It's Really Piled Up
No matter how many times I thought about Chae-yeon's sudden assertiveness, I just couldn't wrap my head around it.
How could a person change so drastically in an instant?
Maybe she had been hiding her true self all along. With that thought in mind, I went outside and observed her for a long time.
But the Chae-yeon I saw out there was the same one I'd always known.
Or maybe she really was hiding it? Perhaps she only takes off the mask when we're alone together. And maybe the version without the mask is her real self.
The difference between how she acts around other people and how she behaves when it's just the two of us is so stark that it feels almost alien.
Of course, I like the assertive Chae-yeon.
Even though I used to enjoy watching her get flustered whenever I expressed affection or initiated skinship, deep down I'd always wanted her to be the one coming to me.
The reason I'm worrying about it even though I like it is...
It feels like I've touched something I shouldn't have.
Still... maybe I should just accept that good is good?
---
—Weeeeng!! Weeeeng!!
---
I checked my phone, assuming it was Chae-yeon calling. But it wasn't her. It was some random guy.
Even though I didn't want to show my disappointment, my voice inevitably dropped in tone.
"Why?"
"Jung-woo, we're meeting up with the guys tonight. Come out."
"What the hell are you talking about? This is the first I'm—"
The call ended abruptly.
Wondering what was going on, I checked the Conscode group chat. Sure enough, the plans had already been made.
Hey, you bastards. I'm a 90% pure-blooded introvert who finds home the most comfortable place in the world. Why are you dragging me outside?
And once again, Yong-ju has been assigned to handle me personally.
Yeah, this won't do. I need to meet him in person and beat him half to death.
While I was preparing with the intent to kill Yong-ju, I called Chae-yeon.
"Yeoni."
[Yeah, Jung-woo?]
"I have to go out today..."
[Today? You have plans?]
"More like they just got made. I'm being dragged out."
[You sound extremely unhappy.]
"These guys won't leave me alone. I just want to hang out with you, Yeoni."
[You should still see your friends. You can't only spend time with me.]
"Can't I ditch their plans and meet up with you instead?"
[No. I won't see you if you do.]
Chae-yeon firmly shot down my sweet temptation.
If she had said she wanted to meet, I would've had an excuse to skip the gathering.
[You're going out to have fun. How can you go with that kind of attitude?]
"I just want to stay home."
[Go quickly and come back soon. Be careful on your way, okay?]
"Yeees..."
[I love you, Jung-woo.]
"I love you too!!"
Just hearing Chae-yeon say she loved me made my heavy body feel light again.
Time to go crush Yong-ju.
***
"Jung-woo! Over here!"
Yong-ju waved at me from where everyone had gathered.
I ran toward him faster than anyone else and kicked his ass with all my might.
—Thwack!!
"Aaack!! Why'd you hit me!!"
"Are you seriously asking because you don't know what you did wrong?"
"What did I even do... Ah!!"
"You remembered? Good. But it's not over yet. I won't kill you completely. Let's just go half."
"What? What happened that To-sin wants to kill Yong-ju?"
I exposed all the atrocities Yong-ju had committed in front of the entire group.
After hearing the full story, every single writer in the group unanimously declared him guilty.
"Wow, that was pretty harsh."
"Yong-ju, even I can't stay quiet about this one."
"Jung-woo must have a lot piled up. It's impressive he's held back this long."
Even Ha-jin, who usually stayed neutral, and Ji-seong, who had only recently joined the group, were nodding vigorously in agreement. I grabbed Yong-ju by the scruff of his neck.
"Alright, shall we send our dear Yong-ju off?"
"If he begs for his life, should we spare him?"
"No way. Just finish him."
After that, we spent a good while in a hidden alley thoroughly beating the crap out of Yong-ju. The stress melted away completely.
I finally feel like I can live again. It's like ten years' worth of indigestion has been cured.
The place we all arrived at together was a bar.
To me, bars were nothing but boring spaces.
Since I couldn't drink alcohol, it was incredibly difficult to sip on a beverage and match the drunken atmosphere. On top of that, there were all those greasy snacks I couldn't eat much of.
Unlike the others, I came here purely to talk.
"Jung-woo, how's the romance going?"
"It's going well. Very smoothly."
"It's supposed to be my friend dating, so why does it feel so damn annoying to watch?"
"Juk—"
"Gyeon-woo, To-sin hasn't even said anything yet. Only bring out the bamboo spear when he's speaking."
"Can't you just tell me not to bring it at all?"
"There's no way that option exists, To-sin."
If the mood was like this from the very beginning, I was already terrified of what would come next.
Once they started drinking and getting drunk, it would only get worse.
"But... it's been a while since we've seen Jung-woo because he started dating. It feels a bit off."
