Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Outsider Becomes a Person of Interest
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Han Si-a's stepmother was... what can I say? Someone remarkably free from stereotypes?
Worried that her daughter might get ahead of herself at school, she summons the suspicious boy for a "preemptive strike."
She seems like the type of person who casually disregards the boundaries that normal humans are supposed to respect if it serves her own purposes.
The afternoon after I was dragged in and grilled by Han Si-a's stepmother.
I called Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi to the classroom to share what had happened during class.
But recounting the whole unfiltered experience to high schoolers felt a bit too shocking, so I condensed it to the key points.
That Han Si-a's lie had already been exposed, and her stepmother wasn't all that interested in her little schemes.
Instead, the stepmother was anxious that this might lead Han Si-a to impure relations with the opposite sex.
And that she'd warned me not to lay a hand on Han Si-a.
After I finished explaining, Han Si-a apologized for dragging me into her plan unnecessarily and getting me caught in the crossfire.
And Yoo So-mi...
"Yi-an... this story is too complicated. So, basically, Si-a's stepmother said, 'When you're dating my daughter, keep it to healthy, student-appropriate relationships!' or something like that?"
"No, So-mi... you're not thinking I just came back from some sex ed class, are you?"
...Hmm? Come to think of it, it's not entirely wrong, so maybe it's fine?
Deciding there was no need to correct the misunderstanding, I turned to Han Si-a.
But she was muttering to herself with a serious expression.
"I have no idea why my stepmother thinks I like this guy, but anyway, if speeding things up would drag her down to ruin, that's definitely a fresh perspective. It seems unrealistic to try it out of nowhere, but as mutual assured destruction, it's worth considering. The problem is that the act itself is just too repulsive..."
...Is that why her stepmom's going to such lengths? Nah, no way it's sincere.
But Han Si-a really does resemble her stepmom in ways that make it believable, even if there's no blood relation.
As I was lost in those thoughts—which Han Si-a would hate if she heard them—Yoo So-mi opened her mouth, looking shocked by Han Si-a's words too.
"Si-a! You can't just say stuff like that so casually! Physical relations between men and women should only be allowed with that one person you've confirmed your true love for..."
Yoo So-mi trailed off, her face gradually flushing red as if embarrassed even while speaking, her voice getting quieter.
This girl dresses like a delinquent on the outside, but her views on sex are the most conservative of all.
Well, for someone our age, that's pretty normal, I think...
But Han Si-a seemed to have a different opinion and countered.
"What are you talking about? Sex is just something you do when you need to make babies. Honestly, true love or whatever doesn't really matter, right?"
"Kyaaaaah!!! Si-a!!! A girl shouldn't say things like that!!"
At her blunt expression, Yoo So-mi screamed as if to drown out the words.
Han Si-a glanced at me briefly, blushed a little, and continued.
"Ahem. That was a bit too graphic to say outright with a boy here. I'll use 'sexual relations' instead."
Han Si-a, if you're gonna say it anyway, what's there to be embarrassed about!!
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.
.
Han Si-a had this to say about the "true love" just mentioned.
"Love between men and women is an emotion so intense that expressions like 'burning love' exist. But it burns out just as fast and fades quickly, or so I've heard."
"Love is like the climax of a movie—it's tense and exciting, sure... but the climax is just a few minutes out of the whole runtime. Humans can't stay highly focused for long, so if you filled the entire movie with climaxes, you'd lose concentration and get bored fast."
"So, family planning should exclude those emotions as much as possible and be rational and planned..."
Yoo So-mi cut in.
"Then, Si-a, have you ever been in love?"
"No, not really?"
"Me neither! So maybe we won't know until we try it? Besides, thinking we were born from our parents' love rather than a calculated plan feels a little sad."
...
Sigh... What started as a story about me being threatened by Han Si-a's stepmother had derailed into talk of sex and now love.
And watching these two girls discuss love so openly was honestly torture for someone like me.
It sounded like a story from another world, and I didn't feel close enough to them to hear such intimate details.
Do girls start sharing stuff like this once they get a little friendly? Sorry! As a guy, I just can't relate. And it's definitely not because I'm a friendless outsider!
So I decided to look for a chance to end the conversation and slip away.
As I was stealthily packing my bag while watching them...
Yoo So-mi suddenly grabbed my arm and said with a bright smile,
"Hey, what do you think, Yi-an?"
...
Kraaaaaah!!!! I'm 35 years old, and I don't want to butt into young girls' 'embarrassing, heart-fluttering love talk'!!!!!
I shook my head desperately, making a face that screamed I didn't want to.
But Han Si-a said to me with a sullen expression,
"Don't even think about running away. Spill it, Bread Shuttle. Shirking duties on day two of the job?"
Master, is this really within the Bread Shuttle's job scope...?
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.
About 10 minutes later, I was standing in front of the classroom blackboard, explaining like some teacher.
"So... ultimately, romantic feelings between men and women can be seen as something that reduces psychological resistance to burdensome actions in normal situations, like marriage or family planning. Even if those feelings don't last forever, that doesn't make them meaningless. But that also means, when considering life after marriage, you have to weigh conditions beyond love—like economic compatibility or personality fit. With that in mind, my opinion is..."
What is true love?
Even as a regressor, I don't really know.
