Chapter 70
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Day I Snapped
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Choi Do-hyung's gaze burned especially hot. Anyone would think he was in love with me.
Bastard. That guy must be thrilled with this situation, hating me as much as I hate him. Just to avoid seeing his smug face, I forced myself to act fine and replied.
"That’s… well, it was such an intense memory, it’s hard to forget."
A brief silence followed.
"Hey."
"Um…"
Just as Ji Seon-hye and I opened our mouths at the same time, Oh Hana—who'd been sitting beside me, watching like a desperate puppy—jumped up and shouted.
"Hey!"
Huh?
"The past is just the past. Just because oppa confessed to you back then doesn’t mean he still feels that way. Because now I'm his proper girlfriend."
...What the hell is this girl saying?
"Oppa is oppa. It’s all in the past, so why act so cautious? Did you like that sister so much? When he has such a pretty girlfriend right here beside him."
"Uh? Ah, no, that’s not—"
It hit like a hammer to the back of my head; words wouldn't come. No way… had she misunderstood this whole time that I had a crush on Ji Seon-hye? Or even confessed? Is that why she’s been… Ha.
"Hey. Seems like there’s a misunderstanding."
"What misunderstanding? No way you confessed to oppa—it had to be him, one hundred percent. That was then. Now he’s super reliable, you know?"
Immense shame flooded in, but alongside it, a soft joy wormed into a corner of my chest. Oh Hana’s an idiot and a klutz, sure. But that let her show pure feelings like this.
Anyone could tell—even an idiot—that she genuinely thought well of me. Not just hyping me up for today.
At Oh Hana’s words, Ji Seon-hye clenched her fists.
"No! Back then too… Oops."
That startled me.
I never knew she could raise her voice like that. We'd spent plenty of time together, but this was the first I'd seen her like this.
Oh Hana flinched too, clearly not expecting Ji Seon-hye to yell, and clamped her mouth shut.
Seeing that, Ji Seon-hye’s cheeks flushed faintly.
"…That’s not it. Sigh. Back then too, sunbae-nim was plenty reliable. That’s why I messed up. Today, I wanted to sincerely apologize for brushing it off so carelessly."
What?
Today’s been full of shocks.
"N-No… If anything, I should apologize for back then. I’ve been tiptoeing around because of it. I avoided you for no good reason, making things awkward."
I was dumbfounded. Did Ji Seon-hye have any reason to feel sorry toward me? I’d always thought it was my fault.
"Uh, wait—what’s with this vibe?"
Oh Hana blinked, finally catching on, glancing back and forth between Ji Seon-hye and me. Then she tapped her pretty forehead a few times with her index finger and glared at me.
"I need to hear this. What exactly happened between you two?"
"Sigh."
I didn’t want to spell it out honestly even now, but shutting up wasn’t an option anymore. So I opened up carefully.
"So… it was a rainy day. I was grinding through assignments from the prof and TA. Plus group leader duties, handling all that crap. It got too much for me, and I snapped hard one time."
Even now, mortifying. Not freshman year—senior year. Hard to believe a grown-ass guy fresh from the military pulled that.
If I had to excuse it: senior year, job market was a wasteland. No prof to write me a rec letter. And the prof’s nagging nonstop.
TA piling on requests while I was dead tired.
"No. That was my fault—I didn’t consider your situation and pushed too hard."
"Hold on, TA sister. Oppa first. So on that rainy day, how’d you snap? What exactly?"
Gonna lose my mind.
Recreating it out loud felt insane.
"So… I lost it. Yelled I couldn’t do it anymore, stormed out of the classroom. Ha…"
"No—how exactly? Be precise. All of it."
"Threw my umbrella on the floor. Kicked the desk too."
Oh Hana stared blankly.
"What did I just hear? You did that in front of TA sister here? You, oppa? A grown man—to a woman?"
I barely nodded.
Oh Hana—who’d seemed ready to back me through Earth's endgame—now stared in disbelief.
"This… total trash, right?"
Then Ji Seon-hye grabbed Oh Hana’s arm quick.
