Chapter 35
It seemed like a lot of conversation was needed with Ye Eun-seol after all. More precisely, time for her to ask questions and for him to answer them.
The two of them exchanged phone numbers as they walked toward the infirmary. And without even looking at each other’s faces, they each went their separate ways while busily carrying on the conversation.
“Are you and Seo Do-gyeom old acquaintances?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know his personality? Were you secretly watching him or something?”
“I can only answer with yes or no. Especially about things concerning me and Seo Do-gyeom.”
Ye Eun-seol and Seo Do-gyeom.
In the game, they were the protagonists. That meant it wasn’t just a simple coincidence.
“Those restrictions don’t seem like they mean anything good for you, so is Seo Do-gyeom the same—not something good for you?”
“Yeah. Absolutely not.”
Ye Eun-seol looked somehow angry.
‘In the game, the two of them liked each other.’
But that was also because of their roles as the female and male leads.
If you set that aside and looked at them, what was it? Just a man obsessively fixated on a woman in an abnormal way. And the methods were somewhat extreme and chilling.
“Did you perhaps regress? Or possess someone? Reincarnate?”
Baek I-hae asked lightly, with the mindset that something might stick. Then Ye Eun-seol started seriously pondering it.
It was an unexpected reaction.
“Something like that.”
The first ambiguous answer that came out. But he didn’t deny it.
Somehow, it felt like if she reached out just a little, she could find the right answer, and her heart pounded wildly.
“This might sound really crazy, but do you happen to have memories of being a woman?”
Ye Eun-seol’s steps halted. Then, with wide-open eyes, he stared at Baek I-hae.
It was as good as hearing the answer. Baek I-hae squeezed her eyes shut.
Ye Eun-seol knows about himself from when he was the female protagonist in the game. How he knows is uncertain, though.
‘So that’s how he knew about Seo Do-gyeom. If it’s something like that, it makes sense that he’d hate him.’
She didn’t know which ending scene he’d seen, but even the happy endings weren’t normal.
The infirmary was getting close. Even though they’d deliberately taken a detour, they were already at the destination.
Still, Baek I-hae was in a good mood. It was because of the anticipation that she might easily clear the main quest.
If she cleared the quest, she could automatically avoid the isolation episode too.
‘And I won’t have to worry about the stares from the other girls, including Jang Seul-gi.’
A smile rose to her lips. And she was just about to ask the final question.
“Hm?”
Ye Eun-seol’s gaze had shifted ahead, no longer on Baek I-hae. Irritation was rising on his face.
Like someone who had encountered something they really didn’t want to see.
“Baek I-hae.”
At the sound of her name being called, Baek I-hae turned her head and saw Seo Do-gyeom leaning against the infirmary door.
He straightened up, having been watching from who knows when, and slowly approached.
Ye Eun-seol’s gaze landed on Baek I-hae. In an instant, Baek I-hae swallowed dryly under the stares of the two men.
And for good reason,
[Baby Gangster, Seo Do-gyeom’s mood is very bad. He may turn somewhat violent, so caution is needed.]
Because, unlike before, the status window was warning her.
“You left a while ago, so why are you only arriving now?”
It was a perfectly reasonable question. An excuse like getting lost would be too half-hearted.
Baek I-hae spoke honestly.
“I had some questions, so I took a detour. Eun-seol seemed fine too.”
Baek I-hae looked at Ye Eun-seol as if seeking agreement. He was about to nod when.
She felt a hand touch her chin, and her head was forcibly turned. Seo Do-gyeom was looking at her with fierce eyes.
“Talk while looking at me.”
“……”
It was a bit too coercive to call it jealousy. He hadn’t even properly realized his feelings of liking her, and he was already acting like this.
Ye Eun-seol wore an expression that said he was utterly fed up.
“Don’t force things on me.”
Baek I-hae calmly took Seo Do-gyeom’s hand and slowly lowered it.
