[English title]
Time passed, and in the end, the match concluded with a victory for my team.
Just as I was thinking we'd played enough billiards and should head out, one person took the first step toward the restroom, and the rest followed in a scurry.
That left me, Yeona noona, and a few others who hadn't gone, waiting outside for the ones who had.
"Jihoon. Jihoon."
"Yeah?"
"How did you manage to melt that ice princess so completely?"
"I don't know, really."
I couldn't say I knew much about how Huila noona usually acted. Still, from what I heard in passing, she was known for coldly shutting down the men who flocked to her beauty. With girls, she was relatively lenient, but she always maintained an invisible wall—no matter what anyone did, crossing it was nearly impossible. The only person who'd ever managed to break through was Yeona noona, and even then, just one person.
So I couldn't really grasp just how different the her everyone else saw was from the her I knew.
"It's seriously bizarre."
Huila noona had been doing her best to keep Yeona noona and me apart, convinced that Yeona was a woman whose heart was pitch-black with cunning. Since the festival about two years ago, this was the first time the three of us had gathered like this, so Yeona noona couldn't stop marveling, imagining the sight of Huila melting like ice cream.
"The others are going crazy too. They said they've never seen her like that—they're acting like she's a completely different person."
She told me how completely opposite her usual demeanor was, then poked me in the side.
"You know what? Even though I kept standing guard by Huila's side and telling everyone she had a boyfriend—you—more than half the guys here still kept charging at her like horny little beasts."
That explained why the men who were supposedly her noona's friends were all good-looking. Well, not as good as me, though.
"You seem to be getting the wrong idea. Anyway, after seeing how Huila was with you earlier, it feels like they're finally starting to give up."
The flower atop an unclimbable cliff. The woman called the ice princess. Now she was laughing brightly, joking around, even getting angry, all while wrapped in some guy's arms. Could they ever turn her heart toward themselves? Could they ever take that place? For about three long years they'd struggled to win her heart, to make her smile, but nothing had changed.
If all their efforts had yielded this result, how could they possibly melt that frozen heart and claim it? It was close to impossible—no, completely impossible for anyone except that single man. So, a bit late, they were finally starting to back off.
"Seriously. Seeing you smile so brightly when you're with him—it's cute and really beautiful."
It was a bewitching charm that could make even another woman fall for you if she wasn't careful.
"Is that so?"
As usual, I didn't really get it. She was always smiling when we were together.
"She smiles brightly whenever she's with you, so of course you wouldn't know. The moment you're gone, she'll probably turn cold again."
Even as her friend, the fact that she still couldn't make Huila's face bloom with laughter made Yeona noona smile bitterly as she spoke.
"I'm just that good."
"Yeah, you're the best."
"I know, I know."
"Haha."
She burst into giggles at my shameless answer, wiping the faint tears from the corners of her eyes with her hand.
"Oh, right."
She suddenly opened her mouth as if she'd remembered something.
"When are you going to keep that promise?"
"What promise?"
"Yeah! The promise!"
"What promise did we make?"
Was I getting forgetful these days? There were way too many promises I couldn't remember. Like that meeting with the president of Daeil Industries. And now this one with Yeona noona. None of it rang a bell.
"Hmph. You forgot? Noona... is sad."
If I didn't know she was acting, it really would have looked like she was heartbroken. I swallowed a dry laugh.
"Stop acting and just tell me. I really can't remember."
"Hehe. Okay!"
She beamed as if nothing had happened, then brought her lips close to my ear and continued.
"The promise to fuck me in front of Huila ♡"
"..."
One thing was certain. I had never made such a promise.
"No way."
"Ah...! Why?! You said you would! You said you would!"
She grabbed my arm and shook it back and forth, throwing a tantrum.
"When did I ever say that?!"
"Well... in my dream, you said that! And you even made the promise with a wall slam pose, all manly!"
"Come on, that doesn't even make any sense!"
"Why not...! Haven't I gotten prettier than before? I've been working so hard to get your attention!"
She wasn't wrong—Yeona noona was way prettier than she used to be. It wasn't just a slim figure; she had flesh where it should be and none where it shouldn't. Her face had also grown more beautifully mature, making her look like a popular girl. If she wanted to date any guy, she could probably do so without much effort. So why was she clinging to me—a man who already had a woman? And her own friend's boyfriend, no less.
