Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Seong Yurin #3
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Meeting Yoon Jiu and Lee Sea, I felt three emotions.
First, the embarrassment of having shown them Seong Yurin and me alone together.
Second, the realization that even in places I didn't know about, the two of them had been steadily progressing their affection events.
...And finally, a small, unpleasant feeling echoing in my heart for some unknown reason.
I pushed aside that last emotion as best I could and smiled at them.
"What a coincidence, running into you like this."
Lee Sea met my eyes with a gaze that seemed somehow anxious, trembling faintly.
Yoon Jiu glanced at her before turning his eyes to me and speaking.
"Yeah, total coincidence. You two on a date too?"
Before I could deny his words, Seong Yurin spoke up from beside me.
"Yeah. We are."
...Excuse me?
Lee Sea stared at Seong Yurin with a dazed expression upon hearing her words.
It was like the face of an emperor stabbed in the heart by a trusted vassal.
...Was my face probably the same right now?
I looked at Seong Yurin and continued.
"Uh... It's not really a date, is it?"
"Huh? I asked you out on a date at the start, didn't I?"
"Well, yeah, you said that, but..."
I wanted to say, 'That's not the same thing at all!'
But seeing Seong Yurin's innocent, clueless expression, I couldn't bring myself to say it.
"The movie's about to start. Let's grab some popcorn and head in quick."
Seong Yurin grabbed my arm and pulled me along powerlessly to the snack counter, where we got in line.
Yoon Jiu, who had been ahead of us in line, boldly ordered a couple's set.
He got smacked by Lee Sea standing next to him the moment he did, but grinning ear to ear, he picked up his popcorn and cola and walked off.
Lee Sea kept glancing back at us as she dragged her reluctant feet to follow him.
Once they were gone, Seong Yurin regained her composure, and we placed our order.
Of course, we didn't get the couple's set.
We each held a small popcorn and headed into the theater.
"Here."
Once inside, we found our seats following Seong Yurin's lead.
....
Did this make any sense?
Right next to our seats sat the prior arrivals.
Yeah, those two we'd run into earlier.
"Oh. You guys watching this too?"
"Ahh..."
Yoon Jiu's laid-back voice contrasted with Lee Sea's, which sounded utterly deflated.
Seong Yurin sat down next to Lee Sea and spoke in a tone full of wonder.
"Yeah, 'what a coincidence.'"
Her usual icy face was replaced by one that seemed amused somehow.
A little while after the movie started, Lee Sea and Seong Yurin suddenly stood up together and left the theater.
"Gotta take care of something."
"Huh? Oh. Sure."
Did girls always go to the bathroom together?
Beyond the empty seats they'd left, I could see Yoon Jiu's dumbfounded face.
Yoon Jiu and I exchanged glances for a moment before turning our eyes back to the screen.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "This was all your doing, wasn't it?"
Lee Sea bit her lip hard and glared at Seong Yurin.
Her intensity was fierce, but Seong Yurin took it all without flinching.
"No idea what you're talking about."
Seong Yurin looked down at her impassively, her expression unchanged.
"You kept pushing Jiu to ask me out today. And you showed up in front of us with Ijin, pretending to be a couple. Right?"
Lee Sea's fists clenched tight, her eyes growing misty.
Seeing that, Seong Yurin realized her plan had gone off track.
She hadn't expected Lee Sea to catch on so quickly. Was it a sloppy plan after all?
Or had she slipped up on expression control in her joy at the plan's success?
Maybe Yoon Jiu had been too awkwardly insistent about today's date.
She thought she might have needed to approach more cautiously.
If this mistake ruined her relationship with Lee Sea, it would mean the end of their friendship too.
So Seong Yurin confessed calmly.
She figured it was better to seek forgiveness than make excuses after the fact.
"...Yeah. It was me."
"Why!? Why!?"
"Because I wanted to set you up with Yoon Jiu."
Lee Sea murmured softly upon hearing Seong Yurin's words.
"I... I like Ijin."
"Yeah. You like Seo Ijin."
The moment she said it, Lee Sea stepped right up to her, face full of anger.
