Chapter 180: The Reason for the Favor (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 180: The Reason for the Favor (2)
After providing Ha-ni with a comfortable bathroom, I stepped out for a moment to explain the situation to the Academy.
Getting permission to stay at an off-campus facility until the repairs were finished was simple enough. However, the Chairperson caught me afterward, and by the time we finished our long conversation and I returned, dinner time had long since passed.
It felt like a chore to cook something now, so without much thought, I coaxed Ha-ni into the idea that since we were already at a hotel, we might as well make do with the hotel dinner for a day. We both ended up quite satisfied with the high-quality meal.
Up to that point, there hadn’t been any issues.
“…Your cousin wants to see me?”
“Yeah, that’s right. What do you think? Are you interested?”
…We ate the same thing, but I wondered if something strange had been slipped into Ha-ni’s plate alone, because she was starting to say the most bizarre things.
You don’t even have a cousin.
At least, as far as I knew, she didn’t have any relatives she was close with. Her family didn’t even have branch families.
No, honestly, I think I knew exactly what she was thinking.
She probably thought she was maintaining a perfect poker face, but her breathing was ragged, and her face was a bit redder than usual. She was clearly overreaching, planning to show up as her true self.
“You know, back then… when we went on that trip with the Travel Club. You said you met a woman at night. It turns out she’s actually my cousin.”
But you see, Kang Ha-ni. Can you really handle this setup? Are you absolutely sure?
I’m giving you this advice because I’ve been doing a lot of acting lately, but if you try to deceive someone with such a flimsy premise, you’ll get caught in no time.
Actually, wait. Since the person she was trying to deceive was me, she’d already been caught.
In a way, it was a cute, almost pitiful “heroine move” from Ha-ni. So, what was the right answer here?
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly drawn to the idea. No matter how I looked at it, the risk far outweighed the reward.
Well, since it would be just the two of us meeting, let’s say that as long as I didn’t voice my suspicions, she could get away with the mysterious woman not being recognized as Ha-ni herself.
But would it just end with a meal? Definitely not.
If Ha-ni were asking simply out of a desire to liberate her own femininity, I could go along with it with a light heart. But no matter how I looked at her, she had the eyes of someone plotting something.
Walking into a trap laid by someone so obviously scheming? Honestly, unless you were a total idiot, that wasn’t a choice you’d make.
Let’s refuse. It was too dangerous.
“Hey, honestly—”
“Is it… not okay?”
Her gaze wavered as she looked at me anxiously. Her shoulders trembled slightly from the fear that her courageous request might be rejected.
Come to think of it, since I am a total idiot, maybe it was fine.
I see. From the moment she asked, the option to refuse never existed.
That’s really playing dirty. How am I supposed to say no when you look at me like that?
Besides, showing her true self—even if she used the excuse of being a different person—and asking for a date must have been embarrassing for her. It wasn’t something she would have done without significant resolve.
Rationally speaking, refusing was the right thing to do, but I didn’t come back to this life just to live rationally.
“I’ve actually been waiting quite a while for her to buy me that meal.”
At those words, Ha-ni’s face brightened instantly.
Was she really that happy that I fell for it?
To be honest, even now, a part of my mind was scolding me for making such a stupid choice.
“Hey, really? You’re really coming? I’ll contact her right now!”
But when you smile that brightly, what does it matter if it’s a stupid choice or if I’m a fool? As long as you—as long as all of you—can smile, I don’t mind being a fool.
Fine, I’ll play the clown for a bit.
“I didn’t get to see her face clearly last time, but she seemed like a real beauty. Can I get my hopes up?”
So, you’ll forgive me for this much teasing, right?
“Huh? Oh! Of course. She’s… she’s a huge beauty, I’m sure.”
“What’s with the ‘I’m sure’? She’s your cousin, aren’t you two close?”
“Oh, uh! Well, how close can you really be with a cousin!”
Every time I spoke, she looked flustered, as if I were asking questions she hadn’t prepared for. It was cute.
“Is that so? Well, nothing to be done then. I hope she comes out looking pretty tomorrow. You can at least pass that message along, right?”
“Huh!? Oh, yeah. Okay. I’ll… I’ll try asking her.”
Ah, she really is cute. Should I test her and see how much teasing she can take?
“Can I eat something expensive?”
“What do you mean, expensive… I mean, you should ask my Noona that, why are you asking me?”
“I don’t have a way to contact your cousin, and since she’s your relative, I was asking if it would be rude.”
“Ah, in that sense. I don’t know, so ask her yourself when you meet her tomorrow.”
Seriously.
Even the one with the best acting skills among the group is like this. Don’t any of you ever think about trying to con anyone, seriously.
“What are you going to do tomorrow?”
“M-me? I’m going to be training all day tomorrow! You probably won’t be able to reach me until late evening! I’m working on a new technique, so I’m going to keep my smartphone off!”
She was so startled that she rattled off excuses I hadn’t even asked for. It seemed she had worked hard to prepare an alibi.
“Who said anything? Why are you overreacting? Then I’ll just train until dawn tomorrow. Ask her if a lunch appointment is okay too.”
“Yeah, I’ll ask and let you know via text.”
The answer will be ‘okay’ regardless, I’m sure.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Yeah, make sure you get a lot of good food out of her.”
We both smiled, hiding our true intentions.
But Ha-ni, you should know one thing. You’re the one who suggested this, so whatever happens, it’s your responsibility.
* * *
Returning to her room, Kang Ha-ni calmed her racing heart and stepped in front of the mirror.
Good, I succeeded in setting the date.
She had even prepared a perfect alibi—that she would be training as a Superhuman and shouldn’t be disturbed—so there was no chance of him trying to contact her.
