Chapter 9: A Classmate with an Expression Her Boyfriend Doesn't Know, So Yu-min (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9: A Classmate with an Expression Her Boyfriend Doesn't Know, So Yu-min (2)
What’s the biggest difference between someone who likes fish and someone who doesn't?
Many opinions might fly around, but I believe it comes down to whether or not you’re good at picking out the bones.
What I mean is, Kim Min-su can’t debone a fish for someone, but I can.
"Hairtail has so many bones. It tastes good, but it’s such a pain to eat."
"I’ll do it for you, Yu-min."
"Oh, uh... You don't have to..."
"It’s fine. I’m deboning mine anyway, so I might as well do yours too."
At the Victory Restaurant, if you order for two or more, the food comes out together, and they give you a larger portion than if you’d ordered a single serving.
The most important part was that it came on one large plate.
Since Kim Min-su detested fish, he had gone to a different floor to order something else.
Until he came back up, it was just Yu-min and me!
It was the perfect environment to start making a move.
"If... if there’s anything you don’t know about the Academy, feel free to ask. You only awakened recently, after all."
I had expected this.
So Yu-min was the easygoing, energetic type—what people usually call an 'insider.'
Would a girl like that stay silent while someone was deboning fish for her? Not a chance.
I’d already asked her to show me around after school, so predicting this kind of conversation was child's play.
"Actually... there is something... but it feels a bit too personal... I was debating whether I should even ask."
"What is it?"
With a slightly hesitant expression, I placed a piece of braised hailtail on top of Yu-min’s rice.
To an outsider, it might have looked overbearing, but Baek Tae-yang’s face made it all acceptable.
He was handsome and easy to be around.
"Do people... like, date in the Academy too?"
"Huh? Oh... I... I assume they do?"
When she looked visibly startled, I was the one who ended up surprised.
I thought she’d take a question like this in stride, but she was more bashful than she looked.
"What do you think?"
"I... I don't know. What about you, Tae-yang? I bet you’ve dated a lot..."
Her eyes were darting all over the place; anyone could see she was flustered.
I caught a glimpse of Kim Min-su approaching out of the corner of my eye. The timing was perfect.
"Me? I don't really mind dating... but honestly, as long as it’s not a secret relationship, I’m fine with anything..."
Eight steps until Kim Min-su reached the table.
Now was the perfect time to plant the seeds of doubt.
"What’s wrong with a secret relationship?!"
Yu-min’s voice suddenly spiked. This, I hadn't expected.
Whoa, why the sudden shouting?
Heads turned toward us, and a startled Kim Min-su quickly sat down next to Yu-min.
"What’s going on?"
Judging by Kim Min-su’s expression, you’d think I’d committed some grave sin.
Your girlfriend is the one who screamed, so why are you looking at me like that...
Since Yu-min had provided the perfect opening by shouting, Kim Min-su jumped into the conversation, clearly glad for the excuse to intervene.
"What were you guys talking about?"
"Oh, we were talking about the reasons people have secret relationships."
"I-is that so?"
The moment 'secret relationship' was mentioned, he lagged like a glitching computer.
In that gap, I placed another piece of hailtail on Yu-min’s rice and continued.
"Honestly... there’s really only one reason a guy suggests a secret relationship. Don't you think so, Min-su?"
"Huh? W-what is it? Isn't it just because he wants to cherish her...?"
His eyes spun, clearly caught off guard by the topic.
I wondered if they were dating because they were so similar.
The sharp, glaring gaze he’d had five minutes ago was gone, replaced by the eyes of a pitiful goat.
He sent me a subtle look, pleading for me to agree with him...
I ignored it completely.
"It’s because he’s embarrassed. Of his girlfriend’s face or something... Or maybe he wants to cheat?"
In the first place, having a secret relationship means there are plenty of gaps to exploit.
Unless something is lacking, there’s no reason to hide it.
If the Academy doesn't forbid dating, why hide it?
"You guys are Innate Awakeners, so you haven't been to a regular school and might not know..."
Yu-min and Kim Min-su listened intently, as if my words were law.
To be precise, Yu-min’s ears were fixed on me, but her eyes were on Min-su.
This was the same Min-su who had emphasized 'male friendship,' claiming guys are more comfortable with each other.
The moment I opened my mouth, the stigma was branded: 'So that's how all guys think...'
"...That’s usually why people date in secret. Why hide it if you're together? It’s weird. Don't you agree?"
"N-no, it’s not!"
This time, it was Kim Min-su’s decibels that spiked.
Seriously, it was like they were following a script; they acted exactly the same.
I guess that’s why they say birds of a feather flock together.
But shouting aside, why did he suddenly stand up?
Is he going to get us kicked out while we're eating?
This is why virgin protagonists are... 'real' virgins...
Realizing he was making a fool of himself, Min-su hurriedly sat back down and began making excuses.
At first, he spoke while looking at me, but eventually, his gaze was fixed entirely on Yu-min.
"M-maybe they're just... s-shy about revealing it all of a sudden?"
"Why be shy if you love each other? It’s just being ashamed... Like she’s a bit... lacking to show off?"
