Chapter 426: Stratagem
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 426: Stratagem
About thirty minutes had passed.
The pressure from the two women finally eased, and before I knew it, we were hanging out like usual.
Naturally, the three-section staff was never actually swung.
I mean, if you actually hit someone with that thing, you’d break their bones.
The moment Choi I-seo realized I’d figured out she was only using it as a threat and had no intention of actually swinging it, she set the baton down on the table.
“Where did you even get that?”
I sat on the sofa, sipping the coffee I’d brewed earlier. It was a bit disappointing now that it had gone cold.
Maybe I should just add some ice and turn it into an iced coffee?
“That? You know Yun-ji’s company. I got it there. They give them out to their broadcasters for self-defense, and since they had extras, I snagged one.”
“Hmm.”
Well, crimes targeting internet broadcasters have been getting pretty serious lately.
I’d actually dealt with something like that regarding Popo, and I’d recently seen a trailer for a movie about those kinds of crimes.
“Uwahaha!”
Seo Ye-rin, looking far too excited, snatched up the baton Choi I-seo had left on the table.
She expertly collapsed it back into a palm-sized stick.
I watched her while drinking my coffee, wondering what she was up to, when she suddenly thrust her hand forward in a dramatic pose and shouted.
“Bankai!”
Shhh-tack!
With a flick of her wrist, Seo Ye-rin snapped the baton open. Her eyes sparkled as she looked over at me.
“How was that? Did I look cool? Pretty awesome, right?!”
“Ban... what? What’s that?”
Choi I-seo, a tragic normie, didn't understand Seo Ye-rin’s reference and just looked bewildered.
Sighing, I walked over to Seo Ye-rin, took the baton from her, and collapsed it again.
“Hey, watch and learn.”
“Huh?”
“And don’t tell anyone about this! Bankai!”
I swung it upward with a flourish, and the baton extended once more. Seeing that, Seo Ye-rin cheered, her eyes gleaming.
“Me too! I want to do it too!”
“Uwahaha! This is so much fun! Ye-rin, film me!”
“Me first! Me first! I’m going to post this on SNS!”
Seo Ye-rin handed me her phone, so I decided to film her first.
“...You guys sure are having a blast with a telescopic baton.”
Choi I-seo sat with her chin resting on the arm of the sofa, watching us play. Her tone didn't exactly sound like a compliment, but hey, what can you do when something is this fun?
“Bankaiiii!”
I filmed Seo Ye-rin as she shouted boldly while extending the baton.
She watched the video, laughed with satisfaction, and uploaded it to her SNS.
Since becoming an actress, her agency, YS, had set up and managed her account, but a quick glance showed it was basically a ghost account.
“I really want to post this to the Bamboo Forest, though.”
Seo Ye-rin bit her nails, looking regretful. She was clearly holding back because posting something like this would blow her cover as the Sex Master.
We had a good time playing with that single baton.
As I sat back down on the sofa, satisfied, Choi I-seo—who had been waiting—sighed and looked at me.
“So. Are you really not going to tell us where you’re going with Ah-rin?”
“Oh, right. That’s what we came here to ask.”
Realizing she’d forgotten, Seo Ye-rin quickly sat down next to me. Sandwiched between the two women, I closed my eyes for a moment.
Opportunities to have both of them clinging to me like this didn't come often.
I wondered if there was a way to fully savor this moment.
“You’re thinking about something weird, aren't you?”
Choi I-seo reached out and playfully pinched my nose.
“Hehehe.”
Seo Ye-rin, claiming she’d thought of something funny, placed her fist right over my crotch.
Then, with a flick of her wrist, she snapped the baton open.
“Balkai.”
“...”
I barely managed to stifle a laugh. Seeing my lips twitch, Seo Ye-rin nodded with satisfaction.
“Aren't you two having a bit too much fun with that baton?”
At Choi I-seo’s comment—which suggested she was starting to question our mental age—we both cleared our throats and tried to change the mood.
“Look, I want to tell you. But it’s a promise between us. Ah-rin specifically begged me not to tell anyone.”
