Ch.225Side Story – I Became a Heroine After the Pure Love Ending (16)

I came down the stairs with a grin, hoping to hear Dohamin say I seemed even lighter than before.

But I unexpectedly ran into two people I never expected to see.

The chairman who had tried to poach Dohamin for his school.

And with him, Dohami-chan, who was destined to be the cutest mother-in-law in the world of “Half of Half Island.”

In hindsight, there were plenty of warning signs.

Before we went to eat together, the chairman had also received a dinner invitation.

And afterward, while Dohamin was directly messaging Dohami-chan that he’d be late,

I heard that Dohami-chan was also out with a friend.

Whether at a restaurant, bar, arcade, or karaoke place, running into each other in a bustling district that accommodated all sorts of gatherings was entirely possible.

But I never imagined meeting those two together.

And certainly not with Dohami-chan happily drunk and being piggy-backed by the chairman.

Even the great Ban Doyoung couldn’t have predicted that.

“Child hunter!”

“Wait, how did you reach that conclusion?”

But who am I?

From the first day of possessing the main heroine, I secured the desk next to the protagonist,

found out his birthday, and preemptively cut off potential conflicts with menstrual cycle notifications. I’m Ban Doyoung, a genius of adaptation and observation.

Seeing the chairman carrying Dohamin’s mother through the busy streets,

understanding the context was simpler than raising a deflated [Hamin High School].

“It’s a common cliché! Stories about perverted principals or chairmen who seduce innocent girls and lead them down an irreversible path of corruption!”

“W-what are you saying!”

“But you probably didn’t know that this girlish Dohami-chan is actually the mother of such a handsome son, you perverted chairman!”

“Who are you calling a perverted chairman?!”

“Heehee, my brother is a bit of a pervert… *snicker* Despite being so shy, that thing of his is unnecessarily big…”

“Hami, what are you saying in this situation…!”

“See! Dohami-chan admitted you’re a pervert! I knew it!”

“Excuse me, doesn’t the fact that she calls me ‘our brother’ indicate that we know each other?”

Yes, I know you’re shouting as if you’re wronged.

I’m not a perverted chairman.

Even if I were a pervert, I’d just be a chairman named Pervert.

Not what you’re thinking.

Well, I suppose those are the kinds of sophistry you’ll spout next.

“And of course I know what kind of relationship Hami and Hamin have!”

“Hmph, trying to gloss over things in your desperation…”

“I, at least, know more about Hami than you do.”

“Then answer this: how old is Dohami-chan this year?”

“Exactly thirty-seven years old. Hami was born on October 28th by the lunar calendar, so her birthday this year is still far away.”

“…Huh?”

Wait.

Why is he answering without any hesitation?

And he even provided her birthday, which I didn’t ask about.

This uncanny ability to give correct answers.

Something felt familiar about it, sending chills down my spine.

“That’s exactly right… But how did you know that, Chairman?”

“W-wait! He might have secretly looked at her ID in her wallet when we weren’t paying attention!”

“How would an ID tell you her lunar calendar birthday?”

“She’s old-fashioned, so you could guess!”

“Boo-hoo… Brother, Doyoung called me old-fashioned…”

“I’m sorry, Mom! I’ll apologize when you’re sober!”

I pulled Dohamin back as his guard against the chairman began to lower.

For some reason, Dohamin always showed strangely favorable reactions toward the chairman.

Even though he was someone who had tried to separate him from me.

“Th-then can you answer this too? What was the name of the middle school Dohami-chan attended?”

“Seoul Wonsuk Middle School. She was from the 44th graduating class.”

“Th-then what was her homeroom teacher’s name…”

“Was it Teacher Si Daechan? I heard she has many memories of being scolded by that teacher during middle school.”

“Eek! What are you? Get out of my head!”

Stories about middle school that I had heard directly from Dohami-chan before.

The chairman answered as if pulling information straight from my mind, sharing details that no one could know without having heard them directly from Dohami-chan or being there. I couldn’t help but feel goosebumps rising on my back.

Was it fear from feeling like someone had rummaged through my mind?

Less than a minute after pulling Dohamin back, I found myself trembling and hiding behind him again.

“Aaah! This parasitic brother chairman must have gotten into my head! Look how quickly he answers!”

