Chapter 201: Resumed Invasion Activities (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 201: Resumed Invasion Activities (5)
Yura and Su-ah’s eyes were fixed on me, but as their words clashed, their glares snapped back toward each other.
Unable to fully grasp the atmosphere, I scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary.
There wasn't much, really. Hayoung and Eunha, who were watching Yura and Su-ah from the side, looked like they had just arrived; they hadn't even taken off their coats yet.
Yura was also wearing a coat, but judging by the vibe, she seemed to have arrived before Hayoung and Eunha. The only other notable thing was a bag sitting by Yura’s feet.
"Oppa..."
"Yeah, Eunha. What’s going on?"
When I asked Eunha why the two were acting like that, she looked at them with worried eyes. Following her gaze, I saw Yura and Su-ah still growling at each other.
"Pink brought some luggage, but Yellow won't let her into your room."
"Huh?"
I wondered what that was all about. Regardless of whether Yura was coming or going, I didn't see why there would be a problem with her entering my room in this house.
"She just waltzes in here and tries to go into your room like she owns the place," Su-ah snapped.
It wasn't like Yura hadn't visited since I moved in. She had already been in my room before, so why was it an issue now? The only difference was whether I was home or not.
"I came to drop off my stuff, so why are you stopping me?" Yura retorted.
"Because it's my house!"
I sat there and thought about it. It made sense for Yura, who visited often, to leave some things in my room, but it also made sense for someone to stop a person from entering a room when the owner wasn't there. Neither of them was technically in the wrong.
However, from Yura's perspective, being barred from my room when she wasn't exactly a stranger was bound to be offensive.
On the other hand, as the homeowner, Su-ah had the right to control the actions of those not living there. And it was perfectly natural for her to be annoyed when someone challenged that control.
"Let's both calm down for a second."
As I approached the two, neither of whom showed any sign of backing down, their glares shifted from each other back to me.
"If you're going to come and go, at least do it when the owner is here," Su-ah said.
"I'm his girlfriend and I've been here several times already, so what does it matter?" Yura countered.
"Even if you're his girlfriend, I'm the homeowner. And I'm his girlfriend too."
They were talking to each other while looking at me, which made it feel like I was the one getting scolded for no reason.
Up close, the murderous aura emanating from my two girlfriends was even more intense. I tried to think of what to say. I needed a way to speak that wouldn't upset either of them, but every thought that came to mind seemed like it would inevitably offend one side.
Of course, I didn't intend to be hurtful. But one thing I’d learned after opening up my relationships to all my girlfriends was that words often get conveyed differently than intended.
In life, it's common for things to be misunderstood. The problem isn't just the miscommunication itself, but the misunderstandings that arise from it.
Usually, when you see or hear about a girlfriend's struggle, you take her side. In my case, two girlfriends were fighting. Simply taking a side was out of the question.
If I sided with one, the other would feel abandoned. Therefore, I always had to find a way to say something that both could accept, even if it was unpleasant to hear.
Situations like this were the most awkward—when, strictly speaking, neither was at fault. If one had clearly done something wrong, I could scold her and then make up later. But when neither was wrong, I couldn't exactly tell them they were.
After going through this a few times, I had developed a bit of know-how.
And that was to take neither side.
It might be disappointing for them as girlfriends, but it produced much better results than picking a side. Of course, I’d have to deal with the resulting fatigue myself.
Still, this was less exhausting than making only one of them angry.
"Yura. I'm a guest living in Su-ah's house too, so shouldn't we listen to what the homeowner says?"
Yura, who had been facing off against Su-ah without flinching, winced at my words. A smirk played on Su-ah's lips as she took a triumphant stance, but after addressing Yura, it was Su-ah's turn.
"And Su-ah, Yura isn't a stranger. She was just trying to step into my room for a moment. I don't think you needed to go that far to stop her."
I didn't know how to make a clear-cut judgment or deliver a perfect resolution. I was just doing what I thought was best in the moment.
