Chapter 414: Next Administrator
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 414: Next Administrator
"We're flying on an airplane!"
Yoo Ah-rin sang at the top of her lungs, her arm linked with mine as she bounced with excitement. I was trying my best to sing along, but honestly, my throat was killing me.
[97 points! Wow! Are you perhaps a sing—]
"Skip, skip. Ugh, why haven't I set it to auto-skip yet? I told you to keep pressing the button."
Grumbling, she grabbed the remote and reserved the next song.
"Hey, my throat really hurts."
"Oh, come on. I'm just getting started."
"You can sing by yourself. Look, Ye-rin’s already passed out."
Seo Ye-rin was curled up in the corner of the karaoke sofa, fast asleep. She had grabbed a cushion and was hugging it tightly.
"You guys have been playing for hours, but I've only been here for one!"
"That’s true, but I literally can't sing anymore. Just go solo."
"Ugh, that’s no fun," Ah-rin pouted.
However, realizing we couldn't stay forever, she slowly started tidying up.
"By the way, where did Choi I-seo go?"
"I-seo said she was stepping out for a bit."
"Huh?"
Ah-rin looked confused, as if wondering where there was even to go around here. Honestly, I felt the same. At first, I thought she just left because Ah-rin was being too noisy, but seeing as she’d been gone this long, that probably wasn't it.
"..."
Suddenly, Ah-rin glanced at the sleeping Seo Ye-rin and leaned in close to me, her movements secretive.
"What? What is it?"
She pressed herself against me.
"Lower your voice."
"Aha?"
I slid my hand around her waist and pulled her into a kiss.
"Mmph?!"
Startled, Ah-rin struggled for a brief moment, but as our tongues began to entwine, the tension left her body, and she started responding to me on her own.
After a deep, lingering kiss, I pulled back slightly and smirked.
"I'm pretty good at reading the room, right?"
Since I’d spent the day doing various things with Seo Ye-rin, I figured Ah-rin was feeling a bit left out. A man needs to be able to sense what a woman wants even if she doesn't say it out loud. That's why I'm so popu—
"No, you idiot."
"..."
"Is this the only thing you think about when I get close? I'm almost afraid to approach you."
"This wasn't it?"
"No. Jeez, you startled me."
"I mean... you seemed to enjoy it."
"That’s only because you’re a good kisser, so I just went with the flow. Seriously, when did you get so good at it?"
Ah-rin gave me a playful smack, looking annoyed. She glanced at Seo Ye-rin again and whispered, "Hey, if you had to choose between Senior Ju-hee and Yun-ji, who would it be?"
"...What kind of question is that?"
When I stared at her blankly, she started poking me with her finger, urging me to answer.
"Hurry up. I'm curious. I need to know so I can... think about things."
"No, really, what kind of question is this? Aren't you my girlfriend? Is our relationship different than I thought?"
"It is, I know. Ugh, how do I even put this?"
Ah-rin sighed, scratching her head in frustration. In that moment, a flash of realization hit me.
"Aha."
As I said before, a man needs to be quick on the uptake. When a girlfriend says something, it's best to realize the true intent behind it and act immediately.
"Senior Ju-hee and Oh Yun-ji?"
"Yeah! Who’s better?"
Look at those eyes full of expectation.
Smiling warmly, I pulled Ah-rin into a tight embrace.
"Of course, my Ah-rin is the best."
See? She’s absolutely loving—
"Ha, holy shit."
Never mind.
"No, I asked about Senior Ju-hee and Oh Yun-ji. Why am I even in the conversation?"
"...Am I being scolded right now?"
"Well, duh. I thought your only merit was not being stupid, but sometimes you're a total mor—"
My hand reached out and lifted the hoodie Ah-rin was wearing.
"Are you cra—?!"
A startled Ah-rin tried to scream, but I cut her off by kissing her again. As she tried to press her legs together in a panic, I shoved my knee between her thighs, forcing them apart.
"Mmph, mmph!?"
She nipped at my tongue with her teeth. Fortunately, she didn't bite hard, likely worried she might actually hurt me.
I naturally pinned her against the wall so she couldn't escape, then shifted my knee upward to stimulate the area between her legs.
"Hngh?!"