Forcing myself to talk about something I don't know turns it into this long-winded, boring ramble.
Back in my school days, I used to crush on girls my age or vaguely dream of marriage and family.
But at some point, I realized I no longer wanted that.
Even before dating anyone, the thought of conversing or keeping in touch became a hassle first. Even talking to a woman whose looks I liked brought more obligation and burden than excitement.
"True love could also be described as 'something that guarantees men and women a reasonably happy life even after marriage.'"
In the end, since I knew nothing, I wrapped up with a generic conclusion.
At that, Han Si-a looked at me pitifully and smacked the desk with her palm. Tak, tak.
"Ugh... what kind of long-winded nonsense is this? So what the hell is that 'something'?"
Yoo So-mi covered her mouth with both hands and yawned.
My explanation must've been pretty dull.
But I don't know either!
If I knew the answer, my parents wouldn't still be that lovey-dovey couple living every day passionately and happily!!!
I dodged again with a vague response.
"Well... respecting each other's fields, understanding mutual interests... something like that, right?"
Yoo So-mi chimed in,
"Oh. I've heard stuff like that before! ...On a TV show like the Twilight Couples Clinic."
And Han Si-a added,
"Sometimes... you talk just like some geezer."
"Hold on. Han Si-a, you said love doesn't matter for family planning earlier—do you even have the right to call me a geezer?"
You spouted that romance-destroying crap too!!!! Why am I the only geezer!!!!
But... she's right. I am the geezer...
"Oh, I just don't expect anything from the guy. But for my kids, I have hopes? They'll definitely be pretty and smart like me~"
"...Not obnoxious and bully-prone like you?"
"Hmm... then I'll just pick a humble, kind husband?"
"Si-a. You're not denying the obnoxious or bully-loving parts...?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ *** Regular Report
In the heart of Seoul's downtown, two people remained in a conference room of a building that had emptied out as office workers headed home.
The man sat at the head of the table in casual attire.
The woman, meanwhile, was impeccably dressed in a suit.
So the two of them looked less like a married couple and more like a boss and his secretary.
"This time, you seem to have acted too recklessly. Are you confident you can handle the fallout if problems arise?"
"Oh my, are you actually worrying about me right now? Stop it~ I might fall for you!"
"I'm saying it because it could harm my daughter!!"
"I just made the best choice considering the risks~ And that's my specialty. If anything goes wrong, well, just kick out your wicked stepmom and it's done, right? Who'd bite the innocent daughter over a bad stepmom~ That's why you married me in the first place, wasn't it?"
Their relationship was far from one where even jokes about affection would fit.
At the woman's pointed question, the man sighed in displeasure.
"...I'm just asking if this really warranted such aggressive meddling."
"Haha... My husband lacks a sense of crisis. You know Si-a doesn't even treat her peers like people, right? But with that Jeong Yi-an kid involved, her expressions were just... If a doting dad like you saw them, you'd want to hunt down that boy and beat him senseless."
"..."
"Love turns people into fools. It makes you do things you'd never consider otherwise—even pay for them. The problem is you've raised Si-a too well. Frankly, if she set her mind to seducing a classmate, who could resist?"
"Watch your words! You think my Si-a is some lunatic like you!!!"
.
.
.
The man's daughter had lost her mother to a gun crime right in front of her during her childhood in America.
The next day after being bullied at elementary school for not having a mom, she tried sneaking a pistol in her schoolbag without telling her dad and got caught—that was when he decided to move back to Korea.
More precocious and intelligent than her peers, she was called a genius in Korean elementary school.
But her cute looks drew boys who played mean pranks to get her attention.
Some crossed the line... and after hearing she'd pulled out an awl during a scuffle with one such boy, he judged that adult intervention was urgently needed.
He sought psychological therapy from experts and decided to marry for close monitoring of the child.
And he chose his wife as a capable, snake-like woman who could drill survival tactics and people management into his daughter.
To teach her ways to protect herself without guns or knives.
And to ensure she wouldn't repeat his mistakes.
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The woman said,
"Hear me out slowly~ Si-a dumps the backlash from making enemies on me because she knows I can't handle the cleanup otherwise, right?"
The man retorted incredulously.
"I clearly said to 'discipline' her so she doesn't cause incidents—not make enemies of her."
"Haha... I just dislike the kid a bit too much... They say you hate those who resemble you, right? And while she's hating me, she won't have time for her peers— isn't that actually good?"
"..."
"Anyway, what I did was just 'preventive measures.' Do you think Si-a, who's racking her brain every day on how to bury me, hasn't considered 'hooking up with a classmate' as one option? Imagine it: without even realizing she likes the boy, she gives in to anger and goes for it. If she didn't like him, she'd be too disgusted to try; if she knew she did, guilt would make her hesitate. But if she likes him without noticing..."
-Thwack!
A flowerpot flew at the woman and shattered against the wall.
The man who threw it yelled, his face suddenly pale.
"Enough!!!..."
He breathed raggedly, then calmed himself with effort and spoke.
"Hoo... So. You arranged for the boy to reject her outright?"
"Of course~ That Jeong Yi-an kid is oddly mature and a bit eunuch-like... I might not have needed to go, but better safe than sorry, so I gave him a little threat."
"....Fine. Keep watching from now on. That boy too."