Chapter 258: Reunion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 258: Reunion
"Yawn."
Lying on the sofa and mindlessly watching TV was more boring than I expected.
Maybe I’d already gotten used to living at Yoo Ah-rin’s place, even though it had only been about a week.
Now that the noisy girls were all cooped up in Ah-rin’s room, the house felt strangely lonely and dull.
Today was the day of the reunion.
And tomorrow was the day Ah-rin’s parents were coming back.
To be honest, I felt it was a bit of a waste of time to go to the reunion when I’d have to check out right after it ended. But then again, once it was over, I’d be traveling abroad with all of them anyway.
Yoo Ah-rin and Seo Ye-rin were openly excited, and I’d even caught Choi I-seo secretly searching for travel destinations and picking out clothes on her phone when I walked by.
‘Well, if they’re happy, that’s all that matters.’
Good things are good, right?
I’d just go to the reunion, eat some decent food, drink some good booze, and try my best to remember faces I didn't recognize. Time would fly by.
‘Oh, right.’
I remembered something I needed to take care of.
‘I should tell them to stop by the dormitory for a moment.’
Since Big Hyung said he was sending a car, I planned to take that and swing by the dorms first.
I might be a little late for the appointment, but so what? It wasn't like I was going to see those people for long anyway.
With so many people there, no one would even notice if I was missing for a bit.
"Ugh, I'm sleepy."
Was it just my imagination, or did I always get tired right when it was time to leave?
I needed to change, but the girls told me to wait because they were going to coordinate my outfit, so I was just sitting still for now.
Just then, Yoo Ah-rin and Choi I-seo stepped out of the room.
"Phew, that was epic."
"Ye-rin definitely looks—"
From the sounds of it, they had succeeded in styling Seo Ye-rin.
Seeing the two of them in such perfect sync, acting as if they’d just made the invention of the century, made me a little curious.
As I quickly stood up from the sofa to approach them, Ah-rin suddenly lunged forward and covered my eyes with both hands.
"Whoa, damn. You scared me. I thought you were going to poke my eyes out."
Since she was prone to all sorts of antics, I’d momentarily flinched, thinking she was actually attacking me.
"I'll keep his eyes covered, so you take Ye-rin outside."
"Do we really have to go this far?"
Choi I-seo’s voice carried a hint of "this is overkill," but she seemed to be following through anyway. I heard the front door open.
"Woo-jin, we'll wait outside!"
"Yeah, our driver should be here soon."
"A driver? That's insane," Ah-rin grumbled in front of me. To ordinary people, the term "private driver" was bound to sound a bit awkward.
"There are bus drivers and taxi drivers everywhere. What's so special about a driver?"
"Most people don't have a driver for their personal car."
"Designated drivers exist."
Squeeze!
"Agh! My eyes! You're crushing them!"
"Why do you always have to talk back?!"
I heard the front door click shut. It seemed Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo had gone out together.
Only then did Yoo Ah-rin remove her hands from my eyes.
"Was all that really necessary?"
When I asked, feeling bewildered, Ah-rin crossed her arms and pouted.
"Ye-rin looks incredibly pretty right now. We styled her to perfection."
"Right, I know you worked hard to make her look good. But why hide it?"
"Because I didn't want to see your eyes wandering to another girl right in front of me, so I sent her out first. Happy?"
"…Yeah, I'm happy."
Look at how honest she is.
"Ah-rin, want to kiss?"
She was so adorable that I couldn't help but take a step toward her. Ah-rin let out a deep sigh.
"I need to style your hair, so just get into the bathroom already."
She walked into the bathroom, and I followed right behind her.
I grabbed her shoulders, spun her around to face me, and kissed her immediately.
"Mmph?!"
Startled, Ah-rin tried to push me away, but I squeezed her backside firmly, making her go weak.
"Haa… mm!"
The sound of our tongues tangling echoed in the bathroom. Her stubborn resistance eventually crumbled, and before long…
Ah-rin was continuing the kiss with her arms wrapped around my neck.
After a kiss that lasted longer than expected, we pulled back just enough to look at each other, our noses almost touching.
"Do you really have time for this right now?"
"But you were so cute, being all sulky about not wanting me to see Seo Ye-rin."
"Ha, seriously."
Still grumbling, Ah-rin leaned back in for another soft kiss.
And so, we shared a rather long kiss.
* * *
"What took you so long?"
In front of a luxury black sedan, Choi I-seo stood with her arms crossed, glaring at me.
Ah-rin, following behind me with a flushed face and trying to hide her heavy breathing, answered awkwardly.
"T-That! Kim Woo-jin kept saying he was too lazy to get ready! We were arguing about that, so we're a bit late!"
"A-ha."
Choi I-seo tilted her head sarcastically and pointed at me.
"So, the outfit you picked for him is a tracksuit? I thought you said the reunion was a party format."
"……."
"It's not even a luxury brand, it's just ordinary sportswear!"
I stepped in front of the shouting I-seo to try and calm her down.
"I-seo, it's fine. Clothes aren't a big deal."
As I said that, I-seo’s eyes widened as she took a closer look at my tracksuit.
"This isn't Adidas, it's Adios? It's a knockoff? Oh, my head."
She clutched her forehead as if she had a sudden migraine.
"Ye-rin worked so hard to look her best, and he looks like he just stepped out to buy cup ramen at the convenience store!"
