Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Not a Bitch in Heat, But a Succubus...
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Trurru—
—Oppa must be really tired...
I hung up the call in a hurry, worried I might wake him from his deep sleep.
Oppa always picked up the moment the phone rang whenever I called after he woke up.
So the fact that it rang three times like this without him answering meant he'd practically passed out in bed today.
...It hurts my feelings.
Not because I was upset that he'd fallen asleep without letting me know or anything like that. I couldn't be, anyway. No one knew better than I did how much attention Oppa usually paid to me.
I was just a little hurt and worried, wondering how exhausted he must have been to do that.
Is it because of studying again...?
Ever since he became a high school sophomore, Oppa had been acting like the college entrance exam was right around the corner, carrying all this pressure.
...He doesn't need to do that.
I didn't realize it before, but now I knew our family was better off than most. And there was that promise I'd made with Mom and Dad before coming here to study abroad.
I just wished he wouldn't feel that kind of burden.
Of course, even without all that, I was confident I could earn the money we needed myself.
As long as Oppa stayed by my side.
As long as he greeted me happily when I got home, I felt like I could be perfectly content.
But if I told him any of that, he wouldn't just be thrilled. All I could do was cheer him on from the sidelines.
Oppa was the type who liked to give as much as he received.
"Hng..."
I stretched my arms out wide as I got out of bed.
It was a shame I couldn't start my day hearing Oppa's voice, but I couldn't bring myself to wake him while he was sleeping so soundly.
I got up a little earlier than usual and stood in front of my closet, pondering what to wear today.
—Ugh, what should I wear...?
If you asked me the hardest part of my daily routine, I could say fashion without hesitation.
I didn't want to show my body off to anyone or look good for them, so I felt like throwing on whatever.
But I had to send a photo to Oppa, so I couldn't just go sloppy. Those two thoughts clashed in my head.
Finding that middle ground every morning was always tough.
After agonizing over it for a bit, I pulled out a beige sweater and jeans, got dressed, and stood in front of the full-length mirror to snap a photo.
Click—
—Yeah, perfect.
These days, I'd gotten pretty good at focusing and posing compared to the beginning.
Seeing myself smiling shyly in the picture made me a little embarrassed, but imagining Oppa liking it brought a smile to my lips before I knew it.
I sent the photo to Oppa and left my room. That's when I saw Jinhyuk Oppa eating toast at the dining table.
"Oh, what's this? Han Woojin must have something going on today, huh?"
Jinhyuk Oppa sounded amazed to see me coming out earlier than usual.
"Yeah. He must've been tired from studying and dozed off."
"Whoa, falling asleep without even texting his girlfriend? Han Woojin lost his touch. He's slippin', slippin'."
"...Don't tease my Oppa. He was just tired."
"Normally, when a little sister says 'our Oppa,' it should mean me, not Han Woojin, right...?"
"Hmph."
I stuck my tongue out at Jinhyuk Oppa's aggrieved expression.
...No matter who it is, you don't mess with my Oppa.
"Han Woojin really oughta see you acting like this..."
Jinhyuk Oppa said it like it was a pity.
Well... I bet Oppa would find even this side of me cute and love it...?
That thought made me flush, so I turned my head away.
"...You should take care of yourself. I heard Sea chewed you out recently for not texting her."
"...How do you know that? Do you two talk about everything like that?"
"Yup. So be more careful not to let it get back to me, Oppa."
"...That's horrifying, horrifying."
We didn't talk about everything, just occasionally. But seeing Jinhyuk Oppa squeeze his eyes shut made me laugh, so I decided to keep it secret.
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As I left the house with Jinhyuk Oppa to head to school, I realized it had snowed overnight.
The whole world was blanketed in white.
"Ugh, it's cold. Don't these Yankee bastards feel the chill? Why's winter break so damn short?"
"...Yeah."
Jinhyuk Oppa and I could see our breath fogging up with every word. Winter really hit home.
"Oppa."
"Ugh, what?"
"...It's finally been three years."
"......"
Bringing up a topic we usually avoided made Oppa sniffle.
