Episode 10: The Study Meeting (1)
Finally, the day had arrived. The premise of the Love Chain "Study Meeting" episode was simple—just a group study session to prep for midterms and share notes with each other—but in the game world, this was undoubtedly a crucial day where flags would pop off one after another.
"Taeyang, I'll run the vacuum, so you mop the floor."
"Leave it to me!"
To start with the current situation: Mom had stepped out to meet some friends, and we were cleaning up before Noona's friends arrived. You had to keep the house spotless when guests were coming over. My condition was top-notch. Things might just go smoothly today.
Ding-dong!
"Oh, they're here already?"
Noona stopped the vacuum and glanced at the video phone connected to the front door.
"Taeyang, wanna get it?"
"Sure."
Someone had arrived earlier than the appointed time. Who could it be? Choi Gahee, or maybe Choi Seonwoo and Seong Juyeon? If it was the latter, it was our first time meeting, so Noona wouldn't have let me go alone. So, probably Choi Gahee?
Thinking that, I opened the door. It wasn't her. My calculations had hit an unexpected snag.
"Kim Taeyang! How've you been?"
"Iri Noona? What brings you here?"
The person at the door was Min Iri. Her dark tan skin like mine, lion-mane brown short hair, and a solid athletic build that even her school PE uniform couldn't hide—it was definitely the Min Iri I'd seen recently.
"What? You look like I'm not supposed to be here or something."
"Nah, it's not that... You here to hang out?"
Then Iri Noona pinched my cheek.
"Ow ow..."
"I'm here to study too, y'know?"
"What? Ow ow, stop pinching!"
I hope you can understand why I reacted like that. Min Iri was a character who hated studying with a passion. In the game, she got invited but never showed up. Kim Hayan invites her over early on, she seems excited at first, but when she hears it's a study group, she freaks out and declines. So I'd figured she wouldn't come.
"Well, we'll study a bit and then play when the timing's right."
"Won't that just annoy the people who actually came to study?"
"Don't worry about it."
Iri Noona slung her arm around my shoulders familiarly, then rubbed her face against my cheek...
"What the—! Don't shove your face so close!!"
"Aww, getting shy? So cute~"
She pressed her body against mine in this totally unsubtle way, grinning mischievously. For an athlete, she didn't smell like sweat at all—instead, there was this fresh, cozy soap scent. Anyway, it was embarrassing, so I pulled away.
"When the other friends are studying, I'll make sure not to bother them. Taeyang can play with me, right?"
"What're you talking about? I gotta study too."
"Huh...?"
What was with that shocked look?
"I figured you were the same type as me, Taeyang."
"I'm not planning to just bulk up like some meathead."
"Boo~ If even you say that, who'm I gonna play with~?"
Just go home.
For now, since she was a guest, I swallowed those words and led her to the living room.
"Oh, you were cleaning?"
"You didn't come too early?"
"Hehe, what's it matter? We're old friends. If you need help, I'll pitch in."
A variable had popped up. Who would've thought Iri Noona would join the study group? It was fine, actually. More people meant I could keep Hayan Noona and Seonwoo further apart—could even be a good thing. Iri Noona had no flags with Seonwoo, and she was zero risk factor. As long as she didn't mess with my plans while we played, anyway. And that seemed unlikely. Or Hayan Noona could tutor her and block the second flag entirely.
Having run the calculations, I decided to let this variable slide. It wasn't a big deal. No way more surprises were coming, right?
We finished cleaning quickly and laid out a few floor desks for studying together.
"Too many people for my room."
"Let's do it in the living room, Noona. Mom's out anyway."
"Sounds good."
Grateful—this could nix the second flag too. Things were going so smoothly.
"Taeyang must be thrilled to study surrounded by all these noonas."
"What?"
I ignored Iri Noona's sudden teasing. I did blush a bit and snap at the implication that I was some girl-crazy perv, but yeah, ignored it.
