What, What a Loser
After much deliberation,
Han Saebyeok told Ju Hana that Kang Cheol-jin and Pi Ah-reum were dating.
"The two of them are dating...?"
Ju Hana asked blankly. She looked genuinely shocked.
For a moment, Han Saebyeok wondered if she should have kept quiet. But on second thought, she decided this was for the best. If Hana was this shaken just hearing about it, imagine how crushed she'd be if she confessed without knowing and got rejected.
Ju Hana asked again, her face on the verge of tears.
"Did Cheol-jin say that?"
"Not exactly... but given the circumstances, it's pretty clear."
"Circumstances? Tell me everything, unni."
"It was the day I first met Ah-reum..."
Neither of them had actually told her they were dating, but Han Saebyeok was certain all the same.
Pi Ah-reum, drunk and targeted by guys trying to pick her up.
Kang Cheol-jin, who came to get her.
And the two of them she'd run into again at the laundromat the next day.
From any angle, they were clearly a couple. Just thinking back to what Pi Ah-reum had said was enough. She'd been drunk, but hadn't she outright told Kang Cheol-jin to sleep with her?
In truth, there was an even more telling reason than words like those.
Han Saebyeok replayed the scene from the laundromat in her mind.
Pi Ah-reum, asleep against Kang Cheol-jin's shoulder, and Kang Cheol-jin, gazing down at her with tender eyes. That day, the two of them had looked like lovers straight out of a painting.
So Han Saebyeok carefully laid out the whole story while watching Ju Hana's expression, hoping her cherished junior wouldn't get too hurt.
"That's everything I saw and heard."
"I see. Thank you for telling me, unni."
"...Hana, are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Ju Hana nodded. Her face had unexpectedly regained its composure. It was the complete opposite of moments ago, when she'd looked ready to burst into tears.
Han Saebyeok eyed her with concern. The fact that she seemed so calm only made her worry more. The Ju Hana she knew wasn't the type to take news like this in stride.
Then a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
'She's not thinking of stealing him, is she?'
Han Saebyeok quickly shook off the thought. Ju Hana, of all people, stealing someone else's partner? She couldn't even picture it.
Still, she asked out of concern.
"Hana, are you...?"
"Huh?"
"Are you going to confess? To him."
"C-confess?"
In an instant, Ju Hana's face turned bright red. It was the look of someone who hadn't even considered it. Sure enough, Ju Hana shook her head vigorously.
"N-no. I couldn't do something like that..."
"Right? Especially since he's already seeing someone."
Han Saebyeok nodded, relieved.
"Don't be too disappointed. There are plenty of good people out there besides him."
"Uh, y-yeah."
"And you don't necessarily have to date a guy, either... If you're lonely, I'll hang out with you. Bam unni's around too. Call me anytime."
"Yeah. Thanks."
Ju Hana answered with a nod.
But her mind was already elsewhere.
'I don't think they're actually dating...'
Just moments ago, despair had washed over her. But after hearing the details, another possibility had occurred to her.
'Is Ah-reum... like me?'
This was around the time she'd been caught being a back-angle photographer.
Thinking back to how Kang Cheol-jin had acted then—bringing up the club's no-dating rule and subtly drawing a line—this scenario seemed far more plausible.
*
Class ended.
As I gathered my things and stood up, Ah-reum came over.
"Kkang-cheol, let's hit the clubroom! Wanna duo?"
I crossed my arms into an X.
"Nope. I told you, I've got plans today."
"Ah, right."
Ah-reum clicked her tongue in disappointment. Lately, she'd gotten hooked on gathering in the clubroom to play all kinds of games.
"Tch. Should I just head home early today too, then?"
"Oh, what's the occasion?"
"Every now and then, I need to have days where I come home early, so my mom doesn't nag me when I'm late."
I suddenly felt sorry for Ah-reum's mom. She was gradually being conditioned by Ah-reum, I could tell.
"That's such a you reason."
"What, got a problem?"
"No, ma'am."
"Hmph, that's what I thought. You think I'm doing this just for myself?"
Having said that, Ah-reum grabbed my ear and tugged.
"Once my curfew's lifted, we can do way more. All-day sex at Kkang-cheol's place. Ehehe."
The sight of her whispering into my ear with a grin was incredibly cute, but the content was anything but.
I let out a scoff and exaggeratedly raised one corner of my mouth.
"What are you talking about, you amateur."
"...What?"
Ah-reum's eyebrows shot up.
I bolted before she could hit me.
"I've got plans, so I'm heading out!"
"What did you say?! What did you say?! Hey!"
I took off running, leaving Ah-reum behind as she chased after me, windmilling her fists. The speed gap was so huge I put distance between us in an instant.
Around the time I figured she'd be giving up the chase, I called Hana.
"Hey, Hana. My class is over. Where are you?"
- I'm on my way too, since mine just ended... Ah!
"Oh! Hana, over here!"
I spotted Hana just a few steps away. She must have been heading toward our department.
Hana pointed at the campus shuttle stop near the back gate.
