episode_0114

Days filled with night shifts.

It wasn’t all bad that I was leaving work when everyone else was starting their day, and that there wasn’t much going on in the early morning, but there was a nagging feeling that I was falling behind on information.

Just yesterday, for instance.

“So, the manager got sued for sexual harassment by a part-timer?”

As Jegal Jaemin and Min Dong-geon, who had returned from work, changed their clothes, they shared some fresh news.

I couldn’t understand why they were wearing the same pants, probably bought from the same place since they lived in the same neighborhood.

“Yeah, and of all times, it happened when the vice chairman of the major company was visiting. Oh, damn, Min Dong-geon is wearing the same underwear.”

“Well, once you’re in the military, everyone wears matching outfits.”

“So that’s why our director went ballistic.”

I learned that Director Lee Chansong had gone off the rails, which explained his early morning arrival at work.

“Ugh, and now they say we can’t even socialize with part-timers after work. We had plans to go skiing with the managers, but everything got canceled.”

I had heard about various incidents happening, but it was quite unbelievable.

“But where did you hear all this?”

When I asked Jaemin, he pointed to Min Dong-geon beside him.

“He works at Black. It’s a place only VIPs can enter, so rumors spread quickly among the staff.”

“Do they sell ramen for 100,000 won there too?”

Min Dong-geon chuckled and added, “Anyway, everyone is on edge, so be careful. If you annoy the seniors for no reason, you’ll get a lot of flak.”

“…Did you get flak?”

I asked casually.

“Oh, damn! Just because I messed up the order of dishes, why the hell are they making such a fuss!”

Jaemin groaned in frustration while Min Dong-geon, munching on snacks, seemed to have had a similar experience.

Clang.

Right at that moment, Jung Chan-woo and Daesang Hyung-nim also finished work.

“We’re back.”

“…Sigh.”

Seeing them exhausted, gasping for breath, it seemed like the staff’s frustrations were being taken out on the part-timers.

Since everyone looked worn out, I stood up from the couch and exclaimed, “Let’s go wash up and hit the karaoke.”

Karaoke was always perfect for relieving stress in times like these.

* * *

It seemed like everyone had the same idea of relieving stress through singing.

The karaoke in Block C’s basement was already packed. Since it was an unmanned karaoke, there was no one to ask how much time was left.

“Oh, come on.”

“I picked out all the songs.”

“That’s too bad.”

Despite everyone being fully prepared, it seemed like they might just have to turn back.

A familiar face at the karaoke window.

“Jani-na-an! A girl!”

The moment I saw Han Bom belting out high notes, a smile crept onto my face.

“Just wait a moment.”

Glancing inside through the window, I spotted not just Han Bom and Yi Seo-a but also Seo Ye-rin and Yu Arin.

They were all familiar faces.

“Hehe.”

As soon as I opened the door and entered, Han Bom, who was singing, was surprised and pointed at me.

“It’s Woojin!”

“Wow! Long time no see!”

Due to my overnight shift, it had been about a week since I last saw Han Bom and Yi Seo-a.

“Woojina!”

Especially in the case of Seo Ye-rin, who worked in a different location, she seemed more nasal than usual, perhaps because it had been a long time since we last met.

“Would it be okay if our roommates joined us too?”

“Sure, of course!”

“Guys!”

Han Bom and Yi Seo-a immediately welcomed the idea.

Especially Yi Seo-a, who seemed to be in the midst of a serious argument with her boyfriend, quickly got ready for a photo shoot.

“Come in.”

As I gestured for them to enter, except for Chan-woo, everyone rushed in with excited expressions.

“…I, I feel a bit uncomfortable around them.”

Standing tall, Chan-woo approached me and whispered softly.

“You came with them to Gold One, remember.”

“It was uncomfortable back then.”

“But you know it would be weird if I got off alone here, right?”

“Sigh.”

Although I thought it might be awkward with the four people who knew about my quirks from high school, aren’t we in college now?

I pat my shoulder, suggesting to let go of the past, and head inside.

“Woojin, over here.”

