Chapter 180
Chapter 180
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Something's Off About the Yandere Fairy's Gaze
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Make yourself comfortable."
We'd arrived at Cha Seola's place on a whim.
I sat there blankly, and she handled the wine with expert ease, pulling out a corkscrew and carefully extracting the cork.
Pop!
As the light sound echoed, she poured red wine into crystal glasses and spoke up.
"This is my favorite wine, but it's always a shame to drink it alone."
On the table sat handmade cheese, olives, and smoked salami.
All perfect, upscale pairings for the wine.
"Looks delicious."
"Do you like wine?"
"I usually go for soju, but I'm not picky about my drinks. Anyway..."
I glanced around the interior, letting out an impressed sigh.
"Your place is... really nice."
"After years in the entertainment industry, you start needing a space like this. Somewhere no one can bother you, where you can just relax."
We sat across from each other, sipping the wine slowly.
The rich flavor filled my mouth, and conversation paused for a moment until Cha Seola gently swirled her glass and spoke.
"Haeseong."
"Yes?"
I set my glass down and looked at her.
She bit her reddened lips lightly, then said calmly,
"Don't think of me as easy."
"...Pardon?"
"Bringing a guy home like this... it's actually my first time. That's why I'm being extra careful... and a bit worried you might see me as frivolous."
"I've never thought that. No need to worry."
"R-Really?"
"By the way, you've never invited a guy over before, so why me?"
"I can't stay single forever."
What was she even saying?
Did she mean she wanted to date me?
I wasn't sure if her words were throwaway or not, but my mind was a mess regardless.
And her tone didn't carry even a hint of playfulness.
'Or is she just such a good actress that it doesn't show?'
I had no idea how to respond.
After sorting my thoughts, I cleared my throat and spoke.
"...I see."
"So, when does our first day count from? The shoot? Or today?"
"Pfft—!"
I choked on the wine in my mouth, spraying it out.
Luckily, it didn't hit my clothes, but it shattered the calm atmosphere.
Her sudden question and utterly casual delivery had caught me off guard.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and coughed repeatedly.
"Cough, cough!!"
"You okay? Did I say something wrong?"
Cha Seola didn't laugh.
She just gazed at me with a serious expression.
I'd figured it was a joke, but there wasn't a speck of mischief on her face.
She looked like someone genuinely curious.
"...What do you mean 'first day'?"
Unable to tell if it was a joke or not, I asked cautiously.
She tilted her head slightly, then stated firmly,
"Us dating. Going out."
I nearly spat again.
If I'd had the glass to my lips, the table would've been a disaster.
I hurriedly set it down and straightened up.
"Practicing lines?"
"What script? We need to pin down the date we started dating so we can celebrate anniversaries."
She added it so matter-of-factly, so calmly.
It was too natural for mere rehearsal, too serious for a joke.
"...We're dating?"
I finally managed to ask.
But she nodded without hesitation.
"In dramas or movies, when two people go on a date alone and drink wine at home... that's usually when they start dating, right? Isn't it?"
It didn't feel like a joke at all.
And her eyes held a look that demanded I take responsibility.
No slip of the tongue, no beating around the bush—just a straight charge.
'Is she really asking because she doesn't know...?'
I replayed Cha Seola in my mind.
Dozens of CFs under her belt, box-office gold every project.
Always poised and elegant in image, her private life shrouded in mystery, never a single dating rumor.
'Guess she's so buried in work she's never had a real relationship.'
It came through in her tone, her attitude, her very questions.
She approached romance like something she'd learned from movies or dramas—more fiction than fact.
Like someone who didn't truly know what love was.
Swipe.
That thought hit me, and suddenly, I felt a pang of pity for her.
Us normal folks learn love through trial and error, but someone famous like her?
Hard to even meet anyone, and even then, she'd always have to act as 'Actress Cha Seola.'
Maybe now she wanted to cautiously connect with someone for real.
So.
I gathered my thoughts once more and spoke slowly.
"Seola, you don't know anything about me."
"Isn't that what dating's for? Getting to know each other?"
"How do you date without knowing the person?"
"Are you a criminal?"
"...Pardon?"
"Nothing else you're hiding from your past?"
My words caught in my throat.
I took a calm sip of wine and continued.
"I'm... divorced."
"Do you have kids?"
"...Pardon? No kids."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Are you actually listening to me...?"
Cha Seola set her glass down and leaned forward slightly.
Her gaze poured across the table—clear, unwavering.
"So if I say your divorce is fine, we date?"
A faint smile touched her lips, but it wasn't playful.
It was a smile pressing a foregone conclusion.
'What the hell is this situation?'
Felt like talking to a lifelong singleton who'd never dated.
Dating Cha Seola was every Korean guy's dream, but her pushiness was making me pull back.
"...Let's take it slow and get to know each other first."
If she'd just vented her stress with a straightforward 'let's hook up,' I'd have welcomed it with open arms.
But her innocently pure expression made me want to tread carefully.
And then.
Screeech.
Cha Seola shot up from her chair, the legs scraping faintly against the floor.
I looked up, wondering what was wrong, and caught a strange tension in her eyes.
"...What's up?"
"Hah... What exactly is the issue? Does my making the first move make you uncomfortable?"
"That's not what I—"
"Then why do you keep dodging?"
I was speechless.
Her expression was shifting—doubt, confusion, a touch of hurt.
The emotions mixed into something odd, and suddenly, she gasped in realization.
"Ah! I get it. I was beating around the bush too much, huh?"
"...Pardon?"
She clapped her hands, the sound light and clear, like someone who'd just had a eureka moment.
"I was too roundabout. How about this instead?"
She walked toward me slowly.
The movement was so graceful and natural, I missed my chance to dodge.
By the time I blinked, she was right in front of me—and the next instant—
Smooch.
Our lips touched.
It was so sudden.
Less a kiss than a quick peck, brief and simple—but it amplified the chaos in my head.
"......!"
She pulled back quietly, smiling again.
Now there was a hint of mischief in that smile.
But her words remained firm and clear.
"Now that we've kissed, we're official, right?"
Her bold advance snapped the last threads of my restraint.
I looked up at her again.
"Seola, it's obvious you've never dated."
"...Pardon? Still not enough to start?"
"Not even close. Not by a long shot."
"What do you...?"
Screeech.
I rose slowly from my chair too.
For the first time, she looked scared, backing away.
That only made her more enticing.
"I'll teach you all about dating tonight, step by step."
"I-I'm not ready yet..."
Teasing me one minute, rejecting now?
I narrowed my eyes and spoke.
"You toying with me?"
"...Pardon?"
"Do I look easy to you?"
"That's not—"
Following her retreat, we'd reached the bedroom.
I curled my lips faintly.
"Ahh... Bedroom it is, then?"
I yanked off my shirt.
She froze at my boldness, then squeezed her eyes shut and shouted,
"M-My underwear's mismatched right now!"
"...Pardon?"
"L-Lemme change..."