episode_0144

“Ugh, oh. I’m more tired than I thought.”

Arriving home wearily.

Without even bothering to unpack the suitcase, I lay down on the mattress, and sleep came easily.

“I have to go meet Choi Eiseo.”

Since I had a promise with Choi Eiseo, I couldn’t just stay still at home.

“Is this mattress really this soft?”

At Goldwon, I either slept on the sofa or laid out blankets in the living room, so I had forgotten about such softness.

Lying there with my face buried in it, a strangely familiar scent wafted up.

“…It smells like Choi Eiseo?”

It might be odd to remember something like this without having a scent fetish.

Choi Eiseo’s scent permeated from the mattress.

“It’s addictive.”

While lying there savoring it absentmindedly, without any thoughts.

Click.

“Huh?”

I raised my head slightly at the sound of the front door opening and looked towards the entrance.

I wondered if it was a thief, but there stood Choi Eiseo holding a bag.

“Hi.”

She greeted me casually.

Staring blankly at her, I suddenly remembered that I had given her the key before going to Goldwon.

“Oh, right.”

So that’s why Choi Eiseo’s scent was lingering in the mattress.

Well, even so, after almost two months of mingling closely, it wouldn’t be surprising for her scent to be here.

“You rest here for a bit before leaving?”

I buried my face back into the mattress.

“Yeah, sometimes when I’m too lazy to go home after work, I crash here and leave later.”

“Yeah, your scent is all over the mattress.”

“…You’re not sniffing around there because of that, are you?”

Asked hesitantly, I answered honestly.

“About half?”

“You made it pretty obvious as soon as you saw it.”

Sheesh, she’s really blunt.

“I suggested we go out to eat.”

Turning my body to face Choi Eiseo, I saw her already comfortable, preparing food even to the extent of taking off her coat.

“You seemed tired. So, I thought I’d make dinner before you left.”

“…”

“It’s nothing special. Just planning to cook some stew. Is that okay?”

“Sounds good.”

Honestly, I was feeling incredibly lazy about going out, so this worked out well.

Just earlier, when I got on the bus, I thought about treating myself to something nice outside to celebrate my part-time job, but now I was truly grateful for Choi Eiseo coming over.

“How’s the dorm? You should start heading back soon.”

“I have an interview. It’s in a week.”

“That soon?”

“I wanted to come back quickly to have some time to relax.”

As we casually chatted, it felt like we naturally returned to our usual routine.

I thought I had grown accustomed to Goldwon during my stay there, but once again, I realized that my daily life was here.

Choi Eiseo, wearing an apron, busy cooking various dishes.

Watching her from behind, I couldn’t help but feel quite impressed with myself.

“Yesterday, I was having a threesome with the kids, and today I’m doing this with Choi Eiseo.”

That’s what being the chairman’s son does.

Anyway, the rich have it good.

Ring! Ring!

The phone rang at that moment.

Feeling too lazy to get up, I turned my head to answer the call while lying down.

“Hello.”

– Woojin, are you home?

Ye Rin’s lively voice.

Even though it was the same voice I heard this morning, it felt welcoming.

“Yeah, I’m home. Just lying down right now.”

– Have you eaten dinner?

“No, not yet. But why did you call?”

– We’re going out for dinner now. Want to video call while eating? Don’t want to be lonely?

“I’m not lonely. Why did you call?”

It’s not that I’m rushing her or finding it annoying.

But Choi Eiseo had placed her hand on my waist and was staring intently at me, making me feel uneasy and wanting to end the call quickly.

– Why are you being so cold? Did I do everything already?

“Please don’t say things like that.”

– Right? There’s still plenty left for me to do.

Normally, I would have asked her in detail about what was left to do.

But sensing that Choi Eiseo might turn off the stove where she was cooking soup and come over, I felt like I should end the call.

“I’m hanging up.”

– Why is this person in such a rush? Who are you with right now-!

Thud.

After abruptly ending the call, I bury my face back into the mattress.

Pretending not to notice Choi Yiseo’s gaze, I just lie there.

Ring ring!

The phone rings again.

“Is it Arin calling?”

Choi Yiseo stands next to me with a ladle in hand.

“Oh, it’s okay. You don’t have to answer.”

“Just pick up.”

“….”

“I said, pick it up.”

Why suddenly create such a tense atmosphere?

I sit up and answer the phone while discreetly switching to speaker mode.

– Choi Yiseo, hi?

She’s quite perceptive.

“Hello.”

With an uneasy expression, when Choi Yiseo responds, Yoo Arin asks in an elevated voice.

– Where are you right now? At Kim Woojin’s house?

“…Yes.”

– I see.

Then follows a brief silence.

‘Please, Arin. Please. Don’t say anything strange.’

Although I remained expressionless while holding the phone, internally, I felt a sense of unease creeping in.

Afraid that Yoo Arin might mention what happened yesterday even slightly, I was on edge.

– When we go back, shall we all gather for some drinks?

“Drinks?”

– Yeah, you worked part-time too. Since we all did, it would be nice to have drinks together at a good place. Let’s cheer up for our second year.

It wasn’t a bad suggestion, but it was peculiar coming from Yoo Arin.

Sensing that Choi Yiseo also felt it, we exchanged glances simultaneously and held our breath.

– Or should we just go out for drinks somewhere without going to Woojin’s house?

“Where?”

– Woojin’s place?

“….”

– Oh, if we go there, it might cause trouble.

It’s slightly chilling to simply state that trouble will arise without explanation.

– Sex!

At that moment, Seo Yerin, who seemed to have been listening nearby, interjects. It’s clear she has no intention of hiding her true self anymore.

