Chapter 317: Disgusting Pic Terror
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 317: Disgusting Pic Terror
There are times in life when you have to drive it in, even if you don't want to.
I’m not talking about sex; I’m talking about driving a nail into your parents' hearts.
In that sense, you could say Choi Jin-ah had just driven a massive spike right through her father’s chest.
“I’m going to marry this man!”
No one in the room had expected such a shocking declaration.
Not even me, the person she was supposedly going to marry.
“Huh?”
I let out a hollow gasp, wondering what on earth was happening.
Chairman Choi Gil-seop’s expression was the very definition of despair.
It was a monumental decision—the first time in his life he had chosen his daughter over his company.
I felt a strange sense of satisfaction, thinking that Chairman Choi still had some humanity left in him. It meant he wasn't so broken that he’d sell his daughter off to a complete scoundrel.
But Choi Jin-ah had just ruined that moment in a single stroke.
“Ji... Jin-ah?”
Chairman Choi called out to his daughter, his voice trembling. It was a look of agitation I doubted he’d ever shown her before.
However, Jin-ah’s head was already steaming. She didn't even notice her father’s state and just kept pouring out whatever was on her mind.
“I like this man! He was my first love when I was a kid! Even if it’s for the sake of the company, I’m going to marry him!”
Wait, why is my opinion being left out of this...?
She’d been quiet this whole time, only to suddenly explode like this.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us!”
Before Chairman Choi could even respond, Choi Jin-ah grabbed me and dragged me outside.
“Are you crazy?” I asked as we passed through the massive front doors.
Choi Jin-ah’s face was beet red as she snapped back at me.
“It’s your fault! Why would you say something like that?! What was I supposed to do in that situation?!”
“...”
“Weren’t you waiting for me to step up? You were pressuring my father while constantly checking to see how I’d react!”
Well, I was.
But I didn't expect her to step up after everything was already settled.
“I don't know! My head is so hot I feel like my brain is melting! I just... I just wanted to reject whatever my father was saying! It felt like this was my only chance!”
She meant that if he had told her to get married, she would have said she didn't want to.
In short, she hated Chairman Choi so much right now that she was determined to do the exact opposite of whatever he wanted, purely out of spite.
Should I view this as a positive?
As I pondered this while walking down the stone path of the garden, the bodyguards started coming out behind us.
They gestured toward us and suddenly began to run.
“He... he must have told them to catch us!”
A panicked Choi Jin-ah started running even faster toward the exit.
However, Senior Ju-hee easily overtook us as we ran at full tilt and asked in a low voice, “Should I break through?”
“Yes!”
That was it.
Senior Ju-hee charged forward and instantly neutralized the guards stationed at the main gate.
Then, she threw back the old-fashioned wooden bolt and swung the doors wide.
I stood there with my jaw dropped at how quickly it all happened before we even reached the gate.
She really is incredible.
Shouldn't she have become a professional athlete or something? She’s too talented to just be a bodyguard.
Anyway, we made it outside, but the problem was that we didn't have a car.
Since we had no other means of transport, we’d have to just keep running, but it was quite a distance to the city.
Just as I was wondering what to do, a black sedan pulled up across from us.
The driver’s side window rolled down, and the Security Team Leader I’d seen at the cafe last time gestured to us.
“Over here!”
“Get in, quickly.”
Senior Ju-hee opened the door for us. Her tone immediately became polite now that the Team Leader was present.
“Did you call him, Senior?”
“Yes. I contacted him on the way here, just in case.”
“You’re the best.”
She responded with a faint smile.
Just before Jin-ah got into the car behind me, she screamed back toward the main house.
“I’m! Never! Coming back!”
* * *
“Phew, I’m exhausted.”
In the end, we returned to my family home.
After finishing a shower to wash off the sweat from our escape, I walked into the living room to find Mom, my Little Hyung, and my Second Sister-in-law gathered together.
I wanted to crash immediately because of the jet lag, but I couldn't sleep yet since the situation needed some sorting out.
By the way, I sent Senior Ju-hee home. I told her she could stay the night if she was tired, but she said she’d feel more comfortable sleeping at her own place.
“Going all the way to Hawaii and not bringing back a single souvenir... Did I fail at raising you?”
Mom sat on the sofa, questioning her own parenting skills.
“Everything they have there, they have here too. What was I supposed to buy?”
“It’s the thought that counts, dear.”
“Thought, my foot. They even took my suitcase. They said they’d look after my luggage, but I had to run away before I could get it back.”
It was probably still in their car.
“Tell them to give it back. Or tell them you’ll sue.”
I sat on the sofa and looked at the fruit plate. Usually, it was just apples, but today there were kiwis, strawberries, and even melon.
As I poked a kiwi with a fork, I felt eyes on me. It was my brother and his girlfriend.
“What happened? Wasn't Jin-ah supposed to go back today?”
“We’re happy to have her, but she doesn't look too good.”
I was about to tell them to ask her themselves, but then I remembered the things I’d said in front of Chairman Choi.
“Ahem, I’ll give you the short version.”
