Ch.63Doyoung’s Favorite Random Game (10)

Even after Dohamin’s cooking lesson ended,

I continued to diligently practice making rolled omelets and other dishes.

From Monday to Thursday when Dad was in charge of breakfast, and from Friday to Sunday when I was in charge of meals,

the rolled omelet I learned from Dohamin always appeared as a side dish at least once.

In the end, whether it’s studying, exercise, or cooking, consistent repetition was important.

Only when the body becomes familiar with the process can it be ready to accept better techniques.

As time passed and I became accustomed to the easy and simple cooking methods Dohamin taught me, I developed my own ambition.

I wanted to challenge myself with that high-difficulty golden rolled omelet that Mom first taught me.

After mastering the heat control and knife skills Dohamin taught me,

along with the techniques for shaping the omelet, I tried Mom’s rolled omelet again.

After several trials and errors, the result was a great success.

“Wow, this rolled omelet looks exactly like the one Mom makes!”

“Right? I’m quite confident about this one.”

A perfect medium-cooked texture with an attractive curved shape boasting a golden color.

A soft and fluffy texture that might be mistaken for human lips if it touched your mouth with your eyes closed.

I had successfully reached the level of “the rolled omelet that captivates a man’s tongue” that Mom had previously described as optimized for ensnaring men.

You should be grateful, real Ban Doyoung who will return in the future.

Thanks to me possessing your body, by the conclusion, your body will not only have talents in handwriting, kendo, and singing,

but also cooking skills, which are essential virtues of a good wife and wise mother.

No, wait. Although I repeated challenges and failures every day,

the fact that I succeeded in reaching this level in just a few weeks

might mean that Miss Ban Doyoung already had dormant cooking talent.

“Then shall Dad have a taste?”

“No. Don’t touch it.”

“Why, why…? If Dad eats it, we’ll know exactly how similar it is to Mom’s. Dad has eaten Mom’s rolled omelets the most.”

I pushed away Dad’s hand that was about to ruin the beautifully shaped omelet.

There was someone else who should taste this dish first.

“There’s someone I want to taste this first.”

“Who is that?”

“The person sleeping in my room right now.”

But just feeding it to him wouldn’t be very interesting.

I’ll feed it to him at the moment when this egg will have its optimal effect.

…

“So, how does it taste? My properly made rolled omelet that you’re trying for the first time.”

“…It’s, it’s delicious.”

Just like this.

“You ran away without eating my rolled omelet before. I thought you still didn’t trust my cooking, so I put in some extra effort.”

“I, I see…”

With his mouth full of rolled omelet, Dohamin’s face turned red as he chewed and swallowed the egg.

However, he didn’t look like someone happy from eating something delicious.

He seemed somewhat disappointed, as if he had been expecting something else.

“What’s with that expression? Is my rolled omelet not good?”

“No, it’s delicious… really. I think it’s even better than what I make.”

“Then why are you making that twisted face?”

“…”

Dohamin deliberately turned his gaze away from me.

Even so, the way he was savoring the last bits of rolled omelet in his mouth was quite adorable.

“Ah, perhaps… did you hope that what entered your mouth with your eyes closed would be something other than rolled omelet?”

“…Wh-what do you mean by something else?”

“Were you perhaps expecting something like this?”

When I tapped his lower lip with the tip of my chopsticks, Dohamin’s face turned bright red in embarrassment.

He couldn’t hide how flushed his face had become.

“I knew it… you perverted kid! I should have known from the moment you tried to peek at my chest. So, you’ve been expecting that kind of thing from me all along.”

“N-no, I’m not! I told you then too, I was trying to see your name…! I was just trying to check the name on your badge!”

“Is your badge stuck on your forehead instead of your chest?! Anyway, peeking is peeking!”

“No, it’s not…! Really…!”

I know.

I know what Dohamin was expecting from me with his eyes closed.

I used to be a guy too.

A guy knows what goes on in another guy’s mind.

Anyone would think that today was full of opportunities for Dohamin to connect with the heroine, Ban Doyoung.

The world’s most beautiful girl falls asleep in his room,

creates an alibi with his parents,

and then proposes a game where she can use April Fool’s Day as an excuse to convey her true feelings disguised as lies?

And the penalty for losing the game is that the winner can do whatever they want with the loser?

Anyone, regardless of age or gender, would see this as a green light given by the girl.

Since they’re both minors in an all-ages webtoon, it wouldn’t lead to anything too explicit,

but at the very least, some intimate skinship between a boy and girl could certainly happen.

If <Half of Bando> ended as a well-received webtoon without frustrating plot twists,

then it should naturally include scenes that fans want to see.

I’ve already set everything up.

But there was one problem I absolutely couldn’t solve on my own.

Setting the stage is something I, as the heroine, can do easily.

However, the person who needs to take the lead role on that stage is not me.

“Really… I… have never thought of you that way—”

“It’s April Fool’s Day, should I understand that as the opposite?”

“N-no…! That… what I just said wasn’t meant to be taken as the opposite, it was completely sincere—”

“Isn’t that a lie too? Starting from when you said you were just checking my name without any ulterior motives.”

