Chapter 334: Leak
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 334: Leak
One trial after another.
You cross one mountain only to find another standing in your way.
Now that the group project is over, midterms are slowly starting to rear their ugly heads.
I feel a deep sense of skepticism about whether this is what life is truly supposed to be.
"It’s just because the group project got pushed back. Besides, your group was... special. Ours was a breeze," Choi I-seo said simply.
She was in my room, a sight I was now used to, sitting on the floor and leaning against the bed while scrolling through her phone.
"But what are you doing, I-seo?"
"Hm? Oh, just texting my group members. They said we worked hard this time, so they want to have a get-together for dinner tonight."
"……There are a lot of guys in your group."
"Well, your group had plenty of girls too. You’re not getting jealous over something silly, are you?"
"No, no. I’m not jealous."
I smiled and slid over to sit next to her.
"But can I come along too?"
"I told you not to be jealous. Why would you go there?"
"It’s not jealousy. I’m just going to keep watch in case those other guys try something funny if you get drunk or if someone tries to slip you something to make you fall asleep."
"Do you live your life thinking like that? Go see a doctor. My group members are all perfectly normal, okay? It’s rude to have delusions like that about people."
"……."
Choi I-seo always fought with logic.
That was why I always seemed to lose.
"Aren't you having a get-together with your group? The professor praised you guys a ton for doing so well."
"Oh, a get-together?"
I laughed and showed her our group chat.
Everyone had already left, but above the exit messages, there were strings of heartfelt curses directed at me.
"They told me they’d smash a soju bottle over my head if they saw me on the street, so I’d better make sure to wear a helmet."
"……."
"Well, they got a good grade in the end thanks to me, so that’s that."
Regardless of the process, the result was good, so wasn't everything fine?
"So, I don't have a get-together. Besides, isn't it a bit much to have a party just because we did one project together?"
"Our team had great chemistry this time. I’d welcome group projects if I could always work with people like them."
"I never want to do one ever again."
Anyway.
I wanted to either follow Choi I-seo to her dinner or stop her from going.
As I was debating this, a text arrived on my phone right on cue.
I almost let a smile slip at the emoticon of a squirrel with puffed-out cheeks.
Seo Ye-rin sent a selfie.
Even without any filters, her beauty was truly radiant.
Fine.
It wasn't like I-seo was the type to get wasted or swept away by the crowd anyway.
If anything, she was the type to block the current with her strong opinions.
"Alright, have a good time."
I punched the address Seo Ye-rin sent into my phone. It wasn't as far as I thought; it was a distance I could easily cover on a bicycle.
'I'll head out about ten minutes after I-seo leaves.'
"Hm? You're letting me go that easily? I thought you'd try to hold onto me a bit more. Or ask to come along again."
"Honestly, I want to. But it would be awkward for you if I went. And I know you don't get swept up by others."
"……."
"If I obsessed and held onto you even at a time like this, it would feel like I don't trust you."
"I'm a little touched."
Choi I-seo seemed genuinely moved; she hesitated for a moment before giving me a light hug and heading toward the front door.
"I'm going. Call me if you really can't stand it. I'll use your call as an excuse to leave early."
"Sure, thanks."
Click.
the moment the door closed, I immediately stood up and rummaged through my closet.
Seo Ye-rin said she was incredibly pretty today, so I had to dress up a bit too, right?
I put on some expensive clothes, strapped on a watch, fixed my hair, and gave the suitcase Choi Jin-ah still hadn't taken back a quick kick.
'Why hasn't she picked this up yet?'
Lately, it seemed like she was doing something with my computer.
I kept getting notifications on my phone that someone was logging in from that side.
It took a bit longer than expected to get ready, but...
"Damn, Kim Woo-jin, you're looking good."
I was a bit surprised by how handsome the Woo-jin in the mirror looked. I really can clean up when I try.
"You magnificent bastard."
"You're not so bad yourself."
After a brief exchange of compliments with my reflection, I stepped out of the room.
"……."
"……."
Choi I-seo was standing there with her arms crossed, waiting.
The moment our eyes met, I tried to sneakily close the door again, but Choi I-seo blocked it with her foot.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, uh... the convenience store."
"Dressed like that?"
"I'm the youngest son of the Uju Group. I have to look the part."
I knew it was a pathetic excuse. But it was instinct.
Like how you'd try to block a knife with your bare hands even though you know it won't do anything—I just blurted it out.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Woo-jini."
"Sigh. I'm asking who contacted you just now. You're letting me go because someone asked to meet you."
I've learned several times now that I shouldn't try to deceive Choi I-seo, yet I keep making the same mistake.
"Seo Ye-rin."
"See, isn't it better when you're honest?"
"I'm going to go have sex."
"……You didn't need to be that honest."
