The Rich Girl (2)
“Found you~”
Lee Yuyeong approached with a bright, innocent smile, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.
“Found me?”
“I was just passing by and spotted you, so I got curious and followed you.”
“...Isn't that stalking?”
“But I lost you along the way when our paths diverged. Meeting up again like this means it all worked out, right?”
She completely ignored my question and just said what she wanted. What the hell was “working out” supposed to mean?
“What about this dog?”
I pointed at Willy, and Yuyeong bent down to pet his head.
“He's not my pet. I found him near the park. He's super friendly with people, isn't he?”
“Woof!”
The golden retriever barked loudly. What an unreliable mutt! How could he just follow anyone who looked nice?
Sigh~ Yelling at the dog wouldn't help—he had no idea what I was thinking. If anyone was responsible here, it was Yuyeong for chasing after me, or more broadly, me for luring her into it in the first place.
I should've just gone out to the city with my sister. Here I was, wasting my weekend afternoon on nonsense.
I let out a deep sigh of self-loathing, and Yuyeong tilted her head.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, right—you said you had a date with a girl today. Did I get in the way?”
She asked cautiously. That's what I'd told her last time. I'd been trying to avoid getting involved with her outside the classroom, but here we were.
Well, a quick encounter like this shouldn't cause any issues.
“I'm meeting her soon.”
“Got it. So what have you been up to until now?”
With my plans all messed up, I had nothing specific left to do. I could just say I was heading to meet whoever, then go home.
“Just sightseeing around the neighborhood. I like wandering alone.”
“You should've told me—I could've been your guide.”
“I prefer solo.”
Going forward, I'd need to roam alone more often to secretly tail Seonwoo. Saying I enjoyed my solitude was a perfect excuse to turn down her offers.
“Still, now that we've bumped into each other, let's hang out until your appointment!”
But Yuyeong missed my hint entirely and suddenly grabbed my arm. I yanked it back in surprise.
“Wh-what? Suddenly?”
“Oops, sorry.”
She didn't look sorry at all—her face was beaming as brightly as ever.
“I told you if I get too close, it'll be overwhelming because I'm so pretty~ Geez.”
“...”
She was still hung up on me calling her pretty last time? I'd thought she'd just laugh it off.
“I'm generous, so I'll forgive you for staring so intensely.”
She nodded, mistaking my dumbfounded stare for being smitten.
“I wasn't staring intensely.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure. Playing shy, huh.”
She smirked, completely ignoring me. Maybe I should just shut up.
“More importantly, shouldn't we find the owner of that retriever?”
I pointed at Willy. This was originally Seonwoo's job, but he'd already left, so we'd just reunite Willy with his owner and call it a day.
“Yeah, but I don't know where the owner is.”
“No contact info on the collar?”
If Seonwoo had chosen to find the owner, he'd discover a small contact number under the collar in the game.
“Let me check... Hold still, pup.”
Yuyeong found the number under the collar.
“Ah! Here it is. His name's Willy, huh.”
“Then make sure he gets home safe.”
I turned to leave, but she called out.
“Taeyang, come with me instead~”
“Nah, my appointment's basically now.”
“You're going to meet this girl anyway, right?”
“...What?”
A chill ran down my spine for a second. What was that?
I cautiously studied Yuyeong's face. Fortunately, her expression hadn't changed much.
In the game, a heroine entering yandere mode would have darkened eyes and a cold aura. Maybe I couldn't tell in real life, but her tone and vibe seemed normal.
Just my imagination, then. Good.
“I thought you had an appointment to meet Willy's owner?”
What the hell was she talking about out of nowhere?
“I saw you meet Willy here while tailing you.”
So she'd known from the start that he belonged to someone around here. Why was she messing around then?
“You kept staring at the mansion, so I figured the girl lived there. Am I wrong?”
“I was just admiring how beautiful the mansion is.”
“Really?... Um...”
Yuyeong hesitated, closing her mouth for a moment. She met my eyes, lips parting uncertainly.
No weird vibe from her yet, but she seemed uneasy about something.
“Can I ask who you're meeting?”
“Why do you wanna know?”
“Can't you just tell me?”
Her big eyes glistened pleadingly—that was cheating. Her cute face stirred my protective instincts, making my heart skip for a second, but I snapped out of it.
I was about to say it was my sister, but then a better idea hit me. No—a rational plan I had to follow.
Yeah, let's meet Choi Gahee. This was the first flag we'd accidentally triggered.
To keep the game fair, I needed to nudge her closer to Seonwoo even a little. If I let this slide, her route would be impossible, and we'd veer straight into the Kim Hayan route.
“I was just messing around.”
“Huh?”
“The girl thing was a lie. C'mon, let's return him to his owner.”