"That was the plan! This way, that Choi Jin-ah girl will lose interest, and no other girls will hit on him!"
As Ah-rin shouted about her brilliant idea, I-seo retorted with a look of pure annoyance.
"Dressing appropriately for the occasion is basic etiquette. And you, fix your clothes. Button up. There's a mark on your neck."
"…!"
Startled, Ah-rin hurriedly covered her neck with her hand and adjusted her clothes.
I’d thought about pointing it out earlier, but I figured I’d get hit if I did.
I guess I got a bit carried away and left a mark.
"Sigh, I don't even know anymore. Do whatever you want."
With that, I-seo grabbed me and practically shoved me into the car.
"Hi, Woo-jin."
Inside, a fully dolled-up Seo Ye-rin was waiting for me.
She was wearing a tight white sleeveless mini-dress, and her hair had soft curls, giving off a completely different vibe than usual.
Her signature innocent look was still there, but with her shoulders exposed and the dress accentuating her bust, she looked incredibly sexy.
And her face, well, it was flawless as always.
"Have a good time! Ah-rin, you and I need to talk."
"H-Have a good trip!"
I offered a silent prayer for Ah-rin as she was dragged away by Choi I-seo.
I closed the door and was about to ask the driver to stop by the dorms, but a black partition was blocking the view.
As I fumbled for the button to lower it, Seo Ye-rin poked me.
"Woo-jin, don't you have anything to say?"
Ah, right.
Things were so hectic I almost forgot.
"Nothing happened with Ah-rin."
"Do you want to die?"
"Was that not it?"
I naturally assumed she was mad because I’d been doing something suggestive with Ah-rin.
"Don't you feel anything?"
My eyes instinctively drifted toward my lower half. I was checking to see if she was touching me somewhere I hadn't noticed, but that wasn't it.
"Ah."
Living such a high-stimulus life had made me forget the basics.
When a woman dresses up, a compliment is mandatory.
"Ye-rin, you look—"
But as I was about to compliment her, a thought occurred to me.
How many times in her life had Seo Ye-rin heard that she was pretty?
Probably as many times as she’d eaten a meal.
So, I decided to give her a compliment that was a bit different—one she would definitely like.
"I want to skip the reunion and go straight to a hotel."
"Hehehehe!"
Ye-rin covered her blushing face with both hands, unable to hide her giggle.
As expected, this was the right answer.
Of course, it wasn't a lie.
Ye-rin was genuinely so attractive that I wanted to pin her down right then and there.
Since there was a partition between us and the driver, I was thinking about getting a little handsy, but then…
Whirrr!
The partition lowered, and Senior Ju-hee, who was behind the wheel, glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
"Ah…"
I’d asked her to come as a bodyguard, but I’d completely forgotten.
I didn't realize she’d be the one driving.
"Young Master, we are departing immediately."
"Uh, that’s a bit awkward, so please just call me Woo-jin."
"I am on duty, so I cannot do that."
"…Then, could you stop by the dormitory once? There's something I need to pick up."
"We might be late for the appointment."
"That's fine."
"Understood. And—"
Senior Ju-hee turned her head slightly to look at me and gave a deadpan warning.
"I will not be taking you to any hotels, so please keep that in mind."
She heard me. Dammit.
Whirrr.
Without waiting for a reply, the partition went back up. I buried my face in my hands and let out a groan.
* * *
"……."
Choi Jin-ah leaned against the railing of a massive cruise ship, gazing at the night view of the river.
Even though she was at a luxurious shipboard party labeled as a reunion, she wasn't talking to anyone.
Thirty minutes had already passed, but the cruise ship had yet to depart.
Jin-ah’s gaze was fixed on the entrance of the ship, which was guarded by security personnel.
"He's still not here?"
A man's voice came from behind her.
The handsome man naturally stood beside Jin-ah. It was James, the one who had spent a fortune to turn this reunion into a cruise party.
James, who was mixed-race, flashed a bright, toothy smile and made a suggestion.
"Let's stop waiting and go inside. He said he wasn't coming in the first place."
"But he reached out and said he would come."
He had definitely contacted her and said he’d be there.
"He's probably lying. That guy’s hobby has always been deceiving and ripping people off."
"……."
"So what if his family's company is big and influential? It's the eldest son who's taking over anyway, not him."
"Sigh… I'm not interested in Woo-jin because I think he's the successor."
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
Looking at the mocking James, Choi Jin-ah didn't back down.
"Aren't you the one actually waiting for Woo-jin? It seems like you spent all this money just because you heard he was coming."
"Heh, so what?"
James replied with a triumphant smile.
"The bastard was too scared to show up and ran away. Whatever, I don't care anymore. I guess that's all he amounts to."
Just as James was about to head inside to give the order for the ship to depart…
Three people were walking leisurely toward them from the distance.
Even though it was dark and they were far away, Choi Jin-ah recognized the silhouette of the man in the center immediately.
He was here.
While a bright smile spread across Choi Jin-ah’s face…
Kim Woo-jin himself was clicking his tongue as he looked at the massive passenger ship.
"Why hasn't this thing left yet? Talk about being damn lazy."
"Are we really the ones to say that, Woo-jin? We're the ones who are late."
"If it had already left, we could've just gone to a nearby Gukbap place and had some hearty Sundae-gukbap instead."