Chapter 407: Genius Woo-jin
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 407: Genius Woo-jin
“And?”
After hearing our entire story, Choi I-seo asked with a look of pure pathetic disbelief plastered on her face.
We were at a cafe table.
Sitting across from her, I scratched my head awkwardly, while Seo Ye-rin was grinning as if she’d expected this all along.
“Fuck, what do you mean ‘and’?”
Finally, there was Yoo Ah-rin, who looked like she’d just chewed on a turd, making no effort to hide her foul mood.
Even in the face of Ah-rin’s biting reaction, Choi I-seo remained unfazed. She seemed quite used to this behavior by now.
“Are you wearing it right now?”
I-seo’s eyes flickered toward the table. Based on the angle, she was looking exactly where my ‘thing’ was.
“I-seo, you pervert!”
Seo Ye-rin noticed immediately and shouted with a giggle, but I-seo didn’t even pretend to hear her.
“No, I’m not. I threw it away.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
It seemed she had anticipated that answer.
I had tried my best to wear that chastity belt, but in the end, I gave up. As I was struggling with it, I had a sudden reality check—why the hell was I voluntarily putting myself through this garbage?
“No, I mean, I thought about it, and it just felt weird.”
“...It took you thinking about it to realize it was weird?”
“Ugh, I’m the idiot for letting myself get dragged into that bastard’s pace.”
“Maybe I should try wearing one next time?! I saw in an adult video that if you hold back until you’re bursting with frustration, the pleasure at the end is the best!”
“Hey, just listen to me.”
I needed to explain clearly why I did what I did. It was a way to prove I wasn’t wrong, and it was an important point for the three of them as well.
“I’m going into the military in about a month, right? Once I’m in, I won’t be able to do it with you guys for a long time anyway. Is there really a point in holding back now?”
“So you threw it away?”
“I told you from the start. Why would you even wear something like that?”
“But Woo-jin! I’m totally open to that kind of play!”
“Yeah, you’re right. I made a mistake. I was playing around with my dick too much and things got complicated, so I thought I’d try to restrain myself for a bit.”
As I sipped my coffee dejectedly, Choi I-seo and Yoo Ah-rin stared at me before slowly reaching out.
I-seo stroked the back of my hand, and Ah-rin patted my shoulder.
“Still, you said you did it because you didn't want to look like you only wanted our bodies. That’s commendable.”
“Hey, it’s not like we hate it. It feels like you’re being considerate. It’s just that, instead of doing it all the time, it’d be nice if you set the mood more.”
“...Sex.”
“Guys.”
I looked at the two of them alternately with a touched expression.
“Sigh. So, what are we going to do about the housing situation?”
“Yeah, let’s worry about that first.”
The two of them suggested moving on to a more constructive topic.
I nodded and was about to share what I’d been thinking when Seo Ye-rin suddenly started taking her clothes off right there in the cafe.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing?!”
“Ye-rin!”
“You crazy bitch!”
She had already unbuttoned her blouse, revealing a glimpse of her navel. I hurriedly grabbed her clothes and pulled them back down.
“Nobody’s paying attention to me!” Ye-rin screamed.
“I’ve been talking this whole time and nobody’s answering me! Nobody’s looking at me! What gives?! I’m an actress! I’m rumored to be the Goddess of the English Literature department!”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”
I cut a piece of the cake we ordered and popped it into her mouth. She started munching on it immediately.
“...”
Choi I-seo looked at Ye-rin with embarrassment, but Yoo Ah-rin was different.
“Why would we pay attention to the bullshit coming out of your mouth?” Ah-rin snapped, leaning her chin on her hand.
Honestly, she wasn’t wrong. Ye-rin had been saying weird things the whole time, so we naturally ignored her, but it seemed that had hurt her feelings.
I really shouldn’t forget that Seo Ye-rin was a legendary attention seeker from the Bamboo Forest.
“Ahn!”
Ye-rin opened her mouth for another bite. I kept feeding her cake to keep her mouth occupied.
“In the end, you just wasted money. Especially since you said you’re almost out of savings.”
With Ye-rin quiet, the conversation resumed. As I-seo said, I was flat broke now, and I wasn't sure what to do.
“Well, I’ll have to find a way to survive.”
“How much was it?”
“42,000 won...”
“Haaa, Woo-jin.”
To me right now, 42,000 won was basically four days' worth of food.
“Can’t you get a refund? You’re close with the owner there, right? The bald guy? Don’t you guys joke around?”
“Ahn!”
“I did ask, just in case. I told him it touched me a little, but I washed it really well, so could I get a refund?”
“And?”
“What did he say?”
Honestly, I didn’t want to say. Because that phone call was one of the top five scariest things I’d experienced this year.
But since they asked, I had to answer.
“He said he’d buy it back for a premium.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
This time, even Seo Ye-rin shut her mouth and stared at me.
After a brief silence.
“So, uh, should we think about where to stay?”
“Maybe a jjimjilbang for tonight?”
I-seo and Ah-rin didn’t want to dig any deeper and quickly changed the subject, but Ye-rin was different.
“That old man has lost his mind...!”
She slammed her hands on the table and stood up, clenching her fists.
“How dare he try to do something with Woo-jin’s stuff?! And he’d pay a premium for it?!”