“...Knew it.”
Yuyeong smirked without a fuss, seeming satisfied. What did she “know”? She was clearly misunderstanding something...
But better than her grilling me on why I lied. Whatever misconception she had, I wasn't planning to get closer to her anyway.
“If we know where he lives, we can drop him off quick.”
“The owner might be out. Hold on...”
True, calling was better than risking a miss on the way there. Yuyeong dialed the number, and a short conversation followed. The owner said they'd come to the park right away, so we sat on a bench to wait.
“What're you doing after?”
She'd seen through my lie, so now I needed an excuse to ditch her.
“Heading home.”
“No plans after, got it.”
“Got stuff to do at home.”
I shot down her probing before she could push. Can't give her an inch. I heard a faint click of her tongue.
“You sure have a lot going on at home. Even on your first day transferring.”
“Haha, yeah? Still unpacking from the move.”
“Want me to help?”
“No thanks. Family's all there—it'd be awkward.”
“Tch, fine. But you owe me a house invite next time?”
“How'd the conversation go there?”
“What's wrong with that~? We can watch anime at your place~”
Troublesome... As I brushed her off, someone came running toward us.
“H-huff—huff—”
She was so out of breath from running that she bent over, hands on her knees, gasping in front of us.
Willy, oblivious to the trouble he'd caused, wagged his tail, stuck out his tongue, and trotted right up to Choi Gahee.
“Here, water.”
“Huff... Th-thank you.”
Yuyeong pulled a pink tumbler from her shoulder eco-bag and handed it over. Gahee chugged it down, then bowed deeply.
“I'm so sorry! I hope our dog didn't cause you any trouble? He has this habit of following people around, so he must've been a bother. I'm truly sorry! I'll make sure it never happens again...”
“P-please calm down first. We're fine.”
“Phew— that's a relief. Thank you so much.”
Gahee's habit of word-vomiting when flustered was straight out of the game.
She was drenched in sweat. Her blonde hair clung to her long, pale neck, exuding a sexy allure that stole my gaze.
“Ahem... Taeyang?”
“Yeah, Yuyeong?”
Yuyeong pouted sulkily at me before looking away. Gahee scolded Willy while eyeing him.
“Do you know how hard it was for sis to find you? Don't just run off like that!”
“Hah-hah-woof! Woof!”
Clearly not getting it. He just kept nuzzling her affectionately.
“I'm serious—this time you're not getting off easy!”
Even while scolding, Gahee had this elegant poise. Among Love Chain fans, she was nicknamed the “Blonde Ojousama”—the quintessential rich girl character.
Like a flower grown in a greenhouse, she had that refined air from her privileged upbringing, but she was always kind and warm to everyone, which made her easy to get along with despite her wealth.
She really suited a golden retriever. Her long, permed blonde hair shimmered gold; her flawless white skin was pristine. Her clear blue eyes held a gentle firmness that said she wouldn't be easily swayed.
Hard to imagine her turning yandere later...
“Ah, thank you again, truly.”
My eyes lingered on her looks, naturally drifting to her figure next. Something about her ample chest stirred a guy's instincts.
It was a warm spring day, and her thin white dress hinted at her curves. My gaze dropped lower, to the smooth thighs peeking from under the skirt, tracing their elegant lines.
“Ahem...”
As I lifted my eyes, pain stabbed my side.
Thwack—
“Ow, what the—?”
“...Hmph.”
Yuyeong elbowed my side and turned away innocently. Her puffed cheeks screamed I'm mad at you.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing.”
“But your girlfriend seems...”
“She's not my girlf—”
“Glad you found him!”
Yuyeong cut me off and stepped forward. She petted Willy, then beamed at Gahee.
“We had fun with Willy. Bye, Willy!”
“Ah, I'm so grateful—I hate to part like this...”
Perfect timing for Gahee's key line. It was meant for Seonwoo originally, but now it was us hearing it.
“Since this is fate, why not come to my place for some tea?”
“Uh? Oh... I don't know...”
“Is that okay?”
I cut off Yuyeong's refusal and accepted. She glared at me.
Why? You cut me off earlier too. I shot her a challenging look right back.
“Of course. I baked cookies today—way too many.”
“Cookies...”
That hooked Yuyeong, who was about to refuse. I didn't mind if she bailed. Actually, it'd be smoother without her. She was giving off clingy vibes.
“Well, if you insist...”
Yuyeong flipped her attitude instantly. Fine, she'd tag along—but at least we were heading in. Cookies still trumped me for now.
I had no idea what was really going through her head, but from today on, I'd be extra careful not to run into her outside school.
I sighed inwardly in relief as we all headed to the mansion where Choi Gahee lived.