Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: 8. Sneaking Behind Sis's Back (3)
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The date had been fun.
"If Sis says she'll cover the bill first, just dodge it once. I'll handle everything… you know?"
"Dodge it once? Not just play along nicely?"
"You never know. She might secretly like it when the younger guy takes the lead."
"Hmm…."
From the conversation where Lee Ji-yoon was chattering away, clearly uncomfortable being alone with me,
"Oh, and don't go bragging about money or anything. Sis hates flashy spenders, so just the right amount."
to some surprisingly earnest advice.
"Shall we practice? …Ahem, ahem."
Her awkwardness in pretending to be her sister, forcing out "Woo-jin-ah" when she still couldn't drop the formal speech.
The way she clenched her fists, cringing so hard she gave up.
When we reached the tteokbokki place and I suggested grabbing a quick bite, her hurried detour with a mutter of "What else is he gonna like?"
Strolling half a step apart through the bustling evening streets dyed red by the sunset.
And then.
"……."
"……."
The moment we stood side by side at an empty crosswalk, alone together, even if just briefly.
…Staring silently at our phone clocks.
Her dashing off the second the light turned green, too busy hyper-aware of me right beside her.
"This is the closest to home. The path's straightforward, right?"
"Didn't know there was a spot like this around here."
Walking the park trail now with Lee Ji-yoon, hugging her khaki jacket against the chill.
I'd caught a glimpse of so many small sides of her I never knew before regression.
"No one knows unless they live nearby. I take this route to work—it's the fastest."
Lee Ji-yoon, the hero who ignored her fan club's one-sided affection.
The one before me now was a touch softer.
Just a prospective hero fresh off her high school graduation days ago.
She could chat with guys,
and blush with exaggerated reactions to cringey moves.
A side even her fans, snapping away with those massive cameras, never saw.
Having it all to myself made a smile keep creeping up.
We were still stiff, politely formal with each other,
but with effort, maybe one day she'd call my name over and over in that calm voice.
From beneath me.
On the bed.
Whispering.
Behind Sis's back.
With Sis.
"Sis loves walking, so she'd probably enjoy a stroll like this together."
"…I hate walking, though. Guess I'll have to humor her."
"Normal people don't like walking, right? You're the normal one, Woo-jin. Ha-yoon's the weirdo. Like a damn puppy…."
Lee Ji-yoon lightly dissing her sister with a grumble.
Not like the gritted-teeth "I hate you" vibe from the café earlier.
Just casually voicing what bugged her, no filter.
Didn't scream besties,
but not bad blood either—just that vague sibling ambiguity.
Like, I roast you, you roast me.
Whatever.
Whether they were close or not didn't matter to me.
Just changed the approach, but that wasn't key.
Did it turn me on?
Hell yes.
If they were tight, sneaking around behind each other's backs was hot.
If they clashed, even hotter.
The little sister seducing her sister's boyfriend out of jealousy and envy, going all the way.
Fucking hot.
Though Lee Ji-yoon's odds of jealousy-fueled moves were below zero right now.
To keep things going with her, jealousy wasn't the emotion I needed.
They weren't on bad terms anyway—that road was too far.
The gap I needed to slip into was elsewhere.
In other words,
"Hmm… Still, isn't walking like this healthier than just gaming all day…?"
"Y-Yes?"
Lee Ji-yoon's hobby. Gaming.
The topic neither she nor Ha-yoon had brought up in their chats.
I poked at it deliberately.
Our promised 30 minutes were nearly up anyway….
Ha-yoon said she was a total gamer—had to get a reaction.
"Kidding. I just remembered you with the headset last time at your place."
"…So, what's your hobby, Seo Woo-jin?"
"Mine?"
"Yeah. Something way healthier than trashy gaming, right? Golf? Horseback riding?"
Even after I added it was a joke, her scratched-up reaction was obvious.
Didn't expect her to be this emotionally honest. Just passionate about games?
Her poker face cracked into a pout—I glanced down briefly, then tossed back my prepared line.
"Dunno. Hmm… Watching news? Movies?"
"Eww… You're not even old…."
"Nothing else qualifies as a hobby."
"You never game? All guys love games. They just talk about YouTubers or games when they hang out."
Perfect.
Here it comes.
"Sometimes. Not good at it."
"What games?"
"Mostly FPS… y'know, shooter games."
"No way, really?"
"Best for casual play."
"What? Valorant? Overwatch? Nah, rounds take too long… Apex? …Apex?"
"The last one."
"Huh? Oh?"
Just parroting what Ha-yoon told me,
and Lee Ji-yoon was already forgiving my game-dissing sin.
