Chapter 412: Worry
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 412: Worry
“So, that’s how it’s established. This won’t be on the exam, but it’s still good to at least understand the concept.”
“…….”
“…….”
The professor’s lecture drifted faintly past my ears.
There was only one reason I couldn't concentrate properly.
It was because Seo Ye-rin, sitting right next to me, had taken my hand under the desk and was playing around with it.
She tickled the back of my hand, traced circles on my palm with her finger, and interlaced our fingers.
It wasn’t that I disliked it.
In fact, I was happy that she’d come to sit through a lecture that wasn't even hers just to be with me.
‘My grades might be in jeopardy, though.’
I wondered if it was really okay for her to spend her time sitting in on someone else’s class like this.
“Hup.”
This time, Ye-rin took my hand and started rubbing it up and down her thigh.
It looked as if I were the one stroking her thigh, and just as I was wondering what she was up to, our eyes met, and she gave me a bright smile.
She didn't say a word.
She just smiled, but it made my heart feel so warm that I couldn't help but smile back.
Next, she started manipulating my fingers into various shapes.
She made a 'V,' then tried to make only my middle finger stand up, then hooked her pinky with mine, and finally changed it to an 'OK' sign.
I had no idea what she was doing, but she seemed to be having plenty of fun playing with my hand.
She looked so engrossed that I decided to tease her a bit, so I suddenly gripped the hand that was fiddling with mine.
“…….”
When I squeezed firmly so she couldn't pull away, Ye-rin pouted and lowered her head slightly.
Chomp.
Then, she gave my finger a light nip. It didn't hurt; it was just cute.
I laughed and let go, and in a move that was quintessentially Seo Ye-rin, she gave my finger a quick lick with her tongue.
I stared at the finger she’d just licked, then, pretending to rest my chin on my hand, I naturally gave it a light bite myself.
An indirect kiss through our fingers.
At this secret display of affection known only to us, the corners of Ye-rin’s mouth twitched, and her cheeks trembled.
She seemed to find it hard to keep a straight face, so she cupped her cheeks with both hands—another adorable sight.
‘How can a girl like this act the way she did earlier?’
To be honest, even I had been momentarily intimidated by how she handled the juniors.
Being an actress really wasn't something just anyone could do.
Slap.
Unable to contain her joy, Ye-rin squirmed and gave my shoulder a playful little smack.
I hadn't expected her to like it this much.
‘They all have such different ways of showing they like something.’
If it had been Yoo Ah-rin, she would’ve been embarrassed and cursed me out, though she wouldn't have actually hated it.
‘Why are you sucking on that, you crazy bastard!’
She probably would’ve said something like that.
If it had been Choi I-seo, she would’ve looked bashful but laughed it off gently.
‘Honestly...’
I could almost see I-seo shaking her head as if I were hopeless before focusing back on the lecture.
“…….”
Thinking about them like this suddenly made my chest feel tight.
Was it because I’d just talked to Lee Gyu-a about the military, even though I haven't even left yet?
Driven by a sudden desire not to let these girls go, I gripped Ye-rin’s hand tightly under the desk.
“Hm?”
Perhaps finding it sudden, Ye-rin stared at me intently.
Maybe she felt something too.
Without a word, she simply held my hand back, and we remained connected.
It would have been much better if I hadn't received a text like this on my phone.
I looked to the side and saw Lee Gyu-a glaring at us, tapping her book with the tip of her pen in annoyance.
“Could you take your lovey-dovey business elsewhere?”
“Ahem.”
* * *
After the lecture ended.
Ye-rin and I stepped outside together.
My cheeks were still flushed from the secret emotional exchange we’d shared during class, but the cold air outside began to calm me down.
“Woo-jin-ah, so have you decided who the next person will be?”
“The next person?”
“Yeah, the person to take over after you. You said I couldn't do it.”
“Ah.”
She was talking about the Bamboo Forest Manager.
“Personally, I hope it’s someone you’re close with. That way, I can spam the Bamboo Forest comfortably.”
“That’s just blatant favoritism.”
“……Woo-jin-ah, to be honest, I think I’m going to go full Sex Parrot once you’re gone.”
Why are you giving me this terror warning in advance?
I’m starting to feel sorry for whoever takes the baton next.
“Can’t you try to hold back a little?”
“But this is my outlet for stress! If you’re gone, my stress is going to build up thiiiiiiis muuuuuuch—!”
Ye-rin stretched her arms out wide.
“It’s going to pile up. Where else am I supposed to vent?”
“I’m happy to hear that, but it also feels a bit strange.”
“That’s why I think I’ll be using the Bamboo Forest a lot. If I get banned, it’ll be hard on Ah-rin and I-seo.”
“……Why would it be hard on those two?”
“Because then I’ll just keep spamming them with texts instead.”
They’re definitely going to block her.
“So? Have you decided? I heard you got a ton of applications.”
“Yeah, way more than I expected.”
Actually, it wasn't that difficult.
Surprisingly, quite a few people had applied, and many of them had very clean post and comment histories.
I already had a few specific anonymous users in mind.
