Chapter 22: Coincidence
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: Coincidence
"Heh, Kim Woo-jin?"
"I didn't take him for the type, but I guess he was interested in I-seo."
"I mean, anyone would want a piece of I-seo. Have you seen her ass? It’s so thick and..."
"Hey, that’s sexual harassment."
"Ahem."
The group had left Choi I-seo and Kim Woo-jin behind to eat separately. As Ahn Hyun-ho explained what he had overheard, everyone reacted with a flurry of excitement.
One male student crossed the line with his comments, but Ahn Hyun-ho, who had feelings for Choi I-seo, was the first to shut him down.
‘Well, I guess I should consider this a relief.’
Thanks to Kim Woo-jin, he had managed to find out Choi I-seo’s current feelings without having to confess himself. Since she said she wouldn't start dating until her sophomore year, Hyun-ho figured he should focus on building a solid, positive image until then.
‘Sigh, Ahn Hyun-ho, you’ve really gone soft.’
Hyun-ho had been popular since high school. He had the looks, the fighting skills, and connections with older students. Since he was a "model student bully" who actually got good grades, there was practically nothing he didn't have back then.
Girlfriends? He had dated so many women that it was rare for him to even have a "dry spell."
However, Choi I-seo, whom he met in college, was more attractive than any woman he had ever seen. While rumors whispered that the true Goddess of the English Department was Seo Ye-rin—and even Hyun-ho acknowledged Ye-rin's charms—he found himself more drawn to Choi I-seo, who was fierce, had her own convictions, and wasn't easily swayed by others.
‘But why do I feel so uneasy?’
He wasn't sure why.
Woo-jin clearly said he was rejected, and I-seo had declared she wouldn't date anyone. Yet, Hyun-ho couldn't help but feel that the way she looked at Kim Woo-jin was slightly different from how she looked at other men.
‘Well, whatever. He got rejected, so he’ll probably back off now.’
In fact, knowing I-seo’s personality, if he didn't give up after being rejected and kept pushing, she would only end up hating him more.
"Hyun-ho, what do you want to eat?"
"Cheese Pork Cutlet for me."
"Okay, three Cheese Pork Cutlets and... Ye-rin, what about you?"
They held the menu out to Seo Ye-rin, but she was hunched over, completely absorbed in her phone. She was tapping away at the screen so aggressively that it looked like she was in the middle of a heated conversation.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
"Her phone’s gonna break at this rate..."
"Ye-rin! What are you having?"
"Huh?!"
Startled by her friend tapping her shoulder, Ye-rin snapped her head up. At the same time, she flipped her phone over so no one could see the screen.
"Oh, I’ll have... the Moron Pork Cutlet."
"The Moron?"
"I mean, the Sirloin."
"...Didn't you just say 'Moron'?"
It also felt like her gaze flickered toward another table for a split second. Specifically, toward the table where Kim Woo-jin and Choi I-seo were sitting.
As soon as she finished ordering, Ye-rin went right back to tapping on her phone. She was so intense that her friends didn't dare disturb her again.
"I-I mean, someone as pretty as Ye-rin probably gets tons of messages."
"I bet she gets contacted by seniors, return students, and even the teaching assistants, right?"
"Ah..."
At the friends' words, the expressions of several male students who clearly had a crush on her darkened. Only Ye-rin knew the truth, but she didn't give them a second glance, regardless of whatever misunderstandings were brewing.
She just kept tapping away at the keyboard on her screen.
*
Choi I-seo’s "form" was certainly insane, having already been confessed to by four guys even though the second semester had just started.
But in reality, there was someone even crazier.
Naturally, it was Seo Ye-rin, who ranked high among the crazy people I knew.
‘What the hell is she doing when she came here to eat pork cutlet?’
I had blocked her this morning because she posted something weird, but it seemed her sexual frustration had boiled over before lunch. She was now spamming me through the 1:1 Inquiry.