Our eyes met under her black bucket hat, a faint smile peeking out.
"For real? Rank? Level? Battle pass? This season's skins are decent…."
"Level's too low for rank."
"Ah, newbie, huh. Makes sense if it's just occasional…."
I didn't need to be good at games.
Didn't need to grind them.
Just enough for simple chats with her.
All I needed was the basics.
…So I'd skimmed some wiki and YouTube.
School's not started—plenty of time.
"Newbies probably don't find it fun. Game's gotten stale anyway."
"It's okay. Can't top the leaderboard, though."
"Hmm… What characters? Newbies should stick to tanky ones."
"Really? Noted."
"Personally, mousepad matters more than mouse—swap it. Fundamentals over flash…."
"Ah, got it."
"Uh… um…."
Her words three times faster than during that "date advice."
I responded with dazed nods, and her brightened face stiffened.
"S-Sorry. Got carried away…."
"No biggie. It was kinda fun."
"W-Well, it's a dead game, so seeing a newbie gets me hyped to share tips…."
"No need to apologize. All helpful stuff."
"…Really?"
"I like nimble ones that zip around, but next time, tanky it is. I'll hit first place eventually."
"W-Well, then…."
She scratched her neck awkwardly, then fished out her phone.
Poked around and shoved it in my face.
"This is my main's ID. Add me if you have questions."
Main? So she has alts too.
Swallowed the stray thought and eyed the screen.
Jiyoon_0420
…Some girls pick guy-ish names, but guess she's not into that.
Or maybe guys use Jiyoon sometimes.
"I'll hit you up next time I play."
"Anything's fine. Consider it thanks for the heals…."
Guess I'll actually have to play now.
Don't even have an account, let alone downloaded.
Whatever. Investment in Lee Ji-yoon.
She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and took the lead again.
I followed, chatting another 30 minutes or so before parting.
All game talk, of course.
"Get to work, you little shit."
"Yeah……."
"Don't just yeah me. Listen up if you want the sponsorships to keep coming. Flaking 'cause it's tough— that's once or twice max."
"Yeah……."
"Fuck… Fine, I picked some you can handle…."
"……."
"At least pretend to listen…!"
"Yeah……."
Yojora lay on the long sofa like a bed, eyes glued to her phone screen.
Wished Seo Woo-jin would text more.
Conversation had cut off at an awkward spot.
[Seo Woo-jin]
─Don't come to my place until I call.
That was it.
Honestly, miles from the master she'd dreamed of in JC, JK days.
Obviously—she'd expected a perv demon to rape her at least five times daily.
My body's not to his taste?
Nah—he came buckets from one paizuri.
Sticky enough down my throat I couldn't swallow it all. Glurk.
So Yojora stewed.
Wanted to defy orders, show up, piss him off,
but what if it ended her rare ideal match after years?
Hmm.
Tough call.
Still, wait 2-3 days obediently, and he'd summon with blackmail pics, right?
Stay positive.
Play super slutty then—he'd fuck her brains out after.
"Still hung up on that Seo Woo-jin punk?"
Namho's voice from across the sofa.
Yojora draped her phone cozily on her chest and replied flatly.
"Nah…? Gave up…? What can I do if he hates meee…."
"Good. Quit it already. Word is he's with the heroes now."
"……?"
What?
Yojora slid up from the sofa, eyes on Namho.
"Heroes…?"
"Miren Academy. As a health teacher."
"Eh……."
"They got that Most Wanted girl enrolled. You know her. She heard—a Healing-type Transcendent named Seo Woo-jin joined."
"……."
"Anyway, work. I'll share some booze for your past efforts."
"Whoa, reallyyy…?"
"No Hibiki."
"…Hmph……."
Heroes.
Heroes, huh.
…So if she shut up and let Seo Woo-jin fuck her,
she'd be a villain railed by a hero?
Snapped in lewd pics, too ashamed to resist, splish-splash….
…Hehe.
"Here. Stuff you can do—read the memo."
"Yeah, yeah… Booze too… Where…."
She flopped back on the sofa, flapping the paper open.
Mid-reach for her phone wedged in the corner,
her eyes stabbed at a "request" scribbled on the side.
"…Who requested this…?"
"What is it? Fuck if I know."
"This one… third from the end…."
"Oh, that."
『Isolation.
Period: Until Miren Academy graduation.
Means: Doesn't matter. Ensure minimal contact with other students.
Identity forgery, document tampering, legal issues—we'll cooperate fully.』
"Some metal group second son or whatever."
"……."
"Says isolate her—him and his daughter both rude fucks. Ruin 'em. Good pay."
"……."
"What? You in?"
"……Yeah."