Chapter 503: Correct Misunderstanding
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 503: Correct Misunderstanding
“I think I-seo’s mad.”
Having hung up the phone, I asked for an opinion to ease the awkwardness. After all, Oh Yun-ji, who was sitting across from me eating a kebab, was Choi I-seo’s high school classmate.
I was hoping for some insight, but she just gave a half-hearted shrug.
“So what? Just do what I-seo says. Honestly, it’s not like Jeong Chan-woo is that important, right?”
“Well, I guess that’s true.”
I walked over to the table where Jeong Chan-woo and Choi I-hyun were sitting. Feeling the weight of three pairs of eyes on me, I delivered the message.
“I-hyun, I-seo wants you to pick up your phone.”
“Huh? Did she call? Oh, she really did.”
Choi I-hyun checked her phone and answered immediately. Curious about what I-seo would say, I lingered by the table for a moment.
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
“What are you doing, Kim Woo-jin?”
“Just watching. I’m curious to hear what I-seo has to say.”
“Yeah, Unni. Did you call? I didn’t realize.”
I wished she’d put it on speaker, but since Chan-woo was right there, that wasn't an option.
“Hmm? Chan-woo Oppa? Why?”
“Me?”
Jeong Chan-woo pointed at himself, looking flustered. It seemed he hadn't expected I-seo to bring him up.
“What are you talking about? Unni, I’m a college student now, okay? I’m an adult. I can handle myself.”
Oh, I could already see the expression on I-seo’s face.
“Are you kidding me? Are you my mom? Why are you so obsessed with what I do? And what about you, Unni?! At your age—”
Choi I-hyun caught my eye and quickly corrected herself.
“I mean, you married well, but still! Just because you’re my sister doesn’t mean you get to control my whole life!”
This felt familiar.
It sounded exactly like the things I used to say to my father. He used to interfere so much that I’d snap at him just like that.
‘Memories.’
Not particularly good ones, though.
“Ugh, seriously.”
Choi I-hyun hung up abruptly. She began to grumble and vent her frustration loudly.
“Am I a child? I’m in college! Why does she have to nag so much?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The three of us exchanged awkward glances.
I quietly slipped away from the table, leaving the other two to bear the brunt of Choi I-hyun’s complaining.
* * *
After lunch was over.
Yun-ji and I agreed to head to the company together after our lectures and went our separate ways for now.
Ahn Hyun-ho and Lee Gyu-a had vanished into thin air at some point. It felt like they were avoiding me, which was a bit annoying.
The rest of us were walking along, eating ice cream despite the lingering chill in the air.
“Sunbae, you say something to her too. Isn't it a bit much for her to be this interested in my love life?!”
Choi I-hyun was still pouting, her anger clearly not yet subsided.
“I’m an adult now.”
“I-hyun, I understand.”
I did sympathize with her to an extent. Overbearing interference is never a good thing. Even a sad experience is still an experience one can learn from.
“But I’m on I-seo’s side.”
“…”
“She’s my wife, after all.”
I was unconditionally on Choi I-seo’s side. Besides, if the guy in question was Jeong Chan-woo, I would have rolled up my sleeves to stop it even if I-seo had been okay with it.
“Hmph! I’m leaving!”
Choi I-hyun stormed off ahead of us.
Once again, it was just the three of us. Kang Han-gang was the first to speak.
“Is she really I-seo’s sister? They’re nothing alike.”
“Right? Woo-jin, if you hadn't told me, I never would have guessed.”
They shared some physical resemblances, but because their personalities were polar opposites, they even looked different. Choi I-hyun’s facial expressions were almost excessively animated.
More importantly.
“Hey, Jeong Chan-woo. Are you actually interested in I-hyun?”
“Huh?”
Jeong Chan-woo, who had been biting into his ice cream, looked surprised.
“I’d be down,” Kang Han-gang chimed in.
Ignoring him, I kept pressing Chan-woo.
“I asked if you’re interested. I saw you wiping stuff off her face earlier. Is that really the appropriate distance for a first meeting?”
I ended up sounding like I was scolding him. Well, I was scolding him.
“Isn't that normal? That’s just how I am.”
Chan-woo looked genuinely confused, asking if he’d done something wrong. I was stunned by his audacity, but then I remembered—this was Jeong Chan-woo.
‘I guess with a face like that, you can get away with that crap on a first meeting.’
If I had tried that, I would’ve been slapped immediately. It seemed Jeong Chan-woo’s sense of personal space with women was on a completely different level than ours.
“See? That’s why hunting with him is so easy. He pushes the boundaries using his face, so I can just follow his lead. You should try it too,” Han-gang said.
“Great tip, you bastard.”
“Woo-jin, I’m your Sunbae.”
“I’m a married man. Stop talking about hunting.”
“If you’d said yes, I would’ve texted the girls immediately to put a hit out on you.”
That’s freaking terrifying.
