Chapter 285: Change?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 285: Change?
“…Hello?”
— Hello? I-seo, when do you think you’ll be back? The girls want to get together for the first time in a while.
The call from Min-ji, her roommate, allowed Choi I-seo to take a much-needed breath.
Her head was still a mess because of Kim Woo-jin’s bombshell remark, and she needed a distraction.
“The girls? All of a sudden? Now? At this hour?”
Based on what Min-ji was saying, it sounded like their high school friends had gathered. It seemed a bit strange to suddenly meet up and start drinking at this time of night.
— Yeah, everyone said they’re off today. They’re all on their way now.
“…By any chance, who organized this?”
She asked with a sense of foreboding, and the expected name popped up.
— Yun-ji. She said she’s been neglecting everyone lately and wants to treat us. To tuna and sake, no less!
Sigh. Oh Yun-ji.
Choi I-seo grumbled with a sigh and glanced at the time.
“I’m in another area right now, so I might be a bit late.”
— Oh, really? But you’ll be back by dawn, right? It looks like the girls are going to go hard until morning.
Come to think of it, tomorrow was the weekend.
Since they hadn't seen each other in a while, they probably had a lot to talk about. There was a high chance the gathering wouldn't be over by the time she returned, or they might even stay the night.
“Well… sure. I’ll be late, but I’ll be there by dawn.”
— Great! It’s been ages since we all drank together!
Choi I-seo let out a small smile at Min-ji’s bright response; she was clearly just happy to hang out with friends.
Then, her eyes landed on Kim Woo-jin.
He was currently bickering with Yoo Ah-rin.
“Hey, give me your arm.”
“Why? What now? What did I do wrong?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Just come here while I’m being nice. I want to link arms.”
“Link arms? Why? What’s gotten into you? Are you trying to turn me into Shanks? Is this because of what I-seo said about the couple rings? Are you trying to make it so I can’t wear one at all?”
“Couple rings? What are you talking about? Are you getting couple rings with Choi I-seo?!”
“…No, I’m not.”
As Yoo Ah-rin tried to grab his arm, Kim Woo-jin ran away, sensing something ominous.
Yoo Ah-rin chased after him.
Watching the scene, Choi I-seo felt an involuntary tightness in her chest.
Jealousy?
Was that what this emotion was?
The contemplation didn't last long. Choi I-seo was a woman who knew how to clearly diagnose her own feelings.
‘I’m envious of that kind of atmosphere—the kind I don’t have.’
Because she understood her emotions so clearly, a sense of anxiety washed over her.
Choi I-seo ended up asking Min-ji a question she normally never would have.
“Min-ji, what does a ‘mother-like’ woman mean to a man?”
— Huh?
It must have seemed strange to ask such a random question in the middle of talking about drinking with friends. Nevertheless, Min-ji approached her friend’s question quite seriously.
— Don’t tell me you heard that from Kim Woo-jin?
“No, it’s not necessarily about Woo-jin…”
— Who else would you be talking about men with besides Kim Woo-jin?
She had a point. Choi I-seo lamented how well Min-ji had come to know her while living together and answered.
“You’re right.”
— Sigh.
Min-ji’s sigh was laced with unease. Even though I-seo was the one who asked, she suddenly didn't want to hear the answer.
— I-seo, listen carefully. To a man, a ‘mother’ is not a woman.
“I-I mean, obviously?”
One only had to think of the reverse. To her, her father wasn't a "man." He was just her dad.
— But telling a girlfriend she’s like a mother can be interpreted in several ways.
“Several ways?”
— It could mean she’s a woman who takes good care of him, listens to him, and helps him when things are tough, right?
“…”
For a moment, Choi I-seo felt a chilling sensation. She wondered if Min-ji knew everything that had happened between her and Kim Woo-jin. Her guess was so accurate it felt impossible.
— It’s fine if it stops there. But if it doesn’t, it becomes a problem.
“W-what kind of problem?”
— The romantic feelings disappear.
“…!”
— Think about it. In this world, the only people who feel lust for their parents are either lunatics or psychopaths.
