Chapter 82: Confession
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82: Confession
It wasn't just my imagination that the atmosphere had suddenly turned heavy. It was possible Ahn Hyun-ho had an acquaintance with the same name.
After all, "Jin-ho" was a fairly common name.
But the timing was too coincidental.
I’d heard from Jeong Chan-woo that Pyo Jin-ho had arrived, and Yoo Ah-rin had received a call from him as well. Naturally, my mind jumped to that conclusion.
"I'm going to the restroom for a second."
"The food just got here, though?"
Leaving behind Senior Ju-hee, who was busily eating the spicy stir-fried octopus she seemed to love so much, I headed toward the restroom.
Yoo Ah-rin watched me with suspicious eyes, but since she had no real pretext to stop me, she just stayed in her seat.
Pretending to head for the restroom, I took a slight detour toward Ahn Hyun-ho.
Outside the restaurant, Ahn Hyun-ho was on the phone while smoking a cigarette. He looked uncomfortable, listening to the person on the other end.
"Yes, yes, Hyung. No, it’s not like that."
He was so focused that he didn't even notice me approaching. I stood blankly behind him, staring at the back of his head while shamelessly eavesdropping.
"Sigh, Hyung. Even if I am the Vice Department Rep, I don't know every single kid in our major."
I highly doubted that.
"Yu... what? Who? Yoo Ah-rin? Hyung, I’m telling you, I’ve never even heard of her."
Hmm?
I wanted to ask him if he hadn't just been sitting across from her talking about Taekwondo, but I kept quiet for now.
"Yeah, Hyung. Let’s grab a drink later. Right, right. Got it. I’ll check. What did you say her name was? Yuringi? Ah... Yoo Ah-rin."
"Pfft."
A laugh escaped me involuntarily. Startled by my presence, Ahn Hyun-ho spun around.
"A-ah, no. It’s nothing, Hyung. Yes! Yoo Ah-rin! I’ll definitely look for her!"
After hanging up, Ahn Hyun-ho didn't even notice the cigarette burning down in his hand as he barked at me.
"Hey, what the hell? Why are you eavesdropping on people's calls?"
"The 'Yuringi' bit was a nice touch."
I’d have to tease him about that later.
"No, seriously. Why are you listening in on other people's business?"
As he glared and demanded an explanation, I simply shrugged.
"It was Pyo Jin-ho, right?"
"...What? You know Jin-ho Hyung too?"
"No, today's the first time I've heard the name."
"Huh? What kind of explanation is that?"
From Ahn Hyun-ho’s perspective, nothing I was saying made any sense.
But that didn't matter. There was only one thing I wanted to ask right now.
"Why are you hiding Yoo Ah-rin?"
"..."
"She’s literally sitting right in front of you eating."
I was curious why he was protecting her. It didn't seem like he had any particular feelings for her.
Ahn Hyun-ho looked at me, his expression conflicted, and put the cigarette to his lips. It had burned down so far that he could only take one puff before tossing it, so it didn't even buy him much time.
"Senior Pyo Jin-ho... he’s a real piece of work."
I figured as much.
It was the first time I’d ever felt such a strong dislike for someone I’d never even met.
"I’ve only seen him a few times through mutual acquaintances, but... there are so many bad rumors about him. It’s better just not to get involved."
"...I thought you liked that kind of stuff."
When I grumbled that I thought he was still a college student who hadn't grown out of playing at being a school bully, Ahn Hyun-ho’s brow furrowed deeply.
"I'm a college student now. I studied my ass off in senior year just to barely get into this place. I can't keep living like I used to."
"Oh."
Fair enough.
Come to think of it, Ahn Hyun-ho hadn't really shown a malicious side except for when he was jealous regarding Choi I-seo.
It was just that his jealousy had been so intense.
Even Anonymous 287, who had helped Min-ji call me out, turned out to be Choi I-seo trying to protect me, not Ahn Hyun-ho.
‘Now that I think about it, didn't Choi I-seo kind of ruin his image?’
Well, I suppose that just showed how much she hated him clinging to her.
"Honestly, I'm seeing you in a different light. I thought you were still messing around like you did in high school."
"..."
He kept his mouth shut, unable to deny that he had been doing exactly that until recently.
"We have plenty of seniors to look up to and learn from, like Senior Han-gang or Senior Ju-hee."
"Senior Ju-hee, sure, but Senior Han-gang?"
"He’s a senior with a lot to learn from in his own way."
Was he talking about picking up girls?
It was clear just how well Han-gang had managed his image with the juniors.
Maybe that was why everyone humored him and followed along, even when he was being unreasonable.
"Anyway, there’s no reason for Senior Pyo Jin-ho and Yoo Ah-rin to get tangled up. No matter how much of a senior he is, how’s he going to find her?"
With that, Ahn Hyun-ho suggested we head back in. He was right; if we didn't go now, Yoo Ah-rin and Senior Ju-hee might finish all the food.
I was just thinking that my impression of Ahn Hyun-ho had improved quite a bit when...
"But you're not actually dating I-seo, right?"
Ahn Hyun-ho stopped in his tracks and asked. I wondered why he hadn't brought it up sooner. It was an awkward question to answer.
"Dat... ing? Probably not?"
"What kind of answer is that?"
"We're getting to know each other? Just talking here and there?"
"I-seo said she’d start dating next year. And you said you got rejected once."
Ah, right.
I’d told that lie to get Ahn Hyun-ho to back off.
"Getting rejected once is actually a strategy. It makes the other person conscious of you."
