Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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“...Mind if I sit here?”
What's this girl saying right now?
I blinked in confusion.
It was only natural.
This was the first time I'd ever properly talked with Seo Yerim.
Part of it was because of my ex, Kang Jua, but she was someone who barely interacted with other students, let alone me.
So why had I asked Junseok about Seo Yerim?
Simply put, because she was beautiful.
As a man, I was just curious about how she was doing.
I forced my lips into a casual smile.
“Uh... sure.”
The other alumni around us were just as shocked.
But Seo Yerim didn't care. She plopped right down in the chair across from me without hesitation.
“I heard you got divorced.”
That was her opening line the moment she sat.
It was the kind of greeting that left everyone, myself included, stunned.
I barely clung to my sanity and managed to respond.
“Ah... yeah?”
“I figured you wouldn't show up since you've been so busy. I was surprised when I heard you were coming.”
“I... I was surprised you were coming too.”
“Why?”
“You always kept to yourself in school. I thought you'd never hear about the reunion.”
“...I see.”
The alcohol I'd drunk earlier completely cleared from my head. My mind sharpened in an instant.
Her face was gorgeous, but why was her way of talking so blunt?
Maybe it was because she didn't have much practice chatting with friends?
'Could it be...?'
Suddenly, it hit me: maybe Seo Yerim was struggling to break out of her shell in her own way, just like a chick hatching from an egg.
No one had exchanged more than two words with her a day throughout our four years of college.
It was so extreme that she'd earned the nickname 'Ice Queen.'
To thaw the chilly atmosphere even a little, I gave a faint smile.
“How have you been?”
At my question, Seo Yerim glanced at Junseok, who was sipping his drink next to me.
Then she grabbed a glass of whiskey from the table and downed it in one go, furrowing her brow.
“Ugh! Not great.”
“Huh?”
“My brother up and left home, so now I'm stuck taking over the company.”
I thought the conversation would fizzle out quickly, but oddly, it kept going.
Who was this woman?
This was Seo Yerim—the same one who'd ignored even the popular senior who modeled and had all the underclass girls swooning.
And with her Yeoksan Group background to boot...
'Is she really here to slum it with us commoners, like the guys said?'
I picked up my glass and tossed back some whiskey too.
“...Yeah, that must've been tough for you.”
Whatever her intentions were for sitting across from me, it didn't really matter.
Just seeing Kang Jua's shit-eating expression was satisfaction enough.
Smooth.
Back in college, Kang Jua had always been hyper-aware of Seo Yerim.
At first, I'd thought it was because our classmates and seniors hyped them up as the 'two peaks.'
Looking back now, it was just plain inferiority complex.
Seo Yerim never even paid attention to Kang Jua.
That said...
Why did Junseok look so uncomfortable?
He'd been even happier than me earlier about screwing over Kang Jua.
I figured he'd be thrilled with Seo Yerim joining in, but he looked uneasy.
'No way...?'
While Seo Yerim was briefly checking her phone, I leaned toward Junseok and whispered.
“Did you confess to Seo Yerim back in the day and get rejected?”
“Pfft! Y-you crazy...”
Seo Junseok spat out a bit of his whiskey.
His wildly panicked face suggested he hadn't been rejected, so why did he look so cowed?
Or maybe being around someone as stunningly beautiful as Seo Yerim just froze him up?
“You're acting weird today. Can't talk because Seo Yerim's so pretty?”
“Please, just shut up.”
Fair enough. I hadn't mingled much with her back in college because of Kang Jua, but even without that, if Seo Yerim had approached me then, I'd have been stammering too. Her looks were on another level.
So why was I so relaxed now?
Simple.
After chatting with otherworldly beauties like the Gold Fairy and Silver Fairy, this was nothing.
Gulp. Gulp.
No idea what was eating at him, but Seo Junseok kept chugging high-proof whiskey despite my pleas to stop.
I gave up trying to stop him and turned my gaze back to Seo Yerim.
“Yerim, have some fruit with your drinks.”
“Ah... okay.”
Revenge doesn't always require gripping a knife and stabbing.
Just steering the reunion in the exact opposite direction of what Kang Jua wanted was enough.
I could feel her rage, jealousy, and suspicion from here.
Having shared a bed once, I knew her emotions all too well.
Smooth.
I glanced at Kang Jua, then back at Seo Yerim across from me.
