Chapter 103
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103
Dokyun felt a knot of tension tightening in his stomach.
It was to be expected. Every word he’d heard about her had been laden with ominous meaning.
The system’s number one troublemaker. Go Eun-sam’s mentor in all things internet-related.
She hadn’t been mentioned often, but the few times she was, it was enough to know she wouldn’t be easy to handle.
He should have been prepared for her to appear now that spring had arrived, but he’d been so preoccupied with Eun-ah’s condition that he’d completely forgotten about her.
What should he say? How should he act?
As he swallowed his nerves, a voice broke the silence.
“Honey?”
She spoke.
He flinched.
That single word. Right from the start, this was going to be difficult.
“Y-Yes…”
Dokyun answered, his voice trembling. Seeing him shrink back as he replied, she let out a giggle before climbing onto the bed, stroking his cheek as she continued.
“Why are you so tense? It’s cute.”
Flinch—.
His body went rigid at the touch of her hand on his cheek.
His trembling gaze met hers, and seeing the bewitching smile she wore, Dokyun forced an awkward laugh.
“Ha, haha…”
His eyes darted back to the wall.
How could he not be flustered by this level of physical contact from their very first meeting?
As he stewed in the awkward atmosphere, he heard her let out a soft, humming sound. “Hmph.”
“If you act so awkward…”
As she spoke, Dokyun felt her hand slide down from his cheek. He shuddered, and she finished her sentence with a crooked smile.
“…it makes me want to have naughty thoughts.”
Dokyun felt goosebumps prickle his skin as her hand brushed lightly over his collarbone.
“I-I’ll get up!”
With that, he shot up from the bed. He practically fled to the door, gasping for breath. Watching him, she giggled again.
“Shall we get something to eat, then? I’m hungry.”
“Yes, yes!”
He seized the suggestion, nodding vigorously before quickly opening the door and heading for the kitchen.
After stomping his way to the kitchen, Dokyun watched her emerge from the room with a leisurely gait and felt another shiver run down his spine.
He felt like a frog cornered by a snake.
Her gaze was far too predatory. It was a different breed from the gloomy aura Eun-ah constantly exuded.
This was something more ferocious. If he had to make a comparison…
‘A… a Golden Sun…?’
A blonde, tanned delinquent. The term seemed to fit. The quintessential adulterer, a stock character in all sorts of adult media.
The nemesis of men everywhere, who cozies up with sweet whispers to sway a person’s heart, and in the end, molds their lover into a body that can’t live without him before stealing her away.
As the thought crossed his mind, he saw her take a seat at the dining table and flash him a playful smile. The tension in his body returned in full force.
“Honey, could you make me some breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am…!”
Dokyun answered stiffly and scrambled to hide behind the kitchen counter.
This was a crisis.
The second crisis of fidelity in the thirty-two-year-long life of Chae Dokyun, a man of pure and devoted love.
*
Later that afternoon, Dokyun got ready to go out, replaying the morning’s events in his mind.
For some reason, she seemed to have taken a liking to him.
Though they had just met today, she treated him as if they’d known each other for ages.
The question lingered, but he had no time to dwell on it.
She had spent the entire morning wearing him out with her relentless, troublesome teasing.
Her constant gaze. Her bewitching laugh. The subtle, yet frequent, physical contact.
She seemed to enjoy his reactions to her actions, which could easily be mistaken for seduction.
She had a truly wicked personality. Every time he flinched, her shoulders would shake with laughter. And if he glared at her, she would feign innocence and immediately start teasing him again.
He eventually realized that her actions weren't born from any genuine romantic interest. Her demeanor was far too light for that.
If he had to guess, she was simply enjoying his flustered reactions.
She was careful to toe the line, never going far enough for him to tell her to stop. She was a master of brinkmanship; the moment he looked ready to say something, she would clam up and flash a bright, innocent smile.
Ignoring her would have been the simple solution, but that wasn't easy either.
He would resolve not to react, only to find himself, moments later, already reacting to her antics.
In a way, it was inevitable. No matter what, she was still Eun-ah.
Though her clothes and behavior were so different they created a sense of dissonance, he could still see traces of Eun-ah in her.
Things like the faint calluses on her fingers or the subtle warmth he felt from her body.
Even though she was a separate, independent ego, the body she used to play her pranks was ultimately Eun-ah’s, and that created this strange phenomenon.
The only saving grace was that she wore perfume, giving her a different scent than usual. If not for that, the addition of Eun-ah’s natural scent would have shaken him even more.
Dokyun looked in the mirror, adjusted his clothes, and let out a deep sigh.
Once he left the dressing room, he would have to face her again.
She had appeared so suddenly that he hadn't had time to prepare himself, and dealing with her was draining him completely.
He wondered why this was happening, but after a moment’s thought, a plausible reason came to mind.
It was likely because Eun-ah wasn't ready to face the truth yet.
He was still puzzled as to why this personality had appeared instead of Eun-seol, but he could at least surmise that she was here because they needed someone to go out in Eun-ah’s place.
He didn’t feel any resentment toward Eun-ah for it. No, he couldn’t. He was just as lacking in the courage to face the truth.
As he mulled this over, a small smile touched Dokyun’s lips at the thought that he’d found another similarity between himself and Eun-ah. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and left the dressing room.
Moments later, he entered the living room and found her sitting on the sofa, waiting for him.
She was fiddling with her smartphone, killing time.
Dokyun watched her for a moment before speaking.
“Let’s go.”
At his words, her gaze shifted to him. Her eyes widened slightly, and a broad grin spread across her face as she replied.
“Wow, Honey, you look so handsome all dressed up.”
