episode_0068

May 1st.

Yoon Ji-yoo called me out after a long time.

The meeting place was not at home.

She said we needed to recharge before practice and gave me the address of a cafe.

When I arrived, there was a line.

Perhaps it was because of Labor Day, there were many women in their mid-twenties.

“This cafe feels strangely familiar.”

I remember being drawn here in a past life.

Maybe Yoon Ji-yoo is applying the same repertoire she used on me to Chae Won as well.

After all, they are all different people. Even if they use the same repertoire, the reactions will be different, so it must be convenient for Yoon Ji-yoo.

“Over here~. Sorry about earlier. This is the friend I mentioned.”

Yoon Ji-yoo, who was already waiting in line, apologized to the people behind her and pulled me into the queue.

Asking for permission in advance like this.

Impressive social skills.

“You should have come on a different day. You forgot it’s Labor Day today.”

“Usually… I don’t pay attention to it… Students don’t really know….”

“Right. I only knew because of my father’s acquaintances and professors, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known.”

In my heart, there is a needle that determines whether a person is good or bad. I wonder if it’s broken or just acting up lately.

Yoon Ji-yoo, who outsmarted Jung Si-woo, is a typical villain.

Originally, the needle was at the far left, next to ‘human trash,’ but now it has been elevated to the level of ‘bad woman.’

“After knowing the circumstances, it seems different from before….”

The Queen Elizabeth Competition. The Chopin Competition. I even tried out for the Van Cliburn Competition just in case. I easily passed the preliminaries, but I was eliminated after just one round in the finals.

The evaluations I received were varied, but if summed up, it would be ‘I thought I could see some color in the final performance, but it was still just plain black.’

I was eliminated because I didn’t solve the important task my professor always talked about.

After achieving the Triple Crown, it was already the end of the second semester of my third year at Hanyang University.

As I realized the truth on every stage, compromising with reality afterward seemed like a natural flow.

But looking back, Yoon Ji-yoo wasn’t entirely at fault.

Even if Yoon Ji-yoo had devoted all her time to practice, the competition results wouldn’t have changed.

In reality, it was only after becoming Min Chae-won that I realized how to resolve all my past obsessions and bring color to my performance, right?

The misfortunes piled up, and that hatred towards Yoon Ji-yoo, who stole my time just before the competition, turned into revenge. That’s all it was.

“Chae-won, what are you doing?”

“Ah, I-I’m coming!”

As I followed the now distant Yoon Ji-yoo into the store, my eyes were blinded by the white furniture.

Seeing the interior that looked like the gathering place for fairy tale princesses to have a tea party, memories from a past life suddenly surfaced.

On the tea table were various teas and cakes, but the people sitting around seemed like modern individuals, creating a strange sense of alienation.

It’s a secret that I discreetly touched the squirrel placed on the artificial tree sculpture because it looked so real.

“Are you ready to order?”

“I’ll have the Marie Antoinette set and a slice of walnut pie. Chae-won, coffee? Tea?”

Although I like coffee, I plan to drink tea today because of a previous experience.

“I’ll have… tea.”

“Two cups of tea, macarons in Earl Grey and salted caramel. Gelato in strawberry flavor, and bread in ciabatta, please.”

“Order confirmed.”

Yoon Jiyu, who had just finished a conversation with the cashier in an incomprehensible language, looks at me and smiles.

“Why are you smiling? It’s already too late to do laundry.”

“Oh, I really wanted to come here. I was debating who to bring along, and then I thought of you, Chaewon. I had to treat you to something nice! So, here we are. How do you like it?”

“It’s… interesting…”

“Really interesting? It might have been quite common in the Austria where you lived….”

“I… don’t really go out much….”

“Is that so? Your house didn’t seem like this. I thought you lived in a fancy castle or something.”

After a moment, our order arrives and is placed in front of us.

On the elegant plate that looks like something out of a fantasy, there are sweet treats laid out.

Yoon Jiyu cuts a macaron in half and feeds it to me.

It’s incredibly sweet. But, my body doesn’t reject it.

Chaewon… I like sweet things.

Whether it’s the power of the macaron or not, my tense heart softens a bit.

‘I should engage in some girl talk to get closer, right?’

If you reveal your true feelings to someone to the point of being the closest, you must be prepared to be discarded like a used tissue, leaving a lasting scar in their memory. I know this from experiencing it with Yoon Jiyu.

To lead her into complacency, I subtly revealed my inner thoughts.

“Um… I have a question.”

“A question? What is it? I didn’t expect Chaewon to ask something like this. Just wait a moment. Let me calm down…. Okay, go ahead. What is it?”

Min Chaewon, 19 years old this year.

