Chapter 25
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: Truth Game
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Nara Sunbae looked at me and smiled. That unbelievable smile instantly lightened my heart.
'I thought she called me out to chew me out... Is this a dream?'
For a moment, I was so thrown that I couldn't even tell if I was breathing right.
"Why are you grinning like such an idiot?"
Sunbae saw the look on my face and smiled even brighter.
'Was I smiling?'
I hadn't even realized it.
"You like it that much?"
I nodded, flashing an even dumber grin at her question.
'Hearing that still makes me happy.'
Sunbae's words kept swirling around in my head.
"Still, it's awkward to keep talking here. Let's chat separately after MT wraps up."
I froze for a second at that. She'd been so straightforward, so why hold back now?
"Worried someone might overhear?"
"That too, but we're here for MT, not just to hang out by ourselves."
Unlike Seung-ah or Ahn Soo-jung, Nara Sunbae was the cautious type.
'Sunbae's different from other girls, just like I thought.'
She always came off so calm and warm, giving me this irreplaceable sense of relief and stability that no one else could match.
'A woman who can keep her cool and hold back without losing control.'
It could feel frustrating sometimes, but that unshakable integrity of hers only made me like her more.
I nodded happily. Maybe this was the moment I'd been waiting for all along.
"Thanks for understanding. And thanks for mustering the courage to speak up first, even as the guy."
Sunbae said that, then stepped back a little. She still radiated that effortless poise.
"You seem to be in a good mood?"
Tae-min sidled up to me. His face was etched with obvious unease.
'Is it because I just came back from talking with Sunbae?'
Thinking about it, he'd called Sunbae over earlier, and now she'd done the same to me. No wonder he was antsy.
I scratched the back of my head and played it off.
"Just... the weather's nice today, y'know? The breeze feels refreshing and all."
Tae-min arched an eyebrow and fixed me with a stare.
"So why'd Nara Sunbae call you over?"
I was caught off guard by the directness.
'Curious or not, didn't expect him to just blurt it out like that.'
Even someone as sharp and affable as him couldn't help getting rattled by a crush.
"Calling you aside like that means it's personal, right?"
Tae-min's eyes widened in flustered realization.
"Ah, yeah... Sorry, that was thoughtless of me. You know how I feel about Sunbae... so yeah."
"It's cool. Happens."
If things were clearly done and dusted, telling Tae-min ASAP might soften the blow.
But truthfully, my situation with Sunbae was still murky and delicate.
'We admitted we like each other, but she said we'd talk later.'
No popping champagne yet. Just like I'd folded with Seung-ah, Sunbae could always pull some excuse and turn me down.
"I said it's fine, but... one more thing, if you don't mind. Nothing special going on with Sunbae, right?"
I paused at that.
It hit like a loaded question, but lying felt wrong too.
There was plenty special between Sunbae and me, but nothing set in stone.
'If I hedge here and it works out later?'
Then he'd never buy that nothing happened on MT and we just "somehow" ended up together.
'That'd hurt his feelings even more.'
Why I cared so much about Tae-min's mood? Simple: his mom's hot.
I hesitated, then gave a short reply.
"Not yet."
Tae-min cocked his head.
"Not yet? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Just... dunno yet. Y'know."
I brushed it off vaguely, and Tae-min leaned in, peering at me like he'd caught a whiff of something.
"So you're into Nara Sunbae too, huh?"
"Well, she's got that appeal. Everyone's got a thing for her, right? Same here."
Tae-min eased into a relaxed smile.
"Fair. Would've been weirder if you weren't. Saying no would've made me more suspicious. Thanks for shooting straight."
"...No need to thank me."
"It's not like first dibs wins or anything. Liking someone's natural."
Tae-min just grinned and clammed up, but I couldn't shake the nagging sense that something lingered behind that smile.
As that awkward tension hung in the air, someone hollered at us.
"Hey, Yi Chung-hyun! Choi Tae-min! Get in here! Game time!"
The drinking games had kicked off already.
Last day of MT, and as always, no booze bash was complete without Truth Game.
Everyone nursed their drinks, playfully prying into each other's secrets.
