Chapter 37: What is This
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: What is This
The study session, which had been uncomfortable in more ways than one, finally came to an end.
We’d only managed about two hours, but since we were outdoors, the wind had picked up and it was getting chilly, so we had no choice but to call it quits.
Since we’d agreed to eat dinner together, we were currently agonizing over the menu.
"Let's do rock-paper-scissors," I said, sticking my hand out. Immediately, sharp glares pierced through me.
"Why don't we just go with the majority vote?"
Choi I-seo, who had fought with me over this topic countless times, proposed a negotiation, but I flatly refused.
"Are you saying you're going to ignore the opinion of the minority? It's because of people like you that society is in this state!"
"If I don't hit you for even an hour, you just...!"
Choi I-seo looked ready to pounce with her fists raised, so I hopped back and shouted.
"No, look, let's just talk about what we want to eat first. I want rice. Let's go to a proper Korean restaurant."
"He's a Korean food fiend."
Choi I-seo let out a weary sigh, looking fed up, then thought for a moment before suggesting another menu.
"How about chicken?"
"You're working out."
"I can't exactly drag these guys to go eat chicken breast with me."
"Huh? You always try to drag me along."
"What do you guys think?" Choi I-seo asked the others, completely ignoring me. She didn't used to be like this; it felt like her skills in handling me had leveled up.
"Chicken sounds good," Yoo Ah-rin agreed.
"I like chicken too," Jeong Chan-woo added immediately. Yoo Ah-rin gave him a high-five, saying they were on the same wavelength.
She had acted like she didn't even want to speak to Jeong Chan-woo earlier, but seeing her act like nothing was wrong on the surface, she certainly had a thick skin.
Naturally, all eyes turned to the last person.
I looked at Seo Ye-rin, almost on the verge of tears.
"Koreans run on rice, right? Isn't that right, Ye-rin?"
"Ye-rin, ignore him. Honestly, you're craving chicken more, aren't you?"
"..."
Seo Ye-rin looked back and forth between me and Choi I-seo, contemplating. I felt like if I played my cards right, I could sway her.
"Come on, let's go get a real meal. A bowl of steaming rice with a fried egg on top, and some spicy braised chicken... it'll be so hearty."
"It's 3 to 2 anyway. We're going for chicken."
"Hey, pretty girls get two votes."
Doesn't a good-looking person's word carry more weight than others? At my comment, Seo Ye-rin flinched, her shoulders twitching, then she hung her head low and shuffled toward Choi I-seo.
"I... I want chicken too..."
"Goddammit."
I don't know what's so great about a few pieces of fried poultry.
I wore an expression that clearly said I wanted to go eat rice alone, but Choi I-seo linked her arm through mine and began dragging me away by force.
"Let's go, hurry!"
"Sigh, what's so good about chicken anyway?"
"This is the first time I've seen someone who hates chicken."
In the end, I was dragged along to eat chicken. Since we were near the university, the chicken place was basically a pub, and despite it being exam period, it was quite crowded.
Well, I suppose not everyone is passionate about their exams.
"Go sit on the inside."
We grabbed a table by the wall, and Choi I-seo herded me into the inner seat.
"I feel like you're going to run away."
"I wouldn't do that."
"Just get in there."
Pushed by Choi I-seo’s persistence, I ended up sitting in the innermost spot, with Choi I-seo and Seo Ye-rin sitting next to me.
On the opposite side sat Yoo Ah-rin and Jeong Chan-woo, making for a decent enough arrangement.
We ordered half-and-half seasoned and fried chicken, and for the second bird, we went with roasted chicken.
It seemed the roasted chicken was Choi I-seo’s last shred of conscience.
"I'm going to go have a smoke."
"Oh? Me too."
I figured Jeong Chan-woo would look cool smoking, but it was a bit surprising that Yoo Ah-rin smoked.
Actually, maybe it suits her.
With her blonde hair and turbulent personality, she seemed like the type to spit out a few curses while puffing away.
She said she didn't play games, but she had the look of someone who’d be really good at Sudden Attack in a PC Bang.
"Does Ah-rin smoke?"
Seo Ye-rin also watched Yoo Ah-rin leave with a puzzled expression. Seeing as Ye-rin didn't know, it seemed Ah-rin didn't smoke often.
Or maybe she just followed him out to give Jeong Chan-woo a piece of her mind.
...
Wait.
That actually seemed quite likely.
"I should go have a smoke too."
Worried that Jeong Chan-woo might be getting beaten up or lectured by Yoo Ah-rin, I tried to get up, but the two girls next to me looked up at me.
"You don't smoke."
"I've never seen you smoke before?"
"I'm going to go learn right now."
It was a ridiculous excuse, but as I tried to head out, the wall of Choi I-seo and Seo Ye-rin blocked my path.