Besides, Ah-rin was really looking forward to this. I didn't want to be the one to ruin it.
“Right? Come on, guys. It’s only a one-day trip anyway.”
I gave them a smile.
We had to maintain some boundaries to keep everyone’s feelings from getting hurt.
“Hmph.”
Though unintentional, the baton seemed to have put Seo Ye-rin in a better mood, and she seemed convinced.
However, resistance came from an unexpected quarter.
“...”
Choi I-seo leaned against me slightly, looking like she wasn't satisfied with that answer.
Seeing this side of her was a first, and while it was flustering, it also made my heart flutter strangely.
“Really?”
Choi I-seo peeked up at me.
Clutching the hem of my shirt and whispering softly, she looked just like—
“Is I-seo acting cute right now?!”
Seo Ye-rin said exactly what I was thinking.
Because she’d been so blunt about it, Choi I-seo looked embarrassed for a second, but she quickly regained her composure and clung to me again.
“For real? Choi I-seo is actually doing aegyo?”
“I-I’m gonna film this, Woo-jin!”
As Seo Ye-rin thrust her phone forward, Choi I-seo let go of my shirt and pulled back.
“...”
“She’s pouting! I-seo is pouting! Woo-jin! Say something! Hurry!”
Does this girl think she’s playing a dating sim right now?
I didn't know why she was getting so immersed in this on my behalf, but I didn't want to miss this rare moment of I-seo being cute either.
“Do you really want to know that badly?”
When I asked while gauging her reaction, Choi I-seo bit her lip in embarrassment and let out a sigh.
“A deal... What do I have to do for you to tell me?”
* * *
Exams were over.
They’d ended yesterday.
But despite the exams being over, Yoo Ah-rin’s expression was twisted into a fierce scowl.
The day of the trip.
The four of us were gathered at the meeting spot.
Feeling awkward, I looked at Seo Ye-rin standing in front of me and tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
“Sound off from the right.”
“One!”
Seo Ye-rin responded energetically.
Choi I-seo, looking embarrassed as she tried to avoid Yoo Ah-rin’s laser-like gaze, put on her sunglasses and spoke.
“...Two.”
“Three, you motherfuckers. Do you want to die?”
I considered telling her to say 'Sound off complete,' but I decided against it.
If I did, we might end up going to the hospital instead of on a trip.
Yoo Ah-rin marched up and grabbed my cheek firmly.
“There’s a traitor among the two of us. And it sure as hell isn't me. So, who do you think it is?”
I tried to make an excuse through my puckered, octopus-like lips.
“...It’s me.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Yoo Ah-rin began to tear into me.
“You couldn't hold it in? Not even that one thing?! This was a trip for just the two of us! Why did you have to tell these other bitches and let them ruin it?!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“You bastard!”
Yoo Ah-rin barked at me.
She didn't care that people passing by were staring.
Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo also avoided her gaze, unlike their usual selves, trying to escape Ah-rin’s wrath.
“Ugh, why is this guy’s mouth so loose?! Was it really that hard to keep quiet? Huh? You jerk!”
“...Can I explain why?”
“Is that your way of saying you want to get hit more?”
“I’m sorry.”
It was Yoo Ah-rin’s iron-fisted rule; she wasn't accepting any excuses.
“Sigh.”
But the reason I felt her reaction was weaker than expected was that she wasn't actually hitting me.
Normally, I’d already be curled up in a ball, trying to endure her punches.
Yoo Ah-rin adjusted her bag and turned to the two uninvited guests.
“Hey, we booked a single room. What are you guys going to do?”
“It’s fine! We booked one too!”
“...There were rooms available.”
“Is that so?”
Yoo Ah-rin let out another long sigh, nodded, and then glared sharply.
Her target was Seo Ye-rin.
“Hey, Seo Ye-rin. Since you interfered this time, don’t complain when I interfere with you next time.”
“Yes! Of course, Boss!”
Seo Ye-rin grinned and gave a salute.
Normally, she would have said 'No way,' but seeing her bold reaction, it seemed like she had something in mind.
“And Choi I-seo, you...”
