episode_0267

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…Did she really think I wouldn’t recognize her if she just pulled her cap down low?

I mean, there are some basic things that come to mind when disguising oneself—like wearing a mask, putting on lenses, or changing up your makeup.

Out of all those, slipping on a mask wouldn’t even be that troublesome, so why did she only put on a cap?

Sure, we’ve only exchanged a few words here and there, but she didn’t seem like the type to be particularly slow on the uptake.

Or at the very least, she could’ve worn thicker clothing.

If she had, I might’ve hesitated—would that really be you, loitering outside the restaurant?

She seemed to have tied up her strikingly jet-black yet crimson-red hair to hide it as much as possible, but even setting that aside, there were far too many standout features to miss.

Her moderately tall height.

Her figure.

…Unless I deliberately looked away,

it was impossible not to notice.

Yet here she was, clad in thin clothes that outlined everything, fidgeting with her phone.

Seol Dahbin. With you like this, not recognizing you would’ve been harder.

At least only I, who was already wary, had noticed. It was a relief that Hayoon—who would’ve wagged her tail like a helicopter if she had one—showed no sign of suspicion.

“Should we stay like this a little longer before washing up?”

“…Mm.”

Keeping it less unrestrained than outside,

after gently yet clingily sharing intimacy, we lay tangled together for a moment, catching our breath amidst the sweat.

As my fingertips traced the slippery surface of Lee Hayoon’s skin, smoothing our breathing, she squirmed, ticklish. Taking advantage of the moment, I tapped on my smartphone screen.

A notification at the top caught my eye.

I couldn’t tell who it was from or what it said, but it was a message alert.

Since I had a hunch it was a KakaoTalk from Seol Dahbin, I discreetly checked the message while Hayoon nuzzled into my chest, still lost in the afterglow.

…It was a long-winded text,

but in summary, it was a conditional allowance.

Though, judging by the threat to expose everything if caught with another girl again, it felt more like control than permission.

Still, for me, this outcome was satisfying enough.

Having bought time before things could fall apart, all I had to do now was solidify our relationship before Seol Dahbin changed her mind and interfered again.

Pushing my luck even further…

“….”

I wished that even Seol Dahbin, who detests me so much, would someday—secretly,

behind her boyfriend’s back—seek me out like this.

…But for now, I don’t see a viable way.

The first impression had already hammered in deep-rooted resentment.

Of course, any connection was better than none,

but trying to take her all the way to bed like this would be far too difficult.

If Seol Dahbin were just some naïve kid who didn’t know better, maybe… but that’s not the case.

“Sigh….”

“…Ah, shall we wash up now?”

“Yeah. We should probably shower soon.”

If—

just if—I got her drunk at a double date, I might be able to use a “mistake” as an excuse for one slip-up…

But sighing at the sheer impracticality of such a result-driven plan, I sat up—prompting Hayoon, who had been glued to my side, to do the same.

“Any later, and noona will be in trouble too. Ji-yoon might grill you about what you were doing outside.”

“I can handle running a little late… Lately, she sniffs me the moment I step in…”

“Sniffs?”

“Like… Shampoo. Body wash. That kinda stuff.”

“…?”

“So, whether I go back early or late, it’s all the same… No real reason to hurry back… Um…”

“……”

“…”

“…”

“…We still have some time… right? …Don’t we…?”

267

The Project to (Somehow) Get Closer to Han Soo-ah.

Forced into becoming the manager of this project due to Yorara’s threats, I had called Han Soo-ah—the subject of said project—to Hongdae Station.

There wasn’t any grand plan behind summoning her here.

Just that I’d heard people say this was one of the best places to hang out—enough that it stuck in my memory.

Not that I knew what to do here, but I figured things would somehow work out.

Now, to be brutally honest…

This was practically my first time willingly stepping into such a bustling area.

Aside from visiting a movie theater for an experiment, never.

Unless I ended up around such places out of necessity (like living nearby) or dragging a drunk Yorara home, there simply hadn’t been a reason to come.

Clothes? Online shopping.

Alcohol? Not my thing.

Culinary tours? Not happening.

As for hobbies, sleeping off exhaustion at home was my hobby.

So why would I ever come here otherwise?

…Especially when my days are already swamped with clingy guys like Yoo Si-woo.

This place probably teems with men just like him…

“Sigh…”

Huffing out a deep breath, I leaned against a nearby wall for a moment, watching the nonsensical flood of people passing through Hongdae at night.

And then—between the crowd shuffling past and the men discreetly glancing behind them—

Han Soo-ah appeared, dressed in casual clothes, cautiously scanning her surroundings.

…Guess that’s the privilege of being a chaebol heiress.

Even just standing there, she exuded an inexplicable aura.

Objectively, though, nothing about her outfit or accessories seemed expensive.

Maybe it’s just that her sheer presence holds value.

Or maybe it’s her figure doing all the work.

“…?”

But this isn’t the time to be spacing out.

