Chapter 576: On-site procurement
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 576: On-site procurement
Life.
Sometimes, you’re forced to believe the unbelievable.
Today was one of those days.
In a life like mine, where I spent my early mornings grinding through flavorless chicken breast, a truly hard-to-believe story had found its way to me.
"Whoa."
"Woo-jin, you shouldn't watch mukbangs while eating chicken breast. It’ll just give you a reality check for no reason."
I flatly ignored Choi Jin-ah, who seemed to think I was her.
She was offering advice based on her own dieting experiences, but honestly, it didn't seem all that useful.
"Woo-jin, just focus on your food while you're eating," Choi I-seo chimed in.
"Wow! I-seo, you sounded exactly like my mom just now!"
"Choi I-seo’s basically turned into a total ajumma."
"An a-ajumma—!?"
I-seo bristled at Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin’s remarks and tried to argue, but the two of them just giggled and slickly moved on.
"No, that’s not what’s important right now."
At my words, everyone’s eyes gathered on me.
It had been a while since we all had breakfast together, and seeing them all lined up like this was quite a sight.
"…Whew, I really did hit the jackpot with women."
When I muttered that unconsciously, the girls let out hollow laughs.
"Woo-jin, what’s with the sudden baiting?! Should I skip school today and play with you instead?!"
"Don't talk nonsense."
"What’s this all of a sudden? Did you finally realize how precious your wives are?"
"I’ve always known that."
How could I not? I wasn't oblivious to how good of a life I was living.
"No, I just thought of it suddenly. Anyway, that’s not the point."
I cleared my throat and looked back at my phone. Reminding myself that what I was seeing was indeed reality, I spoke up.
"Pyo Jin-ho apparently got a girlfriend. He wants us to go on a couple's trip to a valley together."
The reactions were varied.
"A valley?"
"A couple's trip?"
Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo were interested in the trip itself. They didn't really know much about Pyo Jin-ho to begin with.
"Pyo Jin-ho did?"
On the other hand, Yoo Ah-rin, who knew Jin-ho best among them, looked genuinely startled.
Her eyes seemed to ask if it was really the same idiot she knew, and I nodded in confirmation.
"If it's Jin-ho… he played the guitar, right?! Wow! We should congratulate him!"
Choi Jin-ah, who had been in a band with him, was impressed.
"He was the drummer."
"…This chicken breast is delicious."
Unfortunately, that was the extent of her interest. She couldn't even remember which instrument he played.
Senior Ju-hee didn't seem to care at all, offering a simple "I see," while Oh Yun-ji frowned and let out a sigh.
"I can't go. I have too much to take care of because of the Japanese VTubers visiting this time. Ugh, they were whining today about wanting to pick out specific pillows to sleep on."
Despite her words, the corners of Yun-ji's mouth were slightly turned up, as if she felt like she’d gained a few daughters.
"Classic Oh Yun-ji, still acting like she’s the main wife."
"Why is she getting ahead of herself?"
"You little—!"
Yun-ji immediately bristled and snapped at the duo of Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin.
Whenever breakfast got noisy, it was usually because of those two.
'At least it’s not me for once.'
"So, who are you going to take?"
As I tried to back out of the fray, Choi I-seo asked while staring intently at me.
In that instant, everyone’s gaze shifted to me.
The pressure on the field was suffocating, silently demanding a proper answer.
'This is getting dangerous.'
I had mentioned it without thinking because I was so shocked by the news of Pyo Jin-ho’s girlfriend.
Now that it had come to this, I didn't know what to say.
After a moment of deliberation, I smiled and said, "We should all go together."
"Coward!"
Seo Ye-rin immediately called out my cowardice, but I didn't care.
This was the burden of being the head of the household.
I was used to playing the villain.
Still, I needed to clarify one thing.
"Wait, it’s not like the trip is set in stone yet. Only Jin-ho Hyung got a girlfriend. Chan-woo and Han-gang are still single."
It was a couple's trip, so you needed to be a couple, right?
"Well, they say they’re going to get girlfriends, but is it really that easy?"
The way I saw it, unless Chan-woo and Han-gang started dating each other, Pyo Jin-ho would probably break up before those two found anyone.
"…Getting a girlfriend just to go on a trip seems a bit wrong."
Seo Ye-rin showed a rare moment of genuine disgust.
The others nodded at her sharp critique of the idiots. They couldn't seem to comprehend the insane logic of dating someone just for the sake of a vacation.
"Exactly. I’m telling you, those guys are psychos."
I naturally hopped onto the bandwagon.
While I did share the sentiment, it was also an appeal to show them that 'I am fundamentally different.'
"Anyway, don't worry too much. It’s not like they can just get girlfriends that easily."
Weren't Han-gang and Jeong Chan-woo basically being treated as a gay couple right now?
As far as I knew, if either of them actually started dating a woman, the girls who supported their 'ship' on the Bamboo Forest would probably start a riot.
Just then, my phone buzzed again.
I wondered why I was getting so many messages this morning, and it turned out to be the idiots' group chat.
"What the hell?"
'This crazy bastard.'
The number of girlfriends Jeong Chan-woo had dated so far could probably form an entire soccer team.
Seeing Jin-ho humblebrag like that just because he finally got a girlfriend was beyond pathetic.
"Woo-jin, stop looking at your phone."
"Yes, Mom."
"I told you not to call me that."
Choi I-seo glared at me with narrowed eyes. But I was curious to see how Jeong Chan-woo would respond, so I kept watching.
Ahn Hyun-ho had entered the chat.
It was about time for Jeong Chan-woo to show up too.
"Woo-jin, I said just eat your food."
"Leave him be. He’s just talking to those idiots. They’re the only friends he has."
"…Ah-rin, he’s your husband."
"Yeah, love you."
Ah-rin gave a dry confession of love.
I grumbled and looked back at my phone.
I was curious to see how Chan-woo would react.
Would he be angry?
Or just annoyed?
Knowing him, he’d probably reply saying he’d find someone no matter what, just out of pride.
Then.
Chan-woo finally joined the chat.
His tone suggested he’d have someone by then, and Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho pounced on the opportunity.
"What’s an underwater scooter?"
At my question, Choi-GPT answered immediately.
"It’s something you hold onto like motorcycle handlebars to move around underwater. You can't really use them in swimming pools, but they’re great for places like valleys."
"Ooh."
As expected of Choi-GPT. The explanation was instant.
"Why? Do you want one too? Are the guys using them at the valley?"
"No, not really."
Just hearing about it didn't make it sound that fun.
"It seems like exactly the kind of thing you’d like, though…"
At I-seo’s meaningful comment, I made a mental note to look it up later and checked the chat again.
Sometimes I think it’s a shame Chan-woo ended up in our group.
When we first met at his part-time job at the PC Bang, he was a gentleman—handsome and gave great service.
But not anymore.
I’ve come to accept that he’s just another one of us rolling around in the mud.
"This crazy bastard."
The curse escaped my lips involuntarily. At my reaction, the girls peeked over to check the chat and frowned.
"Sigh."
"Woo-jin, those guys are really bad news!"
"Jeong Chan-woo wasn't like that in high school."
Starting with I-seo’s sigh, Ye-rin and Ah-rin both added their two cents.
But honestly, he deserved the criticism.
Our group chat was in an uproar too.
Since everyone else was throwing stones, I had to join in.