Chapter 75: Exam Period (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: Exam Period (6)
How should I even describe this?
— “------!”
Noise buzzed from every direction, and I had no choice but to sit there and take it. I squeezed my eyes shut, if only for a moment.
To put it simply, the situation was a total disaster.
— “------!”
Shin A-young’s mini-me trembled, its lips quivering. Unable to hide its panic, the little figure paced back and forth frantically in the air.
I lightly tapped the real A-young on her shoulder.
“...First, try getting up.”
“Ah...!”
She bolted upright instantly.
“A-Are you okay?”
Realizing she had been sprawled on top of me this whole time, Shin A-young began to break into a cold sweat. Even in this mess, she seemed worried about whether she had been too heavy.
“Yeah.”
I gave a casual nod. But I wasn't the problem. The real problem lay elsewhere.
“...”
It was her father. He had been staring at us in stony silence for a while now.
“...Hello. I’m Lee Seung-ho.”
I started with a greeting. I’d already made a terrible first impression, but I couldn't just keep making it worse by staying silent.
“Right. Are you A-young’s friend?”
He accepted the greeting naturally, but his expression remained unreadable. Unlike the face I’d seen on TV, he looked cold—intimidating, even.
Well, that was only natural. He’d just walked into his own study to find his only daughter in that position with a guy. It would be weirder if he weren't acting like this.
“We’re in the same class. We have a group project to work on together,” Shin A-young stepped in, answering for me.
“...Is that so?”
Shin Jin-seop’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He didn't look like he entirely believed her.
Noticing this, Shin A-young raised her voice.
“T-That just now... I almost tripped, and he caught me. That’s how we ended up like that.”
“In the study?”
“That’s... we were looking for something we needed...”
Shin A-young’s voice trailed off. Even to her own ears, the excuse sounded ridiculous.
“...I see. Are you hurt anywhere?” Shin Jin-seop nodded, looking A-young over carefully.
“I’m fine.”
“And your friend?”
“I’m fine as well,” I answered quickly.
“...Alright. Be careful from now on.”
Shin Jin-seop said he understood the situation and didn't press further, but...
‘...The noise isn't going away, though.’
Shin A-young had calmed down and returned to normal, but Shin Jin-seop’s mini-me was a different story.
— “---------”
His mini-me was still glaring at me with a sharp, piercing gaze.
“...”
I turned my head to avoid the mini-me’s eyes. I felt like the peach drink I’d just had was sitting heavy in my stomach.
“I’ll be inside, so take your time with your project before you go.”
He turned around to leave. It was a kind enough thing to say to his daughter’s friend, but it felt very different to me. The word ‘project’ rang out with particular clarity. It was a clear signal: finish the work quietly and get out as fast as possible.
“Yes, thank you...”
I could only nod awkwardly.
*
Click—
The study door closed. Shin A-young immediately went over and meticulously locked it.
“Phew...”
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief. I thought my heart was going to stop.
“...I thought you said no one was home today...” I shot her a resentful look.
“I didn't know he’d come home this early either...” Shin A-young muttered her excuse.
— “Wow... that really scared me... How could he walk in at that exact moment...?”
Her mini-me clutched its chest and took deep breaths. She seemed just as rattled as I was.
“Whatever. Let’s just finish the project quickly.”
Since things had turned out like this, I just wanted to finish up and get out of here. I moved back toward where I had been sitting.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Shin A-young’s voice spiked.
“...!”
Throb—!
A sudden, sharp pain shot through my arm. Startled, I pulled my arm behind my back. The unexpected sting caught me off guard.
“??”
I looked back to see what happened; Shin A-young was reaching out as if she had just tried to touch me.
“...!?”
Shin A-young gasped and covered her mouth.
— “Oh, no... what do I do? It looks like it really hurts.”
Her mini-me’s eyes shook violently. It wore a dazed, panicked expression.
“Sss...”
I checked the area where I felt the pain.
‘...Is it a bruise?’
I must have hit it hard when I fell earlier. I felt a dull ache in the back of my upper arm. Because of the angle, I couldn't see it properly. As soon as I acknowledged the injury, the pain seemed to intensify. It really stung.
“Let me see.”
She looked at the injured area with a guilty expression. I asked her, “It’s bruised, isn't it?”
“...Wait here. I’ll go get some ointment.”