She doesn’t seem to have spotted me yet—should I wave and call her name?

Sure, there might be one or two others nearby with hair as red as mine, but it’s still an uncommon color.

Briefly observing how others handled reunions nearby, I drew no answers and resorted to pulling out my phone.

Call or text—either works.

This felt way less stressful than shouting her name and drawing stares.

“…Ah, hello…”

“…Hi.”

An awkward greeting.

An equally awkward reply.

With that slight nod of acknowledgment, neither of us managed to exchange even the most basic small talk—like “Nice weather, huh?”—before clamping our mouths shut.

Typical for relationships formed purely through a mutual connection.

With Yorara—our bridge—now absent, I had no idea what to say.

Being socially inept didn’t help.

And Han Soo-ah didn’t seem like the type to initiate conversation either.

Honestly, I should’ve dragged Yorara along.

Sure, she’s noisy and irritating, but at least things would’ve moved.

As I mindlessly fussed with my clothes, I finally cleared my throat and grasped for the only common ground I knew—mutants.

But the moment I tried forcing that topic out—

“Is that all you’ve got? ‘Hello?’ No plans? None at all?”

“…”

Yorara peeked out from behind Han Soo-ah, tilting her head while clicking her tongue in disapproval.

That same annoying tone she always uses.

Her unnaturally crisp pronunciation—enough to make you forget she’s even Korean—didn’t help.

But for once, today, it didn’t irk me.

In fact, given the circumstances, I was even a little glad to see her.

Still, I suppressed it and forced a cold edge into my voice.

If I showed even a hint of relief, Yorara would instantly sniff it out.

She’s far more foxlike than me—a literal nine-tailed fox.

“…Were you hiding behind her this whole time?”

“Hiding? No way~ Maybe I’m just too smol to be seen?”

“…How’d you even know to come here?”

“I was sitting right next to Soo-ah. You think I wouldn’t see a text like that?”

The details didn’t matter.

What did was how to break this awkward silence—and with Yorara here, I could finally relax a little.

With nothing to do but stuff my hands into my windbreaker pockets (since I had nothing better to wear), I settled for a brief glare.

That should be unnoticeable enough for Yorara.

…Though with that ever-smiling face of hers, who knows what she’s actually thinking.

“Anyway, what were you two planning to do?”

“…Do? Just hang out, I guess.”

“Yeah, hang out how?”

“……”

I froze.

Sure, I could see a PC bang downstairs, but that’d be too flimsy an excuse.

Same with the bowling alley next to it—I barely knew the rules.

Nearby arcades? Even worse.

Trapped in silence, I furrowed my brows—only for Yorara to cheerfully grab Han Soo-ah’s wrist and tug her into an alley.

“Where are we going?”

“Where else~? The perfect place for you two to get super close!”

“…?”

Even as the clock neared 11, the bustling district showed no signs of quieting down.

Amid the buildings drowning out the moonlight with their glittering lights,

Hayoon and I emerged slightly more distanced than when we’d entered.

At first, she fled the hotel like a runaway, but after stealing glances behind her, her pace slowed—creating this awkward gap between us.

Probably embarrassment settling in after the excitement died down. She’d done similar in the elevator too.

While her usual clingy puppy act is endearing, this flustered side of her was just as charming.

Especially since—just moments ago—she’d been the one breathlessly whispering obscenities into my ear.

This aftermath was just the icing on the cake.

As we stepped out of the quieter alley and back into the main streets, we encountered groups of people laughing and shouting like they owned the place.

Given the time, they were likely post-drinking crowds.

Thankfully not overwhelming in numbers, but still—

Just in case, I reached for Hayoon’s wrist.

She peeked at my face before obediently scooting closer.

…And this was the same girl who’d been murmuring “Noona’ll make you feel good~” earlier?

The one straddling me, rocking her hips until she had to brace against the wall—begging for kisses between breathless moans as I pounded into her?

Indulging in the memories, I matched Hayoon’s pace while scanning our surroundings.

Just checking if Seol Dahbin was still lurking nearby.

Not a single lookalike in sight.

Well, we had been holed up in that room for over three hours. It’d be weirder if she were still waiting.

Her text had implied she was letting today slide anyway.

Still, I hoped today would permanently erase her suspicions…

“Stop clinging to me…!”

“But Seo-yeon keeps refusing drinks and acting all coy… Soo-ah’s totally indulging though… And I’m not heavy…!”

“I never called you heavy…!”

“I-I’ll help you out, noona.”

“…?”

Just then, a familiar voice slipped through the crowd.

…Too familiar. Enough to make my temples throb.

As I descended the gentle slope toward the subway station, my gaze instinctively shifted toward the sound.

And there—

“…Ugh, I sacrificed myself again for you two to kinda get along…”

…was a group I’d only ever seen in fragments before.

An awkward, though not entirely unusual, combination.

At the same time—

“…It’s getting chilly. Let’s hurry, noona.”

“Okay!”

—they were women I really didn’t want to run into right now.