Chapter 378: Judgment Day
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 378: Judgment Day
“Bwahahaha!”
Holy shit, I am free.
I am so goddamn free.
I’ll probably want to die of embarrassment once today passes, but right now, I’m experiencing a sensation I might only feel once in a lifetime.
“Hey! Stop it already!”
Unlike Choi I-seo, who had given up in disgust, and Seo Ye-rin, who had collapsed from physical exhaustion, Yoo Ah-rin was still hot on my heels, looking half-ready to burst into tears.
“I’ll forgive you! I said I’ll forgive you! So just stop it already!”
“No! You haven't forgiven me yet! I’m going all the way!”
“You crazy bastard! I said I forgave you, so why are you acting like this?! Stop!”
“How can you forgive a cheating piece of shit so easily?! I have to receive a fitting punishment!”
“Ah, it’s fine! You lunatic! Honestly, I wasn't even that mad! I’ll forgive you, so just stop!”
Oh, really?
The strength left my legs as I charged forward.
Should I just stop then?
But honestly, this was kind of fun. It felt like I’d stripped away everything—Uju Group, my social status—and returned to just being the human Kim Woo-jin.
I’d never do this again, but it felt like a waste to throw away this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so soon.
Just then.
As I rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, debating whether to slow down, I sensed someone up ahead.
*
“No, I mean, isn’t it fascinating?”
“Hehe, right?”
Inside the main building of the night school.
Despite the darkness, Oh Yun-ji and Min Ju-hee were engaged in their usual chatter.
“He’s got this weird charm, you know? Just when you think you’re totally over him, you strangely start thinking about him again. It’s like he’s addictive.”
“I feel you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about stopping.”
“Right? Me too. But then he gives you just enough hope, and he’s so nice deep down—”
“Exactly. Just when you think he’s stopped caring, he goes and does something that shows he’s worried about you or looking out for you.”
How boring.
Listening to Oh Yun-ji and Min Ju-hee, Choi Jin-ah pouted.
She’d wandered around the dorms at night before, but she’d never walked through the main school building like this. She’d hoped for something spooky or exciting to happen, but these two had been talking about nothing but Kim Woo-jin for a while now.
Even if they were in a normal cafe instead of a night school, the conversation would probably be exactly the same. She knew they were brave, but she didn't realize they were this unfazed by the atmosphere.
Just then.
Thump, thump, thump.
“Do you… hear something?”
As they climbed the stairs, Choi Jin-ah whispered, causing the other two to stop talking.
Thump, thump, thump.
Thump, thump, thump.
Thump, thump, thump.
“You’re right.”
“Is someone running?”
But who would be running through the hallways at this time of night?
Before they could wonder for long, Min Ju-hee stepped forward.
“Stay behind me.”
As expected of a former bodyguard, her judgment was quick and decisive.
Hiding behind Min Ju-hee, the three of them reached the top of the stairs and stepped into the hallway.
Thump, thump, thump!
The sound of sprinting reached them instantly, and a completely naked man burst around the corner.
“Holy shit?!”
“What the—?!”
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“It’s a pervert!”
The man was startled, but the girls were obviously more shocked.
Normally, Min Ju-hee would have used self-defense techniques to subdue an intruder, but this time, she was so genuinely startled that she threw a full-force punch.
WHAM!
The punch landed squarely on the man’s chest, sending him flying backward.
“Gah?!”
Crash!
The naked man collapsed onto the floor. The three girls were about to call the police on the pervert immediately, but then—
“Woo-jin!”
Hearing Yoo Ah-rin’s voice as she chased after him, the three felt like they’d been hit over the head.
Wait.
Who did she just say?
*
Inside Kim Woo-jin’s dormitory room.
Six women sat divided into two groups of three. On the bed, Kim Woo-jin was fast asleep, breathing softly with his eyes closed.
“Ahem, I think I get the gist of it.”
Min Ju-hee, having heard the full explanation from Choi I-seo, spoke up tentatively.
“So, Woo-jin did that because he wanted to be forgiven for what happened yesterday?”
“Swish! Swish-swish! You… you little shit!”
Seo Ye-rin was in a boxing stance, staying on high alert. Yoo Ah-rin smacked her on the back of the head to calm her down.
“Ouch!”
“Knock it off. What have you been doing this whole time?”
“But they’re the enemy! Isn’t this a three-on-three showdown? Fortunately, we win by a landslide in the ‘innocent’ category!”
The three on the other side flinched at Seo Ye-rin’s words.
“Just out of curiosity, who exactly is the ‘innocent’ one?”
“Ah-rin, it’s obviously me and Jin-ah.”
Choi Jin-ah, suddenly singled out, flinched in embarrassment.
“M-me? But I wasn't involved in this incident at all…”
“That’s what losers usually say.”
“…Why does that make me a loser?”
Seo Ye-rin, already acting smug as if she’d won, glanced over at Yoo Ah-rin and Choi I-seo.
“Tsk, team diff.”
She clicked her tongue. That was enough to spark some irritation.
“What? Why is it a team diff, you brat?”
“What exactly are you using as a basis for comparison?”
Seo Ye-rin began pairing them up one by one.
Yoo Ah-rin and Min Ju-hee.
Choi I-seo and Oh Yun-ji.
