Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Results (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chiieeeek───!
The noise of the blood triggering a chemical reaction echoed alongside the heavy atmosphere bearing down.
‘No, why is this….’
For a moment, I was lost in shock, as if I'd been struck on the head with a hammer. I stared blankly at the blood that had turned pitch black, like it had rotted away.
“Ha.”
Seol Ju-hee's hollow laugh pierced my ear softly.
Everyone's gazes shifted to the simple comparison chart on the test device.
They gathered on the number ‘+1500’ written in the same jet-black color as the blood sample at the very bottom.
It meant I had formed relations over 1,500 times.
“...Ji, Ji-hyeok…”
“You…”
My mind went blank at Im A-rin's and Hong Yu-ra's voices crashing into my ears. I snapped my head up to look at Im A-rin.
And….
Seeing her pale as a ghost, her lips trembling, my heart sank in an instant.
“...N-no, it's not like that. It's not what you think, A-rin…!”
Something was wrong.
I had never formed relations even once.
Before falling into this world, I had done it a few times, but not anywhere near this much.
“Th-this must be a mistake. Let's measure it properly again! You can check the exact count, right?!”
With my heart pounding unpleasantly, anxiety rising in tandem, I quickly grabbed the staff member and pleaded to confirm the precise number.
“Ah, yes, of course!”
The staff member reached out toward the case in a fluster, looking extremely flustered….
“That's enough.”
Seol Ju-hee blocked her.
“That's enough, so leave now.”
“...Ah. S-sorry for intruding….”
“Seol Ju-hee!”
At her sudden action, blood rushed to my head in an instant. I raised my voice in protest.
“What the hell are you doing?! We need to verify it properly…!”
At that moment.
“Filthy slut.”
“...What?”
Seol Ju-hee glared at me murderously and began spewing vicious insults in a cold voice.
“How much uglier do you have to get before you're satisfied? If your goal is to cut ties with us, you've done more than enough, so just stop already!”
“Ju-hee, calm down first….”
Hong Yu-ra, who had been watching from the side, tried to intervene urgently, but it only fueled her anger.
“Hong Yu-ra! You're taking that bastard's side even after seeing this?! Is that your type?!”
“...I get how you feel. But you're too worked up right now.”
“You think I shouldn't be worked up right now?!”
Bam─
In the meantime, the staff member quietly gathered the case and slipped out of the room.
I finally remembered that the three of them were under strong suggestion. Taking a deep breath, I tried to speak calmly.
“...Guys. I swear on my life, I've never formed relations even once. If I had, why would I come all the way here?”
Before, I hadn't even had a chance to defend myself, but this time, I had something to say.
Since I hadn't done it at all, I felt no guilt and acted confidently.
“I don't know why the test came out like this… but I'm innocent.”
However.
“Then what's this?”
As expected, they—who had verified the test device's accuracy—didn't believe a word I said.
“You saying you got fucked without knowing? And that's your excuse now?”
“It might sound like an excuse, but it's the truth.”
Still, I tried to respond without emotion, attempting to mediate the situation.
The goal today wasn't to fight, but to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Guys. My innocence matters, but we gathered today to break the suggestion, right? So calm down first and….”
But at that moment.
Thwack─!
A heavy impact slammed into my jaw, and my vision flashed white.
“Ugh….”
“Ji, Ji-hyeok!”
“Seol Ju-hee!”
In the end, Seol Ju-hee had thrown a punch.
“Seol Ju-hee, what the hell are you…!”
“A-are you okay!?”
Supported by Im A-rin, I got back up, tasting the metallic tang in my mouth as I looked up at Seol Ju-hee standing before me.
Panting heavily with her fist still raised, she looked slightly flustered, as if surprised by her own actions.
Remembering she wasn't in her right mind, I tried to respond as calmly as possible.
But….
As I swallowed the blood from my torn lip, a sudden wave of doubt crashed over me.
‘Why am I even doing this?’
The helplessness of having to endure even after being hit.
The bewilderment of being dragged into this without knowing why.