Since I was going all in, might as well do it big.
“It's too noisy here. Wanna head out for a quiet second round somewhere?”
I raised my voice just enough for everyone to hear.
Seo Yerim calmly speared a piece of apple with her fork and brought it to her lips, her expression unchanged.
Was it the booze making me bold?
I had no idea where this confidence came from, but I kept talking loud enough for the whole reunion to catch, then stood up.
“You know what I mean. Junseok, let's go.”
It was all to rub it in Kang Jua's face a bit more anyway, so if Seo Yerim refused, no big deal.
My goal for the reunion tonight was to shed the gambler image and show off my revamped looks.
“...Meat.”
That was when it happened.
As I twisted to leave, Seo Yerim's voice slipped out.
“Uh...?”
“Buy me meat.”
“S-sure, I can do that.”
She grabbed a tissue, wiped her lips, and shot to her feet.
Stunned, I just stood there blankly watching her.
She headed for the bar's entrance.
Suddenly, she stopped and cocked her head toward me.
“Come on, you said you'd buy meat.”
“Did you see Kang Jua's face when we were calling the designated driver to move to our second spot? She came out to greet us.”
“Yeah, I saw.”
“Her eyes went wide seeing that foreign car you bought. It was hilarious—felt so good.”
The car was basically totaled anyway, so I'd decided to buy a new one. And yeah, picking a flashy import to show off to Kang Jua was part of it.
'Tch.'
Fine.
I got why Junseok tagged along to the barbecue place.
Inviting Seo Yerim out was for Kang Jua's sake too—not like I was flirting with romantic intentions.
But...
Why was he spilling all our private two-man talk with Seo Yerim right here?
I let out a short sigh and looked at him.
“Junseok, you okay?”
“I! Am not! Drunk at all... Sorry!”
“What're you sorry for?”
“Just... everything...”
He was staggering, but he never let go of his glass on the barbecue table.
The whiskey he'd been pounding at the bar was finally hitting him hard.
Why did I wanna sew this guy's mouth shut today of all days...
One silver lining: no matter how much we yapped, Seo Yerim was laser-focused on her meat.
“...Yerim, want a drink?”
“After one more bite.”
At this point, I was starting to think she really just came for the meat.
Yeoksan Group's daughter—what kind of diet did she usually follow to go this crazy for barbecue?
Thud!
Junseok had gone from staggering to face-planting right on the table.
Time to wrap this up, I thought—just as Seo Yerim finally picked up her glass.
“Meat's delicious... Let's drink.”
“Y-yeah.”
She was the type who needed to eat first before the engine revved. Now she was picking up speed.
Five shots already, non-stop.
With all the whiskey already in my belly, it was getting hard to keep up.
I thought she was starving for meat, but nope—turns out it was booze.
Clink!
After a few exchanges, Seo Yerim slammed her soju glass down hard on the table.
We'd been drinking without much real talk till now.
Finally, she slowly spoke up.
“It's fine.”
“What is?”
“You used me today because of Kang Jua. It's okay.”
So she hadn't been ignoring us while eating—she'd overheard Junseok's drunken ramblings too.
Feeling bad for no reason, I hung my head.
“Sorry. Wasn't planning to, but seeing Kang Jua made me wanna get revenge.”
“I said it's fine. We're just helping each other out.”
Helping each other? How?
I hadn't done a thing for Seo Yerim.
Was buying meat all it took?
'Ah...'
No wonder people obsess over chaebols.
How big-hearted do you have to be to shrug off something that could've pissed you off?
Money really buys peace of mind.
I scratched the back of my head a couple times and grinned brightly.
Felt right to say something polite.
“Meat's too cheap to call it even...”
“Obviously.”
“...Huh?”
“You think you can use me and settle with meat?”
“N-no, but you just said we were helping each other...”
Her words didn't add up, so I tilted my head. She stood up from her chair.
“Meat was good, and you kept your promise, so take good care of me from now on.”
“Promise? And what do you mean take care of you...?”
“Him!”
She pointed somewhere with her finger.
I slowly followed her gaze.
There was Junseok, still face-down on the table.
I blinked at him, then looked back at Seo Yerim.
“What about Junseok?”
Seo Yerim, who'd shown zero expression changes all reunion long.
She brushed back her hair and, for the first time, opened her mouth with a faint smile.
“...Ask him. He'll tell you.”