Chapter 428: Apology
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 428: Apology
“Ahem, hmmm.”
I clear my throat.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this nervous. I don’t think I was even this tense during final exams.
“Ehehe! Hehehehe!”
“Ye-rin, I need to make a call. Can you give me a second?”
I ask Seo Ye-rin, who is currently staring at her phone and drooling, to be quiet.
Judging by her expression, Kim Woo-jin probably sent her a text saying exactly what she wanted to hear.
“First we do this, then we do that—”
‘I should probably step out.’
Once Seo Ye-rin’s delusions started running wild, there was no stopping her. Seeing her roll around on the bed, clutching her phone between her cleavage and giggling...
It was strange. Her head was clearly filled with nothing but lewd thoughts, yet her heart seemed so pure.
“Hello?”
As I stepped out onto the balcony, the chilly wind made me shiver.
— How have you been?
But Kim Jae-un’s voice was much colder than the wind.
I hadn’t spoken to him much, but I could tell he wasn’t in a particularly good mood.
“Ah, yes. Finals just ended. And... congratulations on becoming Chairman. My apologies for the late greeting.”
— It’s fine.
Kim Jae-un brushed it off and continued without a single change in his tone.
— Sigh. I believe you have something to tell me?
“Pardon?”
Choi I-seo was momentarily flustered by the sudden remark. What did it mean for him to say this to her, and not Kim Woo-jin?
It took a moment to process, but she understood soon enough.
“Ah, don’t tell me...”
Having realized the truth, she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. It was an embarrassing lie, after all.
— Woo-jin told us that all three of you were pregnant.
“...”
— And yet, the brat hasn't even come to pay his respects once.
“T-That’s because—”
— No need for excuses. That is something Woo-jin should be doing, not you.
“...We are definitely at fault too.”
No, in fact, Choi I-seo felt they should take responsibility since they were the ones who had deceived Kim Woo-jin in the first place.
However, Kim Jae-un was firm.
— Woo-jin told a lie and didn't come to explain himself immediately. That makes him an accomplice.
“That’s—”
She had no words.
Just a moment ago, the balcony wind had been chilling her to the bone. Now, her body felt so hot it almost stung.
— Sigh. You don’t need to worry too much.
As if reading her mind, Kim Jae-un spoke lightly about her concerns.
— Mother and Father have already decided to accept you all. In a way... your lie is what opened their hearts.
Before they knew it was a lie, they had been making realistic plans to welcome three daughters-in-law.
Rather than being relieved that there was no pregnancy, the Chairman and his wife were actually disappointed. It was as if the three grandchildren they were expecting had suddenly vanished into thin air.
“Is that... so?”
— And.
Kim Jae-un paused for a moment.
Choi I-seo felt a bit awkward at his hesitation, but Kim Jae-un eventually spoke honestly.
— Thanks to your lie, I was able to become Chairman and earn my father’s recognition.
“That...”
— Whether it was intentional or not, that is the result. So don’t worry too much...
Kim Jae-un took a breath, and his final words were laced with deep irritation.
— When he gets back from Jeju Island, tell that brat Woo-jin to come home. If I’m the one who tells him, he’ll probably wait until right before he enlists.
— You make sure he comes. Without fail.
“...”
— I’m counting on you.
With that, Kim Jae-un hung up.
To be distrusted this much by his own eldest brother... it was very much like Kim Woo-jin, she thought.
“Sigh.”
At least her mind was at ease.
Even though Kim Jae-un’s voice and manner of speaking were cold, she could feel that he was trying to ease their burden and worry.
“That’s one weight off my shoulders.”
The cold weather began to bite again. She headed back inside, thinking about what to have for dinner with Seo Ye-rin.
“Ye-rin, for dinner we—”
“Ah! Mmm! Woo-jin!”
The moment she saw Seo Ye-rin pleasuring herself on the bed, Choi I-seo immediately threw the tissue box from the side table at her.
“Ouch! What was that for?!”
Seo Ye-rin jumped in surprise.
But I-seo was the one who had a right to be angry.
“Do you live here alone? We’re sharing this room! And we have to sleep in that bed together!”
“S-Sleep together? Sorry, but I belong to Woo-jin, so you can’t even touch me!”
I-seo felt like she heard something snap.