“I’m sorry, Ah-rin.”
When Choi I-seo gave a characteristically blunt and honest apology, Yoo Ah-rin started to say something but ended up just scratching the back of her neck.
“Fine, whatever. Since we’re all here anyway, let’s just enjoy the trip.”
“Ooh?”
“...Are you okay with that?”
“It’s fine. I’m used to us all hanging out together anyway.”
Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo looked genuinely shocked by Yoo Ah-rin’s magnanimous response.
No one imagined that Yoo Ah-rin, the most short-tempered among us, would take it so lightly.
“...As expected of the Queen of Threesomes.”
“What did you just say, you bastard?”
Unlike how she treated the others, she glared at me with murderous intent.
Then, she threw her bag at me.
“Carry it! You’re just a lackey today!”
“Yes, ma'am!”
Well, I did commit a crime, after all.
Just then, a bus arrived at the stop. Yoo Ah-rin started walking toward it.
“We have to catch that.”
At her word, we boarded the bus with the precision of soldiers heading out for training.
Naturally, I sat next to Yoo Ah-rin, and the other two sat behind us.
“Hehe! This is exciting.”
“It’s nice to relax now that exams are over.”
Hearing Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo whispering behind us, I joined in with a smile.
“Exams were tougher than I thought. I’m heading to the military soon, so it feels like I’ve crossed one major hurdle... Ah, the military.”
“Woo-jin, stop stepping on your own landmines.”
“Your mood really drops the moment the military comes up.”
“I can’t help it.”
As I slumped my shoulders dejectedly, Seo Ye-rin reached from behind to pat my head.
“Woo-jin, how many condoms did you pack?”
“...A ton.”
“Ehehe.”
“Sigh.”
Seo Ye-rin laughed while Choi I-seo sighed. Still, it didn't feel like I-seo actually hated the idea.
After a few stops, Yoo Ah-rin pressed the bell and stood up.
“Hey, we have to get off here.”
“Here?”
I looked at Yoo Ah-rin, confused.
Not just me, but Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo also stood up hesitantly and got off the bus.
None of us expected to get off here.
Because this place was...
“The airport?”
As I muttered while looking up at the airport, Yoo Ah-rin grabbed my hand and grinned.
Then, she waved goodbye to the other two.
“Alright, we’re off. You guys said you booked a place, so have fun there.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Yoo Ah-rin, who had somehow managed to hold it in until now, shouted with a triumphant, wide-beaming smile.
“How long have we known each other? Did you really think I wouldn't see a cheap trick like that coming?!”
Then, she grabbed me by the collar and shook me.
“I figured this guy would wag his tongue as loosely as he wags his dick. We’re going to Jeju Island, so you two have a blast here!”
Wow.
Yoo Ah-rin is insane.
“I’ll send you lots of pictures, you bitches!”
* * *
Whirring!
A white sky.
Seo Ye-rin sniffled as she looked up at the plane flying away in the chilly weather.
“Sniff, I should have gone abroad.”
“...”
Choi I-seo was too shocked to feel anything.
After all, they were the ones who had played dirty first. But she never imagined Yoo Ah-rin would be this calculating.
“Sniff, I-seo. Are we going to the place we booked?”
“We already paid for it, so we should go. Should we just... go there and drink?”
“Yeah. They said there’s a bathhouse and a jjimjilbang there. Let’s go play.”
“Sigh, let’s do that.”
Should they call the others?
Hanging out with Oh Yun-ji, Senior Ju-hee, or Choi Jin-ah didn't seem like a bad idea.
“Sigh, I need a change of pace.”
While waiting for the bus back, Seo Ye-rin pulled out her phone. I-seo thought she was going to watch a video or something, but then...
A familiar voice came from the phone.
— Me-Meow! I-seo wants to know, meow!
“Ye-rinnnn!”
Choi I-seo’s face turned beet red instantly as she scrambled to snatch the phone away.
“Uwahahaha! I-seo, you’re so cute!”
The recording of the aegyo she’d performed for Kim Woo-jin in exchange for information echoed out pitifully.