Chapter 522: My Favorite Woo-jin
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 522: My Favorite Woo-jin
“Senior Woo-jin, you’re my bias!”
I never thought I’d live to hear those words.
In fact, I only just realized that the words ‘Kim Woo-jin’ and ‘bias’ could even exist in the same sentence. It felt like a fantasy novel description where light and darkness coexist.
I mean, she was the one saying it.
But from my perspective, it was utterly incomprehensible.
“……Do you even know what ‘bias’ means? You don’t think it’s short for ‘Worst Little Brat,’ do you?”
“Yun-ji.”
I looked at Oh Yun-ji, feeling instinctively hurt, but she just scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“I mean, aren’t you more used to that version?”
“Well, that’s true, but……”
“Right?”
“…….”
I had no comeback.
Honestly, I also wondered if she had misunderstood the word’s original meaning. However, Seo Da-mi’s eyes were sparkling with an intensity that bordered on excessive.
“He really is my bias! Senior Woo-jin is my absolute favorite!”
“…….”
“…….”
She was so adamant that it was starting to get embarrassing.
I understood what she was saying, but I felt the need to clarify a few things.
“But why?!”
Even though she was saying she liked me, I honestly couldn't understand it. When I asked with genuine bewilderment, Seo Da-mi began to pour out words at a speed that made me wonder if she had always been this talkative.
“I first learned about you through the Investigation Team Leader incident. That desperate, heartbreaking love you showed! And how you didn't hesitate to let your own name be dragged through the mud just to protect your ex-girlfriend! A chaebol heir devoting himself to an ordinary lover? That’s a total fantasy novel cliché. Like a nobleman’s commoner wife. I started getting interested back then.”
“Then one day, I saw the video on SNS of you catching a molka criminal. I mean, you were sprinting through Gahyeon University and fighting him, right? To be honest, it didn't look like you were a very good fighter. But that actually made it way cooler! The fact that you threw yourself into a fight you couldn't win just to catch a criminal really touched my heart. And your last line was insane. You looked at the list of people in that open chat room and said, ‘Watch closely, because I’m going to kill every single one of you!’”
“And then the Chairman of Uju Group got involved. That was huge! Usually, a Chairman’s son would just order employees around, but you took action yourself and eventually moved the Chairman to act. As a result, those open chat rooms were completely wiped out!”
“I think that’s when it happened. That’s when you became my bias. I even paid money to buy a Gahyeon University Bamboo Forest ID so I could collect stories about you since high school.”
“Of course, I was sad when you left for the military so soon, but they say it’s rare for chaebols to actually serve. They said it was a very unusual situation. That touched my heart once again. Ah, this man is truly on a different level from ordinary people!”
“It’s true my interest cooled off a bit after you enlisted. But after I entered Gahyeon University and heard more rumors about you, those feelings started blooming all over again.”
“I checked the Bamboo Forest and talked to the seniors in the English Department, and they said you were really something else. I heard that you were constantly fighting with seniors since your freshman year just to protect Senior Ye-rin—who was the department goddess back then and is basically a celestial being now. The moment I heard that, I couldn't hold back my feelings anymore!”
“W-Wait! Wait a minute! Stop!”
“Ugh, my face……”
I was overwhelmed by the story that seemed like it would never end, while Oh Yun-ji used her textbook to shield her face from the flying spit.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I got too excited without realizing it. I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this. It’s not like you’re an idol or an anime character; stanning a senior in my own department is a bit……”
“Yeah, people wouldn't blame you for calling her a stalker,” Oh Yun-ji muttered, nodding indifferently.
Since it wasn't exactly wrong, Seo Da-mi couldn't say anything and just hung her head low.
“But the more I learn about you, the more I realize what an amazing person you are, and I’ve come to respect you. You’re my role model.”
“…….”
“Is this… has common sense changed while I wasn't looking?”
Ignoring Oh Yun-ji’s muttering beside me, I got to the point.
“So, the reason you impersonated me was—”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to be like you, Senior…… I wanted to find some self-satisfaction that way. And, and to be honest—”
“To be honest?”
“I heard it was through the Bamboo Forest that you caught the criminals in the open chat rooms. So, I had a small hope that maybe you would come and catch me too……”
“Ha.”
