Chapter 72: Han-gang Hunting(2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: Han-gang Hunting(2)
Bang!
"Don't you move! You little rat!"
Senior Ju-hee’s roar exploded as she kicked open the door to the volunteer club room.
The people inside were startled at first, but they were quickly silenced, overwhelmed by the sheer intimidation radiating from the uninvited guest.
Ju-hee scanned the room with lightning speed, huffing as she barked at the occupants.
"Han-gang! Have you seen Han-gang?!"
When someone demanding answers is glaring with bloodshot eyes while gripping a pool cue like a weapon, very few people have the courage to lie.
"Uh... I think he said he was going to a karaoke bar."
"Karaoke?!"
"Yes! He said he was going to Taeyang Karaoke!"
Why does this guy keep telling people where he’s going?
Is he that confident that I’ll cover for him somehow?
At least he has some survival instincts.
Taeyang Karaoke was almost in the exact opposite direction of the PC Bang, so it wasn't a bad place for a bluff.
"Phew. Excuse me."
Perhaps calming down slightly at the thought that she’d missed him, Ju-hee bowed her head in apology to the club members, then politely closed the door and stepped out.
She immediately began walking at a brisk pace while tapping away on her phone.
"Se-Senior? Taeyang Karaoke is the other way."
When I asked, Ju-hee replied through gritted teeth.
"I just got a tip that the bastard is at a PC Bang."
I have no idea who gave her that tip, but...
Still no reply from Han-gang.
He must be in the middle of his escape.
And so, on a Monday evening, we found ourselves in the middle of an unexpected high-speed chase.
From the PC Bang to Kimbap Heaven, then to the billiard hall, and finally to a karaoke bar.
The moment we stepped into the karaoke room, where only the lingering scent of Han-gang remained, Ju-hee lowered her phone.
"Senior, please just calm down for now. Tomorrow—!"
Grab!
My jaw was suddenly seized.
Pulled by Ju-hee’s immense grip strength, I was slammed down onto the karaoke table.
She immediately climbed on top of me, pinning me down while staring into my eyes with a murderous glint.
"We missed him at the club room, the PC Bang, Kimbap Heaven, and now the karaoke bar too?"
"...!?"
"There is a traitor among us. That is my conclusion..."
Ju-hee looked down at me with a smile, still holding both my cheeks in one hand. Despite the pleasant scent wafting off her, her smile radiated a bone-chilling aura.
"And there are only two of us here, aren't there?"
Squeeze!
"Mmph!?"
Her grip was so strong my lips were forced into a pout. Ju-hee’s ragged breathing brushed against my face.
"I’m not the traitor..."
"Mmu-bu-bu-bu!?"
"So that leaves you, doesn't it?"
She rested her legs over my arms.
Since she was sitting on my chest, I had a clear view of her inner thighs, but since she was wearing jeans, it wasn't a major issue.
"Woo-jin, I’m not a gangster. I put money into savings accounts and pay for insurance just like everyone else."
"Se-Senior!"
"I value friendship. But if you trample on my friendship..."
"Th-That’s not it!"
"Then I become a gangster."
She slowly loosened the strength in her hand.
She was giving me one last chance to speak.
"The-The studio! He said he was going to his studio apartment!"
I became a whistleblower instantly.
"Phew. Take out your phone."
When I pulled out my phone and showed her my chat logs with Han-gang, Ju-hee let out an incredulous laugh.
"Hamburgers, chicken, pizza, bossam? Wow, Woo-jin. You really milked him for all he’s worth, didn't you?"
Looking at the gifticons I’d extorted from Han-gang, Ju-hee tightened her grip on my face again.
"A-A group dinner! I was going to use them for a group dinner! I was planning on us all eating together once the group project was over!"
"..."
Slowly climbing off me, she shoved my phone into her pocket.
"This is confiscated until we find Han-gang."
"Ah, of course! Boss!"
Immediately tucking my tail between my legs, I scrambled to my feet.
"Let’s take a taxi. My treat!"
Even in the taxi, Ju-hee insisted on sitting in the back seat with me.
She kept her arm around my shoulder, fiddling with my cheek as she barely suppressed her rage.
