Chapter 342: Aegyo
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 342: Aegyo
“H-help me! Somebody help meee!”
Choi Jin-ah found it difficult to process exactly what was happening to her.
Due to a bet made during a game yesterday, she was forced to perform a penalty in front of Oh Yun-ji. The penalty was to perform a sickeningly embarrassing display of aegyo.
Jin-ah’s logical mind couldn't fathom why anyone would make her do this, but she had resolved to perform even the most inefficient tasks with sincerity. Since that was the rule of the penalty, she intended to carry it out stoically.
Especially since they were alone right now. How could anyone possibly do something like this in front of others?
However, it was precisely this bit of shallow thinking that proved to be Choi Jin-ah’s undoing.
“DIEEEEE!”
“Gack! Ack! Save me!”
If she had known that her performance would be mistaken for a demon-summoning ritual, she wouldn't have done it, no matter how badly she’d lost the game.
“H-help! Help meee!”
“Aaaaaagh!”
A few minutes later.
Oh Yun-ji finally snapped out of it only after Choi Jin-ah started crying out for her mother and father—something the girl usually loathed to do.
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence filled the room.
“U-um, I’m sorry.”
Oh Yun-ji offered a cautious apology, but Choi Jin-ah, already on the verge of tears, snapped back in anger.
“Is ‘sorry’ supposed to fix everything?! What was that?! Why did you suddenly attack me like that?! Honestly, I didn't want to do this brainless, airheaded cutesy act either!”
“B-brainless…?”
Yun-ji felt a slight sting from the comment, but Choi Jin-ah was right. Jin-ah had become the unfortunate victim of her misplaced outburst.
“I’m sorry. I’m just… a bit sensitive about that specific thing.”
“I-I’m not giving you any of my fried rice. Stop eating it.”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever.”
Is that all it takes?
Yun-ji hadn't realized that a chaebol daughter and world-class violinist would be so obsessed with fried rice. She hadn't noticed back in Hawaii, but the girl apparently had surprisingly cheap tastes.
“Sigh. Jin-ah, why did you suddenly start doing that aegyo anyway?”
“I came over to this room yesterday because I was invited for pizza, and I lost a game. That’s why.”
Yun-ji suppressed the boiling frustration inside. Right now, she needed to be a cold-blooded detective.
“Did Kim Woo-jin mention where he was going today? He’s not the type to just go out for fun on the weekend.”
“Hmm? He didn't say anything about going anywhere. That’s why I ordered fri—um, food. Since the pizza was so good yesterday—um, yeah.”
“…Weren't you taught not to speak while eating? I thought chaebols were strict about that.”
“I was. But I’m doing this—munch—as a form of rebellion against my parents.”
What a peculiar and timid way to rebel.
Yun-ji nodded absentmindedly, letting out a sigh. Regardless, that wasn't the important part.
“Phew. How the hell am I going to catch that bastard Kim Woo-jin?”
“Munch, chew. Did Woo-jin do something wrong again?”
“…He committed a very grave sin.”
“Chew, chew. Is it because the fried rice is so greasy? It’s delicious.”
I thought it was just oily.
The conversation kept veering off into strange territory.
“Next time, I should try ordering spicy garlic fried chicken and tangsuyuk at the same time. Honestly, I don't know the difference between the two.”
“I really don't care about that.”
Is this girl just lonely and looking for someone to talk to?
Thinking about it that way, her reason for staying in the dormitory became surprisingly easy to understand.
“Sigh. Anyway, since you’re a victim too, Jin-ah, I’ll make sure to get revenge for you.”
“…You realize you’re the one who attacked me, right, Yun-ji?”
“I’m going to freaking kill that Kim Woo-jin.”
“I guess she didn't hear me. No, more importantly—”
The words Choi Jin-ah uttered next were somewhat hard to believe, but…
“What?”
Finally, Oh Yun-ji knew exactly where Kim Woo-jin was.
*
Clack.
The door opened.
Oh Yun-ji stepped into Choi I-seo’s studio apartment with practiced familiarity. It was the place where I-seo lived with Jung Min-ji, and their high school friends often gathered there to drink.
Naturally, Yun-ji was well-acquainted with the layout.
As she stepped inside, Choi I-seo was already smiling as if she’d been expecting her.
“You’re here?”
And there was Kim Woo-jin, hiding behind Choi I-seo. Since he was much taller, he was perfectly visible even when he tried to hunch over.
However, Yun-ji’s gaze remained fixed on Choi I-seo.
“You know, I never thought I’d experience something like this in my life.”
The faint redness still lingering on Yun-ji’s face was a testament to how humiliated she felt.
“I really never imagined that some aegyo I did ages ago would come back to haunt me like this.”
And even worse…
“To think it wasn't an ex-boyfriend, but you, Choi I-seo, who spread it around.”
“I’m innocent, Yun-ji! I told her I’d never say a word!”
