episode_0171

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The misunderstanding was cleared up.

Had I stammered or hesitated even slightly, it might have led to lingering suspicion… but with her pushing me out of the room while wearing an expression that said I wasn’t even worth her time, well, it’s not like it would’ve escalated anyway.

Now, I could return to my usual routine.

Even if Ji-yoon occasionally teased me with, “What kind of unnie asks her little sister if she’s a lesbian?”—given enough time, it’d probably fade into just another forgettable incident.

However,

Ji-yoon’s last words lingered in my mind for a long time.

“He’s handsome, isn’t he? Seo Woo-jin. That’s why I got close to him.” “Ah, this should clear up the lesbian misunderstanding, right?”

In other words, all the guys who had hovered around Ji-yoon until now had fallen short of her standards. And Woo-jin, who met them, was someone she liked.

Which ultimately meant Ji-yoon saw Woo-jin as…

“….”

This is too much of a stretch,

…right?

171

Maybe it was because it was already mid-April.

The night breeze blowing over the Han River wasn’t as cold as before. It just swept in unexpectedly, cool and refreshing, gently carrying away the sticky heat clinging to my body.

“Huu…”

A glance at my watch showed I’d already been doing cardio for 30 minutes.

Scanning my surroundings, I brushed my slightly damp bangs aside and settled onto a nearby bench for a short break.

[Lee Ji-yoon] “Just try pulling another weird stunt like that.” “You should’ve seen unnie’s face. Seriously…”

Fortunately, it seemed the misunderstanding about Ji-yoon being mistaken for a lesbian by Lee Ha-yoon had been resolved well.

Then again, since it wasn’t intentional, clearing it up probably wasn’t too difficult.

Though I’d unintentionally annoyed Ji-yoon, at least it ended without any major issues.

Had things gone south, not only would a threesome have been off the table, but all the goodwill I’d built up until now might’ve been ruined.

“Lucky.”

The subsequent KakaoTalk messages were filled with hints—asking if I wanted to game today, or if I was thinking of going to a PC bang—all phrased in roundabout ways.

But today, I carefully declined, saying I was a bit busy.

The biggest reason was that, compared to meticulously taming Ha-yoon and Ji-yoon, breaking and trampling over Han Su-ah—who had ultimately taken an interest in lewd things—seemed far easier.

Well, when you think about it, that’s only natural.

From the very first time I checked her body, there were no signs of masturbation, yet her entire body was hypersensitive…

She was a type of girl I’d never seen before in my life.

“…….”

Ten years.

For a full decade, I’d occasionally checked the bodies of villain alliance sluts, thinking, “Someday, this might come in handy for a hero.” But I’d never encountered a woman with such an erogenous body before.

And if she was this pure—never even masturbated, let alone had sex—just how untouched was she?

Most of them were already so experienced that, rather than slowly taming them from scratch, the most I could do was break them so only I could satisfy them.

But if Han Su-ah was already wagging her tail for me this obediently,

I might be able to slip a sturdy leather collar around her neck sooner than expected.

“Hahk…! Ugh…!”

“…?”

While I was planning whether to meet Su-ah today or leave her frustrated and desperate,

a loud, unpleasant male voice panting noisily reached me from afar.

But for some reason, the voice sounded familiar.

Like I’d heard it somewhere before.

Weird.

If it were a girl’s voice, maybe, but there’s no way I’d remember some random guy’s voice.

Lifting my slightly lowered head to look, the reason quickly became clear.

Black leggings clinging tightly to her legs.

A jacket tied around her waist, sleeves knotted at her hips, as she jogged—a girl with pale blue hair.

And behind her, struggling to keep up with all his might, a slightly shorter guy.

No need to look further—it was the same pair I’d seen at the academy.

The student council president.

And the vice president.

“….”

I’d run into them around here once before,

but do they do this every single day?

Tch. Clicking my tongue, I glanced at the vice president, who could barely lift his head as he ran.

So he’s putting in all this effort just to get laid, huh?

Too bad—Baek Seo-yeon doesn’t seem the least bit interested in you.

You’re decent-looking, so wouldn’t it be easier to just go for another girl?

Or are you the type who prefers the unattainable over the easy?

Lost in thought for a moment, I figured it’d be annoying if they recognized me and started small talk, so I just stared blankly at my phone.

Except—

“…Hey.”

“….”

Baek Seo-yeon, catching her breath, had walked right up to me.

Seems I was a little too late.

“Ah, right. …Nurse-nim.”

