Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Saturday #4
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Quietly sitting across from each other in the cafe, the two of us just sipped our coffee without a word.
Seeing Hong Yeonseo avoiding my gaze, I let out a deep sigh.
I wasn't sure if she was still upset or just embarrassed, but either way, it felt right for me to break the ice first.
I started laying out the story I'd sorted through in my head.
"Huu. That call earlier? It was from Jiu."
"...What? Yoon Jiu?"
Hong Yeonseo, who'd been dodging my eyes, suddenly snapped her head around to stare at me.
"Yeah."
"What did he say?"
"Ha. Well, you see..."
I ended up telling Hong Yeonseo everything about my conversation with Yoon Jiu.
Jiu, I'm really sorry.
I just had this feeling that if I didn't tell her, something bad would happen. No choice.
Forgive me this once, buddy.
If I hadn't been honest right then, I never would've stopped Hong Yeonseo from walking away.
Her expression shifted with every word I said.
Finally, when I wrapped up, she let out a hollow chuckle.
"So, let me get this straight. You thought Yoon Jiu likes me, and you didn't want him getting the wrong idea about us, so you were gonna head home?"
"Yeah."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hong Yeonseo was floored.
First off, Yoon Jiu's intentions were so blatantly obvious.
And that pissed her off too.
Did I look that easy to you?
She ground her teeth.
Wasn't it crystal clear? He'd confessed to Lee Sea just yesterday, got shot down, and now here he was, coming at her like this.
She'd always seen him as a friend.
Whether it was the rejection shock or he'd always been this way, the guy seemed off now.
Hong Yeonseo glanced at her phone. She wondered just how many messages from Yoon Jiu had piled up since morning.
She suddenly wanted to hear from Soyun or Yurin too.
About whether Yoon Jiu was hitting on them.
But she pushed all that aside for the moment.
First, she needed to cool off and say what she had to say to Seo Ijin.
"Ijin."
"Yeah."
"I knew Jiu had those feelings for me."
Truth be told, she hadn't known until just now.
He'd only started coming on strong since this morning—it was annoying, sure, but guessing his full intentions? Tough.
She never imagined he'd be messaging her with those motives right after yesterday's mess with Sea.
She hadn't known, but this was her chance to offer Ijin a little comfort.
Besides, with Yoon Jiu's intentions laid bare, claiming she'd known all along wasn't a big stretch.
"...Really?"
Seo Ijin looked totally stunned.
"Yeah. So don't feel guilty just because you told him you thought he liked me. And forget about misunderstandings or whatever. I was the one who wanted to hang out with you today, right?"
"That's true, but... if Yoon Jiu likes you, and I'm out with you..."
What's the problem with us hanging out?
"Ijin. Remember the homework I gave you this morning?"
She couldn't hold back anymore while listening to him and cut in.
Ugh. I wanted you to figure it out yourself.
Or at least... make it more romantic.
No holding back now.
"...Yeah."
She fixed him with a determined stare.
"Then let's solve it now. I'll lay out all the hints for you. Everything I just said."
I came out alone with you even knowing Yoon Jiu likes me.
I don't give a damn if Yoon Jiu misunderstands things between us.
She ticked off her fingers one by one, speaking deliberately, her face growing hot.
Way too obvious hints.
Finally, the way Seo Ijin looked at her shifted, step by step.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "No, I mean... if Yoon Jiu likes you, and I'm hanging out with you..."
I was trying to say that us together might look like a misunderstanding to Yoon Jiu.
That's when Hong Yeonseo cut me off.
"Ijin. Remember the homework I gave you this morning?"
Her tone was subtle, pulling me into thought.
Homework... right, she'd asked why she dressed up so nice today.
I took her in fully.
Red hair cascading softly over her shoulders, swaying gently.
Her white cotton tee hugged her figure, the red blooming like flowers in a way that burned into my eyes.
"...Yeah."
I swallowed to wet my parched mouth, my reply coming a beat late. No clue if she noticed.
She picked up from my answer.
"Then let's solve it now. I'll lay out all the hints for you. Everything I just said."
I stared hard at Hong Yeonseo as she counted them off on her fingers, explaining each one.
The more she spoke, the brighter a possibility I'd ignored until now began to glow.
...This is what I think it is, right?
Your flushed face too.
Her coming out with me despite knowing Yoon Jiu liked her.
My stalled brain finally spun toward one clear answer.
"Do you get what the answer is now?"
I caught sight of her cheeks, bright red.
That sealed my conviction.
I met her eyes with mine.
"...Yeah."
Seems like...
This girl likes me.
......What do I even tell Jiu?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ With everything out in the open, a little distance had opened up between us.
Reason? Embarrassment.
I ran a hand over my face.
Ever since her not-quite-confession—feeling her feelings hit me head-on—it'd been impossible to look at her straight.
...Seemed mutual on her end too.
After that, our casual outing turned into something soft and fuzzy.
Hong Yeonseo didn't push me for a response about her feelings.
Hell, when I tried to say something, she'd shut me down.
"Anything you say right now won't mean a thing or come from the heart. Think it over first, then tell me."
She had a point.
I hadn't even considered this angle until midday today.
Telling her I liked her back out of the blue? That'd just be laughable.
We both knew it.
So we fumbled through the time awkwardly until early evening, when I walked her to the school gates and headed home.
I promised dinner next time, and only then did she smile and wave goodbye.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I did it. I freaking did it.
I'd planned to make some headway today somehow...
But Yoon Jiu's drama piling on top? I accidentally spilled something confession-like.
Normally, oblivious Ijin never would've cracked my homework.
That moment of frustration? I overdid the hints.
Beyond spoon-feeding—I straight-up shoved the food in his mouth.
"Idiot... moron..."
Muttering self-directed curses, Hong Yeonseo rolled herself tight in the blanket.
Now she looked like some desperate fool ditching all pride to cling to him.
Original plan: Get Ijin to confess first.
But around him? Heart control went out the window.
Happy? Laughter exploded.
Sad? Tears welled up.
Angry? Face gave it away.
Frustrated? Had to fix it, somehow.
Idiotidiotidiotidiot... No, hehe. Good job, Yeonseo...
In the end, Seo Ijin knew she liked him now.
Before anyone else.
Not the direction she wanted, but she'd claimed first by sheer force.
"Hyaat!"
Embarrassed to death, Hong Yeonseo kicked the blanket off.
Her roommate caught her cycling through manic laughs and tears like some bipolar episode before bailing from the room. Her antics dragged on.
Once she quieted, a task popped into her head.
"Still... gotta tell the others, right?"
Ijin's oblivious, sure, but sharp as hell. He'd pick up on the other girls' feelings soon enough.
Monopolizing him solo? Impossible.
More greed would just poison things.
Anyway, time would reveal the shift between us to them.
He wasn't the type needing everything spoon-fed for stuff like this.
As the first spark to make him aware of feelings, Hong Yeonseo was plenty satisfied.
She poked her head out, grabbed her phone.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back home, I grabbed a glass of ice water and sank into the massage chair.
Head cooling, thoughts deepened.
One nagging idea since learning Hong Yeonseo's feelings.
Reviewing everything from start to now.
Deja vu kept hitting.
...About how the other girls had been acting.