Chapter 322: English Department Seo Ye-rin
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 322: English Department Seo Ye-rin
"…What the hell is this?"
Early morning.
While brushing my teeth and scrolling through my phone, a news video popped up in my Neutube algorithm.
Usually, I only click on news if the title is clickbait enough, but this video was more provocative than anything I’d seen before.
The thumbnail was none other than my father visiting the Tok headquarters.
"What's going on?"
Dumbfounded, I forgot all about brushing my teeth and tapped the video as if possessed.
The footage actually showed my father entering the Tok headquarters, with their executives coming out to greet him.
The screen then cut to the video of me that had gone viral on SNS.
The anchor began explaining that Chairman Kim of Uju Group had personally taken action because of that specific video.
It seemed the sight of the elderly chairman moving personally for his youngest son was giving people a lot to think about.
↳ Wow, Uju Group is really going all out.
↳ The chairman himself moves just because the youngest son got ticked off.
↳ This is getting huge.
↳ Sigh, the Republic of Chaebols, where money buys everything.
↳ This is exactly how you should use money and power.
↳ Die, sex offender!
↳ Money equals innocence, no money equals guilt.
↳ Does he think he’s the police or the prosecution? He thinks he has investigative powers just because he’s rich.
↳ That’s damn cool.
↳ LOL, the voyeurs are all dead meat now.
↳ Emergency alert!~~~~
↳ Isn't this crossing the line? Why is a chaebol family conducting an investigation?
↳ Like this if you think the Tok CEO was already waiting with the IP tracking results printed out ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ Bullshit. You think they’re just holding evidence? They’re out to destroy them.
↳ A meteor is falling!
↳ Aren't they basically threatening Tok that they're dead if they don't go public?
↳ Why are people so twisted? Aren't they catching criminals anyway? And people who make deepfakes of college students at that? Honestly, I didn't like Uju much, but I'm a fan now.
↳ Agreed.
Of course, the reactions weren't all positive.
However, since the targets were criminals, the use of such hardline measures was being somewhat tolerated given the current social climate.
"Tsk, I've become a sidekick."
I clicked my phone off with a click of my tongue. Yet, the corners of my mouth twitched upward slightly.
I felt like I understood a little bit why my father had gone that far.
"They say you have to look at a person from a distance to really see them."
Up close, the father I knew was infinitely strict and cold-blooded.
But seeing him from a distance, surprisingly...
Very surprisingly, it made me think that we were quite alike.
*
It had been a year and a half since I started university.
By now, I was used to just about everything.
I’d caused plenty of scenes, been involved in numerous incidents, and my reputation had been in the gutter, hadn't it?
Now that all of that was in the past, I could say I was living a peaceful daily life.
But this was the first time I was receiving such fervent attention in a positive way.
Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr!
"…."
In the classroom.
Seo Ye-rin and I were staring down at my face-down phone at the same time.
The sheer volume of incoming messages was beyond bewildering; it was bordering on annoying.
I wanted to turn it off, but I couldn't because I’d agreed to catch the voyeur remaining at Gahyeon University with the idiots today.
"At this rate, couldn't you just use it as a massager?"
At Seo Ye-rin's suggestion, I tentatively placed the phone on my shoulder. The phone, which had overheated significantly, wasn't as soothing as I’d hoped.
"It’s pretty bad."
"Then how about using it as a rotor?"
"I can't exactly test that out."
"Give it here."
I hurriedly stopped Seo Ye-rin as she actually tried to slide my phone under her skirt.
No matter what, I didn't have a fetish for going about my day with a phone drenched in vaginal fluids.
"You're getting contacted by people outside the English Department too, right?"
"Yeah, looks like it. People from other departments, and even reporters somehow got my number and are calling."
"I saw reporters standing outside earlier."
"Haah, this is a massive pain in the ass."
I clutched my head and let out a deep sigh. Attention is only good when it's from someone you like; when it pours in indiscriminately like this, it’s just overwhelming.
I glanced at Seo Ye-rin.
She must get contacted constantly; I wondered how she managed to survive.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"No, you just look extra pretty today."
"What’s this? Why are you flirting? I can't do anything today because of my shoot."
"That’s a shame."
Actually, it wasn't that much of a shame.
I didn't think I’d have time for it today anyway.
"When is the professor coming?"
"Maybe they're blocked by the reporters?"
"Wow, that would be chilling."
Just then, a group of girls approached us.
"Ah, you were talking to Ye-rin."
The strong scent of their perfume made me reflexively pull my head back.
Four girls were standing there, all of them my classmates from the English Literature department.
