Chapter 49: Save Me
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: Save Me
There was a table in front of the gym locker rooms. Though there weren't many, it was a space provided for people to wait for their companions. Seo Ye-rin sat there with her legs crossed, looking down at her phone.
And right behind her, someone was peeking at her screen while massaging her shoulders.
That someone was me.
"I wonder where would be goooood."
Ye-rin tapped away at her phone, drawing out her words like some old man in a drama.
Since I was the one buying dinner tonight, she was in the middle of picking a place.
"What do you think, President Kim? Anything you want to eat?"
Ye-rin turned her head slightly to look up at me. Even though it was an incredibly obvious trap, I replied with a forced, business-like smile.
"Oh, please! Whatever our Chairman Seo wants to eat is fine by me."
"Oh, really? Is that so?"
In the end, I was the one footing the bill. If I soured Ye-rin’s mood here, my wallet might end up completely gutted.
"How about steak?"
"Wouldn't that be a bit heavy?"
"Pizza?"
"Instead of eating Western stuff, we should have our own traditional pajeon."
"……Pasta."
"How about some banquet noodles?"
"Suuuushi."
"Instead of that, just some nice, hot mackerel stew—!"
"You're hopeless."
As I kept answering, I’d accidentally let too much of my own desires slip in, and she clearly didn't like it.
"I-seo, what do you want?"
Choi I-seo, who had been watching our exchange with her legs crossed, let out a sigh.
"Since we just worked out, I don't think eating something too fattening is a good idea."
If it’s Choi I-seo, she’ll probably suggest we go eat some grass. Even salads have gotten expensive lately, but they're still lighter than meat like steak.
"Let's go get steak to replenish our protein."
"There's an In-baek nearby! Let's eat there!"
In? Isn't it supposed to be Out?
Well, whatever.
"No! Wait! You don't buy steak just because you lost one race! Who replenishes protein with steak?!"
When I shouted my desperate protest, Ye-rin glared at me.
"Then you shouldn't have cheated. If you'd played fair and square and I won, I would've just eaten something cheap."
"But you're being punished for acting like a cheapskate and faking it just to win," Choi I-seo added with a shrug.
I had no comeback. In the end, I was dragged to the steakhouse like a cow to the slaughterhouse.
"I'll pay for the salad bar."
Perhaps she had a shred of conscience left, as Ye-rin offered to cover the salad bar.
"Don't worry about mine, I'll pay for my own," I-seo said, patting me on the back.
"Forget it, you two."
Once a man pulls out his card, shouldn't he step up? I stepped forward gallantly and declined their offers.
"I can handle this much. It's not like I'm living in total poverty."
"Ooh."
"Hmm."
The two of them gave me a quiet round of applause. Anyway, we sat down at a table and were about to look at the menu and order, when...
"Ah..."
A familiar face greeted us.
None other than Senior Han-gang from the second year, dressed in a part-time uniform, had come to take our order.
"Oh, hello," Ye-rin greeted him awkwardly.
"Do you work here?" I-seo asked Han-gang, sounding relatively natural and composed.
"……."
Naturally, I kept my mouth shut. We’d had drinks together before, but the awkwardness hadn't faded yet.
"Uh, yeah. Midterms are over, so I started recently."
"Ah, I see. We're ready to order."
Seeing that Ye-rin and I were uncomfortable, I-seo took the lead, finished the ordering, and sent the senior away cleanly.
As expected, she’s quick-witted and handles things well.
"Is it that uncomfortable?"
She asked us afterward, looking quite concerned.
"I don't really care. I'm not the type to worry about what others think anyway."
I was just a bit startled at first; I had no intention of letting a senior's presence ruin my meal.
However, Ye-rin seemed different.
"Yeah, it... it is uncomfortable."
"Did something happen when you guys drank together last time?"
Ye-rin looked even more uncomfortable than she had back then. Judging by how her expression darkened, it seemed something had been said.
"When I went to the restroom, he followed me and confessed that he liked me."
"Wow."
An exclamation escaped my lips before I could stop it. Of course, I shut up immediately when I-seo glared at me.
But was that really something to glare at me for? If someone gets a confession, shouldn't you congratulate them?
"I turned him down clearly and said I was sorry! B-but he told me to keep thinking about it anyway..."
"And?"
"He said he'd wait, so if I ever change my mind, to let him know."
"Aha."
So, it was one of those pathetic situations where he was still waiting even after being rejected.
I guess when you're as pretty as Seo Ye-rin, even guys like Senior Han-gang have to take a number and wait.
He wasn't quite on the level of Jeong Chan-woo—the kind of guy who makes you think "He's damn handsome" the moment you see him—but Senior Han-gang was still considered a 'Namshin' in our department, and the girls practically worshipped him.
Thinking about that, I realized once again that I was spending time with some pretty incredible people.
Not just Seo Ye-rin, but Choi I-seo too.
It was the same at the PC Bang, the gym, and even here.
Stares were pouring in from all over at the two women, and I was being subjected to blatant envy, jealousy, judgment, and comparison.
I’d even seen someone grumbling about why a guy like me was with two girls like them.
"You're going through a lot," I-seo said, patting Ye-rin’s shoulder to comfort her. Ye-rin seemed to relax a bit.
"But don't reject him too harshly."
I decided to chime in.
The two of them looked a bit taken-back, clearly not expecting those words from me.
But I was saying this for Ye-rin’s sake in my own way.
