Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Practice (2)
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Saturday morning.
Seol Ju-hee's house.
After the mental interference test results for Im A-rin—which had been postponed due to schedules—finally came in, the three members of Queens gathered for the first time in ages and were deep in serious conversation.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"…."
"You can't just sit still after something like this."
Hong Yu-ra's opinion drew a low murmur from Seol Ju-hee, who had been sipping her whiskey alone.
"We have to catch them. Somehow."
Her voice carried a quiet undercurrent of fury.
Seol Ju-hee still despised Do Ji-hyeok.
She knew it was a fabricated emotion, but it surged uncontrollably like a cascading waterfall, so she simply accepted it in silence to preserve her peace of mind.
"Then... what about Do Ji-hyeok?"
Hong Yu-ra felt the same.
She couldn't shake her resentment toward Do Ji-hyeok either, but aware that it was artificial, she reined in her feelings as best she could.
"…The test first. We can decide after seeing those results."
The "test" Seol Ju-hee mentioned was the purity check kit...
"Ju-hee... You still don't trust Ji-hyeok...?"
Im A-rin bristled at Seol Ju-hee's attitude.
"It's all been cleared up...! That video, our weird behavior—it's all fake...!"
Rarely raising her voice, she spoke up for Do Ji-hyeok's innocence to Hong Yu-ra and Seol Ju-hee.
"And now you're asking him to prove it? How unfair is that for Ji-hyeok...!"
"A-rin. I get that, but..."
"…Im A-rin. You're saying it's fine even if Do Ji-hyeok's some slut sleeping around with every woman he meets?"
"What...?"
"Seol Ju-hee! That's too harsh!"
Seol Ju-hee, who had flared up in an instant, snapped back to her senses at Hong Yu-ra's warning. She took a deep breath, barely suppressing her emotions, and apologized to Im A-rin.
"…My opinion hasn't changed. If Do Ji-hyeok isn't pure... it's basically the same as him betraying us."
For the three of them, Do Ji-hyeok's purity was a grave matter.
That was why they'd promised to spend their first night together—and why even Hong Yu-ra couldn't argue against Seol Ju-hee...
"Betrayed...?"
Im A-rin, who had already steeled herself to accept everything, saw it differently.
"If Ji-hyeok... if he's really been defiled... does that make him not Ji-hyeok anymore?"
She insisted they should focus on the true essence of "love," not purity.
"Why did we fall for Ji-hyeok in the first place...! Have you all forgotten...!"
But.
Hong Yu-ra countered that they had to account for their abnormal state.
"A-rin... We're not in a normal state right now. Until that implanted suggestion is lifted or his purity is proven... we can't love him like we used to."
It wasn't logically wrong.
The negative emotions stemmed from a sense of betrayal in the first place. Without eliminating the root—"doubt"—they couldn't restore their feelings.
However...
"…Then what about me?"
It was logic that only Im A-rin could refute.
She had fallen under the exact same suggestion, yet overcome it with her "intense love," as the test results had confirmed before their very eyes. Hong Yu-ra and Seol Ju-hee fell silent at her rebuttal.
"…Anyway. Let's each investigate who did this to us first. We'll think about the kit... Everyone got it?"
Hong Yu-ra swiftly changed the subject to smooth over the tense atmosphere.
"Yeah..."
"…Got it."
Im A-rin and Seol Ju-hee tamped down their agitation and went along.
On the surface, it looked like everything had settled as usual...
But invisible cracks had begun to form between the three.
A large shopping mall in Seoul.
"Producer!"
"You got here early?"
I'd arrived a little ahead of time and linked up with Bang Han-na, who had beaten me there.
Her usually loose blonde hair was prettily braided up, and she wore a green dress that bared her shoulders...
The cinched waistline accentuated her bust, while her slightly exposed collarbones gave off a subtly erotic vibe.
'Unbelievable.'
I found myself staring blankly at her overwhelming chest, which drew every eye in the vicinity, but I quickly came to my senses and tossed out a light compliment.
"You look pretty dressed up today."
"R-Really...?"
She let out a shy little hehe, lightly placing a hand on her chest.
I spaced out for a second at the sheer capacity of that bosom—enough room for several more hands—foreseeing a grueling day ahead as we headed up to the theater together.
"Han-na. Want some popcorn or snacks? My treat."
"Ah. No need..."
"You bought the tickets. Least I can do."
"Producer, anything you want...?"
"Nah, nothing specific. If it's there, I'll munch; otherwise, whatever."
"Hmm..."
Bang Han-na scanned the snack bar menu, lost in thought for a moment, then...
"A drink will be fine for me...!"
We grabbed two colas.
"Here. Yours."
"Thank you...! I'll savor it...!"
We entered the auditorium right on time for the screening...
'...Did every couple in the country show up?'
Maybe because it was a weekend afternoon 19+ flick, but it was weirdly packed with couples.
"D...F.... Ah, that's our row inside!"
Our seats were smack in the center of the theater.
As expected, we were surrounded on all sides by snuggling couples.
"Producer, are you nervous...?"
"Huh?"
"You seem tense."
"No, just..."
"Don't worry...! I love these kinds of movies, so if you get scared, just grab my hand tight...!"
Bang Han-na patted the armrest with a triumphant grin.
She apparently thought I was scared of horror movies.
