Chapter 194: Date (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 194: Date (2)
As the end of the year approaches, the world naturally becomes more boisterous. Whether good or bad, issues always arise, but unless they are of a disastrous scale, they are often obscured by the unique atmosphere of the holiday season.
The terror incident that occurred a month ago had naturally faded from people's interest as time passed. It remained in their memories like a time bomb that could go off at any moment, but a glance at the media showed it was being discussed far less than before.
Thanks to that, I didn't have to think about the terror incident while on my date with Yubin, and I didn't have to deal with any stress.
“…….”
As we walked together, Yubin’s gaze was fixed on the Christmas decorations placed in front of a restaurant.
“What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that the Christmas decorations keep catching my eye. It really makes me feel like the end of the year is coming.”
Seeing Christmas decorations naturally makes one think of Christmas. At the same time, the arrival of Christmas meant that the end of the year was drawing near.
“A lot has happened this year, and I was wondering if I could resolve this year's problems before next year comes.”
“Ah….”
I didn't know if Yubin and I were thinking about the same problem. Perhaps we were thinking of different things, but since we shared so many common issues, I didn't think she was thinking of anything else.
At her words, I reflected on which of the things I had done this year I had actually resolved. Since becoming lovers, we had started an investigation into the Superhumans, and we still hadn't found a single clue.
It was certain that the Duels, which had been suspended due to the terror incident, would resume, but no one knew what the schedule would be.
As for meeting my girlfriends, no problems were surfacing for the time being. Since each of them had different opinions, I couldn't say there were no issues at all, but for now, it seemed everyone wanted to avoid making a scene.
Among these, the one that weighed most on my mind was the investigation into the Superhumans.
Since I was doing alone what the Spacetro Headquarters hadn't been able to fully resolve over the past twenty years, I wasn't expecting results in the short term.
However, I couldn't help but wish I could find at least a minimal clue.
More than anything, because it was a problem deeply connected to my girlfriends, I felt even more impatient.
“The Duels will start again, right?”
Withdrawing her gaze from the Christmas decorations, Yubin began to talk about the upcoming Duel schedule.
“They will.”
I couldn't give a definitive answer as to when, but they would certainly resume. For now, I assumed it would be after the Headquarters' construction was finished and things had stabilized.
At the earliest, by the end of the year. At the latest, I expected the Duels to start early next year.
“If we have a Duel, I’ll have to fight you again, right, Oppa?”
“We’ve been fighting all this time, so what’s the big deal?”
“Doing it while knowing is different from doing it while not knowing.”
“That’s true.”
Since my identity was discovered by my girlfriends, the Duels had remained suspended, so I had yet to participate in one while they knew I was a Spacetro soldier.
I had told them to fight with all their might just like before when the Duels resumed, but Yubin still seemed to have many concerns. Perhaps the other girlfriends were also worrying about it, even if they didn't say it out loud.
“Like I said before, it’s best if you do your best in the Duels, just like you used to.”
“But I’d be attacking you. How can I do that…?”
During the Duels, I had always attacked my girlfriends with everything I had. Perhaps I did so because I knew the equipment I currently used didn't have the performance to bridge the gap in physical ability between us.
I knew that even if I attacked with all my might, I couldn't land a fatal blow on Team Hunter Killer.
But my girlfriends' perspective would be different. They seemed worried that I might get hurt if I were hit by the powerful attacks of Team Hunter Killer, who had always overwhelmed Team 3 in their matches.
“There are a lot of sharp people on our team. If the atmosphere during the Duel changes from before, they’ll notice immediately.”
In particular, Luche, who knew my situation, would definitely be keeping a close eye on the Hunter Killer members during the Duel.
And perhaps Seira, who now also knew my situation, might take an interest in our team's matches as well. If that happened, the number of watchful eyes would increase, and a problem would surely arise somewhere.
“I don't want to pressure you, but Yubin, you're the leader.”
“Right. Since I'm the leader, I have to make up my mind.”
I interlaced my fingers with Yubin’s as she steeled her resolve.
“If you think I’ve been hurt, you can just give me a lot of hugs that day.”
I felt sorry for making such a difficult request of Yubin, but from my position, I had no choice but to do my best in my Spacetro military activities, the Duels, and the invasions, so I couldn't back down.
“Oppa, why are you active in the Spacetro army?”
“Huh?”
Just as I was thinking I should work even harder, Yubin asked while leaning her head on my shoulder. Should I say the timing was right? I stared blankly into space at the difficult question.
“There’s something I have to do.”
“Something you have to do?”
“Yeah. It’s something that only a very few people within Spacetro know about.”
“If it’s hard to talk about, you don't have to tell me.”
My gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, dropped to the ground, and a bitter smile appeared on my lips.
“Thanks.”
The faces of my parents, which were so old now that I couldn't even remember them properly without looking at a photo, came to mind. When I'm ready, I'll tell her then, I thought as I squeezed her hand tightly.
“Shall we head out?”
“Yeah.”
After meeting Seira and cleaning up my place, it had gotten late, and even though we wanted to go on a date, there wasn't much time left to do anything.
I didn't mind staying out late, but since I had already decided on a place to go and had even contacted them, I decided to go rest instead of spending more time outside.
As we went up in the elevator, I observed Yubin’s expression.
We had promised to be alone together, but since that was no longer possible, I couldn't help but be mindful of her.
“Hmm? What is it?”
Yubin, for her part, had a calm expression as if nothing were wrong, which actually made it harder to tell what she was thinking.
“No, I was just wondering if it’s okay to go to someone else’s house. We could have gone to your place, Yubin.”
“If you were going to worry about that, shouldn't you have suggested going to my house earlier?”
“I guess so.”
