Chapter 369: Party?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 369: Party?
The meal ended quickly.
They had already started eating before we arrived, and we didn't exactly push to sit together.
It took a little longer because Choi Jin-ah ordered another bowl, but Ju-hee Senior nagged her about her diet, so they got up soon after.
"Take care."
I was the only one who said goodbye.
Seo Ye-rin was still on guard in a boxing stance, and Yoo Ah-rin just leaned her chin on her hand, watching them with a bored expression.
Choi I-seo was still slumped over, unable to escape her hangover.
"I guess my fists didn't need to spit fire after all," Seo Ye-rin grumbled, finally relaxing her combat stance.
I wondered why she was even striking a pose when she was the weakest one here anyway.
"You could at least say a proper goodbye."
It wasn't like we were going to live our lives as sworn enemies with those three.
"Are you taking their side right now?!"
"No, that's not it."
"Aah! Right, of course. They say men always love a new woman!"
"You're Seo Ye-rin. You're not exactly a 'normal' woman."
"Heh."
Look at her smiling because she's happy.
But it wasn't like I was lying. With Seo Ye-rin by my side, would any other woman even catch my eye?
‘Well, two of them already have.’
Thinking of Choi I-seo and Yoo Ah-rin, I decided not to say anything more. My behavior was usually so trashy that whenever I tried to say something sensible, I often ended up shooting myself in the foot.
"Still, you never know," Yoo Ah-rin interjected. She was acting indifferent, but I knew she’d been stealing glances at them the whole time.
At Ah-rin's words, Ye-rin looked back at me. Then, she picked up a chopstick and pointed it at me.
As if she could do anything with that...
"Say 'Oh Yun-ji is a total bitch.'"
"...Oh Yun-ji is a total bitch."
"Ah, fine! Woo-jini is perfectly safe!"
What was that? If that was all it took to clear up a misunderstanding, I could do it a hundred times.
Yoo Ah-rin let out a chuckle and drank some water, seemingly finding Ye-rin’s behavior ridiculous.
"Pfft. My head hurts, so don't make me laugh, Ye-rin."
Even the slumped-over Choi I-seo’s shoulders shook slightly as she suppressed a laugh.
While Ye-rin herself was smiling as if it were a joke, the Gukbap arrived.
We ate our Gukbap in silence, each in our own way.
"Ah, I feel like I'm finally living again."
As her stomach settled, Choi I-seo began shoveling the food into her mouth, letting out constant exclamations of relief. It was rare to see her struggling that much.
I kind of wanted to see it again later.
As I was eating heartily, Yoo Ah-rin glared at me with irritation.
"Hey, stop hogging the Kkakdugi. You're going to eat it all yourself."
"We can just ask for more."
"It's self-service here," Choi I-seo chimed in.
I stood up to go get more Kkakdugi, but then...
"Bring more cabbage kimchi too."
"Woo-jina! Water!"
"Scoop plenty of Kkakdugi. Don't just bring enough for yourself."
"...I'm basically a lackey."
Grumbling, I brought back everything they asked for. As I sat back down, I voiced the thought I’d just had.
"You guys should agree on a single menu when you have morning sickness later."
The three of them stopped eating and stared at me with blank expressions.
"I mean, I can't go around buying three different things, can I?"
I thought it was fairly reasonable. I figured they could at least do me the favor of unifying their menus.
"What kind of fucked-up life do you have to lead for a comment like that to come out of your mouth?" Yoo Ah-rin started.
"Sigh... I... I just don't know anymore," Choi I-seo sighed and decided to pretend she hadn't heard me.
"You can't do it when you're pregnant, right?" Seo Ye-rin’s mind went in a completely different direction.
Anyway.
It was a good thing we were at a Gukbap restaurant. If I had said that in a private room, my head would have been cracked open instantly. Since we were in public, the girls didn't hit me.
However, the aftershocks of my comment continued.
"Hah, 'unifying the morning sickness menu'? Seriously, what goes on in your head?"
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear it."
"...But does that mean all three of us get pregnant at the same time?"