“Yes, well…”
Dokyun’s eyes fell to the floor.
This was the problem.
She praised him for everything he did. It was like she gave him nadenade just for breathing.
When he cooked, she said he was a great chef. When he ate, she said it was nice to see him eat so well. When he did the dishes, she praised his tidiness. When he came out of the shower, she said he looked good all clean.
“As expected, a good hanger makes any clothes look like a work of art~.”
And now, she was complimenting his clothes. It was impossible not to feel flustered when she showered him with praise for every little thing.
As a look of discomfort crossed Dokyun’s face, she glanced at him with a suppressed smile and spoke again.
“By the way, how long are you going to keep using formal speech with me?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a little… it makes me wonder if you hate me or something~. You haven’t even called me by my name yet~.”
She tapped his shoulder playfully as she spoke.
Dokyun turned his head to see her pouting, her eyebrows drooping sadly. He let out a deep sigh and replied.
“You never told me your name.”
“Huh?”
Her head snapped up. She blinked at him for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
“Ah! I didn’t tell you?”
“No, you did not.”
Another peal of laughter erupted from her. “Puhaha!” she roared, slapping his shoulder repeatedly.
“I’m Byeol. Go Eun-byeol.”
After introducing herself in a voice full of mirth, Eun-byeol poked Dokyun’s arm and added in a suggestive tone.
“But if you don’t like that, you can just call me Honey~?”
As she spoke, the finger that had poked his arm slid slowly down his sleeve. Dokyun flinched again before answering.
“I’ll stick with Eun-byeol-ssi.”
“And the formal speech?”
“When we get closer.”
“Really? Then I guess we’ll have to get a lot closer, won’t we?”
With that, Eun-byeol linked her arm with his.
“So, if we go out like this, is it a date?”
Her voice was brimming with laughter. Dokyun let out a heavy sigh.
“Think whatever you want.”
“A date it is, then.”
Her cheerful laughter followed.
Dokyun sighed quietly and started walking.
Yep, no matter how he looked at it, she was not an easy opponent.
*
Arriving at the hospital, Dokyun took a long, deep breath as they stepped into the elevator.
The drive over had been a trial. It had been twice as hard as usual to drive, all thanks to Eun-byeol’s relentless nadenade.
You look so cool when you drive. You look so cool waiting at the red light. You looked so cool when you were backing up just now.
The compliments were nice, but they were excessive.
Dokyun wondered why he felt so awkward around her, why it was so difficult to have a normal conversation with her. Then, the reason finally dawned on him.
His gaze shifted to Eun-byeol.
‘She’s a social butterfly.’
She was an inssa. She exuded the unmistakable aura of a social butterfly.
She was a species a million light-years removed from Dokyun, a homebody who had spent his life shut in his room, fussing over interior design.
The kind of person who drained all your energy just by talking to them.
Having finally identified Eun-byeol’s nature, Dokyun narrowed his eyes and glared at her. Noticing his stare, Eun-byeol turned her head toward him.
What followed was a bewitching smile and a suggestive tone.
“Honey, if you stare at me so intensely, you’ll make me blush.”
Flinch.
He shuddered at her words. She let out a soft chuckle and whispered in his ear.
“…So you have a thing for the outdoors?”
“No!”
Dokyun recoiled, his denial immediate and frantic. Eun-byeol burst out laughing.
“Just kidding, just kidding~.”
She patted his shoulder playfully.
But Dokyun couldn’t laugh with her.
It brought back memories of his university days.
In other words, it triggered his PTSD.
He remembered the senior who had come over to his apartment, snooped through his laptop, found his private collection, and spread its contents all over the department. That senior’s shrill laughter overlapped with Eun-byeol’s.
Dokyun squeezed his eyes shut.
‘What the fuck is so wrong with outdoor pounding!’
Doesn’t everyone have their own unspeakable sexual fantasies?
His stomach churned at the resurfacing memory. From that day on, until he graduated, he had been called “Pounder-gyun.”
“Honey, are you mad?”
“I’m not. It’s not even true, so what’s there to be mad about.”
“Really? I thought you were angry for a second.”
Dokyun’s gaze snapped back to her. A surge of hostility rose within him, directed at the woman who had dredged up a past he had long forgotten.
It was his own guilt making him feel this way, but that didn't matter.
His expression hardened as he tossed out a reply.
“I’m not that petty.”
“Phew~ Of course not! I believe in my honey.”
She said it with a sly grin.
Just as Dokyun was about to retort, the elevator came to a stop.
“Ah, we’re here.”
“Let’s go.”
Perfect timing.
If this conversation had continued any longer, his sanity would have frayed.
With that thought, Dokyun walked briskly toward the consultation room.
When he opened the door, he saw Eun-ah’s doctor, a man whose face had become familiar after several visits.
“Good afternoon.”
“Ah, Dokyun-ssi, you’re here.”
“Doctor~ Long time no see!”
For a split second, Dokyun saw the doctor, who had been smiling gently at him, flinch.
“Ah, Eun-byeol-ssi is here today.”
“Yep! It’s been a while, Doctor~ I’ve been doing well.”
“Haha, I’m always doing well, of course.”
An awkward laugh followed.
In that moment, Dokyun looked into the doctor’s eyes and read a single emotion.
‘Ah.’
The emotion he read was pure, unadulterated discomfort.
“Doctor, you should get some skincare. I can introduce you to a good place.”
“Haha, it’s only natural to get wrinkles as you age.”
“Tsk! That’s all the more reason to take care of yourself!”
“Haha…”
Suddenly, for the first time, Dokyun felt a sense of kinship with the doctor, a man who had always seemed so difficult to approach.