"Oh... that’s a strategy I couldn't have learned from Senior Han-gang."
"You idiot. That guy has never been rejected. He’s the type who’d tell someone to eat cake if they don't have bread."
He did get rejected by Seo Ye-rin, but that was basically a TKO, so there was no room for comparison.
"Whew. Sorry, but I’m not giving up on I-seo. Working as the Rep and Vice Rep together, I can just feel it. She’s cold at first, but once you get close or start dating, she’ll be incredibly good to you."
...I had a feeling she would be.
"And she takes such good care of herself."
"..."
"You might not notice because she wears athletic clothes so often, but I-seo is actually quite curvy."
"..."
"Plus, girls who exercise usually have insane sexual chem—!"
"Dammit! I’m not giving Choi I-seo to a guy like you, you bastard!"
"...Who are you to 'give' her or not? Guys can talk about this stuff."
I kicked Ahn Hyun-ho in the ass as he acted like he was sharing some grand heroic tale, then headed back into the restaurant.
"Did you two fall in love or something?"
Yoo Ah-rin teased as she saw the two of us coming back together.
"Yuringi has a lot to say."
"You jerk, that was my nickname in middle school!"
No wonder it rolled off the tongue so easily.
"I could go for some Yuringi right now."
I muttered, suddenly craving fried food, as I sat down. Yoo Ah-rin immediately scowled and snapped at me.
"Is that sexual harassment?"
"It's not like that."
* * *
Filming continued until evening.
Seo Ye-rin joined us midway, and finally, Choi I-seo arrived, completing the group.
The shoot went smoothly. Yoo Ah-rin’s acting as a crazy woman was quite fresh, and I planned to keep the footage for my personal collection.
"Heh heh."
During a short break, I was laughing while watching the footage of Yoo Ah-rin going wild with a knife when Seo Ye-rin slid into the seat next to me.
By now, her resting her hand on my thigh had become a natural part of our daily routine.
I’d tried to push it away a few times, but every time I did, she’d give me a mischievous grin and say, "Playing hard to get? Cute," which annoyed me enough that I just let it be.
"Do you think the shoot went well?"
"Yeah. Honestly, since everyone’s got the looks, as long as I edit it well, I think we’ll get an A+."
"You'll do great. Call me if you need any help."
When she said things like that, she seemed like such a good person. She was considerate and had a way of calming people down; it was easy to see why she was so popular.
"Sorry, but could you look at one thing for me?"
Look at her, asking so politely.
Even though it was a break and I was free, she was being so respectful, acting sorry for interrupting me.
"What is it?"
"Help me pick between these two."
Ah, did she want me to look at clothes or something?
I wasn't exactly a fashionista, but I had a decent eye.
I’d seen plenty of clothes while being dragged around by my ex-girlfriend.
My ex had been very interested in fashion. Not that she was extravagant or only bought luxury brands, but still.
‘Ah, damn.’
I pushed thoughts of Oh Yun-ji aside and looked at the phone Seo Ye-rin held out.
On the screen...
A woman wearing cat ears and nothing but a bra and panties was posing cutely.
"This one."
"..."
What the hell was she showing me?
She casually swiped to the next screen. This time, a woman was wearing a cow-print bikini.
"And this one."
What did she want me to do about it?
This crazy woman.
"What do you want me to do?"
I immediately regretted the praise I’d just given her in my head. When I asked why on earth she was showing me this, Seo Ye-rin replied with a smile.
"I'm thinking of wearing one next time we... you know."
For a split second, I was tempted and almost picked one, but I gritted my teeth and answered.
"Neither of them suits you."
"Really?"
"First, the cow one. That’s for Westerners. They have the... volume for it."
Pinch.
Seo Ye-rin gave my thigh a sharp squeeze.
But I wasn't wrong, was I?
"And the first one."
Gritting my teeth, I swiped back to the first photo. I pointed to the back of the woman wearing the black cat bikini.
There was a black tail attached, but I wasn't sure exactly how it was attached.
It could just be pinned to the panties, but if it wasn't...
"Do you even know where that tail is attached?"
When I pointed to the tail and asked, Seo Ye-rin’s face turned a bright shade of crimson.
‘She suggested this knowing exactly what it was?’
She’s gone too far.
"You're really something else, aren't you? Stop watching so much porn."
"...I-it didn't look like it would hurt."
"It doesn't look like it hurts because those are trained professionals. Jeez, just how many adult videos have you been watching?"
"...You're the one who recommended those product codes to me before."
Ah.
"Yawn! I'm so sleepy."
I closed my eyes as if collapsing from exhaustion.
Why did I ever give her those recommendations?
"The outfits were from those videos, too."
‘Shit.’
I cursed my past self, the one who had chuckled and given recommendations to Anonymous 69, thinking I’d never be caught.
I barely managed to shake off Seo Ye-rin, who kept clinging to me and whining, and made my escape.
I was looking around to see what the others were doing when I heard voices from behind a tree.
"I-seo, hey."
Ahn Hyun-ho?
And Choi I-seo too?
I wondered what was going on, but a sudden chill ran down my spine.
'Getting rejected once is actually a strategy. It makes the other person conscious of you.'
The advice I’d given him today flashed through my mind, and I slapped my forehead.
Involuntarily, I moved toward them, and the moment they came into view...
"I like you. Let's date."
A fresh, yet somewhat textbook confession tumbled out of Ahn Hyun-ho’s mouth.
"..."
I’m not even joking.
It was the first time in my life I’d ever seen Choi I-seo’s face contort in such pure, unadulterated disgust.