“I’m not stealing thoughts from your head; I just know all these facts!”

“Dohamin, help me! At this rate, the parasitic brother chairman will find out that I think about you more than ten times a day!”

“I keep telling you we already knew each other!”

“What should I do? Should I call the police now?”

“Wait, Doyoung. Remember what Mom said on the phone earlier? You heard it too, right?”

“Um… that she was eating with a friend… Oh.”

Just as I was beginning to see a faint connection between the two that I thought couldn’t exist,

Dohamin gently patted my trembling shoulder and slowly approached the chairman.

“Was it you, Chairman? The friend Mom said she was meeting today?”

“Don’t tell me you’re that coward who couldn’t say what he wanted to say?”

“…”

“Hey, cowardly brother! That’s right, so why aren’t you answering!”

*Bonk*

Dohami-chan, riding on the chairman’s back, raised her tiny fist and bonked him on the head.

Though we didn’t hear a direct confirmation like “yes” or “that’s right,” the chairman ended up nodding to what we said.

“…I’ve known your mother for 20 years, since Hami was in high school.”

“…20 years ago?”

20 years ago.

In other words, the chairman’s confession that he had known Dohami-chan exactly one year before Dohamin was born

was enough to silence everyone present for a moment just by the timing alone.

“I-I see. What an amazing coincidence! I had no idea Mom and the chairman were friends. I don’t remember ever hearing about it… Have you been in regular contact?”

“No, this is the first time I’ve met your mother again in almost 20 years. I only knew her when she was in high school, so we never drank together… That’s why I had no idea about her alcohol tolerance, and ended up…”

The chairman turned his gaze toward Dohami-chan who was carefully perched on his back.

“Heehee, I’m not drunk at all! I can recognize my handsome son and Doyoung’s faces just fine! Oh, and of course I can see your face too, brother!”

“I’m so embarrassed. As you can see, I’ve ended up showing this side of us to you two. I should have known better when she lied about never getting drunk no matter how much wine she had.”

“…You must have been quite close though. My mom almost never came home after drinking outside.”

“Yes, we were close. Truly… closer than anyone else.”

The heavy atmosphere returned.

Though they seemed to be carrying on the conversation well enough, at some point Dohamin and the chairman stopped advancing the discussion, either gauging each other’s reactions or simply falling silent.

“Ahem… B-b-brr, it’s cold. It was bearable earlier, but…”

It seemed like they both had something to say to each other.

Otherwise, that frustrated expression Dohami-chan had mentioned wouldn’t have appeared.

However, neither the speaker nor the listener showed any sign of pushing or cutting off the conversation; they were just waiting.

Right in the middle of this busy street with the cold wind blowing.

“…”

“…Ahem.”

“Hamin, just for a moment… even just a very brief moment, could you listen to what I have to say…”

After a brief but seemingly long silence,

Just as the chairman finally seemed to have steeled his resolve to share what he had been holding back,

“ACHOO-!”

My nose, which had been tingling with warning signals, finally couldn’t hold back and let out a sneeze.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Doyoung tends to be sensitive to cold…”

“Boo-hoo… Dohamin, I’m cowd. My nose is wunny.”

“Sorry, you’ve been out in the cold too long, haven’t you? Here, take my coat. Put this on. Um, Chairman. I’m sorry to ask, but could we perhaps continue this conversation somewhere warmer?”

“O-of course. I apologize, I didn’t realize you were so sensitive to cold… Let’s find somewhere indoors nearby…”

“Hot chocolate. While we’re at it, ask for hot chocolate too.”

“Um… if you could possibly buy us a hot chocolate at a café…”

“…”

“Waaah, brother, what are you doing! Our babies want something to eat!”

…

…

…

“Welcome to Café Ninja Kakashi. May I take your order?”

“I’ll have a peach iced tea and a mango smoothie, an espresso, and…”

“Hot chocolate! With whipped cream on top and marshmallows too! Oh, and sprinkle cocoa powder all over it!”

“Certainly. Your total comes to 24,000 won. I’ll notify you with this buzzer when your order is ready.”

Drinks paid for by someone else always taste sweeter.

Especially when they’re paid for by someone you dislike.