Chapter 67: Dark Evolution
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: Dark Evolution
“Goodness, just how late is she going to sleep?”
The voice of Seo Ye-rin’s mother coming from the second-floor entrance set off loud alarm bells in my head.
“Hmm?”
She seemed puzzled as she stepped inside and paused for a moment. I hurriedly shook Ye-rin awake.
“Hey! Hey! Wake up!”
“Mmm...”
I called out to her while prying her hands off my waist. She sat up groatily and looked around.
As the blanket fell away, her chest was fully exposed. My face flushed as my eyes instinctively drifted, but I ignored it for the moment and spoke.
“Your mom is here! She’s right outside!”
“Huh?!”
Startled, Ye-rin stared blankly at me. It seemed she hadn't quite regained her senses yet.
“W-woah!”
She let out an exclamation while looking at my body, but I’m sorry, we don’t have time for that right now.
“Get it together! I said your mom is here!”
“M-Mom?!”
Finally hearing me, a panicked Ye-rin scrambled to her feet.
“Eek?!”
Only then did she realize she was completely naked and began frantically throwing on clothes.
“D-Don’t look!”
Ah, dammit.
We’d already seen everything there was to see, even if it was a somewhat impulsive act fueled by alcohol.
What I’m trying to say is...
The moment I saw Ye-rin’s plump backside as she bent over with her back to me to pull on her pajama pants, my lower half couldn't help but harden.
This is insane.
I had no choice but to admit it now—there was a reason so many guys fell for Seo Ye-rin.
Senior Han-gang, the utopia you were looking for is right here.
It really was worth risking your life to chase after.
“Ye-rin?”
“Oh! Mom! I’m coming out now! I was just getting dressed!”
At her mother’s voice, Ye-rin rushed out of the room. Hidden under the blanket, I tried to find my clothes, which I’d shed like a snake’s skin.
“Wait?”
No matter how much I looked around, my clothes weren't there. Wondering what was going on, I began to retrace last night’s events.
Holy...
They were outside.
I remembered that my clothes were strewn across the living room sofa, where we had started, like discarded husks.
My mind went blank.
I had to resolve this situation somehow, but no solution came to mind.
Click!
“M-Mom!”
And naturally.
“Men’s clothes in the living room, men’s shoes at the entrance.”
The moment I saw her mother looking down at me with cold, withered eyes as she entered the room.
“H-Hello.”
I greeted her while covering myself as much as possible.
“And you’re under my daughter’s blanket?”
The fact that the only thing I had to wrap myself in was Ye-rin’s blanket seemed to already be a massive point deduction.
* * *
After getting dressed in the room and coming out to the living room, I found Ye-rin’s mother waiting on the sofa and Ye-rin kneeling on the floor.
I guess that’s my spot.
I was about to go over and kneel next to Ye-rin, but her mother sighed and pointed toward a dining chair.
“Bring a chair and sit here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
So I was allowed to sit.
“M-Mom, me too...”
“What.”
“...I actually really like kneeling.”
Ye-rin immediately backed down and tucked her tail, hanging her head with a tearful expression.
Once I brought the chair and sat before her mother, she got straight to the point.
“Student, what is your name?”
“I’m Kim Woo-jin. I’m in the same English department as Ye-rin.”
“So you’re a CC?”
“...”
That was an uncomfortable resonance.
Anyway, I just don’t like the term 'Campus Couple.' I hate the abbreviation 'CC' too. That’s why I even hate the anime character named C.C.
“Is that not it?”
She was asking if Ye-rin and I were a couple. For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
We had slept together last night, but no conversation regarding our relationship had taken place between us.
The relationship needed to be redefined, but to say we weren't a couple here...
Ah, this is driving me crazy.
Her parents' trust in Ye-rin would hit rock bottom.
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
When I forced out an answer, I saw the corners of Ye-rin’s mouth twitch upward slightly.
“...”
The mother looked back and forth between Ye-rin and me. Then, she sighed again.
She seemed to be deep in thought, and it took a while before her next words came out.
“You’re both adults now. I suppose things like this can happen in college, but...”
Ye-rin’s mother made a serious request of me.
“Could you break up with her?”
“Mom!”
“Stay still.”
“...”
Unable to withstand her mother’s pressure, Ye-rin shut her mouth tight again, and both their gazes fell on me simultaneously.
“You might call me conservative, but I don’t think Ye-rin is at a stage where she should be dating anyone yet.”
“But she’s an adult now?”
When I asked back, the mother nodded and replied.
“To be honest, I’m a bit flustered that you two slept together, but people make mistakes at that age.”
“...”
“I’d like Ye-rin to meet men when she’s a bit older and more mature than she is now.”
I couldn't help but hesitate at her words. Honestly, I couldn't completely disagree.
I was someone who had been badly burned by romance in my younger days, after all.
Even so.
“I believe there are experiences that can only be had during this specific time in one's life.”
“...”
“If you try to control everything, she might end up becoming nothing at all.”
I understood she was a precious daughter, but excessive suppression would only have a negative impact on Ye-rin.
Anonymous 69 from the Bamboo Forest.
