Ch.192Episode 38. Someone to Rely On (3)

It’s obvious she’s sulking.

Just as I was wondering how to cheer her up, our ordered ice cream arrives. I take it from the clerk and offer it to her. Bin Yoon looks at the cone ice cream with displeasure but reluctantly accepts it.

We leave the ice cream shop awkwardly, intending to see the remaining animals.

However, we couldn’t possibly view animals while maintaining this atmosphere.

If this mood continued until the end of our animal viewing, the date might end just like this.

“Yoon-i.”

“…Yes. What is it?”

“…Does it bother you?”

When I ask cautiously, she narrows her brows and glares at me.

“How could it not?”

She’s surprisingly honest. I thought she’d say something like “I don’t know!”

“I wasn’t trying to hide anything. I frequently keep in touch with the girls. They’re training in their own way with difficult—”

“That text wasn’t about training. It was asking if you’re coming back tonight. It was a message trying to appeal to you about feeling lonely.”

Damn. I had nothing to say.

Indeed, dating multiple women made it difficult to make excuses. As I was contemplating how to smooth things over, I held out my phone to Bin Yoon.

“…?”

She tilts her head, looking at my phone.

“What is it?”

I turn off my phone right in front of Bin Yoon.

This was my way of showing that I wanted to focus solely on her. I wasn’t sure if she’d pick up on that, but just not receiving messages from other girls might change her perspective.

“You know, even though I’m trash for dating multiple women… I’ve never neglected the person I’m with at the moment.”

“So you’re aware that you’re trash?”

“…Yeah. That’s why I try to treat you even better. So you won’t think about other men.”

Her sarcastic remark pricked my conscience briefly, but I decided to forge ahead like a bulldozer with a thick skin.

This was only possible because I was somewhat confident that Bin Yoon had feelings for me.

“W-what are you saying?”

After hearing my words, Bin Yoon lets out a hollow laugh as if she can’t believe what she’s hearing, but she blushes and avoids my gaze. Is she embarrassed?

“I think there’s nothing I can do if you don’t like me. I can understand if you push me away and go meet another man.”

“You’re giving up more easily than I expected?”

“Your thoughts come first for me. I’ve been thinking this way ever since we became personally involved. Ah, but please remain as a normal instructor and student. I want to take responsibility until you graduate.”

I said with a bright smile.

“…N-no matter how convincingly you speak, you’re still trash, you know?”

“I’m not trying to deny it, but constantly calling me trash is a bit…”

“If you don’t like being called that, then let go of the other girls and date only me.”

Bin Yoon says primly as she licks her ice cream with her tongue. There was something strangely alluring about it that kept drawing my gaze.

By the way, does this mean she’s already interested in me? If I pull a bit more, she might fall for me…

“That would be difficult.”

“Trash.”

“A-anyway… when we’re on a date like this, I’ll focus entirely on you. That’s why I turned off my phone.”

I said, putting my phone in my pocket. Bin Yoon snorted and walked ahead. She might not be completely over it, but she seemed to have gotten past some of her displeasure.

So we resumed our animal viewing. We looked around at the animals according to the pamphlet and took photos. Since I had turned off my phone, we had no choice but to use Bin Yoon’s.

“I don’t really like having my picture taken.”

Bin Yoon muttered as she looked through the photos.

“But having photos like this helps you recall memories more clearly than just vaguely remembering them.”

“…I guess a few would be… okay.”

“Should we take a selfie together then?”

“T-together?”

“Don’t want to?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to!”

“Oh, are you perhaps shy?”

“I am not!”

I chuckled as I teased Bin Yoon. Her punches weren’t as painful as I expected. She knew I was just teasing her.

As soon as Bin Yoon flipped the camera, I moved close to her so my face would appear in the frame. In the camera, she was side-eyeing me.

“You should look at the camera.”

“I know that.”

She’s openly speaking informally to me now. Not that I mind.

Click!

As soon as the photo is taken, Bin Yoon takes a step away from me. She seemed to be on guard. I shrugged.

I had no intention of initiating physical contact. My goal was to take photos with her phone.

If she has pictures we took together, she can recall the memory of our zoo date anytime.

After walking a bit more, we arrived at the otters she wanted to see. Fortunately, the otters were enjoying a swim. It would have been disappointing if they were sleeping.

