Chapter 311: The Ending Night
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 311: The Ending Night
“Uha-hang!”
An evening in Hawaii.
We were eating at a steakhouse, and Seo Ye-rin’s signature bright, airy laughter kept ringing in my ears.
“Eheu-heung.”
She was smiling even as she sliced her steak. It didn't seem like she was doing it just because the food was good.
“I honestly don’t understand Seo Ye-rin anymore.”
“She used to be such a normal girl.”
Even though Yoo Ah-rin and Choi I-seo, sitting at the same table, chimed in with their own remarks, Seo Ye-rin’s giggling didn't stop.
“What is it? What on earth did you do to make her act like that? What kind of play did you engage in?”
Yoo Ah-rin, sitting next to me, poked my side with her elbow as if she found the whole thing absurd.
“What do you mean, 'play'? We just hung out.”
“Stop lying. There’s no way she left you alone. What did you do to make her that happy?”
“It’s obvious.”
Choi I-seo cut in while putting a piece of steak in her mouth. Her eyes were full of distrust and disapproval.
“You probably whispered ‘I love you, I love you, I love you’ in her ear. Repeating it over and over like a tape recorder.”
“...Is that what I do with you guys?”
“Urgh!”
Yoo Ah-rin suddenly turned her target toward Choi I-seo.
Is she an idiot?
When I was with Choi I-seo this time, she looked like she was going to die of happiness when I told her I loved her during the act, so I kept saying it.
It seemed she felt hurt, thinking the specialness was lost because I might have done the exact same thing with someone else.
But naturally, since the three of them have different fetishes, the sex has to be different too.
“Wow, Choi I-seo. Is that how you do it? Does he hold you all cheesily and whisper in your ear? Acting all fatal and brooding?”
“...No, it’s not like that.”
“What do you mean, 'no'! This girl is totally sulking because she thinks he did the same thing he did with her!”
Yoo Ah-rin’s voice was getting louder, so I felt the need to mediate.
“I-seo! I do different plays for each of you, tailored to your tastes!”
“You son of a bitch, you’re actually proud of that?!”
“Sigh, now I feel even worse.”
Wait.
I meant it as a nice sentiment—that each encounter has its own unique specialness.
But it seemed Yoo Ah-rin was more annoyed after hearing about Choi I-seo’s 'play.'
“Hey, why do you act all sweet with Choi I-seo while you’re so rough with me?”
“Just eat your meat. It’s getting cold.”
“You’re discriminating. Why does this jerk unleash his weird kinks on me and save the pure love for Choi I-seo?”
“Sigh, that’s because it’s your taste, you brat.”
“Taste, my ass. My butt still stings when I sit down. I want to be treated like a lover too, you know?”
“I tried that last time, and you told me to stop screwing around because it made your ears itchy.”
“...Did I?”
“Good grief, this girl is practically throwing a fit to be hit. Be honest, you act all prickly on purpose just so you can get scolded during sex, don't you?”
Yoo Ah-rin poked a piece of steak with her fork and brought it to her mouth.
Watching her refuse to answer made a laugh escape me. She’s actually quite cute when she backs down like that.
The problem is that it rarely happens.
“Hehehe.”
Just then, Seo Ye-rin’s laughter drifted over from across the table.
“Seriously, what is wrong with her? What did you do for her?!”
“Ye-rin, did you eat something bad?”
It seemed Yoo Ah-rin and Choi I-seo couldn't contain their curiosity any longer.
I also looked at Seo Ye-rin, not knowing why she was acting this way.
Seo Ye-rin answered with a smirk.
“Today was the Day of the Great Ye-rin, the True Heroine!”
“What are you talking about?”
“...Huh?”
Seo Ye-rin clicked her tongue as if she couldn't believe we didn't understand. But honestly, even though I was the one who spent the day with her, I had no idea what she meant.
She set down her fork and knife to continue her explanation.
“While everyone else pursued carnal pleasures, I gave Woo-jini mental rest. In anime, characters like that are always the True Heroine.”
“...”
“...”
The two of them glanced at me.
I nodded in confirmation to their skeptical gazes that asked if we really didn't do it today.
“We really just slept, watched a movie, and played some games. That’s it.”
Thanks to that, my fatigue was completely gone.
“See? While the other two were launching physical offensives, I was soothing his heart. We didn't just spend 'light' time together; we connected through our souls.”
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong.
Usually, when watching anime, those kinds of characters come in as the dark horse at the very end, running the hardest to overtake everyone else and win.
But to hear that coming from Seo Ye-rin...
The other two seemed to share my sentiment and immediately fired back.
“What is the most lewd girl among us even talking about?”
“Ye-rin, you’re the last person who should be saying that, considering you’ve spent more time using your body than anyone else.”
Choi I-seo, in particular, had a right to feel aggrieved. Usually, it was Choi I-seo who took care of my mental state.
“Ha! Peasants. The True Heroine is always surrounded by slander and threats.”
She didn't even pretend to listen, having already reached her own conclusion in her head.
“Being able to heal the heart rather than the body—that is the dignity of the True Heroine. Ha, I’m sorry, girls. It’s just that I’m so knowledgeable about romance. Did I pull too far ahead of you?”
“...”
“...”
“It’s okay. The moment the cheetah starts running, those who started first are relegated to mere spectators. It’s not your fault; it’s just the natural order of things.”
Yoo Ah-rin flipped her the middle finger and began eating her steak in annoyance.
Choi I-seo looked at me, pleading for me to do something.