"...Don't get your hopes up too much. You know Mom and Dad are still too busy to even come home."
"Yeah..."
"Don't count the years like that. Just live diligently, and someday they'll call us up and say we're going back to Korea."
Jinhyuk Oppa said it matter-of-factly, like I shouldn't expect anything.
But I knew he was acting that way for my sake, so all I could do was nod.
Just like me, he had to want to go back to Korea too.
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Before parting ways with Jinhyuk Oppa and entering the classroom, I snapped photos of the snow-covered school grounds here and there.
Taking pictures still wasn't super fun or anything, but thinking of them for Oppa made it enjoyable.
What face would Oppa make seeing these? What would he think?
Imagining his reactions had me pressing the shutter button without realizing it.
Is this good enough...?
I carefully picked out the ones to send to Oppa from the pile I'd taken and hit send.
"Yerim! Over here~!"
As I entered the classroom, Uram, my one and only friend during this study abroad life, waved me over.
"Hey. Thanks for saving my seat."
"Psh, no need to thank me! You're a bit late today, aren't you?"
"Ah, the snow made everything look so pretty, so I stopped to take some pics."
"For that boyfriend of yours again?"
"...Yeah."
Uram let out an impressed "Hiya~."
"You're so devoted... I've never seen a couple like you two."
"Kids here date super casually and break up just as easy..."
"That's not even lightly for them, but anyway. Even back in Korea, I never saw anyone date like you guys. It's kinda amazing. Makes me wanna root for you."
Whenever Uram heard about me and Oppa, she'd react like she was the one getting butterflies.
"Yerim, Yerim."
"Yeah?"
"Do you, like, act all cute and stuff with your boyfriend?"
"......Huh?"
Uram leaned in like I had to hear this.
"You know, you act super cold to guys. Short answers as default, stone-faced. Your eyes even turn gray."
"...But if I don't, they keep trying to talk to me."
"Why do you think they keep talking even when you react like that?"
I clamped my mouth shut—it was too embarrassing to say it myself—so Uram crossed her arms like "See?" and continued.
"That's why! A girl as pretty as you acting all cutesy and bitchy around her boyfriend? I just can't picture it."
"What's 'bitchy moves' supposed to mean..."
I was thrown off by Uram's weird word choice, but she had the wrong idea.
"...It's not that I'm trying to look good."
"Huh?"
"...It just comes naturally. When I'm with Oppa, it just happens..."
......I'm gonna die of embarrassment.
My face heated up so much I could feel it, so I hung my head.
Then Uram's trembling voice came from above.
"Whoa, wow... Yerim, that was straight-up bitch mode just now... Your eyes turned all pink-pink like in some yaoi anime..."
"No more 'bitch' talk...!"
I lightly smacked Uram's thigh as she kept picking the weirdest words.
She yelped "Ow!" but her mouth was grinning wide.
"My bad. It's not you trying—it's just natural for you, huh?"
"...Yeah. It's natural."
"Ugh, I'm so jealous~! How'd you find a guy who makes you feel that way naturally~!"
"...On the street while crying?"
"Don't brush me off like that~!"
...It's true.
Oppa was the one who found me, technically.
"I wanna date too..."
"Then do it. You're popular..."
Uram shot me a dirty look like it was my fault.
"It's because of you."
"...Me?"
"I wanna have a serious relationship like you guys, not something casual!"
"That's not something I can help with..."
Uram threw a little tantrum—"I dunno, I hate you~!"—then perked up like she'd just remembered something.
"Yerim. So, have you guys done anything naughty yet?"
"...Huh?"
"Kissed?"
"..........Not yet..."
"Whoooa... Hey, like, when you think about that Oppa of yours, do you get those kinds of thoughts?"
"......!"
I wondered what the heck Uram was on about asking that.
But maybe because it was our first girl talk like this, I got a little excited too.
I beckoned Uram closer. She gulped and leaned in.
I whispered something I'd never say normally right in her ear.
"━━━━━━━━."
"H-Huh...?"
As I pulled back, both of us had faces beet red, no holding back.
"Ah, not a bitch in heat... she's a succubus."