Unless something major changed, I’d probably pick one of them.
“But there’s someone I want to ask first.”
“Someone you want to ask?”
“Yeah.”
There was one person I intended to check with separately.
Ye-rin didn't press me on who it was. She seemed to figure I’d tell her once it was decided.
“So, where should we go now?”
The conversation naturally shifted.
Since we were just walking aimlessly, we didn't have a specific destination.
“I wonder where the others are.”
“Ah-rin and I-seo are in the same lecture! They probably can’t come right now.”
“Ah, right.”
Yoo Ah-rin had signed up for it because Choi I-seo was taking it and she had free time.
After all, if Choi I-seo was with her, she was guaranteed at least a passing grade.
“Oh my, so it’s just the two of us on a date?”
Ye-rin clung tightly to my side.
Since I was leaving for the military soon, she had a tendency to cling to me without worrying about what others thought.
Not that I disliked it, but wouldn't an actress and a chaebol son being together be prime gossip material?
“Hmm? What are you thinking about?”
Ye-rin looked up at me with wide, sparkling eyes.
“Eh, whatever.”
Since when did I care so much about what others thought?
“Where should we go? A PC Bang? Or a comic book cafe? I saw a new comic book cafe opened near here.”
“Let’s go to karaoke! I have a singing scene for the role I’m starting in February! Let’s sing a duet!”
I lowered my body slightly, wrapped my arms around her thighs, and lifted Ye-rin straight up.
“Kyaa! So high!”
My face ended up half-buried in Ye-rin’s chest as she rose, but seeing her throw both hands into the air with excitement, I decided it didn't matter.
“Gazuaaaaa!”
“This is great!”
* * *
While Seo Ye-rin and Kim Woo-jin were heading to the karaoke room as bright and cheerful as children.
Choi I-seo and Yoo Ah-rin were sitting at the same desk. The professor had given them self-study time because it was exam period, but the catch was that attendance hadn't been taken yet.
It was the professor’s special measure to ensure no one escaped.
Looking at the Bamboo Forest, several students already in the lecture hall were seen venting their frustrations at the professor.
“We’re not high schoolers.”
Yoo Ah-rin grumbled in annoyance as well, but Choi I-seo already had her earphones in, fully immersed in her studies.
In fact, I-seo seemed to view this as an opportunity.
‘I’m bored.’
What were the others doing?
When she posted in the group chat for the four of them, I-seo glanced over.
Then, she cleanly muted her notifications and flipped her phone over.
‘This is bordering on madness.’
Yoo Ah-rin didn't know, but Choi I-seo was particularly fired up this exam period.
She had to go meet Kim Woo-jin’s parents before he left for the military.
I-seo wanted to have as much to say as possible when that time came, which was why she was buried in her books.
And as she’d said at the glamping site, she wanted to clearly demonstrate that Kim Woo-jin was not a distraction to her.
“Oh.”
Ah-rin put on her earphones and played the video Ye-rin had sent. In it, Kim Woo-jin and Seo Ye-rin were holding a single microphone together, singing a duet.
— That I love you more than I love myself!
— No! Please don’t goooo!
The video was shaky since it was a selfie, but seeing the two of them laughing as brightly as children while singing a sad song brought a smirk to Ah-rin’s face.
‘Looks fun.’
Those two were rubbing cheeks while singing, while she was stuck in a silent lecture hall with a boring girl.
“Hey, look at this.”
Ah-rin tapped I-seo’s shoulder and showed her the phone screen.
When Ah-rin handed her one earbud, I-seo let out a faint smile, just like Ah-rin.
“They’re having a good time.”
“Right? Ah... I want to go too.”
“We can go later. We’re going on a trip with him anyway.”
I-seo focused back on her studies.
However, Ah-rin had one more skeptical remark.
“You’re being pretty mindful today, aren't you?”
“About what.”
“What do you mean 'what'? About Kim Woo-jin. Also, give me back my earphone.”
“Ah.”
I-seo returned the earphone she’d borrowed to watch the video.
Taking it back, Ah-rin smiled mischievously and pulled her chair closer.
“Hmm? What’s with you today? You’re just so sensitive about anything related to Kim Woo-jin. It’s deathly cute.”
“…….”
I-seo couldn't exactly deny it.
The way she was acting today was definitely different from usual; her obsession with Kim Woo-jin was leaking out in every action.
Even just now, she could have let it slide, but she’d specifically pointed out her trip with Ah-rin, making it obvious she was keeping track.
“What is it? Honestly, it’s funny for me to even say this, but we’re past the stage of being jealous of each other, aren't we?”
Ah-rin urged her to be honest, speaking as someone in the same position.
Looking at her, I-seo let out a sigh, put down her pen, and whispered softly.
“Actually, I had a thought.”
“Go on, tell unni.”
“……Now I don’t want to tell you.”
“Aw, why? Come ooon.”
Ah-rin was so bored she even threw in some aegyo she rarely showed.
“I’ve been having various thoughts about the other people around him.”
“Other people?”
“I mean...”
After a moment’s hesitation, Choi I-seo cautiously began to reveal her inner thoughts.