“Hmm.”
Something did come to mind.
But I wondered if I should actually say it.
“Ye-rin?”
When I called her name softly, Seo Ye-rin shook her head.
“Call me 'True Heroine-nim.'”
What is actually wrong with her?
I know she’s proud of spending the day differently than usual, but still.
“Never mind, let’s just eat.”
I was going to let it slide, fearing I might hurt her feelings, but Yoo Ah-rin gave me a signal with a tilt of her chin.
“Hey, say it. Whatever it is, knock some sense into this 'Restroom' girl.”
“It’s 'True Heroine,' Ah-rin.”
“Sorry, I thought you said 'Restroom.'”
“As expected, the True Heroine is beset by slander and persecution.”
What kind of conversation is this?
“Then Woo-jin, you tell us. Was it the simple pleasure of the dick that was better, or was it the dense, soul-connected time we spent together?”
Sigh.
It felt like if I let this keep going, Yoo Ah-rin and Choi I-seo might turn on me, so I finally spoke up.
“Honestly, the best one was Yoo Ah-rin.”
“Eh?”
“Pfft!”
“...”
Seo Ye-rin looked at me with a blank expression, Yoo Ah-rin spat out the steak she was chewing, and Choi I-seo frowned as if asking what on earth I was talking about.
“Well, with Yoo Ah-rin, the Senior was there too, after all.”
“Woo-woo-jina—?”
“Next was Choi I-seo. Hmm... I liked seeing I-seo lose her mind like that.”
I was met with gazes full of loathing.
Didn't they ask me to settle this?
“The last was Ye-rin. It’s not that I didn't like it. It was just... a ticklish feeling?”
I’m a man too, after all.
From the moment I had somewhat recovered, I had to barely restrain myself from exploding.
“Sigh, Woo-jin. How many times do I have to say it? There are times when I really like you, but there are times when I really hate you.”
Choi I-seo pressed her hand to her forehead as if to nag me, but Yoo Ah-rin immediately jumped to my defense.
“Hey! Don’t talk to my husband like that, you concubine.”
“Con-concubine?!”
“Isn't that how it works? He said the best one was the True Heroine. Then damn it, I’m the True Heroine.”
I corrected her, as she seemed to be mistaken.
“Ah-rin, if we’re being technical, you’re the 'True' and Senior Ju-hee is the 'Heroine.' Since there were two of you.”
“This son of a bitch always has to ruin it! He ruins it at the very end!”
Yoo Ah-rin’s fist landed squarely in my stomach. Since I was in the inner seat, I couldn't even escape and began to get pummeled while cornered.
“Aack! Aaack! I’m sorry! I just said it! It was a joke!”
After being one-sidedly beaten in the restaurant.
When we returned to our meal, Yoo Ah-rin sneered at the slumped Seo Ye-rin.
“Hey, self-proclaimed True Heroine.”
“I’m not the True Heroine. I’m the Restroom. I’m just Woo-jini’s private restroom.”
“Ye-rin...”
“Look at her, she turned into a meat toilet in an instant.”
The conversation was truly something else...
* * *
“Ah-rin, if we’re being technical, you’re the 'True' and Senior Ju-hee is the 'Heroine.' Since there were two of you.”
“Pfft!”
The four of them weren't the only ones in the steakhouse.
At the table right behind them.
Min Ju-hee, Oh Yun-ji, and Choi Jin-ah, who had come together but sat separately due to the lack of space, were there.
At the sound of Kim Woo-jin’s voice from behind, Min Ju-hee reflexively spat out her drink.
“...It tastes like soda.”
Choi Jin-ah, sitting across from her, sniffled as she tasted the drink that had sprayed onto her face.
“I-I’m sorry! I did it without thinking!”
“I’m going to go wash my face.”
Choi Jin-ah stood up and headed for the restroom.
As Min Ju-hee wiped her mouth with a tissue in embarrassment, Oh Yun-ji asked with her chin resting on her hand.
“Must be nice.”
“N-no. What’s nice about it?”
“You liked it. I know. You must have liked it.”
“...”
It would be a lie to say she didn't like it.
The feeling of a man’s embrace and the pleasure she had felt for the first time in her life were shocking enough to be unforgettable.
“Sigh, I thought I’d be the one to do it.”
“Yun-ji?”
“No, I mean, really. Isn't an ex-girlfriend better than a department senior?”
“...I’m a bodyguard. I’m going to think of it as part of the job and move on.”
“Do you know that sounds even more erotic, Senior?”
Min Ju-hee wondered what was so erotic about it, but Oh Yun-ji wore a meaningful smile.
“It sounds like you’re saying you can do it again next time for the sake of the job.”
Startled, a piece of steak got stuck in Min Ju-hee’s throat, and she began thumping her chest.
Just then, Choi Jin-ah returned.
“...You shouldn't spit out steak.”
When she warned her sternly, Min Ju-hee struggled to swallow and caught her breath.
“Fine, let’s stop talking about this.”
Oh Yun-ji held out her glass with a smack of her lips, looking disappointed.
“Let’s toast. Hawaii is almost over. Once we go back, we’ll be seeing each other as seniors and juniors at university.”
Indeed, the Hawaii trip was nearing its end.
The mission was a complete failure, but since good memories had been made, Ju-hee held out her glass.
“Was I the only one for whom this trip was the worst?”
Choi Jin-ah clinked her glass half-heartedly. The three of them drank their wine.
The end of Hawaii was drawing near.