Chapter 597: Spilling the Tea
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 597: Spilling the Tea
"Hehe, so cute."
Seo Ye-rin smiled brightly as she scrolled through Kim Woo-jin’s messages.
Even though Kim Woo-jin tried to act otherwise, one of his biggest charms in Ye-rin's eyes was his cuteness.
"What's so cute about him?"
Yoo Ah-rin grumbled.
Yet, even as she spoke, a smile remained plastered on her face as she watched his replies pop up on her phone.
"He’s always making such a fuss."
Ah-rin chuckled.
Then, seeing Choi Jin-ah devouring the chicken like she was possessed, Ah-rin quickly joined the fray, worried there wouldn't be any left for her.
"Hey, how can you eat so much?!"
"I-was-hu-hung-gry-sho-I-ate-it-all."
"What?"
"I-was-hu-hung-gry-sho-I-ate-it-all!"
"Finish chewing before you talk, Jin-ah."
Oh Yun-ji sighed and handed her a Coke. Min Ju-hee, on the other hand, just stared at her and shook her head.
"Don't eat it. Spit it out and then talk."
"..."
Ju-hee’s gaze was cold enough to freeze blood.
For a moment, Choi Jin-ah froze like a pig at a slaughterhouse, but she managed to swallow everything before replying.
"Nobody else was eating, so I did..."
It was a flimsy excuse, even for her.
Regardless, the girls decided to watch a variety show currently trending on Netflix.
They weren't really in the mood for a movie, and since movies required a two-hour commitment, they chose a variety show that was easier to pause.
"Whoa, look at that. Look at that guy flirting."
They were watching a popular reality dating show—essentially a matchmaking program.
"I thought you said this looked boring? You're the one enjoying it the most."
Choi I-seo let out a hollow laugh as she looked at Oh Yun-ji. Yun-ji shrugged and popped a french fry into her mouth.
"It’s surprisingly fun. I’m really getting into it. How should I put it? Like, if I were there, who would I date?"
"So, who would you date?"
When Choi I-seo slyly probed, Oh Yun-ji stuffed another fry into her mouth and chewed aggressively.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm just speaking hypothetically. Look at their faces—they're all uglier than Kim Woo-jin."
"I agree!"
Seo Ye-rin, the leader of the 'Kim Woo-jin Handsome Faction,' raised her hand high in approval.
Choi I-seo sighed and countered.
"Those people are all wearing professional makeup and had their styling done by the broadcast station. You can't exactly call them ugly."
For the record, Choi I-seo was known within the group as the leader of the 'Kim Woo-jin Normal Faction' because of how objective she was regarding looks.
At least I have to stay grounded.
If even Choi I-seo wasn't objective, the praise for his looks would be endless.
Once, she had agreed with them, and the conversation spiraled until they were claiming Kim Woo-jin could easily outshine even Jeong Chan-woo. Since then, she had unintentionally taken on the role of the one holding the reins.
"Hey, Choi I-seo. Be honest. Out of all those guys, Kim Woo-jin is the best-looking, right?"
Yoo Ah-rin, seemingly in a good mood from the alcohol, pointed at the screen with a grin.
Since this was a 'Handsome Men and Beautiful Women' special, the screen was filled with exceptionally attractive people.
"..."
Well, honestly, even in Choi I-seo’s eyes, Kim Woo-jin was the best. She knew that her rose-tinted glasses played a part in that.
But then again, they wouldn't be called rose-tinted glasses if you could just take them off.
"This is my first time watching a show like this."
"As for me—"
Min Ju-hee watched with genuine interest while sipping her beer. Choi Jin-ah, whose cheeks were bulging from all the food she’d eaten, spoke up after she finished chewing.
"I only watch food shows. You know, like Tasty Guys."
"Oh, the one where the comedians go to famous restaurants and eat?"
"Yeah. Because of that show, I actually went all the way to Gangwon-do a few days ago just to try some arrowroot noodles."
"...I wondered where you disappeared to."
Someone held out their beer can, and everyone followed suit, clinking them together.
As they drank the refreshing beer, they began to feel a pleasant buzz.
Before long, everyone was fully immersed in the dating program.
"Shouldn't that woman be more proactive? I mean, when it came to Woo-jini, I just straight up asked him to have sex—!"
"That’s too proactive. I think her pace is just right."
"Look at that guy, being all wishy-washy. Isn't he exactly like Kim Woo-jin?"
"Nom nom! Gulp! Nom!"
"Jin-ah, stop eating."
"S-sorry. I've been exercising lately, so I've been overeating."