Aren't those the same thing? Regardless, Choi I-seo agreed that it was both ethically and physiologically impossible.
— But he said his girlfriend is like a mother? Honestly, this means… it’s time for a change.
“A change.”
— It’s easier to think of it that way. It’s like when women break up with a ‘nice guy’ because he’s so nice that it doesn’t feel like a relationship. You watched In-yeon Couple with me last time, didn't you?
In-yeon Couple. It was a program where singles lived together for a few days to get to know each other and form couples.
— On that show, they say they prefer someone who plays hard to get over someone who’s just too nice. Wouldn't it be the same for men?
A woman who is too nice has no charm? She feels like a mother?
“I’m not even that nice! I-I didn't just let him do whatever he wanted!”
— Why are you making excuses to me, I-seo? What matters is that Kim Woo-jin felt that way.
Min-ji hesitated for a moment. Sounds could be heard over the phone, and her speech quickened.
— I-I think Yun-ji’s here!
“I’m hanging up!”
Click.
The call ended just like that.
Choi I-seo’s complicated emotions intensified, and she began to feel a sense of urgency.
Looking back at Kim Woo-jin, he was now talking with Seo Ye-rin.
“Are you really going to wear that? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m wearing this.”
Seo Ye-rin had discarded all the bikinis she had been agonizing over and held out a rash guard that covered her entire body.
“Wait, why all of a sudden? You were all about wearing a bikini just a minute ago.”
“It’s too revealing. Don’t you think so?”
Kim Woo-jin was about to answer, but his mouth snapped shut when he saw Seo Ye-rin’s expression.
However, Seo Ye-rin glared at him sharply and retorted.
“You were going to say you like that kind of thing, weren't you?”
“What? I only thought it. Did I say it out loud?”
“Your face said it. I don’t like being exposed! Don’t you remember the old Seo Ye-rin? The me who used to get embarrassed by lewd things?!”
“The past you who spent all day talking about sex in the Bamboo Forest?”
“…I don’t know.”
“No, Ye-rin. Why are you being like this? I’m fine with you wearing a rash guard or a bikini, but this is just weird.”
With that, Kim Woo-jin placed a hand on Seo Ye-rin’s shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!”
But Seo Ye-rin quickly slapped his hand away and shrieked.
“Maintain your distance!”
Kim Woo-jin looked genuinely shocked by Seo Ye-rin’s baffling reaction.
“Is it because we haven't done it in a while? Is your pent-up frustration exploding as anger?!”
Now the conversation was veering into overtly strange territory.
“S-should we do it right now? There’s a changing room over there. Let’s go, Ye-rin! If you take a towel and bite down on it, the noise should be fine! I’ll carry you back when we’re done!”
“Huh? R-really?”
Seo Ye-rin, who had been following Kim Woo-jin with a grin, seemed to snap back to her senses and flailed her arms.
“Don’t tempt me! I’m not doing it! Use your common sense!”
“…”
In the end, Seo Ye-rin shook Kim Woo-jin off and ran away.
“What is wrong with her?”
Kim Woo-jin stood there blankly, watching Seo Ye-rin, unable to understand.
Choi I-seo didn't know why Seo Ye-rin was acting that way either, but she saw this as an opportunity and crept closer.
“Woo-jin, I’m going to pick out a swimsuit too. Can you help me?”
“Hmm? Oh, of course.”
Kim Woo-jin went over to the swimwear section, and the first thing he suggested was:
“How about this?”
It was a blue rash guard.
“I think it would look good on you. What do you think?”
Yes, it probably would.
In fact, Choi I-seo had intended to wear a rash guard if she were to wear a swimsuit. She wasn't the type to enjoy the attention of showing off skin unnecessarily, and honestly, bikinis were embarrassing.
She went to the gym and even took body profiles, but that wasn't because she wanted to show off her body to random strangers.
However.
It was okay to show it to someone who mattered.
No, she wanted to show it to him.
The fact that the person who mattered was currently recommending a rash guard subtly pricked Choi I-seo’s pride.
“Anything else?”
“Anything else? Hmm, how about this?”