And I was prepared for the consequences of those actions.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
I had already expected Su-ah's reaction—her brow furrowing in disbelief as she spat out a curse.
"She's the one who messed up."
"She? Is that how you talk to your unnie?"
"Unnie, my ass. Since when did our team care about who's older or younger? Why start with the 'unnie' stuff now?"
As expected, my words didn't exactly put out the fire. Since I had anticipated this, I didn't feel particularly drained; I simply decided to stop paying attention to their bickering.
Since the issue had arisen because of my absence, my mere presence was enough to resolve the core problem.
It might seem like I was neglecting the seeds of conflict, but humans are creatures that fight and make up naturally.
"What's this?"
Leaving Su-ah's cursing and Yura's grumbling behind, I turned my attention to the bag Yura had brought.
"A change of clothes and some spare underwear. I might be coming over more often on my days off from now on."
Just as I kept spare clothes at my girlfriends' places, including Yura's, she intended to keep a few outfits in my room.
She had planned to just leave her things in my room while I was out, so it was understandable why she was upset about being blocked. Yura probably hadn't expected Su-ah to suddenly bar her from the room either.
"Should I put these in the closet?"
"Yeah."
When I showed interest in the bag, Yura stopped confronting Su-ah to tell me about its contents. Su-ah, having lost her opponent, let out a deflated sigh and sat down on the sofa.
"Green. Can you help me?"
"Oh, right."
Hayoung headed to the kitchen and asked Eunha for help. Eunha, who had been standing there awkwardly, followed her. Yura and I put the luggage in the room and came back out to the living room.
Then, I made Yura sit on the sofa next to Su-ah. A heavy silence descended, but for now, it was fine.
"What did you do at headquarters?"
Su-ah, who had resumed her game, asked about my trip to headquarters while keeping her eyes on the monitor.
"I wanted to talk about it once Yubin was here so I could tell everyone at once."
Since it was a matter concerning all of Team Hunter Killer, I felt a bit awkward discussing it without Yubin. However, with four of them already gathered, it seemed better to just talk now.
"Red said she'd be here in a bit."
I turned my head at the sound of Eunha’s voice as she helped Hayoung prepare dinner in the kitchen.
"Yubin said she's coming?"
"Yeah. When I asked her what to do because Pink and Yellow were fighting, she said she'd come over after work."
She was probably coming to break up the fight, but I suspected she was more bothered by the fact that the members were gathering without her. Though, to be fair, Yura hadn't originally planned on coming.
"Then I'll tell you all once everyone's here."
I decided to wait for Yubin to discuss the duel and picked up a gamepad to start playing.
Just as dinner was nearly ready, the sound of the front door opening signaled Yubin’s arrival.
Rather than talking immediately, I thought it would be better to eat first, so we all gathered around the table for dinner.
Once the meal was over and we were all seated in the living room, I gave a brief explanation of what had happened at headquarters.
"So, the duel is starting?"
"Red, have you heard anything?"
When Eunha asked Yubin, who was muttering to herself at the news of the duel, if she knew anything, Yubin shook her head.
"Nothing has been communicated to the Earth Defense Union yet. I expect they'll be notified around Monday."
Since Spacetro hadn't sent word yet, it was natural that Yubin didn't know. When I mentioned the approximate timing of the notification, Yubin fell back into thought.
"Monday... If the duel is on Thursday, that doesn't leave much time."
"Are you okay with doing the duel?"
Yura wasn't asking out of concern, but out of curiosity. Although she had secretly handed over her suit authority to me, she seemed to think that others might have their own secrets they hadn't shared.
As expected, Hayoung and Su-ah had already expressed their desire to join Spacetro, and they were aware of each other's intentions.
"Like I said before, I want you to give it your all in the duel, just like always."
I spoke to my girlfriends in a serious tone, devoid of any playfulness. I didn't know how the actual duel would go, but since I had said it once before and they seemed to agree that fighting as usual was the best course for now, they didn't press the matter further.
