Chapter 44: Planting a Landmine
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Planting a Landmine
“Let’s get chicken.”
Yoo Ah-rin, still sprawled out on my mattress, muttered while staring at her phone.
It really seemed like she intended to eat dinner at my place...
“Dinner at my house is ramyeon.”
I felt a bit bad, but food like chicken didn't exactly fit into my household's dinner menu. It wasn't that I loved chicken that much, nor did I particularly feel like buying it.
“Ugh, what do you mean ramyeon? I said let’s have a department gathering.”
“Let’s do that later when we can call Seo Ye-rin, Choi I-seo, and even Chan-woo.”
I thought I was being clever, but Yoo Ah-rin read me instantly and poked my back with her toe.
“You’re just trying to use that to square away the fact that I took you home when you were drunk last time, aren't you?”
Sharp girl.
I was planning to buy her a meal to thank her for that, and I figured I’d just kill two birds with one stone.
“Ah! Chicken! I said let’s eat chicken!”
Ah-rin kept drumming on my back with her feet. Part of me wanted her to just get lost already, but the pleasant scent wafting off her made my heart flutter—a natural reaction for any guy.
‘Ah, damn it.’
If she hadn't been doing those weird things to seduce me earlier, I wouldn't be looking at her like this.
“Knock it off.”
“Or should we just call everyone and eat together now?”
“Don’t make this a whole thing.”
After a moment of deliberation, I let out a sigh and stood up. I was already dressed to go out anyway, and since it was the weekend, maybe eating out wasn't a bad idea.
“Where are you going?”
“You said you wanted to eat. It’s dinner time, so let’s go. My treat.”
“I said chicken!”
“Forget chicken. Let’s just go out and get a real meal.”
“Phew! Fine, since you’re paying, I’ll follow. What are we eating?”
Ah-rin finally rolled off the mattress, threw her snapback back on, and followed me. I answered her listlessly.
“Gimbap Heaven.”
“Try again.”
Ah-rin stopped dead in her tracks, crossed her arms, and glared at me.
“Say that again.”
“I said we’re going to Gimbap Heaven.”
I was going to get the Cheese Pork Cutlet and a Tuna Gimbap.
“Didn’t you say you used to have a girlfriend?”
“Why are you rubbing salt in an old wound?”
“No, I mean, you had a girlfriend but you have zero sense? You’re really taking me to Gimbap Heaven right now?”
“Are you my girlfriend?”
“Still, we could go somewhere else.”
“Are you looking down on Gimbap Heaven?”
“It’s not that, it’s just... they have so many menu items that the taste is just mediocre across the board.”
It was true that a general diner couldn't beat a specialty restaurant that only focused on one dish.
“Still, Gimbap Heaven has its own charm. If you don’t want to eat, go home.”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Grumbling, Ah-rin had no choice but to follow. Since Gimbap Heaven was a bit of a walk from my place, we headed there in our slippers.
“Hey.”
Ah-rin was walking while looking at her phone and almost walked into a telephone pole. I grabbed her and pulled her toward me, saving her.
“What are you doing? Don’t use your phone on the street.”
“Ah, sorry. This is more interesting than I thought.”
I wondered what she was talking about, but then I saw what was on her screen: the Bamboo Forest.
It had cooled down a bit compared to earlier, but the Bamboo Forest was still buzzing with talk about Moderator No. 1.
“It’s kind of fun seeing people talk about me.”
“Are you an attention seeker?”
“I guess so?”
Come to think of it, I hadn't been able to check my phone properly because of her.
Since I’d just told her not to use her phone on the street, it would be weird for me to pull mine out, so I waited until we reached Gimbap Heaven.
“I’m getting the Cheese Pork Cutlet and Tuna Gimbap. What do you want?”
“Hmm, Omurice. And do you want to get Jjolmyeon to share?”
“...Sure.”
I don’t usually like sharing food. My ex-girlfriend loved sharing so much that I’d developed a bit of a neurosis about it, but...
