Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Delinquent Girl and the Total Loser (Not Really) (2)
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A fake couple and four real couples clinked glasses as the drinking session grew lively.
They shared updates on their lives, traded pointless jokes, and kept the cheerful chatter going.
As everyone empathized and laughed uproariously, I quietly slipped away to the emergency stairs.
[What're you doing, Woojin-ah? At home? Asleep?]
Cynthia had called.
[When you fire off questions like that all at once, which one's supposed to answer first?]
[Oh, sorry. I got worried since you hadn't texted for hours.]
[No need to worry. I finished working out, was heading home, ran into some friends, and we're just having a casual drink.]
I played it off casually like it was no big deal, but Cynthia reacted with hot surprise.
[What? Drinking? You've never had booze before, Woojin?]
[Come on, we're adults now. We can have a drink or two. I won't overdo it, so don't worry.]
[And who's this friend? You even have friends, Woojin?]
She dug in without malice (?), prodding me relentlessly.
[It's ambiguous, so I just called them a friend. We're not that close.]
[Oh... I see.]
[But why? Can't I have friends?]
[That's not it! You finally made a friend, Woojin! I'm happy for you!]
For "happy," her decibels were unnecessarily sky-high.
No need to hit the third octave, right?
Honestly, you're jealous, aren't you, Sia?
You want to be my one and only friend, to hog me all to yourself?
[Anyway, what are you up to? Home alone?]
[Yeah. Just showered and got back to my room to call you. But that friend... is it a girl?]
I'd steered the topic away with effort, but Cynthia latched right back on.
[Yeah, a girl.]
[......]
Even from afar, I could picture exactly what she was thinking.
[Guys too. We met up as a group.]
[......Oh, so you're not drinking alone together.]
Sia let out a relieved sigh into my ear.
Well, I could only hear the sound, of course.
[By the way, Sia, why no pics?]
[P-pics? I sent some!]
[Not good ones. Take new ones and send them. Full body, top to bottom. No covering up like earlier.]
[No way! Absolutely not!]
No, you're going to send them.
You said no at first today too, but you sent them anyway?
If you wanna monopolize me, shouldn't you send something hotter?
[Take cute ones. I'll be the only one looking. That way, I can stare at pics of you till you come back this weekend~.]
[It's embarrassinggg.]
No. You can do it, Sia. Be brave.
Deep down, I'd love to demand a masturbation video, but I'm going easy since you're still a virgin.
Be grateful and snap some quick.
[I'll wait. I'm not sleeping till you send pics?]
[For real...?]
[Don't wanna? How about nudes then?]
[What?! Woojin, you're insane?!]
[Yeah, I'm crazy. Haven't seen you in days, and I've lost it. You gotta take responsibility, Sia.]
[I can't even... seriously... Kang Woojin, you perv...]
And a little while later.
Shockingly, Sia actually sent nudes.
'I figured at most lingerie pics, but me being with a girl lit a fire under her?'
She'd lifted her legs tight together, arms over her chest—self-censoring all the key spots.
But compared to that pure Cynthia from day one, it was a massive leap.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Around the time Kang Woojin stepped out.
"Harin-ah, your boyfriend's a total catch!"
One of Yoo Harin's friends gushed dramatically and kept going.
"Handsome face, tall, killer body!"
It wasn't just Jihee.
Most of Yoo Harin's high school friends echoed the sentiment.
Something about how he'd always been brag-worthy.
Even another guy would approve.
Chewing over Yoo Harin's past boasts, her friends lavished praise on Kang Woojin.
"Yeah."
Yoo Harin mumbled in a daze.
"I thought you were bluffing, but he's way better than expected? Where'd you meet a guy like that?"
"Academy, probably. She said her boyfriend's super famous there."
Normally, all the interest and praise for her guy would have her beaming, but she felt uneasy.
"Not famous... just gonna be famous..."
Yoo Harin defended (?) Kang Woojin awkwardly with a laugh.
His warmer-than-expected welcome left her with a weird, hazy feeling.
Kang Woojin wasn't her real boyfriend, after all.
She fretted over their fake relationship getting exposed, and her friends' enthusiasm flustered her.
'Woo-chin's pretty good-looking, sure.'
Of course, it secretly felt nice too.
Praising him was like praising her.
Needless to say, mixed feelings.
'Hmm, really just that? Kang Woojin?'
Especially since the Kang Woojin she'd known forever looked 180 degrees different from this.
The transformation shocked her, but years of built-up image didn't shift easily—it steadily eroded her new assessment.
Unlike her friends who knew nothing of his past.
"Hey, but why call your boyfriend 'Woo-chin,' Harin-ah?"
That's when Jihee asked.
"Like a nickname?"
Yoo Harin's face grew even more awkward at the follow-up.
"Y-yeah..."
No matter how good the vibe, she couldn't spill the truth.
Woo-chin was short for "Kang Woojin the total loser."
"It's a pet name. Cute, right...?"
Right then, Kang Woojin—the guy with the "cute" (?) nickname—returned to his seat.
Not as some shameful loser, but a boyfriend to brag about.
Thud.
He plopped naturally beside Yoo Harin, gauged the mood, and asked Jihee,
"What were you all talking about?"
Jihee beamed.