"So now we just wait for Juyeon and Seonwoo?"
"Gahee's coming too."
"Gahee too?"
"Yeah, Taeyang asked her to help him study, so they're joining."
"Oh? This guy's ditching his kind, smart noona for her."
"Let go. Studying together's fine, isn't it?"
Iri Noona finally released my cheek and asked,
"So how'd you and Gahee meet, Taeyang?"
"Huh? Oh, uh..."
As I gave her a vague rundown of how Gahee and I met, the appointed time approached. Naturally, I skipped Lee Yuyeong—said I just helped her find her lost wallet or something. No reason to run into Yuyeong again anyway.
Ding-dong!
Finally, the main guests were arriving.
"It's Seonwoo and Juyeon."
After checking the video phone, Noona and I went out together this time.
"Hey, Hayan."
"Hey, Seonwoo. Juyeon."
"And who's that... your little brother?"
"Yeah, hi. I'm Kim Taeyang, Kim Hayan's brother."
"...Hey, nice to meet you."
Seonwoo's handsome face twitched ever so slightly between his brows. Makes sense—in the game, he freaks out seeing Taeyang for the first time too. With my blonde hair and tanned skin, I looked like some delinquent punk. Seonwoo had neat black hair, pale skin, and a handsome face. He was taller than me right now, lean but with defined muscles—not scrawny. The kind girls go for.
Not that I was jealous or anything. Sure, tall and handsome, but I pitied him too. I just had to dodge a few bad heroine endings, but Seonwoo got wrecked no matter who he ended up with. It pissed me off when he went after Hayan Noona sometimes, but he was pitiful overall.
Seong Juyeon, standing beside him, greeted us too.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Seong Juyeon."
The girl with red hair in a half-twin tails style—side swept up, back left down—was the tsundere childhood friend heroine. Her sparkling red eyes were her signature, and with her cute looks and petite frame, she was a total beauty. Popular with guys, but she never showed special interest in anyone but Seonwoo. She bickered with him outwardly to hide it, but moped when he wasn't around—a classic pure-love type. Easiest to conquer, too.
"Come on in."
"Yeah, 'scuse us."
"Pardon the intrusion."
And with that, the original Love Chain study group was assembled. All that was left was the variable I'd invited: Choi Gahee.
We gathered in the living room and decided to start studying without her since she'd texted she'd be a bit late. More importantly, seating arrangements.
Seonwoo sat first, Juyeon next to him. I quickly claimed the seat opposite him. Naturally, Hayan Noona and Iri Noona filled the spots between. Perfect. When Gahee arrived, I'd have her sit between us under the pretense of teaching her. Seemed minor, but sitting side-by-side meant accidental arm brushes and easy chit-chat. Nice—everything going to plan. Situation looking great.
"This is boring~"
Right from the start, Min Iri Noona was ready to bail, so I forced her book open beside her.
"Iri Noona, you should at least try studying."
"I'll just go to college as a PE major."
"Even that takes brains. Here, look."
"Ugh~ Books just give me headaches."
"At least read. World history's easy if you just memorize."
"Oh, Taeyang's pretty good at studying, huh?"
"Huh?"
My heart skipped. The one talking to me was Choi Seonwoo.
"Ah, I'm not that great. That's why we're doing this group study—to help each other with what we don't know."
He just nodded like "I see" and moved on. Talking to the protagonist made me tense for no reason.
Meanwhile, Iri Noona kept up her deflated whining.
"Hayan told me you were a physical type like me, Taeyang. Traitor."
"What? If you weren't gonna study, why come to a study group?"
"I was gonna skip, but then I heard you were coming."
"...What?"
What an absurd answer. She came to a study group... because of someone who probably wouldn't study either?
"You and Iri have been close since way back, right?"
Hayan Noona scratched her cheek at Juyeon's question.
"Yeah, but looking at it now, seems like Taeyang's closer to her than I am."
"Us?"
"Taeyang and I are total BFFs."