I had become her emotional support doll; I could do nothing but follow her lead in silence.
Finally, we arrived at Han-gang’s studio apartment.
Knock, knock.
When I knocked, Han-gang’s voice drifted from inside.
"Ah, I wrote in the delivery instructions to just leave it outside..."
He actually ordered delivery in the middle of all this?
Well, I suppose it makes sense. He only managed to eat one roll of kimbap before fleeing Kimbap Heaven, so he must be starving.
Creeeeak.
Why did the sound of the front door opening feel so ominous?
"Just leave the food... Gack!"
Thwack!
Ju-hee’s kick immediately slammed into Han-gang’s stomach, sending him flying backward as she stormed inside.
"Woo-jin, stay outside if you don't want to die."
Thud!
The door slammed shut, and Han-gang’s screams began to erupt from within.
"Aaargh! Aaaah! Ju-hee, wait! Wa-Wait a seco—!"
"My bo-bone! You hit my bone! Gack! You hit my bone!"
"Please, just a moment! Big sister! No, this really isn't...! Aaargh! Kim Woo-jin! Kim Woo-jiiiiiin!"
Thud!
The door rattled as if he were trying to escape, but it didn't budge because I was leaning against it.
"You son of a bitch! You sold me out?! You took all that food and sold me out?!"
"Excuse me?"
Just then, a delivery driver wearing a helmet spoke to me. He was holding a pizza box—evidently the food Han-gang had ordered.
"Ah, you’re here for the delivery? Just give it to me."
"...Sure."
He looked a bit suspicious, his expression uneasy, but he handed over the pizza and hurried off to his next delivery.
"Kim Woo-jiiiiiin!"
"He ordered Hawaiian pizza?"
Thanks to the pizza, waiting for the carnage to end didn't seem like it would be too boring.
* * *
"Delivery’s here."
"Coming!"
I brought in another pizza that had just arrived. Ju-hee, who had been waiting, adjusted her posture.
She said she didn't like Hawaiian pizza, so I’d ordered a pepperoni one for her, which seemed to satisfy her.
"I'll enjoy this, Woo-jin."
"Eat your fill, Senior."
Watching us from the side, Han-gang pouted and muttered.
"You ordered that with the gifticons I sent you."
Naturally, his grumbling fell on deaf ears as we focused on devouring the pizza.
It was a relief that Ju-hee had restrained herself from using the pool cue and stuck to her fists; otherwise, Han-gang might not be among the living right now.
Perhaps the time spent traveling between locations had allowed her to cool down just enough to be rational.
"Hey, you’re not actually enlisting, are you?"
After finishing a slice, Ju-hee got straight to the point. Han-gang’s brow furrowed as if he were momentarily at a loss for words.
"Knock it off, seriously. Does it make sense to pull a 'pants-run' to the military just because you got rejected by a girl?"
"No, it’s not that..."
"Why did you even confess in the first place? Ugh, anyway, I’ll talk to Ye-rin, so things won't be awkward between you two."
She was trying her best to keep Han-gang in the group. If he dropped out now, the group project would truly be blown to pieces.
"The thing is..."
"What now? Sigh, we’ll swap the roles. We’ll make Hyun-ho or Woo-jin the lead, and you can be a supporting character so you don't have to see Ye-rin as much."
"Eh?! Me?"
I was startled by the sudden suggestion, but Ju-hee shot me a sharp glare.
"You got something to say?"
"No."
A traitor should keep his mouth shut.
Well, she was likely just saying that to appease Han-gang for now. Since I’d be doing the editing anyway, the lead role would probably go to Ahn Hyun-ho.
"Ju-hee."
Han-gang spoke up cautiously. For some reason, he slowly dropped to his knees, and the atmosphere turned heavy.
"Actually, that’s not why I’m enlisting."
"Oh, please."
Ju-hee leaned against me, resting her forehead on my shoulder. It looked like she was trying to bang her head in frustration, but strangely, I was the one feeling the impact.
"Woo-jin, shut that bastard’s mouth! Tell him to stop ruining my life."
"Stop it! Ju-hee’s Life Points are already at zero!"