‘I can’t turn down Pork Cutlet and Jjolmyeon.’
I was only going to get gimbap because the portions were large, but this way I could have the Jjolmyeon too.
After ordering, I finally tried to check my phone, but Ah-rin put hers away and rested her chin on her hand, looking at me.
“But why are you a Bamboo Forest Manager? Did you find the previous manager like I did?”
It seemed she was curious about the inner workings of the Bamboo Forest.
“No, a senior I know just asked me to do it, so I did.”
It wasn't exactly a grand story.
Besides, how big of a deal could managing a community be? It was mostly just a chore.
I took a sip of water and gave her some casual advice.
“Don’t take it too seriously. Just take it easy. It’s a university community, so people don’t usually post anything that crosses the line.”
“I see~.”
It was a bit surprising to see her accept it so easily. I thought she’d come at me swinging like she did at the Gopchang House.
‘Surprisingly...’
Maybe she was actually suited for the job?
She seemed to enjoy the attention, and she was always complaining about being bored.
Seeing Ah-rin check the Bamboo Forest again, I pulled out my own phone.
I was planning to play the mobile game I’d started recently, but...
“Huh?”
I had a KakaoTalk message from someone unexpected.
‘It’s Seo Ye-rin?’
I wondered why she was texting me on the weekend. She wouldn't know about what happened at the Gopchang House yesterday since Jeong Chan-woo had already taken her home before the incident.
“What? What is it?”
Ah-rin poked her head over, smelling something interesting. I immediately pushed her forehead away with my hand.
“Seo Ye-rin messaged me.”
“Ye-rin did?”
“Yeah, she’s asking what I’m doing. Maybe she wants to go to the PC Bang?”
It had been a while since we gamed together. Since it was the weekend and I was bored, I considered going.
“Hmm? Ye-rin?”
The sly smile on Ah-rin's face was a bit annoying.
“I knew it. Ye-rin really must like you.”
She suddenly blurted out something ridiculous.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“As far as I know, this is probably the first time Ye-rin has sent a text like this to a guy first.”
“How would you know that? Are you Seo Ye-rin?”
When I responded with disbelief, Ah-rin clicked her tongue and wagged a finger at me.
“Hey, if Ye-rin is texting you to ask what you’re doing, it means she’s interested. What guy would miss that?”
She claimed that since Seo Ye-rin had been single her whole life, this must be her first time sending such a message.
“Go write a novel.”
Listening to her spout such plausible-sounding nonsense felt like a waste of time.
“Then Choi I-seo must be interested in me too. She just texted me to go exercise.”
“...”
At my words, she made an annoyed face, let out a sigh, and went back to looking at her own phone.
‘Exercise or PC Bang?’
My heart said PC Bang, but having Ah-rin in front of me was a nuisance.
“Hey, is Chan-woo working today?”
“He probably has the full shift at the PC Bang on weekends.”
“Think I’ll get some service if I go now?”
“...”
Ah-rin glared at me, clearly unhappy about the idea of going where Jeong Chan-woo was, but she eventually sighed and nodded.
“Probably. He’ll give you even more if you go with me.”
“You’re not coming. If I go to the PC Bang with you, Chan-woo will get the wrong idea.”
“...I like that idea.”
What do you mean you like it?
I was about to send a reply to both of them, suggesting we combine the plans and 'exercise' inside a game, when—
Vrrr!
[Captain Ju]
It was a call from Senior Min Ju-hee.
I knew midterm exams were over and filming for the short film was about to start in earnest, but was it happening this fast?
I answered immediately.
— Woo-jin.
Senior Min Ju-hee’s voice was low, laced with blatant murderous intent and irritation.
I couldn't tell if it was directed at me or someone else, but regardless...
“Yes, Senior.”
The atmosphere felt ominous, so I answered sharply. Min Ju-hee let out a deep sigh and asked.
— What did you do at the Gopchang House yesterday?
“...Why do you ask?”
