Chapter 113: Ah, How Can I Resist Cheon Yu-hak’s Birthday Party! (End)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113: Ah, How Can I Resist Cheon Yu-hak’s Birthday Party! (End)
“I seriously can’t do this anymore…”
Screw rom-coms.
I’d managed to slip away using the excuse of going to the bathroom, but my head was spinning like crazy.
At first, I’ll admit it felt pretty good to have people I didn’t even know constantly greeting me while the Professor and the girls kept them at bay. It made me feel important. But after thirty minutes of being stuck in that infinite loop, I felt like I was going to throw up.
“…At least I managed to snag this.”
Contrary to my expectation that there would only be wine or cocktails, I found some canned beer in a fridge in the corner of the hall.
Pshhh.
As I cracked the can open, the familiar foam bubbled up.
Technically, Heroes are legally considered adults, so no one would have scolded me for drinking, but I’d been holding back because I didn’t want to deal with the judgmental stares.
The beer I hadn’t tasted in a long time was still as damn bitter as ever.
I used to dismiss people who talked about it being ‘smooth’ or ‘life being more bitter than the drink’ as total nonsense, yet I’d always joined in whenever the others forced a drink on me.
“Heh, I really thought I’d never touch alcohol when I was a kid.”
I remember the first time I drank soju. I thought, ‘Why do people pay money to drink this bitter garbage…?’ and switched to beer because it was at least slightly more tolerable.
My friends had given me so much crap for that.
They’d made a huge deal out of it, saying the atmosphere was perfect for a drink to celebrate finally becoming adults. Some of them acted like experts even though it was their first time, only to end up puking. Another guy tried to act all cute and ended up twisting his ankle.
The more I tried to recall those precious memories with my old friends, the further they seemed to drift away.
…The memories were blurry.
I could remember what happened and who was there, but strangely, I couldn’t quite picture the people themselves.
Considering it had only been about three months since I transmigrated, this was far too strange.
“No, actually, it’s been like this from the start.”
There were fun guys and annoying guys, but they were all my friends. Yet, it was unnervingly difficult to bring their faces to mind.
The only person I could remember clearly was that author bastard, but even his actual face was starting to get fuzzy.
Maybe if I drank this beer with the same feeling as when I drank with those idiots, I’d remember something.
I drank with that hope, but the only sentiment that surfaced was that beer still tasted like crap.
“Aha, Delinquent! I saw you drinking!”
“Oh, you caught me. How’d you know I was here?”
Ga-eul approached me with a beaming smile.
“Hmm, well, delinquents love places like this. A perfect spot to act all moody and broody alone~”
“First you call me a loser, now I’m a delinquent? If you don’t want to use my name, at least be consistent.”
“Hehe, I’m kidding. I just happened to get lost here once a long time ago. Anyway, that’s not important. I’m going to tell on you for drinking!”
“Go ahead. Cadets are legally adults, so I won’t get arrested for drinking.”
“You’ll have to do me a favor if you don’t want to get caught, though!?”
“Wow, our Butt has gotten pretty shameless, hasn’t she?”
“Don’t call me Butt!”
“You don’t like it? It’s cute. Butt.”
Yeah, it had a nice ring to it, like something you’d want to pat. A plump little butt.
…Wait. Am I drunk?
“Geez. What’s so cute about a butt? I have plenty of other nicknames!”
“It is cute, though. Our cute little Butt. Oh, so cute. I just want to give it a little bite!”
“…Are you drunk?”
Yeah, even you think I’m a bit tipsy, right? Heroes don’t get drunk easily. I must have let the intoxication hit me without clearing it out, hoping the memories would return.
Despite the thought, I drained the rest of the can.
Ugh, gross. It tastes so bad.
Why the hell am I missing this?
“I miss them…”
“Hey, if you get drunk now, what are you going to do when it’s time to dance later?”
“I can’t dance anyway, so this might actually be better!”