“Whew, calm down. If you’re like this already, what are you going to do tomorrow?”
Tomorrow’s goal was strictly to gauge his true feelings, not to satisfy any personal desires. Of course, if the opportunity arose, she wouldn’t mind a little of the latter, but she couldn’t forget her primary objective.
“But he said he thought I was a beauty.”
She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Well, she certainly didn’t have an ugly face. In fact, she was quite pretty. Until now, she had focused entirely on swordsmanship and hadn’t bothered with her appearance, but because she took after her mother, she had often heard that she was naturally gifted with good looks.
Even while dressed as a boy, she was frequently told she was prettier than most girls, so calling herself a beauty wasn’t exactly a stretch, was it?
Still, since he was looking forward to it, she wanted to look even prettier.
Should I try wearing makeup?
She suddenly imagined herself with a face full of products, but she couldn’t quite picture it. She had almost no experience with makeup to begin with, and she didn’t have the confidence to do it well.
What else was there?
“Maybe I should ask what kind of clothes he likes.”
Yes, that would be good.
She hurriedly sent a text, and a reply came back almost immediately.
“…What is this?”
The content of his text was very simple.
[To keep the excitement of the date alive, please make it a surprise.]
“Ah, seriously, let’s just make this easy…! No, wait, what?”
Suddenly, the first word of the text struck her with immense impact.
A date? It was just supposed to be a meal to feel him out and hang out for a bit.
Sure, she was planning to put some effort into her outfit since it was just the two of them, and she had even considered makeup for the first time in her life, but until now, she had never…
Wait, I haven’t?
Come to think of it, there was no way she had.
Of course, they had hung out alone many times. But none of those could be called a date. She had always played the role of his male friend. Even when they went to places that felt like date spots, Ga-eul was usually with them, and she had always gone as a “guy.”
Wait… then is this our first date? Our first date with my disguise off?
Her head suddenly felt hot. She hadn’t thought that far ahead!
“No, what do you mean, ‘date’? Right, So-hyun was just joking. Let’s not overreact. When I show up tomorrow, he’ll probably be wearing his training gear.”
Thinking that made her feel a bit more at ease.
Right, for now, let’s just focus on whether he notices it’s me or not. Everything else comes after that.
“Whew. I need to buy clothes tomorrow.”
* * *
I’ve been thinking lately that maybe I was being gaslit by Seo-ha.
The things Seo-ha told me never to do to other people usually turned out well whenever I actually tried them.
So, tomorrow, I planned to test them out one by one.
I wasn’t sure how Ha-ni would show up, but since she wasn’t coming out just to play either, she’d probably forgive this much experimentation, right?
Since the appointment was for lunch, I figured I’d go get my hair done after training.
* * *
Time passed, and Kang Ha-ni headed to the meeting place with grim determination.
The clothes I spent so much time picking out… they’re okay, right? They don’t look unnatural, do they?
But what if I show up like this and So-hyun is just wearing his normal clothes?
No, it’s fine. I’ll just stick to the story that this is how I usually dress.
The moment she arrived at the meeting spot, she noticed a crowd of people buzzing with excitement.
What’s going on? Is there an event here today?
Fortunately, both she and he had uncommon black hair, so finding him wouldn’t be difficult, but she wondered if they had picked the wrong place to meet.
“Ah, you’re here.”
She almost answered the familiar voice, but since she was supposed to be a stranger, she couldn’t respond so easily.
So, she turned her head with an air of not knowing if he was calling her, and he spoke again in a voice that was slightly softer than usual.
“Um, you’re Han-hee’s cousin, right?”
Well, she could turn around now, right?
But for some reason, it felt like all the buzzing gazes in the area were directed this way.
The moment she turned around, she was genuinely startled.
What? Who is this?
No, it was definitely Kang So-hyun.
But how many people would recognize him as Kang So-hyun at a glance?
His usual scowl was nowhere to be found, replaced by a bright, radiant smile. Despite his usual claim that comfort was king, and his habit of dressing as simply as possible unless there was an event, he was wearing a casual yet stylish outfit that suited him perfectly. More than anything, it looked like he had actually gone to the hair salon he hated so much; he seemed to be glowing.
What? What is this? Why did he come out looking so serious?!
She had come prepared, but her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
Wow… I knew he was good-looking, but when he actually tries, he’s really handsome.
“Oh, did I get the wrong person?”
“Huh!? No! No. I’m Han-hee’s Noona.”
“Ah, thank goodness. I thought I recognized you immediately because she said you looked alike, but when you didn’t answer, I thought I’d made a mistake.”
“Sorry. I was just surprised because you look a bit different from what Han-hee told me. Ah, it was dark so I didn’t see well, but you didn’t have this kind of vibe that day either.”
“I’m meeting the relative of my best friend; I couldn’t just come out looking like I usually do. I tried to put some effort in, but I’m worried because I’m not used to it.”
“N-no. You’re pretty—I mean, handsome. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. Honestly, it’s not like I’m that masculinely handsome anyway.”
“No, still…”
“And besides, no matter how good I look, it’s nothing compared to the person I’m walking with. You’re much prettier.”
“…Huh?”
“I don’t know how you usually dress, but the clothes you’re wearing today really suit you.”
“D-do they?”
“Yes, you’re really pretty. Truly.”
What is this? Why is he being like this today? Is he always like this with women? That’s not what Ga-eul said!
“Wow, what a stunning couple.”
“Ah, I was wondering what was going on. They must be filming a drama. Where’s the camera?”
The people around them were whispering, but honestly, she was so nervous that none of it registered.
“Um, you’re hungry, right? You said it was okay for me to pick, so I reserved a nice restaurant.”
“Oh, yeah. Is that so?”
I don’t even know anymore. Whatever happens, happens.