Chapter 99: Familiar?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99: Familiar?
“Whoa, look at this. It really is the end of the year.”
Looking at the U-Ai concert schedule set for late December, I couldn't help but tilt my head in uncertainty.
“What’s wrong?”
Choi I-seo, sensing that my expression wasn't great despite successfully scoring tickets, asked as she sipped her coffee.
“I’m just not sure if I’ll have time to go to the show.”
That was because I was planning to head to the Gold One Hotel in Gangwon-do to work around that time.
When I mentioned it to Senior Ju-hee, she said there were plenty of openings and that they’d give anyone a job if they just showed up.
They provided room and board, and since it was tucked away in the mountains, there was no reason to go out and spend money. For a broke college student, it seemed like a pretty attractive deal.
I’d heard that students from departments like Hotel Management or Food & Culinary Arts often went there for internships at first, but many ended up going back later just for the part-time pay. It sounded like a solid gig.
“So you’re working over the break.”
“Yeah, I want to stop taking money from home. I’m planning to move into the dormitory starting sophomore year, too. I heard that working during the break can actually count as extra points during the housing interview.”
I suppose you could call it a way of indirectly appealing to the fact that I was struggling financially.
Of course, the best way was simply to get good grades—or so Anonymous 90... I mean, the Physical Therapy Dept. Fossil, Lee Eun-woo, had told me.
“Hmm.”
Choi I-seo stared at me with a contemplative look.
“Well, I can figure it out when the time comes. If it really doesn't work out, I’ll just transfer the ticket to you, and you can go with the others.”
“...Forget it. You’re the one who succeeded. If I’m not going with you, I’d rather not go at all.”
I felt a little touched, but I forced a fake cough to hide it. Choi I-seo gave a small smirk.
“You’re totally touched, but you’re pretending you’re not.”
How does she know me so well?
“Anyway, let’s worry about the concert later. We should finish the assignment first, right? I’ll help, so let’s get to it.”
I-seo quickly changed the subject. As she said, finishing the assignment was the priority.
“Still, let me know if you want to go later. If I can give you the ticket, I will.”
Or maybe I could cancel it and she could grab it immediately? I wasn't sure if that was possible, though.
As I restarted the editing software and spoke, I-seo gave a soft smile and nodded.
‘The atmosphere is...’
When Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin were together, it always felt like a chaotic battlefield. Now, it was peaceful, and I felt much more at ease.
“I told you, it wasn't me! That bastard made me do it!”
“Just because he tells you to do it, you actually do it? Huh? You just do it?!”
“Agh! What am I going to do about this?! I told my girlfriend I’d definitely get the tickets!”
Strange screams from the idiots erupted behind us, but I just ignored them and moved on.
Ahn Hyun-ho was still trying to pin the blame on me, but he was the one who actually carried it out, wasn't he?
However, as expected...
“Hey, Kim Woo-jin!”
“You piece of trash!”
Pyo Jin-ho and Kang Han-gang, having heard the full story, stomped toward me looking like they wanted to commit murder.
“How could you do that?! Huh?! Are you even human? Are you?!”
“Hi, I-seo. Sorry, but do you mind if we take this guy away for a second?”
Pyo Jin-ho confronted me with brute force, while Kang Han-gang—perhaps following the logic that to catch the general, you must first shoot his horse—spoke to Choi I-seo first.
The two of them pushed in relentlessly, acting like a coordinated tag team of carrot and stick, but...
“No, I mind.”
Choi I-seo’s expression, which had been soft and fresh just moments ago, turned icy cold.
It was the same vibe she had when I first saw her in our department.
‘Now that I think about it...’
I was suddenly reminded that this was Choi I-seo’s original aura, and it caught me off guard.
Staring blankly at Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho, I-seo slowly crossed her legs and looked up at them.
“Is there a problem?”
The two of them were instantly overwhelmed by her chilling presence. Pyo Jin-ho, in particular, seemed to shrink even more, likely due to his past trauma with Yoo Ah-rin.
“W-well, you see, I-seo. The thing is...”
As Han-gang nervously tried to explain their situation, I immediately stood up and blocked the space between them.
“I didn't do anything wrong!”
Actually, I did. I knew I was in the wrong.
“Don't give me that bullshit!”
Ahn Hyun-ho, who was being consoled by Chan-woo in a battered state in the distance, roared at me, but I decided to be even more shameless.
“I-seo, don't listen to them! Just trust me!”
I tried to mark them closely to keep her from hearing their story, but Han-gang shouted right over my shoulder.
“We were waiting here for almost an hour to get those tick—!”
“Don't listen!”
I immediately covered her ears with both hands and forced her to keep her eyes on me.
Choi I-seo looked bewildered by the chaos, but I was desperate, so I put up the best resistance I could.
“Just look at me! I-seo! Headset! Let’s listen to music with the headset!”
“Pull him away! If we explain it to I-seo, she’ll probably tell us to take him!”
“You’re dead meat!”
Pyo Jin-ho and Han-gang grabbed my back and started pulling. Since I couldn't put any strength into the hands covering I-seo’s ears, I was helplessly peeled away.
“What on earth is going on?”
I-seo looked beyond baffled, unable to even follow the situation. I started flailing while being held by the two of them.
“Excuse me, please be quiet.”
The gazes of the other customers shifted toward us, creating a brief opening.
Shaking the two of them off, I quickly sat back down. Determined to hold my ground, I tilted my chair back as far as it would go and lay down in it.
I wrapped my arms around the armrests, ready to endure. No matter how mad they were, they wouldn't hit me here...