"Jung-woo, Gyeon-woo is sad because you don't pay attention to him anymore."
"And you don't come into Conscode often, so it's harder to hear your voice too."
Aside from shouting about bamboo spears, Gyeon-woo genuinely liked me a lot.
He even asked me to send him the novels I wrote as a hobby so he could read them.
Before I started seeing Chae-yeon, whenever the group ganged up on me and cornered me, he always took my side.
Hearing someone like that say those things made me realize how neglectful I'd been toward the group since starting my relationship.
"Before you started dating, I was your first. I was always next to you, Jung-woo."
"Ooh... This is the rage of the primary wife. What are you going to do about this, To-sin?"
"Uh... Sorry, Gyeon-woo."
Maybe it was because Gyeon-woo especially liked me and followed me around so much.
The members of this writers' group had started treating the relationship between Gyeon-woo and me as pure love and pushing us as a couple.
Since it showed how close we were, I didn't take it negatively.
But if Chae-yeon ever found out about this...
Am I in a love triangle?
"I'll pay more attention to this place from now on. I think I've been too neglectful."
"Wow, look at how he listens as soon as Gyeon-woo says something. Is this the power of the primary wife?"
"We've been telling him the same thing every time and he wouldn't even pretend to listen."
If you're jealous, then treat me half as well as Gyeon-woo does. If you had, I wouldn't have been this cold to you guys.
As the mood gradually warmed up, Yong-ju kept staring at me blankly.
Whenever he looked at me like that, it always meant he was about to ask something weird.
"What? Why are you looking at me?"
"Can I ask you one thing?"
"Before you ask, think first about whether you'll die or not for asking it."
"Hmm... I don't think I'll die."
"Then ask."
"How far have you gone with Hyeong-su-nim?"
It was a question I'd more or less expected.
Yong-ju must have an aptitude for his major in journalism and broadcasting, because he often showed this kind of investigative attitude.
He's a journalist down to his bones.
"Are you curious?"
"Yeah, I'm curious!!"
"Why are you the only one here who's curious about that?"
"Because I'm in journalism and broadcasting?"
"I haven't done what you're thinking. Kissing is as far as we've gone."
The moment those words left my mouth, their eyes all turned murderous.
They approached me holding invisible bamboo spears.
"Is it time to activate 'Charge Forward'?"
"I can't just sit still for this. Gyeon-woo, bamboo spear."
"Here."
"Alright, To-sin. Shall we turn you into a porcupine?"
—Weeeeng!! Weeeeng!!
"Oh, it's Yeoni calling. Just a second."
"Sure, we'll give you time to leave your last words for Hyeong-su-nim."
Thanks to Chae-yeon's call, I was able to clear the murderous atmosphere.
I thought about stepping outside to take the call, but teasing the singles like this was too much fun to pass up.
"Yeah, Yeoni."
[Jung-woo, are you still out?]
"Yeah!! I'm thinking of wrapping this up and heading home."
[Are the others going to keep playing?]
"They said they're going for round two. My stamina's at rock bottom, so I need to go home."
[Where are you hanging out?]
"We're at... what's this place called? Oh, Grandpa's Beer in downtown."
[Got it!! Have fun.]
"Yeah, love you."
After ending the call with Chae-yeon, an invisible bamboo spear was already hovering right in front of my throat.
If I said even one wrong word, my neck would be sliced clean off in an instant.
"Why? Did you decide to take the call right here?"
"Is this your way of saying you want to die?"
"The time has finally come to use the countless bamboo spears we've sharpened."
"It was short, but it was an honor, To-sin-nim."
In the end, I was surrounded by the singles and beaten relentlessly with bamboo spears.
Still, I felt pretty good.
No matter how much they hit me, the fact remained that I was in a relationship and they were all single.
"Shall we head out now?"
"Jung-woo's going home, right?"
"I want to keep playing, but my stamina's completely gone."
"How do you even go on dates with Hyeong-su-nim when your stamina is that bad?"
"That's why it's hard for me. I've never seen Yeoni's stamina run out."
Before parting ways with the group outside, we kept chatting until the very last moment.
I'd thought being dragged out against my will would be nothing but terrible, but now that I was actually out, it wasn't so bad.
"Alright, To-sin. Take care and I hope you die soon."
"Sorry, but it's not my time yet."
"I'll pray that your happiness turns into misfortune."
We exchanged these well-wishes and each turned to head our own way.
"Jung-woo!!"
I heard Chae-yeon's voice coming from somewhere.
I thought I must have misheard and looked around, but...
There was Chae-yeon, waving her hand as she walked toward me.
Seeing her like that, I couldn't help but be shocked.
It wasn't just the sudden encounter.
It was because of the way she looked—like she had poured her whole heart into it.