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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Honestly, Choi In-wook being late had little to do with me.
Only Tae-su oppa was desperate. The others didn’t seem to care much either.
I told him to book the transportation in advance. Without even looking, it was obvious that the seats would be sold out.
I wondered if he could arrive by today, but he arrived much earlier than I thought.
With that woman who made my blood pressure rise just by seeing her face.
It was sickening.
* * *
Standing in front of the sink, Yoo Si-hwa unexpectedly asked me various questions.
Based on her known personality, I thought she wouldn’t even say a word, so it was a bit unexpected.
But the contents of the questions were all stories that made me frown.
I had vaguely anticipated that she would ask about Choi In-wook, but because she kept asking persistently, I overreacted out of anger.
“But you seemed close earlier. Aren’t you?”
Me? With Choi In-wook?
We were close. So close that we even got married, so we must have been on par with you.
But not anymore.
“No. We’re not.”
There was silence between us for a moment.
Yoo Si-hwa, who seemed to be contemplating something, brought up an unexpected topic.
The responsibilities of an S-rank.
…It was also a painful part of my previous life.
Although it was my choice, in my previous life, I had to endure harsh criticism for not engaging in hunter activities despite being an S-rank.
But it was an unavoidable part.
Because I…
I didn’t want to recall the memories of that time.
I brushed off her words with an appropriate answer and silently finished my task.
And I turned my head to look at the vegetables Yoo Si-hwa had cut…
“Si-hwa.”
“Yes?”
That expression that seemed to ask if there was a problem.
Do you seriously think there’s no problem…? No way…?
“Is this your first time cooking?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Wow. Then the problem becomes more serious?
Both Yoo Si-hwa and Choi In-wook, their hand skills are truly amazing.
I thought they were a perfect match.
What Choi In-wook said to me before going out to start the fire made sense.
[Hey. Ye-na.]
Choi In-wook, who called me to the corner for a moment, spoke to me while keeping an eye on Yoo Si-hwa.
[As much as possible, don’t ask Si-hwa to do anything.]
[Why?]
[Even if you ask her to do something, make sure it’s really, really easy. Okay?]
Are they already sticking together and supporting each other? Unbelievable.
[Yes, yes.]
I wondered why he even said that when there wasn’t much to prepare for the meal.
This wasn’t support.
It was a warning. That earlier.
I laughed.
“Hearing you talk earlier, it seems like you’re very interested in In-wook.”
I looked at the cross-sections of the vegetables cut into irregular curved shapes again.
“Seeing that both of you have similar hand skills, you two seem well-suited for each other.”
For a moment, Yoo Si-hwa’s expression hardened slightly.
Do you dislike being tied to Choi In-wook in that way even though you like him so much and follow him around?
“I don’t think we can eat it like this, so let’s fix it a bit.”
I said, looking at the carrots with sharp edges.
This shape is almost like a weapon?
I picked up the cucumber she had sloppily cut and started slicing it into bite-sized pieces.
“Ah.”
A short gasp came out of Yoo Si-hwa’s mouth.
When I looked to the side, blood was flowing from her fingertip.
But judging by the way she was holding the knife, it was a miracle that she hadn’t been cut until now.
Yoo Si-hwa was holding the kitchen knife like a weapon.
“Are you okay?”
Still, I couldn’t ignore someone next to me getting hurt while helping.
It wasn’t difficult for me to this extent.
“Let me see your hand.”
When she held out her hand, I poured mana into it.
The wound was light, so the blood stopped immediately, and her long fingers returned to their previous state.
Yoo Si-hwa’s eyes slightly widened and then returned to normal.
“…Thank you.”
She spoke with a much softer expression compared to the look she had given me the moment we first met.
“Be careful. And that’s not how you hold a knife when cooking.”
Worried that she might get cut again, I shared some minor cooking tips I knew with her.
* * *
After preparing all the vegetables and wraps, and only needing to boil the stew, we went outside.
The first thing that caught our eyes was Tae-su oppa, who was almost possessed by a cheerleader, cheering.
“Choi~ In~ wook~ Fighting! Choi~ In~ wook~ Fighting!”
And the other seniors next to him were also a sight to behold.
“Whoa! In-wook! Hang in there!”
“I believed in you~”
And my ex-husband, Choi In-wook, was fanning the charcoal earnestly.
Honestly, I found him annoying on a regular basis, and today, he even brought Yoo Si-hwa with him, making him even more unpleasant to see, but at this moment, a feeling of pity rose up for him.
“Oppa. Instead of doing that, why don’t you go and help him?”
