Chapter 261: Deviation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 261: Deviation
What exactly was the problem?
What part of him was so broken that a father could put his own daughter on display like merchandise at a street stall?
The question crossed my mind, but asking would have been an intrusion. Perhaps it was because I felt that the moment I asked, I would become entangled in her life.
I couldn't bring myself to speak.
Choi Jin-ah, watching me, offered a faint smile—but it wasn't a smile that carried even a hint of warmth.
Seeing me clearly draw a line with my silence, Choi Jin-ah slowly stood up.
"Was that too heavy a topic?"
"Everyone has at least one subject like that," I replied.
Choi Jin-ah bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked such a favor from someone who already has a partner."
"I haven't even said anything yet."
I tried to brush it off, acting as if nothing had happened between us, but she saw right through me.
"You've already realized it, haven't you?"
Despite her smile, she seemed strangely detached as she took a cautious step back.
"I think I was out of my mind for a moment. I shouldn't have invited you to a place like this."
"..."
"I'm sorry."
With that apology, Choi Jin-ah walked away and vanished into the crowd.
Did she have somewhere else to go?
I didn't know, but after watching her back for a moment, I turned toward Seo Ye-rin.
"Ye-rin, should we go see if there's anything fun to do here?"
I said it to change the mood, but Seo Ye-rin gave me an uncertain look.
"Didn't that person call you because she wanted someone to help her?"
"..."
She wasn't wrong.
She probably called me because she wanted something from me. Surrounded by people who were there to judge her and claim her, she might have hoped I would do something—anything.
"That's not my job."
When it's time to be cold, you have to be. Just last time, even though I told them I was going on a blind date, the three of them suffered because they cared too much.
If I moved simply because I was swayed by current emotions—because Choi Jin-ah looked pitiful—I could lose the people I truly loved.
That was what I feared most.
"Choi Jin-ah and I are strangers."
Isn't this an era where elementary school classmates are considered strangers? I barely even remembered our past together.
At my words, Seo Ye-rin tilted her head.
"Is that how it works? I'm not so sure."
"What do you know? Let's just play. Bong-geun said he set up a lot of entertainment here."
I’d heard there were bowling alleys, billiard tables, and dart rooms. The deck was a bit noisy, so I planned to hang out inside with Seo Ye-rin and Senior Ju-hee.
But Seo Ye-rin remained rooted to the spot.
"Woo-jin, Senior Ju-hee became a bodyguard because you helped her, right?"
"Uh, yeah. Why?"
"Can you call her over?"
At her request, I looked around for Senior Ju-hee. She was a short distance away, chatting briefly with other bodyguards. Noticing me looking for her, she came over immediately without me having to say a word.
"Is there a problem?"
Having been away for a moment, she had reverted to her professional, stiff demeanor. Seo Ye-rin immediately questioned her.
"Senior! That time you asked us to dress you up for a date! You were meeting Woo-jin then, weren't you?!"
"Yes—wait, what?!"
Ju-hee’s professional composure shattered instantly. She glanced at me, her eyes asking what on earth was happening.
Ah, that time.
I had wanted to buy her a meal to thank her for knocking out President Hwang, and she had shown up all dressed up and feminine. And that was when I received something akin to a confession.
"Ah, that... well, yes," Senior Ju-hee stammered, her previous confidence nowhere to be found.
"Are you still interested in him?"
"What?! No!"
She answered instantly.
Upon hearing the answer, Seo Ye-rin patted the chair next to her, signaling Senior Ju-hee to sit.
"Senior, be honest with me. Do you really have no interest at all? I'm asking this as your junior in the English Department."
"Phew."
Senior Ju-hee took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Then, she nodded and answered firmly.
"I can act as if I don't."
"..."
"Woo-jin is someone who helped me a great deal. It's true there was a time I had feelings, and whether those are completely gone... I can't say for certain myself."
She stole a glance at me. I ended up hearing her true feelings right next to her.
"But I have things I need to do first. To repay what Woo-jin did for me, those kinds of emotions don't seem very helpful."
"That's a very ambiguous answer."
"It can't be helped. That's the truth."
Senior Ju-hee’s gaze lingered on the wine glasses as if she craved a drink. Noticing this, Seo Ye-rin offered her one, but she shook her head.
"I am on duty."
She returned to formal speech.
Seeing this, Seo Ye-rin crossed her arms as if she were about to say something profound, but instead—
"This isn't what I expected!"
She started fussing and making a scene.
"Se-Senior, you still have feelings for Woo-jin?! I thought you were completely over him!"
"Wh-what?"
"No, then how could you even come here? Your heart must be breaking!"
"Wait, hold on. Did you even understand what I said?"
Senior Ju-hee tried her best to calm the hyperventilating Seo Ye-rin.
I wasn't sure why Ye-rin had gone so far as to call Ju-hee over to ask these things. However, because she didn't say it outright, the nuances, actions, and atmosphere made me feel like my task had been vaguely decided.
"Anyway, I get what you mean, Ye-rin."
I stood up abruptly.
It was clear that Seo Ye-rin had felt something after seeing Choi Jin-ah and had something she wanted to tell me.
"I'll be back in a bit. Senior Ju-hee, keep all the creeps away from her. If anyone crosses the line, tell them my name."
"Yes, understood."
"If they still cross it, beat them up. I'll take responsibility."
"That's my specialty," Senior Ju-hee replied, a slight smirk playing on her lips as she bowed her head.
With her send-off, I headed in the direction Choi Jin-ah had gone.
*
What was I trying to do?
After fleeing from Kim Woo-jin’s table, Choi Jin-ah found herself at the edge of the deck. Even though it was summer, a cold wind blew over the river. Watching the calm water flow did nothing to ease the suffocating feeling in her chest.
