Yusi's True Identity
The foolish thoughts I'd entertained at the sight of them looking so affectionate, like lovers, were short-lived.
"Ah, Cheoljjin. You're here early?"
"...I'm here."
I inwardly shook my head at the two of them, greeting me with the same casual attitude as always.
'Eh, no way. My delusions are getting out of hand.'
I'd clearly been infected by a crazy idea thanks to that talk I'd had with Areum.
"Hello."
Actually, even if they weren't lesbians, women tend to have a closer sense of physical distance compared to men. You could say they have no aversion to bodily contact. They'll casually engage in touches that, between guys, would prompt disgusted cries of "are you gay?"
Bam Nuna and Han Saebyeok were probably like that too. Lying down with your head on someone's lap—what's the big deal?
...Still, the suspicion that had surfaced didn't fade so easily. I'd seen a kiss mark on Bam Nuna's neck before. Of course, even that could have been a misunderstanding.......
'If it's true, what am I supposed to do? Women can like each other, and that's that.'
I scolded myself and deliberately shut off my concern. Even if it wasn't a misunderstanding, it was none of my business. They say nothing good comes from meddling in other people's love lives.
'As long as no guy hits on me, it's fine.'
Having reached that conclusion in my head, I settled into a corner seat. I turned on the computer and connected the tablet. I needed to storyboard the first half of the story I'd worked out with Bam Nuna during the meeting.
Not long after I'd settled in, Han Saebyeok got up.
"Unni, I'll be going first."
"Yeah. Our Saebyeok, you've worked hard. Fighting."
Bam Nuna waved her hand gently as she saw Han Saebyeok off. I poked my head out from behind the monitor and gave a slight nod as a perfunctory greeting too.
Knowing Han Saebyeok, she should have just glanced at me and ignored me.
"...I'll look forward to the storyboard."
A greeting came back. And it was a positive comment.
"Ah, yes. I-I'll work hard."
I stared at Han Saebyeok's retreating figure as she left the clubroom, bewildered. Ever since the day we'd run into each other at the laundry room a few days ago, her attitude had grown strangely kinder. Or rather, maybe she'd finally started treating me normally.
Bam Nuna approached me with a bright smile and said,
"Cheoljjin, you've gotten close with Saebyeok, huh?"
"...I don't think that's the case."
"Saebyeok rarely has personal conversations with guys!"
Personal conversation? My head tilted to the side.
"Isn't talking about the storyboard a professional conversation...? Since it'll be used for the club's animation production."
Actually, it had been such a brief exchange that I wasn't even sure you could call it a conversation.
"Anyway!"
She seemed determined to make it sound like we'd gotten close.
I nodded vaguely. It was good to be on friendly terms with a fellow club member, after all. Though we weren't actually close.
Anyway, I was about to get back to drawing the storyboard when—
"Hey, Cheoljjin."
"No."
"Ah, I-I haven't even said anything yet......."
Bam Nuna spoke in a timid voice. She seemed to know perfectly well how persistent she was.
"Is it really a no? Is my comic that boring...?"
"No, no. It's not because it's boring. I told you."
To be honest, the story of the comic Bam Nuna had shown me was very much to my taste. She'd also shown me a novelized version instead of the roughly sketched storyboard, and aside from the grammatical issues that came with her being a foreigner, I'd found it pretty entertaining.
R-19, slice-of-life, college, harem.
It was a typical male-oriented erotic novel. And it was also exactly my kind of story. Well, I was the famous 'Kkang-cheol' of the erotic illustration world. My tastes were hardly a mystery.
Even so, I couldn't grant Bam Nuna's request. Not because I wasn't interested, but because I didn't have the time.
I explained the reason in detail.
"Honestly, if I had the time, I would have seriously considered it. But right now I'm doing too much. I have to study for classes, I'm working out, I'm handling the animation storyboard and personal commissions. I have no confidence that I can draw a proper comic in this state......."
"......."
If she'd asked me to draw a few illustrations, I could knock those out quickly. But comics weren't my specialty. Naturally, I had no confidence and no idea how long it would take. Even if I started right now, I wasn't sure I could make the deadline.
"And starting next week, we have to make the goods to sell at our SeoCo booth, remember."
"Ch-Cheoljjin, you don't have to make the goods!"
"Huh?"
"If you draw the comic......."
"......."
Even after I laid out my situation in detail, Bam Nuna wouldn't give up. Had this nuna always been this stubborn? I didn't think she was the type to push without considering other people's circumstances.
I scratched my head and asked outright.
"Why are you asking this insistently? Actually, when it comes to drawing, there are others besides me. There's Han Saebyeok sunbae, and Hana too."
