Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Outsider at the Chicken Shop
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I actually know full well that I'm not some hotshot.
Even though I've regressed back to high school days, I'm no genius, and I don't have any cheat skills.
I'm just some washed-up uncle who lost all his dreams and passion but wasted his time studying anyway.
I know I'm not hotshit, so I don't dream of using future knowledge to become some company chairman and crank out corporate revenge stories,
or turn into a politician and churn out national pride tales,
or get all lovey-dovey with pretty girls in some rom-com.
I don't even aim for that stuff.
That said, I did try becoming an Insider and living out a youthful rom-com... but I gave up after just a month of school.
I'm only out here today because one of my two hard-earned friends offered to buy me a meal. That's it.
But is it too much to ask for an Outsider like me to crawl outside on a weekend for a free meal from a friend? Now even eating is getting interrupted.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sitting at the table in the restaurant, two yellow-haired guys plop down uninvited, spouting broken English like idiots.
Then these morons claim they're exchange students from abroad and start hitting on the Yoo sisters.
Of course, the Yoo sisters look at them like bugs and tell them to leave, but the guys pull the "We no speak Korean" card and won't budge.
These dudes look college-aged, and they seem to be exploiting the fact that Yoo So-mi and Yoo So-ha are young and inexperienced in handling this crap.
Tell them to get up, and they pretend not to understand Korean.
But calling the staff or cops outright? They haven't done anything scary or violent yet.
Guys like this—you're supposed to call staff right away no matter what. But since they're grinning and acting friendly, young kids hesitate.
M-maybe this can be resolved with talk?
Yoo So-mi is a first-year high schooler into art. Yoo So-ha's a middle schooler.
They haven't studied much English, so they're second-guessing themselves and falling for these fake foreigners' act.
Normally, they'd chase off intruders like they did that cult lady earlier, with some rough words...
"No!... Uh... Stop..! We don't.... What do we even say?"
The Yoo sisters really think Korean isn't getting through, so they're fumbling with bad English, combat power tanked.
I'm a bit more book-smart, so I could tell these guys haven't even properly attended an English academy, let alone lived abroad.
So I decided to expose them first, and if talk failed, call the owner or cops.
.
.
.
.
"Oh, you go to college in the States? Which school do you go to? What's your major?"
(College in America? What school? What's your major?)
"Uh.. We speak Korean good... Talk in Korean..."
I'm no native speaker, and my English isn't perfect, but I've studied enough to communicate in the US.
But not you clowns.
The guys try mumbling something in English but fail.
Speaking English is different from just listening or reading.
I test them with recent class names, professor names, etc., but they just spit out a few mangled words—zero chance they're foreigners.
"Guys, you're not from America, right? Cut it out here. We're all minors."
"..."
"Plenty of hot older chicks outside—why bother my friends? Just get up and go. You know what happens if adults mess with minors."
Worried I was too soft and it'd cause misunderstandings, I showed them my phone screen with 112 dialed but not called.
By now, Yoo So-mi and Yoo So-ha seemed to get the picture.
Their faces had turned pretty scary.
The two guys exchanged looks, then awkwardly stood and left.
"Fucking hell... The dude looks like such a loser, thought we'd score but no dice... Heh heh!!"
Muttering curses about me among themselves.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The chicken arrived.
Wooow... Chicken... I wanna go home.
I really just wanna go home now.
Cult freaks, venomous little sisters, fake foreign hunters. My motivation's already drilled through the floor.
Especially those hunters—they don't think they're the idiots, saying they only approached because I look like a loser.
So was that whole mess because they suck, or because I look lame? they basically said.
That stung a bit. Fucking assholes...
In my fantasies, I'd already dropkicked their faces a hundred times, but reality's harsh.
This is off-school grounds—start a fight, and I'm the criminal.
Could I even win against those hunters? I've only exercised for half a year; a first-year high schooler's body is still growing.
