Ha-rin's Secret Crush
"Wow. So your homeroom teacher in senior year was that English teacher?"
"That's right. You know my homeroom teacher was famous for being stubborn, right?"
"Of course! She and Bulldog—no, our sweet homeroom teacher—were the two pillars of the school!"
"Haha, everyone thinks that."
Ha-rin, Ji-ah, and I were chatting over lunch in the school cafeteria, the conversation flowing easily.
Most of the talking was between Ha-rin and me, but Ji-ah chimed in here and there, keeping the mood light and pleasant.
She could probably make it as an actress.
The lies rolled off my tongue without a hitch. Even though I'd never set foot in that high school, the stories came out smoothly. Sure, I'd done some research and memorized a few details beforehand, but this level of performance felt almost like natural talent.
Or maybe all school lives are just similar enough that it doesn't matter… Anyway.
"It's kind of amazing, though," Ji-ah said with a smile from across the table.
"What is?"
"Meeting someone from the same school. Even if you're a senior, we're only a year apart. We never knew each other back then, but we still spent two years in the same building, taking classes in the same spaces."
"When you put it that way, it does feel like we're closer."
I deliberately emphasized the word "closer." The atmosphere seemed good, so I decided to push a little further.
"Did you two join any clubs when you were at our school? I was briefly in the soccer club. There was this guy who was famous for being handsome and good at soccer. His name was… Kang I-jun, I think. He helped me out a lot when I first joined."
"Huh?"
"What?"
The moment I mentioned Kang I-jun's name, both Ha-rin and Ji-ah reacted with surprise at the same time.
"Why?"
I asked innocently, feigning ignorance of their reaction. The two girls exchanged a glance, then Ha-rin pointed at Ji-ah with her finger.
"He's her boyfriend."
"Really? What a coincidence."
"No way…"
Ha-rin covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide with shock.
"Are you close with Jun?"
Ji-ah's words came faster now that her boyfriend had been brought up.
"Not really. I quit the club pretty quickly because of studying. He probably doesn't even remember my face. But I couldn't forget him—good looks aside, he was really kind to a new junior like me."
"Wow—"
"It's fate! Total fate!"
While Ji-ah looked surprised, Ha-rin clapped her hands together dramatically.
"Oh, over there—"
Beep!
Ji-ah was about to say something when her phone chimed with a notification. She apologized with a quick bow and checked the screen, her expression turning strange.
I already knew why, but I pretended not to.
"What's wrong?"
Ha-rin asked, still chewing on a piece of her pork cutlet.
"My professor wants to see me. Says I need to come right now."
"Suddenly?"
"Yeah. Must be something urgent."
"You should go, then."
"Mm…"
When Ji-ah hesitated and glanced at me, I smiled and waved her off.
"Don't worry about me. Go see your professor."
"I'm sorry… I don't know how long it'll take, so feel free to leave without me."
"Got it."
"Okay."
Ha-rin waved goodbye as Ji-ah left. Watching her retreating figure, I fiddled with a small card in my pocket.
This business card really is something else.
It was the one the Company had given me. According to the Guide, handing it over made even strangers cooperative. Of course, that cooperation only extended to reasonable requests—nothing absurd or excessive, since it wasn't actual brainwashing.
Ji-ah leaving after receiving that call was because I'd asked her professor to summon her earlier. The reason was simple: I wanted to be alone with Ha-rin.
"You two must be pretty close. How long have you known each other?"
"…Ten years?"
Ha-rin counted on her fingers as she tried to remember.
"You're basically best friends, then."
"Hehe! Yeah. We've known each other since elementary school. I couldn't live without her. And I'm pretty sure she feels the same."
"So that's why you're in the same university and even the same major?"
"Pretty wild, right?"
Even Ha-rin seemed to realize how unusual that was, laughing awkwardly.
"No, I actually think it's nice."
"You do?"
Ha-rin tilted her head.
"It means you have a friend who's truly irreplaceable. I… don't have anyone like that yet."
"Ji-ah and I are a special case! Most people don't go this far."
When I showed a slightly sad expression, Ha-rin rushed to comfort me—though her words weren't exactly comforting.
Seizing the moment when her guard was down, I asked,
"You both recognized I-jun's name right away. Does that mean you're close with him too? Or is it just because he's your best friend's boyfriend?"
"Hmm—"
Ha-rin pressed her lips into a thin line, clearly thinking something over.
I waited quietly without pressing her.
