Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Acknowledgment
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Know thyself.
The famous saying left by the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates means "Acknowledge that you know nothing."
...
Like this famous saying, everyone thinks they know themselves well, but just like the frog in the well, there are so many things they don't know.
They worry about their career path without knowing their own talents, or work in jobs that don't suit them.
They ruin their health by missing chances to fix bad habits they don't recognize.
Sometimes they overestimate their abilities and make wrong choices.
In this way, people don't know a lot about themselves.
Grit!
And that includes sexual preferences.
The sexual fetish, called "fetish" in English, was especially something few people truly understood.
There were so many types of fetishes that it was impossible to memorize them all without dedicated study, and experimenting with each one was out of the question.
'No way.'
People with special fetishes often lived without knowing their own inclinations, and Koreans, who remained conservative about sex even after a hundred years, were especially prone to this.
Yoo Ha-yul was one such person with a special fetish, and whether by misfortune or fortune, she discovered her true taste through her encounter with Yoo Jun-hyuk.
'Me, old-fashioned? Like those loser women who lean on a man, do housework, and just stay home like frogs in a well?'
If it had been any other preference, she wouldn't have denied it like this.
For her, who had been groomed as the heir to a massive conglomerate with exceptional intellect and extensive studies, the old-fashioned fetish meant nothing less than a perverse and pathetic perversion.
'I'm not some primitive from a hundred years ago who couldn't even use mana. I can't accept that kind of taste!'
Just as the term suggested, it made her feel like she'd regressed to old humanity.
In short, it felt like incomplete evolution.
Even aside from that, to her, men were merely trophies for satisfying sexual desires and boosting social status, so she couldn't comprehend—nor did she want to—an old-fashioned inclination that found joy in being pampered and acknowledged by such a trophy.
"Absolutely not!"
That's why Yoo Ha-yul took a vacation.
With her obsessive drive and tenacity to see decisions through to the end, she moved quickly and decisively this time too, to prove she wasn't old-fashioned.
"Hey? Do you happen to know what old-fashioned means?"
First, she hid her identity under a fake name and called a male sex worker, known as a call boy.
Even though there were fewer men and they were socially revered, the saying that humanity's oldest professions were hunter and whore held true, so male sex workers naturally existed in this era too.
"Uh? I know it, but no way, sis, you're into that?"
To make easy money.
Because they'd gotten hooked on sex.
In any case, the man now in front of Yoo Ha-yul had met countless women as a sex worker and had encountered plenty with unusual tastes, so he immediately grasped what her question meant.
"Yeah, can you do it in that style?"
"Of course. Just pay a bit extra."
"I'll give you as much money as you want."
To prove she wasn't old-fashioned, she pretended to be.
What terrifying execution!
As per her request, the man acted like a woman and treated her like a man.
"My darling, what's your name?"
"Yoo Hye-in."
"Cute name. Cute face, cute figure too? Come here. Let big sis pat you!"
He diligently acted the part, stroking Yoo Ha-yul lavishly.
Seeing him behave just like a man from a hundred years ago, she inwardly sighed in relief.
'No particular feeling. Just ridiculous.'
Had about ten minutes of skinship passed?
Thinking she'd grasped the situation by now, Yoo Ha-yul pushed the man away.
"That's enough. Stop here. I'll pay as promised, so get out."
"Huh? Wait, what about the main event?"
"No need."
"Don't like me? If there's something lacking, just say..."
"Don't speak informally. Take the money and leave quickly."
The man, whose pride was hurt, snatched the wad of bills roughly and left.
Yoo Ha-yul proceeded to the next step with a triumphant expression.
'Can't know for sure with just once.'
Next was accessing an overseas porn site.
There, she binge-watched old-fashioned fetish videos.
As a woman, she watched porn often and got aroused each time, but these videos didn't excite her at all.
"Far from turning me on, it's just pathetic."
It wasn't that the man was forcing himself to act feminine.
But because they were born men, their "feminine" actions on screen felt like ill-fitting clothes, creating a sense of incongruity, and the women's "masculine" actions were the same.
"This proves it. I'm not old-fashioned!"
So why did her heart race and her face flush every time she thought of Yoo Jun-hyuk?
"It must've been something like the suspension bridge effect."
The human mind can't clearly distinguish between things or phenomena.
It easily mistakes the pounding and thrill from fear for those from love.
That's the suspension bridge effect, and Yoo Ha-yul concluded she'd mistaken her fear of Choi Yu-ra for something more upon meeting Yoo Ha-hyuk.
"Whatever, I don't need it anymore. I won't see him again."
Finally, to put a period on proving she wasn't old-fashioned and to sever ties with him, she forfeited her remaining vacation and threw herself into work.
"Yes. Cancel all events effective today. Switch to regular pricing immediately."
First, she canceled all the events at the cafes she'd acquired.
"This business? I'm just going to sell it off. The cafe industry doesn't have as bright a future as I thought. Haha, it's a shame. Shameful, but I'll think of it as a good experience."