We’d exchanged a few words during the school festival and seen each other briefly at after-parties or department gatherings.
We didn't talk much, but we weren't on bad terms either—one of those ambiguous relationships.
"We contacted you, but you didn't answer, so we thought you’d cut us off."
"Hey, Kim Woo-jin is a man of total loyalty."
"Aren't other people calling you like crazy? We probably interrupted for nothing."
There was a somewhat artificial friendliness to them.
However, I didn't get the sense that they were being opportunistic or trying to get something out of me.
It was more like they simply felt favorable toward me after this incident and wanted to get closer.
Just that much.
Seo Ye-rin must have sensed that too, which is why she greeted them with a smile.
"Sorry, I think he missed the messages because I was asking him some questions."
Seo Ye-rin even made an excuse on my behalf.
I was staring at her blankly for a moment, struck by her elegant yet fresh smile.
The group of girls took a step back, perhaps thinking I was uncomfortable because of them.
"Did we jump in too suddenly?"
"Sorry. But we've known each other for a while now. Let's grab a meal sometime."
"Our treat! We'll buy the Young Master something he's never tried before! Have you ever had Mara-yeop-tteok?"
Just hearing the name made me not want to eat it.
I was about to politely decline when Seo Ye-rin cut in again.
"Woo-jin actually prefers more common foods. Like gukbap. So take him to a good gukbap place later."
"Wow, really? His taste is just like ours?"
"I imagined him being moved to tears after one bite of cup ramen!"
"Ah, so this is what they call cup tteokbokki..."
They’d watched too many dramas.
Just because someone is a Korean chaebol doesn't mean they don't eat ramen or tteokbokki.
In fact, ramen was practically my staple diet during last year's winter break.
"Um, but Ye-rin."
The girl at the front asked cautiously, glancing back and forth between us.
"Are you two dating?"
My eyes widened.
Knowing Seo Ye-rin might drop a bombshell, I tried to intervene quickly, but...
"No, we're not."
Instead, Seo Ye-rin denied it with a light laugh.
"But I think we have feelings for each other. It's just that we both have our own circumstances, so dating is a bit difficult."
"Well, Ye-rin is an actress and Woo-jin is a chaebol!"
"T-this is that chaebol love story I've only heard about!"
"Wow! Waaaah! I-I'll really cheer for you, Ye-rin! F-fight on!"
"It would be weirder if she didn't like him, considering how many times Woo-jin has helped her!"
"Kim Woo-jin! You better make our Ye-rin happy!"
"Then even when you're together, you can't really... progress?!"
I felt a bit dizzy watching them pour out words like a machine gun.
Seo Ye-rin, maintaining her "good person" smile, replied calmly.
"Yes, but... this is a first for me too. I'm a little shy. I think going slow like this suits my pace."
"…?!"
I stared at Seo Ye-rin with wide eyes. She then looked away, her face flushed with a bashful blush.
"Waaaaah! Woo-jin! You can't just force her to hold hands or anything!"
"You really have to treat her well! There's no one else like Ye-rin!"
"She doesn't even act like she's beautiful. Wow, she's a truly rare breed!"
Anyway.
After chatting noisily among themselves for a while, the girls headed to their seats when the professor entered the room.
The lecture began, but I couldn't focus at all.
"Who are you?"
When I stared at Seo Ye-rin in disbelief, she leaned her chin on her hand and glared at me coldly.
"You. Don't you dare go eat gukbap with them."
"I'm starting to get scared of you."
Just moments ago, she was the radiant, pure, and innocent Seo Ye-rin.
"I'm always like this, aren't I?"
"…I guess that was your image before everyone found out on the Bamboo Forest."
"Did you like me better back then?"
"You already know what my answer is."
Even though I whispered my reply, Seo Ye-rin didn't seem satisfied and kept staring.
I reached under the desk and squeezed her hand tightly.
"Then, and now. I like it all."
"…."
Satisfied with the answer, Seo Ye-rin grinned. I tried to focus on the lecture again, but not even a few minutes passed before she licked her lips.
"Woo-jin-ah."
"Yeah."
"Want to go to a hotel?"
"…We're in the middle of a lecture."
"We already checked in. I want to go to a hotel."
"Be patient, please. I have to go catch that voyeur with the guys after this. And you said you had to leave immediately for your shoot."
When I laid it out logically, Seo Ye-rin clenched her fists and bit her lip hard.
"Then don't make me horny, dammit."
"…."
As Seo Ye-rin snapped at me, I kept my mouth shut and looked away.