I could only let out a hollow breath.
So, I get that she wanted to be like me, but she also wanted me to catch her?
It felt a bit like a fan becoming a villain just to create a stage for their hero to shine.
“Is she crazy?” Oh Yun-ji frowned.
I immediately countered.
“Hey, watch your mouth when talking to a junior.”
“……What?”
“Tsk, tsk. Looking at her, she clearly has a good heart, active social life, and a pretty face. She has decent manners, knows how to keep boundaries, and exudes an intellectual aura that suggests she’s a top student. She also seems to have a benevolent, wise, and sagacious perspective beyond her years. You shouldn't look down on her like that.”
“……Holy shit.”
Oh Yun-ji pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut.
Well, that was that.
“Da-mi.”
“Yes! Senior!”
“Want an autograph?”
“Yes! Yes! Yesssss!”
Might as well enjoy it.
* * *
“I feel like I just encountered a cult member.”
I muttered to myself after parting ways with Seo Da-mi.
Since Senior Ju-hee was supposed to pick us up in front of Oh Yun-ji’s company, we were walking there together.
Walking beside me, Oh Yun-ji sighed and shook her head.
“The one in a cult isn't you, it’s her.”
“……That’s a fair point.”
Life these days is an era of freedom, isn't it?
A fictional character can become a bias worth betting one’s life on, or a panda can linger in someone’s mind so much that a fan club is formed. I’m not the type of person to have prejudices about that sort of thing.
Still, hearing that I was someone’s bias felt strange.
“But honestly—”
“Honestly?”
“It doesn't feel too bad.”
“…….”
I mean, I couldn't help it.
How many people would hate someone who says they like them?
Of course, I told her to behave herself from now on, but it didn't feel bad to be liked that much.
“Besides, listening to her, I realized I’m actually a pretty decent guy.”
“…….”
“Don’t you think? Honestly, I was surprised by how awesome I sounded. It felt like I discovered the true me that was hidden inside.”
“Sure, you are cool and impressive.”
“Oh, for once you’re—”
“But you have way more shitty qualities that far outweigh the good ones.”
“…….”
Hard to deny that.
I guess if someone only looks at my good parts like Seo Da-mi does, they end up like that.
Come to think of it, there must be plenty of bad rumors about me too, but she must have filtered them out well. Like the story of me getting kicked out of the dormitory.
“Anyway, she’s a really unique kid.”
“That…… she is.”
The only reason Oh Yun-ji was sighing so calmly even after hearing that the girl liked me so much was because of one thing Da-mi said.
— Huh? You’re asking if I want to date him? No, no! Not at all. You don’t date your bias.
— Besides, Senior Woo-jin’s face isn't really my type.
‘How am I supposed to take that? Should I thank her for her brutally honest evaluation?’
It was absurd.
Dating and having a bias are two different things?
I suppose it’s like how even if someone stans Seo Ye-rin, I’m the only one who can actually date her. Either way, she had clearly drawn a line when it came to a realistic romantic relationship with her bias.
“The world is…… changing so fast.”
“I felt that today too,” Oh Yun-ji muttered, nodding.
We arrived at the company, and she said her goodbyes and went inside.
I was scrolling through my phone while waiting for Senior Ju-hee to arrive.
Vibrate!
“……This is a sickness.”
Sending a chicken gifticon just for one photo. I sighed and took a picture to send to her.
“Good grief.”
I wonder if this sickness will ever be cured.
The moment of ‘leaving the fandom’ has to come eventually, right?
After calming Seo Da-mi down, I was looking at my phone again.
Vibrate!
Another text came from Seo Ye-rin.
“Hm?”
I wondered what it was since it was a video. In the clip, Seo Ye-rin was kneeling with her hands in the air.
She looked incredibly grumpy, and children were crawling all over her thighs, playing.
— Hey, Seo Ye-rin. Hurry up and apologize.
That was Choi I-seo’s voice.
It seemed Choi I-seo was the one filming.
— What for?! I didn't even let my mom check my phone!
— How can a traitor be so bold? I clearly told you not to send that to Kim Woo-jin!
— Kuaaaah! Woo-jin-aaaaah!
The video cut off there.
[Seo Ye-rin has left the chat room.]