When I pulled my lips away, a thin string of saliva connected us.
"Are you... are you insane? Are you in heat all of a sudden?" Ah-rin hissed, keeping her voice as low as possible.
"No, I'm just a little annoyed."
"What? What does that— Hey! When did you unhook my bra?!"
Ah-rin gasped as she felt her bra slide down.
"Damn, do you have a license for picking up girls or something?"
"You asked who I liked better between Senior Ju-hee and Yun-ji? Ah-rin, I told you, I like you."
"I—I get that, but first, move your knee! You keep rubbing against me!"
I lifted her hoodie again.
The moment I leaned down to lick her pale skin, now exposed since her bra was out of the way—
"..."
The karaoke room door opened, and Choi I-seo walked in.
"I feel like it wasn't that long ago that I praised you for knowing how to restrain yourself."
"Hey, wait. I'm actually the victim here."
Of course, Ah-rin was currently pinned by me with nowhere to run, and her eyes were slightly red. But still, I was the one being interrogated.
"D-Damn it."
Sniffling, Ah-rin hurriedly grabbed her bra and put it back on. Watching her back, I really did feel like the bad guy.
"No, wait! This is a misunderstanding! It was self-defense!"
As I shouted desperately at Choi I-seo—
Thwack!
A cushion flew from the side, making me stumble. I whipped my head around to see Seo Ye-rin, who I thought was asleep. She had her cheeks puffed out and was shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Seeeex!"
She seemed very displeased.
* * *
'I'm starving.'
In the end, I parted ways with the girls without even having dinner. Tomorrow was Friday and a free period, so we’d made plans to meet, but it was still a shame I couldn't eat.
'Well, I have the side dishes I-seo made at home.'
My footsteps toward Choi Jin-ah's place felt awkward. I’d almost naturally headed back to the dormitory earlier out of habit.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
I entered the passcode and stepped inside. The savory aroma of food hit my nose, and I couldn't help but sniff the air.
"Oh, I think he's here."
"Is that Woo-jin?"
As I walked in, I heard female voices that definitely shouldn't have been there. Entering the living room, the smell of frying oil clung to my skin.
At the dining table were Choi Jin-ah and Oh Yun-ji, eating dinner. They were having tonkatsu, and it looked homemade.
"Aren't you two not supposed to be here?"
"This is my house," Jin-ah replied flatly.
"It's just that Jin-ah's place is the only one with a deep fryer," Yun-ji added.
"Then you could just... not make fried food."
I tried to protest, but it didn't stand a chance. Besides, I didn't even know this place had a fryer.
"Have you eaten? There's some left. Want me to fry more for you?"
Ah, damn it. I wasn't going to eat. But seeing Choi Jin-ah take a huge bite of a thick piece of tonkatsu made it hard to resist.
"Yes, please."
When I asked in a small voice, Oh Yun-ji chuckled and got up from her seat.
"I'm finished, so you can sit here."
Choi Jin-ah, with her mouth full of tonkatsu, got up and scooped some rice for me.
"There are a lot of side dishes."
Besides the tonkatsu, the table was covered in various sides.
"I-seo brought those over. They're really good."
"...She made those for me."
"It's better to eat together."
There were more side dishes than what I-seo had brought; it seemed Oh Yun-ji had made some herself as well.
"I-seo’s a good cook, isn't she? It was delicious."
"Are you teasing me?"
To think the person who made I-seo feel like she’d hit a wall was saying something like that.
"Why would I tease you? I'm just saying she's good at cooking. I could tell how much effort she put into it."
"Here's your rice."
"..."
Taking the bowl from Choi Jin-ah, I used my chopsticks to try one of the side dishes I-seo had made. The moment it hit my tongue, I understood what Oh Yun-ji meant. There was a strange sense of warmth and sincerity in the food.
"I'm going to go maintain my instruments," Jin-ah said, heading toward the practice room.
Oh Yun-ji, having finished frying the tonkatsu, brought over a large piece and started snipping it into bite-sized bits with scissors.
"It's good, so try some. The sauce is right here."
"Yeah..."
The tonkatsu was delicious. Honestly, it's a hard dish to mess up, but the juices flowing from the thick meat made me want to reach for the next piece immediately.