"You knew that and still...!"
"But Yoon Jiu doesn't not like you at all, does he?"
"No! Maybe back then, but not anymore."
There was no lie detectable in Lee Sea's firm denial.
Seong Yurin frowned.
She realized her assumption had been wrong.
"...Yoon Jiu likes you."
"That's..."
Lee Sea lost her momentum and couldn't press on strongly.
Yeah, she knew it too. Yoon Jiu's feelings for her.
As Lee Sea deflated, Seong Yurin relaxed and spoke to her.
"Sigh. Yeah, sorry. ...I thought you were torn between Yoon Jiu and Seo Ijin."
"You thought I was some awful girl who would do that?"
"N-no, not like that. Objectively, both Yoon Jiu and Seo Ijin are undeniably attractive guys. I can see now my shallow thinking was wrong just looking at you."
Seong Yurin realized that no matter her plan, Yoon Jiu and Lee Sea's relationship was doomed anyway.
Unrequited feelings usually went unreturned.
After pouring out their emotions, the two leaned against the wall, exhausted.
"Haa..."
Lee Sea's face showed complex feelings.
Seeing her, Seong Yurin felt the guilt she'd been ignoring bubble up inside.
Yeah, I did something awful, deliberately trying to drive a wedge between Lee Sea and Seo Ijin.
Seong Yurin's head throbbed.
It was the worst plan, the worst outcome.
Noticing her self-reproach, Lee Sea turned and looked at her.
"Today... let's just watch the movie and go our separate ways. Tomorrow, lunch period. We talk then."
"...Yeah. Sorry."
Lee Sea left first, leaving Seong Yurin with a hollow expression.
'I went and did something this stupid again.'
Seong Yurin's mask cracked, tears spilling out.
Feeling her makeup smudge, she turned to head back to the women's restroom to fix it.
"Why are you crying?"
"...Ah."
The pleasant low timbre pierced Seong Yurin's ears.
She turned to see him slowly approach, gently wiping the tears from her eyes with his warm hand.
The tears Seong Yurin had been holding back burst forth uncontrollably.
Because his careful pats on her back as he held her felt so tender.
Because his embrace was so warm.
Because that warmth, that comfort, felt so vivid.
Seong Yurin's tears flowed endlessly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ What the hell was going on?
Lee Sea and Seong Yurin had been gone too long, so I'd gotten worried something happened and come out to check.
I spotted Lee Sea heading back to the theater with a complicated expression.
She walked head down and missed me entirely, so we passed each other by.
I went looking for Seong Yurin.
After all, she was the one out with me today. Lee Sea would have Yoon Jiu looking after her once she got back to her seat.
A short distance away, in the rest area by the restrooms, I found Seong Yurin with tears welling in her eyes.
Something had definitely gone down between her and Lee Sea.
I approached carefully and pulled a few tissues from the dispenser in the rest area, dabbing at her eyes.
If I were some suave guy who knew how to handle a girl's heart, I'd have pulled a handkerchief from my pocket. What a lame showing.
Seeing me, Seong Yurin suddenly burst into full sobs and threw herself into my arms.
Her scent enveloped me up close.
"Sorry... Sorry. I'm sorry..."
Whatever she was so sorry for, she buried her crying face deeper into my chest to hide it.
All I could do was pat the back of the crying girl like one would a child.
After sobbing in my arms for a while, Seong Yurin cautiously lifted her head to meet my eyes.
Even with her eye makeup slightly smudged, her flushed face was still beautiful.
"Ugh. I-I... gotta go to the bathroom for a sec..."
She looked at me briefly, then slipped out of my embrace, rummaged in her bag, and headed to the restroom.
She must have noticed her makeup was messed up.
All that remained where she'd been was her lingering fragrance, hovering around me.
Realizing we weren't finishing the movie anymore, I plopped down on the sofa to wait for her.
Seong Yurin emerged soon after fixing her makeup, but she couldn't meet my eyes.
I didn't pry or ask what happened as she stared at the floor, head hung low.
We just sat side by side on the sofa, the armrest between us.
Silent, simply feeling each other's presence.