Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Tormented Outsider
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ *** -Yoo So-mi's Perspective ***
While I was teaching Yi-an, who was terrible at swimming, how to kick...
I sensed a hot gaze fixed on my lower body.
So I tensed up a little.
What if some stranger was leering at me with impure eyes?
It was mostly my fault for coming dressed in a bikini with naughty intentions in the first place,
but still, I didn't want that kind of look from other guys.
So while splashing my legs hard in the blue pool water,
I turned my head left and right to check my surroundings.
...
But around here, the only one who could see me was Yi-an.
However, his gaze carried a faint stickiness...
It felt mixed with impure motives unrelated to learning swim strokes.
Ah, the source of that hot gaze was Yi-an!
After confirming it, the first emotion I felt was joy and a sense of accomplishment.
Even as best friends, Yi-an usually kept way too much physical distance from me.
He wouldn't even touch my body, let alone shyly delete a swimsuit photo where my underwear straps peeked through.
But look at him now.
I'm wearing what they call a swimsuit, but really a bikini that's only half the coverage of my everyday underwear.
And Yi-an is straight-up giving sticky stares to my bare legs and half-exposed butt!
Getting such passionate looks from Yi-an makes me feel so loved as his best friend—pure bliss.
And it's like full payback for all my daily workouts keeping my figure in check?
Coming in a bikini was the right call!
...
But I'm not satisfied yet.
This situation is just temporary magic from the 'pool' setting. Once we leave, Yi-an's attitude will snap right back to normal, obviously.
So I have to make the most of this chance—slowly, steadily piling damage on the mental walls Yi-an's put up...
In one joyful corner of my heart, I ignited my resolve to topple Yi-an.
The next emotion after joy and accomplishment was relief.
But not the 'Thank goodness it's Yi-an looking!' kind.
What I felt was relief that Yi-an still paid attention to me, even after Si-a confessed to him.
If Si-a closing the distance with him made Yi-an suddenly pull away from me...
I wouldn't be able to stay friends with Si-a anymore.
Besides, Yi-an distancing himself from me just because he heard Si-a likes him is totally absurd.
Why? Because back in that taxi while prepping for the doujin event, I already grabbed both his shoulders tight and stole his heart.
You don't become best friends with a guy you don't even like, right?
By that logic, Yi-an should've pushed Si-a away the moment we became besties.
And best friends are never second-rate to lovers.
So if some latecomer lover tries shoving the best friend aside... war's inevitable.
Especially since Si-a isn't even a girlfriend yet.
But unlike Si-a, I haven't clearly told Yi-an my feelings yet.
I don't want the plain vanilla love everyone talks about.
Sure, I want Yi-an to love me, but that's not something I get just by confessing.
What I crave is pure, genuine love.
Not love that sizes up others' partners, appraises value, and nitpicks satisfaction.
Not love that drifts apart over differing tastes or interests.
Not love where power dynamics shift with money or status.
Not love that buds from 'Eh, she's pretty hot—good enough' after a confession from a cute girl with a killer body.
That's all just scripted theater to blend in with the crowd.
If that's 'love,' then the 'friendship' those middle school kids had with me—bullying me just 'cause they hated my hobbies—was love too?
Makes me scoff just thinking about it.
Pure, genuine love is definitely built on possessiveness toward the other, a desire to dominate, and infinite obsession.
Hearts are fickle things, swaying like reeds with time and circumstance.
So the true start of love is binding them tight so no stray thoughts creep in,
and the desire to bind and control them is love's core.
Conversely, wanting to be bound or dominated by them is love too.
That's why I'm still waiting for the right moment to confess.
Someday, without me even asking—purely of Jeong Yi-an's own will—the day he slips a collar around my neck.
.
.
.
That said, if I keep flaunting my figure like this, Yi-an might not be able to get out of the water...
Better stop the kick demo and grab his hand for swim practice again!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After spacing out watching So-mi's kick demo, I grabbed her hand again and resumed kick practice.
But all that stuck in my memory was her pale skin shaking, drenched in water...
So my form was still a mess.
"Stretch your legs more, focus on your abs and core, swing those thighs big~ Yeah! Power in the glutes too!"