Unable to stand it, I said something to the president.
“Hey! This is an opportunity that should be given to the youngest.”
I don’t think you even lifted a finger when you were the youngest. What are you saying?
“What kind of club exploits new students to this extent?”
I protested with my arms crossed.
And it was also common sense.
Isn’t it normal for seniors to show their senior-like side and say sit there, I’ll grill the meat?
“This place is Deforme. My word is the law!”
With a look like a third-rate cult leader, I gave up trying to persuade him.
“No, no. Ye-na. I’ll just do it.”
Choi In-wook said to me while coughing in front of the fire.
He’s really unnecessarily nice at times like this.
“I don’t care. Do whatever you want. Then.”
Leaving him behind, I returned to the accommodation.
* * *
“For Defooormeee~~~”
“For Defooormeee~~~”
The president raised his glass high and made a toast.
And the response from the rest of the members sounded like a lifeless zombie horde.
Yoo Si-hwa was trying to stick close to Choi In-wook and not let go, while Ye-ji unnie and I were sitting across from them.
“Oh my. I didn’t have a chance to properly introduce myself earlier because it was so hectic. I’m Kim Ye-ji, a second-year student.”
Ye-ji unnie had been passed out for a long time and only woke up when the meal was almost ready.
“Yoo Si-hwa.”
Yoo Si-hwa answered in a blunt tone.
“That… In-wook. This friend is the famous top student of the first year, right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Choi In-wook, who seemed hungry, answered while chewing on a large piece of meat.
“Wow! Amazing! I heard you’re a formidable talent! In-wook, you have good skills. Huh?”
“Nah. It’s not like that.”
Choi In-wook waved his hands while smiling.
Why? Just say it’s like that.
I don’t know why he’s denying it.
“You. Leaving our Ye-na aside and doing this, really. Huh?”
Ye-ji unnie suddenly put her arm around my shoulder and spoke.
“Unnie. It’s not like that.”
“What’s not like that? I noticed it right away at the welcome party. I have keen intuition, you know~”
Ye-ji unnie suddenly started to press Choi In-wook as if she were a mother-in-law scolding her son-in-law.
“Choi In-wook. You rascal. If you keep flirting around like that, you can’t be used. You. Huh?”
I glanced to see how Yoo Si-hwa would react, but she silently poured soju into her glass and gulped it down in one shot.
She put down the glass with a thud and looked in my direction.
Even if you look at me like that, I didn’t do anything here.
I gave a bitter smile.
“Si-hwa. You. Did you finish all of this?”
From what I saw, Yoo Si-hwa seemed to have drunk about 5 shots in a row.
Her complexion looked fine though? Choi In-wook had a very flustered expression.
“Uh-huh.”
…Uh-huh?
The sound that came out of Yoo Si-hwa’s mouth was too cute to be called her voice.
“Why did you drink so quickly? It hasn’t been long since we started drinking.”
His tone was like someone worrying about their lover.
“That’s because…”
Yoo Si-hwa grabbed Choi In-wook’s collar tightly.
“I don’t know.”
Suddenly turning her head, Yoo Si-hwa downed another shot of soju.
“Hey! Stop!”
Choi In-wook was like someone training a disobedient pet.
“I don’t wanna. It’s my choice.”
Judging from the content of the conversation, it seemed Yoo Si-hwa was weaker to alcohol than me.
“Oh my.”
Choi In-wook looked at her with a perplexed expression.
“If you’re sleepy, go and lie down obediently right away.”
“…Together?”
At Yoo Si-hwa’s words with a strange expression, Choi In-wook grabbed her wrist and stood up.
“Let’s go, Si-hwa. I’ll lay out the blanket for you.”
“I don’t wanna go.”
“Then who told you to get drunk so quickly?”
“Hehe.”
Yoo Si-hwa’s aegyo. It felt like I had directly witnessed a natural monument with my own eyes.
“Si-hwa is very weak to alcohol, so I’ll go lay her down and come back.”
Choi In-wook looked at me and Ye-ji unnie with an apologetic expression.
“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. We’ll be drinking here.”
Ye-ji unnie said while filling my glass with soju.
“Ye-na.”
After Choi In-wook and Yoo Si-hwa disappeared, unnie called my name softly.
“Yes?”
“Relax your expression.”
What was my expression like?
I wasn’t… particularly bothered…
“I’m not bothered at all?”
Ye-ji unnie held up her phone and showed me the screen in mirror mode.
The Ha Ye-na in the phone screen that she held out…
was biting her lips tightly with a troubled expression.
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Oop