Chapter 218: Hashtag
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Hashtag
It wasn't bad, surprisingly.
That was the thought crossing my mind.
We had lunch, stopped by a cafe for coffee, and even visited an arcade—a place she said she’d never been to—to play some games.
Jin-ah was incredibly considerate in everything she did, yet it was so natural that it was hard to notice unless you were paying close attention.
Those small acts of consideration gathered to form an air of elegance.
She was beautiful, and her heart was kind.
"Look at this. I can't help but have callouses on my hands."
We were at a park we’d stopped at while walking.
Sitting on a bench, Choi Jin-ah held out her fingers toward me.
As expected of a violinist, the callouses on her fingertips indirectly told the story of how hard she had worked.
"I see."
We were elementary school classmates.
We were the same age and had lived through the same era, but at some point, she had become a famous violinist.
And I was just an ordinary college student.
"You've worked hard."
Normally, one might fall into self-loathing, wondering what they had been doing with their life. But I wasn't that type of person.
At my response, Choi Jin-ah stared at me intently before letting a soft smile spread across her face.
"You aren't particularly interested, are you?"
"……."
How did she know?
Yeah, to be honest, I wasn't that interested.
Jin-ah was a good person, kind, and charming.
There was no denying she was a beautiful woman.
But I wasn't attracted to her.
"Hmm, Woo-jin, do you perhaps... not like me?"
She was asking quite directly.
Was she like this when we were kids?
Probably not.
If she had been, there was no way I wouldn't remember.
Feeling Jin-ah’s gaze waiting for an honest answer, I took a deep breath and carefully chose my words.
I sifted through them, over and over.
So that she wouldn't feel insulted—.
"Actually, there are people I like."
What a load of crap.
I was on a blind date; how could I possibly tell her I liked other people without it being offensive?
I just had to accept the consequences.
It would have been very easy to use sweet talk to soothe her feelings, and even easier to deceive her.
But I didn't want to diminish the weight of my own actions like that.
"You are a very charming woman, Jin-ah. So much so that I wonder why I didn't realize it back in elementary school."
A world-renowned genius violinist.
A childhood friend who had harbored feelings for me since we were young.
An elegant, refined, and graceful woman who looked like she had stepped right out of a frame in an art gallery.
She was undoubtedly a woman of undeniable charm, no matter who she was compared to.
However, my feelings didn't waver in the slightest during our brief meeting.
In fact, it was the opposite.
I missed them.
Even with the multi-talented Choi Jin-ah in front of me, I wanted to hear Seo Ye-rin beaming while cracking lewd jokes.
I wanted to see Choi I-seo grumbling while trying to coax me into working out.
I wanted to trade insults and banter with Yoo Ah-rin.
"People... you like?"
"It might sound strange, but yes. I like several women, so I have no intention of dating anyone exclusively. To be honest, I only came to this blind date because my father forced me into it."
I stood up abruptly from the bench and faced her.
"I'm sorry, Jin-ah."
I bowed my head and offered a sincere apology.
I thought I might get slapped.
"Heh."
A small leak of laughter.
I slowly raised my head to see Choi Jin-ah barely holding back a laugh, covering her mouth with both hands.
I wondered if the tears in the corners of her eyes were because I had hurt her.
"Pffft!"
But that wasn't it.
"Ah, se-seriously. I'm sorry, hahahaha!"
Finally.
Choi Jin-ah burst into laughter, burying her face in her hands and ducking her head.
Watching her shake with laughter left me feeling conflicted in many ways.
'What's going on?'
As I scratched my cheek, wondering about the situation.
"Ah, haa! My stomach hurts. Ah, seriously, my stomach!"
Choi Jin-ah was catching her breath, trying to force herself to calm down. At this point, I looked around to see if I was being pranked for a hidden camera show.
'Nothing seems out of the ordinary.'
There was nothing special.
Since it was a park, people were walking around, but it was so spacious that no one was particularly close.
Occasionally, people recognized Choi Jin-ah and took photos, but that was it.
"Ah, I haven't laughed like that in so long."
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Choi Jin-ah finally straightened her back, her expression completely different from before.
The aura of a wealthy daughter and elegant violinist had vanished; her shoulders were relaxed as if she had let everything go.
Her legs, which had been primly tucked together, were now spread out comfortably.
It wasn't that her innate class had entirely disappeared or that she had suddenly become a brat like Yoo Ah-rin.
But still.
It was true that she looked much more at ease than before.
"Do you know why I liked you back in elementary school, Woo-jin?"
"No idea."
I didn't even know she existed back then, so how could I know?
"It was just so much fun being with you. You made me experience... things I could never have imagined."
"Like when I scammed you?"
"Who would dare scam me?"
Fair point.
"You were always like that, Woo-jin. I think that's why I started following you with my eyes at some point. And..."
Jin-ah, suppressing the laughter rising in her throat, wore a child-like smile.
"You're still living like that."
"Ah."
I remembered.
Seeing that smile, it finally came back to me.
"My dear Jjin-a."
When I uttered the nickname I used for her back then, the corners of Choi Jin-ah's mouth curled up brightly.
"Yeah, Woo-jin."
"Right, that's it. I called you Jjin-a! I said I loved 'My Dear Jjin-a' because you always fell for my pranks and just gave me everything like a total pushover!"
"That's right."
"……On second thought, that wasn't a very good nickname. Let's just pretend I didn't remember."
I coughed awkwardly and suggested we turn back time.
"Do whatever you like, Woo-jin."
Look at her, just accepting that too.
"Ahem, I feel bad for no reason now."
"No, no. I'm just happy you remembered. I'm not joking—those memories are some of the most enjoyable times of my life."
