Chapter 187: Bizarre Day
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187: Bizarre Day
Life.
Every now and then, unique and strange things come your way. The key, however, is timing.
When an extraordinary situation arrives at an unexpected moment, it feels like a test of my intuition, my mental fortitude, or perhaps my reaction speed.
If I had to say, today was exactly that kind of day.
I was staring blankly into the mirror while brushing my teeth.
A day with no lectures.
Thanks to the kind neighborhood seniors—the third-years—who took over all my assignments, I had a much freer day than the other students.
Since it was time to start preparing for midterms, I sat down to study.
But before I knew it, I found myself turning on my laptop and playing a round of games.
After I finished gaming and spent some time managing the Bamboo Forest, I found myself watching Popo’s stream.
The bastards from the Department of Architectural Engineering had spammed the Bamboo Forest with posts saying Popo was live, so I deleted all the posts and went to check on her for the first time in a while.
‘She’s doing well.’
She was eating a hamburger while chatting about this and that.
Her complexion looked much better than the last time I saw her, and she was smiling more. It was a good look for her.
— What? Is this lunch? No, it’s breakfast. I woke up late. It’s not brunch. I’m going to eat lunch again soon anyway.
[Noona, I love you.]
— Oh my! Thank you, PopoLove, for the 100-coin donation! I love you too?
Popo’s reactions to donations were somewhat plain.
She’d been scolded by President Hwang for that, but she’d insisted it was just her broadcasting style.
“Hmm.”
Normally, I would have just turned it off.
Maybe it was because the pressure of studying for exams was looming over me, but I found myself donating coins under the ID Kim Woo-jin. I still had some left over from when I used to give the kids instructions while I was with President Hwang.
[Hang in there.]
— Yes, thank you, Kim Woo-jin, for the 10 co—...
Popo, who had been staring blankly at the screen, rubbed her eyes and grabbed her mouse.
It looked like she was searching my history.
— Huh? Why am I doing this? Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought it was someone I knew.
Though she laughed awkwardly, her hand kept moving the mouse.
— Ah, I think my lunch delivery is here. What? Did I order more? Then should I stop eating this?
— I’m not being threatened, so stop telling me to shake the cola. If I shake the cola, I can’t drink it.
Talking playfully, Popo stepped off-camera. I was about to turn off the stream and get back to studying when...
Vibrate!
A message arrived.
Those Department of Architectural Engineering bastards, seriously.
We exchanged a few brief messages.
In any case, it seemed like Yun-ji and my little hyung were taking good care of Popo, as she looked fine now.
I glanced at the chat for a moment; perhaps because the news of her kidnapping had been public, most of the comments were quite gentle.
“Okay, I really need to study now.”
I closed the laptop and pushed it aside.
Just as I exercised for Seo Ye-rin, this time I intended to study to get into Choi I-seo’s good graces.
I was just about to truly start studying when...
Knock, knock.
Someone came to my room.
“Who is it?”
Resentment poured out toward whoever was interrupting my studies.
I was just starting to get into the zone.
“Senior, it’s me, Gyu-a.”
“Yeah, nobody’s home, so get lost.”
“...I bought some bread for you to eat, Senior.”
“I don’t eat bread.”
“Senior? Let’s talk for a second.”
“I said no, you iguana girl.”
When I snapped back with genuine annoyance...
Thud!
There was a loud sound, as if she had kicked the door.
“Talk to me! My image is totally trashed because of you! Everyone found out I was two-timing!”
“That’s your own fault!”
“Sigh.”
Well, it wasn’t like I was wrong.
She was the one who targeted me and tried to call me out first.
“Senior... actually, I’ve been thinking a lot after seeing you and the other seniors.”
Her voice turned somewhat serious.
“I... I want to try falling deeply for one person, too. So, about that...”
“I’m sorry, but all my spots are taken.”
“Are you crazy? What would I even like about you? I want you to help me get things going with Senior Ahn Hyun-ho.”
“...”
I guess I was getting ahead of myself.
I let out a sigh and stepped outside. Gyu-a was standing there, holding a single loaf of plain white bread.
“Your taste in bread is absolute crap. I don’t even have jam in my room.”
“I just eat it plain.”
Whatever.
“You want to get with Hyun-ho?”
When I asked, Gyu-a gave a small nod.
“I think that’s going to be tough.”
It seemed like Hyun-ho had already moved on from Gyu-a.
...But why are there so many victims and perpetrators of two-timing around me?
Is this just what university is like?
“That’s why I came to you for advice, Senior. You were fine even after openly declaring you were going to three-time.”
“I guess you didn’t see me getting beaten up.”
I was hit until I lost consciousness.
Just then.
“Woo-jin?”
Choi I-seo’s voice drifted from the end of the hallway as she came up the stairs.
Reflexively, I tried to trip Gyu-a, but she had already skillfully backed away.
“...Quick on your feet, aren't you?”
“You think I’d fall for that twice?”
“What are you doing?”
I looked at Choi I-seo, who was staring at us with an incredulous expression. After a moment’s thought, I gave her a clear explanation.
“The hallway floor was dirty, so I was going to wipe it.”
“Hmm?”
“So I told the freshmen to bring a rag, and they brought Gyu-a. Haha.”
“You son of a bitch.”
Gyu-a cursed beside me, but I didn’t care.
Even if I was called a piece of trash, as long as Choi I-seo didn’t misunderstand, it was fine.
“That’s not funny, and it’s rude. Apologize to Gyu-a.”
But instead of misunderstanding, Choi I-seo scolded me.
“I’m sorry.”
“Then you’re going to help me? You promised?”
Gyu-a immediately ran off before I could say anything else.
“Help with what?”