"Are there any specific changes on the Spacetro side?"
"There are, but..."
They knew that a lot had happened within Spacetro due to the recent terror incident. However, since we were still technically on opposing sides regarding the duel, I couldn't disclose internal information.
"You don't have to say anything. We're prepared for changes," Yubin said, not pushing for an answer, sensing my difficult position.
Knowing they were "prepared" made me a bit more nervous, but it was a hundred times better than her prying further.
"What are you going to do about the Superhuman investigation you were working on?"
"My break is over. I'm going to decide after seeing how next week's duel goes."
I had to resume the investigation into Superhumans. Now that everything was out in the open with my girlfriends, I felt like I could get more information than before, but I needed something more substantial than just hearsay.
The problem was that to get core information, I needed their help. Asking for that help was essentially asking them to act as spies, so I couldn't bring it up easily.
Even though Su-ah and Hayoung had already said they would join Spacetro, asking them to spy was still a difficult request.
"Alright. Let us know if you need help."
Yubin’s offer only added to my dilemma. There were many ways to collect information with their help.
There were several methods I could use right away, but I decided to think about actively seeking their help after I officially resumed the investigation.
"Oh, right. Tomorrow I'll be out from the morning and probably won't be back until evening."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the hospital with the Team Leader."
Yubin, who had asked about my destination, went silent as soon as she heard the answer. Not just Yubin, but all the girlfriends sitting in the living room fell silent.
"Huh?"
I wondered if I had said something wrong and replayed my words in my head.
Going to the hospital with the Team Leader.
There was nothing strange about the context. However, my girlfriends all had a wary look in their eyes.
"Team Leader? Which one?"
The object of their wariness was none other than my companion for the hospital trip: the Team Leader.
"Are you going with that arrogant girl?"
"Or your childhood friend?"
The "arrogant girl" Su-ah mentioned was likely Luche. Yubin followed up, sounding piqued, by mentioning Seira. Both were indeed Team Leaders, but it was neither of them.
"No. I'm going with the 1st Team Leader."
Since they already knew her and had run into her at the beach, the mention of the 1st Team Leader made them think of Esmeralda.
"What is your relationship with her?"
Eunha, who had been sitting quietly, asked in an anxious voice.
Only then did I realize why they were so guarded. All four Team Leaders at the Spacetro Seoul Branch were women, and they suspected I had something special going on with them.
Since we had a long history, it wasn't like there was nothing special, but a relationship like the one I had with my girlfriends... it was also awkward to say there was absolutely nothing. It wasn't just because of today's events, but especially with Esmeralda.
"She's just my Team Leader. A colleague who's hospitalized used to be under the 1st Team Leader with me. That's why we're going together, so there's no need to be so suspicious."
If I had said, "The Team Leader is someone special to me," things would have gotten unnecessarily complicated, so I gave a conventional answer. I felt okay giving this answer because I didn't expect anything major to happen in the future anyway.
"Alright, for now."
Since they had no way to verify it immediately, they seemed to decide to believe my words that it wasn't a special relationship.
"Then, shall we head to the room?"
As soon as the topic was settled, Yura stood up with a bright smile.
"Anyone want to join?"
She asked the question openly, without hiding anything, and the other girlfriends just stared at her blankly.
"I'm going to rest. I have some things to think about regarding the duel."
Yubin didn't join in today. Su-ah didn't seem interested either, as she sat on the sofa and gripped her gamepad.
Then she called out, "Blue."
Hayoung also didn't seem to have any intention of joining today, as she gave me a smiling wave.
"Shall we go then?"
Yura, who had stood up, grabbed my legs as I was sitting and started dragging me toward the room. Seeing Eunha hesitantly following behind, I had one thought.
I'm a goner.
While I was relieved that only two of them were joining, I braced myself for the fact that I was about to go at it with the two most energetic ones in bed.