"When you kick, snap your ankle to push the water away. Tiny detail, but it makes a huge speed difference!"
Thanks to So-mi's passionate coaching, my skills improved fast.
At first, flailing my legs in the water barely moved me forward,
but with practice, I started propelling ahead nicely, and the pull on her hand grew stronger.
"Good! You're getting it! Form's solid now—put some real power into it?"
-Splash! Splash!
"Still weak! More oomph, Yi-an!!"
-Splash! Splash! Splash!
At her urging, I threw everything into my legs, shoving her back harder.
Finally, she couldn't hold, getting pushed backward in the water.
...
But in the process, So-mi—whose feet had left the pool bottom—lost balance and sort of fell back onto the water's surface as I shoved her.
So I, kicking while holding her hand, kept going forward... and crashed into something incredibly soft.
.
.
.
"Sorry, So-mi. I really couldn't dodge that—forgive me?"
I immediately apologized for the accident.
Even if accidental, face-planting into a girl's chest is worth getting chewed out for.
That said, I was facing away from her now.
Reason being, behind me, So-mi was blushing faintly while readjusting her swimsuit.
Good thing it wasn't a major wardrobe malfunction—just tweak the straps loosened by the impact, and good.
"I'm fine, Yi-an. Like I always say, I don't mind your body touching mine at all."
Man, Yoo So-mi was so sweet today too.
Not blaming me—instead covering for me.
Made me feel guilty for ogling her earlier while she taught kicks.
Plus, it hadn't been long since Si-a confessed, and here I was doing this to So-mi... felt awful.
With those thoughts, I waited for her to finish fixing her suit...
"Yi-an... you don't seem to believe me right now... How 'bout this~♫"
Suddenly, she hugged me from behind.
The pool was deep enough our chests were submerged, but that made her body heat hit even clearer.
...
Hold up—not the time to enjoy this.
Si-a confessed to me; I gotta avoid stuff like this...!
Startled, I tried prying her arms off my chest.
But So-mi clung tighter, whispering,
"Yi-an... are you trying to put distance between us now? ...Why?"
"I...!"
I started to tell her about Si-a's confession.
...
But I clamped my mouth shut again.
Someone you like confessing is super sensitive stuff,
and I wasn't sure if I should spill it on my own.
Then So-mi hit me with something unexpected.
"Si-a confessed to you, right?"
"...!"
"I already knew. She talked to me before confessing to you."
So she knew the whole deal.
Then we really shouldn't be doing this, right?
It felt like betraying Si-a's feelings—honestly repulsive.
But So-mi didn't care, opening up again.
"Once you knew Si-a liked you... did you start hating me, Yi-an?"
"Of course not."
"You're not dating Si-a right now, are you?"
"...You're right."
Yeah. When Si-a confessed, she said it wasn't about dating right now.
Since I agreed, she pressed even closer from behind, whispering in my ear.
"Did Si-a maybe not say this? 'I won't interfere as long as you're not lovers.' It's important."
...
Just how much do these two know about each other?
Her words made it sound like they'd struck some deal before Si-a confessed to me.
But she was spot-on, so I could only nod without a word.
Seeing my nod, she squeezed me tight from behind and said,
"Yi-an, you know? I get confessions like once a week at school. And not just there—at the sandwich shop part-time too."
"..."
She wasn't exaggerating.
Yoo So-mi was super popular, and I'd heard plenty about delinquent guys getting shot down after confessing to her.
Heck, at the shop, I'd even helped fend off overly pushy dudes multiple times.
"So... should I distance myself from you every time some guy confesses? That's too much."
If she felt guilty over every confession and pulled away from me, our friendship never would've happened.
Beyond that, with confessions as daily life for her, building real bonds with guys would've been impossible.
And like So-mi said, I wasn't dating Si-a.
So trying to distance from So-mi just 'cause Si-a confessed—was I just hyping myself up, chugging imaginary victory soup?
My head was a mess.
Right on cue, the siren blared announcing rest time across the pool.
But I still hadn't sorted my heart out, stuck embraced by So-mi.
It went on until the safety staff came over, ushering folks out of the pool.