"Oh, this and that. But why the formal speech since earlier? We're same age, drinking together. Loosen up~."
Kang Woojin nodded at her friendly nudge.
"Got it. Jihee, right?"
"You remembered on the first try? Got a crush on me?"
Yoo Harin frowned as Jihee kept wagging her tail subtly after that.
"Aren't you getting too chummy? Jihee, you drunk?"
"Not drunk. Friends can joke like this~?"
Unlike Yoo Harin, Jihee flashed a playful smile.
Amused by her reaction? Bonus: hugging her arms to show cleavage.
"Since when are we friends?"
"Today!"
"For god's sake, read the room. Haven't you seen your boyfriend's face souring?"
"Psh, it's a joke. Right, oppa?"
Jihee switched up quick, clinging to her boyfriend's arm and acting cute.
Then Bae Suhyeon asked Kang Woojin,
"Heard you're good at studying unlike Harin-ah. How's Hunter Class?"
Kang Woojin glanced silently at Yoo Harin.
Swish.
She averted her eyes like she had no face to show.
Originally planning on Choi Si-hyeok as her date, she'd introduced her "boyfriend" as Hunter Class early on.
"Classes are so-so..."
Realizing that, Kang Woojin played along smartly.
"Hunter Class aside, Stella Academy's program must differ from small academies, right?"
Bae Suhyeon followed up.
Being far from hunters themselves, they seemed curious about it.
"The system's not that different. Academy's mostly theory. Occasional approved real combat and practice by the bureau."
Kang Woojin easily cleared up their questions.
"Lots of regular students inside, so no blasting powers on campus or student duels."
His smooth explanation made it seem like he really was in Hunter Class.
Yoo Harin even briefly bought it.
'Damn, good actor. Didn't know he had this side.'
Yoo Harin eyed Kang Woojin afresh.
But just for a moment.
"......!"
Yoo Harin flinched suddenly.
Kang Woojin had pulled her shoulder close—their bodies pressed tight.
'The sudden hand-holding earlier too—why's he keep touching without asking?!'
Biting her lower lip hard, Yoo Harin turned her head slightly away and whispered through gritted teeth.
"......Gotta go this far?"
Kang Woojin just smiled softly without a word.
"Whoa, you two are close. Gonna kiss next?"
Jihee giggled right on cue.
"If we do, we do. We're lovers. Right, Harin-ah?"
Kang Woojin calmly passed the buck to Yoo Harin.
'This jerk's doing it on purpose, huh?'
Yoo Harin glared daggers at Kang Woojin, pouty.
'Not acting—just having a blast solo.'
She clenched her jaw and muttered,
"Zhrzhr mrr."
Her teeth ground audibly too, but Kang Woojin didn't blink.
"......Gonna hit the bathroom. Woo-chin, come out with me."
With that, Yoo Harin dragged Kang Woojin out by force.
Bam!
She slammed him against the wall and glared fiercely.
"Woo-chin, you nuts? Think I'm easy? Huh? Why keep crawling all over me?"
"What'd I do?"
"You touched me!"
"Weird word choice. Sounds like I groped you or something."
"What? Wanna die?"
Yoo Harin balled her fists, glaring coldly.
"Just playing boyfriend well. Should get praise."
"Praise my ass! What was that? 'We can kiss if we want'?"
"So say we can't? Then they suspect."
"Whatever! Touch me on your own one more time, and you're dead! Stay like scenery like we agreed!"
She whipped around and stormed off; Kang Woojin called from behind.
"Where? That's outside."
"Smoking! Don't follow!"
Fuming, Yoo Harin headed to the ground level and lit up in a quiet alley corner.
Sizzle.
The glowing cigarette mirrored her inner turmoil.
"Ha... fuck..."
Exhaling a long plume, Yoo Harin suddenly ruffled her hair wildly.
'Shouldn't have brought him. Why so pissed?'
She kinda regretted posing him as her lover.
'Never even held Si-hyeok's hand.'
The problem? His touch hadn't felt bad at all.
"Ah, shit. Head hurts. Too much booze?"
Yoo Harin shook her head to clear the fuzz and stuck another cig in her mouth.
That's when it happened.
Picture-perfect thugs picked a fight.
"Why so prickly? Let's just have fun together."
"Out alone this late? Bet you're secretly hoping."
Flirty come-ons first, before the hassle.
"Didn't hear me say fuck off?"
But her icy response made the three guys drop the mask quick, surrounding her with menace.
"Slut like you acts all high and mighty."
"Experience says the feistier ones squirm hardest once dicked."
Teasing on top.
Already on edge, Yoo Harin snapped at their crude bullshit, finally cutting reason loose.
"......"
She activated her power.
Crunch!
Suddenly, her right arm ballooned huge, shredding her leather jacket. With a cold, sunken expression, she swung her beast-like arm wildly.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Partial Beastman Transformation Right arm beastified. Jacket destroyed. Raw power unleashed.
Boom!
Yoo Harin flattened the three thugs in a flash.
"Sp-spare... guh..."
As she grabbed one thug's throat, hoisted him up, and flexed monstrous strength—
Click.
Out of nowhere, a camera shutter snapped.
"Focus shook. Retake, Harin-ah. Look here and smile."
Phone in hand: Kang Woojin.
"Kimchi~."