Chapter 122: Black Skirt
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: Black Skirt
Early morning.
Seo Ye-rin returned to her room, passing a few part-timers who were heading to work with their eyes barely open.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—no one else was awake yet, allowing her to slip inside undetected.
"Ugh, my back..."
She had spent the entire night in the throes of passion, leaving her lower body feeling tingly and numb.
Thinking she should wash up first, she hurried into the bathroom. When she emerged after her shower, Yoo Ah-rin was sitting on her bed with a dazed, half-asleep expression.
"Oh, you're awake?"
Ye-rin was startled.
Ah-rin stared blankly at her for a moment before mumbling a question. "Where have you been?"
"Aha, well, just... out."
Ye-rin tried to brush it off with a vague answer, but Ah-rin’s gaze didn't waver.
Ye-rin wasn't the type to stay out late entertaining herself alone. Ah-rin knew there was no conviction in that answer; she surely realized Ye-rin was intentionally dodging the question.
"Actually, I was with Woo-jin."
"..."
Deciding that a half-baked lie would be an insult to her friend, Ye-rin stated the truth boldly.
Ah-rin’s eyes, previously clouded with sleep, gradually widened. She knew exactly what Ye-rin meant by those words.
"You... uh..."
The atmosphere turned strange.
A tension that shouldn't exist between friends began to rise, and Ah-rin felt a dull throb in her head.
She knew she was the one who had started this. She had stepped in knowing full well that Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo already had feelings for Kim Woo-jin.
But now that the situation was actually unfolding like this, her heart felt heavy. She wondered if she had made a mistake.
Seeing Ah-rin turn pale with thought, Ye-rin walked over slowly and placed a hand gently on her cheek.
For a second, Ah-rin thought she was going to get slapped, but the touch was warm and kind.
"I’m not going to regret it."
"..."
"You know it too. If you only worry about what others think, you’ll never get anywhere."
Is she looking down on me?
That was Ah-rin’s first thought. She assumed Ye-rin meant she was going to pursue Kim Woo-jin regardless of her friends or anything else.
But as Ye-rin pulled her into a gentle embrace, Ah-rin realized she had been mistaken.
This is...
"So, don't you back down either."
It was encouragement.
"Let's not have any regrets, Ah-rin. We’re still going to be friends... so let's not regret anything."
"..."
"If one person just gives up now, it’ll only lead to cracks in our relationship later anyway."
Ye-rin was suggesting they settle this now. She was declaring that they should maintain their friendship while refusing to give up on their feelings.
"Let's both do everything we can. I think that’s the only way we can stay friends until the end."
How can you even say that?
The words almost burst from Ah-rin’s throat. The moment she heard Ye-rin had spent the night with Kim Woo-jin, jealousy had begun to boil inside her.
Is it because she’s so confident?
Ye-rin had been the center of attention since high school and had received constant love calls from the entertainment industry. Even in college, she was famous as the "Goddess of the English Department," and at Gold One, she was the renowned beauty of Dae-Han-Dang.
Are you able to be so bold because you believe in yourself?
Suddenly, Ah-rin thought back to her past self. Though "past" was only a few months ago...
She remembered approaching Kim Woo-jin out of a deep sense of defeat and jealousy toward Seo Ye-rin.
The reason you can say that...
Was it because, deep down, she was absolutely certain of her victory?
Having been compared to her friend countless times, Ah-rin knew all too well. Even if she were a man, she would have chosen Seo Ye-rin over herself.
The embrace was warm. She understood Ye-rin’s greedy kindness—wanting to keep both friendship and love.
But Ye-rin probably didn't realize that her kindness only made Ah-rin feel a sense of absolute defeat.
Because you’ve always been the winner.
It was a relief, though.
She was glad Ye-rin was hugging her. It meant she didn't have to show her distorted expression.
"In high school... I think I was too immature."
Ah-rin tightened her grip on Ye-rin. Her voice was a low whisper.
It was filled with defeat.
"Not this time."
But a competitive fire was also ignited.
"I can lose once."
She felt like she had said something similar before calling Choi I-seo.
You can lose once. You can make a mistake once.
"But not twice."
She didn't want to be that person again—the ugly girl who played dirty tricks out of jealousy toward her friend.
This time, Ah-rin had no intention of backing down.
"Ow, Ah-rin! That hurts!"
At Ye-rin’s cry that the hug was too tight, Ah-rin suddenly felt a surge of annoyance. She applied more strength and tackled her friend to the bed.
"Your voice sounds pretty hoarse, doesn't it!?"
"He-hehe! Aaack! Ow, that hurts!"
"You're laughing? Was it so good that you're laughing? This is your grave, you wench! Leave your last words!"
"Kimuji is fucking amazing in bed!"
Crazy bitch.
Even if they were friends, she clearly needed some discipline. Ah-rin immediately wrapped her legs around Ye-rin’s waist, executing a technique she had recently learned from a Neutuber.
"I—I yield! I yield, Ah-rin! It hurts!"
"Ugh! Seo Ye-rin, was it good? Huh? Was it? Was it good sleeping with a guy while leaving your friend behind?!"
"Hehehe, it—it was greeeeeat!"
"Look at her laughing!?"
"Using strength is cheating, Yoo Ah-riiiin!"
* * *
"Ugh, why am I so tired?"
It was two days after my night with Seo Ye-rin.
Yesterday was my day off, so I slept the entire day, yet I felt strangely exhausted.
Everyone told me it was because I did nothing but sleep, but I honestly wondered if Ye-rin had sucked the life force right out of me.
"Kim Woo-jin, you look like hell."
Lee Seo-ah from the Film Major nudged me with her elbow.