"We can take the shuttle bus."
"Oh, it's my first time taking it. My place is close, so I've never had a reason to."
"R-really? Don't you need it a lot to head toward the university district?"
"I haven't been going far lately since I'm not drinking. I'm trying to lose weight."
"Ah... now that you mention it, you've lost a lot of weight."
"Really? You can tell?"
I asked back with a broad grin.
Honestly, I'd hit a plateau for a while and had been paying close attention, so hearing that I'd lost weight felt great. Back when I was around 100 kg, the weight loss was really obvious, but in the 90 kg range, it was weirdly hard to notice. At least lately, visible changes were starting to show again, which was a relief.
At my intense reaction, Hana smiled faintly and nodded.
"Yeah. You've lost a lot compared to when I first saw you. Your jawline's starting to show, too."
"Heh. Guess the exercise is paying off."
"Are you going to keep dieting?"
"Yeah. I decided to do a concept profile shoot. So I'm trying to get in serious shape."
"I see. Uh, I'll be cheering you on."
"Thanks."
Truth was, a concept profile didn't require getting into as intense shape as a body profile. You didn't necessarily have to take your clothes off.
But I figured I might as well get properly fit while I was at it. Seong-hyeon had looked cool taking photos with his shirt off. And my dad's competition photos too.
'Though the biggest reason is that Seora noona's expecting it.'
How should I put it... maybe because we'd had sex, but I'd become more conscious of her gaze. Since she liked a body with good definition, I needed to strip off the fat so my muscle fibers would be clearly visible.
...Thinking about it this way made me feel like a real shallow bastard. Before, when she'd practically begged me to enter a competition, I'd refused, saying it seemed like too much work.
I cleared my throat for no reason and asked Hana, who was sitting next to me.
"So where are we going? I got on since you told me to, but..."
"Ah, well..."
The reason we'd met up was to discuss cosplay costumes. But why take the shuttle bus instead of just talking in the clubroom? Were we buying props for the costumes or something?
As I was running through plausible reasons, Hana spoke shyly.
"My place."
*
Before I knew it, I was headed to a girl's house.
I suddenly felt tense. Going to a house where a girl lives alone was a first for me...
'...Wait, no it's not?'
Come to think of it, I'd been to Soyeon noona's place a few times, hadn't I? I'd completely forgotten.
Anyway, once I realized it wasn't my first time, the tension that had briefly welled up eased off. I didn't even know why I'd gotten tense in the first place. When I went to Soyeon noona's, I hadn't felt anything at all.
But then the tension that had subsided suddenly surged back. Because the scenery before my eyes was nothing like what I'd expected.
I stared at the high-rise apartment and turned to look at Hana.
"Hana, is this... not your place, but your parents' place? Like, you live with them?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I came empty-handed... If I'd known, I would've at least brought snacks or something."
I'd been taught that when visiting a house where someone's parents live, you should bring something as a matter of courtesy. Well, I didn't really care when I was a kid... but I'd heard that showing up empty-handed as an adult was rude.
'Though that info came from internet forums.'
A man who learned life from internet communities. That's me.
Anyway, as I stood there flustered, Hana waved her hand, telling me not to worry about it.
"I-it's okay. There's no one home."
"Ah, really? That's a relief."
"Yeah. No one's home."
Why did she say it twice? And while blushing, at that.
...Suddenly, I felt a surge of energy heading south.
'What am I, a lunatic? How many times did I come this morning?'
I'd been in post-nut clarity mode until just before arriving, but now my head was filling with impure thoughts. Even I was dumbfounded by my own libido.
I steadied my heart as I rode the elevator up.
Tti-ing-
Hana opened the door and gestured.
"Come in, Cheol-jin."
"Y-yeah. Pardon the intrusion."
"I told you, there's really no one home..."
"No, I just, you know."
Hana's house had an antique, old-fashioned atmosphere with lots of vintage furniture. Maybe they used woody air fresheners too—the calm, weighty feel matched the interior well. Was this her father's taste?
"Cheol-jin?"
"Ah, yeah."
"You can come this way."
I opened the door and stepped in, and a neatly decorated room came into view. For someone who loved cosplay like Hana, I'd expected the place to be packed with otaku goods, but this was unexpected.
"This is different from what I imagined. Are you not really into buying merch like figures and stuff?"
"That stuff... I keep it all here."
"Huh? Whoa, wow."
Hana pulled back a curtain that had been covering one side of the room. Posters, figures, all kinds of merch, and a whole array of cosplay supplies came into view. As it turned out, she'd divided the large room with a curtain.
Hana smiled with an awkward expression.
"Actually, there's more in the storage room. There wasn't enough space, so my room ended up like this."
"Wow, Hana, you're even more of a hardcore otaku than I thought?"
"...That's true, but you're not making fun of me, right?"
"It's a compliment. I've got a display case at my place too."
When I flashed a thumbs-up, Hana smiled with a relieved expression. I knew that feeling well. Otaku really do have an understanding between them, I'm telling you.