“Aaagh…”

“Why can’t you speak properly, Mr. Dohamin?”

“Urgh… aaah….”

Here.

Like Hamlet caught between revenge and patience in some great conflict,

one narrow-shouldered nerd trembling and wailing with his whole body.

Only Dohamin had the right to be the protagonist on this stage.

‘This isn’t easy. He’s not making a move even with this setup. Just how much of a straight-laced youth did the author make him?’

Huh? You’re saying I should just rush in and kiss him first?

No, that’s not how a youth romance webtoon should work.

The first proper skinship event between the protagonist and heroine must be initiated by the protagonist.

A protagonist who is only led by the heroine from the very first event will never have the opportunity to grow.

That’s not a youth romance webtoon.

It’s just a shotacon with characters of the same age.

And it’s embarrassing.

I still have the awareness that I was a man.

How could I make the first move?

‘If it’s going to happen, Dohamin, who doesn’t know I was a man, should make the first move.’

The subject of any event that could be a major turning point in Dohamin and Ban Doyoung’s relationship should always be Dohamin.

This was one of the rules I set for myself to ensure <Half of Bando> reaches a satisfying conclusion.

Since I don’t know the original story’s flow, I can’t follow the plot of <Half of Bando> exactly,

so I needed to operate within the virtues that a youth romance webtoon should uphold.

It’s not like I have a status window like in a fantasy,

nor is there an author’s voice echoing in my head to guide the story’s flow.

The most important thing, of course, is that Dohamin’s actions should be central.

While I can think and act freely based on my own judgment in the absence of story flow or author’s advice,

the important choices or events in the relationship between Dohamin and Ban Doyoung

must involve proactive action from the protagonist, Dohamin.

A male protagonist who is only dragged along by the heroine’s forceful choices and demands,

who enjoys a fortunate ending without any growth, would never be loved by readers.

The movie,

the optician’s shop,

the kendo lessons.

Most of these were initiated by me,

none were led by Dohamin.

That shouldn’t be the case.

There can be no story without the protagonist’s growth.

In that sense, the study session at Ban Doyoung’s house that Dohamin suggested first

was the perfect event to bring Ban Doyoung and Dohamin closer.

Dohamin was the one who initiated this event.

So what should I do here?

What else?

I need to make sure he doesn’t run away from the event he started,

and ensure he takes action on his own, binding him more thoroughly than usual.

“What will you do, want to continue? The Zero Lime game, pervert Dohamin.”

“…”

“Normally I should continue attacking, but if we continue, I’ll specially let you attack first this time.”

“…”

“Though that will just mean the roles will quickly reverse, and I’ll end up stuffing your mouth full of rolled omelet, heheh.”

I added provocations that would touch his pride.

‘You’re terrible at this game.’

That was the meaning behind my taunt.

“…I’ll continue.”

“Oh, oh… okay. That’s right. That’s how a self-proclaimed man should respond.”

Oh wow.

Dohamin’s voice suddenly became calm.

The tone was so different from usual that I unconsciously stammered, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Usually his voice would rise when he got even slightly emotional,

but it seems he’s the type whose voice gets lower when he’s truly angry.

“Hehehe, then I should get some more Zero Lime.”

Pretending nothing was wrong,

I went out to the veranda, brought back the cola bottle, and poured it into our cups.

“How much should I pour? Considering your skill level, I should probably fill the cup to give you enough time for an attack to work.”

“…No, it’s fine. You can just pour a sip in your cup.”

“Wh-why are you suddenly acting tough now? Anyone would think you’re winning.”

“If you’re nervous, you can fill it up. You like Zero Lime more than I do, right?”

“Wh-who said I’m going to lose? I’ll show you what D-rector’s will is all about!”

Well, I was planning to lose one round anyway.

But his unexpectedly calm demands caught me slightly off guard.

As a result, I spilled a bit of cola on the floor.

Ah, what a waste.

“As you said, I only poured a sip, so don’t complain to me if you lose.”

“Alright. Tell me when we start.”

“Okay, ready… start!”

-Gulp!

As Dohamin requested,

I quickly downed the cola that barely covered the bottom of the cup.

It was just a moment.

Probably the only attack I could make in time was a single word, and a very short one at that.

Is he planning to say “I’m a woman” like my first attack?

If so, it won’t work.

Just because he lowered his voice, does he think

he’s turned into some Super Dohamin like in a battle manga?

That kind of lie

won’t surprise the great Ban Doyoung…!

“…I want to have sex.”

“PFFFT-!”

-Cough!

The cola that was about to go down my throat came back out and sprayed all over Dohamin’s face.

A facial.

“…1 to 1.”

“Cough! Cough! W-wait…! I choked! Cough! You, that’s…! What I did when we first met! Unfairly plagiarizing…! Cough!”

“You never said plagiarism wasn’t allowed. Anyway, I won, right?”

“Cough, cough… huh?”

While I was struggling with the cola droplets caught in my windpipe, Dohamin’s shadow fell over me, blocking the veranda light.

“…Close your eyes. For 10 seconds.”

Uh, wait.

Hold on. Don’t come closer.