She said honesty was better, so I just let it slip.
"Whew. I thought this back in Hawaii too, but I feel like my senses are getting warped. Normally, I should be scolding you or stopping you from going."
"……."
"It's absurd that there's a part of me that just accepts it because it's Kim Woo-jin."
Choi I-seo put a hand to her forehead, looking like she couldn't understand how things had ended up this way.
Seeing her so confused made me feel like I was doing something terrible.
"If you tell me right now..."
"Hm?"
"If you tell me not to go to Seo Ye-rin, I won't go."
"……Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I'm serious. In exchange, I'll tell you not to go to your dinner either, but you should be able to handle that much selfishness, right?"
"Well, I suppose."
Reading the sincerity in my eyes, Choi I-seo backed off slightly.
She probably didn't expect me to be willing to ditch my plans with Seo Ye-rin just to stay with her.
"But, keep one thing in mind."
"……What?"
Choi I-seo's expression, which had been softening, hardened again.
She looked like she was bracing herself, but the words were already out.
"I can make it so that you'll be the one begging me to go to Seo Ye-rin—!"
Thwack!
"Urgh, gah!"
Choi I-seo's fist buried itself perfectly into my abdomen.
Seeing as she struck before I could even finish my sentence, she must have been prepared for it.
"I was ready this time because you always say something shitty at the very end."
"Y-you really... learn fast, I-seo."
"Phew. I'm leaving."
"Have... a nice trip."
And with that, Choi I-seo left.
Perhaps because she was a fast learner, her punches were getting cleaner and cleaner.
Even if they hurt like hell.
"Let's go!"
Since the "super pretty" Seo Ye-rin was waiting, my footsteps were light.
* * *
"I'm sure it was a cafe."
The address itself was for a cafe.
The problem, if there was one, was that the cafe was located on the first floor of a hotel.
"What? You don't like it?"
Seo Ye-rin, who was walking down the hotel hallway with her arm linked in mine, asked with a pout.
"How could I not like it? I feel like stripping your clothes off right here."
"Oh my!"
Seo Ye-rin covered her mouth as if shocked, but she couldn't hide her smile.
"But is it okay for you to pay for the hotel? I brought my card."
I spoke up out of concern as we entered the room, but Seo Ye-rin just smirked and showed me the key card.
"I make money too, you know? And today, Woo-jini, you'll be paying with something other than money."
Seo Ye-rin's gaze drifted toward my lower half.
I thought she was truly something else, but at the same time, I felt lucky to be dating her.
'Are we showering together?'
I hesitated for a moment as I was about to head into the bathroom, saying I'd wash up first.
But Seo Ye-rin was pulling something out of her bag.
It was a phone mount.
Not just a selfie stick, but a full-blown tripod.
The moment I saw it, I remembered Seo Ye-rin's text from before.
"Are you... going to film more?"
I thought the talk about filming an AV was half-joking. I didn't think she'd actually do it.
But Seo Ye-rin was quite serious.
"Yeah! It makes me mad when Woo-jini thinks of other girls while jerking off! It really does!"
"……."
"You said you still have the greeting video we filmed last time saved!"
"Yeah, I kept it in a separate cloud folder."
It was a memory, after all.
Seo Ye-rin immediately clung to me, emphasizing her soft chest as she grinned.
"So, this is Part 2?"
"……."
"Make sure to film me prettily today, okay?"
* * *
"Ah, yes."
Choi Jin-ah, who was still freeloading at Kim Woo-jin's family home, was busy on the phone.
She was coordinating schedules with the orchestra for her main job.
"I mean, looking at the new release, it's a remake of the song we did last time. I don't think we need to schedule the practice so tightly."
— Right? I think so too. It's good to be busy, but you have to know when to rest.
"Could you send me the score first? I'll take another look, and if it seems like it won't work, I'll set aside some extra time."
— I'll send the score and a guide performance together.
"Okay."
Choi Jin-ah had planned to go to Gahyeon University where Kim Woo-jin was tomorrow.
If the difficulty of the score was high, it looked like she might have to postpone it again.
Sitting at the computer in Kim Woo-jin's room, Choi Jin-ah went to the inbox.
There was a fresh email there titled 'No Subject.'
"Ah, this is it. I'll check it now."
Click, click.
— Wait, I haven't sent it yet?
"Pardon?"
Just as she was wondering what that meant, the account name caught Choi Jin-ah's eye.
[Kim Woo-jin]
'Ah.'
Since it was Kim Woo-jin's computer, the account was apparently set to auto-login.
It was a mistake by Choi Jin-ah, who had been here so long she'd naturally started feeling like it was her own home.
And then.
The video she had opened, thinking it was the guide performance, began to play.
Kim Woo-jin's naked body appeared on the screen as he adjusted the camera.