Laughter erupted, the vibe heating up fast.
The questions circled around until they landed on me.
"Chung-hyun Sunbae, anyone here you like?"
The hoobae's question made me freeze. My face burned.
'Saying no here would make it awkward as hell with Nara Sunbae.'
I braced myself and answered.
"Yeah."
The group's energy shifted the instant I spoke.
Peers, sunbaes—everyone went quiet, eyes on me.
"Why the sudden silence? Can't I like someone? It's embarrassing—let's move on."
Nara Sunbae especially stared at me wide-eyed for a beat after my answer.
That look in her eyes felt loaded with something, and my face heated up even more.
Then Soo-jung Sunbae shot me a sly glance with a knowing smirk.
"Chung-hyun likes me, so don't put our Chung-hyun on the spot like that."
"Cocky much after I taught you a few swimming strokes, Ahn Soo-jung?"
Everyone laughed it off as a joke.
But it rocked me inside. My heart skipped.
Seung-ah was smiling faintly my way too. Meeting her eyes felt weird, so I looked away quick.
The mood loosened after that, questions flying everywhere.
But my head was stuck on Nara Sunbae, Soo-jung Sunbae, and Yoon Seung-ah.
Their reactions—like each one thought it was her—wouldn't leave me alone.
'Wanna play it cool, but damn it's tough.'
Soon the drinks took a breather. People scattered for smokes or bathroom runs.
That's when Shin Ji-hee—the hoobae who'd asked me—came over.
"Chung-hyun Sunbae, wanna grab ice cream together?"
"Ice cream? Tae-min brought some; there's leftovers over there."
Ji-hee paused at my reply, her face twisting subtly.
"Sunbae, are you oblivious? Or am I?"
While I blinked in confusion, she piled on.
"Just... let's take a quick walk."
I followed her in a daze.
"I had no idea you liked someone, Sunbae. So you have a girlfriend?"
Ji-hee stared straight at me.
"Secret?"
"Nah, no girlfriend."
She cracked up at that.
"Good enough. I got impulsive 'cause I heard you like someone."
Ji-hee hemmed and hawed before continuing.
"I like you, Sunbae. Bet it's obvious!"
I straight-up froze. Never pegged Shin Ji-hee for the bold-confession type.
"...Huh?"
"Don't play dumb."
"I really had no clue..."
Not even a hint.
"Any signs at all...?"
Ji-hee laughed her ass off.
"For real? So you've been stonewalling me by playing oblivious? Guess I'm the dense one."
I nearly busted out laughing.
"You're bold as hell. Not easy pushing after hearing I like someone."
"No girlfriend yet, so I'll make my shot. Effort might sway you, right?"
She played it light, but her straightforwardness felt refreshing, not pushy.
No bullshit, just real—and it lightened my mood too.
For the first time in forever, I felt like I could drop the act.
"You confessed, so fair's fair—my turn?"
Ji-hee's eyes went saucer-wide in shock.
"Wait, you like me too?"
"Nah, not that... Don't go blabbing this anywhere? Or you're dead to me."
The hoobae gulped hard.
"What is it... You're freaking me out..."
"Promise first."
"Duh! Wouldn't even if I could. Why share my Sunbae's secret?"
I grinned, started to spill, then hesitated. Was this smart?
What if she blabbed?
'No one's gonna buy it anyway.'
She didn't see it herself, and "I heard from him" would sound even fishier.
That sealed it.
I finally voiced the thing I'd been dying to unload on someone.
"Dead serious secret, just for you: I'm a total perv who loves sex and goes nuts for lewd shit... Don't fall for a creep like me and get hurt."
Ji-hee's cheeks pinked up, and she snuck a glance at my pants—obvious as hell.
"Th-that's... Normal! Everyone's into that stuff, right?"
The hoobae babbled on, flustered.
"I-I like it too—is that a crime?"
I raised a brow, feigning total shock.
"For real? Even someone like you? Thought it was just gloomy pervs like me."
"Wh-what're you saying? All girls love it...? Especially with a stud like you..."
I grinned wide, playing tipsy.
"Yeah? Prove it."