“I don't really mind. We’ve already all tumbled around together once, so what’s there to be uncomfortable about?”
With a heart that didn't know whether to be uncomfortable or at ease, the elevator reached the top floor.
When I pressed the passcode on the door lock, I heard footsteps coming toward the entrance from inside.
“Honey, welcome.”
Hayoung greeted me with a smile.
“Red, welcome to you too.”
“Yeah.”
Yubin also smiled at Hayoung’s greeting. Was it really okay?
My house was a mess, so I needed a place to stay for the night. I could have gone to Yubin’s house, but when I spent time with Yubin, it was usually at my place, and since I had only been to her house a few times, the thought of going to Yubin’s didn't occur to me at that moment.
Thinking I should contact the others, I had reached out to Hayoung.
Of course, it wasn't that I hadn't thought of my other girlfriends. The most important thing to consider was that Yubin was the one I was supposed to spend time with today.
If we went to Su-ah’s house, there was a high probability that Yubin and Su-ah would growl at each other.
If we went to Eunha’s, even though I had decided to spend time with Yubin, we would be at Eunha’s house, and it seemed like a situation would be created where the homeowner would be walking on eggshells.
If we went to Yura’s house, there was a 100% chance that Yura would provoke Yubin, and the probability of Yubin falling for that provocation wasn't low either.
So, I decided to come to Hayoung’s house, thinking she would be the one to welcome us most comfortably when I was with Yubin.
“Have you eaten?”
As soon as we entered and sat on the living room sofa, Hayoung concerned herself with food first. The time I had contacted her was already past dinner time, and since I figured Hayoung would have eaten, I had handled dinner while on the date.
“Yeah. We ate out. How about you, honey?”
“I ate a little while ago too.”
While I was having a light conversation with Hayoung, Yubin looked around the house, seemingly curious about Hayoung’s place since it was her first time there.
“Do you want a tour?”
“Can I?”
“Of course.”
Seeing Yubin looking around, Hayoung took her and showed her the house. There were three rooms including the master bedroom; one was a walk-in closet, and the other was being used as a study.
“You have so many cookbooks.”
Yubin’s voice from the study reached the living room. While Yubin was touring the house under Hayoung’s guidance, I sat blankly on the sofa instead of following them.
“I’m sorry. For suddenly saying I’d come over.”
When I spoke to Hayoung as she happened to come out of the study, she immediately shook her head.
“No. I was with you yesterday, and I’m with you today too, so I feel like I’ve come out ahead.”
She smiled as if being with me truly made her happy, then she approached and took my hand, pulling me up from the sofa.
“We’re going to the master bedroom now, so you come too.”
“Me too?”
“Yeah. Why are you just sitting here in the living room by yourself, Oppa?”
“I thought it would be more comfortable for the two of you to walk around….”
Yubin also approached and pulled on my arm. At this point, I felt it would be rude to worry about whether Yubin was okay, so I decided to put my mind at ease as well.
In the end, I was led into the master bedroom with both arms held by my two girlfriends.
“The bedroom is neat too.”
Looking at the tidy bedroom, Yubin sat on the bed and pressed down on the mattress to feel its cushioning.
“That’s because I never know when you might come over.”
I had always thought Hayoung kept her house well-organized, but seeing the subtle look in her eyes, I felt I knew the reason why she always kept it so clean.
Of course, she was naturally good at organizing, but I realized it wasn't just a case of 'I'm good at it, so I always do it,' but that there was another meaning behind it.
I had always felt she was good at tidying up, but since there was no reason to ask why she kept it so clean, I hadn't asked until now.
“Hmm—is that so?”
Yubin, who had been feeling the cushioning of the mattress, looked back and forth between Hayoung and me, then inspected the bed with her own eyes.
“So you did it here….”
As she said, the bed in Hayoung’s master bedroom was the space where she and I shared our bodies. She might have been talking about the act itself, but somehow it felt like Yubin was recalling that I had sex with Hayoung in this bedroom back when she didn't know I was dating the other members.
Watching Yubin look at the bed with narrowed eyes, a cold sweat broke out on my back for no reason.
“Still, I think Red has probably done it more than I have.”
Hayoung, who had been standing beside me, sat down next to Yubin. Yubin’s red hair was reflected in her blue eyes, and her gaze met Yubin’s as she turned her head.
“That’s true. Blue, how was it when you did it with Oppa?”
Then, they suddenly started talking among themselves about having sex with me, right in front of me.
“It’s good. Because he talks about what’s good and how he wants to do it in the moment.”
“That’s definitely important.”
It was much better than them fighting, but having the conversation start with the person in question right there made me feel unnecessarily embarrassed.
“Does he tend to touch your breasts a lot when he’s with you, Red?”
“Mmm…. Breasts are one thing, but I think we kiss a lot.”
“I felt this when we all did it together, but it seems like what he does is a little different for each person.”
“Right? I felt that way too.”
I felt like my face was flushing deep red. If they had left me alone in the living room and talked about this, I wouldn't have known, but talking about it right in front of me felt like watching my performance score being tallied in real-time.
Then, both of their gazes turned toward me at the same time.
Red and blue eyes. Under those two gazes of contrasting colors, my shoulders slumped involuntarily.
“Uh? What?”
“Aren't you going to do it?”
My mind went blank at Yubin’s words. Yubin was the one who opposed the harem. No matter how much we had all had sex together before, I had tried to avoid having a threesome with Hayoung at her house if possible.
But since Yubin was the one who asked first if we were going to do it, my thoughts couldn't help but become complicated.
“I will.”
Of course, if she was willing, I was willing too.
Still, I was about to think about why she was acting like this… when Yubin pulled me into an embrace and kissed me.