If I gave her a permanent ban, she wouldn't even be able to use the 1:1 Inquiry, but I wondered if it was really worth going that far. Besides, Anonymous 69 was one of the few "named" users in the Bamboo Forest.
Even if "Sex Master" wasn't exactly a prestigious title.
I finally couldn't take it anymore and asked.
Ye-rin’s rampage showed no signs of stopping. Wondering what on earth was wrong with her, I peeked over at her table.
There she was, head down, relentlessly spamming her phone. She looked incredibly determined, as if she were fueled by pure spite.
‘Is she stressed out or something?’
From what I knew, Seo Ye-rin vented her stress through the Anonymous 69 persona. I clicked my tongue, figuring Ahn Hyun-ho, the other guys, or maybe the other girls had done something to stress her out again.
‘She really can't say what she needs to say to people's faces.’
It was the same at the karaoke bar. Maybe it was because she had such a "kind and pure" image that she found it harder to speak her mind.
After my ultimatum, Ye-rin’s rampage finally ceased.
What do you mean, "just because"?
Where did that come from?
Talk about out of left field.
"Hey, why did you even ask to eat together if you're just going to stare at your phone?"
As I was preoccupied with my phone, Choi I-seo, sitting across from me, spoke up with an annoyed expression.
"Actually, you were the one who asked to eat together."
To be honest, I had momentarily forgotten about I-seo because of Ye-rin.
"Hey, do you think friendship exists between men and women?"
"Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
"Right? I think it's sudden too."
Since it wasn't something I had ever really thought about, I asked I-seo. She chewed on her fork for a moment before answering.
"Yeah? I mean, I'm eating lunch with you right now, aren't I?"
"...Damn, what a wise answer to a stupid question. Your form is insane, Choi I-seo."
"Hehe."
Pleased by the compliment, I-seo immediately stabbed a piece of pork cutlet with her fork and popped it into her mouth. I sent the answer back to Ye-rin.
Well, if it were Seo Ye-rin, guys would probably trip over themselves to pay just for the chance to eat with her. But since Anonymous 69’s persona was a guy, I had to respond accordingly.
It wasn't a lie. I did sleep right next to Choi I-seo at the jjimjilbang, so it was technically the truth. I couldn't afford to back down here. If I did, Anonymous 69 would tear me apart, even if Ye-rin wouldn't.
But for some reason, there was no reply from Anonymous 69. I peeked over at Ye-rin’s table again, but she was gone, even though her food had arrived.
‘What’s going on?’
I wondered where she went, and the answer came immediately to my phone.
"Pfft—!?"
I choked and started coughing involuntarily. The photo showed a woman sitting on a toilet, lifting her skirt to reveal her panties.
Based on the mole on her inner thigh and the background of the restroom, it was a fresh photo taken right here in this pork cutlet restaurant.
I tried to reply quickly to Ye-rin’s insane message, but that was my mistake.
"Ugh, what the hell are you doing over there by yourself?"
Choi I-seo, fed up with being ignored, suddenly reached out and snatched my phone away.
As she grabbed it, she must have tapped the screen because the photo zoomed in.
"Eek!?"
As a result, the panty shot under the lifted skirt was displayed vividly right in front of I-seo’s eyes.
"Y-y-you pervert! What are you looking at while we're eating?!"
Naturally, I-seo threw the phone back at me, her face turning bright red as she screamed.
In this situation... was there any way to resolve this without her misunderstanding?
In this moment where several coincidences had converged into an inevitable disaster, I calmly and coolly explained to I-seo.
"I-seo, please don't misunderstand."
"Misunderstand what, you creep?!"
"Think about it. What does the fact that I was looking at that photo mean?"
"...Huh?"
As I-seo looked at me in confusion, I gave her a thumbs-up and a grin.
"It means I wasn't even a little bit turned on by you—urgh!"
Choi I-seo’s straight punch landed right on my face.