"Objectively speaking, don't you think Senior Han-gang is a pretty decent guy?"
He’s famous for having good manners, and he has no trouble socializing. There are rumors he’s rich, and on top of that, he’s handsome.
I thought it was honestly quite rare to find someone with that kind of profile.
"If there's a downside, it's that he's a bit of a womanizer... but well, that wouldn't be a problem for you."
If he’s dating Seo Ye-rin, would he even look at other women? He’d probably cut them off himself because he wouldn't want to get on her bad side.
"You've never had any dating experience. Even if it feels like you're experimenting with someone else's feelings, it's not a bad idea to experience it at least once."
Don't elders always say to experience things you can only do at this age?
Right now was the exact boundary between responsibility and pleasure. It’s not like dating leads straight to marriage, and you can still maintain that youthful student vibe.
There’s a certain kind of romance that can only happen at this time of life.
"……."
Ye-rin’s expression darkened further at my words. She was looking at me with a resentful gaze, making me wonder if I’d said something wrong.
Choi I-seo, having heard the whole thing, seemed quite surprised by my opinion.
"You really looked at it objectively, didn't you?"
"Right?"
It must be strange to hear this from me, considering I’d had a direct conflict with Senior Han-gang and had even been sniped on the department board because of it.
I-seo, resting her chin on her hand, let out a slight smile and asked further.
"Then, what if you spoke from a subjective point of view, full of personal feelings?"
"Then..."
The two women’s eyes focused on me.
Ye-rin, in particular, was watching me with an anxious look that felt strangely significant.
Regardless, I gave my honest answer.
"I'd tell him to piss off."
"Pfft."
Ye-rin finally laughed.
"Tell him to stop acting like a half-assed punk and just go to the military."
"Oh, Woo-jin, you have to go to the military too."
"That's right. When are you going?"
"……Why are you suddenly attacking me?"
Weren't we just happily badmouthing Senior Han-gang? Why am I the one getting hurt all of a sudden?
"I'll write you letters when you go, Woo-jin."
"I heard you can use phones these days. Can't you just reply if we text you?"
"Why does my stomach hurt when I haven't even eaten anything yet?"
Wait, this is weird. How did the conversation end up here?
"A beret! I want to try on a beret! Lend me yours when you come out on leave later!"
"Can we send care packages? Tell us if you need anything."
"I'm still a civilian, you brats."
Why were they treating me like someone who was already heading off to the army?
The two of them giggled, saying they were just joking, and in the meantime, the food we ordered arrived.
We were supposed to go to the salad bar, but we’d been so engrossed in conversation that we hadn't gone yet.
Senior Han-gang had gone out of his way to serve us, but we were still deep in our discussion about the military.
"But won't the country be unified by next year?"
"Yeah, even if it is, you still have to go."
"Loyalty! Private Kim Woo-jin!"
"……Your steak is here."
Senior Han-gang cut in, but we remained focused on our own conversation. It almost felt like we were doing it on purpose to show off in front of him.
"Woo-jin, I'll bring all my friends to visit you. I have a lot of pretty friends."
"If that includes Yoo Ah-rin, I'll pass."
"Ah-rin is pretty too, though."
Her voice is a bit unique, and she has a bubbly charm that smells like fruit.
"The Tomahawk steak is..."
"Yes, that's mine."
I took the steak and we continued talking. Since Senior Han-gang was there, I was just blurting out whatever came to mind.
'This senior is really damn persistent.'
Just how much does he like Seo Ye-rin? His serving was incredibly slow. Moreover, he was staring intently at her. I wondered if this was how a handsome guy made his approach.
Just how aware of his own looks do you have to be to act like that?
If I had done that, I would've been told to lower my eyes and gotten cursed out.
"Oh, did you know Ah-rin used to be a Taekwondo athlete?"
And Ye-rin, receiving that gaze, kept chattering away like a clown blowing bubbles.
"A Taekwondo athlete?"
That was news to me.
"Yeah! Taekwondo! There was so much talk about her being a top prospect back then! She even won awards at competitions!"
"Ho, I see."
No wonder her legs were so long and well-toned.
"She's super flexible! She does moves easily that I can't even dream of!"
"She definitely seemed flexible."
You could tell just by looking at her. It was evident in her gestures and movements, and also from that time she came to my house and drummed on my back with her legs.
"H-her body is amazing too! She has muscles! But, well, overall her body is so soft that it feels good to hold her!"
"Yeah, she was soft."
Her breasts had been really squishy.
"……."
I’d been answering absentmindedly while contemplating how to tackle the Tomahawk steak, but then I replayed what I’d just said in my head and slowly lifted my gaze.
Ye-rin, who had brought it up, and Choi I-seo, who had been listening quietly.
And even Senior Han-gang, who was serving us.
Every single one of them was staring at me with wide, shocked eyes.
"Hmm, I may have phrased that in a way that could be misunderstood."
If I stayed quiet here, it was game over.
I calmly put down the fork and knife I was holding, acting as if nothing was wrong.
"So, what I meant just now was..."
I’m something of a master of improvisation. Having spent so much time making up excuses while being hounded by my ex-girlfriend, I’m good at talking my way out of these situations.
What I should say is...
What I should say...
I mean...
Vibrate!
Just then, my phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen, and there was a text from Yoo Ah-rin.
"Shit."
Yoo Ah-rin, you brat.
Save me first.