And the hope, shredded like the flesh inside my mouth.
Swept up in the flood of negative emotions….
“...I really can't do this anymore.”
I decided not to hold back any longer.
“...What?”
“I… I can't see any reason to stick around and take this kind of treatment from you.”
“Ji, Ji-hyeok…”
I brushed off Im A-rin's reaching hand and glared straight at Seol Ju-hee, who looked at me anxiously, spitting it out.
“Fine, let's say I'm that filthy slut who screws around with anyone, like you said. But what does that have to do with you? What, are you my girlfriend or something?”
“Wh-what did you say?!”
“I came here with good intentions and even went through this bullshit test I didn't have to! But the results are weird, so it's all my fault? You messing with me right now?”
“Do Ji-hyeok. I get you're angry, but….”
“Hong Yu-ra. Do you think I'm filthy too?”
“…….”
Hong Yu-ra couldn't bring herself to answer.
In the end, she felt the same as Seol Ju-hee.
“Ha….”
The growing doubt swelled uncontrollably in no time.
Suddenly sick of everything, I quietly asked Seol Ju-hee and Hong Yu-ra.
“You two… did you ever actually like me?”
But….
No answer came, mercilessly.
“…….”
I couldn't understand their feelings at all.
Was it because of the sudden outburst of suggestion?
Then what about Im A-rin?
Even under the suggestion, she had shown me goodwill.
Unlike these two, who couldn't trust me and treated me like a filthy slut.
“...Sorry for pretending to be pure when I'm just dirty trash all this time. I'll get out of your hair, so handle it yourselves.”
“...Ji, Ji-hyeok! Wait…!”
I ignored Im A-rin's desperate grasp and stormed out of my seat.
And, casting aside all lingering attachment….
Bam─!
I finally left Queens behind.
After Do Ji-hyeok left, a heavy silence hung in the reception room.
Seol Ju-hee, now subsided, quietly stared down at her fist, where a faint sting lingered.
“…….”
She knew she had made a mistake.
No matter how impulsive, using violence was undeniably wrong, and she shouldn't have lashed out with insults just because the results displeased her.
But the water was already spilled.
“...Ju-hee…”
At that moment, Im A-rin, sitting dazed, spoke up first.
Seol Ju-hee glanced up, meeting her eyes.
She flinched at Im A-rin's slightly distorted expression.
“Why… why did you do that to Ji-hyeok…?”
“...Huh?”
Seol Ju-hee was momentarily flustered by Im A-rin's resentful words.
“Why don't you believe Ji-hyeok…? Did you hate him that much…?”
She had never raised her voice to Seol Ju-hee before, making it all the more bewildering.
“That's….”
“Ji-hyeok said he didn't do it… He said let's talk it out first…!”
“A-rin…”
“Why couldn't you believe Ji-hyeok?! Even if he was lying to us…! You could've trusted him for just a moment…!”
Im A-rin, tears welling up in outburst, shifted her glare to Hong Yu-ra.
“You too, Yu-ra…!”
“…….”
“Why didn't you say no when Ji-hyeok asked? You could've said it even if it was empty words…!”
Hong Yu-ra had nothing to say.
She felt deep disillusionment at the fact that Do Ji-hyeok had lied.
Of course, she thought Seol Ju-hee's actions were excessive….
But she had no desire to defend him, even insincerely.
“You're really too cruel… How could you hurt Ji-hyeok twice…?”
“Im A-rin. I get it, so ease up….”
“You saying you don't want to hear it?!”
Im A-rin, growing even angrier at Seol Ju-hee's words, rarely sharpened her gaze and fiercely scolded the two.
“I was pissed when I saw the results too, and I was shaking with rage when Ji-hyeok tried to excuse himself! But he said he didn't, so even if he's sullied, he's still Ji-hyeok! I held back and believed him…!”
Seol Ju-hee and Hong Yu-ra were deeply shocked by Im A-rin's words.
Overwhelmed by her ‘magnitude of love’, incomparable to theirs.
