episode_0432

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[Baek Jiho]

– There’s something I wanted to ask you about Da-bin.

– Ah, let’s keep this a secret from Da-bin.

If I’m not careful, I might not live to see tomorrow’s sunrise.

Wouldn’t it be safer to take Yozora along for self-defense?

For a moment, I glanced down at her as she diligently worked on her fellatio, but eventually, I sighed and dismissed the thought.

Let me hypothesize.

What if Baek Jiho had noticed everything and decided to take extreme measures?

Of course, he wouldn’t be acting as gentlemanly as he is now.

He’d either be furious enough to commit a crime on impulse or secretly follow me without anyone knowing. That would be much simpler.

Since my weekday whereabouts are predictable, preparing in advance would be easy.

If he intended to tail me, he’d quickly figure out where I live and even my private life.

So, let’s assume Baek Jiho isn’t seething with anger right now.

That he’s in a calmer, more rational state.

But that’s also puzzling. If Baek Jiho brought up Seol Da-bin directly to me, it must mean he’s noticed something.

…Realistically, what kind of bastard stays this composed after realizing his girlfriend’s been fooling around behind his back?

Just hypothesizing about someone touching one of my women makes my blood boil, yet all he says is, “There’s something I wanted to ask about Seol Da-bin…”

Then maybe I should consider this:

Perhaps he has something genuinely wholesome to ask about.

Or, like Yozora once mentioned in passing, maybe he has some strange preferences.

One of the two.

I meticulously checked for flaws in my reasoning but gave up after just a few seconds, shaking my head.

This isn’t my forte. I’ve never been good at this kind of thinking.

Anyway, here’s the summary of my speculation:

Either Baek Jiho simply has something to ask about Seol Da-bin.

Or,

Baek Jiho has discovered something between me and Seol Da-bin.

And among the many choices available to him, he chose to talk to me.

He probably doesn’t want to beat me to death right now.

Or maybe he has some unusual preferences. That’s about it.

So, let’s simplify it to this:

There’s a very, very slight risk that I might get killed.

But there’s also a much lower chance that this could turn into a “pleasant meeting.”

In that case, is it worth meeting Baek Jiho?

Fortunately, even a blockhead like me could easily answer that.

“Ugh, ugh… ……Hhhnngh… …Stuck in my throat…”

“…I’ll get you some water. Hold on.”

“Mmm…”

YES.

Of course.

432

Choosing a meeting spot wasn’t hard.

When I asked where he’d like to meet, Baek Jiho said he’d accommodate me.

If it’s just a brief conversation, a café would be the safest choice… but sitting alone with a guy I’m not close to in a café?

The atmosphere would be awkward, so I suggested an alternative, and thankfully, Baek Jiho agreed without hesitation.

A place with just the right number of people around.

A naturally noisy environment where private conversations could blend in.

The faint smell of grilled meat, the spicy-sweet aroma of marinated pork.

And the lingering scent of alcohol in the air.

Our destination was a bustling, cheap barbecue joint in Daehak-ro.

“Ah, you’re here?”

“Hello, sir.”

After telling him my group would arrive soon, I sat down, and within five minutes, Baek Jiho appeared.

Fortunately, he didn’t look as gloomy as I’d feared.

His expression, even his outfit, suggested as much.

If he’d planned to kill someone today, he wouldn’t have shown up in a white shirt like that.

Still, there were some subtle changes.

How should I put it? He seemed more formal than before.

Compared to two months ago when we went to the pension together, his demeanor was noticeably more polite.

Back then, since I’d covered most of the expenses, he treated me playfully like an older brother.

Now, it felt more like a subordinate addressing a superior.

The faint sense of camaraderie from before had faded significantly.

Well, maybe it’s just because we haven’t seen each other in a couple of months.

At any rate, it seems my life is safe for now.

Glancing at a man’s clothes for the first time in my life, I smiled and spoke.

“You said you hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Is pork belly okay?”

“Anything’s fine.”

“Then… Miss, three servings of pork belly, please—”

Without a call bell, I ordered loudly, and soon, crimson slabs of meat arrived on a plate.

Of course, the meat wasn’t more important than the conversation ahead, but judging by Baek Jiho’s demeanor, he wasn’t ready to dive into the main topic either.

So instead of discussing Seol Da-bin, we started with small talk.

How I’d heard he dropped out.

What he was doing now.

Starting with questions I already knew the answers to.

How much he was earning there.

Whether working among rough older men was difficult.

Even questions I had no real interest in, just to fill the silence.

As we filled our stomachs with moderately cooked meat,

Baek Jiho, who’d said he’d only have one drink, set his empty glass down with a deep sigh.

“…You remember what I mentioned earlier, right? About having something to ask regarding Da-bin.”

“…Ah, yes. I remember.”