I gave a brief explanation to prevent any misunderstandings, and just then, Choi Jin-ah walked out after her shower.
“I think the bathroom in this house is the best.”
Because of her, I’d had to shower in the regular restroom.
“Jin-ah, stay here as long as you like!”
“Oh, you’ve been through so much!”
“With three sons, this house always smelled like a locker room, but now it finally smells like flowers.”
Wait, did I just hear that right?
Anyway.
After hearing the gist of Choi Jin-ah’s situation, my family welcomed her back. Since she was already staying here, she could stay until she felt ready to leave.
“Come here for a second.”
I called Jin-ah aside. We stood by the window overlooking the garden, bathed in the afternoon sunlight.
“Stay here as long as you need. You don't have to explain the situation to them.”
“...Okay.”
“But I think you realize that just staying here isn't going to solve the problem.”
“O-of course. I’m well aware.”
“And you know that at the end, Chairman Choi was actually trying to act like a father, right?”
“...”
Choi Jin-ah kept her mouth shut. She looked like she had a lot on her mind.
“Anyway, it means the relationship can change. The choice is yours.”
“I thought about why I rejected my father’s words at the end while I was showering.”
Her voice was like a faint sigh. Despite the trembling, she stated her opinion firmly.
“He’s still the same.”
“The same?”
“It’s my marriage. But in the end, he never once asked for my opinion.”
“...”
“Until the very end, he made the decision himself under the guise of doing it for me. If I had stayed there, things would have probably stayed exactly the same in the future.”
This time, under the pretext of doing it for Choi Jin-ah instead of the company, he would have continued his coercive behavior just as he always had.
“Hmm.”
They really were father and daughter. She had picked up on something I hadn't even considered. It showed just how well she knew Chairman Choi.
“Well, it looks like you’ve got it figured out. I’m heading back tomorrow anyway. I have to get ready for the new semester.”
“Ah.”
“If you need help, don't call me. Figure it out yourself.”
A pat on the shoulder was all the comfort I could offer. I smiled and tried to walk past her to my room, but...
“Should I tell your family exactly what you said to my father?”
“...Are you threatening me?”
“We’re in the same boat now, aren't we?”
Look at her getting all bold.
“I clearly said I was getting off, Captain.”
“You’re the navigator, Woo-jin. Where do you think you’re going?”
Furthermore, Choi Jin-ah held one more trump card.
“Does your family know you’re dating three women at the same time?”
“...”
They didn't. They knew I was wavering between the three of them, but that was it.
I hadn't told them yet that I intended to keep all three. That was something to be said later, once our relationship was more certain.
“You’re really going to be like this?”
“Who tried to cut ties first?”
It was a tense psychological battle. But in the end, I was the only one with something to lose, so I sighed and nodded.
“I’ll help if you need it. But I need to find some time first.”
“That’s enough for me. As long as I don't feel like I’m fighting alone.”
So she didn't actually need a helper; she just wanted that sense of security. Looking at her that way made me feel a bit sorry for her.
“Let’s have a drink before I head up. I saw you liked soju last time.”
“Soju and gopchang!”
“...Where did you learn about soju and gopchang?”
“You know those unnis I met at the reunion? They took me out and said soju has to be paired with gopchang.”
I guess they’re still keeping in touch.
“Fine, let’s do that.”
But first, I’m so tired I need to sleep.
* * *
A week passed.
I was back in the Gahyeon University dormitory, lounging around since course registration had ended just yesterday.
I was lucky this time and managed to snag all the classes I wanted.
Of course, not everyone was so lucky.
I immediately set a secretly saved photo as my profile picture.
Last time, the guys made a huge fuss about my profile pic, but I just ignored them. This should shift the attention back to them.
The profile pic I uploaded was none other than a shot of Jeong Chan-woo making an ahegao face.
Unfortunately, Ahn Hyun-ho was also in the shot, making the same face. It was a penalty they had to do after drinking.
For the record, I had one of the Han-gang and Jin-ho duo too.
Right after that, Ahn Hyun-ho’s profile pic changed. It was a photo of me making an ahegao face.
“He actually saved that?”
Even I had to admit I looked disgusting.
Even the MIA Jeong Chan-woo joined the fray, and our profile pictures began to devolve into a war of spreading each other’s most disgusting photos.
Just then, the English Department group chat pinged.
“...”
But wasn't Choi I-seo the first one to set a weird photo of me as her profile pic?
It felt awkward to say it in the group chat, so I messaged her privately.
That was cute?
Feeling embarrassed, I just dropped it. Whatever the case, it seemed like we were definitely bothering other people.
“Ugh, I’m drained.”
My eyes felt like they were going to pop out from staring at my phone.
The suitcase Chairman Choi’s side sent arrived after a week, so I figured I should unpack it.
Why did they put a suitcase inside a cardboard box?
Were they trying to show off how securely they sent it? It just made it more annoying to open.
When I finally ripped the box open, a mint-colored suitcase appeared.
“What the...?”
Choi Jin-ah’s suitcase had been sent to me by mistake.