"…Alright, you're my lifeline then."
As we traded banal chit-chat, the previews rolled, and...
Whoosh──
The lights dimmed to pitch black.
"What do I do, I'm scared...!"
"Hold Oppa’s hand."
"Ung...!"
A nearby couple's whispers hit right on cue as the movie kicked off.
Kaboom……!
Today's pick was a thriller edging into horror territory.
It followed a protagonist dating his singer girlfriend who scouts the heroine as a trainee, only for the heroine to turn out to be an obsessive psychopath who doesn't hesitate to kill, putting the protagonist's life in constant peril.
Or so I thought...
[Get up already.]
[…Carry me.]
[…Ha-yeon. You know we can't keep doing this.]
[….]
[Haa... This is really the last time, okay?]
The movie opened with a steamy love scene.
[Mwah.... Smooch.... Slurp....]
The pair on screen tangled tongues stickily, groping freely.
The theater filled with lewd noises,
'Wait, isn't this a thriller...!'
Hyper-aware of Bang Han-na beside me, I silently prayed the scene would wrap up fast.
[Superhuman Oppa. Who's this?]
[Oh, say hi. This is Lee Ji-yeon, the new girl.]
[Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Ji-yeon.]
Thankfully, after that intense opener, the raunchy bits dried up.
Once the heroine showed up, it shifted into proper horror movie territory...
Crunch──! Crunch──!
[Gaaahhh……!]
"…Eek...!"
The real issue was that Bang Han-na was extremely susceptible to horror—shaking like a leaf.
'What? 'Loves these movies'?'
"Hic...!"
She flat-out covered her eyes and turned away from the screen, trembling nonstop.
Finally unable to take it, I reached out and gently clasped her hand.
Squeeze...
She jolted hard, then cautiously turned to meet my eyes...
Her eyes glistened—she'd clearly been crying.
"(Wanna bail?)"
I whispered, pointing toward the exit.
She glanced back and forth between the screen and me a few times before nodding sadly with a pout.
She wanted out.
"You okay?"
"…Yeah..."
Bang Han-na was utterly dejected after we bailed from the theater.
Her carefully laid plans had gone off the rails from the jump.
'This isn't how it's supposed to go...'
The movie she'd picked was a notorious couple-maker, infamous for its high sensuality.
The climactic late-game love scenes were said to send every pair straight to a motel...
But we'd dipped before even reaching those, leaving her in a rotten mood.
"Ugh... Sorry... This is all my fault..."
"Happens. We can catch it another time. No need to mope, okay?"
Unaware of the truth, Do Ji-hyeok comforted her and suggested early dinner to lift her spirits.
"Oh yeah. You mentioned a spot nearby you wanted to hit. Might get crowded late—wanna head there now?"
"Dinner...?"
"Yeah. Truth is, I'm getting hungry too. Where to?"
Being consoled by her intended "prey" Do Ji-hyeok perked her right up,
'That's right, Han-na. You've still got a shot...!'
She led him to a restaurant tucked in an alley near the mall.
"They say the food here's amazing...!"
"Isn't this a bar?"
To be precise, it was bar-adjacent.
"Y-Yeah, but... F-Friends come here to eat all the time!"
"…Huh."
The place had individual room-like booths with partitions and separate entrances per table.
"These spots trendy now?"
Do Ji-hyeok gawked around curiously, none the wiser,
While inwardly tense as hell, Bang Han-na awkwardly started picking out food.
But then.
"Uh... Producer! Anything you wanna eat...?"
"Dunno... We drinking?"
Out of nowhere, Do Ji-hyeok brought up booze first.
"…Huh? Drinking?"
"Not gonna? Figured we would in a bar..."
"Ah, no! I just... remembered you skipped it at the team dinner..."
Caught off guard, she swallowed hard, sounding him out cautiously like she was onto something...
"It's fine. Not like the whole team's here... You've seen me drunk before."
Do Ji-hyeok waved it off, showing an uncharacteristically lax side.
"R-Really? It's okay to drink?"
"Totally! Drink your fill. My tab today."
"N-No! I ruined the movie..."
"Buy next time when you're earning more than me. Go wild—order whatever."
"…O-Okay then..."
With Do Ji-hyeok all but begging her to drink, Bang Han-na swallowed again and promptly ordered high-proof soju and sides on the sly,
Clink─!
"…F-First round's a shot, right?"
"Whoa... Didn't peg you for the hardass type, Han-na. If you say down, down it is?"
"N-No!"
She charged ahead full throttle toward toppling Do Ji-hyeok and executing her friend's "sleep first, date later" strategy.
And.
Exactly three hours later.
"Uuum... Prooo-ducer-nim...!"
"Han-na. Hey, ease up on the rubbing..."
"Nooo...! My boobs are heavy, can't help it...!"
Sloshed beyond reason, Bang Han-na clung to Do Ji-hyeok like a koala as he half-dragged her down the street.
'She can't even hold her liquor and she went for it...'
It was all for her sake from the start, so with a quiet sigh, Do Ji-hyeok endured and hauled her toward the main road to hail a cab...
"…Huh!"
Bang Han-na halted dead and pointed somewhere, making her demand loud and proud.
"Prooo-ducer-nim...! Let's rest a bit first...!"
Where she pointed...
"…Huh?"
A motel.