“Shut up, Kim Woo-jin! You’re next after Choi I-seo!”
“I told you I shouldn't stay here, I-seo!”
Kim Woo-jin wailed, desperately begging for his life. But I-seo ignored him, keeping her eyes on Yun-ji.
Yun-ji grit her teeth as she faced her high school friend.
“Popo, our classmates, and even Jin-ah… why did you make them do that as a penalty?”
“The reason?”
“Yeah. You must have had a reason for starting all this.”
I-seo pondered for a moment. Her eyes shifted briefly before she answered with an awkward smile.
“No real reason.”
“…What?”
“I was just curious to see my high school friend doing the kind of cutesy act she’d normally never do.”
“Then why did you tell Popo?”
“When the three of us were together, you wouldn't tell us. So Popo and I decided to talk about it and share.”
“…And the penalty for Jin-ah?”
“Well, I had to give her a penalty, and I couldn't think of anything else.”
Yun-ji didn't know how to take this. For a moment, Choi I-seo felt like a complete stranger. It was almost bewildering, as if she were looking at a different person.
“Were you always like this?”
“I wasn't, originally.”
Yun-ji wondered if I-seo was just feigning ignorance despite knowing how much she’d hate this. But I-seo wasn't exactly playing dumb; she wasn't unaware of what she’d done wrong.
“I just thought that if I tried doing something like this, I might understand how Woo-jin feels a little better.”
“I-seo…!”
“Don't be moved, Kim Woo-jin! I’m the victim here!”
And then there was Choi Jin-ah, who was probably back at the dorm diligently finishing her fried rice.
“But why did you have to involve me?”
“Well, there was a bit of personal motive involved.”
To be honest, Choi I-seo wasn't entirely without bias. In fact, she had been feeling a bit annoyed.
“I guess I felt a little… some type of way about people talking this and that about my boyfriend?”
“I-seo!”
“Shut up, Kim Woo-jin!”
“Why only me…?”
Kim Woo-jin slumped his shoulders, looking dejected. Yun-ji let out a long sigh and rubbed her forehead.
“I know I’ve messed with you regarding Kim Woo-jin before, but isn't this a bit out of left field?”
“It annoyed me when you acted like you knew a side of Kim Woo-jin that I didn't.”
“…”
That was probably from the time she’d had school lunch with Popo. They’d been talking about whether she ever fought with Kim Woo-jin. It was the kind of trivial conversation that usually just passes by.
“You were holding onto that?!”
The Choi I-seo she knew wasn't the type to hold grudges. But I-seo scratched her cheek sheepishly.
“The Chairman once said that my greedier side is quite similar to his.”
“I-seo!”
“Shut up!”
“…You meanie.”
Yun-ji gestured for her to continue after taking a deep breath. I-seo went on with a smile.
“I guess I’ve started to resemble him in that way. If someone like Ahn Hyun-ho acted like he knew everything about me, Woo-jin would have been furious, right?”
“He’d be dead. That bastard.”
Kim Woo-jin clenched his fists, looking ready to fight anyone who dared speak for I-seo.
“I’m the same. Seeing another girl talk as if she knows my boyfriend better than I do… I think I felt a little jealous.”
“…You’ve changed a lot.”
“Right? I think so too.”
I-seo gave an awkward smile. It didn't seem quite natural yet, but it was a beautiful smile nonetheless.
“Sigh, well, all my energy to be angry has vanished.”
Yun-ji decided to be honest. She also remembered doing some pretty extreme things when blinded by jealousy.
Actually, I was much worse.
Maybe she was being too serious about her old aegyo being revealed. She’d assumed Kim Woo-jin was up to his usual antics, but knowing I-seo was behind it made her feel surprisingly calm. It felt like no big deal.
“But Yun-ji, if it made you uncomfortable, I’ll apologize.”
“Hmm? Oh, well… it wasn't that bad.”
I-seo shook her head and steeled her gaze.
“No, I didn't realize it would be that hard for you. I should definitely apologize properly.”
“…”
“Phew.”
Sensing something ominous in I-seo’s deep breath, Yun-ji tried to stop her, but it was too late.
“I-seo can’t sleep without her hubby!”
I-seo looked at Yun-ji, winking cutely with both fists tucked under her chin.
Seeing that, Yun-ji felt her anger rising again, but she had to confirm one thing.
“You’re just mocking me, aren't you?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Extremely.”
While the two women shared a small laugh, one person cut in without reading the room.
“I-seo, kawaii! So kawaii! Wow! That was seriously so cute! What was that?! Do it one more time! Let me record it on my phone!”
He didn't react like that when I did it.
Slightly annoyed, Yun-ji kicked Kim Woo-jin as he hovered around I-seo.
“Get lost! You’re the one who leaked it in the first place, so get ready to die!”
“…Forgive me.”
“Forgive what? You’re just going to take your beating.”
“Woo-jinnie is—!”
The rest of his sentence was cut short.