Battle of Wits Between Two Women (1)

“I sent the money, so check it.”

“Okay, wait a sec.”

While I was away for a bit, the atmosphere between Jua and Sea was strangely chilly.

Not really chilly, but the strangely cold vibe between them sent a slight shiver down my spine.

I haven’t done anything wrong, so I act confidently, but after checking my phone and confirming the money arrived.

They fought. Even if they didn’t exactly fight, there must have been some kind of argument.

‘Or else someone needs to tell me why they’re like this. Uh… what on earth happened?’

They were laughing and sticking close together right up until we bought the clothes, but after leaving the department store, they walked with just enough space for one person to fit between them.

They weren’t openly turning their heads to show hostility, but seeing them like this so suddenly made me uncomfortable too.

First, I confirmed the money arrived, then cautiously inserted myself between them and asked.

“What’s up with you two? Why are you suddenly walking so far apart?”

“Fighting? What fighting? We just talked a little.”

“Unni said let’s go to a VR room after eating, but I like PC bangs, so I said let’s go to a PC bang, and that’s why she’s like that.”

“What? Hey, you shouldn’t lie! When did I ever say that?”

“See, she’s trying to get angry again because I’m telling the truth.”

“I’m seriously dumbfounded, can’t you two just stop?”

If Sea is raising her voice like that, it must be a lie.

If someone who doesn’t usually get angry is about to get angry, it’s either because it’s the absolute truth or because they’re angry about a lie.

Of course, from my perspective, I don’t know what they talked about and they probably wouldn’t tell me anyway, so I cut them off.

“I don’t know if you fought or argued or what, but don’t fight outside. Are you two kids?”

“No… still, she’s lying.”

“Wow, seriously, you said you’d film a video at the VR room, right? Then what am I supposed to do there?”

Sea calmed down as she spoke, but as soon as Jua interrupted, she glared and continued.

Seeing such a normally easygoing girl glare was so fierce it was almost scary, her eyes were so sharp.

“There are computers there too, so play games with those. Did I say you couldn’t play games?”

“You two are doing VR, and you want me to just play computer games without any consideration?”

“We’re either doing VR, or we’re going to play games together to film a video. It’s not just about having fun.”

“If you’re just going to play by yourselves, shouldn’t you leave me out? If I knew it would be like this, I would have just stayed home and asked you to hang out with me tomorrow.”

Their voices grew louder and louder.

It was necessary to calm their voices, which were getting so loud that people passing by were glancing over.

‘Restaurant, please restaurant… just one restaurant to quiet these kids down…’

I lightly touched their shoulders to calm them down and looked for a restaurant nearby.

There were many restaurants near the department store, but the sheer number of them was holding me back.

There were several restaurants that caught my eye, and even as I was turning my eyes this way and that, wondering which one to choose, they were raising their voices.

“We can just go to the VR room and film one or two videos and then go somewhere else. Can’t you wait that long?”

“While you two are playing games, I’m supposed to play computer games without any consideration? Hey, isn’t treating me like an extra a bit too much, Unni?”

“It’s not going to take that long, it’ll only be two hours, two hours at most, you can handle that much. You’re an adult.”

“Don’t you know that because I’m an adult, I don’t want to be dragged along to a VR room as an extra? I’d rather go somewhere else.”

“It’s not just playing around, it’s deciding whether Oppa can become a video uploader or not.”

“If that’s the case, then I can play games with you at the PC bang, right? I’m live streaming, so it’s deciding whether I can become a streamer or not, so why don’t you play games with me?”

‘This is a total mess, a total mess.’

They glared at each other slightly in front of me, raising their voices.

They started making so much noise that everyone passing by was definitely looking, so I quickly racked my brain and chose the first store that caught my eye.

“Hey, hey! Stop fighting and let’s eat, let’s eat. We didn’t have lunch, did we? Even if it’s late, let’s eat lunch and talk, okay?”

I grabbed their shoulders and pointed to the store in front of us with my chin.

Only then did they stop glaring at each other, look at me, and then look at the store I was pointing to.

“Steak?”

“You want to eat steak?”

“Yeah, we got the money now. It doesn’t look like there’s anywhere else to eat if we look around more, so let’s eat here.”

I half-forced both of them, who were hesitating, into the store.

–

“I’ll have a sirloin, medium. Sea, you’ve been here before, and Jua, have you been here?”

“…Ah, no, I haven’t. What’s good?”

“Looking at the menu here, the T-bone would be the most standard for you since it’s your first time. If you like tender meat, medium-rare would be good…”

‘…You sly fox.’

I can understand not knowing since she lived in a slightly remote area.

Even I’ve only been to this steak chain a few times.

But since I’ve eaten here before, I didn’t have any trouble choosing a menu item, but Jua was aiming for that and stuck to me like glue, smiling at me.

‘Is she really doesn’t know? Or is she pretending not to know?’