“Then I’ll be direct. …It’s…”

If it’s just a question about Seol Da-bin, I can answer within reason.

If he asks about my relationship with her, it’d be best to play dumb once or twice.

If he says he saw Seol Da-bin meeting me… I should probably be honest instead of making excuses.

I’d prepared these responses on the way to the barbecue place.

So I emptied my glass and waited for his next words.

“Da-bin… seems to like you, sir. …Ugh, seriously…”

“…She likes me? Suddenly?”

“…….”

He didn’t ask about my relationship with Seol Da-bin.

He didn’t say he’d seen her with me.

…He skipped straight to saying Seol Da-bin seems to like me.

Why would he say that?

Is he testing me?

If not, then why?

The sudden headache-inducing speculation was thankfully resolved by Baek Jiho’s next words.

“Lately, when I’ve called Da-bin, something strange happened.”

“…”

“…While talking, I kept hearing… moans. Not explicit, but faint.”

“…”

“It was suspicious, so… You might find this unpleasant, but I recorded her room for two weeks…”

“…I understand. You’re her boyfriend.”

“None of the recordings had sounds of her meeting another man…”

“…”

“Just the sounds of Da-bin masturbating. Altogether, it added up to 10, maybe 15 hours.”

“…So how does that connect to me?”

“…….”

“…….”

“…All day. She literally spent all day moaning your name while touching herself. Not mine. Yours. …Mixed in with her gasps.”

“…”

She spends time every day explaining to me how forced it all is in front of me. But at home, she’s like this?

Feigning confusion, guilt, and shame, I awkwardly averted my gaze and refilled Baek Jiho’s empty glass.

But knowing he’s not much of a drinker, he didn’t take more.

He didn’t lose his temper and throw his drink at me either.

He just stared quietly and picked at a piece of meat.

…Anyway, judging by his reaction, Da-bin moaning someone else’s name during self-pleasure is entirely her problem, and I’m blameless… but.

Honestly.

This misunderstanding is so absurdly favorable to me that it feels almost unfair.

Is he deliberately saying things I’d want to hear?

It’s enough to make me wonder.

“…I’m sorry. Why my name…”

“No. What do you have to apologize for, sir? I just… Maybe it’s because I’ve been away from home a lot lately…”

Still.

This explains that call Da-bin got while showering last time.

If he’s been recording for two weeks, Baek Jiho must’ve suspected Da-bin’s behavior for at least that long.

And that flustered moment of hers was about two weeks ago—timing fits perfectly, doesn’t it?

His tone, probing yet not probing.

Maybe it came from doubting her but still wanting to believe.

This lends some credibility to his words.

I’m not entirely sure if he’s truly unaware of my relationship with Da-bin, but he’s been suspicious for at least two weeks—possibly longer.

If I don’t play humble now, things might get messy.

As I placed a few cooked meat slices into the sauce on his side, Baek Jiho exhaled deeply.

“…That’s why I’m saying, sir. Even I can tell this situation is strange…”

“Go on.”

“If Da-bin can’t control herself and ends up approaching you, then…”

“Ah, don’t worry. I have Ha-yun’s sister.”

A man with a girlfriend wouldn’t mess with someone else’s, right?

I’d never lay a hand on her, so you two work it out.

That was the excuse I threw out to reassure him.

No performance could look more convincing to Baek Jiho than this.

But he shook his head and added one more thing.

“No. Actually, I have a request.”

“……?”

And what followed,

drowned out by the chatter and sizzling grill around us,

was an utterly ridiculous statement.

“Evidence. Leave some behind.”

“…Evidence?”

“Yes. Evidence.”

This,

is just…

“So later, I can confront Da-bin all at once… with the truth.”

“…Ah, all at once.”

“…I know it’s bothersome, but… please.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

Not evidence.

He wants to see Seol Da-bin, defenseless in front of another man.

…Right?

“Talking about it helps. I’ve been agonizing over this alone until now. …Haha.”

“…”

If he’d fallen out of love and wanted to break up with Da-bin, he wouldn’t have needed to come to me with this.

He could’ve just made up a reason and ended it privately.

But instead, he’s inserting this unnecessary step as if he needs justification to leave her…

…Ah.

…Where he went wearing that hat that day is obvious.

He must’ve gone to Teacher Seo Woo-jin’s place.

And after that, like the masturbation sounds in the recordings… he must’ve had wild sex with her.

So if he’d knelt before Teacher Seo and begged pathetically, the teacher might’ve stopped seeing Da-bin.

Maybe he’d have even granted this absurd request of mine.

But the reason he chose a slightly different path was

simply this:

After hearing Da-bin moan the teacher’s name while pleasuring herself,

rather than admitting he spent hours jerking off like a monkey to those recordings—

it’s more normal to say he’s so angry at her betrayal… that he needs proof.

The teacher wouldn’t suspect a thing.