"Is it good?"
Sitting across from me, Oh Yun-ji rested her chin on her hand and watched me eat instead of finishing her own meal.
"It... is."
"Right?"
In Oh Yun-ji’s bright smile, I caught a glimpse of how she used to look back when we were dating.
"Did you just get back from your date with the girls?"
"Yeah, we were at a karaoke bar."
Even as I ate, Oh Yun-ji chatted with me comfortably. Just like the old days.
"No wonder your voice sounds a bit shot. Don't drink any coffee today."
"I shouldn't."
"Hey, don't be a picky eater. Eat everything. I-seo made those for you."
"I think I-seo purposely made things she knows I don't like that much."
"She’s quite the devoted wife."
Is she really okay with this? Can she really accept these conversations so calmly?
I didn't know. To be honest, I wasn't ready to make any judgments yet. Even though there were already three other women, the impulse to not let go of this woman sitting in front of me kept rising.
Was it simply because I was trash? Or was Oh Yun-ji just that charming? Or... was it pity?
I couldn't tell. Because it was difficult, it was confusing. And because it was confusing, it was hard to say anything definitive.
Maybe that was why. The reason I chose her?
"Yun-ji."
"Yeah?"
I slowly set down my chopsticks. I needed time. Time to find a clear answer and to prepare myself for whatever choice I would make.
Therefore, this was a small struggle to keep a thread of connection alive. It was my own selfish greed.
"The Bamboo Forest Manager... do you want to do it?"
* * *
Friday.
Since all three of them had made sure to have a free period on Friday, meeting up wasn't difficult. However...
"Exams are next week..."
At Choi I-seo’s grumbling, Yoo Ah-rin, who was standing next to her, clicked her tongue.
"You say that, but look how much effort you put into dressing up."
"Exactly! I-seo looks so pretty today! A total goddess!"
"...Thanks, Ye-rin."
I wondered if it was okay to be doing this right before exams, but I heard that this was the only time they could get a reservation, so there was no choice.
Where we were going today was, surprisingly, a waxing shop. After hearing Choi I-seo mention she was considering a Brazilian waxing a while back, we’d talked about it and ended up coming today.
"Ah, I'm excited."
"...Why are you excited?"
Choi I-seo glared at me as I stood there full of anticipation, but I couldn't help it.
"I-seo, should we book a hotel?"
"I told you, exams are next week!"
"Ugh, I wish exams were over already!"
Just the thought of a smooth Choi I-seo standing before me was enough to make my lower half react.
"Patrol is here! You can't have an erection here!"
Seo Ye-rin hurriedly jumped in front of me.
"No, I wouldn't do that on the street."
I said it felt like it could happen, not that it actually was.
"Oh, you're right..."
Ye-rin seemed strangely disappointed. Then, she suddenly brightened up and smiled.
"This place is really famous. It's where celebrities go. My manager unni talked to the representative, and they cleared a special time for us."
Then, Ye-rin said with a grin, "Woo-jini, you can get one too if you want!"
"No, I'm good."
I was going to the military soon; wouldn't it look weird if I had no hair down there? They might tease me for being a cherry boy.
"Huh?"
"Hmm."
But the other two seemed to have different ideas. I frowned at Choi I-seo and Yoo Ah-rin, who both looked like they thought it was a pretty good idea.
"No way. I heard that hurts like hell."
"Well, that's true."
"We can't force him if he doesn't want to, but..."
Ah-rin clicked her tongue as she glanced at my lower half.
"Do you have any idea how much the hair tickles my cheeks when I take you in my mouth? It's even worse if a stray hair gets in there. It feels disgusting."
"Aah! That happened at the karaoke bar too! That's why I got caught!"
"..."
"I—I'm just saying."
"Right! Just saying! I like everything!"
"..."
"But if Woo-jini does it, won't the technician be shocked?"
"Pfft, 'Oh my god, what is this? Is there a python in here?'"
"Hahaha! Ah-rin, that's hilarious!"
"Guys, people can hear you."
"Choi I-seo, you don't think it's funny? The technician would probably ask if he's biracial or something."
"Pfft! Ah-rin, stop! My stomach hurts from laughing!"
"Good grief."
"..."