After a moment, she let out a small sigh and spoke.
The sigh was the important part.
"Actually… Jun, Ji-ah, and I are all childhood friends. I mentioned knowing Ji-ah since elementary school, right? Same with Jun."
"That's quite the connection. Sounds dramatic."
"Dramatic… Well, I guess it is."
Ha-rin smiled bitterly for some reason.
There was definitely something there.
…Wait. She had long hair in high school, didn't she? But now it's short.
There was an old saying that women cut their hair after going through something big. Usually heartbreak, though not many people connected the two these days. Still, it was worth considering.
"Something must have happened, huh?"
I asked casually while eating.
"Umm—"
This time the silence lasted longer.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
Since waiting didn't seem to be getting an answer, I backed off. There was plenty of time. I could dig deeper slowly—
"It's nothing, really… Ah, whatever! I'll just tell you. I feel like we'll be seeing each other for a while anyway. And weirdly enough, even though we just met, it feels like we've known each other forever. I mean, I'm not shy, but this is different. …Ahem, I'm getting off track. Basically, I used to like Jun."
"…Oh, really?"
"Yeah. But he's dating Ji-ah now, so you can probably guess what happened after that."
"I see…"
Ha-rin didn't seem to have told Ji-ah any of this. If she had, Ji-ah wouldn't have reacted the way she did when her boyfriend's name came up.
"Please don't tell Ji-ah about this. I only told you because you seem like someone who can keep a secret. Got it?"
"Of course, sunbae."
When I answered playfully to lighten the mood, Ha-rin smiled gratefully.
"You'll meet a good guy someday."
"Hehe! I hope so."
After offering those comforting words, Ha-rin brightened up.
Then—
She leaned in slightly and whispered in a low voice.
"Or… maybe you could be that good guy."
Her words were suggestive, but the slight upward curve of her lips gave her away.
It was just a joke.
Thwack.
"Ow!"
I flicked her forehead lightly. Ha-rin clutched it with both hands and glared at me sulkily.
"Let's head to the next lecture. We don't have much time."
"Ugh!"
As I stood up with my empty tray, Ha-rin followed behind me. From behind, I faintly heard her muttering to herself.
"Why…? Why does it feel like we've known each other forever?"
Ignoring Ha-rin, who had no idea she was under the influence of the perfume, I casually pulled out my phone.
[Ahaha— Looks like things are getting fun.]
Yeah. Really fun.
Kim Ha-rin Favorability: 41% — ※Brainwashing Impossible
Kim Ha-rin Corruption State: 8% — (Stable)
* *
Haa— I must be crazy. No matter how tired I was, falling asleep in a motel during work hours and coming back late? What was I thinking?
Se-ah sat at her desk, drowning in self-reproach. After finishing her field work yesterday, she'd been so exhausted on the way back that she'd stopped at a nearby motel to rest. What was supposed to be a quick nap had turned into waking up in the middle of the night. Of course, returning to the office without reporting in meant she'd get an earful from her superiors the next day.
Still… it feels like the fatigue is gone?
Maybe because she'd slept so deeply at the motel, she'd woken up this morning feeling incredibly refreshed. It wasn't an exaggeration to say it was the most comfortable sleep she'd had since birth. The chronic exhaustion and lethargy that had been eating away at her body, along with the accumulated work stress, had all vanished in one night.
Of course, the stress had come flooding back the moment she arrived at the office today.
Get it together. I still have card payments to make—I can't afford to get fired now—
Beep!
Her phone chimed suddenly. Without hesitation, she snatched it up and checked the screen. The speed of her reaction made her feel a strange sense of dissonance, but the fog clouding her mind wouldn't let her dwell on the question for long.
"Huh?"
Se-ah stared at the screen in surprise for a moment, then slowly—very slowly—her eyes began to lose focus.
Eventually, her expression went completely blank. Stripped of her sense of self, she had once again become a puppet for a certain man.
* *
Slurp, slurp—
"Hoo— Maybe it's because she just got back from work, but it feels even better. Though she also looks pretty tired."
A woman was kneeling in front of me. She had sandwiched my cock between her massive breasts and was diligently pursing her lips around the tip. With wet, obscene sounds, she sucked greedily on the shaft in her mouth while pressing her breasts together with both hands, applying pressure to the part trapped between them.
"Isn't that right, Se-ah noona? You must be exhausted after work too, right?"
At my question, the woman—Se-ah—looked up at me with an expressionless gaze and answered in place of words.