Seo Yerin calls me, tapping the seat next to her.

Receiving a sharp glance from the duo of Seshingang University, I sit down next to Seo Yerin.

Then Yu Arin comes to the seat opposite. With arms crossed and legs crossed, she seems to be sulking about something.

“Woojin, let’s sing a duet!”

Seeing Seo Yerin, who I haven’t seen in a while, didn’t look much different from usual. I flicked my finger at Seo Yerin, who was looking for a duet song on her phone.

As she brightly smiles and offers her ear, I quietly whisper so others can’t hear.

“You should tone down your spamming.”

“Heh.”

Seo Yerin chuckles, finding amusement in the recent increase in spamming on DaeNamuSoom.

With fewer users during the vacation period, fewer posts are being made naturally, yet by consistently writing two or three posts a day, one can dominate the bulletin board.

Despite my advice to be cautious as Seo Yerin seems to be expanding her territory through her posts, she doesn’t seem to listen to me.

Seo Yerin chuckles and gestures for me to lean closer.

“You know.”

Whispering softly feels oddly sticky. It seems deliberate, but I continue listening nonchalantly.

“Am I still bothering you because I took your ‘x’ seat?”

“…Are you still holding onto that?”

She’s subtly obsessive.

When I give her a puzzled look, she gestures for me to lean in again.

“Um.”

Chuup.

Suddenly, she nibbles on my ear as if tasting it.

“?! What the…!”

Since she didn’t bite too hard, I could easily pull away, but I was bewildered by the damp sensation in my ear.

Wondering what she was up to, I glare at Seo Yerin, who casually hands me her phone as if nothing happened.

“Woojin! Let’s sing this together!”

“Why didn’t you learn your lesson… Ouch!”

Feeling a sudden pain on my thigh, I unintentionally look across to see Yu Arin glaring at me uncomfortably.

As she pinches my thigh and gives me a warning look, it really hurts.

“If you pinch any harder, you’ll tear my flesh apart!”

“Kim Woojin, you’re annoying me.”

Seems like I’ve messed up my seating arrangement.

As we bicker back and forth, thinking about singing between the two of them is already giving me a headache.

“Ugh.”

Surprisingly, though, Seo Yerin backs off.

It’s clear she’s deliberately not provoking Yu Arin, which allows us to have a somewhat peaceful time at the karaoke.

There were occasional sneaky touches on my thigh or buttocks, but they were brief enough to go unnoticed by Yu Arin.

After leaving the karaoke early with Yu Arin due to our night shift, as we change clothes…

“Hmm… Feels like I’m being sexually harassed like a secretary.”

Only then did I realize that I had been sexually harassed by Seo Yerin and scratched my head.

Honestly, it didn’t make me feel extremely bad, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Seeing Seo Yerin after a long time, she was surprisingly beautiful, and for some reason, I didn’t feel repulsed by the touch of pretty girls.

Even if someone called this trash, I’d probably just brush it off.

For those working night shifts, buses run even at night for commuting.

Passing by those getting off work, I board the bus with Yu Arin.

Sitting by the window, Yu Arin seems lost in thought, chin in hand, staring out the window.

I intended to kill time by reading a webtoon, but I had received a message just then.

“Hmm?”

Recently, aside from Anonymous 11 cursing at me and telling me to block Anonymous 69, there haven’t been any other inquiries.

Curious about what the inquiry might be, I decided to check.

– Anonymous 69: (Photo)

A familiar yet long-unseen scene.

The background seems like a dormitory bathroom, as if she just came from a karaoke room.

Although only her face up to her lips was visible, the moment she pulled her top up to reveal her midriff and bra, I felt a surge of energy in my lower body.

“Oh, damn.”

What should I do about Seo Yerin?

Almost involuntarily, I found myself leaning forward due to the almost terror-inducing photo. If this got back to Yuarin, I’d be in deep trouble.

– Anonymous 69: Let’s use this one.

– Administrator: I told you not to send stuff like this.