"W-Wait. It’s not like that. Really. I did ask way too much of him."
"No. Hold up. Why’s she covering like this? Am I the only one lost? Okay, sister’s turn. Gotta hear both sides, right?"
No clue how Ji Seon-hye and I ended up getting grilled by Oh Hana, but she bit her lip and spoke.
"I was slammed too—assignments, studies. So I dumped group leader on him sloppily. Pressured him to step up. Even after he said the group wasn’t listening. Told him to figure it out—he’s a senior, not a kid. Piled my own stuff on him too. Then the bank account for the funded project… boom, he snapped."
She spilled more on how she’d worked me ragged.
Oh Hana stared at her, dumbfounded.
"No—oppa’s not your slave. What all did you make him do? Next up, wipe your ass?"
Ji Seon-hye’s head drooped.
"…He just seemed so kind, diligent. Did the work—even if it meant getting home late. Somehow I started taking it for granted."
"So he looked like a total pushover? You nailed a proper sucker?"
"No, really not. Just…"
Just what?
Meanwhile, at Ji Seon-hye’s regretful mutter, Oh Hana’s eyes went wide. What?
"Oh my god. What is this."
Oh Hana muttered in disbelief and plopped back down. Even the onlookers’ faces turned weird. Choi Do-hyung looked the most baffled—like this wasn’t what he’d expected at all.
What the hell? Fuck—am I the only one who didn’t get it? Distracted by my past shame, did everyone else got a clue in?
"Anyway, truly sorry for back then. Dumped everything on you. Embarrassing now. When you said you’d quit school over me… my heart dropped. I was too scared to apologize first."
"No. I should’ve… talked it out, even if I was mad. It was a tantrum."
Still mortifying, no matter how I replay it. I was not a four-year-old.I just want to time-travel and beat past-me senseless.
But I was a bit wronged too.
"Still, TA went hard. Dragging me to the library for books. Lunch together. Study together. Endless requests. Insisted on the prof’s bank account to run too… I’d rushed there from home with an umbrella…"
Mid-sentence, a weird disconnect hit.
Stressful assignments, sure—but woven in? A girl with interest, subtly carving out time together…
"…Yeah. I regret that now. I was too cowardly."
Cowardly… Wait. No way. Some requests weren’t… what am I thinking? A memory flashed by.
[Ji Seon-hye TA: Kim Hyunwoo. Need a book from Daeim central library. Can you come?]
[Kim Hyunwoo: Huh? I already took a shuttle to Jinseong campus?]
[Ji Seon-hye TA: Oh well. Next time then.]
What’d I think then? Pathetic TA can’t find a book. Hurry home for games.
"……."
Ugh. Crazy nerd otaku bastard.
Black history levels up to mega-black-history. Damn. My blanket’s toast tonight—by my own kicks.
While I reeled, Ji Seon-hye smiled, emotions thick.
"Actually I came as a lab rep to say this. Hate loose ends, right? Your face… glad I came."
Opposite for me. I should’ve just wired the cash.
"And I overheard earlier—you’re part-timing at a convenience store from your one-room."
Choi Do-hyung flinched.
"Yes."
"So? You’ll make it. Reliable, like I said. Rough patch, but you've got proper success ahead."
Her confident guarantee whipped emotions into a storm. Shame? Good vibes? Total mess.
The clear fact is: I’m a real idiot.
Meanwhile, Oh Hana—squishing sushi tops with chopsticks—smirked at Choi Do-hyung across.
"Heard the TA?"
"What…"
"Oppa’s killing it. Gonna succeed. No need for fake concern or meddling."
At the sudden casual "you" at the end, Choi Do-hyung surged up.
"Ah. Cheap bitch’s words won’t convince you?"
Choi Do-hyung froze like a glitched robot.
His eyes met Oh Hana’s and quivered. Then he whipped his head away, shoved his half-eaten plate aside, and stormed off.
"Fuck."
Chair scraped loud. The hanbok-clad groom and bride approached.
"What? Something up?"
I answered calmly.
"Nah. Nothing."
Staff quietly cleared Choi Do-hyung’s plate later.