His mood was definitely bad, but unlike before, he didn’t resist and complied smoothly—should she consider that a silver lining? Maybe it was because Seo Do-gyeom was still young.
‘In the game, he wouldn’t budge even if the female protagonist begged or threatened.’
There had been a comment from the player to adjust the intensity of the conditions set. It seemed like she’d have to diligently work on educating Seo Do-gyeom’s character from now on.
The midterm wasn’t the important thing, Baek I-hae thought as she let out a small sigh inwardly.
“Class isn’t over yet, so why are you here?”
“I’m here because I’m hurt too.”
“You look perfectly fine?”
“Hit by the ball. That guy’s fine too, but he came anyway.”
Seo Do-gyeom jerked his chin toward Ye Eun-seol. Come to think of it, when leaving the gym, the status window that popped up mentioned Seo Do-gyeom getting hit by the ball.
She never imagined he’d use that as an excuse to come to the infirmary. Naturally, since he knew the way, there’d be no reason for Jang Seul-gi to follow.
“Eun-seol isn’t a dangerous person. You’re way too overprotective.”
“Overprotective?”
Ye Eun-seol’s tone, interjecting abruptly, carried a sense of absurdity. As if wrapping it up in the nice-sounding word “overprotective.”
Baek I-hae ignored him and looked up only at Seo Do-gyeom.
“……Was it obvious I followed you?”
Seo Do-gyeom, who she’d expected to be shameless, asked back with a slight look of surprise. His face was innocently naive, as if he hadn’t expected his intentions to be caught.
Left speechless, Baek I-hae and Ye Eun-seol clamped their mouths shut. Ye Eun-seol even pressed his forehead, as if his head was spinning.
“This doesn’t seem like something I should get involved in, so I’ll go inside and rest. You two talk and then head to the gym or whatever.”
Realizing that staying here would just make him feel like a third wheel, Ye Eun-seol sighed and walked into the infirmary. Then he glanced back and tapped his phone lightly.
Meaning they’d talk later, Baek I-hae quietly blinked in response.
“What do you want to do? You look fine—want to go back to the gym with me, or go into the infirmary and rest?”
Once Ye Eun-seol went inside the infirmary, Baek I-hae asked Seo Do-gyeom out of courtesy.
Seo Do-gyeom was still holding Baek I-hae’s wrist.
When she stared down at it pointedly, instead of letting go, he gripped it even tighter.
“Take a detour with me too.”
“You see me at home anyway. No need to go out of your way to make time, right?”
It was a cold response, if anything. But beneath that coldness, there was a subtle anticipation for what might come next.
“I want to spend a little more time with you.”
His unaware, pure affection was a bit troublesome.
Baek I-hae couldn’t help but smile faintly. Seo Do-gyeom wasn’t like Ye Eun-seol or Jang Seul-gi, where you had to hide your true feelings and guess at the other’s intentions in an exhausting relationship.
Was that what lowered her guard? Or was it satisfying that his instinctive fondness was for her, not Ye Eun-seol.
“Okay.”
With the short reply, she interlaced her fingers with the hand Seo Do-gyeom was holding. The knuckles entwining were quite thick.
[Baby Gangster, Seo Do-gyeom feels something like a full, satisfied contentment. His violent tendencies decrease significantly.]
Even without the status window telling her, she could infer his mood from the faint smile on Seo Do-gyeom’s face. She glanced at that face before turning her gaze away.
It wasn’t hers, so she shouldn’t covet it, but she kept testing the waters. She also wanted to show the player that this was what Seo Do-gyeom wanted, not what she had desired.
What she feared, though, was ultimately facing the sight of Seo Do-gyeom turning to another woman in the end.
Afraid that the player would barge in, saying the future couldn’t be changed after all. Afraid they’d mock her for getting excited and hopeful.
Just a little afraid of that, Baek I-hae hid her feelings deep inside.