Since Senior Min Ju-hee wasn't at the Gopchang House yesterday, she shouldn't have known what happened.
I thought it was strange for her to ask out of the blue, but then—
— The girls are dropping the assignment en masse.
“Ah...”
— And they’re saying it’s your fault. They said they can’t do it because you acted like a prick at the Gopchang House yesterday.
“S-Senior! May I explain what happened?!”
As I spoke urgently, Min Ju-hee took a deep breath and said.
— Woo-jin, I’m not mad at you. I don’t care who was at fault between you and the 2nd-year girls. I have zero interest in that.
“...”
— But you see.
I gulped.
It felt like a storm was about to break on this peaceful weekend.
— They’re dropping the assignment?
Just then, the food arrived.
The gimbap, pork cutlet, and jjolmyeon placed before me felt like a final meal given to a soldier heading off to war.
— Haha, drop? Drop... Right, that can happen. Right? Woo-jin, people can drop assignments. A group project isn't everything in life.
She was genuinely terrifying.
— Oh, it certainly can happen. You can drop an assignment. But...
“B-But?”
— You can’t drop my assignment. The concept of 'dropping' doesn't even exist for me.
“...”
— Woo-jin, what are you doing right now?
“I’m eating at Gimbap Heaven!”
— After you finish that, do you want to drop into the home base of those girls who dropped the assignment with me?
Ah.
In terms of a strategy game, this was like an Ultra and a single Marine being loaded into a Dropship to fall right into the enemy's main base.
“I’ll follow you immediately. I actually have a girl with a nasty personality right next to me. She saw everything that happened at the Gopchang House too.”
“Where? Where’s the girl with the nasty personality?”
Ah-rin started whipping her head around, pretending to look for the girl I was talking about.
Normally, I would have played along, but right now, Captain Ju was radiating bloodlust, ready to execute the traitors.
— You can finish in 30 minutes, right? I’m heading there now.
“Understood!”
Click.
The call ended.
“Phew.”
Letting out a sigh, I immediately sent replies to Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo.
* * *
“Wow, so we’re going to find the seniors who threw away the assignment?”
“Yeah, it sounds like she’s going to meet them.”
“That sounds fun!”
While eating her Omurice, Ah-rin was thrilled by the impending drama.
‘Things just keep getting interesting when I’m with him.’
She really hated his attempts to set her up with Jeong Chan-woo, but everything from the Gopchang House yesterday to the Bamboo Forest, and now going to fight with the female seniors...
Coming to Kim Woo-jin’s house because she was bored on the weekend had been a great choice.
‘Wait a second.’
Watching Kim Woo-jin wolf down his Cheese Pork Cutlet, Ah-rin decided to test the waters.
“So, are Ye-rin and I-seo joining us?”
“Are you crazy? I told them both I couldn't meet up because I have stuff to do.”
“Hmm.”
Hearing that, an even more entertaining idea popped into Ah-rin's head. Things weren't boring now, but wouldn't it be great to plant a bomb that would explode later?
Ah-rin put down her spoon and immediately started tapping on her phone.
“Eat fast. Captain Ju will be here soon.”
“I know, just a second.”
What Ah-rin did was change her messenger status message and profile picture.
She set the profile picture to the selfie she had taken earlier at Kim Woo-jin’s house.
It was a photo taken on the mattress. To anyone else, it would just look like a normal photo taken at home, but...
To someone who knew Kim Woo-jin’s house, it wouldn't be hard to tell that Ah-rin was currently there.
For instance.
People like Choi I-seo or Seo Ye-rin, who had slept over at Kim Woo-jin’s house before.
“Hehe.”
Furthermore, she set her status message to: ‘Lounging at a friend’s house.’
“Hehehe.”
“What are you giggling for? Makes me want to crack your head open.”
Kim Woo-jin spat out harsh words at the grinning Ah-rin, but...
“Forgive me~.”
Imagining the ordeal that would befall Kim Woo-jin on Monday, Ah-rin simply stuck out her tongue and laughed.