Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: 16. Words of Love
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Could you maybe teach me what guys like?
The eyes reading Han Su-ah's KakaoTalk message blinked rapidly, hidden behind eyelids.
What did this question mean?
It could be one of those roundabout ways women had of expressing themselves,
or it might just be a straightforward, innocent inquiry into men's preferences.
Considering Han Su-ah's personality, it was probably the latter.
She acted tough and carefree, but she was subtly selfish deep down.
Unlike Lee Ha-yoon, who was forcing herself to play the vixen,
Han Su-ah was far from fox-like—
just an utterly human girl.
Applying what Yojora had told me to the current situation,
she probably wanted to make not just same-sex friends, but opposite-sex ones too.
...Though who knew,
she might even be dreaming of that "fateful encounter" straight out of romance comics.
"......"
So, the fact that Han Su-ah approached me saying let's be friends,
and that she was diligently messaging me during class like this,
wasn't because she was interested in me as a guy—
it was just because I was the only one she could somewhat consider a friend among men.
I lightly scraped the tip of my lips with my finger and let out a lukewarm sigh.
Of course, I still held the unrivaled position among guys for now.
Not only did no other man know her phone number, I was probably the only one who'd even exchanged a few words with her.
But that was it.
Just like the saying that childhood friends always lose,
a position like "kind teacher" might have a high floor, but the ceiling was way too low to reach the relationship I aimed for.
...Still, it was a chance that had come my way.
I had to grab it.
Her usual expressionless face made her seem pretty intimidating,
but in front of close friends, she'd flash a goofy grin like it was nothing,
and around unfamiliar guys, she'd freeze up completely, sharpening her gaze again—
yet inside, she was just the chaebol daughter who loved reading comics.
Zero resistance to men.
No male friends.
But craves male friends.
Even so, she paid no particular attention to her fashion, hairstyle, or posture,
meaning she had no idea how alluring she looked.
And yet, she'd never masturbated in her life,
according to Yojora, she wasn't particularly into anything lewd,
and despite that, her body was hypersensitive where it counted.
On top of all that, her hero abilities ranked in the top tier of Korea.
The girl whose sloppy casual photos were floating around online labeled as "street fashion."
Even in those clothes, she couldn't hide her figure at all.
There was no girl like Han Su-ah to replace her.
At least not for the next ten years.
So,
I had to seize this opportunity,
this lifeline,
no matter what.
Whether by wrapping it around my frostbitten hand,
or clenching it in my teeth and holding on,
even if I had to use ugly methods.
I replied like that first and racked my brain hard.
My head wasn't much help since it was so rigid, but I couldn't just charge in without a plan.
Among the info Yojora gave me, nothing useful except Han Su-ah's hobbies.
At best, her relatives were desperate to bury her or something.
In the past, maybe someone else half-buried her instead of Yojora, changing the future—but whatever.
Vague knowledge from before regression wasn't helpful.
I shoved aside thoughts of the past and focused on the present.
The one holding the shovel to bury Han Su-ah now wasn't some unknown—it was Yojora.
Someone predictable, whom I could control at will.
Instead of digging with the shovel I held,
I could order her to knock Han Su-ah out with a tap to the back of the head
and drag her to me.
She'd already shown interest in Han Su-ah by calling her to the bookstore to stage a "fateful encounter,"
so Yojora would eagerly follow my lead for her reward.
Of course, she'd probably growl and act like it was bullshit on the surface.
So, what exact "order" should I give Yojora now to make Han Su-ah mine?
This one was easy.
Isolation.
She was the type with a cold, prickly mask that made it hard to approach her casually.
Assuming she wasn't beaming cutely next to Yojora, that is.
So if Yojora kept a decent leash on her and watched her closely,
dirty flies might buzz around showing interest,
but none would actually stick.
...Alright.
While Yojora set the stage like that,
what should I do?
This wasn't hard either.
Lies.
Jet-black lies to deceive Han Su-ah.
For example, teaching her that sex between friends is "normal"...
Something like that.
But with only a few conversations under our belt, it was too soon.
I had to time it right.
Rubbing charcoal on Han Su-ah's thin drawing paper
could wait until her trust in me had thickened considerably.
For now, as Kind Teacher No. 1, it was time to steadily build that trust.
Sports stuff, huh.
I'd just said that at the bookstore because I had no excuse, but she remembered.
Can't drop that concept.
I took a breath and typed a reply.
I had a rough idea but asked anyway.
Can you be my friend?
