episode_0537

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Unless you’re having a conversation with someone extremely close, the topic inevitably ends up being stiff and dull as both parties try to maintain their dignity.

Of course, that was exactly how it had been between our parents and Seo Woojin until just moments ago.

I don’t remember every single word he exchanged with my mom, but to sum it up roughly, it could be described as nothing short of “pretentious.”

If Mom complimented his character—”You flatter me.”

If Mom expressed gratitude for his kindness—”It’s only what I should do.”

If Mom tried to slice him more meat, urging him to eat—”Are you sure it’s alright for me to accept this much?”

Even feigning awkwardness at the unexpected hospitality… down to the acting.

Honestly, if I were to exaggerate a little, it felt like he was trying way too hard to make a good impression on my parents.

…No, it wasn’t just a feeling—it was the truth.

Just moments ago, beneath the table, he’d been quietly busy groping my thigh, while above that dimly lit space, he was diligently playing the role of “Kind Health Teacher Seo Woojin.”

But, well. Up to this point, it was still somewhat tolerable.

The sexual harassment Woojin subjected me to was, after all, in a realm my parents couldn’t see.

As I said earlier, he was too busy putting on that ridiculous, pretentious act to maintain appearances.

He was treated as nothing more than a “well-mannered young man,” engaging in trivial small talk with my parents.

But as expected.

Alcohol became the problem.

“Um, Teacher? This might sound silly, but there’s something I’m curious about…”

“Go ahead.”

“By any chance… what’s Da-bin like at the Academy?”

“Ah, Mom…!”

To be precise, it was Mom, who had been sipping her drink intermittently.

537

Her pronunciation was still clear, and she hadn’t even had more than a few sips.

Judging by that, she wasn’t particularly drunk.

It was just the naturally loosened atmosphere that alcohol brings.

But maybe that was enough.

Until now, Mom had cautiously avoided personal topics, but it seemed she thought this much was acceptable as she directed her question to Woojin beside me.

Unlike me, who had gotten unnecessarily irritated, Dad also seemed somewhat curious, glancing subtly at Woojin.

…Still, why on earth were they asking him how I was doing at the Academy?

What was there to be curious about…?

“Seol Da-bin… you mean?”

“Yes, yes. Whenever I ask her directly, she just says, ‘I hung out with friends,’ and that’s it. It’s not like she’s writing a diary…”

“Rather than a daily log, you’re curious about how she generally feels at the Academy, I see.”

“Exactly! But, well, she is my daughter, so…”

Honestly, looking back now, it was a perfectly understandable thing to wonder about.

Hearing it from me versus hearing it from a third party would naturally be different.

But if she had asked one of the genuinely passionate teachers, fine—but of all people, why did it have to be Seo Woojin? It bothered me.

In the end, I gave up and lightly nudged Woojin’s foot under the table.

A silent warning that if he dared say anything weird in front of my parents, I’d stomp on him mercilessly.

“Hmm. If I were one of the former hero teachers, maybe, but as the health teacher, I don’t get to see her for long periods… Still, whenever she comes in injured or something, there’s always a crowd of friends around her. Far more than when I treat other students.”

“Ah, I see…”

“I suppose she’s quite popular.”

OK. So far, so good.

I don’t know why he had to add that “popular” nonsense, but for Woojin, this was surprisingly decent.

Frankly, if he’d wanted to, he could’ve easily made up all sorts of things to slander me.

Not that my parents would’ve taken it at face value, but…

They might’ve been a little suspicious.

So I relaxed slightly and focused on chewing my meat when Mom, still curious, continued the conversation with Woojin.

“Does she get hurt often? Da-bin?”

“Only very occasionally. She’s quite skilled, so she’s never been seriously injured.”

“So just minor scrapes and such…?”

“Yes. I don’t recall ever seeing her with anything worse than a fracture.”

“Sigh… That place really makes them practice capturing criminals, after all…”

“The training intensity is certainly high. I understand why you’d worry.”

…Up to this point, it was normal.

No, actually—the fact that Woojin was saying only normal things was abnormal, wasn’t it?

Either way, I didn’t need to stomp on his foot to shut him up.

Honestly, his answers were almost model-worthy.

But I couldn’t let my guard down, given everything I’d seen from the man named Seo Woojin so far.

