Chapter 129: Promise
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: Promise
"Man, I’m exhausted."
Since I hadn't fallen asleep until nearly four or five in the morning, the fatigue was relentless.
I was already on my third cup of coffee. At this point, it felt like I was going to start coughing up coffee grounds.
"Did you stay up late last night?"
The deputy managers could clearly see how tired I was; they’d been telling me all day to go take a break. I suppose this kind of consideration was a reward for how hard I usually worked.
Thanks to them, I was able to close my eyes for a bit in the employee lounge. Of course, I couldn't actually fall into a deep sleep—only for as long as I was sitting in the massage chair.
"Hm?"
Hearing a familiar voice, I opened my eyes and glanced ahead.
There stood Seo Ye-rin, clutching a handful of snacks from the lounge and with a lollipop already in her mouth.
Ah, damn it.
After what happened yesterday, she was the number one person I wanted to avoid. She definitely knew everything that had gone down with Yoo Ah-rin, so meeting her felt awkward. I tried to pretend I hadn't seen her, but...
"Woo-jin!"
On the contrary, she approached me with a bright smile, as if she’d been waiting for me.
"Are you the breakroom snack thief?"
When I asked playfully to mask the awkwardness, Seo Ye-rin looked down at the snacks in her arms and shouted bashfully.
"N-No! I was going to eat them all here before I left!"
"You're going to gain—actually, never mind."
"I don't get fat! I'm pacing myself!"
Looking at the pile in her arms, I wondered if "pacing" was the right word, but I figured I'd take her word for it.
Regardless, the atmosphere wasn't bad. I thought she’d be angry because of yesterday, but that didn't seem to be the case.
I doubt she actually thinks of us as just sex friends.
I’d received such a passionate confession from her last night that it wasn't easy to just brush it off, even if I wanted to.
I tried to close my eyes and pretend to sleep again, but Seo Ye-rin took the massage chair next to mine and held out a snack.
"Let's eat together."
"...I haven't even finished digesting lunch yet."
"Eat anyway. Everything tastes better when you share."
She kept thrusting the snack at me until I finally sighed and accepted it. But once I actually started eating, it was surprisingly good, and I found myself snacking away.
"Hehe."
She watched me with a satisfied grin. I considered asking what was so funny, but I decided against it. It felt like the answer would only lead to more trouble.
"Do you realize we have less than a month left?"
"Yeah, I know. Time's flying faster than I thought."
The end of the year was approaching. So much had happened since I came to Gold One that the days were blurring together.
"We're going to be sophomores soon, huh?"
"Not like much will change."
"You didn't go to the MT during your freshman year, right?"
Crunch.
I nodded while munching on a chocolate biscuit. Back then, I only hung out with Yun-ji, so I’d skipped basically all department events and didn't socialize with anyone.
"Not just the MT; I skipped most of the events."
At that, Seo Ye-rin turned her body toward me and gave a beaming smile.
"Let's go together this time. Let's go to the MT and have fun."
"...Are sophomores even allowed to go?"
As far as I knew, MTs were mostly for freshmen.
"Oh, come on. Sophomores can go if they want. We don't have to pay attention to the freshmen; we can just hang out among ourselves."
I was a little scared to think about who exactly was included in that "ourselves."
"Well? What do you think? Sounds good, right?"
"...I'll think about it."
"I'm so excited!"
I worried that people might be annoyed by sophomores tagging along, but seeing Seo Ye-rin's eyes sparkling with anticipation made those thoughts vanish. If it was Seo Ye-rin, people wouldn't just welcome her—they’d probably beg her to come.
"Oh, right! Woo-jin! Did you hear they're filming a movie here? They're using the casino as a backdrop, so a bunch of actors are coming."
"Yeah, I heard. But they can't actually film inside the casino, so they're just shooting near the entrance."
The casino had too many patrons. There was no real merit for Gold One to give up a day's earnings just for a movie shoot. Besides, it probably wouldn't be portrayed in a particularly positive light anyway.
"I hope we can watch!"
"Yeah, I hope so too."
I remembered how interested she’d been in the actors during the last film shoot. It seemed she’d been steadily maintaining that interest ever since.
Still.
It wasn't bad. Whether it was Seo Ye-rin becoming an actress or just spending time like this having light conversations. If I had to put it into words, the vibe was... nice.
"Want to have sex?"
The "nice" vibe I was just appreciating vanished in an instant.
I stared at Seo Ye-rin's blank expression. Her previous innocent appearance was gone, replaced by a seductive smile.
"Hey."
"Heehee, I'm joking, I'm joking. It'd be hard to do it here because of the noise. Unless it was evening and everyone had gone home."
The fact that she added such specific conditions made it feel like she’d actually put thought into it, which was chilling.
"Or, I think I could at least give you a blowjob... Want me to?"
Seo Ye-rin's hand slowly drifted toward my lower half. Even though I’d used it so much yesterday, look at how it reacted immediately to another woman's touch just because a little time had passed.
"Hehe, Ah-rin said you wouldn't be able to go for a week, but I guess that's not true."
"..."
I started to wonder if these two were a little too close. What on earth were they talking about when I wasn't around?
"Well? Do you want to?"
"..."
To be fair, Seo Ye-rin had the most sexual knowledge of any woman I’d met so far. I didn't know how many adult videos she’d studied, but she knew exactly what turned a man on. Plus, she had the looks to fulfill any fantasy and then some.