“…If you can’t dance, do you want to practice with me now?”
“…Huh?”
“…You’re not going to have your first dance with me anyway. I’ll step aside in front of everyone else, so can’t you let me have this little trick?”
…The buzz I’d worked so hard for vanished instantly.
“Actually, I wasn’t planning on dancing today.”
Whether I liked it or not, everyone probably sensed it the moment I caused a stir with my choice of partner.
That’s why the Elder Sister asked that question, and why Ha-ni was so busy keeping an eye on the other girls.
It was hypocritical of me after the way I’d acted toward Lilac, but I had my reasons.
First, there was the pathetic reason that I wasn’t sure if my feelings were truly mine.
It was true that I felt an attraction, but after seeing the memories beyond the Noise…
Affection and guilt had begun to consume me far too rapidly.
I could accept the affection. It was a feeling that might have developed naturally anyway.
But what was this guilt? Was it right to choose someone when I didn’t even know the source of this guilt?
…I never thought I’d be having the kind of dilemma a rom-com protagonist has.
Secondly, if I chose someone and started dating them, I worried about the others.
The Professor, Ga-eul, and Ha-ni were all showing me favor.
I wasn’t stupid enough to ignore that, but the problem was that all three of them relied on me in some way.
Professor Cathy, according to the System, considered me her most precious person.
It meant she valued me more than herself, or even her younger brother who had died in the past. Would she be able to accept it if I said I liked someone else?
And what about Ga-eul? Ga-eul had only just stabilized, but she was still fragile. What if I started dating someone else? She might suddenly distance herself and become isolated, or in the worst-case scenario, she might even drop out.
Ha-ni was a problem too, though perhaps less so than the other two.
If Ha-ni had truly set her sights on me as a husband, it was a matter involving her family, and given her personality in the original work, I didn’t think she’d give up on me easily.
No, damn it, it feels like this is all my fault.
Anyway, in this situation, I didn’t want to complicate things further with the symbolically significant ‘first dance.’
“How cowardly.”
“…Huh? Did I say that out loud?”
“I can tell even if you didn’t. You’re agonizing between me and the Professor right now. Typical loser behavior.”
…There’s one more besides those two.
“…You called me a delinquent earlier.”
“I’m saying this with everything on the line, so listen carefully.”
“What is it?”
“Have your first dance with the Professor.”
“…I told you I’m not dancing.”
“You know I’m not just talking about the dance.”
Wait, Ga-eul. Hey.
“…Do you really think that makes sense?”
“I’m fine with it.”
“You must have been really shocked by what happened recently. You should get some rest, kid.”
“I’m perfectly fine. And I mean what I said.”
“Fine, let’s say you’re serious. What does it change if you’re the only one who feels that way?”
“A lot. Probably a lot more than you think.”
Have the first dance with the Professor.
That meant her turn would be next.
“I bet the Professor is thinking something similar. That she can’t handle it alone.”
“Wow, Ga-eul, you’re really laying it on thick today.”
“Don’t brush it off as a joke. I’ve watched you, you loser. You’re not the type who can easily reject someone. Do you know how bad that is in a relationship? You should either cut people off clearly or…”
Hey, that’s a bit unfair. It’s not like I’m like this with just anyone.
“Why the wronged expression? Can you guarantee that the number of girls won’t increase in the future?”
I’d like to think so, but honestly, if I include the memories beyond the Noise, I can’t exactly guarantee it.
“See? You can’t answer. I’m going to give up on having you all to myself. I’ll even swallow my pride. Because you’re too much for me to handle alone. If I don’t want to regret it again, I’ll have to share you.”
…Was Ga-eul always like this?
She’s being incredibly aggressive today.
“I don’t have anything, after all.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t have a dramatic meeting with you, and we didn’t have some fated connection. So, I’m just trying a different strategy.”
“And that different strategy is declaring yourself the ‘second’?”
