Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Predator and Prey (5)
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The world I'd possessed was basically like the Animal Kingdom.
It was because the emergence of superhuman Awakeners had thrust the law of the jungle into sharp relief across every society.
And that wasn't all.
Given the genre of this game, this place was crawling with NTR guys and girls, making relationships between people incredibly tangled and promiscuous.
It really was the Animal Kingdom.
And right here, two females were staring each other down.
Cynthia and Yoo Harin.
With me thrown in for good measure.
Our three gazes tangled in a complicated mess, settling an indescribable atmosphere over us.
'It's frigid.'
Daggers flew straight into my chest.
But no need to worry... my ass.
Their eyes, sharper than their hands could ever be, turned toward me, slicing into my very soul.
"Ahem! Hm!"
I cleared my throat pointedly and tried to act as natural as possible.
"When did you get here, Sia?"
My voice trembled just a bit at the end, and chills ran through my whole body, but I forced a smile without showing it.
"Just now."
Her curt reply came back.
For a split second, my heart plummeted.
I'd never seen her this cold before.
Along with her utterly icy expression, I could almost hear something.
'I can hear it. Sia's affection dropping like stones...'
Thank God I'd taken her virginity the day before yesterday.
Otherwise, Sia might've plummeted straight to less-than-friends territory, but she held onto the bare minimum and asked me,
"What the hell is this?"
I glanced at Yoo Harin.
"......"
Wrapped sloppily in a towel over her underwear, she just shrugged silently.
From her gesture, she was leaving it all to me.
Even if it was a total misunderstanding for anyone looking, her bailing out on me felt a tad infuriating, but still, better than nothing.
Least I'd avoid screwing up by opening my mouth rashly.
'Actually, works in my favor.'
I turned back to Sia and soothed her gently.
"It's a long story. Let's eat breakfast first."
I was buying time to shift the mood.
"I even made enough for you, Sia."
As if I'd been waiting for her.
"Harin, you too—get dressed and come to the kitchen."
Acting like it was no big deal that Harin was half-naked in my house, I naturally nudged both girls toward the kitchen.
"......Okay."
My sweet Cynthia gave in with a show of reluctance.
Thud.
But my illusion didn't last.
Stab!
Suddenly, Cynthia slammed her fork down, mangling the salad as she spoke.
"Explain. Now."
Her high-handed tone was downright terrifying.
"Everything. How this happened."
Her pupils slightly dilated, her eyes were dead.
One wrong move, and that sharp fork might pierce my flesh.
That was Sia's vibe.
I pictured myself stabbed and healed repeatedly by her healer powers, suffering eternally.
Eventually turning into Woo/jin and getting a nice boat in the original bad ending.
When a good person snaps, nothing's scarier.
I shuddered involuntarily and spoke up.
"Well, see. Uh. Short version: had a drink with Harin, got late, crashed her here at my place. That's it."
Both girls arched their brows in unison.
"That's really it?"
Cynthia's suspicion deepened as she grilled me.
"......"
Harin, for her part, seemed annoyed at hiding last night's sex.
Bang!
Suddenly, Cynthia slapped the table with her palm and raised her voice.
"Tell it straight! Woojin, what's your deal with this girl?! And why the hell are you sitting next to her?!"
Her emotions finally erupted; she gripped her fork tighter.
Like a criminal staring up at the judge.
I feigned calm as best I could, but only lame excuses came to mind, so I scratched my head.
"Friends, friends. You know, the ex I mentioned before? That's her."
"Friends?!"
Referencing the group drinking party from before, I spat out each word carefully.
"Plus, I'm sitting here 'cause you wanted an explanation, Sia. Face-to-face, right?"
Right then.
"Who was it that said as long as there's booze and night, no such thing as friends between guys and girls~?"
Harin, who'd been watching, tossed in a jab while pretending otherwise.
Obviously on purpose.
Shit.
She caught me good.
"Don't misunderstand, Sia. Harin's always joking like that..."
"I hate it. Especially jokes about guy-girl stuff."
Harin cut me off abruptly, propped her elbow on the table, and rested her chin on her hand.
"I've been burned before."
She continued.
Just shut up already.
Her words meant Choi Si-hyeok; I sighed involuntarily.
"As you heard, Harin's been having guy troubles lately. So we had a drink."
I explained again, nudging Harin's side discreetly so Sia wouldn't see.
"Drinking alone together is the problem! How could you, Woojin?!"
I managed to shut Harin up somehow, but Cynthia's rage soared endlessly.
"I didn't raise you to be this impure!"
Dragging in her guardian role, she vented her frustration.
Sorry, ma'am.
My dick went weird; couldn't help it.
Cynthia's teary eyes tugged at my guilt, but deep down, it felt kinda satisfying.
'...Get it now, Sia? This is how players felt watching you.'
I'd thought the time wasn't right yet, but unintentionally getting revenge, I switched tactics and counterattacked.
"No, what's wrong with having a drink?"
"What?!"
"You drank with that Choi Si-hyeok jerk too. Fine for you, not for me?"
Hypocrite much?
I twisted the knife in Cynthia's heart, right to the edge without killing.
"Th-that's different."
Some life returned to Cynthia's dilated pupils.
Like I'd given her heart a massage.
"I wasn't alone with him."
Of course, Cynthia wasn't one to go down easy.
"Soyeon was there, and it was strictly official!"
She shot back immediately, her body trembling lightly.
"It wasn't like I wanted to join the drinking...!"
I kept nitpicking her explanation, showing unusual persistence.