Clenching her fists, Choi I-seo suppressed the urge to pounce on Seo Ye-rin and beat her up, explaining herself calmly instead.
“I don’t want to do it with anyone but Kim Woo-jin either. Even if it’s you guys. So! Don’t do weird things on the bed!”
It would feel disgusting if the sheets were damp for no reason.
Even if they had had sex together multiple times, this was a different matter.
The most important person, Kim Woo-jin, wasn't here.
Once, Kim Woo-jin had seen something somewhere and asked if they could try pleasuring each other.
That day, Kim Woo-jin went to bed early. He had been beaten so much he didn't have the energy to move his hips.
Just as Kim Woo-jin hated the thought of kissing Jeong Chan-woo, it was the same for Seo Ye-rin, Choi I-seo, and Yoo Ah-rin. It was only possible because Kim Woo-jin was there; doing it with each other was out of the question.
In the first place, if their tongues touched while giving him a blowjob, they would fight while pretending to gag.
“Hmph, but my body is just so hot.”
‘What kind of text did she get to act like that?’
She had been like this ever since Kim Woo-jin sent her a personal chat.
Sighing, Choi I-seo asked Seo Ye-rin, who was pulling her clothes back together.
“What are we eating for dinner?”
* * *
“Wow.”
To be honest, I didn't expect much since they said it was in the mountains of Jeju Island.
But because it was in the mountains, the grounds were massive. It was basically a private villa, and it even had an outdoor bath that we could use in total privacy.
“This is insane.”
The interior was beautifully decorated with a traditional Korean feel, which immediately lifted my spirits.
“Hehe, it’s nice, right? Every time I showed you that fake hotel, I was dying to tell you it was actually here.”
Yoo Ah-rin, who followed me in, smiled satisfyingly at my reaction.
This was the Ah-rin Resonance—she had even faked the hotel reservation just to keep the trip a secret.
“You really put your brain to work on this instead of studying, didn't you?”
When I playfully gave her a thumbs-up, Yoo Ah-rin pouted and glared at me.
Still, seeing as she didn't throw a punch, she was definitely in a good mood today.
“So, what now? I saw some things to do inside, even if the concept is healing.”
Starting from the outdoor bath in the room, the main building had a sauna and even an old-school arcade.
Even if staying for only 1 night and 2 days was a bit short, I was determined to get my money’s worth—!
“What are you talking about?”
Thwack!
My vision went dark.
I thought someone had turned off the lights, but then I felt fabric and the scent of fruit covering my face.
When I checked what it was, it was the turtleneck Yoo Ah-rin had been wearing.
“Huh?”
I looked at Yoo Ah-rin in confusion. She was wearing the lingerie she had asked me about before—the kind made specifically for the bedroom.
Yoo Ah-rin slowly approached and began unbuttoning my shirt.
A mischievous smile played on her lips.
“There’s a rumor that your dick will explode if you don’t empty it every three hours.”
“Then it should have exploded already, shouldn't it?”
Just the time it took us to get here was—
“...”
Yoo Ah-rin shot me a sharp glare.
Taking the hint not to ruin the mood, I shut my mouth and let her undress me.
“Mmm.”
She leaned in for a soft kiss, her tongue entwining with mine as she undid my belt. She’s gotten quite good at this.
“Hehe, it was pretty hard to hold back.”
She then knelt before me, flicked that part with her finger, and began pleasuring me with a smile.
‘Was it Seo Ye-rin?’
I knew if I said it out loud, Yoo Ah-rin would bite my junk like a frankfurter.
So, I just spent the time with her, thinking she was being extra aggressive because it was a trip.
* * *
“Wow, I’m seriously satisfied!”
We had dinner at the hotel restaurant.
I was still chuckling, finding the whole thing absurd.
“How did you think to give me the right information for the restaurant?”
“I had to know what we were going to eat. That dish that came out in the middle, didn't it taste really unique?”
“Yeah, it was unique.”
Even though she gave me a fake hotel, she gave me the right restaurant. It showed how meticulously Yoo Ah-rin had planned this Jeju trip.
She said it would have been too hard to pretend to look forward to food at a hotel restaurant we weren't even going to.
We left the main building and walked toward our private villa.
In my hands were a bottle of wine and a cheesecake we bought at the restaurant.
We decided to drink wine while soaking in the outdoor bath.
‘Hehe.’