After that, most of the swimsuits Kim Woo-jin suggested were of the conservative variety. Things that either covered the body completely or weren't much different from ordinary clothes.
‘Earlier, with Ye-rin…’
When she said she’d wear a rash guard, he desperately tried to stop her and recommended a bikini. He even made that ridiculous suggestion about the changing room.
‘Come to think of it, I heard he even recommended swimsuit colors for Ye-rin and Ah-rin.’
Red for Seo Ye-rin, black for Yoo Ah-rin.
She had heard that Kim Woo-jin had specifically requested them as if he were assigning them.
But he hadn't said anything like that to her.
Why?
‘D-does he not see me that way?’
No.
‘Calm down, Choi I-seo.’
Hadn't she learned from the previous erectile dysfunction incident? This was surely just some kind of accident caused by overlapping misunderstandings.
Don't panic, and don't jump to conclusions.
‘I got too impatient because he called me mother-like, I-seo.’
Steeling herself, Choi I-seo picked up a bikini.
“How about something like this?”
As she held it up against her body and asked, Kim Woo-jin’s eyes widened, and he answered with a laugh.
“Hey, that’s the kind of thing Ye-rin likes.”
“…”
Then he brought over another rash guard.
“This side will suit you better. See? Isn't it nice?”
“Ah, I see.”
“Oh, right, I-seo. Is there anything special we should bring when we go? Since it’s the beach, I was thinking of maybe tanning. Do you know anything about that?”
Choi I-seo stared at the brightly smiling Kim Woo-jin before reaching out and grabbing both of his cheeks.
“Wubub?!”
She squished his cheeks like she was kneading bread dough. Her voice was laced with a simmering rage.
“How should I know? Am I your mother?”
“Eububub?!”
“Phew, fine.”
Choi I-seo let go of him as if throwing him aside and picked out a swimsuit that caught her eye.
“I’m wearing this.”
A navy underboob bikini.
The moment Kim Woo-jin saw Choi I-seo choose a bikini so revealing that the bottom of her breasts would be clearly visible, he panicked and tried to stop her.
“Y-you’re wearing this?! Why all of a sudden? Did you eat something wrong? I’m telling you, you’ll definitely regret it!”
“…”
“Wear something you actually like! Why are you being like this? I’m telling you, you’re plenty pretty even in that rash guard!”
He had asked Yoo Ah-rin to wear a black swimsuit. Not only that, but thanks to her easygoing personality, they frequently traded dirty jokes, and she knew they often shared a light yet suggestive atmosphere.
He had asked Seo Ye-rin to wear a red swimsuit. The two of them were constantly engaging in skinship, dirty talk, and even having sex, finding plenty of physical satisfaction.
And her?
Theirs was a truly static romance.
Skinship was very rare, and in terms of sexual relations, she was naturally in a distant third place among the three.
Furthermore, unlike the other two, their interactions consisted mostly of quiet conversations like a still lake, rather than the sparky feeling unique to dating.
If she had to make a comparison, it was like dating in a library.
And the conclusion Kim Woo-jin had reached from that was that she was "mother-like."
The most fatal title for a girlfriend.
What should she do?
Seeing Kim Woo-jin, who loved sexual things so much, trying to stop her from wearing a bikini only made Choi I-seo feel more anxious.
She reached the conclusion that the most extreme solution among those that came to mind would be the most effective.
She just had to copy them.
The two who came before her.
If so, then right now…
Grip.
“S-se—!”
Clutching the swimsuit, Choi I-seo shouted at Kim Woo-jin, who was blocking her path.
“I want to have sex!”
With a face flushed bright red and breathing heavily, she made her declaration to Kim Woo-jin.
His eyes began to grow wider and wider as he looked down at her.
“Doctoooooor! We have a patient over heeeeere!”
He let out a rough, horrified cry and placed a hand on Choi I-seo’s forehead.
“D-do you have a fever? I-seo, how many fingers am I holding up? Breathe! First, just breathe—!”
The moment she saw his reaction, Choi I-seo slowly closed her eyes.
‘I’ve blown it.’