– Anonymous 69: Heh

The annoyingly relaxed chat demeanor is getting on my nerves. I thought about giving them a day-long ban, but since they were banned last time, they sent it via text this time.

“Phew.”

Taking a deep breath and relaxing the tension in my lower body, Yuarin, who was beside me, glanced over and asked,

“Hey, Ye-rin.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Doesn’t something seem off?”

“What’s supposed to be off?”

– Anonymous 69: Sex!

– Anonymous 69: Sex!

– Anonymous 69: Sex!

– Anonymous 69: Sex!

– Anonymous 69: Sex!

Damn it.

Seeing what they’re doing now is peak audacity, but what exactly is supposed to be off?

“You’re trying to collaborate with me…?”

“Collaborate?”

When I questioned what they meant, Yuarin stared at me blankly, then sighed and shook her head.

“No, nothing.”

Yuarin ended up holding back. It was a bit frustrating that she stopped herself mid-sentence, but I didn’t have time to focus on her now.

– Anonymous 69: (Photo)

– Anonymous 69: Getting ready

‘Why is she like this?’

This time, it’s a picture of Seo Yerin lying in bed with pajamas on.

Once again, her face isn’t shown, but the pajama buttons are completely undone, revealing her collarbone down to her panties, slightly pulled down below her sleep pants.

Meanwhile, her nipples are covered by the pajamas, making it a classic suggestive image.

I’m getting angry.

“Ms. Seo Yerin…”

– Administrator: You’re really going to get banned. I’ll delete your inquiries and texts.

– Anonymous 69: Just a moment! Just a moment!

– Administrator: Why?

– Anonymous 69: Let me tell you one more thing.

– Administrator: ?

Seemed like some sort of final plea.

– Anonymous 69: (Photo)

The composition is the same as before, but the difference is that she took a picture covering nothing but her panties with her hand placed on top.

Bold move.

– Anonymous 69: This is Arin’s bed here.

– Administrator: ???

– Anonymous 69: It’s a cliché, you know. Friends fooling around in someone else’s bedroom…

I immediately blocked them.

Ring! Ring!

I turned off the chat notifications as well. They’ve been quiet lately, but today they’re really exploding.

‘What’s going on with this person?’

At this point, I started to worry a bit. When Seo Yerin explodes like this, it’s usually when she’s under stress.

Their activities as Anonymous 69 seemed to be an outlet for some latent desire, driven by the gaze of those around them.

There was also the fact that Yuarin mentioned Seo Yerin acting strangely earlier…

Lost in thought, we arrived at Gold One Hotel in Building A.

“Hey, get off.”

“…”

I should have gotten up first since I was sitting on the outside, but Seo Yerin’s anger hadn’t subsided yet.

“You go first.”

As I said this while crouching down, Yuarin, puzzled but understanding, tried to pass me, but…

“Oh, you need to move your head to pass through.”

Due to my crouched position, my head was leaning forward, which bothered Yuarin, so she pushed my forehead.

“…?”

Thanks to that, as my waist straightened up, my lower body was blatantly exposed.

Moreover, as Yuarin passed by me, standing upright as if welcoming someone, speechless.

“Why, why? No… why?”

Stammering and trembling, Yuarin pointed at me with her finger. In response, I pretended to be serious, crossing my arms.

“It’s a natural bodily function. Please respect it.”

Let’s just boldly go out with what’s already been said.

“Uh, wh-what happened?”

“Sometimes guys just feel like getting angry for no reason.”

“……”

“……”

It felt like time had stopped.

“Sorry, but could you just leave me alone? Damn, I just want to be by myself.”

It wasn’t a joke; it felt too embarrassing to stay.

“Well, you know.”

“Why.”

It’s quite impressive to speak in this situation.

Glancing down, Yuarin pointed to the zipper on his pants and asked, “How about at least taking that down to be more comfortable?”

“Could you please just let me be alone?!”

“Huh! Kim Woojin, you beastly jerk!”

Seeing him seeming pleased made me think he might misunderstand, so I say a word to Yuarin as he leaves.

“It’s not because of you!”

“Ugh! Hurry up and come out!”