“…What?”

“Why so prickly? I was just saying hi since we ran into each other outside.”

“I’m not particularly happy about it.”

“…There’s someone behind me. Play along, just for a bit.”

“Sigh…”

“Hahk…! Cough…!”

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been easier for both of us if you’d just pretended not to see me? Why go out of your way to stop and cool down right in front of me?

After a short sigh, I turned off my phone screen—which had just been displaying the Google homepage—as the vice president, who’d been running hard from a distance, practically collapsed onto the bench beside me.

…Honestly, I don’t think he’s recognized me at all yet.

Still, I played along with Seo-yeon’s little act to avoid further annoyance.

“Want some water?”

“Yeah, yeah… Water, thanks…, …Huh? Wait, aren’t you the nurse? Right? You work out here too?”

His tone was flippant.

If he were a girl, I might’ve thought, “Being lively is cute,” but right now, he’s just loud and irritating.

“Sometimes.”

“Ah, I see. No wonder you’re in good shape…”

“Not really. Just ‘fashion muscles.’ Barely even that.”

“That’s still better than nothing! Me? I’m like this after just 1 km…”

“…Well, some people can’t even run that much.”

“Ugh… I feel like I’m gonna die…”

Three exchanges were more than enough.

I have no interest in—nor any use for—pointless small talk like this. How long do I have to keep this up?

Glancing briefly at the vice president, who was chugging water without even asking, I then shot a sidelong look at Seo-yeon, who was awkwardly lingering in front of me.

When I gave her a “Take this guy and get lost” look, all I got back was a vague “Just a sec” expression.

As I moved to leave first, Seo-yeon suddenly spoke up.

“Teacher. Want to work out with us?”

“…Me?”

A completely out-of-nowhere suggestion.

“Yeah. We’re just running around here anyway, so if you’d like…”

“No, thanks. I’ve done enough. Besides, I’d feel like a third wheel.”

I answered indifferently and took back my water bottle, only to see the vice president grinning brightly.

Honestly, I wanted to punch that face in,

but I kept it to myself to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“…Uh, we’re not like that.”

“Even so, I think I’ll head back now. I’m getting tired.”

“…Ah.”

“Have a good night, Baek Seo-yeon. And…”

“Yu Si-woo. I’m Yu Si-woo.”

“…Yu Si-woo, you too.”

Just moments ago, she’d seemed subtly guarded, but the moment I mentioned going home, she turned polite. A little funny, really.

But what can you do?

Men are all like that.

I might’ve reacted similarly in the same situation.

After humoring the vice president with a sudden, casual handshake, I left Han River Park before getting any more entangled with the two of them.

“….”

I did catch a hint of slight discomfort on Seo-yeon’s face as we parted, but I had no intention of digging deeper.

It was obvious—she was just annoyed because of the guy next to her.

“Huu…”

Just because I knew their names didn’t mean I wanted to play volunteer counselor.

Glancing at a smoking booth in a corner of the park, I pushed away thoughts of a cigarette and started walking.

The sudden interruption left some cardio unfinished, so I made up for it with a light run around my neighborhood.

It doesn’t give the same sense of achievement as lifting heavier weights, but I still enjoy it for the feeling of building endurance.

Honestly, back when I was really twenty, I started it thinking it might help with sex stamina.

Well… I’m not sure if it actually helps, but it can’t hurt, so I’ve kept at it.

Over time, it became a habit.

Three male students passed by, whispering and cursing about night self-study sessions—probably because of palm tree punishments—reminding me of a newspaper article I’d once read titled “The Autonomy of Night Self-Study.”

“…….”

“Hey, yahoo…”

Back at the first-floor entrance of my place, I was met with a familiar face.

The usual cute ponytail.

Delicate piercings peeking out from soft, wispy hair.

And—

“You could’ve texted before coming, unnie. I was working out.”

“A-Ah, no! I just got here too. I was about to text you.”

“What’s that in your hand…?”

“This? Ta-da~”

Whether fashion trumped temperature for her,

or she’d just been careless enough to come out in what she’d been wearing at home,

…Lee Ha-yoon was dressed in the same pitch-black dolphin shorts Ji-yoon had worn when grinding on my lap.

“I wanted to have a drink with you again, like last time…”

“…Ah.”

“How about three cans each? You never told me what you liked last time, so I just picked my favorites…”

“Unnie, you got drunk off just one can.”

“T-That was just acting drunk…!”

“….”

She held up a white convenience store bag, the beer cans inside clinking softly.