I shouted while shielding Ju-hee, but Han-gang kept talking, glancing at us nervously.
"The, well, the truth is... after I confessed to Ye-rin..."
"Please! Shut up! I don't want to hear it! Just say you’ll do the project! It’s not like I’m asking for much, you lunatic!"
"Gack! Se-Senior, that hurts!"
Ju-hee was clinging to me like a schoolgirl in a horror movie. The only difference was that she was so strong I felt like I was being crushed to death.
"So..."
"You’re stalling way too much! You’re already in the abyss! Just spit it out, you bastard!"
"Yeah, just say it! I’m going to die at this rate!"
My waist feels like it’s going to snap!
"I, I slept with another girl."
...
......
.........
"What?"
"The fuck?"
Ju-hee and I stared at Han-gang simultaneously. Did we hear that right?
"I was just so lonely and felt so pathetic. So I brought a girl I know over and we slept together."
Han-gang’s words began to tumble out rapidly. Was this his firm resolve to confess everything before the volcano erupted?
"But my parents came to my studio the next morning and caught us! Because of that, they checked my phone and saw all my relationships with other girls, and they told me to drop out and enlist immediately!"
Wow.
"My father is a soldier, so he’s very strict about these things! I really don't know how it ended up like this, but I’m sorry, Ju-heeeeee!"
Having said his piece, Han-gang scrambled up and bolted into the other room. It seemed his kneeling earlier was just to gain leverage for a quick getaway.
The strength in Ju-hee’s arms, which had been squeezing me, vanished. Seeing her fumbling on the floor for something, I gestured with my chin.
"It’s over there."
Ju-hee grabbed the pool cue that had been rolling around the living room.
"Right. Thanks."
Then, she charged toward the room where Han-gang was hiding.
"I am actually going to kill him!"
Yeah.
You should probably just die.
"Get out! Get out here! If you don't come out right now, I’m breaking the door down!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The way she was pounding on the door, it sounded like she really would break it down, but now I also felt like joining in on the beating.
'Is that guy even human?'
On the very day he told me we should have a fair competition, he cowardly confessed first and badmouthed me.
Then, after confessing his "sincere" love to Seo Ye-rin and getting rejected, he slept with another girl for "emotional comfort."
And in the midst of all that, his messy love life got him caught by his parents, leading to an immediate enlistment.
He really is an impressive senior in many ways.
At this point, he’s practically the "Dark Side" of the university.
Hoping Ju-hee would give him a thorough thrashing, I reached for the remaining pizza.
Vrrr!
A vibration came from my pocket.
I checked my phone.
— Seo Ye-rin -
Seo Ye-rin was calling.
"Hello?"
— Uh, Woo-jin...
"Yes, hello, Miss Seo Ye-rin. Thanks for the compliment. I guess the sex was very satisfying for you?"
— ...
"You should have just bragged about it in the group chat. Tell them Woo-jin is just the legendary Sex King."
— I'm sorry...
"Or you could have introduced me as a living Sex Machine. That sounds a bit cooler."
— I-I'm sorry.
"Shut up! You living doll! You’re not good for anything except having a pretty face! You better be good to your parents! Thank them for giving you those looks!"
— I-I'm ignoring all their messages for now!
"Of course you should! You...!"
As I shouted at Ye-rin, I watched Ju-hee finally break into the room and start pummeling Han-gang, who was hiding under a blanket.
"...Hey, tell the person who posted that video on SNS this."
As soon as she heard my words—the result of a brilliant realization—Ye-rin’s voice sounded much lighter.
— I-I'll do it right away! Woo-jin, you’re a genius!
The moment I hung up, praising myself for coming up with a way to flip the situation in an instant, the phone rang again.
Vrrr!
— Yoo Ah-rin -
— Hel—!
Click.
I hung up immediately to show I didn't want to talk. I was about to join Ju-hee in hitting Han-gang, but...
Vrrr!
The phone rang again.
"Oh, come on."
I was about to hang up again, but...
— Choi I-seo -
Seeing a different name on the screen, I took a deep breath and answered very cautiously.
"Hello?"