Wouldn't that be the case?
I kept my mouth shut and just ate my Kkakdugi while listening to them talk about this and that.
Vibrate!
A Tok arrived.
I wondered who it was since everyone who would message me was right here. It was the Idiots, whom I hadn't seen in quite a while.
Hm?
I had never met anyone as obsessed with women as Kang Han-gang in my entire life.
Anyway, so there were three days left until enlistment. It felt a bit bittersweet and sad. Even though hanging out with those "Idiots" felt like it would give me a mental illness, it had been fun.
These guys were really going all out.
Was he back together with Lee Gyu-a? But if that was the case, why did he go on that blind date? That was a blind date where only I ended up getting hurt for no reason.
‘I feel like this is already doomed.’
Plus, the date was a bit awkward.
Was there a need to set it two days later? Since they were college students, they’d have to go to lectures on Monday.
I had to hand it to them. But then again, seeing how they didn't ask for help from their wealthy friend, did they have some sort of pride?
When I got annoyed at him for crossing the line, Han-gang replied immediately.
As I was huffing and puffing while texting, I felt eyes on me. When I looked up, everyone’s gaze was fixed on me.
"You bastard, who are you texting?"
"It's the Idiots. Look at this."
I wasn't one to hide things. I showed them the Tok immediately, and the three of them huddled together to check my phone. After reading the contents, they let out a sigh.
"So that's what those guys were talking about when they gathered everyone during practice."
I’d heard they helped the Cheer Up Team at the Taekwondo Dojang yesterday. They must have invited those team members to the party then.
"Are you going? You have to work."
At Choi I-seo’s question, I thought for a moment and then nodded.
"I should go. We have a connection, after all. Since it starts in the afternoon, I'll just take a half-day off from work."
Anyway, work at the company was progressing so smoothly now that it wouldn't be a problem even if I wasn't there. Even if I didn't show my face for a bit, the fact that I was backing them wouldn't change. Especially Section Chief Yoon—he was making very good use of me.
"Hmm."
Seo Ye-rin didn't say much. Thinking she might be offended that Han-gang Senior was looking for her, I started to pull my phone away.
"I'll go too."
Out of nowhere, Seo Ye-rin announced her intention to participate.
"What?! Why? No, you don't have to go."
I didn't think anything good would come of her going there, so why was she going?
"Is it because of me? I told you, you don't have to worry."
It felt a bit much to just tell her to trust me, but I was confident. Confident that I wouldn't get mixed up with the wrong people. Besides, even the Idiots wouldn't cross a certain line.
But Seo Ye-rin shook her head and smiled.
"No, I only have bad feelings toward Han-gang Senior. So, I want to resolve those bad feelings before he goes to the military."
"Ah, is there really a need for that? If it's hard for you—"
"I'll go and settle things well."
Because, Seo Ye-rin added with a very refreshing smile.
"I'll never have to see him again for the rest of my life."
"..."
In a way, I wondered if Seo Ye-rin was the most cold-blooded woman of them all. The other two seemed to have similar thoughts, as they intentionally changed the subject.
"But that bastard Jeong Chan-woo finally broke up with all his girlfriends."
"Chan-woo seemed like a decent guy, but is he different when you actually date him?"
"He did lack sense. Sigh, I guess this Noona will have to go and comfort him."
Hm?
"You're going too?"
When I asked in surprise at Yoo Ah-rin’s words, she shrugged.
"Pyo Jin-ho is on our team, too. And it looks like a lot of our team members are going. I should be there to keep anyone in line if they cross the boundary."
As she said that, she glared at me, as if warning me not to cross the line.
"If everyone's going, should I go too?"
Perhaps feeling awkward about being left behind, Choi I-seo eventually expressed her desire to join.
The thought that the four of us would be hanging out there together made me feel strangely good.
"But you know, Woo-jina."
Seo Ye-rin tilted her head as if something had occurred to her.
"Hm? What is it?"
"From what I've heard, usually the enlistment date is..."
Seo Ye-rin started to say something, but in the end, she just laughed it off, saying it was nothing.