She took a deep breath.
It didn't help.
This wasn't a place where she could breathe. Though she was on a cruise ship floating on the river, she felt as if she were still submerged in its depths.
If you open your mouth to breathe underwater, you only hasten your death by swallowing the brackish water.
That was what she had done today.
If I see Kim Woo-jin, maybe things will be resolved.
If Kim Woo-jin comes, maybe something will change.
That vague hope had just been shattered. It felt like she had opened her mouth to breathe and only swallowed water.
Her shoulders slumped.
The footsteps of the men following her—the world-renowned violinist—felt like they were pushing her against the railing.
Just as her head began to drop—
"Wow, did you get rejected too?"
"Hahaha! A comrade!"
The shrill voices of women came from behind her.
She looked up to see the women who had tried to seduce Kim Woo-jin earlier—the ones Ha In-ho had brought along.
Choi Jin-ah felt a sudden surge of worry that they might have malicious intentions because of what happened earlier, but they spoke to her with a strange, laughing friendliness.
"We got dumped too. Those bastards, they only brought us along to use us as bait to seduce other girls."
"Sigh, what a joke. Are we Pokémon or something? 'Go, use Charm!' I just went along with it at first, but now they look at us like we're complete idiots."
"Aren't they just losers? Sending girls to seduce a guy who already has a girlfriend just to make her feel betrayed so they can swoop in."
"What a weird fetish. Gross!"
Listening to the two of them talk around her made her already complicated thoughts even more dizzying. It seemed they had parted ways with Ha In-ho on bad terms, but since they were on a ship, they couldn't leave.
"Is smoking allowed here?"
"Who knows? Just light up. It's not like they can kick us off the boat."
The two of them pulled out cigarettes and looked at Choi Jin-ah.
"Want one?"
"No... I've never smoked before."
Her father had always looked down on it, saying smoking was for "crass women."
"What a weird way to put it."
"Right? Haha, that's hilarious."
"Pardon? Did I say something strange?"
Had she? When she asked them with a look of confusion, the two women lit their cigarettes and replied.
"Usually, people just say they're non-smokers or they don't smoke."
"'I've never smoked before' sounds like you just haven't had the chance yet."
"..."
It wasn't wrong.
It wasn't a choice she had made. She simply never had the opportunity, and her father hated it, so she hadn't done it.
Suddenly, she felt a sense of curiosity toward the women in front of her.
Their flashy makeup, the way they picked any man to play with, the way they enjoyed themselves regardless of whether it was healthy or not.
Unlike her, they seemed excessively free.
"I'll have..."
Choi Jin-ah cautiously reached out her hand.
"Could you give me one?"
"Oh, sure."
"Just so you know, it's nothing weird. It's just a Marlboro."
"Damn, that's funny. If you smoke it here, people might think it's drugs."
Choi Jin-ah took a cigarette, swallowing hard. She bit her lip as she saw her fingers trembling.
It's just one cigarette! What's the big deal!
She wanted to be free too. She didn't want to be her father's pet fish trapped in a giant tank. She wanted to be a woman who lived her own life.
The moment Choi Jin-ah put the cigarette to her lips—
Snatch!
Someone roughly grabbed the cigarette from her and crushed it.
"What are you doing? You smoke now?"
Seeing Kim Woo-jin frowning at her, Choi Jin-ah’s mouth hung open in shock.
"Why..."
The question of why he had come all this way remained unasked.
"What is it? What exactly did you want when you called me?"
Kim Woo-jin’s tone was accusatory.
"It seems like you're having trouble with your father. Is that why you called me?"
"...Yes."
In the face of his overwhelming presence, Choi Jin-ah answered in a small, strained voice.
She felt a pang of resentment toward Kim Woo-jin for stopping her first attempt at rebellion, yet she also felt strangely relieved.
"What exactly do you want? Revenge against your father? I can't do anything grand like that."
The words wouldn't come easily. But she knew that if she stayed silent now, she would be no different from the gasping carp in the tank.
"Rebellion... I want to rebel."
Choi Jin-ah forced the word out, trying to keep it as polite as possible.
"Rebellion?"
Kim Woo-jin looked dumbfounded by the unexpectedly simple answer. He held out the crushed cigarette in his right hand and asked, "Was this because of that too?"
"Ye-yes. My father said women who smoke are vulgar and he hated it."
"Vulgar?!"
"Wow, what century is this father living in?!"
The two women, listening in like they were watching a drama, chimed in indignantly.
Kim Woo-jin ignored them and let out a sigh.
"Sigh, you're a real dummy. You're 'rebelling' just out of spite for your father? Are you a high schooler?"
"..."
Choi Jin-ah had nothing to say. He was right.
To think that all she could come up with was this. It was pathetic.
"Resistance or revenge isn't done like this. Why do something that only ruins your own body?"
"Is... is that so?"
"Yes, so..."
Kim Woo-jin stopped mid-sentence. He couldn't think of a specific alternative on the spot.
"Ah, whatever! Let's just go! You came to the right person!"
"What?"
Kim Woo-jin grabbed Choi Jin-ah’s wrist and pulled her along, shouting, "This place is full of ways to rebel! I've been an expert at this since elementary school!"
Elementary school.
The self-proclaimed problem child who had committed countless acts of rebellion.
The boy who sold fake cards for high prices.
The boy who snuck out to buy ramen and sold it for a profit.
The boy who claimed he wanted to play baseball and ended up breaking countless windows.
Back then, he was the boy everyone gossiped about, and for that very reason, he was the boy she had admired.
"Let's go!"
After all this time, he was finally leading her.
"Let's turn this place into a complete mess!"