Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: Episode 69. Stay Still, Joo Ji-tae (3)
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― “Edward, Count. Jealousy is the most honest emotion.”
When reading shojo manga, there were as many things that made her angry as there were that made her smile. Especially the rivals who showed up as the villainesses.
Look at that bitch. She's wagging her tail like she can't stand not doing it.
No, what's so great about a guy like that? He looks so scrawny, like one punch would shatter him.
You better not go to her, you little shit of a male lead. The author will die by my hands...
Yeoreum corrected herself. It wasn't just the rivals—the villainesses made the female protagonist furious. And then Yeoreum, who was cheering for the heroine, got furious right along with her.
The villainesses hovered around the male protagonist, wagging their tails in a way that pissed off anyone watching from the side. Whenever that happened, the heroine would act all frustrated or get angry... or whatever, her emotions would stir, leading to actions that fit the moment.
If it were me, I'd grab a hammer in the dead of night and head to her bedroom. Why the hell are you putting up with that?!
Ah, no, that's not it...
Anyway, from now on, to figure out if Bom really loved Yoo Ji-tae or not, Yeoreum planned to draw out the most honest human emotion: jealousy. It had felt infuriating when the villainesses did it, but thinking about doing it herself? It actually seemed pretty fun.
“Eat up.”
So during breakfast with sandwiches, Yeoreum smiled at Yoo Ji-tae with her eyes.
“Honey♥”
Yoo Ji-tae just furrowed his brow without responding.
In the meantime, Yeoreum subtly checked Bom's expression.
But Bom was just munching on her sandwich. She didn't even meet her gaze. Thirsty, she picked up her glass, drank some milk, and licked the milk off her lips with her tongue.
Bom looked utterly indifferent.
A plan was needed. The fox ploy.
Instead of doing it alone, she had to create a situation. Yeoreum gathered her two younger sisters and plotted.
“Got it?”
After hearing the strategy meeting, Gaeul and Gyeoul just stared blankly at Yeoreum.
“You're serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? Have you finally lost it?”
Yeoreum barely resisted the impulse to see if she could stretch Gaeul's cheeks like cheese.
“Are you in or out?”
“Hmm...”
“...”
Gaeul and Gyeoul exchanged glances and pondered for a moment.
But since it was important, they quietly decided to grant their ill-tempered older sister's request just this once.
And so Gaeul and Gyeoul left holding hands with Chickie to go eat. Lunch ended up just being Yoo Ji-tae, Bom, and Yeoreum.
Yeoreum closed her eyes and recalled all the scenes she'd seen. Now it was time for her honed shojo manga expertise to shine.
Yoo Ji-tae looked at the empty kitchen.
Today was Saturday.
A day when Gaeul and Gyeoul should be home, yet it was rare for both to be out at lunchtime.
“Huh?”
Bom blinked and fiddled with her watch.
“Where'd the kids go without a word...”
“Oh, uh, they said they were going out to play or something.”
So lunch was just the three of them.
Today's lunch was sushi. Assorted sushi from the nearby place. As he silently opened the bag and unpacked the sushi, he noticed Yeoreum staring at Bom.
Then, when Bom turned her head feeling the gaze, Yeoreum looked away as if she hadn't been staring. What's with her? Yoo Ji-tae felt like he was seeing that same look from Yeoreum this morning again.
Things got even weirder during the meal. Without Gaeul, the meal was unusually quiet. Yoo Ji-tae and Bom, who weren't talkative anyway, focused only on eating the sushi.
Then Yeoreum lifted her butt slightly, scooted over one chair, and sat next to Yoo Ji-tae.
She picked up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks, dunked it in soy sauce, and held it out to him.
“Oppa.”
“...?”
Her hand paused midway.
He hadn't misheard. Where had her usual sharp voice and gaze gone? Yeoreum opened her eyes innocently and said to Yoo Ji-tae in a very fragile voice once more.
“Eat this.”
But her actions weren't so innocent. He pulled his head back slightly, but the sushi flew like a missile, bumped his lips, and fell off the chopsticks.
“Hey. What are you doing.”
“Ah, what a waste.”
“What are you doing, I said.”
“Feeding you sushi, what else? Why'd you dodge my sushi?”
Yeoreum looked at him reproachfully and picked up the fallen piece instead of eating it. Something felt a bit off.
Then, lifting her head, Yeoreum mumbled at him, her lips moving. Her bobbed hair fell, framing an expression only he could see.
The important thing was, he couldn't make out what she was saying.
“Oppa, ahh. Ahh—”
And Yeoreum held out another piece of sushi.
“Why are you acting like this.”
“Just try it. It's good.”
For some reason, Yeoreum was doing something weird, but it wasn't the first time. Despite the unease, he ate the sushi.
The first one was awkward. The second was even easier. Yeoreum stuck close to Yoo Ji-tae again, feeding him sushi while blinking her red eyes and meeting his gaze.
In the meantime, Yeoreum subtly glanced at Bom, just for a split second.
Bom's eyes widened as she looked at Yeoreum.
A bite?
“I've seen it all now... What are you doing?”
“Huh? Oh, just feeding my oppa some sushi.”
“Ahh. What is it. Is today the day Ajusshi's being nice?”
Then Bom naturally dipped a piece of sushi in soy sauce and held it out to Yoo Ji-tae.
“Ajusshi always picks at his food, so that's why Yeoreum's doing it.”
“...”
“Here. Ahh.”
He hesitated but ate Bom's sushi.
By then, Yeoreum realized something had failed.
What? Is that jealousy right now?
But her expression, tone, and gestures didn't look jealous at all.
No, it wasn't just a lack of jealousy. The situation had twisted into something weird, and Yeoreum couldn't figure out what or how.