What do guys like?
Do you like that too, Teacher?
Then, can you help me practice later?
Add Han Su-ah's growth diary so far,
and it was obvious.
At that moment, sunlight burst through the curtain behind me, blocking the phone screen.
Even maxing the brightness, the thick, brilliant light was too much.
Annoyed, I properly closed the curtain to block it out completely, then tapped the screen under the artificial fluorescent glow.
"Ji-yoon's been weird lately."
"Yeah?"
Around 3 p.m.
As dismissal time loomed in the distance.
"...Like, Ji-yoon's gotten super nice..."
Lee Ha-yoon, who had snuck into the second-years' crowd pretending to be a patient, said that.
"Nice?"
"Exactly that. She eats breakfast properly now, doesn't sleep in..."
She wasn't some elementary kid—what kind of criteria was that for "nice"?
I held back those words and walked to the window behind me.
Students' sweat.
Faint dirt.
And fruit diffuser scent.
Those smells escaped through the open windows for ventilation, filled by early March's sharp wind.
Judging it enough, I closed the window and handed Ha-yoon a warm cup of mixed cocoa.
Doubt still floated on her face.
"No, like... Back in middle school, she'd call me 'Lee Ha-yoon' instead of 'sis' with 43% probability?"
"Weirdly specific."
"But lately, it's just 'sis' all the time. It creeped me out when I realized it earlier..."
"She's maturing. Getting older."
"She doesn't play games as long anymore either..."
"Ah, she turns it off around midnight."
"Right?!"
"Isn't it just a good change?"
"Sudden changes mean terminal illness."
"Terminal... No way."
"Don't laugh!! I'm serious."
"Yeah, yeah."
Lee Ha-yoon crossed her arms under her chest, insisting she was absolutely right.
Less like a graceful cooking sis,
more like an angry hamster.
"......"
...Looks like Ji-yoon's been pouring her desires into the word "sis" since way back.
Whatever.
The seed I'd planted in Lee Ji-yoon before was growing on its own just fine.
Next time I had free time, if I made some "gifts" with Ha-yoon and sent them over, she'd use them well enough.
Whether for joyful self-consolation
or filthy jealousy.
Either way suited me fine.
I just had to wait for Ji-yoon to crumble bit by bit.
"What do I do? Nice Ji-yoon isn't Ji-yoon... Give me back the rude Ji-yoon..."
"...Should I stress her out a bit? In games?"
"Stress?"
"Yeah. Might snap her back to old Ji-yoon quick."
"...Nah. I like nice Ji-yoon now too."
"...? Then why the terminal illness talk..."
"Just saying. Joke."
She stuck out her tongue in a "bleh," then draped her arms over the infirmary desk and flopped down.
Because she'd flopped sideways on one arm, her jade-green eyes—same as Ji-yoon's—locked onto my face.
...One day, could I line up those two pairs of jade-green eyes beside my dick?
The fantasy of sloppy double fellatio from sweat-soaked sisters with cum stains faded quickly.
Knowing Ha-yoon's personality, she'd knock over the cocoa by my arm, so I moved it far away.
Then, something popped into mind.
"...Ah, sis."
"Hm?"
"Does Ji-yoon hate shopping for clothes?"
"Dunno... Not hate, but she'd rather spend on games..."
I didn't want to nag about game spending, but basics like food, clothing, shelter first, right?
I set aside the bewilderment and continued.
"Let's go shopping together next time."
"...Clothes? Just buy online... Wait, yeah! Sounds good!"
"With Ji-yoon too. All three of us."
"...All three?"
Going out just Ha-yoon and me, without Ji-yoon.
Going out just Ji-yoon and me, without Ha-yoon.
Both tempting options,
but not as tempting as this.
"Gets on my nerves how she wears the same clothes every day."
"......"
I tossed out a decent excuse, and jade-green eyes—same shade as Ji-yoon's—turned to me.
Eyes.
Cheeks.
Lips.
Eyes again.
Those jade-green eyes darting back and forth finally vanished under Ha-yoon's long lashes.
"Sure. Whatever. Haven't shopped much since skipping hospital lately, so a few outfits..."
Unlike her excited reply moments ago,
it came with lukewarm permission.
"Lemme see... Nights won't work with your part-time, and Ji-yoon'll want games... Weekend? Saturday?"
"Got it. Saturday... Means no other plans..."
Ha-yoon rolled around on the desk, mumbling her reply.
I stroked her oblivious hair and gave a soft smile.