Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Confession
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School was finally over, and as if we'd been waiting for it, Na-young and I slipped out together.
"Where are we going?"
We were heading in the complete opposite direction from home, so she asked out of pure curiosity.
"To have some fun."
"What are we gonna do?!"
She'd been sulking because I hadn't told her what we were doing after school all day.
But the moment I said we were going to hang out, her eyes sparkled with excitement, as if the sulk had never happened.
"You'll see when we get there."
"Heehee!"
Now she didn't seem to mind that I wasn't telling her.
"Game center...!"
The place I'd brought her to was none other than an arcade.
Compared to a PC bang, the playtime was short and it cost money, but what I gained was time—and money.
"Wow!"
Na-young's eyes sparkled as she looked around eagerly.
"Basketball! I'm good at basketball!"
She spotted the basketball game and hurried over.
"This one! This one! Ji-hoon, let's play this!"
She was eager to put everything she'd learned in today's PE class to use, urging me to start right away.
"Okay, okay."
The hoop was much lower and closer than the one in the gym, so even Na-young should be able to score surprisingly easily.
I exchanged bills for coins and fed a couple into the machine.
With a loud clamor, the game started.
I wasn't trying to beat her desperately, so I casually grabbed the ball and tossed it haphazardly.
At first, I missed a few, but once I got the hang of it, every shot went in.
In contrast...
"Hiyah! Hah! Urgh! Ah!"
With cute little grunts, she threw the ball with all her might, but despite all the basketball she'd learned in PE today, not a single one went in.
[YOU LOSE!]
"Hng..."
All the time was up.
Na-young's basketball machine hadn't met the goal requirement, so it didn't advance to the next stage.
[YOU WIN!]
I advanced and got one extra chance.
So...
"Wanna try mine?"
I offered it to her, but she was completely deflated.
"Ugh... It's no fun..."
She shook her head, already sick of it.
"Then let's do something else."
"Yeah..."
The next stage started and time kept ticking, but my focus was solely on Na-young.
No point continuing if she wasn't having fun—I needed to find a game she'd enjoy.
"Anything you wanna play?"
"Hmm...!"
Her face brightened instantly, like a fish back in water, as she scanned around with a beaming smile.
She was already pretty and oozing cuteness, so most people sneaking glances at her instead of playing weren't fazed—or maybe oblivious—as she strutted ahead amid the stares.
"Ji-hoon! This one!"
This time, she picked Speed Hockey.
"Hold on."
I selected the machine, popped in some coins, and air blasted out as if on cue.
"Eek!"
Her eyes wide with wonder, she pressed her hand to the air hole, letting out a little moan at the strange sensation.
Once satisfied, she finally grabbed the lever and explained.
"This is the puck. You hit it with the lever and get it into the opponent's goal. Got it?"
"Yeah!"
"You go first."
"Got it!"
Na-young gripped the puck, yelled "Hiya!" with a cute grunt, and smacked it.
It shot toward me fast but circled around without even nearing the goal.
"Here."
Normally, you'd smack it hard at the wall for a bank shot to score, but like I said, winning wasn't the goal.
"Hng..."
Even so, I won again.
"Ji-hoon is too good..."
She pouted, looking frustrated as she spoke.
"Haha. I've played a lot, that's all. You're just new to it. Practice a bit, and you'll beat me easy."
"Ugh."
No matter how much you say she'll win later, losing now wouldn't motivate her.
Her energy and confidence plummeted.
Still, she'd brighten up for each new game, playing it eagerly—only to deflate right after when she got crushed or unsatisfied.
"Whoa!"
Na-young and I were watching a guy stomping away on the Pump machine.
"He's insanely fast!"
Beethoven Virus blared as he relentlessly pounded the pedals—not the work of a newbie.
Definitely a pro.
I, Na-young, and everyone around were captivated, unable to hold back our awe.
"You step when the arrows get close, right?"
"That works, but for perfects, you hit them exactly as they reach the top."
"Sounds hard...!"
"It is."
Hands can be precise, but feet used only for walking suddenly in a game? Tough.
They won't obey at first, stamina drains fast without training, calves ache and give out.
That's why Pump is so hard for average folks.
"Phew."
The guy cleared perfectly, slicked back his sweaty hair, and smiled faintly at the cheers and applause.
"Ji-hoon! Me too! I wanna try!"
Her face full of anticipation, she hopped on the Pump and urged me on, dying to start.
"Alright, alright."
The spectators, eyes wide from the pro's flashy skills, now grinned like proud parents at Na-young.
Word spread about the ridiculously pretty and cute girl playing Pump—even more gathered than for the pro.
No matter how skilled you are, good looks draw more attention.
Explains why girl cams and guy cams will flood the internet streaming platforms soon.
"First time, so let's start easy."
"Yeah!"
She exercised a lot usually, so no big issue, but I picked a really easy level just in case.
First-timers struggle anyway.
But...
"You're better than I thought?"
Even on easy, it's tricky, but Na-young kept nailing perfects steadfastly.
The crowd, drawn by her looks, stuck around, surprised by her skill.
"Done!"
She stomped the last one and looked at me refreshed.
"How was it? How? I'm super good, right?!"
"Whoa... Yeah. You were amazing—I was shocked."
"Heehee! It's fun! Pump is so fun! Ji-hoon, can I do one more?!"
"Of course. But your legs okay?"
"My legs?"
Na-young glanced down at her pale legs.
She tilted her head, lifted and lowered them, wiggled around.
"All good!"
"Then sure."
I glanced at the crowd.
No one waiting, no objections to her going again, so I added more coins.
"That was too easy! Make it harder!"
"Harder? Hmm..."
What makes it hard?
Even easy levels have tough parts sometimes.
Normal difficulty songs can vary.
"That one!"
Na-young shouted while I scrolled.
"This?"
"Yeah!"
It was a song I loved before regressing.
New hit back then, popular in noraebangs.
"It says hard. You sure?"
"I'll try!"
No reason to stop her if she wanted.
I selected it and stepped off.
Intro played, then arrows flooded the screen too fast to track.
Impressive even for me, Na-young followed at first but soon collapsed.
"Waaah... I died."
Game over for her.
Still, the crowd clapped for her effort.
"...!"
Finally noticing the big crowd, Na-young blushed furiously and buried herself in my arms.
"All done?"
"Y-yeah..."
Still not used to all the eyes on her.
"Wanna do something else?"
"Yeah..."
The crowd thinned as I led her away.
A few still stared, mesmerized by her beauty, but no big deal.
"Anything else you wanna do?"
"This time, you pick something you wanna do."
"Me?"
"Yeah. We've only done what I wanted so far."
"Alright then."
I took Na-young to games I'd wanted to try—or ones I'd want to with a girlfriend.
Shooting games, co-op two-player ones, and finally, the punching machine.
This was just to show off my strength.
"Hiyah!"
I punched with full force.
Bam! Huge sound, score shot up fast.
"800! That's crazy high!"
"Eh, about average."
Pretty high for my age, though.
"Wanna try, Na-young?"
"Me?"
"Just grip lightly so you don't hurt your wrist."
"Got it!"
She copied my stance perfectly and threw her punch.
"700—not bad."
"Hng. You got 800."
"Guys and girls are different. But for a girl, that's super high."
"Really?"
"Obviously."
"Hee!"
A little praise, and she beamed like she could fly.
After more games post-punching, the sun was nearly set when we headed out.
"Grab dinner before heading home?"
"Meat?"
"Meat...? Hmm... Yeah, meat it is."
I had a reserved spot, but she wanted more meat, so off to barbecue.
"Meat!"