In the situation where she was feeding him sushi—a scenario that should make Bom jealous—Bom had instantly reframed it as “the day Ajusshi's being nice.” Yeoreum couldn't grasp that shift in framing.
In the end, no matter who fed him sushi now, it was just fitting behavior for “the day Ajusshi's being nice.”
Yeoreum didn't know why it had turned out like this, but she realized her first plan had failed. After that, Bom ended up feeding Yoo Ji-tae even more sushi.
“...”
Yeoreum glared subtly at Bom, but Bom just blinked and tilted her head.
Lunch passed like that. Yoo Ji-tae only realized that the two girls were acting strange.
Yeoreum was especially weird today.
It started with her suddenly playing with a knife near Yoo Ji-tae and cutting her own hand.
“Ah—”
He turned his head. Blood was dripping from Yeoreum's finger. Bom and Yoo Ji-tae in the living room looked at her. She groaned and fiddled with her finger.
“Ah, fuck, it hurts.”
“...?”
Not even human. Not some kid who'd never held a knife in her life. A Red Dragon cutting her finger while handling a knife? Yoo Ji-tae couldn't make sense of it.
Then Yeoreum looked at him like a hurt puppy.
“Oppa. It hurts...”
Still, hearing Yeoreum say she was “hurt” stirred bad memories in him. At the end of the 5th round, Yeoreum had been in so much pain but never said she was hurting until the very last moment.
― My chest hurts...
She'd only said it right before dying.
Recalling that soured his mood for no reason. Yoo Ji-tae reluctantly stood and approached her. He grabbed her wrist and examined the wound. It wasn't serious; it would heal quickly.
“Huh? How'd you get hurt?”
That's when Bom approached naturally, as if seeing something curious. What's this, our Yeoreum? She channeled nature's mana and healed Yeoreum's wound in the blink of an eye.
“There. All better.”
“...”
“Be careful. What Red Dragon in the world cuts herself playing with a knife?”
Bom chuckled, and Yeoreum had no reply.
After that, Yeoreum kept acting weird.
An hour later, she suddenly tripped toward Yoo Ji-tae, but he naturally caught and steadied her.
Two hours later, she wore the tennis skirt and feminine floral tee that Gaeul and Gyeoul bought, but Bom praised her more, saying she was cute.
That evening, watching a movie together, she grabbed Yoo Ji-tae's arm saying it was scary, but Bom, sitting across, pulled Yeoreum into a hug.
“You're scared of this stuff? So cute, our Yeoreum.”
“...”
There was no response from Yeoreum, leaning on Bom's shoulder.
Yeoreum was confused. She couldn't tell if Bom, who always acted like a mom, truly cared for her or was jealous. By the time she snapped out of it, all her plans had failed.
With things like this, Yeoreum had only one option left: the “final method.”
The closest Yoo Ji-tae and Yeoreum ever got was after her personal training, when she returned battered. Especially during “walking training” and “standing training,” she came back every day covered in bruises.
For some reason, Yoo Ji-tae knew how to handle the Red Dragon clan's mana. It had been a lingering mystery since Yeoreum first learned “heartbeat” from him.
Anyway, for that reason, Yoo Ji-tae massaged Yeoreum's mana-depleted body. To Yeoreum, who had no ulterior thoughts toward him, or to him, who had none toward her, such skin contact was no big deal.
“What is it. You.”
Yoo Ji-tae asked in a puzzled voice.
She'd now reached a basic level in “walking” and “standing,” moving on to “seeing” training. No matter how hard she trained, she shouldn't look like that.
“What's wrong with your body.”
“Huh? Nothing. Just... reviewing stuff in case I forgot what I learned before...”
Her whole body was covered in bruises. Sweat-soaked Yeoreum staggered into the dorm.
“You okay, Yeoreum?”
Bom, who was on the computer in the living room, asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Just... a bit tough...”
This was sincere. Every time she trained like this, Yeoreum had to endure the feeling of her body breaking apart.
She was doing it for another purpose now, but the process wasn't easy. Yeoreum collapsed onto the sofa.
“You idiot. Why do something I didn't tell you to.”
Yeoreum almost reflexively snapped, Only doing what you say? Do I look like your servant? but held back. This was perfect timing. Bom was right there watching, wasn't she?
Yeoreum made the most pitiful face she could. Reference: Gaeul's expressions.
“Oppa. Massage me.”
“...”
Yoo Ji-tae wondered if a person could change so drastically overnight, but since it was routine, he casually knelt by the sofa where Yeoreum lay.
Then he placed his hand on her bruised skin.
Mimicking the Red clan's heartbeat. He began massaging her calf.
In the meantime, Yeoreum subtly glanced at Bom.
Whenever situations like this arose during the day, Bom would glance indifferently or ignore it. Or naturally resolve it herself.
But this time was an exception. Yoo Ji-tae's massage using Red clan mana wasn't simple healing—it was like the grooming Red parents did for super-recovery. Bom couldn't intervene here.
Oh.
She's watching. Bom's watching this.
A bite had come.
Bom kept watching for a long time without looking away. Unlike the daytime glances she quickly averted.
But soon her gaze shifted. With a sullen expression, Bom stood and headed to her room.
Huh? She's just going like that?
Still ambiguous. She hadn't been glaring or anything. Going to her room didn't scream jealousy.
Hmm, felt like a bite, but...
She couldn't end the situation here. A reaction had finally appeared, after all?
So Yeoreum let out a fragile moan.
“Ah...”
At the same time, Bom's footsteps toward her room stopped dead. Yeoreum lifted her head slightly and looked toward Bom. Bom had turned around and was watching them.
For a moment, Yeoreum startled and quickly lay back down, closing her eyes.
Just now, her eyes had met Bom's.