"Phew! This beer is great. This is different from the 'Virtual Marriage' shows on internet broadcasts. I thought they'd be similar."
Since women are naturally drawn to topics regarding romance, the conversation about the dating show grew more heated.
"I think Jeong-pal and So-hee will end up together. They've already been on two dates."
"That Jeong-pal guy clearly has his eyes elsewhere. He's definitely looking at someone other than So-hee."
"What do you know about love?!"
"Stop talking nonsense, seriously."
Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin were acting like detectives, arguing over who would end up with whom.
"That guy must work out a lot. He’s got a sturdy build. Oh, he even stretches as soon as he wakes up."
"I've been doing that lately too. I followed a routine I saw on Neutube, and it’s not bad."
"Oh, that's good. I have a Neutuber I can recommend—"
Min Ju-hee and Choi I-seo, the two fitness enthusiasts, were busy sharing opinions while watching a female contestant manage her physique.
"Wow, but she’s so open about her feelings. I could never do that."
"Then how did you tell Woo-jin?"
At Oh Yun-ji’s question, Choi Jin-ah hesitated for a moment before answering bashfully.
"Well, when we were eating Peperos... I confessed using the message written on the packaging."
"...That’s so like you, Jin-ah."
"What about you, Yun-ji?"
At Choi Jin-ah’s question, Oh Yun-ji hesitated.
Amusingly, the eyes of every woman there—who had been engaged in their own conversations just a second ago—snapped toward Oh Yun-ji.
Everyone there knew the general gist of each other's stories.
How they got close to Kim Woo-jin, how they started dating, and so on.
But Oh Yun-ji was different.
She was the "ex-girlfriend" and "current wife" shrouded in mystery.
"...Why is everyone staring at me?"
Feeling the weight of their gazes, Oh Yun-ji took an awkward sip of her beer. But no one looked away.
"What? We're totally focused on the dating show!"
"Yeah, don't be so full of yourself."
"...Am I the dating show?"
Despite their words, Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin were staring intently at Oh Yun-ji.
After all, Oh Yun-ji was the only one who knew Kim Woo-jin during his turbulent freshman year, right after he had left home.
Realizing that they wouldn't let this go unless she spoke, Oh Yun-ji gave in.
"Sigh... we didn't exactly get along at first."
She finally began to spill the tea about those days.
"I guess it was only natural. He was a rich young master, and I was a college student struggling to make ends meet with part-time jobs."
Unlike the successful CEO she was now, the Oh Yun-ji of that time was a poor student who couldn't rely on her parents for help.
"The professor gave us a simple group project to help the students in our major get to know each other. We started talking naturally while working on that—"
The dating show on TV was now an afterthought.
A much more real "matching story" was unfolding right in front of them.
"Strangely enough, we kept bumping into each other at lunchtime, so we ended up eating school meals together. We bickered and fought at first, but I guess we grew on each other."
"..."
"Then we found something in common. Neither of us had any money. Back then, Kim Woo-jin was barely scraping by on an allowance from his mother, and I was working part-time. We’d talk about where to find cheap household goods or which school meals were the best, and then..."
"...And then?"
Gulp.
At someone's prompt, Oh Yun-ji grinned. She made a fist with one hand and flattened the other.
Smack. Smack.
She brought them together.
"We slept together."
"!"
The girls' eyes widened.
After all, Oh Yun-ji was the one who had taken Kim Woo-jin’s first time.
They were dying to know what Kim Woo-jin was like back then, but Oh Yun-ji intentionally steered the conversation away, as if she had no intention of sharing those details.
"Well, it already felt like we were dating before that. We never officially said it, but it was basically a given. After we did it, I asked him to be my boyfriend, and so—"
"Wait, wait, wait! No skipping! How dare you skip the 'first time' story?!"
Seo Ye-rin shouted urgently.
Because her own first time had been so enchanting, it had passed by like a dream.
To Seo Ye-rin, hearing about someone else's first time was of the utmost importance.
"Do you want us to riot?!"
Oh Yun-ji sighed at Ye-rin's demand.
In truth, as is often the case, the first time for a college couple wasn't particularly beautiful or passionate.
It was just awkward and clumsy.
A time of tentatively checking each other's reactions, worrying if the other person was enjoying it, yet never stopping.
However, because that time was so precious to Oh Yun-ji...
"I'll tell you just one thing."
Oh Yun-ji shrugged and gave them a mischievous grin.
"The Kim Woo-jin you know now is a completely different person. Back then... man, you have no idea how nervous he was—"
In an instant, the girls were fired up, pouncing on her to spill the rest of the story immediately.