Sticking so close and asking what’s good, what’s the most tender, what a clingy sight.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t feel like she was asking because she didn’t know, but rather that she was clinging even though she knew.

I gritted my teeth, covered my face with the menu, and endured it.

‘Hoo, yeah, she might really not know. I must have been too sensitive at the department store earlier.’

I must have been reacting sensitively because I was being deprived of time to hang out together.

Yeah, thinking that way, I let out a sigh and spoke lightly.

“I’ll have a ribeye, medium. Oppa, what are you going to eat…”

“Wait, help Jua choose something. The most standard thing? If it’s standard, it’s something like sirloin or tenderloin, if you haven’t eaten it before, eat that.”

“Should I? You said the most tender is medium-rare, right? Then I’ll order that.”

After the conversation with Jua ended, Oppa raised his hand and called the waiter to order.

One sirloin medium, one medium-rare, one ribeye medium, three in total.

After the waiter took the menu and there was a brief lull, Oppa got up from his seat and said.

“I’m going to the bathroom to wash my hands for a bit. Don’t fight, you two, and go eat at the salad bar or something.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

“Have a good trip, Oppa.”

I kept quiet until he was completely out of sight.

As soon as Oppa was completely out of sight, Jua leaned back in her chair and looked at me comfortably.

That look, smiling slyly, isn’t that what ‘hypocritical’ is used for?

After seeing my hardened expression, she hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to speak or not, then opened her mouth first.

“Unni, let’s not do this.”

“Let’s not do what?”

“Unni, you can hang out because you’re filming a video together. Can’t you give up about half of today?”

“…I’m telling you, it’s not just hanging out? It’s related to my job, it’s an extension of work.”

“Ah… so because it’s work, you can’t give it up?”

“Then, is it possible for you to give in to me because you’re together at home every day?”

She couldn’t answer my question and remained silent.

That makes sense, I have a reason for Jihae to make a fuss if I don’t film the video.

So, I’m meeting under the pretext of filming a video, ‘work’, so the time is limited and I can’t meet every day.

But conversely, Jua is together every day, but rather because she lives with Jihae, there’s a limit to how much she can see him even if she sees him every day.

To hang out together, she has to hang out in the morning or afternoon, when Jihae is out working, but I heard that Oppa has been busy lately.

In reality, she only sees him after Jihae returns, and I live separately, so I can only see him for a limited time.

If the time we see each other is similar whether we live together or not, it’s true that it’s difficult to give in.

I don’t understand Jua’s feelings 100%, but I do understand them to some extent.

‘You at least see him every day.’

If we’re talking about seeing him every day, then I should be the one to have him today.

But conversely, from the perspective that it’s hard to hang out even if you see him every day, Jua should be the one to have him.

I don’t know what Jua is thinking, but I knew she didn’t want to give in, so I let out a sigh.

“Hoo…”

“Give in, Unni, I really haven’t been able to talk to him properly lately, just seeing his face.”

“I heard the story. But how little have you seen him that you’re asking me to give in?”

Jua folded her fingers and moved her mouth.

It’s a little strange to say that she hasn’t seen him enough to have to count the numbers.

“Um… the time we run into each other is about 3 hours. And that’s when Oppa is playing games in his room at night.”

3 hours? Are you kidding me? That’s enough.

Some people can’t even see him for an hour a day and only KakaoTalk occasionally, and you’re saying 3 hours?

Is that not enough because you see him every day, or is it a condescending attempt to make fun of me?

I looked at Jua with a naturally hardened expression.

“…I don’t even see him for an hour a day, isn’t that a bit of a luxury?”

“You have to listen to Unni, it’s only 3 hours that we run into each other. During those 3 hours, we don’t even exchange two words. He says he’s tired and lies down to sleep these days.”

“What on earth is he doing outside that he’s like that?”

“He’s walking around companies with his resume, and then he comes back and makes me food, and then he goes out again and walks around companies…”

The flow was briefly interrupted when the waiter came to set the water and silverware while I was trying to continue.

After the waiter finished setting up and left with a bow, Sea took a sip of water and continued.

“Puhah, then he exercises and comes home around 6~7 o’clock. Then he makes me food and we eat, and after showering and lying in bed, looking at his phone, he falls asleep… at 9 o’clock?”

“Still, you have time to see him. So please give me just today. Please, you can make up some excuse and come out tomorrow.”

“No way. I’m bored because I don’t have time to hang out either, I can’t let Unni monopolize him like that.”

“Are you really going to do this?”

“Are you really going to do this, Unni?”

When I glared first, Sea glared back at me.

We’re not Unni and younger sister anymore. The battle of nerves between two women who want to possess one man had just begun.

“Are you two fighting again? Can’t you just stop, seriously?”

I glared until Oppa, who had come back from the bathroom, stopped us both.

When Oppa glared at me and Jua, Jua and I almost simultaneously relaxed our expressions and glared at each other.

I’m the one who’s going to take today’s date.

I felt sorry for Jua, but I gave her a slight glare and headed for the salad bar.