“Hmm…”

Bin Yoon’s lips twitch as she watches the otters. She was tightly sealing her lips to prevent laughter from escaping, which was quite adorable.

I wanted to capture this moment too, but I couldn’t since my phone was off. It was truly regrettable.

“Do you like it?”

“Pardon?”

“You said you wanted to see the otters. Don’t you like them?”

“I do. Very much.”

Bin Yoon answered honestly as she gripped the railing.

“Looking at something this cute makes all my hardships seem to disappear.”

“…You have been busy lately.”

Bin Yoon had been doing her best to respond to my demands. Even when she must have wanted to give up, she cut back on sleep and managed to find the answers.

She was truly remarkable.

That’s why I hoped this moment would serve as a reward for her.

“This place, you know.”

“Hmm?”

“When I was in high school… after my parents sold the copyright for a cheap price and I lost my motivation, I came here alone.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

I found myself listening intently to her words. This was a narrative I wasn’t familiar with.

“I was really struggling back then. But when I came here and watched the otters, I felt somehow calmer. Even though the world is terrible, I thought I’d give it another try. Because nothing made me happier than making potions, despite all the unfairness.”

“I see.”

“Plus, there’s the joy of watching people suffer after drinking my bad-tasting potions.”

“…Right.”

“Ah, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t work. They really could heal wounds.”

I know that well.

Bin Yoon came to the special class because she couldn’t resist her mischievous nature and let it show during the interview.

I gave a wry smile as I watched her grin mischievously. She was truly incorrigible.

“But now… I think I’ll be okay without seeing the otters.”

“Hmm?”

“…Because now I have someone I can trust.”

Bin Yoon said while still watching the otters.

I realized a beat late that the person she was referring to was me. But I pretended not to know because I wanted her to say it directly.

“Is that so? I don’t know who it is, but that’s good. I’m glad you have someone you can trust, Bin Yoon.”

“…Playing your nasty jokes again.”

Her gaze on me is piercing. Her face is slightly flushed, making it look like she just confessed to someone.

“Hehe.”

“Hmph…!”

She snorted at my teasing, showing her displeasure, but didn’t say anything more.

“Someone you can trust… That’s too much praise. I’ll work hard to continue being that person.”

“You’re already someone I can rely on, Instructor!”

I’m not sure if her tone suggests she’s angry or complimenting me.

“Come on, let’s go! We have other animals to see!”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to see the otters the most? Don’t you want to see more?”

“It’s fine now. Come on, let’s go!”

Bin Yoon pushes my back, forcing me to move. I yielded to her momentum and started walking.

As we moved to see other animals, Bin Yoon gently asked a question.

“By the way, why did you take charge of the special class, Instructor? Someone of your caliber would have been much better off with Class A. Both for building your credentials… and raising your profile…”

As she spoke, Bin Yoon seemed to realize something and made a serious face.

“No, then you would have been hitting on all the girls in Class A… so your reputation wouldn’t have improved.”

“…Do you think I like just any woman?”

I was dumbfounded.

It’s not that I like any woman, but that I like them because they are who they are.

Incidentally, I also wanted to see them become heroes instead of villains.

“Isn’t that the case?”

“It’s not!”

“Hmm… Then why did you take the special class?”

“At first, it was the Association President’s suggestion. But as we spent time together, I grew fond of you all.”

I wasn’t going to say that I liked them from the moment we met. That would imply I knew them from the beginning.

“Hmm… I-I see…”

“That’s why I can treat you all with sincerity.”

“I wish you had done that only for me…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“…Nothing.”

Bin Yoon evades the question and walks a step ahead of me. Despite her appearance, she seems to have a surprisingly strong desire for exclusivity.

I’ll need to manage this properly. If I’m not careful, the girls might actually fight among themselves.

“Let’s hurry. I want to see other animals.”

“Which animal do you want to see?”

“The sloth.”

“The sloth?”

That’s an unexpected choice.

“It’s an animal I’d like to show to South Koreans who always want everything done quickly.”

“You’re also South Korean, you know?”

“Anyway! Let’s go quickly!”

Bin Yoon grabs my wrist and leads me.

She must not have had the courage to hold my hand. Still, even this was significant progress.

It meant she was opening up to me that much more.

I should try to set the mood tonight.

To confirm if she’s willing to make this relationship official.