“Hey, I didn’t sell it. I just threw it away.”
“Still! It makes me mad! I’m already annoyed that I-seo pretends to be tired just to sniff Woo-jin’s blanket, and that Ah-rin pretends to practice grappling just so she can rub against him!”
“Ye-rin?!”
“You bitch! We agreed to keep that a secret! And you—you stole a pair of his underwear!”
“...”
What did I just hear?
Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr!
“Oh, I have a call.”
Perfect timing. I stood up as a call came in. I could hear a commotion behind me, but I decided to pretend I didn't. Even if there are no secrets between partners, some things are better left unsaid, right?
“Hello?”
— Ah, Woo-jin. I heard the news. I heard you got kicked out.
“...Is this going to be on the nightly news now?”
— Pardon?
“No, nothing. Where did you hear that? Yun-ji?”
— Yes. So, I was thinking... if you have nowhere to go, come to my place. It’s near Gahyeon University, so commuting will be really easy.
“...”
— Oh, don’t worry. I won’t charge you rent. I owe you, after all.
“If you charged me rent, you wouldn't be human.”
— ...
“More importantly, you don’t actually think I can go there, do you?”
— Why not? You can just come and stay.
“Sigh. Are you pretending to be oblivious?”
— Ahem. Anyway, it’s cold out lately, so I’m just saying you can come if you have nowhere else. You’re out of money, too.
“Yeah, yeah. If I really have no other choice, I’ll go.”
As if I’d actually go.
— So you’re not coming.
Sharp.
— Well, do as you like. But wouldn’t I be better than Yun-ji or Ju-hee Unni?
“Why?”
— Well, if you go there, you might get eaten alive at any moment.
“...”
— But not at my place, right? If anything, I’m the one who should be worried.
She wasn’t wrong.
In the case of Oh Yun-ji or Senior Ju-hee, once they hit the accelerator, they tend to go out of control, and there’s a high chance I wouldn’t be able to stop them.
But Choi Jin-ah didn’t seem like she’d do anything weird, and I didn’t think I’d ever be overpowered by her in any situation.
— Think about it.
Choi Jin-ah hung up.
I was staring blankly at my phone when the three girls walked out of the cafe.
“What’s up? Where are we going?”
I thought we’d just kill time at the cafe since there were no more lectures today. Were they planning to go somewhere?
“No, the owner asked us to leave because we were disturbing the other customers.”
Choi I-seo covered her face, looking like she wanted to die of embarrassment. Since she’d likely never experienced anything like this in her life, it must have been hard for her to handle.
“I’m telling you, Seo Ye-rin needs to go to a hospital.”
“...”
Having apparently received a harsh scolding, Seo Ye-rin had her lips tucked into her mouth. It was a silent gesture that she wouldn't say another word.
“Then where should we—”
Just as I was about to ask where we were going.
A brilliant idea struck my mind like a bolt of lightning.
“Ha, hahahaha.”
I burst out laughing, amazed by my own wisdom. Beside me, Choi I-seo tilted her head and asked.
“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Huh? Oh...”
If I had to put it into words.
“I think I finally understand why my father wanted me to take over the company.”
He probably didn’t want to leave such a genius son as just a mere college student.
* * *
It was a fairly spacious apartment for a woman living alone.
She had done the interior design herself, and it naturally exuded the warm, sophisticated atmosphere typical of a violinist.
Though it was overwhelmingly smaller than her previous home, Choi Jin-ah liked it here.
It felt like... a visualization of herself.
From the soundproof room for practice to the sheet music and violins. There were also several other instruments she played as hobbies.
The best part was that she could add whatever she wanted. Whether she suddenly decided to put in a disco ball or bring in DJ equipment, it all felt like another facet of who she was.
In that very home.
Choi Jin-ah was currently busy cleaning.
‘I can’t believe he’s actually coming.’
Because Kim Woo-jin had decided to stay here until he enlisted.
Honestly, when she first called, she was just testing the waters. He had three girlfriends; staying at another woman’s house was not only absurd, but she had even confessed to him.
Even if she thought her chances were higher than Oh Yun-ji’s or Min Ju-hee’s, she didn’t expect him to actually come.
‘I-I’m a little nervous.’
Now that he was actually coming, it was a bit scary.
But it wasn’t like she was going to die.
Just as Choi Jin-ah finished cleaning and steeled her resolve, the doorbell rang at the perfect time.
“Yes, coming!”
She was wearing a fresh, ‘effortlessly chic’ outfit.
After a final check of her appearance in the hallway mirror, she opened the door.
Standing there were four people wearing sunglasses.
“...Eh?”
* * *
Ding-dong!
“Oh, I’m coming!”
The savory aroma of bubbling doenjang jjigae filled the house.
Oh Yun-ji had prepared dinner for Kim Woo-jin, who must have been cold outside, even adding plenty of thickly sliced tofu.
‘In the end, people always return to their roots.’
She couldn't describe how happy she was when she got the call that he would be staying here.
A month and a half from now.
She was looking forward to sharing the emotions they used to have while living together.
After wiping the moisture off her hands with her apron, she opened the front door.
“You’re here? I made doenjang jjigae for you to eat—”
And there.
“Yun-ji.”
Stood Choi Jin-ah, who had been kicked out of her own home.