episode_0016

Siwoo diligently carried out my orders.

“Ramen, rice, snacks, dumplings….”

Eggs, milk, beverages, and so on.

Even after carefully selecting ten items on a budget, the total easily exceeded the 30,000 won limit I had set.

Prices these days are truly hellish.

Despite the meticulous selection process, it ended up like this.

Nevertheless, the pointless 30-minute cart ride was not without its merits.

“If I don’t pick and optimize things so meticulously, I feel like I’m wasting, accumulating a sense of debt…”

He’s truly a guy who’s hard to manage.

Yes, you’re right, Jung Siwoo, this guy.

“It’s over the budget, is that okay?”

“It’s fine. Let’s go.”

I chuckled and pulled the cart along.

Seems like Siwoo is gradually getting used to my dictator-like behavior; he no longer seems inclined to resist.

…Could this actually be the right approach?

Instead of pondering how to impress Chaewon even more, should I just follow the ruthless path of Baek Cheongha, acknowledging that I can only win Siwoo’s favor?

“…That’s a bit much.”

But blindly following Baek Cheongha’s authoritarian commands, alternating between “Do it,” “Don’t do it,” “No way,” emulating his constant demands.

If Chaewon embodies a positive mindset with “Let’s do it!”, Baek Cheongha represents the complete opposite with “Do it for me!”, “I don’t want to!”, “No way!”

Although not as appealing as Chaewon in terms of looks or background, due to this subtle difference, Chaewon becomes an angel within Siwoo’s heart while Baek Cheongha turns into a tyrant.

“…No, that’s not it.”

However, isn’t this idea somewhat logical?

If by imitating Chaewon, I continuously gain points with Siwoo, then by following Baek Cheongha, I’m only accumulating negative points.

So far, if I’ve added only the pressure of “Do it” from Chaewon’s positive mindset, now I’ll start incorporating Baek Cheongha’s negativity.

This way, positives and negatives will cancel each other out, reaching a balance of zero.

Not necessarily fostering endless affection but also preventing dislike.

It’s truly an ideal position for executing the “Save Siwoo” operation.

“That will be 39,500 won.”

“Here you go.”

“Please bag them over here.”

While paying, Siwoo skillfully packed items into bags at the end of the counter.

As a test, I yelled out loud.

“Stop!”

“Huh, why?”

“Don’t. I’ll do it.”

The cashier looked pleased, but it’s not what you think. I’m just following the King Kong I used to live with.

“I did all the cart packing earlier. If you’re a patient, act like one and stay still.”

“If someone sees, they might think I’m terminally ill….”

After settling the bill, Siwoo neatly stacked the items in plastic bags with a refined touch.

All the while, I nagged him, evoking memories of Baek Cheongha’s PTSD buried deep within him.

“I couldn’t play the piano for a while. You speak well.”

“……”

Judging by his expression, it seems to have hit a nerve.

He who used to look at me with a hint of pride now appears serious. Just as I expected.

“Still, it’ll be heavy. Let’s carry it together.”

“It’s fine. I’ll carry it.”

Following Baek Cheongha’s ‘No’ comes a double dose of ‘I don’t want to.’

Siwoo’s eyebrows, which had been relaxed until now, furrow deeply.

It’s effective. Excellent.

In the future, if positive points accumulate too much, I can always bring them back down with negative points, just like today.

Of course, using this strategy too frequently might turn Chaewon into a disliked figure akin to Baek Cheongha, so I should use it only when absolutely necessary. For instance, when accidentally hitting Siwoo’s move or applying an emergency brake.

“A splendid outcome.”

Feeling good, it’s time to organize the purchased items at home and head back to the hotel.

“Let’s go, Jeongsi—.”

And with that, I felt better but full of mistakes.

I’ve been like this all along, and here I go again.

Normally, I would effortlessly lift a plastic bag containing water bottles and drinks, but…

The body of the person who lightly lifted the bag without exerting force is now quite slender.

“Huh?”

While it’s true that Chaewon has better stamina than Siu, Siu still excels in strength.

Having not regained my senses in hot water, I forgot about it and made a similar mistake again.

But just before the plastic bag touched the ground…

“… Are you okay?”

Siu precariously grabbed my hand and the bag together.

In the midst of it, I involuntarily lowered my posture to avoid straining my ribs. I seemed to have adapted somewhat to the pain.

“Here, let me carry it.”

“No.”

Flustered, I found myself saying “No” once again.

“Give it to me.”

However, a fire ignited in Siu’s eyes, which were usually calm.

In an instant, just like a leg reflexively jerking when the knee is tapped, I instinctively recoiled from the bag.

“… Huh?”