Plump.
I felt a warm weight on my thighs.
Choi I-seo, who had climbed on top of me as I was practically lying in the chair, lowered her head slightly in embarrassment and spoke to Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho.
“I-I’ll scold him myself, so please just go.”
“...”
“...Fuck.”
Pyo Jin-ho looked back and forth between me and Choi I-seo with an expression of pure "reality check." He slapped his forehead and turned away.
“Kim Woo-jin, you son of a bitch. I hope you end up as my junior soldier.”
Was that a tear rolling down his cheek? I thought I knew, but I decided to pretend I didn't see it.
“Please just die, Kim Woo-jin. Die twice.”
Han-gang patted Jin-ho on the back and left with him. For a situation that had been on the verge of exploding just a moment ago, it ended quite peacefully.
And I had to admit, Choi I-seo was at the center of that peace.
Creak.
I pulled the reclined chair back up.
“H-huh?!”
The distance between me and Choi I-seo closed instantly, but I didn't care. I pulled the chair right up to the computer.
“If there’s anything else you want to eat, order it. It’s on me.”
I survived thanks to her, so I could at least afford that. When I spoke with a bright smile, Choi I-seo, who was still sitting on my lap, reached up and pinched my cheek.
“What did you do?”
“...Ith nothing much.”
“Tell me. Now.”
Under I-seo’s cold gaze, I finally confessed that I had bribed Ahn Hyun-ho to turn off their computers.
“Sigh, you idiot. Did you really want those tickets that badly? You’re not even a fan of U-Ai.”
“But you said you were a fan...”
Half of it was because those guys were being annoying, but since I-seo was a fan, I really wanted to get the tickets for her.
Seeing me look dejected, I-seo shook her head and let out a sigh.
Since she was sitting on my lap, her face was right next to mine. I could feel her breath brushing against my cheek, and it tickled.
I felt like I was getting used to this position, but I-seo started to get up.
Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to her, she asked one more thing.
“But why did Ahn Hyun-ho listen to you? It looks like he got beat up over there.”
“...”
The words "I made a deal with him using you as bait" almost slipped out of my mouth.
If I said that, I’d be in serious trouble.
“I-seo, is there anything you want to eat?”
When I asked with a grin, I-seo narrowed her eyes and slowly wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Talk.”
“I-isn't it a bit much for us to be in this position?”
“Talk.”
“People are looking at us weirdly!”
“Hey, I said talk.”
“I’m hard! My lower half is rock hard right now!”
In an attempt to get her off me, I ended up saying something I probably shouldn't have. To be honest, I hadn't fallen quite that far yet, so I wasn't actually erect.
I was willing to sacrifice my image to keep the secret, and I-seo actually glanced down instinctively.
“Is this your first time? I don't care.”
“Crazy.”
Choi I-seo was super bold.
Instead, she tightened her grip around my neck, making it feel like I was caught in a headlock.
Turning her body slightly to sit sideways, I-seo pressed against my cheek with her other hand and asked again.
“Talk. Now.”
I lost. I couldn't win against a Choi I-seo who was being this assertive.
“W-well...”
Like a husband confessing to his wife that he bought a PlayStation, I poured out the story in a grumble.
Squeeze!
The fingers pressing against my cheek tightened. It felt like a Finger Pistol; I thought my teeth were going to fall out.
“I’m sorry.”
She didn't say a word, just kept pressing hard. This was actually scarier than her blowing up in anger.
“I said I’m sorry.”
“...”
“I’m sorry! Say something! You’re scaring me!”
I felt like she was going to poke a hole in my face.
Finally, I-seo slowly pulled her hand away.
However, she didn't let go of the arm around my neck, and the intensity of her cold glare didn't diminish one bit.
In the end, I sat there awkwardly, then sheepishly looked at the menu on the screen.
“Pick whatever you want. I’ll really buy you anything...”
I reached past her back to grab the mouse.
I ended up in a position where it looked like I was hugging her, but regardless, her anger didn't seem to be fading.
I was staring gloomily at the screen when...
Peck.
“...Huh?”
A soft sensation suddenly touched my cheek. I whipped my head around to find Choi I-seo looking away, blushing.
“Well, I mean... you looked kind of cute being all mopey...”
“Aren't you a bit bipolar?”
When I looked at her in disbelief, she pressed my cheek with her finger again, forcing my head back toward the monitor.
Peck.
Another kiss on the cheek.
This time I didn't turn my head, but I felt the heat rising and lowered my gaze slightly.
“Hey, what was that for this time?”
“In case it hurt when I pressed it earlier.”
So she kissed it to make it better?
It did feel like the pain was vanishing.
Peck.
“S-stop it. This is hard for me.”
Peck.
“What now?”
With her continuous kisses, I felt like I was reaching my limit. My heart was racing as if it were on fire, and it felt like all my nerves were concentrated on my cheek.
And the first thing to react was, naturally...
“This...”
My lower half.
I-seo’s gaze cautiously drifted downward again. I pretended not to notice, forcing my eyes on the monitor, but the mouse pointer, having lost its way, just repeated meaningless movements.
“I-I’m used to it! It’s not like this is the first or second time you’ve been like this!”
Unlike before, she could clearly feel the contact against her thigh. I-seo tried to act nonchalant despite her flushed face, but...
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...W-whoa. That’s... a bit much.”
As my lower half grew even more insistent, showing its true form and poking her, Choi I-seo cautiously stood up and returned to her own seat.
And I, overwhelmed by a wave of shame, just wanted to go home.