Chapter 16
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Padding Challenge
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The next day at lunch, Yi Hyunwoo met Eun Seol at a pasta place near the office.
"Hello."
"Hi, hello."
After a brief exchange of greetings, the two ordered their meals. Eun Seol went with aglio e olio, while Hyunwoo chose tomato meat spaghetti. Once the food arrived, they ate in silence.
Hyunwoo suddenly recalled meals he'd had with flings or girlfriends in the past. If he'd been a total hunk, the women would have burst into laughter at his every word or taken the lead in conversation—but unfortunately, he was just an average guy.
'I had to chatter away nonstop just to keep things from getting awkward.'
Remembering those times brought a wry smile to Hyunwoo's face. Truth be told, he wasn't the type who enjoyed chatting over meals. But today, he felt at ease, with no worry about the conversation drying up. Even sitting alone with an attractive woman like Eun Seol, he felt no regrets. If anyone was regretting this, it was her.
Clink clink.
The only sounds between them were forks and spoons clinking against plates. Finally unable to bear the silence any longer, Eun Seol spoke first.
"Is your meal all right, Deputy Manager Lee?"
"Yeah, it's delicious."
"Thank you for helping me out with work that time. I keep owing the Management Support Team favors."
"Oh, sure."
Silence fell again.
'What the hell. I tried starting a conversation.'
This chilly atmosphere was new territory for Eun Seol. On dates, men always took the lead. Yet here she was, sharing a meal alone with Yi Hyunwoo, who showed zero interest in her.
'He has no sense at all...'
Yi Hyunwoo was far from her ideal type. His table manners were terrible, making this the worst meal ever. She wanted to storm out right then, but a strange urge to stay with him wrapped around her.
'Why the hell is this happening?'
"..."
"..."
"Um... do you have a girlfriend, Deputy Manager Lee?"
"Pardon? Isn't that a bit too personal, Deputy Manager Eun?"
Eun Seol winced at Hyunwoo's curt reply. With no experience taking the conversational lead, she'd blundered badly. Embarrassment flushed her face bright red.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."
"Yeah, I'm single right now. You?"
"Me too. Oh, um... this is really nothing, but just out of curiosity, what kind of style do you like, Deputy Manager Lee?"
Despite Hyunwoo's brusque response, Eun Seol kept pressing, like she was clinging to him. She never imagined she'd be the one asking the questions that always annoyed her from guys.
"Style? Hmm... Lately, Employee Seo Jin-ah? She's got a real appeal."
"You mean Seo Jin-ah from Accounting, the office couple with Deputy Manager Lee Byung-joo?"
"Yeah."
It was such hot gossip around the office that even Eun Seol, who rarely chatted privately with coworkers, had heard all about Seo Jin-ah lately. Just months after her marriage, she'd started showing up in outrageously revealing outfits—the level of exposure was beyond imagination.
"She's... way too exposed these days, don't you think?"
"Oh yeah? I like her confident vibe. Great figure too."
'Vulgar... What, does he like that slutty stuff?'
She often wore high-waisted skirts that showed off her figure too, but Seo Jin-ah's recent near-nude style was on a whole other, cheaper level. Like a whore. Eun Seol felt not just disappointed but outright disgusted by Hyunwoo's praise.
'Heh heh, time to push her buttons.'
"Compared to Jin-ah, Deputy Manager Eun, you seem a bit lacking in... volume."
"W-what did you say?!"
Eun Seol shrieked as Hyunwoo openly scanned her up and down, comparing them outright. She nearly reported him for harassment on the spot, but his words—saying she fell short of Seo Jin-ah's body—wounded her pride.
"Deputy Manager Lee, that's all padding, you know? Hmph! Guys never get it."
'Huh? Jin-ah's are real though...'
"Oh really? Still, compared to you, her figure's pretty good..."
At Hyunwoo's continued leering and mocking appraisal,
"Oh, come on. Unbelievable. F-fine then, let's meet this weekend. I'll wear casual clothes. You'll see—I'll blow Seo Jin-ah out of the water."
"Pardon? Is that a date invite?"
"What? No, no! It's just to correct your misconception, Deputy Manager Lee. Not a date."
"Sure, sure. Got it. Lunch break's almost over—let's head back."
"Sigh..."
Regret flooded Eun Seol at Hyunwoo's half-hearted reply, realizing what she'd just said. She wasn't one to take back her words, and with her pride stung by essentially asking him out first, she couldn't anyway.
'Heh heh heh, jackpot.'
Eun Seol had been completely reeled in by Hyunwoo's pace.
Saturday afternoon. Eun Seol sat sipping coffee at a cafe in the city near the office, waiting for Yi Hyunwoo.
'What? Is he seriously late to our meetup time?'
They'd agreed on 2 p.m., but by 2:20, there was no sign of him. She'd been stood up before, but never waited over 20 minutes. Furious at herself for being dragged around by Hyunwoo's constant indifference, yet her desire to see him—late or not—only grew, overriding her pride and irritation, keeping her glued to the chair.
Munch munch.
She viciously chewed her innocent straw instead.
Ting-a-ling.