As she asks a question to Yoon Jiyu, the target of her revenge.

“How can I… show affection… to someone I like… without it being obvious…? It feels like… only I… like them.”

Yoon Jiyu stares at me for a while, dumbfounded. It was a response I couldn’t have imagined asking such a question.

“Uh, um… I had a momentary brain freeze. Just wait a bit, okay?”

She touches her chin, covers her mouth, scratches her cheek.

After pondering for a while, Yoon Jiyu finally speaks.

“Okay. Showing affection without it being obvious… is a good idea. Nowadays, being proactive is the trend for women. Of course, being proactive doesn’t mean being pushy, you know? You have to think carefully about it.”

I see. It doesn’t mean being too forward.

I thought it meant being too straightforward.

“First of all, you have to be pretty. That’s a prerequisite. But you’re an exception. You don’t need to worry about that.”

The beauty acknowledged by Yoon Jiyu. Min Chaewon, will you be.

“And strengths and weaknesses coexist.”

“Strengths… weaknesses?”

“Strengths include being approachable and making men feel less burdened. You don’t have to take the lead, and it’s good for highlighting your honest side. If you initiate some light affection first, men will become more proactive. It’s like having a physical conversation.”

I think I understand, but I’m not sure.

Why is even interacting with myself so difficult?

Male-female relationships are too complicated.

“And what about the weaknesses?”

“You might worry that other men will notice. Some men don’t like proactive women because they feel pressured or uncomfortable. But those guys are full of themselves, so just ignore them.”

Still, I gained one insight.

Being proactive in showing affection makes the other person feel comfortable, but at the same time, it raises concerns.

From Jungsioo’s perspective, I might worry about coming off too aggressively to Song Seonghyuk or Yoon Jichang.

“Now, how do we cover up that weakness?”

Fortunately, it seems that Yoon Jiyu has a strategy to cover up that weakness.

She seems to have a sociable and friendly personality but lacks in character like a villain.

“When you’re with another man, you have to show a different side of yourself. Just like distinguishing between work and personal life, actively appeal and touch the person you like. On the other hand, be a bit cold and reserved towards others. Control your reactions. Understand?”

“Yes. I’ll try.”

Yoon Jiyu looked at me with an uncomfortable expression. It seemed like she was worried if she could do it properly as Hitori had instructed.

“But… um. It might be difficult for you to change your way of speaking for each person you interact with. Let’s differentiate based on the frequency of conversation and light physical contact!”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

“So, who is it? The person you like.”

Am I going to say it?

I’m grateful for the help, but I will never say it.

“Is it Siwoo, by any chance?”

It was an unexpected ambush, but thankfully my expression didn’t change.

“What, is it true?”

…How did she know? My face didn’t move a muscle.

“You hid your expression, but your hands gave you away? You’re so cute.”

Damn it. My hand holding the fork moved on its own.

I didn’t even notice that.

‘She thought I didn’t notice her looking at me, but when did she see the fork move…’

Do I have to do this to listen to insider talk? She’s like a scary woman.

I’ve experienced being caught off guard by her straightforward conversations in my past life. Maybe that’s why I’m still being swayed by her without realizing it, even now as Min Chaewon.

“What’s going on between you two? Are you dating?”

I shook my head vigorously.

“What? Are you just in the early stages of dating? It’s supposed to be fun, right? How far have you progressed? Are you going to confess? Not yet, right?”

I couldn’t focus amidst the flood of girl talk, so I unintentionally became like Hitori.

“I… I don’t know. I…!”

Yoon Jiyu grabbed both of my hands in one breath.

“How do you feel? Would you like it if you were dating?”

“T-That’s…!”

Did I just give her advice for nothing?

Yoon Jiyu figured out something unnecessary.

If I were to retaliate against Yoon Jiyu in this state, that anger would be directed entirely at Siwoo.

I had a hard time pulling away. Losing the upper hand just because my hand trembled.

My perfect revenge plan is in jeopardy.

— ♪ ♪ ♪

The phone rang, and Yoon Jiyu, who had turned around, looked at the phone on the table.

“…Ah.”

Her expression, which was bright just a moment ago, suddenly darkened.

She looked like someone who had just seen discarded trash and wriggling maggots instead of eating.

“Excuse me, can I take this call?”

Yoon Jiyu let go of my hand, answered the phone, and then stood up, speaking in a tone I had never heard from her before.

“Yes. Father.”

Yoon Jiyu, who used to speak cheerfully even when dealing with someone she had once looked down on, now spoke in a stiff and businesslike tone.

“Yes. I’ll be there soon. Yes.”

She had changed.

Focused on the call, she had a fierce, almost venomous look in her eyes, as if she could devour anyone.