Was it that obvious? To be honest, even showing up for work today was a struggle.
"I am pretty tired."
"Want me to buy you a coffee? You really look like you're about to collapse."
"Nah, I already had one."
With that, I pushed my cart toward the guest rooms.
Lately, a string of incidents had been hitting the Gold One Hotel one after another.
It started with the lawsuit over the sexual harassment of a part-timer, followed by a visit from the parent company's Vice Chairman.
Then, the Vice Chairman caught the Department Head personally handing out those bizarre written pledges.
To top it off, an investigation into the Department Head revealed a slush fund ledger used for embezzling hotel funds, leading to a massive purge of the upper management who had conspired with him.
It was almost comical how they all got caught like a string of sausages, starting with Department Head Lee Chan-song.
When I told my Big Hyung he should send me a reward since it was halfway thanks to me, he sent me exactly ten dollars. I guess I’m still just the little brother he has to look after.
"Yawn."
My body was exhausted, but my mind felt light.
It felt like the confusion I’d been carrying had finally settled. It wasn't just because I spent the night with Ye-rin; it was that my feelings had been sorted out.
My love for Oh Yun-ji hadn't been a lie.
And this became the catalyst for me to honestly admit that my heart was swaying toward other women.
Simply having Ye-rin validate a "trashy" guy like me and tell me she’d accept me had put my confused mind at ease.
Is this how Ye-rin felt?
If this was how she felt when I accepted her as "Anonymous 69," then yeah, as annoying as she could be, I could see why she’d fall for me.
In fact, I was surprisingly conscious of Ye-rin now.
I suppose it’s only human to feel a surge of affection for someone who notices, acknowledges, and understands your ugly inner nature.
When I headed back down to the office, Yoo Ah-rin was standing by the elevator, staring intently at me.
"..."
"..."
A brief silence followed.
Neither of us said a word, just staring blankly at each other until the elevator doors were about to close.
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat awkwardly and stepped out of the elevator. Ah-rin followed right behind me.
It would have been better if she said something, but her just staring in silence made me feel incredibly self-conscious.
She probably knows.
Given Ye-rin’s personality, she wasn't good at lying, and they were roommates. If Ah-rin had grilled her about coming back late, the whole story would have come out naturally.
This is awkward.
Since she had already confessed to me, this situation was harrowing. I didn't have an answer to give her.
Just then, the Section Chief—who was in a great mood because Department Head Lee Chan-song hadn't shown up for work—poked his head out of the office.
"Woo-jin, go to Building B and collect the carts. There were a lot of orders early this morning, so they're piling up."
"Understood."
"Take someone with you. It’ll be tough on your own."
I glanced around at the other part-timers.
Lee Seo-ah immediately looked away, and Han Bom started folding napkins with intense focus.
Seeing them avoid me like that made me want to drag one of them along even more, but then I felt a sharp gaze on my back.
"Planning to be alone with another girl?"
Ah-rin glared at me, her voice chilling. Swallowing hard, I headed toward Building B with her.
"Wait, I need to use the restroom."
Ah-rin stepped away for a moment.
I didn't think much of it and waited before we continued to Building B.
Since we usually moved the carts starting from the top floor, we got into the elevator together.
Ah-rin crossed her arms, turned toward me, and glared. "Don't you have something to say to me?"
"Ahem."
"I'm waiting."
"Ah, well, you see..."
"Shut up!"
As I tried to speak, she marched over and grabbed me by the collar. Her momentum was so fierce that I instinctively recoiled.
"I bet you had a grand old time, didn't you? Hmm? Fumbling all over Ye-rin? I guess mine was a bit disappointing for you, huh?"
"No, it's not like that..."
"You jerk! You bad guy! How could you do that?!"
She pinned me into the corner of the elevator. She didn't move, so I couldn't escape.
Ah-rin, who had been huffing with her back to me, suddenly leaned her weight against my chest.
I was worried someone might walk in, but she just kept thumping my chest with the back of her head.
"Ow!"
"Phew, this is so annoying! Why did I have to fall for a guy like you?"
"Hey, anyone hearing this would think I was the one who seduced you..."
"You did! You did seduce me!"
If you say so, I guess I did.
Even though I kept my mouth shut, Ah-rin showed no sign of moving. I wondered what she was up to when she suddenly whipped her head around and looked up at me, her face slightly flushed.
"D-don't you notice anything?"
"Notice what?"
I didn't know what she was talking about, but then her backside pressed against me with exaggerated firmness.
"Don't do that."
Thinking she was trying to provoke my libido again, I tried to push her away slightly. Ah-rin pouted and let out a sigh.
"I thought someone like Kim Woo-jin would notice."
"Notice what?"
I was genuinely confused.
I looked to see if anything had changed, but she was wearing the standard Gold One uniform: a white shirt and a black skirt. It looked the same as always.
As we neared the top floor, Ah-rin forced herself past her embarrassment. She pulled something out of her pocket and shoved it at me.
"I can do it too."
With a face beet-red, she bolted out of the elevator the moment it reached the top floor.
Wondering what it was, I followed her out and checked the object in my hand.
It was still warm.
A beautiful, triangular piece of fabric.
A pair of black panties was clutched in my hand.
"..."
That was her resolve.
To me, who had just spent the night with Seo Ye-rin, she was declaring that she could do the same.
So that’s why she went to the restroom earlier.
Wait.
If that’s the case...
"A black skirt... and no panties?"
"Shut up! It's embarrassing!"
Ah-rin, who was already pulling a cart in the distance, shouted back with a crimson face.
My eyes couldn't help but drift toward her swaying lower body.
Feeling my gaze, Ah-rin just kept shouting nonsense as she worked.