Never even been in a real fight.
So against morons scamming my friend and her sister, or insulting me as a loser,
all I can do is ask for help around me or call the cops.
Earlier, I couldn't even shake off that one cult lady and dragged the nuisance all the way to the meetup spot—Yoo So-mi had to yell to fix it.
Even for her, snapping at a much older lady must've been uncomfortable.
Here I am, a 35-year-old regressor, too useless to help my friend and just leeching off her. Feels shameful.
Thinking that way, maybe that's why Yoo So-ha's gaze turned cold at the cafe.
Hearing the guy her sister brought as a "friend" couldn't handle one cultist and needed sis to bail him out? I'd look at him sideways too.
The huge plate of carbonara boneless chicken steamed invitingly, wafting delicious smells.
Usually, "boneless chicken" means small fried chunks, but this place is different.
They debone a whole bird, cook it intact, so it ends up as big fried slabs tossed in carbonara sauce.
Not bite-sized even boneless, so when portioning, you use tongs and shears to cut to size.
Like at company dinners pre-regression, I naturally grabbed tongs and shears, slicing the chicken into good eating sizes.
Plated some onto Yoo So-mi and Yoo So-ha's dishes, spooned sauce over with the ladle.
But the Yoo sisters have been quiet since earlier.
Maybe the carbonara boneless looks meh,
or the hunters soured the mood,
or maybe I botched my gloomy expression and tanked the vibe.
I'm an Outsider who sucks at reading girls' moods or reviving dead atmospheres.
So I just portioned my share and decided to eat quietly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ *** Yoo So-ha's Perspective
Guys my age approaching to win me over? Happens all the time.
I have plenty of friends, and most guys among them hit on me at least once.
Even rejecting confessions, I try not to hurt them.
We won't date, but we're still friends seeing each other at school tomorrow.
I'm used to this stuff.
Friendly guy classmates, friends' crushes, rough bad-boy types, total strangers—even girls.
I know how to respond to avoid future issues.
But adults hitting on me? First time.
Strangers shoving their faces in—rough responses fit, but they're adults, so polite too? We hesitated on timing and ended up letting them sit like we allowed it.
I was super flustered, but luckily sis next to me laid into them rough, so I joined in.
But then they claim they're foreigners who don't get our rejections.
I tried school English to communicate... but no dice.
Puzzling over these oddly dressed but smiling "foreigners,"
Yi-an oppa steps up.
Honestly, zero expectations. From cafe chat, he barely talks, no fun.
People skills grow from talking, but Yi-an oppa seems to hate chatting... Obvious fail incoming.
Probably try talk like us and quit, or say something dumb like "They seem nice, let's eat together."
But Yi-an oppa suddenly speaks English.
Couldn't catch it all, but checking their college or whatever.
I knew from sis he studies well, but not English-fluent enough for foreigners.
I watched wide-eyed as they reacted—holy crap, they couldn't string proper sentences.
Then it hit: they're fake foreigners, approaching to deceive us from the start.
First time an adult hits on me, first time one approaches to lie.
If we'd kept talking and given numbers or addresses casually? Who knows their goal, but targeting minors with lies? Bad end for sure.
While sis and I glared, Yi-an oppa calmly chased them off no problem.
Gotta thank him proper for this.
This morning I wondered why sis hangs with him... Now I get it a bit.
Studies great, good English, calm, mature, looks decent too.
His uncle-ish clothes suit his adult vibe now that I think.
Ooh... And right as food arrives, he naturally portions for us.
Thoughtful too... Yeah, good enough as sis's friend.
Still miles off as her boyfriend, though.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ *** Yoo So-mi's Perspective
My little sis's gaze on Yi-an is a bit suspicious.
But So-ha has tons of friends already—no need to friend Yi-an too, right?
Yi-an's got two friends now; more would cut into my time with him. Nope.
So next time I plan to meet Yi-an, keep it secret from So-ha.