I was baffled, but Iri Noona nodded like it made sense. Thinking about it, the last time we'd hung out was 10 years ago, and our recent meetup was just a brief street encounter on my first day at the new school. How was her social glue this strong? If I hadn't realized, I'd have thought she was a neighborhood noona I'd seen all the time.
"Oh shoot, I forgot. Gotta bring out the drinks and snacks."
Hayan Noona stood, so I did too.
"Wait a sec."
"I'll help."
I whipped around at those words. Seonwoo was getting up.
"Ah, it's fine. Not a big deal."
"Ahem, you're the guest, hyung. Stay put. I'll help."
"Taeyang, you sit too."
"No, Noona, it'll be tough alone. I wanna help."
Seonwoo hyung. Stay out of it. Or you'll get hurt.
Unfortunately, my home turf wasn't easy enough for him to leisurely pick options.
"Haha, I could use some water anyway..."
His mumbled excuse didn't fly.
"I'll get you some nice cold barley tea right away."
So just sit the hell down! Don't do anything!
You yandere factory!!
Smiling to hide my inner freakout, I quickly grabbed cold barley tea and cups. Noona was getting the snacks.
"Oh, it's up high."
Her voice drew my eyes—the cookies were on the top shelf. I was shorter than Noona, so hard to help. No good. In the game, Seonwoo comes to the kitchen with her here, sees her struggling below the shelf, grabs them, trips, and they end up in an embrace. Absolutely not!
"Noona, I'll get it!"
"Eh? No need to drag a chair, Taeyang."
"Nah, I got it."
This was urgent.
"Want me to get it, hyung?"
"It's fine."
The open kitchen-living room setup meant Seonwoo noticed from outside. Had to block him from coming in, just in case. I climbed up quick and nabbed the cookie basket. Good, now just climb down...
Whoa!?
Hard to believe, but I idiotically slipped. As I plummeted like a fool, everyone stared in shock. Hayan Noona rushed over but was too late.
"Slide!!!"
Something slid across the floor and caught me. Squish— Something soft buried my face amid a soft, fleshy scent.
"Phew~ Close call, safe."
Only then did I recognize the voice. The one who'd saved me was...
"You can't pull stunts like that!"
"Sorry, Iri Noona."
She called herself a physical type, but damn, she really moved in that split second to save me. I yanked my face out of Iri Noona's chest quick.
"You nearly scared me to death."
"Ugh... really sorry."
This was clearly my fault—no excuse with ten mouths.
"Taeyang. You okay?"
"Y-yeah, Noona."
"Why'd you butt in? Ask someone else."
Hayan Noona scolded me too. Fair—she was right; I could've gotten hurt. The cookies probably shattered from the fall. Had I overdone it?
"Knew it from when you were showing off in front of guests."
"Haha, sorry. Won't happen again."
Safe, but stepping up from now on would be tricky. Snacks were wrecked, but everyone said it was fine. I almost offered to buy more but shut up—would just get yelled at for making it about that, and who knows what'd happen without me there.
"What can ya do."
"We're here to study anyway."
The incident wrapped up, and we resumed studying. Ding-dong!! The bell announced the final guest.
"Gahee must be here."
Me and my sis went to greet her again. Now, just pair Gahee with Seonwoo perfectly.
I opened the door to welcome the most important heroine. A dazzling blonde beauty in a pure white dress, and...
"Hey, Taeyang, Hayan."
"Hey, Gahee, glad you made it. But... who's that next to you?"
Hayan Noona's long white finger pointed beside Choi Gahee.
I wanted to ask too. Who's that? No, I don't wanna know. Tell me it's all a lie. Please.
"Ah, well..."
As Gahee glanced at me nervously, the girl beside her stepped forward. A very familiar face—black bob hair to her shoulders, big sparkling eyes.
"I'm Lee Yuyeong, Taeyang's classmate and classmate."
The ultimate unimaginable variable had appeared right before my eyes.