"Forget it and just sit down. Why would you go out of your way to put something so bad for your health in your mouth?"
"She's right, Woo-jin. Just have some candy or something."
Blocked by the two of them, I had no choice but to sit back down. Just then, a bowl of macaroni crackers arrived, and the three of us started snacking on them.
Crunch, crunch.
"By the way, Ye-rin, how do you know Jeong Chan-woo?"
At Choi I-seo’s question, Seo Ye-rin popped a cracker into her mouth and answered.
"Oh, we were friends in high school."
Friends.
Normally, I would have let it slide, but for some reason, it grated on me today.
Thanking Choi I-seo for opening the floor, I popped a cracker into my mouth and asked as well.
"Is it uncomfortable?"
At my question, both of their eyes immediately landed on me. I shifted my gaze slightly to look at Seo Ye-rin; she didn't exactly deny it.
"...A little?"
"Can you tell us why? Chan-woo said the three of you were close."
"We were. But I don't think I can tell you anything."
She drew a firm line, so I just shrugged.
"I shouldn't have asked if it's something you can't talk about. My bad."
"No, I'm sorry for saying it like that."
A brief silence followed.
In any case, something had happened between the three of them in high school that had ruined their relationship.
"I'll be right back, I'm going to the restroom."
Eventually, Seo Ye-rin got up and headed to the restroom, perhaps needing to clear her head.
"What's going on? Why am I the only one who doesn't know?"
As soon as Seo Ye-rin left, Choi I-seo immediately turned to me, demanding to know what was happening.
"Is it because of what you said at the cafe last time? That Jeong Chan-woo likes Yoo Ah-rin? Is that why you suddenly called him today?"
Seeing her pour out the questions she’d been holding back, I could tell just how much patience she had been exercising until now.
* * *
"Ah, damn."
I woke up on the floor of my room with a throbbing headache.
There was no way I’d have a hangover just from chicken and beer, so I started retracing my memories to find the answer.
"Ah, Yoo Ah-rin, you son of a..."
Yoo Ah-rin had suggested a second round, saying that just chicken and beer didn't feel like drinking.
The place she took us to, claiming she knew the owner, was a wine bar.
I was already stressed from exams and feeling a bit tipsy, and since the owner gave us service because we were Ah-rin's friends, I just kept drinking.
It tasted good, and the wine—which I usually never get to drink—went down smoothly. Later, they even brought out some high-proof liquor, and it turned into a full-blown party.
And this was the result.
Drinking until I blacked out during exam period. It was an act of madness that couldn't be explained by anything else.
I clutched my throbbing head. I don't usually get drunk easily on soju or beer, but it seemed I was weak to the expensive stuff.
Well, it's not like I've ever had the chance to drink expensive liquor before.
Thinking that I’d at least learned something, I rubbed my eyes, feeling gross.
"Just drop dead, Yoo Ah-rin."
I was cursing her under my breath while trying to check the time when...
"You're thinking of me the moment you wake up?"
A woman's voice came from beside me, and a chill ran down my spine like I was being pricked by needles.
Looking around, I realized I wasn't lying on the thick mattress I used as a bed, but on the hard floor.
I slowly lifted my head to check.
"Hiya?"
Lying on the mattress, wrapped in my blanket, Yoo Ah-rin was staring at me.
"Huh?"
An exclamation escaped my open mouth involuntarily. Other than that, there was nothing I could do.
My brain froze, and my thoughts came to a halt.
First, I had to get her out of here. With that thought, I reached out and yanked the blanket.
"W-wait! I'm not wearing anything!"
Yoo Ah-rin revealed a fact that was unbelievable—or rather, a fact I didn't want to believe. I wanted to call it a lie, but the brief tug had revealed a glimpse of pale skin.
"You crazy woman! Why are you naked in someone else's house!"
I let go of the blanket and scrambled backward, eventually tripping over myself, which made Yoo Ah-rin burst out laughing.
"Hehehe! Look at that! That's hilarious!"
"Hilarious? You think this is funny? You're laughing right now? Do you even realize where you're sleeping?"
"I'm sleeping on your bed, under your blanket. Mmm, Woo-jin, you smell good."
The moment I saw Yoo Ah-rin bury her nose in my blanket, I felt like I was going to faint.
"P-please. We didn't... cross the line, did we? Right?"
I asked her in a submissive tone, and just as she gave me a mysterious smile...
"Mmm, is it morning?"
Another woman's voice came from behind Yoo Ah-rin. Her voice was raspy as if she’d just woken up, and she slowly sat up.
"Huh? Where am I?"
There, still radiating beauty even though she’d just woken up, was Seo Ye-rin.
"What the fuck?"
What the hell is going on?