And simultaneously, she sold off all the cafes.
The franchise reverted to direct operation, and the others sold cheaply, so they flew off the shelves in an instant. She no longer had any cafes left.
"Whew, now all ties are cut..."
Really.
Should she meet him one last time?
Some time had passed, so the illusion from that fear should be gone.
So this time, meeting him again would perfectly prove she didn't have that horrific old-fashioned taste.
"Alright, let's go once."
And so Yoo Ha-yul visited Cafe Hypnos.
The moment she arrived, Yoo Jun-hyuk, who was manning the counter, furrowed his brow, but since he didn't want anything to do with her either, he didn't acknowledge her.
'As expected, no particular emotions.'
He'd already heard through the grapevine that she'd canceled all the cafe events, so to Yoo Jun-hyuk, there was no reason left to be involved with her.
He couldn't stop her from coming, so he'd just remain a customer and cafe owner like now.
Yoo Ha-yul thought this was her final visit, never to return, so she didn't make a fuss either.
Just like that day, as if nothing had happened.
Like two people with a fleeting connection of customer and cafe owner, they acted.
'...Huh?'
But why did her gaze keep drifting?
Regaining her senses, Yoo Ha-yul realized she was unconsciously tracking Yoo Jun-hyuk with her eyes.
'What is it? Different from other men... from the men in those videos.'
She felt a pleasant diligence in his hardworking demeanor.
Sturdiness in how he directed the staff.
And intimacy in the light chats he had with other employees or customers during breaks.
'What exactly... Ah...'
After continued observation, she finally realized.
What set Yoo Jun-hyuk apart from the men in the porn.
'He really seems like a woman.'
No, like a real old-era man.
Yoo Ha-yul.
She was old-fashioned.
Old-fashioned, but her sharp eyes detected the incongruity in other old-fashioned men of the modern era, leaving her with no feelings for them.
That's why she'd looked down on men and treated them only as trophies.
'Th-this isn't good...'
But Yoo Jun-hyuk was different.
As a man with memories of his past life, he was truly old-fashioned.
And the only man in the world who could satisfy her.
"Ugh."
The first stirrings of love.
Before she knew it, she imagined leaning against Yoo Jun-hyuk.
Fantasies of nestling into the shorter, slighter man, and a future where he stroked her hair and doted on her as cute.
"Um, excuse me?"
She shook her head vigorously, desperately denying her thoughts.
But her heart had already half-accepted it, so when Yoo Jun-hyuk happened to pass by, she instinctively grabbed him.
"Yes. Is there something wrong, ma'am? Any inconvenience?"
Stiff, businesslike attitude.
Even that felt cool because her eyes were already covered with love filters?
"Um, sorry about before. I was a bit rude, wasn't I?"
"...No. It's fine."
Desperate to keep talking, she brought up what she'd meant to ask.
Yoo Jun-hyuk remained businesslike, but the slight furrow of his brow suggested he didn't want to recall that day.
"If it's okay with you! Is there no way I can make it up to you?"
Even that expression was keenly caught by Yoo Ha-yul's sharp eyes, and she asked desperately with a smile.
"Make it up."
I'll do anything.
I've somewhat accepted these feelings, but it's not certain yet.
So scrap the plan to cut ties and let's meet more from now on.
"There's one thing."
"What is it? Just say the word!"
"Then..."
Yoo Jun-hyuk said with a smile.
"Please never show up in front of me again."
Still with that stiff, businesslike smile.
"Pardon?"
"That's all."
Yoo Ha-yul.
It was the first day the vibranium spoon with nothing to envy got dumped.
＊＊＊
'Phew, she's finally gone.'
Yoo Ha-yul, who had sat brooding for a long while, finally left.
With the surrounding cafes' events canceled and no contact, he'd thought they'd never meet again, so why had she come?
'Hmm, probably because of Yu-ra sis after all?'
She must've been worried if sis would come after nearly dying to her.
Too scared to apologize to sis directly, so she came to me, her boyfriend.
'Don't worry. Getting involved with you is a hassle for me too. So let's never meet again.'
But she must've been really scared.
Where'd that old rude attitude go? She was all demure lady-like.
Women like that are rare these days.
They say a stick works best on a dog that won't listen.
'Well, whatever the process, it worked out fine.'
Back to peaceful daily life.
Wait, no, one thing left?
"Hmm... what to do?"
Still pondering that.
While on a short break for it, he fiddled with his smartphone.
"Couples who can't understand each other's hobbies don't last."
It was the same in his past life.
Women who couldn't understand a man's gaming hobby.
Such couples gradually built up resentment until it exploded past the threshold and broke.
"If I can't change the other person, I have no choice but to understand."
So, time to pick up a hobby myself.
Not fully immersed, but enough to enjoy with her.
-Seo-yeon.
He messaged Seo-yeon directly.
-There's SeCo in November. Wanna go together?
Thanks to researching for her, he now knew what SeCo was.
Soon, a message arrived.
-Really????