Me. No way. Just now.

Was I pushed back in the hierarchy compared to three years ago?

It was during my second year of college.

“You sometimes act like a dog.”

“…What do you mean by ‘dog’ to a person?”

“Oh. It’s not that… In terms of hierarchy, you could say you act like a dog.”

“You’re kind of a dog in various ways.”

Although he always spoke bluntly, there was a real stone-cold truth when it came to academic rankings.

Yoon Jichang.

A lazy guy with talent who didn’t put in effort, having my villainous sister Yoon Jiyu as his older sister.

“Anyway, that’s the point.”

He unexpectedly said something while we were studying.

“You tend to be quite strict with people you think are lower in rank than you. When faced with a situation where a decision needs to be made, you tend to push forward forcefully, almost forcibly.”

“… Me?”

“You do that to me, don’t you? Pressing the meal ticket without even asking what I want to eat.”

“That’s because you always eat the same thing, so I pressed it for you to save you the trouble.”

“But I sometimes want to eat something else too?”

“Just shut up and eat what’s given.”

“Hey. You’re doing exactly what I said.”

“So you don’t eat pork?”

“I do.”

Conversely, when dealing with someone of higher rank, the person who became infinitely lower was Jung Siu.

“When you first met our mom’s abandoned daughter, you were really caught up in her.”

“Don’t bring that up.”

“Anyway. That’s the point. When you met Chaewon, you did everything she wanted, although you didn’t know much about her.”

“….”

So how do you treat someone who feels like an equal in rank?

This, too, can be inferred to some extent from Yoon Jichang’s ‘dog-like Jung Siu’ theory.

Yes. I couldn’t acknowledge someone on an equal footing.

So, just as I was pushed away by his gaze and energy, I initiated a hierarchy battle.

Subtly testing the other’s intentions.

Seeing Jung Siu organizing the hierarchy from another’s perspective is a first, and surprisingly, he exudes confidence.

Chaewon’s small stature may make him more threatening.

Upon reflection, when I first met Yoon Jichang, I seemed to have established a similar relationship through a similar flow…

“But Chaewon never had such an opponent?”

So Jung Siu coming off so strong now feels awkward.

You, hey, this is mutiny.

I was cautious in front of Min Chaewon.

“No way.”

I made many mistakes in two days.

Is it because of that?

It’s not just ‘stubbornness,’ but charisma lies in persuading others through words and actions to naturally follow along.

At least Jung Siwoo’s filter seemed to judge that my charisma was inferior to Professor’s daughter, who was a whopping five years younger than me.

It was a lack of trust and underestimation.

To my self from three years ago.

“Ugh….”

If I retreat from this fight, I will be lower in rank than the Jung Siwoo from three years ago.

I won’t be able to manipulate him as I wish.

I won’t be able to prevent the death that will come three years later.

That is absolutely unacceptable.

“Hey, you!”

Jung Siwoo relaxed slightly when I touched his hand.

Seizing the opportunity, I swiftly snatched the plastic bag.

“Fall over!”

Jung Siwoo’s tone had significantly changed from before.

Although the ranking hadn’t been finalized yet, the probability of you being below me is high. He was asserting strongly with a voice more forceful than usual.

It’s heavy and precarious.

There’s nothing you can’t do as a woman.

I must succeed.

If I lose to Jung Siwoo in our ranking battle three years later, it will be troublesome—.

“Oh.”

However, I soon had to pay a heavy price.

My staggering body eventually lost its balance and leaned forward.

Thud.

The phone I was holding along with the plastic bag flew and collided.

I fell.

Together with the bag.

“Are you okay?”

My body, leaning forward, hung askew as if caught on a hanger.

Looking at the collar that had been pulled tight, it seemed like someone had firmly grasped the back.

When I turned my head, I saw someone’s leg and the still-unfallen plastic bag on the ground.

It was a familiar white Velcro sneaker.

As soon as I saw it, the tiresome praise for my friend’s sneakers echoed in my ears like a hallucination.

Startled, Siu rushed over and nervously helped me up.

“Are you okay? I told you to be careful.”

As my body straightened up, the face of the person who had just caught me came into view.

“What’s wrong, Siwoo. You said you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“You should make sense. We came shopping together on a weekday afternoon, and she’s not your girlfriend?”

The poor younger brother who had unwittingly put his leg between me and her due to Yoon Jiyu’s nagging.

My friend, the only one among my classmates at Hanyang University who could confide in me, finally looked at my face and sighed.

“Wow, damn. She’s gorgeous.”

Flipping his parted bangs like a samurai, he scolded Siu with a harsh tone.

“This traitor.”

“I told you…”.