Love Jenga
“Game...”
When I took the pad from her, my heart strangely started pounding. Maybe it was the disconnect from the outside world, or perhaps the pad itself carried some inexplicable thrill.
“But, um, I'm not really good at games... is that okay?”
It was a lie. But right now, I was playing the part of a total newbie who had never touched a game in her life. The reason was simple. This time, I'm gonna tease her mercilessly. I'd only been on the receiving end until now. I planned to win big and rub it in her face.
Yoon Yerin, oblivious to everything, guided me to a booth filled with various games. I nearly let a smirk slip out at the sight, but I barely held it back and followed behind her.
The first place we stepped into was a booth for car racing—specifically, a sports car racing game room.
“Have you ever driven before?”
“Ah, no... just a little at the arcade when I was a kid...”
“Then I'll teach you the basics. You just need to handle the steering well, so it shouldn't be too hard.”
Yoon Yerin explained the controls and course, then sat down in her seat.
“No need to be nervous.”
“Okay.”
But contrary to her words, my body began to tremble. It wasn't tension, though—more like exhilaration. Of course, I hadn't seen Yoon Yerin's driving skills yet, but for someone with the title of “discharged private after full service term,” this was child's play.
“It's about to start soon.”
[3]
[2]
[1]
[GO!]
The race finally began. I smoothly accelerated from the start, pulling off a solid launch.
And Yoon Yerin?
When I glanced over after my steady start, I saw her car was a bit messed up. We'd already opened up a 200-meter gap right from the beginning.
“You're doing really well for a first time.”
“R-Really...?”
Her sudden praise nearly made me skid, but in racing like this, a slip-up was as good as game over—especially with a sharp curve coming up—so I quickly regained my pace.
“Handling the curves so smoothly too. Have you done this before?”
“......”
Honestly, at this point, my conscience was starting to prick a little, but the world of competition is ruthless. I had no intention of going easy on her.
But right then—
“What should I do about this?”
I flinched.
“If things stay like this, I'm going to lose, you know?”
The faint smile I sensed from the seat next to me made my body jerk for a moment. Did I imagine it? No way she'd be smiling while losing this badly. I decided it was a misread.
We entered the final stretch. The gap between Yoon Yerin and me was about 500 meters—impossible for her to close unless I messed up big time. Sure enough, the finish line came into view, and I was certain of victory.
Almost there...!
Vroooom—!
Huh...?
But my certainty flipped to uncertainty in just three seconds. Simple reason: Yoon Yerin's red sports car was now right on my tail.
How did she get right behind me...!
I checked her position and belatedly started defending the lead.
“This is tricky. The road's blocked, so overtaking will be hard.”
Yoon Yerin had stuck right behind me successfully, but my ironclad defense seemed to stump her again.
In that case, this is my real last chance...
Determined to seize the win, I activated the booster. In this game, the booster was a one-time-use item—a skill that spiked your speed instantly. A finisher, basically. And I was using it at the most crucial moment.
But—
Whoosh—.
“Eh...?”
“Got you.”
What happened next was unbelievable. In the blink of an eye, the car behind me—Yoon Yerin's—shot past on the side.
“H-How...!”
WINNER: Yoon Yerin
The race reversed in an instant, ending with Yoon Yerin's victory.
“That was fun. I was surprised at how good you were, So-yul.”
I stared blankly at the results screen, dumbfounded.
Lost... just like that... so pathetically...
Frustrated, I glared at Yoon Yerin, but I had nothing to say. It was a pure skill gap, and I'd even been pretending to be a newbie. If it ended like this, I'd go down not just as the loser, but the ugly loser.
“L-Let's go again!”
So I demanded a rematch. This time, no underestimating—I'd play seriously.
But...
WINNER: Yoon Yerin
2 losses.
WINNER: Yoon Yerin
6 losses.
WINNER: Yoon Yerin
14 losses...
No matter how many times I challenged her, I couldn't beat Yoon Yerin.
“...I don't wanna do this anymore.”
“Ah, shall we try another game then?”
“...No, what's the point? It'll just be another 14 in a row...”
After that, munching on snacks from the arcade lifted my mood a bit.
*
Time flew by, and the second night arrived before I knew it. Yoon Yerin and I lost track of time enjoying the games here. Sure, I'd been crushed one-sidedly at first and it pissed me off, but just playing together ended up being fun, so the hours slipped away quickly.
It's evening already?
I checked the clock and stood up.
“Um, I should start preparing dinner now. I'll clean up here too if you leave it as is...”
“Then, how about one last game?”
Just as I was about to get dinner ready, Yoon Yerin brought over the final game.
It was none other than Jenga.
“Jenga?”
“Yes. All the other games can be played solo, but this one needs at least two people, so I haven't tried it yet.”
...Jenga. As everyone knows, it's the game where you pull out wooden blocks from a tower, carefully so it doesn't collapse. With my focus waning now, the outcome was predictable—but the same went for Yoon Yerin.
...Sweaty hair, tired eyes.
In other words, if I concentrated just a bit more, I could win. Determined to claim the one victory I hadn't gotten earlier, I started stacking the Jenga tower.
“Sh-Should you go first?”
We moved to the living room, and the Jenga game officially began.
“Wait, before that, I have a proposal.”
Right before Yoon Yerin pulled the first block, she made an offer.
“It'd be boring to play normally, so how about the loser grants the winner a wish?”
“A wish?”
The word “wish” instantly sparked some naughty thoughts.
“A w-wish is kinda...”
“Why? Thinking something dirty again?”
“N-No, I wasn't!”
“Then, under the condition that I won't ask for anything like that.”
I absentmindedly agreed to the bet.
And so, the first turn truly began. Yoon Yerin pulled out a center block from the bottom layer.
“A safe start, as expected.”
The tower didn't collapse—it passed. Disappointing, but collapses rarely happen on the first go anyway. So, as I reached for a safe spot—
Squish—.
“Hya!”
Something kneaded my breast. It was none other than Yoon Yerin's hand.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
Startled, I pulled away from Yoon Yerin and glared at her.
“What do you mean?”
Her calm reaction made me shrink back instead.
“Y-You touched my breast...”
“Oh, you didn't notice?”
But soon, I understood why she'd done it.
[Knead the chest of the person next to you♡]
“This is Love Jenga.”
“L-Love...?”
Love Jenga. My head filled with the realization that I'd been totally had.
“Th-There's no such thing as Love Jenga...!”
“But I definitely said 'Jenga.'”
“Eek...”
She did say that. But she conveniently omitted the most crucial modifier.
And to act so brazenly innocent about it...
“Oh, you know quitting mid-game counts as a loss, right?”
“......”
“Your turn now, So-yul.”
Maybe because I'd been properly tricked, my hand was shaking. But the water was already spilled.
In that case...
I just need to win, right? No matter what's written on the blocks, Jenga is still Jenga. Victory goes to whoever doesn't topple it with focus. With that resolve to turn the tables, I pulled a block.
“You picked a really risky spot. One wrong move and it'll collapse right away.”
The spot I'd chosen was dangerous, just as Yoon Yerin said. It could've ended the game on the spot if I slipped. But that was the point.
If I keep picking spots like this, it'll end quick...
And it'd make her turn risky too—a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy.
“So, what does it say on that one?”
“......”
But that only holds for normal Jenga. Not when weird stuff like this pops up.
What the hell...
One thought crossed my mind.
“...No helping it.”
“Eh, w-wait, just a sec, don't tell me...”
Can't I skip pulling it...?