I briefly explained the situation to the puzzled Choi I-seo.
Ahn Hyun-ho had been interested in Gyu-a but gave up, and now Gyu-a was interested in him.
Hearing that, Choi I-seo’s expression brightened.
“That’s great! It’d be good for Hyun-ho to be in a relationship!”
“...Look at you, all happy because it’s a chance to get rid of him.”
“Ahem.”
Choi I-seo cleared her throat awkwardly and held out a lunch box.
“You said you were studying. I thought that was admirable, so I made you some food.”
“Oh?”
“It’s Pork Belly Pilaf. I know you like things like Kimchi Fried Rice, but I figured you probably eat that all the time.”
Since I love rice, she bought me a rice dish I don’t get to eat often?
To be honest, I didn’t really know the difference between fried rice and pilaf, but...
“Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.”
“I just made it, so eat it before it gets cold.”
“You made this yourself? I-seo...!”
Moved, I looked at her with a lump in my throat. Choi I-seo crossed her arms bashfully.
“I still can’t accept you taking in all three of us.”
“...”
“But the fact that you have feelings for me hasn’t changed.”
On the contrary.
“I just have to make it so you choose me, right?”
“...”
“And there’s the saying about giving an extra rice cake to the one you dislike. Anyway, I’m going to study at the library, so call me if anything happens.”
“Why not study in my room? The library is crowded and all that.”
At my suggestion, Choi I-seo glanced at my room and asked, still with her arms crossed.
“Can you guarantee you won’t mess around?”
I had just been gaming and watching streams instead of studying, but...
“I can guarantee it.”
Right now, I was confident.
But I wasn’t sure if I’d still be confident once Choi I-seo was sitting next to me and our shoulders brushed once or twice.
“I can tell by your eyes that you can’t.”
With that, Choi I-seo turned around and left.
In the end, having failed to keep her there, I went back into my room.
I wasn’t starving yet, so I planned to study a bit more before eating.
“Let’s do this!”
I braced myself to study hard, but...
Rattle!
The door flew open, and a dripping-wet Yoo Ah-rin walked in.
“Hey, I’m gonna take a quick shower.”
“...What were you doing to sweat that much?”
“Basketball. The kids asked me to play, and it was more fun than I thought.”
I didn’t think she played basketball with just girls. Did she play with the guys?
Yoo Ah-rin, who had already stripped naked in the bathroom, poked only her head out.
“I played with the girls from the Women’s Basketball Club. Seriously, look at this guy and his double standard jealousy.”
“Ahem.”
Slam!
She shut the door and started showering.
The sound of the water felt somewhat suggestive, and as I felt a strange sensation...
I realized I had already put down my pen.
About twenty minutes passed.
“Hey, give me a towel.”
A soaking-wet Yoo Ah-rin poked her head out again.
“There’s one on the towel rack right there.”
“That’s only one. Besides, it’s a little damp.”
“Aha.”
As I handed her a towel, I tried to sneak a peek inside the bathroom, but she slammed the door shut.
“Phew, this won’t do.”
If you shower at someone else’s house, shouldn’t you pay the owner?
With the intention of teasing her, I picked up the change of clothes and underwear she had left in front of the bathroom door.
‘Oh, black panties.’
Quite the nostalgic item.
I placed her clothes on the bed. When the door opened again, Yoo Ah-rin let out a flustered cry.
“Where are my clothes?”
Poking her head out and seeing her clothes on my bed, she bit her lip hard.
“You bastard...”
“It’s a bit troublesome when someone suddenly barges into another person’s house and starts demanding this and that.”
“Give them to me.”
“Shouldn’t it be ‘Please give them to me’?”
“You jerk, please give them to me.”
“My, look at that attitude. Add a ‘Master’ to that.”
“...”
I felt like I could hear the sound of her grinding her teeth.
Eventually...
“H-Huff, huff!”
Yoo Ah-rin emerged, covering her chest with one towel and her crotch with another.
Her face was beet red with embarrassment.
“You son of a bitch. You think I’m going to give in?”
She shuffled out tentatively to get her clothes.
It was a good sight.
I just stood there, watching her walk past, when...
“Fake out, you bastard!”
She suddenly threw both towels in my face.
By the time I hurriedly brushed the towels away, Yoo Ah-rin was already grabbing her clothes and running back into the bathroom.
Well, I did see her naked back, so I felt like I’d won.
“You’re dead if you’re still here when I come out!”
While I was thinking I should probably make a run for it after her warning...
Click.
The front door opened again, and another person walked in.
“Woo-jin! It’s a disaster, a total disaster! People in the Bamboo Forest aren’t calling me the Sex Master anymore!”
Seo Ye-rin walked in with a tearful, urgent expression.
She slammed right into me as I was trying to leave.
As a result, I was knocked backward with her on top of me.
“Woo-jinaaaa! What do I dooo! Now everyone’s calling me a gimmick troll!”
“Well, you are one.”
Seo Ye-rin clung to me, rubbing against me and begging for help.
First, I pushed her aside to get her off me.
I needed to escape before Yoo Ah-rin came out and beat me to death, but...
“Is anyone home?”
Again. And again.
Someone else was at the door.
It’s not usually like this; is today some kind of special day?
The door wasn’t locked, but I pulled it open with annoyance.
“Ugh, who is it?!”
And here.
Returning to the beginning.
In life, there are times when unexpected situations unfold.
In those moments, life demands that we respond to variables as if testing us as individuals.
That was exactly what was happening now.
That was why today was such a bizarre day.
“...Mom?”
The moment I saw my mother standing outside the door, my mind went blank.
“Son, I thought this was a doghouse!”
My mom burst out laughing, saying it was a joke only the rich could make.