Shin A-young hurried out of the room. She returned almost immediately, her hair a bit messy as if she’d been sprinting.
“Stay still. I’ll put it on for you.”
She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down. I followed her lead and sat on the floor.
“...It might sting a little.”
“Okay.”
“...”
Rub, rub—
I felt her gentle touch as she applied the medicine. Just as she said, a stinging heat rose from the spot.
“...Sss.”
It wasn't unbearable, but my brow furrowed slightly.
“...”
Shin A-young’s expression crumpled along with mine. She didn't really need to feel that sorry.
“Fuuu—”
She blew softly on the spot. The cool air helped the stinging fade.
“...”
Awkwardness aside, I started to feel a bit strange. Her parents were likely right there in the living room, yet here we were, alone in a locked study doing this. It felt incredibly tense.
“Fuuuuu—”
...But how long was she planning to keep blowing? Amidst the coolness of the air, I felt a strange heat rising.
“...”
Knock, knock—!
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“!”
Startled, Shin A-young scrambled away from me.
“Kids, have some snacks while you work.”
A deep voice came from the other side of the door.
“...”
“...”
We locked eyes for a split second before standing up with jerky, awkward movements. Let’s act like nothing happened. It was a silent agreement.
*
“...Did your friend leave?”
Her father’s voice called out to Shin A-young.
“Yes, he just left.”
Shin A-young returned to the living room with a look of lingering regret. Even though the project wasn't finished, he had left much sooner than expected.
‘That’s too bad...’
She had even been thinking about having a late-night snack with him if the timing was right. The fact that they couldn't do that left her feeling disappointed.
‘I hope he gets home okay.’
She worried that she had only caused him trouble today in more ways than one.
“A-young.”
The deep voice called her again.
“...Yes.”
Shin A-young answered, feeling like the moment of reckoning had finally come.
“...”
Shin Jin-seop hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“When no one is home, I’d prefer it if you refrained from bringing friends over. At least bring them when someone is here.”
His tone was cautious but firm.
“...”
That was... unexpected. She had anticipated him telling her not to bring friends over at all, but to bring them when someone was home? She honestly hadn't seen that coming.
“...Dad, I thought you didn't like running into my friends?”
“It’s fine, so just do that from now on.”
“Okay, I will.”
Shin A-young nodded obediently. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she had essentially been given permission to bring Lee Seung-ho over.
However...
‘Next time, I should go somewhere else instead of the house.’
Now that something like this had happened once, she had no intention of bringing him home again. Lee Seung-ho also seemed burdened by the encounter with her parents.
‘Hmm...’
While Shin A-young was debating where they should meet next time...
“...By the way, he’s not your boyfriend, is he?” Shin Jin-seop spoke up tentatively. He seemed very concerned about that point.
“...”
Shin A-young narrowed her eyes.
“He’s just a guy friend.”
“...It’s okay, you don't have to hide it. It’s not like you’re going to be an actress anyway.”
“I’m telling you, he’s really not. He’s just a guy friend.”
How wonderful would it be if she could just drop the ‘friend’ part? But the reality was that, even if it was a lie, she had to say they weren't dating.
“Hmm, I see.”
Shin Jin-seop’s gaze softened. He seemed somewhat relieved.
“...”
Shin A-young watched him with a pout. She didn't like that reaction at all. What was wrong with Seung-ho? He was quick-witted, handsome enough to draw eyes, and he had a great build. He was top-tier boyfriend material.
“...”
Moreover... when she thought back to the moment she fell from the ladder... when she replayed the moment he caught her...
Thump-thump—
Her heart began to race again. Her face grew warm with a strange heat.
“...”
Shin A-young clenched her fists inside her pockets. If she didn't, she felt like she might start fidgeting right then and there. That was why she was dissatisfied with her father’s reaction.
“...For now, anyway.”
It was for that reason that this small, impulsive protest slipped out.
“Huh?”
Shin Jin-seop wore a puzzled expression at her words. He didn't quite understand.
“I said... for now, he’s just a guy friend.”
With that, Shin A-young ran off to her room as if escaping. As she hurried away, she thought she saw her father’s stunned face in the corner of her vision.
But that didn't matter.
“...”
Shin Jin-seop stared blankly after her, momentarily wondering if he should go out and hunt down the Lee Seung-ho who had just left for home.
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(!Signpost!)
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(Changed clothes & tied-up hair)