Of course, I’ve never felt that way, so I wouldn't know, but that’s how most guys are. Isn't that just trashy?
I had to add that last part.
I needed to strongly appeal to the idea that 'other guys are like that, but I'm not' to make her favorability skyrocket.
I had to give off the impression of a guy who looks a bit rough on the outside but is actually very good to women.
"I... I have never once thought that way, Yu-min. I mean it."
He was the one who insisted on a secret relationship, yet he was making it more obvious than anyone.
No matter how stupid someone is, by this point, everyone would know who was dating whom.
Why does he insist on keeping it a secret?
Actually, I’d seen it briefly during class; when Kim Min-su looked at Yu-min, his eyes were practically dripping with honey.
So he’s probably thinking... later we’ll reveal we’re dating! And then the other kids will nod and say, 'So you're finally telling us'... that kind of development, right?
And then there’d be some guy throwing a fit, saying, 'Was I... was I the only one who didn't know? Since when have you two been dating!' It was all so predictable.
That’s never going to happen now, Min-su.
Yu-min stared blankly at Min-su without saying a word, while Kim Min-su desperately tried to argue that secret relationships didn't mean that.
It was already over.
This wasn't the time to discuss the pros and cons of secret dating; it was the time to tell her how much he loved her.
His total lack of dating experience was showing.
If he couldn't do that, he should have at least grabbed her for a kiss to change the subject entirely, but instead, he was just rambling on about the intentions behind secret dating...
Yu-min really is too good for him...
It made no sense for a girl with a hip size and thigh thickness rarely seen in Asians to be wasted on a guy like that.
Just looking at our school pants, I was a left-stowed black python, while he was a center-perched parrot.
A fight between a parrot and a black python—the winner was already decided, wasn't it?
"Why are you explaining so desperately, Min-su? Girls don't really know... there’s just that 'thing' between guys, right? Let’s just eat."
You should never fully extinguish a fire you've started.
You have to pretend to settle things while leaving a few embers behind to make it easier to use later.
Perhaps they felt awkward having a lovers' spat in the cafeteria, because they eventually started eating after a bit more talk.
Actually, calling it a 'talk' was a stretch.
Min-su was the only one talking, while Yu-min just stared at him intensely.
Honestly, creating a rift like this didn't change everything immediately.
It was a common lovers' quarrel early in a relationship, and often, reconciling would only create a deeper bond.
In the original flow of the story, revealing the secret relationship might have been the catalyst for Min-su’s growth.
But that wouldn't happen now.
Because for Kim Min-su, only one path remained: total, miserable ruin.
+++++++++++++
"Alright, good work today, everyone. Don't slack off just because classes are over. Always stay dedicated to your training. That is all."
""Thank you!""
Finally, all the classes were over.
Victory Academy ran like a high school, but the difference was that eight periods were the standard.
I didn't understand a single word, so forcing myself to listen was pure torture.
It felt like an elementary schooler suddenly being taught Physics II.
As if that would work.
During class, I prioritized sleeping, and during breaks, I made sure Min-su and Yu-min couldn't clear up their misunderstanding.
I stuck to Kim Min-su like glue, befriending the group he hung out with, and blocked him every time he tried to slip away to Yu-min’s side.
It was exhausting work, stopping him from whining like a dog that desperately needed to go outside and make up.
And the result of all that hard work?
"Tae-yang, let’s go."
It was magnificent.
Since lunch, Yu-min hadn't made eye contact with Kim Min-su even once. She hadn't smiled, either.
With a cold face, she looked visibly furious to anyone watching.
It’s important to clear up misunderstandings quickly.
But a boyfriend who, despite being in the same class, never approached her first and only hung out with his friends?
Could a misunderstanding be cleared while watching that?
She probably thinks he can't explain himself because everything I said was true.
As they say, it’s imagination that ruins a relationship.
I stood up and walked over to Yu-min’s side.
Kim Min-su was waiting by the back door of the classroom, likely having planned to walk home with her.
Does he think he can just force his way in and make us a trio?
Did he really think such a shallow move would work?
"Want me to explain... what we talked about at lunch? Just the two of us."
I whispered into her ear, my lips close enough for her to feel my breath.
The most important thing to Yu-min right now wasn't the physical proximity of another man.
It was hearing that 'something' between men regarding secret relationships.
Her boyfriend waiting for her? She might see him as pathetic.
She might feel sorry for him and want to make up, but her mind was already elsewhere.
'Why did he ask for a secret relationship?'
She’d be dying to know.
As expected, Yu-min nodded and suggested we go somewhere private.
"Don't even think about following us, Kim Min-su. Just go home."
At Yu-min’s firm words, Kim Min-su, who had been about to sneakily follow, froze in his tracks.
The way he stood there, looking like a flash-frozen human, suited him perfectly.
Oh, Min-su.
Seeing Kim Min-su’s expression from start to finish made it nearly impossible to hold back my laughter.
Actually, I didn't need to hold back anymore.
Yu-min couldn't see my face anymore.
She was walking ahead blindly, desperate to hear the story.
"See you tomorrow, Min-su."
I gave Min-su a bright, beaming smile.