Earlier, we only got to do it once because of the restaurant’s operating hours, but now we could really enjoy ourselves.
I was smiling contentedly when Yoo Ah-rin linked her arm with mine.
“...Hm?”
I felt her grip on my arm tighten strangely. When I glanced at her, she was staring at me intently.
“What, you bastard? Is this your first time seeing someone link arms?”
“No, it’s not that...”
She did it often enough that it wasn't strange.
But that’s why the difference stood out. She was holding on much tighter than usual.
Anyway, we entered the room together and quickly dove into the steaming outdoor bath to escape the biting wind.
“This is crazy. It feels so good.”
“I feel so relaxed.”
I felt like I was going to freeze to death a moment ago, but entering the bath with the steam rising made all the difference.
Feeling great, I took the wine we brought and had a sip.
I thought a glass might break, so we decided to just drink straight from the bottle.
“Phew, this feels great!”
“You’re drinking it like it’s makgeolli.”
Yoo Ah-rin laughed and reached out for the wine.
Staring at her naked body made me start getting excited again, so I took another swig of wine.
“Hey, give me some too.”
Yoo Ah-rin pouted, thinking I was drinking it all myself.
But when I held the wine in my mouth and beckoned with my finger, she shouted in annoyance.
“Ugh, seriously! Just let me drink it normally!”
Despite her words, she slowly crawled over and sat on top of me. Then, she naturally kissed me and took the wine from my mouth.
“Phew, th-this spills more than I thought.”
“Get it out! Get it out!”
Worried that the wine might get into the bathwater, I frantically scooped the water out with my hands.
Despite my worrying, only a drop or two had actually mixed in.
“Let’s drink the wine outside the tub.”
“Yeah, we should.”
I set it outside so we wouldn't knock it over.
“Ack, cold! Cold! Cold! So cold!”
It really was freezing.
Coming back into the bath brought peace to my mind.
Yoo Ah-rin leaned gently against my arm and warned me.
“If we’re going to do it, keep it to positions inside the water. If you try to act tough with stand-and-carry or doggy style, I’ll kill you.”
“...I’m shriveled up from the cold too.”
Yoo Ah-rin smirked at my answer.
Regardless, we leaned against each other and let the fatigue melt away.
At first, I thought about doing it, but surprisingly, just staying still like this felt good too.
Looking up at the sky, I could see quite a few stars.
Maybe it was because I was feeling sentimental.
Staring blankly at the night sky, I expressed my honest feelings.
“Ah-rin, thank you.”
“Huh?”
“Coming on this trip together... I felt really good today. Like I’ve become free?”
“...”
Perhaps she didn't expect me to say something like that, as Yoo Ah-rin stared at me blankly.
Feeling a bit embarrassed by her gaze, I kept looking up at the sky and continued.
“It was really fun. So much so that I’m sad to go back tomorrow. I think I’ll be able to endure the military thanks to the memories of today.”
I thought telling her that the trip she gifted me would help me get through the time ahead was the most reassuring thing I could say.
But then, the water in the bath surged violently.
Yoo Ah-rin, who had been sitting beside me, sat on my lap facing me again and whispered.
“Let’s have sex.”
“What? Did my touching words make you go into heat—”
Just as I was about to joke around, I saw that what was on her face wasn't just bathwater.
“Are you crying?”
They were tears.
“I’m not crying, you bastard.”
She answered as she usually did, but her voice lacked strength and her eyes were already red.
As her tears fell into the hot spring water, I looked at her with concern. Yoo Ah-rin bit her lip hard and forced herself to speak.
“Why... why would you say that...?”
“Huh? No, I was just thankful—”
“Then just have sex like we always do! Why would you say that! That you’ll be fine? That you can endure it because of today?!”
“Dammit! Dammit!” she added, finally burying her face in my chest and bursting into tears.
“Don’t go, you jerk! Where are you going, leaving me behind?!”
Yoo Ah-rin wailed like a child, her body trembling. Even though we were in the hot bath, I couldn't just dismiss it as being from the bitter cold.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sob! You idiot! Don’t apologize! Tell me you won’t go! Tell me you’ll stay with me!”
As I patted the back of the sobbing Ah-rin, who was throwing a tantrum like a child...
“I’m sorry, Ah-rin.”
An apology was the only thing I could give her.