I ignored Han-gang’s nonsense. The real issue was Jeong Chan-woo.
“Hey, just tell me straight. Are you interested in I-hyun or not?”
“Hmm, it’s complicated.”
Chan-woo tilted his head with a conflicted expression. That only made me more uneasy.
“What’s so complicated about it?”
“Well, if you’re asking if I desperately want to date her, the answer is no.”
“Then what—”
“But if she asked me out, I’d probably say yes. I mean, she’s pretty.”
“You community property bastard!”
I was about to deck him when Kang Han-gang stepped in.
“Whoa, whoa! It happens! Does every relationship have to end in marriage just because you did it once? Or do you have to take full responsibility for everyone who likes you just because you do? No, it’s not like that.”
“Why do you keep adding ‘just because you do’? It’s annoying.”
“It’s an example, an example.”
Patting my shoulder, Han-gang tossed his finished ice cream stick into a nearby trash can.
“Anyway, dating is about freedom. Look at places like the US—your friend’s ex-girlfriend becomes your current girlfriend all the time, right?”
That felt like a terrible example. Then again, as a guy currently dating six women, I wasn't exactly in a position to judge.
Finally, Chan-woo finished his ice cream and spoke up.
“Look, it’s not a big deal. I’m not going to actively pursue I-hyun. But if she’s putting in the effort to get close to me, it feels wrong to just shut her down.”
“…”
“And besides, there are plenty of times when you start liking someone after you start dating. That’s happened to me a lot.”
It was a revolting statement, but the problem was that there are surprisingly many people like that.
“Sigh.”
In the end, it was as Choi I-hyun said. She was an adult, and romance was between two people. No matter how much of a family member I was, crossing the line to interfere felt wrong.
* * *
Star Studio.
The company co-founded by my second older brother and Oh Yun-ji. As an MCN that nurtured internet broadcasters, it was doing quite well in the industry.
Since my brother was still busy taking care of my nephew and couldn't come into the office often, Yun-ji was mostly in charge.
‘I guess I have it easy.’
It was a bit ironic. I had three kids, but because I also had three wives and three girlfriends, my schedule was actually quite flexible.
By the way, we still hadn't found a house near the university, so we were still living at my parents' main house. While the three who weren't attending school didn't mind, commuting back and forth every day was a bit exhausting for me.
Still, no matter how late it got, I returned to the main house every single day. I wanted to see the children’s faces; they were the highlight of my day.
“Wow, amazing.”
Choi I-hyun had come along with Yun-ji and me to check the place out. Like most of her generation, she watched a fair amount of internet broadcasts. Since I-seo had ordered her to come to the main house after she was done, she had joined us.
“BJ Popo is here, right?”
“Yeah, she’s probably getting ready for her broadcast.”
“Wow, no way! Can I say hi?”
“She knows your sister, so she’ll probably be happy to see you.”
“Awesome!”
Excited, Choi I-hyun urged us to go inside.
“I-hyun.”
Just before heading up the stairs, I turned toward Choi I-hyun, who was trailing behind. I needed to clear things up before we went in.
“I’ll head in first, okay?”
Yun-ji, sensing my intention, tactfully excused herself so we could talk privately.
“Yes?”
“Right. You know why I-seo called you today, don't you?”
“Ugh, are you going to start too, Hyeong-bu? I’m an adult; I should be able to date whoever I want.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think it’s my place to interfere that much. But…”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Is this right? Jeong Chan-woo is my friend. Is it right to badmouth my friend to my sister-in-law? Wouldn't that be negating all the years we spent as friends?
“Chan-woo is really not the one.”
Negate away. I knew that if the roles were reversed, Jeong Chan-woo would have said the exact same thing about me. He probably would have called me a crazy bastard for juggling six women.
“…”
“I’m his friend, so I know. He really meets just anyone. He’s not a bad guy, per se. He’s actually quite nice. But when it comes to women, he’s excessively loose with his—”
“I don’t even like Chan-woo Oppa, though?”
“…Huh?”
“I mean, it’s an impossible love anyway.”
Wait. Something felt off.
“Why… is it impossible?”
“Because Chan-woo Oppa is gay.”
“…”
My mouth snapped shut. It felt like someone had glued my lips together; I couldn't say a word.
“It’s famous among the freshmen in the Department of Architectural Engineering. That a really handsome Sunbae is returning to school, but he’s gay.”
“…Then why were you so annoyed with I-seo earlier?”
“Because I hate her interfering with my love life in general.”
Ah. It wasn't about Chan-woo; she just hated the interference.
Choi I-hyun leaned in with a mischievous grin.
“More importantly, those two are like that, right?”
“Huh?”
“Chan-woo Sunbae and Han-gang Oppa. I saw them earlier, and they totally had that vibe.”
“…”
“I read it somewhere. Gay couples act even more extra about wanting to date women in front of people to hide it. They felt exactly like that.”
“…”
After a quick sniffle, I answered immediately.
“Exactly.”