“Look, Ah-rin is the ‘cutie’ position, but Ju-hee Senior has way more potential. Did you see her in twin tails last time?”
“…”
“C-can you please not mention that?”
“You were super kawaii then, Senior. It was even cuter because it’s something that usually wouldn't suit you at all.”
After saying that, Seo Ye-rin pointed at Choi I-seo.
“I-seo is the ‘understanding partner’ position, but she loses to Yun-ji there. Yun-ji is even his first love.”
“…”
“Want to trade?”
Choi I-seo looked like she’d swallowed a toad, while Oh Yun-ji looked triumphant. Seo Ye-rin shook her head, stood up proudly, and squared her shoulders.
“Follow me, you plebs! Big Sister Ye-rin is going to carry!”
“Is this girl just saying whatever comes to mind now?”
“Ye-rin, just stay still.”
“Hmph, sex.”
As she grumbled and sat back down, Yoo Ah-rin immediately put her in a joint lock to subdue her.
“Aaaagh! It hurts! Unni! It hurts so much!”
“Shut up, you brat! Innocent, my ass! Who here would ever think you’re innocent, you animal?!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Sigh, just ignore those two.”
Feeling embarrassed by the scene, Choi I-seo blocked them from view and spoke.
“Anyway, Woo-jin had his reasons for his eccentric behavior today, so I’d appreciate it if you could just forget about it.”
“R-right… He doesn't need to go to the hospital, does he?”
Since she was the one who punched him, Min Ju-hee was worried, but Choi I-seo shook her head.
“It was a justified reaction. Woo-jin will come to his senses when he wakes up.”
But, Choi I-seo added with a smile.
“Please don't do anything like that next time.”
“…”
“Because Woo-jin is strictly ours.”
Immediately, the voices of Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin drifted over from behind her.
“She said… ‘ours.’”
“Shit, he’s basically a public utility now. At this rate, isn't he like a rental boyfriend serviced by Uju Group?”
“Ahem, will you two shut up?!”
Choi I-seo gave them a warning look and continued.
“It’s not that I’m worried about Woo-jin simply falling for temptation.”
“I’m worried about that.”
“Me too, damn it.”
“Seriously…”
Choi I-seo snapped at the two behind her, and they finally shut their mouths.
“Despite how he looks, he’s not someone without common sense.”
“Common… sense?”
“Choi I-seo, aren't your rose-tinted glasses a bit too thick?”
“Does someone with common sense run through a school butt-naked?”
“Does a guy with common sense ask three girls to date him at once?”
“Do you two want to leave?”
The two finally covered their mouths with their hands. Curiously, Seo Ye-rin covered Yoo Ah-rin’s mouth, and Yoo Ah-rin covered Seo Ye-rin’s.
“He struggles with the fact that he wavered toward other people like this. Because he feels sorry toward us.”
Choi I-seo judged that this was why he’d accepted such an extreme method of apology without complaint. Even so, running through a school naked was truly beyond the realm of common sense.
“Ju-hee Senior, and Yun-ji too. I understand how you feel, but we have to look out for Woo-jin’s mental state as well.”
“…”
“…”
The two didn't have much to say. As Choi I-seo said, even if Kim Woo-jin seemed to live without a care in the world, he had his own principles. Even if he didn't fully succumb to temptation, he felt guilty toward the people he loved just for the fact that something similar had occurred.
He wanted to clear that debt, and she believed that was what led to this bizarre behavior.
“So, let’s try to be more considerate of Woo-jin.”
Because Choi I-seo’s words were genuinely focused only on Kim Woo-jin’s well-being, Min Ju-hee and Oh Yun-ji remained silent, unable to find a rebuttal.
“Wow.”
Beside them, Choi Jin-ah looked at Kim Woo-jin with genuine admiration.
“Living like that…”
Even living like that, he has so many good people around him.
Choi Jin-ah’s exclamation, loaded with various meanings, made everyone else fall silent.
*
The next morning.
I barely managed to make it to work, clutching my bruised and aching chest. I sat there, holding my head in my hands.
Why the hell did I do that yesterday?
No matter how sorry I felt toward the girls, I couldn't believe I’d done something so insane. Does a person really act like that when their brain is flooded with too much adrenaline? I didn't know what it was, but it was a moment that made me seriously doubt myself.
Ah, what am I going to do?
Just as I was letting out sigh after sigh.
“Woo-jin?”
An employee from the front desk came to find me. The other team members glanced over to see what was going on.
“Yes?”
“Um, some people from headquarters are here.”
“Headquarters?”
“Yes… someone is looking for you.”
The employee spoke hesitantly, clearly feeling the pressure.
“Team Leader, I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Sure, um… I’ll just consider you clocked out for the day.”
I bowed to Section Chief Yoon and followed the employee.
Is it my big brother? Or my father?
Since I was working here, I didn't think I’d hear anything too unpleasant. They were probably just checking in to see how I was doing.
Actually, this is good.
Being at the office was hard because I kept thinking about yesterday. Spending some time clearing my head might be just what I need.
Vibrate!
A Tok message.
Perfect timing. Whoever it was, I hoped they’d keep me company until I got there. I checked the message, but there was only a single photo.
“Wait…”
It was a photo of a pregnancy test with two lines.