registered with the club.”
“Huh? Oh, I was active in the club last year.”
Tsss. Mina took a drag of her cigarette and exhaled the smoke away from me before continuing.
“I left because of some things, but Yoo Bam asked me to stay registered, so…”
“By ‘things,’ do you mean… that incident?”
“Oh? You know about it.”
“Yoo Bam told me briefly. She explained it was the reason for the no-dating rule in the club.”
“No-dating rule? Ahaha. That makes sense.”
Mina burst into laughter and took a few more drags of her cigarette.
Then, she suddenly looked at me with a strange expression.
“Cheol-jin, I have a question.”
“A question?”
“Yeah. Is your nickname Kang Cheol? I think I heard people calling you that.”
“That’s right. A-reum calls me that often…”
“Hmm. I see. So is it Kang Cheol because of your name, Kang Cheol-jin? Or is it because you like Fullmetal Alchemist?”
“……?”
I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. I’d heard that question before.
‘Backsa said that.’
Could Mina be Backsa?
“It’s a nickname from my name. I talked about liking Fullmetal for the first time today.”
“I see.”
“Is that what you were curious about?”
“I have a few more. I’m very curious about you. Sigh.”
Mina exhaled smoke and crushed the cigarette butt. Then, staring intently at me, she asked,
“Do you use Trictor?”
That question confirmed it. Mina was Backsa.
‘Isn’t this a blatant reveal? Why?’
I soon found out why.
When I nodded,
“Wow, it really was you. You’re Trictor’s Kang Cheol, right? I’ve commissioned you before.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. You’re a really good artist. Oh, and another question.”
“What is it?”
“You said you’re not interested in dating, right?”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Then, by any chance…”
Mina tucked her hair behind her ear and stood on tiptoe, bringing our bodies close.
“M-Mina?”
As I stood frozen, she pressed on my shoulder, lowering my posture slightly. Then, bringing her hand closer, she whispered in my ear,
“Are you also not interested in sex?”
With a mischievous smile, she pulled away.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Cliffed like this