I was just about to cautiously reach for more meat, keeping a slight edge of wariness, when—

“…But Teacher, if she rarely gets hurt, wouldn’t her friends get jealous? What does it mean for her to be popular…?”

At Mom’s question, sounding genuinely puzzled, Woojin answered.

“Maybe it’s because she’s pretty?”

“…, …….”

I nearly spat out the piece of asparagus I’d just put in my mouth but managed to hold it in.

What followed was me jabbing the tip of my foot repeatedly into Woojin’s ankle, as if to say, What the hell are you doing?

But Woojin ignored my reaction entirely and continued calmly.

“Seol Da-bin is actually quite famous at the Academy for being pretty. But of course, that’s only natural, given how good-looking both her parents are.”

“……Ah, um. …Really?”

“Of course. Why would I lie about something that could be easily exposed if you asked anyone else?”

Ugh, damn it, this is so cringe…!

As I screamed internally, I kept tapping his ankle to force that mouth of his to shut.

Had he lined his face with steel? How could he say something like that so calmly?

“Famous for being pretty?” What kind of manga or novel-tier nonsense was that?

And if I were that famously pretty, what about seniors like Baek Seo-yeon?

Someone like her would be nationally famous, right?

Her photos would be all over the internet, right?

So I wanted to quickly clarify that it wasn’t like that, but unfortunately—

“Da-bin takes after me… Wouldn’t saying that make me sound too full of myself…?”

“Not at all. You’re incredibly beautiful yourself, ma’am.”

“You’re… …much better at flattery than I expected…”

“Hahaha.”

Mom seemed to like that.

Specifically, the part where Woojin had said in that cringe-inducing tone, “Both of you are so good-looking.”

“I was just stating the truth.”

“Alright, alright. That’s too much flattery. Though I do appreciate the charm…”

Bullshit. “Just stating the truth,” my ass…

Still, she seemed aware it was just smooth talk, but either way, judging by her expression, it was already too late.

Last time we had a family dinner, she’d practically worshipped Woojin like some healing deity—now, it felt like she’d taken it a step further and become his fan.

Even Dad, sitting beside her, just chuckled happily at Woojin’s slick flattery, leaving me utterly… speechless.

No matter what Woojin said, they seemed to genuinely believe I was “famous for being pretty.”

How was I even supposed to explain this away…?

After swallowing what was in my mouth, I decided to start fixing things little by little.

First, I needed to correct that ridiculous fabrication about me being “famous for being pretty.”

So I tapped Woojin’s plate with the tip of my fork and spoke up.

“Hey, stop joking around with Mom. …There’s no way I’m famous just for being pretty. Do you have any idea how many good-looking people are at the Academy?”

“A lot. But I think Seol Da-bin is the prettiest among them.”

“Ugh…….”

The result?

You—you’d say the same thing in front of Ha-yoon or Seo-yeon sunbaenim, wouldn’t you?!

Not that I’d say that out loud, but just as I was about to snap back—

My lips abruptly clamped shut.

“…….”

The reason?

None other than Seo Woojin.

Because of this damn pervert.

“…Ah, is it because I keep calling you pretty even though you have a boyfriend now?”

“…….”

“Sorry. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

…Despite his smooth words,

his hand slid over as if to say, If you want me to shut up, offer me your thigh.

Once again, my thigh.

And then, the even warmer inner part of my thigh.

…Even further up, over the dolphin-print panties—

toward where my—

was, his fingers began stroking gently.

Because of this damn pervert.

“Why are you being so prickly, Da-bin? It’s not a bad thing. He’s just saying it to make your mom and dad happy.”

“Right. If you act so uptight, you’ll make the teacher who’s praising you feel awkward.”

“…….”

Because this pervert had won over

my mom and dad to his side.

“Shall we have another drink? Teacher, are you alright?”

“I’m fine for now… though I am a little worried about when I might get drunk.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Even if you do get drunk, you can just stay the night like last time…”

“…Then, if you insist, I’ll shamelessly accept…”

“…….”

Despite being molested by a man who wasn’t even my childhood friend,

…enjoying it.

With just a table separating me from my parents,

…I was soaking my panties.

I had no right to speak.

“…….”

While Woojin’s wicked fingers gently teased the spot where my—

was, I desperately pretended not to notice.

And instead,

accepted another glass of crimson, ominous wine.