Chapter 63
Chapter 63
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Operation G #1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The opportunity came faster than I expected.
No, more precisely, it wasn't exactly an opportunity—Yoon Jiu came to me first, saying he had something to talk about.
Since I had business with him anyway, it worked out perfectly.
We managed to carve out some time to talk at length during gym class, just the two of us.
And so, Yoon Jiu and I faced each other alone.
How long had it been since we'd talked like this?
Come to think of it, Lee Sea had always been the bridge between us.
I was an indoor type, and Yoon Jiu was all about the outdoors, so that made sense.
Usually, guys are closer to other guys, but somehow it hadn't worked out that way for us.
That's why even facing each other like this felt like ages.
We went through the motions of a casual badminton game as we started talking.
We kicked off with small talk about everyday stuff, chatting about nothing much, until Yoon Jiu finally got to the point.
"Hey. Which one do you like the most?"
"...What kind of question is that out of nowhere?"
Thwack—
In the midst of the rally, Yoon Jiu laid his cards on the table.
"Are you really clueless, or just pretending?"
Of course, I wasn't completely in the dark.
I'd just dodged it awkwardly because I had nothing good to say.
It was the most indecisive option out of all the choices, but when he suddenly asked which of the four I liked best, I hadn't even thought about it yet.
As I stayed silent, just swinging my racket, Yoon Jiu nodded like he got it and grinned.
"Is that how you played it to snag all four?"
......
Something about the way he said it rubbed me the wrong way.
Sure enough, when I looked at Yoon Jiu, he was squinting at me with half-narrowed eyes.
"That thing with you and Hong Yeonseo on Saturday—was that to mess with me?"
"Not at all. It was just a promise from before."
The meeting itself had been set up the night before.
But that had nothing to do with Yoon Jiu.
Speaking of Hong Yeonseo, something I'd been wondering popped into my head, so I asked him.
"Since you brought up Hong Yeonseo... You like her, right?"
Yoon Jiu answered without hesitation.
"Yeah. So I'd appreciate it if you backed off a bit."
He was blatantly showing his discomfort.
I could understand that. No guy likes seeing another dude hanging around the girl he likes.
"...Didn't you say you like Lee Sea too?"
"And?"
Yoon Jiu came back shamelessly.
No, was that attitude natural?
This wasn't your average world.
If feelings were mutual and you had the skills for it, dating multiple women wasn't something people frowned upon.
Maybe I was still stuck in my old way of thinking.
...Still, that attitude felt a bit off.
I missed the shuttlecock while lost in thought and served again.
"I get that you like them. But don't you think it only works if the girls feel the same way too—not just you?"
What was I hoping to get out of this talk with him?
For Yoon Jiu to cleanly back off?
Or maybe to confirm my own wishy-washy feelings.
"Are you messing with me? Saying they like you, not me?"
"That's not what I meant."
As I denied it, another fact came to light.
He knew it too, after all.
Apparently, I was the only one in our circle who hadn't realized.
"You're not even interested in dating anyway. Just tell them you're sorry once."
Yoon Jiu rattled it off without a change in expression.
As I kept listening to him, a question arose.
"...Were you always like this?"
He seemed fine at the start of the semester.
He'd always been the outgoing popular type, but now he felt a little twisted somehow...
His head seemed filled with outright self-centered thinking.
Had he turned dark after realizing the girls' feelings weren't all directed at him?
They say quiet guys go bad—maybe it was the crowd he hung with.
But he'd mostly stuck with us, even if he was friendly with everyone, so it wasn't like he'd picked up bad habits from the class...
Wait, unless it was the club...
Yoon Jiu cut off my thoughts.
"Anyway, what's your answer?"
"...Like I'd say something like that to them. And I don't even want to."
I'm a coward, sure, but I'm not an idiot.
And while I felt bad for this guy who liked them,
I'm a guy too, so it's only natural my feelings lean that way.
He snatched the shuttlecock irritably at my words.
"Fine, whatever. I wanted to stay good friends with you, but oh well."
"What kind of friend are you looking for?"
He didn't answer my question.
He just tossed the shuttlecock aside and walked off.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After school.
I headed to the clubroom with complicated thoughts swirling in my head.
I had no idea what Yoon Jiu might do next.
Friendships are tricky. Even more so when girls get thrown into the mix.
The real problem was there was no way to fix it fundamentally except for Yoon Jiu to change his mind.
It wasn't easy for me to take the lead and resolve things.
Even today, after our talk, Yoon Jiu didn't show any big changes.
The others just tilted their heads a few times, sensing the slightly off vibe.
I wasn't planning to do anything to him unless he made the first move...
But I needed to keep an eye on the others to make sure nothing felt weird.
The Yoon Jiu I knew wouldn't do anything bad to them, but he was starting to change into someone I didn't recognize.
This was all just butterfly effects I'd brought on myself, in the end.
Lost in thoughts about our tangled relationships, I'd already reached the clubroom door.
Come to think of it, I hadn't even sent a single greeting message since the holiday started.
It'd only been four days, but it felt like forever.
That vibe must've affected me, because I knocked lightly on the clubroom door.
Slowly opening it revealed a brightly lit interior.
"Junior! Did you enjoy your holiday break?"
"Hey. Ijin. Long time no see."
A familiar girl in black and white was inside the clubroom.
Vice President and Treasurer weren't here yet, huh.
I stepped inside.
"Hello."
I bowed my head slightly and sat near the two enjoying tea time.
"How was your holiday, you two?"
"Yeah. I was a bit busy, but I got some good rest."
"I just stayed home the whole time...."
Yuseol must be an indoor type like me.
Home really is the best.
"What about the other two? Are they watching anime?"
The president tilted her head at my question.
"Who knows? They're both running a little late."
I got up, poured myself a cup of tea, and came back.
"Oh? Green tea today?"
"Uh, yeah. Something like that...."
The president eyed me like it was unusual.
And it was—I usually only made hot chocolate.
But today, sweets just didn't appeal. Maybe because of all the worries.
We'd been enjoying tea time as a trio for a bit when
I was thinking maybe I should sketch something—sudden clattering noises came from outside, and the door burst open.
The vice president and treasurer came in together, each hugging a familiar box.
I set down my tea and quickly took the heavy-looking one from them.
This must be that thing inside...
"Heh heh heh. It's finally here!"
The president jumped up and clapped her hands sharply.
But surprisingly, no one paid her any mind.
"Hope you all had a good holiday, seniors?"
"Oh, yeah. Long time no see."
The four of us exchanged greetings while moving the boxes.
The president, who'd been ignored out of the blue, pouted and went to her own box.
"We got stopped on the way this morning, and Student Guidance took it. Took a while to get it back."
I'd figured they'd just store it roughly in the clubroom.
Guess they took it home over the break.
They might look like they just watch anime all day, but they get their duties done properly.
Once the boxes were sorted, we gathered around the president.
"Alright! Time to start the briefing!"
The president whacked the whiteboard the treasurer had brought—using some wooden stick from who-knows-where.
Hmm... Actually, it might've been in the darkroom.
"Come on, junior! Pay attention! You're the most important person here."
Whoops, got caught zoning out.
I looked up at the whiteboard.
As the president's hand flipped it with a whoosh, it was covered in writing.
<Granpia Cosplay Festival Strategy Meeting>
When did she prepare that?
Even though it was clearly written with a whiteboard marker, the lettering was stylish and elegant.
"And now... the briefing for Operation G begins!"
......For the record, "Operation G" wasn't written anywhere on the whiteboard.