“Exactly. No one else is aiming for that spot yet, so it’s a blue ocean. Being the second in a harem is a pretty good save.”
I’d only seen her acting all mopey lately, but then I remembered.
Kim Ga-eul.
Her innate C-rank talent was Incitement.
She was a strategist and a schemer who had once used her silver tongue and abilities to isolate Lilac in the Academy.
In a way, this strategy was perfectly like her—using her talent to make total nonsense sound perfectly reasonable.
“And isn’t it a classic rule that the second gets to be the dance practice partner before the first?”
Damn it, I almost got persuaded for a second. This is driving me crazy.
* * *
Needless to say, I didn’t dance.
I just gave Ga-eul a flick on the forehead.
Harem? What harem?
Lately, I’d been acting like some kind of ‘sweet guy’ because of my memories, but that didn’t mean I was about to proudly shout that I was pursuing a harem.
Who the hell does that?
“Why is no one accepting my request to dance…!”
Ah, there is one right in front of me. Woo Jae-hee, you bastard.
Would you want to dance with a guy who has a clear priority list and asks every pretty stranger he sees?
His rugged face and physique are his only charms, so why is he trying to pick up women with moves that would look cringey even if Cheon Yu-hak did them?
Oh, damn it, we made eye contact.
“Don’t look at me with those eyes, human…!!!”
After spouting some incomprehensible nonsense, he lowered his voice and asked another woman to dance.
And surprisingly, that woman nodded with a shy face.
Wow, the world is truly insane. No, wait. I guess if you stick to your guns no matter what, you’ll eventually succeed at something.
Impressive. Truly.
[The ball’s dance time is about to begin. Please feel free to dance once the music starts.]
…But is this how a ball is supposed to work?
How would I know? It’s not like I’ve ever been to one.
The schedule they handed out said there would be a break and more conversation time after the first dance, followed by a second dance time.
And then dinner after that.
Even though a total mess was probably unfolding outside, just how much money did they sink into this?
Click. Clack.
I heard footsteps.
They were hesitant, so I was slow to notice, but soon the click-clack grew closer.
“So-hyun.”
Ah, I shouldn’t look. I really feel like I shouldn’t look.
Despite the thought, my body honestly turned its head.
As if resisting that voice wasn’t even an option, my gaze naturally shifted to find the owner of the voice.
Cathy.
She was already beautiful, but dressed up to the nines, she possessed a magical allure that commanded the attention of everyone around her.
…She looks strangely similar.
At first, I thought it was just the voice, but her aura was similar, and her actions were similar.
Though the Professor is obviously much more beautiful.
“They say it’s time to dance soon. So, So-hyun…”
Whenever she used to try to make a promise with me in the past, I would search for traces of someone else in my mind.
She blushed and carefully reached out her hand to me.
“Would you give me the honor of the first dance?”
The Professor’s first dance partner. It was an attractive offer. Everyone would be jealous.
However, I hesitated to take her hand.
I had a feeling it would turn out like this.
— What’s the first thing OO-ie wants to do when you become an adult?
Ah, right. Yeah. No. She’s just someone who looks like her.
She’s a character modeled after her, so it’s only natural they look alike.
“So-hyun.”
She always calls my name so softly.
Even though she must be anxious, she acts as if she won’t force me.
“Look at me.”
That attitude was so moving and so nostalgic that I always seemed to grow weak in front of her.
After acting like I wouldn’t have a first dance at all, my resolve wavered so easily now that I was standing before her.
“I’m really bad at dancing, you know?”
“I’m not that good either, so we’re in trouble, aren’t we?”
As if enchanted by her smile, I reached out to take her hand just as the music began to play.
A captivating melody that perfectly suited a dance.
“Huh? What? This isn’t the song we prepared.”
But the moment someone said that…
“Welcome, everyone! To the world of dreams.”
Before our hands could meet, the world inverted.