I muttered a self-justifying excuse, wondering who could possibly resist her temptation. Just before she unzipped my pants, I asked her one last thing, hoping for an honest answer.
"You... you said 'let's have sex' first on purpose, didn't you?"
"..."
"You knew I'd turn down sex first, so you said that on purpose before bringing up what you actually wanted to do, right?"
It felt like a reasonable suspicion, and Seo Ye-rin's playful smirk told me I was right.
Zzzzip.
The zipper came down. I wondered how she’d handle the underwear, but she pulled them down far more skillfully than I expected.
"Whoa, what was that move?"
I asked instinctively, but Seo Ye-rin simply knelt in front of the massage chair without a word.
"Shall we begin the massage?"
Just as she was about to slowly take hold of me...
"Hey, Kim Woo-jin! Exactly how many minutes are you going to rest? Let me have a turn!"
Yoo Ah-rin burst into the lounge, whining.
"Huh? You're not the only one who didn't sleep! I didn't sleep either! In fact, I—!"
She walked right into the middle of the scene.
I felt a chill run down my spine, though I was somewhat relieved it was only Yoo Ah-rin.
I must be crazy.
I realized that Seo Ye-rin's temptation had momentarily dulled my sense of reality. The only saving grace was that it was Yoo Ah-rin who caught us, and that I hadn't been fully exposed yet...
Slide.
"...?"
Even though she clearly saw Yoo Ah-rin enter, Seo Ye-rin deliberately pulled me out, gave me a squeeze, and smirked.
"I'm glad it's just Ah-rin."
It was as if she were doing it for show.
"Are you two insane!? This is the breakroom!"
"I guess so. We'll have to be more careful next time."
Seo Ye-rin stepped back to let me fix my pants. As I pulled up my zipper, I could feel Yoo Ah-rin's gaze—it was bone-chillingly cold.
"Next time?"
My shoulders hitched at the lingering weight of those words, but Yoo Ah-rin's narrowed eyes made me shut my mouth instantly.
"Sigh... Ye-rin, I thought you said you were leaving early."
The sigh was directed at me, but the fact that she addressed Seo Ye-rin made it feel like she’d already given up on even talking to me.
"I did leave. I was just waiting for you to get off work."
"..."
Yoo Ah-rin fell silent. She glanced my way, looking a bit hesitant and embarrassed, and a strange atmosphere filled the room.
"Fine... I'm off in an hour, so just wait a little longer."
"Okay!"
Seo Ye-rin beamed. It seemed the two of them had plans, and for a moment, I felt like the odd man out.
"What's going on?"
Curious about what they were up to, I asked, and both of them shot their gazes at me simultaneously. Seo Ye-rin caught her breath with a sultry look, while Yoo Ah-rin glared at me with her arms crossed and a flushed face.
"Want to join us, Woo-jin?"
"W-What are you saying! No! You, go back to work!"
"What is it? Are you two going to eat something delicious?"
"I said go back to work!"
In the end, I was shoved out of the lounge by Yoo Ah-rin. I could hear them whispering inside, but it felt like a conversation I shouldn't butt into, so I just walked away.
* * *
They really left.
Yoo Ah-rin had clocked out and left with Seo Ye-rin. Honestly, after what happened yesterday, I thought she might want to spend some time with me, but they both seemed to be in quite a hurry, so I didn't stop them.
What is this?
Feeling a bit sheepish at being left behind like a stray dog, I was heading out after my shift when...
"Woo-jin!"
Lee Seo-ah from the film department came running up to me breathlessly. Usually, when she sought me out like this, it was never for anything good, and this time was no exception.
"Do you have any time at the end of the year?"
"What, do you want me to swap shifts with you?"
If a girl with a boyfriend was asking this, I assumed it had to be that kind of favor.
"No, come see a play with me."
"A play?"
"Yeah. I was supposed to go with my boyfriend, but that jerk said he can't make it."
"..."
"Please? Just come with me. Let's just take one picture together there."
Sigh.
"I told you before. Don't drag me into your power struggles with your boyfriend."
"B-But...!"
"I recall Yoo Ah-rin having something to say about this too. Does she know about this?"
"..."
Lee Seo-ah shut her mouth and pouted. No matter how bad things were with her boyfriend, using someone else to spark jealousy wasn't a healthy direction for a relationship.
"He said he can't come because of a club meeting."
She let out a deep sigh and pleaded with me.
"Please? I heard most of the people in that club are girls! I'm so anxious I think I'm going to lose it!"
"..."
Seeing how much she liked her boyfriend made her seem a bit pitiful. I suspected the boyfriend might be acting out because he felt he’d already "caught the fish," but...
Sigh.
Even as she looked like she was about to cry, I didn't feel my resolve weakening. Just as I was wondering how to turn her down...
"He has plans."
A familiar voice came from behind me.
I turned my head, wondering if I’d heard correctly.
"He has plans with me."
A beige coat over a white sweater. The scarf around her neck carried that cozy warmth unique to winter.
I saw that deep blue hair I hadn't seen in a while, accompanied by a graceful smile.
"Choi... I-seo...?"
When I spoke her name instinctively, Choi I-seo gave a small wave in greeting.
"We're supposed to go to a concert, remember?"