"What's not possible is not possible. I'm Huila noona's boyfriend, after all."
I cut her off firmly. How dare she try to seduce Huila noona's boyfriend? I asked if she could even handle the consequences.
Yeona noona smiled as if she'd been waiting for exactly that line, then traced her lips seductively.
"You know... I actually heard everything from Huila."
She licked her lips provocatively as she spoke.
"She said you have other women besides Huila. And that every single one of them is pretty."
"..."
Why did that idiot noona tell someone else about that? And of all people, this one, who should never have been told.
"If Huila said they're pretty, then they're at least on her level, so someone like me probably wouldn't satisfy you. But I don't mind. You can use me occasionally just for fucking, so please include me in your harem too. Hehe."
My head started to throb. Even though I hadn't seduced her, she understood my relationships and still came at me. For a moment I was tempted, but I shook my head firmly. I already had more women than I could handle with just this one body. Plus, there were women I still wanted to get my hands on in the future—I couldn't add any more. And most of all, I'd decided to focus on Huila noona today. I'd been busy with work lately and had spent a lot of time taking revenge on the bastards who harassed Chaeyeon, so without realizing it, I'd neglected noona. I was trying to cheer her up today, so what would it look like if I got tangled up with another woman? It was obvious without even seeing it.
"I'm sorry."
I refused without a moment's hesitation.
"Ugh...! You impotent bastard who can't eat even when food's given!"
She puffed out her cheeks, looking thoroughly sulky, then walked over to Huila noona, who had just come out of the bathroom, and linked arms with her.
"Huila! Let's go!"
She hurried her steps, then turned back and said,
"Bleh~!"
She stuck out her tongue cutely. An elementary schooler wouldn't even do that these days, but it just came across as pretty adorable. I smiled wryly and followed behind the two noonas as we left the billiard hall.
*
We ran around all over the place nonstop until late at night, having a blast. After the sun fully set and our stomachs started growling, we grabbed dinner. Then, to help with digestion, we strolled around and dropped by a game center for some light fun.
"Jihoon can't drink yet, right?"
Just as things were about to get serious, someone suddenly remembered that I couldn't legally drink yet.
"Me? I drink just fine."
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Oh..."
They were planning to go to the highlight—a bar—but couldn't very well take me along.
"Hehe. It's fine."
That was when Yeona noona stepped in.
"I know a bar that's pretty lenient! Besides, even though his face looks young, with him hanging out with us, he looks our age!"
What was wrong with my face that made her say that? I wondered if I'd started looking older, but Huila noona answered my unspoken question.
"It's probably because of his body, not his face."
She nodded knowingly, and only then did I get it. With all the muscle packed onto my frame, I didn't look like a kid anymore—I looked too distant from the average student. They'd probably just think I was an adult with a baby face and a good body.
"So you're coming too?"
Yeona noona must have gotten over whatever was bothering her at the billiard hall, because she naturally linked her arm with Huila's and quickened her pace.
"Hey! He's my boyfriend!"
"Aw~! Between us, what's 'my boyfriend, your boyfriend'!"
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
In the lively atmosphere, we headed toward the bar.
Even though we were of legal age, we still looked young, so an ID check was mandatory. When they checked the IDs of four people who entered first, the part-timer at the bar didn't bother checking anyone else. They figured we were all the same age since we were together. Around this time of year, lots of kids who just turned legal were bringing their friends to bars, so he did a half-hearted check and guided us to our table.
Once we sat down and were laughing and chatting, the food and alcohol we'd ordered arrived. Everyone poured each other drinks.
"Alright... everyone, raise your glasses!"
Someone lifted their glass high.
"Huila, you do it. You."
"What...?"
"A toast! Come on!"
It was already decided that Huila noona would give the toast, and everyone's eyes were on her. She furrowed her brow, sighed as if she had no choice, and said,
"Well... let's live well."
"Let's live weeeeeell!"
In unison, everyone echoed Huila noona's toast and tilted their glasses. The bitter taste of alcohol drew "Keuu~" sounds from all around. The night of these young people, who had just become adults and had longed for this moment, was only just beginning.