"So you did good?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant..."
Cynthia's momentum faltered after all her snapping.
"Don't you know silent approval? You went along with it in the end."
"Th-that was 'cause Soyeon was there, no choice..."
"Unavoidable?"
"He was representing the guild then, and said let's not make new semester awkward... so..."
Back to her soft-hearted self, she bowed her head.
Having turned the tables, I gripped her hand tight, making her set down the deadly weapon(?).
"Anyway, I let it slide without much fuss back then."
True.
Two days ago, I hadn't ragged on her verbally much.
Though I'd tormented her body plenty.
"That was 'cause I trusted you, Sia."
"......"
"But you don't trust me?"
"......I do."
Cynthia murmured softly, eyes downcast.
Harin snorted beside us, but I ignored it and stroked Cynthia's hand.
Couldn't push too hard or let up too much.
Overdo either, and our relationship crumbles into a bad end.
Tricky to handle, but I sat up straight, enjoying the process of training Cynthia with a mix of carrot and stick.
"If you get it, let's eat."
Having calmed things, I speared a cherry tomato and popped it into Cynthia's mouth.
"Come to think, first time I've made you breakfast, huh, Sia?"
"......Yeah. Tastes good."
As the mood warmed, I sighed inwardly in relief.
Felt like I'd cleared a major hurdle.
However.
Too soon to relax; the crisis wasn't over.
"Damn, this is good."
Harin, who'd been observing, chimed in.
"Coffee too—way better than 'last time.'"
No, Harin-ah.
Why emphasize "last time" like that?
"Woo-chin's better at cooking than he looks."
She dug into the chicken breast salad with newfound gusto, flashing a meaningful smile.
"......"
Cynthia stared back at her.
With Harin crashing the stage, sparks flew between their gazes.
But the silent battle didn't last.
"Been thinking this for a while—eating off Woo-chin like this is the life. Heard someone brings him food every day~."
Harin struck first with a light jab.
"Yoo Harin, right? Saw you at the academy and the party before, but first time talking."
Cynthia didn't back down, greeting politely.
"But you like mooching that much? Fits a delinquent who bullies everyone."
She could've said thug or punk, but even softened, Cynthia's true feelings shone through.
"What did you...?"
Model student Cynthia irked Harin, who scowled.
The mild words stung worse than outright insults, apparently.
"Don't cook for her anymore, Woojin-ah. Especially not for types like that. Keep being nice, and they'll think it's their right."
"What?! You done talking?!"
"Nope, not yet. Honestly, a girl like you hanging around our Woojin bugs me. You'll corrupt him."
Delinquent girl vs. model student.
Model student vs. delinquent girl.
The polar opposites locked eyes in a sharp war of words.
"Ha, shit, unbelievable."
Harin barely held back curses, calming herself.
"Who's corrupting who here?"
Her jab backfired; she matched Cynthia's prim level.
Guessing swearing would mean admitting defeat as a delinquent.
"Besides, I didn't just take favors—I gave back more."
Composed now, Harin stayed polite.
"Don't spout off if you don't know shit."
The mood flipped in an instant.
"What favors did you give Woojin?"
As Cynthia questioned, Harin crossed her legs sensually, smirking provocatively.
"Wanna know?"
This time, Cynthia narrowed her brows.
"......Nah, no need. I've done way more for Woojin anyway?"
Leveraging childhood friend perks, she continued calmly.
"How many years have me and Woojin known each other~."
"So what if it's long? And Sia, you claim to care for Woo-chin, but you hurt him?"
"How did I..."
"I was at the party too. Laughing it up with Si-hyeok like you were dying happy?"
"Never happened. Don't twist it."
"Really~? Must've misread. You were grinning so wide flies could've landed unnoticed."
Harin uncrossed her arms, suddenly stroking my thigh, upping the provocation.
"......"
I decided to stay the fuck still.
No way I'd wade into their ego clash without bleeding...
Just hoped it'd end peacefully.
Or girls, call it a draw here?
"But was it really a misread?"
"......What're you getting at?"
Unfortunately, they pushed for a winner against my wishes.
"One, two more times and you'd have spread not just lips but legs for Si-hyeok?"
"Hey! What bullshit is that?!"
Their barbs sharpened; like oil and water, they raised voices.
"Oh? That a misread too?"
"Don't spread rumors! And you—dumped by a guy? Switching to Woojin in a day? Kinda shameless, no?"
"D-dumped? Who said?!"
Cynthia curled one lip, provoking back.
"Guy troubles, right? Even loose girls have limits—how do you transfer so quick?"
Swept in the heat, she was aggressively un-Cynthia-like.
And just as sensual as Harin.
Slide.
Cynthia stretched her legs; her foot slyly climbed my thigh under the table.
"Cynthia, you just called it 'transferring'?"
Oblivious to her footsie, Harin's face trembled with rage.
"Why? Wrong? I get your trashy level, but don't flirt with our Woojin. Shake that ass elsewhere."
Cynthia nailed the coffin shut.
"Ha, fuck, seriously."
Harin finally cursed.
"Prim and proper outside, but sharp tongue when it suits."
She dropped the polite mask with a hollow laugh.
And.
Harin's defeat loomed.
"Got it? Now get out of my house."
"Where to? I'm under contract with Woo-chin."
"Contract...?"
"Yeah."
"What're you suddenly on about?"
Harin swept back her wavy blonde hair, dropping her ace.
"Hey, Cynthia."
"......?"
"Your childhood friend's pretty badass, huh?"
Cynthia's face froze like a broken machine.