Han Saebyeok and Ju Hana were both in the Fashion Design department. As design majors, they naturally drew quite well. Of course, designing fashion and drawing comics were different disciplines, but... the same applied to me.
But Bam Nuna seemed to think otherwise. She clasped her hands together as if in prayer and said,
"If it's not Cheoljjin, it won't work. Saebyeok and Hana draw clothes well. But people—they're just average. And erotic stuff is worse than average."
"......."
"But Cheoljjin draws people well. Erotic stuff even better. And above all, Cheoljjin is Kkang-cheol. Kkang-cheol is a god."
...A god. Just what kind of existence was 'Kkang-cheol' in Bam Nuna's mind? He's just a pervert who draws porn.
Then Bam Nuna's eyes lit up as if a great idea had struck her.
"Ah! I'll give you my share of the comic sales profits too! Then you can take a break from commissions!"
"No, that's a bit much. We don't even know if the comic will sell well......."
How many copies could a comic even sell at a club booth at SeoCo? And though it feels a bit much to say so myself, I was a fairly high-tier talent in the illustration world. Even if the comic sold decently, it probably wouldn't match my per-piece rate.
"Cheoljjin......."
Her sparkling turquoise eyes bore into me. I let out a small groan and averted my gaze. At this rate, I was going to end up granting her request.
'No! It's physically impossible! Even the little free Yusi-time I have left will completely vanish!'
I repeated that to myself and shook my head once more.
But seeing that, Bam Nuna suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and trembled.
"U, uu. I-I really didn't want to say this......."
"?"
I wondered what on earth she was going to say.
Soon, with an expression that suggested she'd made a momentous resolution, Bam Nuna spoke.
"Kkang-cheol has to grant my request. No, you have to. You have an obligation."
"...Huh?"
Bam Nuna suddenly called me 'Kkang-cheol' instead of 'Cheoljjin' and said something incomprehensible. She even dropped the polite speech she always used and spoke in banmal.
I was a bit taken aback by this unfamiliar side of her.
Then, even more bewildering words came out of Bam Nuna's mouth.
"Kkang-cheol, you promised me. That if you ever took commissions again, you'd grant my request first!"
"...Huh?!"
My body jolted. I had definitely made that promise. It was back when I'd posted the notice on Trickster saying I'd be taking a break for a while.
And the person I'd made that promise to was none other than—
"...Yusi?"
I uttered the name in disbelief. Then Bam Nuna nodded with a resolute expression.
"My Korean name is Yu-bam, and my Trickster nickname is Yusi."
My jaw dropped.
"...No way."
My mouth, agape in shock, didn't know how to close. The Yusi who'd been my only KaTalk friend before coming to university was Bam Nuna?
Bam Nuna—no, 'Yusi'—spoke.
"Kkang-cheol, keep the promise you made before. This commission is to draw a comic. Please......."
I pulled myself together and reflexively shot back.
"I-is the comic really what's important right now?!"
"Yes!"
Look here.......
*
Yusi spoke with a sulky tone.
"Kkang-cheol, you didn't keep your promise to me. You said when you had time you'd contact me first, but you just went ahead and took commissions. You said I was your lifetime #1 priority customer."
"That... I forgot. Sorry."
It was not long after I'd started university. Was it around the day of the MT? I'd posted that notice saying I'd take a break for a while to adapt to my unfamiliar school life.
"I'll forgive you! So draw the comic......!"
"Ugh."
I couldn't refuse Bam Nuna's request as firmly as before. Because she was 'Yusi.'
Yusi was a rather special existence to me.
Not just because she was a regular customer who frequently commissioned me, or a big spender who paid generously.
Yusi was the only KaTalk friend I'd had before university, and the bamboo forest where I'd poured out my innermost feelings when I was struggling with trauma.
Because we didn't know each other's personal details and only communicated online, I could speak my mind without holding back. She accepted my venting with a mature attitude, and was the only outlet I had outside of my family.
So I felt a debt of gratitude toward Yusi. I wanted to repay the favor. The promise to always prioritize her for commissions was made for that reason too.
But now, that 'Yusi' turned out to be the 'Yu-bam' right in front of me. So how could I refuse her request?
In the end, I had no choice but to squeeze my eyes shut and nod.
"Alright. Since it's Yusi's request......."
"R-really?"
Bam Nuna's turquoise eyes lit up with joy. Her face, which had been anxiously watching my reaction, bloomed brightly like a flower.
When I nodded again, she threw her arms up in triumph.
"Yahoo! It's happening! It's happening!"
"Are you that happy......."
"Of course! Because Kkang-cheol is the best at erotic art!"
A gleeful Yusi. No, Bam Nuna.
...What was I supposed to call her? It was all so sudden it made my head spin.