I felt that not just her peers or the eyes of others, but also the pressure from her home must have played a part.
“That is what I have to say as someone who was Ye-rin’s boyfriend until now.”
How long was it? About three minutes?
The time I spent as Seo Ye-rin’s boyfriend?
“I will break up with her.”
Goodbye, ex-girlfriend.
You were still a better person than my ex-ex-girlfriend.
Memories flash by briefly; the moment we started dating three minutes ago is still vivid.
“W-Woo-jin!”
Why are you so surprised?
It’s not like we were actually dating anyway.
I met the mother’s eyes and gave a serious answer.
“In the end, I am a stranger. What I just said is merely my opinion. I know that you, Mother, care for Ye-rin many times more than I do.”
“...”
“So, I will follow your wishes.”
The mother stared at me and opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
Judging that she had nothing more to say, I stood up from my seat.
“I’m truly sorry for the sudden situation; you must have been very shocked. If there’s a chance to meet again in the future, I’d like to show you a better side of myself.”
“Thank you.”
I wondered what she was thanking me for.
I gave a ninety-degree bow and walked straight out.
I heard the father was on the first floor, so I hurried outside.
“Phew, I can finally breathe.”
The stifling feeling in my chest finally seemed to clear.
I should hit a gukbap place near my house for a bowl, then go home, shower, and sleep.
I thought about it once while eating the gukbap.
And once more on the way home.
Once more while showering.
And finally, one last time as I lay down on my mattress.
I thought about it.
Really, really carefully.
It’s a bit awkward to say this, but...
“Isn't this a total win for me?”
I mean, I did sleep with Seo Ye-rin...
Well, it’s not like that’s the most important thing, but if you look at the profit and loss, there’s nothing but gain for me.
Since the festival ended yesterday, today was the weekend. Just as I was thinking about lying down and sleeping all day, I checked my phone.
There were countless texts from Ye-rin.
“Whoa, jeez.”
I’d experienced this once before.
It was exactly how Anonymous 69 acted when she was whining to me, the manager, to unblock her.
What’s this?
The atmosphere had become incomparably lighter compared to the texts right above it, which felt a bit awkward.
Wouldn't she be furious that we’re texting so soon after breaking up?
Sending a crying hamster emoticon was just like her.
The moment I saw that text, I realized I had been mistaken about something.
Ah, it was Ye-rin’s first time.
Since I was the person she had her first experience with, she was bound to be interested. This was the time she’d be most intrigued by me, and I had been too inconsiderate.
I didn't send a text.
I called her, and she picked up before the phone even finished ringing.
“Oh! Woo-jin!”
Her voice was already dripping with aegyo, but...
“So, about yesterday.”
What I was about to say wasn't exactly pleasant.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I should have held back more. We aren't in any kind of relationship, but we just did it because we were drunk.”
“...”
“It could have been a precious memory for you, and I feel bad because I feel like I ruined it.”
“...”
“I’m sorry. You can be mad if you want, and you can curse at me. If you want to hit me, I’ll let you later.”
For a brief moment.
Only the sound of breathing came through the phone.
“But I was the one who seduced you?”
Ye-rin spoke bluntly.
“Why are you sorry? I should be the one who’s sorry. I made you do it with someone you don’t even have feelings for.”
Wait, what?
“Woo-jin, don’t worry about it too much. You’re a precious friend to me too, and I don’t want to lose you.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yeah, so don’t worry. Let’s just go back to being good friends starting Monday.”
What was this?
She was accepting it way too easily.
“Ah, since we had sex, are we sex friends instead of just friends?”
“...L-Let’s just be friends.”
It felt like some kind of growth had occurred within Ye-rin. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing, though.
Is this what a Dark Evolution feels like?
“Then see you later, Woo-jin. You must be tired, so sleep well.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Click.
A hollow silence followed as the call ended. I felt like something was wrong, and a slight shiver ran through my body, but...
“I should turn on the electric blanket.”
I immediately cranked the electric blanket to the max and pulled up the covers, falling into a deep sleep.
* * *
Click.
After hanging up, Ye-rin placed her phone gently on her chest and closed her eyes.
The scent of their tryst still lingered heavily on her bed and blanket, so Ye-rin brought them to her nose.
“Ah...”
She had heard that the first time was supposed to be painful.
Was it because she had been so drunk?
The pain had faded quickly, and a pleasant pleasure had naturally surged through her body.
It had been a much more satisfying time than she’d expected. It felt like a dream, and she felt like she could return to that moment if she fell back asleep.
How Kim Woo-jin felt didn't actually matter much to her.
What mattered was...
The fact that Kim Woo-jin had fallen for her temptation yesterday.
If a person falls once, they can fall twice.
Her mom?
Surprisingly.
After Kim Woo-jin left.
She had left a bittersweet remark, saying, ‘He’s a decent boy.’
But none of that mattered. Regardless, Ye-rin had experienced a turning point in her life just last night.
And she had spent a better time than expected with a better person than expected.
“Ah.”
As she writhed in the blanket, chasing the scent he had left behind with her nose.
“I want to do it again.”
Ye-rin looked forward to the next time.