If she says being a pushover was fun, how am I supposed to respond?
Well, anyway.
Since I’d made it clear I wasn't interested in the blind date, I was about to suggest we wrap things up.
"What kind of person is she?"
Jin-ah asked with a smile, still looking interested in me.
Perhaps it was because her face looked so much more relaxed, but her question had a power that made me want to answer.
"No, what kind of people are they?"
At her question, I sat back down and slowly opened my mouth.
"They're friends from my department at university."
* * *
Yoo Ah-rin had been scolded by her mom for sitting upside down on the sofa at her age, but she had no intention of fixing her posture.
"I'm fiiiine."
Lying on the sofa as if doing a headstand, with her hair touching the floor.
"I'm fiiiine."
Humming a song while looking at her phone might have seemed relaxed at a glance.
But the way her toes twitched and the way her fingers restlessly swiped back and forth on the same screen over and over.
If you looked closely, it was obvious she was extremely anxious.
"I'm really fiiiine."
It was late at night, and the son of a chaebol family who had gone on a blind date hadn't contacted her once.
He said he was having lunch, but by now, even if they’d had dinner, it was late enough that it wouldn't be strange if they’d already gone to a hotel for dessert.
"Fuck, I'm fiiiine!"
"Yoo Ah-rin!"
"……Sorry, Mom."
Finally getting up at her mother's thunderous shout, Yoo Ah-rin scurried into her room.
'Surely, it's not like that.'
No matter how much Kim Woo-jin tended to think and act with his dick, he wouldn't go that far.
'Wait, did he contact the others?'
Maybe he contacted Choi I-seo or Seo Ye-rin separately?
Flopping onto her bed, she kicked her blankets like she was swimming and aimlessly browsed the Bamboo Forest.
She wondered if Kim Woo-jin was managing it, but the Bamboo Forest was the same as usual.
Except for one thing.
It seemed our dear Ye-rin was spamming the board as if she were going through withdrawal.
'So he hasn't contacted her either.'
Only then did Yoo Ah-rin feel a bit relieved, letting out a deep sigh.
But did he contact Choi I-seo?
Now a different worry began to creep in.
'He can't lift a finger against Choi I-seo.'
She was like the one holding the reins of that runaway stallion, and Yoo Ah-rin often found that annoying.
Just then.
Vibrate! Vibrate! Vibrate!
— 33.3% Stakeholder -
Speak of the devil.
Choi I-seo was calling.
"Ahem, hem. Hello?"
She cleared her throat and answered with a feigned indifference. As if nothing was wrong.
— Uh, Ah-rin. What are you doing right now?
A cautious, probing voice.
But that alone was enough for Yoo Ah-rin to see right through her.
"Sigh, he hasn't contacted me either."
— I see…….
Was she relieved or worried? Her tone made it hard to tell.
"Forget it, don't worry too much. Even if Kim Woo-jin is easily swayed, he surprisingly knows where to draw the line."
— True.
"The fact that he told us he was going on a blind date in the first place means he has no intention of doing anything with that woman, right?"
— That's also true.
As they talked, Yoo Ah-rin realized she wasn't just talking to Choi I-seo; she was talking to herself.
She was listing all these reasons, trying to convince herself not to worry.
In truth, she was feeling the exact same way as Choi I-seo.
"Hey, don't you ever wonder why we have to like that bastard this much?"
— ……You're right.
Was it because they shared the same feelings?
With the corners of her mouth slightly lifted, the two continued their call.
Most of it was about Kim Woo-jin, and it couldn't be denied that most of it was insults directed at him.
But still.
— I guess I liked him enough to feel this way.
At Choi I-seo’s soft remark, Yoo Ah-rin clicked her tongue bitterly. It was hard to deny she’d had similar thoughts.
"It's just... it's fun being with him."
There was an initial reason for her feelings, but how could a person keep those exact same feelings forever?
Feelings dull over time.
But the reason a relationship continues is that new memories keep piling up on top of those dulled feelings.
— Right. And honestly…… it's fun hanging out with you guys too.
"Us? Ye-rin and me?"
— Yeah. Oh, should we call Ye-rin too?
"She's busy spamming 'sex' on the Bamboo Forest right now. Or should we just go out for drinks? Let's get hit on and make that piece of shit Kim Woo-jin cry tears of blood."
— Hehe, sounds good.
"I'll call Ye-rin. Is there a good place to drink?"
— Anything you want to eat?
"Not really."
— Okay. Let's just have a light drink at a bar. I'll pick a place, so come there.
The call ended.
Since Choi I-seo had organized many gatherings as the department representative, she knew all the local spots inside out.
"Now then……."
Just as she was about to call Ye-rin, who was busy typing 'sex' on the Bamboo Forest.
Vibrate! Vibrate! Vibrate!
— Pretty Psycho -
"Oh, I was just about to—."
— Ah-rinnn! I just sent you a link! Look at it!
"Huh?"
Since she sounded so urgent, Yoo Ah-rin switched to speakerphone and clicked the link Seo Ye-rin had just sent.
It was the SNS of a famous violinist.
She had recently appeared on a variety show, and Yoo Ah-rin had seen it too.
The important thing was that the face of a man she knew was in her latest post.
A landscape that looked like a park.
The two of them were sitting on a bench, taking a selfie together.
And the hashtags below.
"#Alumni, #DearWoojin, #DearJjin-a, #FatefulMeeting……."
— Shabba-dabba-doo-bi-doo-ba! Doo-bi-doo-baaa!
Seo Ye-rin was wailing something through her tears.
But Yoo Ah-rin could only stare blankly at the photo of the two, feeling as if she’d been struck in the head.