They couldn't even muster a feeble excuse.
“No matter what you think of Ji-hyeok… I won't give up on him.”
With that, Im A-rin glared at the two, gathered her things, and left.
Bam─!
Hong Yu-ra and Seol Ju-hee let out heavy sighs, feeling deep fatigue from the thoroughly tangled situation.
That evening.
Team Seoul City Hall's dorm.
Jin Seo-won, sitting side by side with Bang Han-na on the living room sofa watching TV, glanced at the electronic clock on the table, pondered for a moment, then casually spoke up.
“...Unnie.”
“Yeah?”
“...Should we go to the Producer's?”
Bang Han-na doubted her own ears for a second.
The ‘Producer's’ Jin Seo-won meant was none other than Do Ji-hyeok's place a few floors below.
“Go where…?”
“...Producer's house.”
“...Why would we go there.”
“...Not going?”
“He said we could drop by anytime if we were bored… but going now feels off.”
“...Then you're not going, Unnie?”
Jin Seo-won asking so shamelessly, like it didn't matter either way.
‘Is she seriously planning to go…?’
Bang Han-na hesitated at Jin Seo-won's quietly scheming eyes, then snapped to her senses and firmly shook her head in refusal.
“No.”
And shortly after….
Bam─! Beep beep─!
‘I've lost my mind.’
Bang Han-na, who had followed Jin Seo-won out the door, cursed herself for giving in as she hurriedly straightened her clothes.
“Seo-won. This was your idea, right? I really tried to stop you; I'm just tagging along helplessly?”
“...Yeah.”
And so the two headed straight to the floor with Do Ji-hyeok's place.
‘Is this really okay…?’
Bang Han-na trailed behind Jin Seo-won like a child knowingly doing wrong, unable to shake her unease….
Swish─
Jin Seo-won, ahead, suddenly reached for the door lock.
“W-wait! What are you doing?!”
“...I know the password.”
She stared blankly, as if asking what the problem was.
Bang Han-na, momentarily stunned by her innocently pure words, grabbed her and lectured that they couldn't just barge in.
“We came without even texting…! Let's contact him first. Got it?”
“...Producer said we could come anytime…”
“Sigh!”
“...Okay.”
After finishing Jin Seo-won's lecture.
Bang Han-na instructed her to send a message.
“...What do I say?”
“Ask if we can come over, and if it's okay to bring Unnie Han-na too…”
Right then.
Ding──
The elevator stopped on their floor.
“...?”
Jin Seo-won, mid-text, and Bang Han-na's gazes naturally turned to the elevator.
Whirr────
The moment the doors opened.
Thud─!
Someone collapsed, rolling onto the floor.
“Wh-what!?”
“!”
It was Do Ji-hyeok.
“Producer!!”
Startled by the unexpected sight of Do Ji-hyeok, Bang Han-na and Jin Seo-won rushed over.
They wrinkled their noses at the sharp alcoholic scent hitting them.
“...Smells like booze.”
“H-how much did he drink…?”
[ Doors closing. ]
“F-first, let's get him out!”
At the elevator's following announcement, the two swiftly pulled Do Ji-hyeok out and shook him urgently to check his consciousness.
“Producer! Producer…! Please come to!”
Then….
“Ugh…?”
As if he'd been asleep, Do Ji-hyeok frowned and cautiously opened his eyes.
“...He's awake.”
“Producer! Are you okay!?”
“Uh…. Han-na and… Seo-won…?”
Slurring so badly he could barely speak, thoroughly wasted, Do Ji-hyeok wore a somehow sad gaze and let out a silly smile.
Sloooowly……
He raised his hand languidly, gently caressing Bang Han-na's face, and whispered softly.
“...A dream…?”
Do Ji-hyeok dropped his hand with a flop─ and closed his eyes again.
“...Closed them.”
“P-Producer…!”
“...What now?”
“F-for now… l-let's get him inside the house!”
Unable to stand it, the two hoisted Do Ji-hyeok up and entered his home.