“Uh, what?”

While Choi Yiseo seemed taken aback by what she heard, Yoo Arin continued with a chuckle.

– Anyway, let’s meet up when we go back. There are things we need to discuss. Right, Woojin?

“Yes, sure.”

– Okay then, see you later.

Thud.

Despite feeling good about having a threesome, benefiting the most, and taking the lead in manipulating the others, I can’t understand why I’m ultimately being threatened.

“It feels like something happened.”

Choi Yiseo looks down at me with a puzzled expression. Although we didn’t talk separately, she seemed to sense that something had gone wrong.

“….”

“Sigh, Kim Woojin, really.”

Rather than looking at me resentfully while brushing her bangs aside, Choi Yiseo unexpectedly lets it go.

“I made kimchi stew, so eat it.”

However, she passes over it smoothly.

“I’ll leave since you don’t want to eat together.”

“Don’t you want to eat together?”

“No! I won’t eat!”

As she was about to throw away the bag containing the food she bought,

Thud.

A box falls to the floor.

It’s a condom.

“….”

“….”

Our eyes both fixate on it simultaneously. Perhaps Choi Yiseo brought it along while buying cold dishes.

“Oh, no. That’s… ”

Seeing Choi Yiseo’s face turning red in a split second as she awkwardly stammers while putting on her coat,

“Say it quickly.”

I immediately start taking off my pants.

“Wha- What are you doing suddenly undressing!”

“No, if you were lonely, you should have told me sooner.”

Approaching her halfway undressed, Choi Yiseo gestures frantically.

“Eat your meal! And I won’t do it!”

“You can eat later. You eat first!”

“Your lines are terrible, Kim Woojin!”

“That hurts a bit…”

In any case, I dashed towards Choi Yiseo as if I were some kind of gangster, and she ran towards the front door to escape.

“You need to eat! And you look really tired!”

“Possible!”

“What’s possible, you crazy person! Just eat and go to bed! I’ll… see you tomorrow!”

Choi Yiseo, who was leaving, saying she would step back to take care of her condition.

“Oh, shoot.”

Furious because of Choi Yiseo’s mischievous lower half, but ultimately couldn’t stay mad.

Picking up a fallen condom from the floor, wondering where to put it.

Creak.

The door opened again.

“As expected, Choi Yiseo! You also wanted to-!”

Thinking Choi Yiseo had returned, I turned my body with a grin.

“Hello.”

There was someone who shouldn’t be there.

Reddish wavy hair.

A well-defined figure that complemented the sophisticated suit.

As always.

Confidently squared shoulders and a firmly held waist.

Even an affectionate gaze as the final touch.

“Oh, Yoonji?”

Caught off guard, staring blankly at Oh Yoonji, he asked just like before.

“Is the welcome too intense?”

“Huh?”

Oh no.

Realizing my pants were still halfway down and I was holding a condom in my hand.

Could lead to some strange misunderstandings.

I threw the condom out the window that I had opened earlier to get rid of the meat smell.

“Phew, that was close.”

“…Anyway, you have some peculiar aspects.”

“Don’t come in!”

Saying that, Oh Yoonji naturally entered the room. Despite my protests, he strode in.

“So, did Yiseo come and go?”

Sorry, Choi Yiseo.

“Did Yiseo prepare food for you? Like in the old days.”

Glancing at the dining table, Oh Yoonji shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“You still don’t know.”

“…”

“My husband?”

For a moment, I almost called him ‘honey.’

That Kim Woojin from those days was truly insane.

“I heard there are misunderstandings. That the letter I left didn’t reach you properly.”

Before leaving me.

I did hear from Choi Yiseo that Oh Yoonji had left a letter separately.

And I already knew he was working with Little Brother for my sake.

There were misunderstandings in our breakup.

There was an accident in my pain.

But.

“But.”

I had already sorted out my emotions.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

In reality, I was wavering among several women right now.

I had even said I would take them all.

But Oh Yoonji had no place among them.

“It was hard because of you. You must have suffered because of me.”

“…”

“But Yoonji, I-!”

Tap.

Oh Yoonji’s index finger touched my lips. In the face of her provocative gaze that said there was no need for more words, I fell silent.

“Woojin, I heard everything.”

A palpable heat seemed to emanate.

“Yiseo, Yeoreen, and Yuarin? Those girls are eyeing you, playing mind games.”

What Oh Yoonji held was a kind of determination.

Always superior to others, more passionate, more proactive.

“How was it when we were dating in the first semester?”

At Oh Yoonji’s question, I involuntarily recalled the past for a moment.

It was during our university days, but we didn’t care about anyone else. We only had each other and spent all our time together.

The distance from others naturally widened, but it was inevitable.

“Was Choi Yiseo not there then?”

She was.

“What about Yeoreen? Yuarin? Were they not there then?”

No, they were all there.

“But?”

Her smile exuded a strong charm.

Absolute confidence.

“Who would you have chosen back then?”

Unchanged from the Oh Yoonji I had known.

“Did other girls catch your eye back then?”

Because she was the one I loved.

“Hehe, Woojin.”

Still as charming as ever.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Slowly removing her hand from my lips, Oh Yoonji said, “All of that doesn’t matter.”

My index finger, which had touched my lips, licked once boldly and declared,

“It doesn’t matter.”

“….”

“Nothing will change.”

It felt like going back in time.

During the first semester.

Like a dazzling flame.

I was captivated by her proactive way of living.

“In the end, we will meet again.”

As an immature Kim Woojin.

“You know, my husband?”