At exactly 2:30—half an hour late—Yi Hyunwoo finally appeared at the cafe.
'Heh heh, wonder if she's pissed.'
Was it confidence from the work system revealing her psychological state in detail? Hyunwoo stood before her in comfy track pants, slippers dragging, totally relaxed.
"Hi?"
"H-hello? Nice comfy outfit, Deputy Manager Lee."
Track suit, slippers, hat pulled low—Eun Seol had never seen anything like this on a date. Shocking.
'Did he at least wash his hair...?'
He looked like he'd rolled straight out of bed. She'd started her makeup at 8 a.m. and styled her hair meticulously; now her fists clenched under the table, trembling with rage.
'Oh ho.'
The effort from her early start paid off—her charm was different from her office look. Long lashes volumized to the max, bold eye makeup giving her cat-like sharp eyes, brown bob perfectly waved with a curler for a natural fall that suited her refined face.
Maybe because he'd compared her to Seo Jin-ah, she'd gone for quite the revealing outfit.
High wedge heels accentuated her long, slender legs. The sky-blue tennis skirt exposed over half her thighs, borderline panty-flash territory. Her top was a tight white crop top highlighting her slim waist, toned abs, and shyly peeking oval navel.
'Definitely better legs and waist-hip line than Jin-ah.'
The tennis skirt cinched tight at the waist then flared at the hips, emphasizing her slim waist and full hips. Her 168cm height gave endless legs, Pilates-toned thighs firm yet slender ankles.
'Breasts are smaller than Jin-ah's, but is there a slimmer stunner like this at the office?'
"Ahem... ahem."
As soon as he sat, he blatantly eyed her up and down—her face flushed, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Th-this should prove I'm on another level from Seo Jin-ah, right?"
Even saying it embarrassed her; she stammered.
"Hmm... yeah, definitely... nice figure."
Though annoyed at his appraising tone, Eun Seol felt a secret thrill at the praise for her body.
"But still..."
"Huh? What now?"
"Like you said, how do I know if you're wearing padded underwear or not?"
"I don't wear that crap!!"
She yelled at the implication—lumping her with insecure girls and their padding. Her figure was natural, honed by diet and steady workouts; dismissing it as fake stung her pride deeply.
"F-fine! Then check, why don't you?"
"Pfft."
Hyunwoo burst out laughing at her lip-biting glare, hiding her humiliation. Thanks to the work system amplifying her [Desire] to impress him, this absurd situation had unfolded.
He hadn't expected her to bring up verifying over Seo Jin-ah's figure just to stoke jealousy.
'Probably that lofty pride of hers.'
He'd hinted his type was like Seo Jin-ah and scratched her pride with his looks appraisal. Amplified by the system's [Desire], her usual self-confidence and pride made her desperate to prove she outshone that woman.
'Gotta use that pride to conquer Eun Seol.'
"Not great here... how about over there?"
Hyunwoo pointed to the rundown motel where he'd spent the previous night ravishing Seo Jin-ah.
"Deputy Manager Lee, you mean... that motel?"
She'd been to motels with guys before, but she hated them. Hygiene aside, the sleazy image they evoked turned her off. Plus, she never dated men who'd balk at 4- or 5-star hotel costs anyway.
"Why? So confident earlier, but chickening out now? I thought you at least didn't lie, Deputy Manager Eun."
Hyunwoo prodded her pride.
"When did I say no? Lead the way."
'Heh heh.'
Flustered, Eun Seol followed Hyunwoo to the rundown motel.
"Welcome..."
The middle-aged motel owner trailed off mid-greeting, scanning Eun Seol up and down. Her short tennis skirt and navel-baring tight crop top had drawn sticky stares from men all day. But this owner ogled her shamelessly. She glared right back defiantly.
"Uh, how much for day use?"
"Twenty-five thousand won. Ahem."
Acting tough, but under his lecherous gaze, Eun Seol gripped her skirt hem with both hands, tugging it down. Ironically, covering her thighs only exposed her smooth midriff more thanks to the crop top.
'This could be fun to mess with.'
"Hold on a sec."
Hyunwoo pretended to rummage for cash, pockets inside out. As time dragged, the pervy owner's stare made Eun Seol's face redden and body quiver— all visible to Hyunwoo via the system.
"Deputy Manager Eun, I'm out of cash—mind covering?"
"Whaaat?"
"Seriously, no cash. Hurry, he's waiting."
"Sigh... really here..."
Without even pulling out his wallet, at Hyunwoo's sly request, Eun Seol hesitantly approached the counter and handed over the cash. The owner's eyes stayed glued to her chest, thighs, and belly, sending shivers of disgust like bugs crawling on her skin.
"Here... Eek!"
"Heh heh, why so jumpy."
The owner snatched her hand along with the money, startling her.
'What the hell's with this guy... seriously, feels like something's on my hand.'
Eun Seol rubbed her hand vigorously with a tissue, glaring without hiding her revulsion—but now tinged with a hint of fear, unlike before. The two soon entered a room.
"Whoa... that chick's a killer, huff huff huff."
Back at the counter, only the middle-aged man's ragged breaths and frantic rubbing sounds echoed.