WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Malfoid
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Dynamics of Pure Love and Overprotection ◈
Chapter 12
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“Jio-oppa is buying it.”
I protested with my eyes wide, but Kang Uihyeon refused to take back the money I tried to return.
“You buy today.”
I suddenly grew suspicious. Had Kang Uihyeon caught the Dutch-pay mindset that pathetic guys like Baek Jungyeong went on about? Was he trying to teach that kind of calculation to someone meeting a man alone for the first time?
Kang Uihyeon shifted to block my way. The gazes of people passing by were completely cut off. I could clearly see his dark lips moving.
“If you keep letting him pay, you'll owe him.”
His voice was low enough to be buried beneath the noise around us.
“There are plenty of guys who send you a bill when you break up. Keep track of things beforehand.”
So he was advising me not to let Han Jio pay for everything, in case we fell out later. We had only eaten together a few times, yet Kang Uihyeon was already racing far ahead on his own.
Still, considering how methodical and clear-cut he was, it wasn't strange for him to say something like that. To Kang Uihyeon, me calling Han Jio to my building late at night and constantly letting him treat me probably just looked childish and softhearted.
“Okay.”
I stuffed the thick bundle of yellow bills into my bag and walked over to Han Jio. He was carefully adjusting his expression after seeing what had just happened. Honestly, I had no idea what expression a man was supposed to make after watching a woman take spending money from another man right in front of him so she could eat with him.
That was the end of my outing with Kang Uihyeon that day. I bought Han Jio Indian food, then went home after turning down his suggestion to play an escape room game because I was tired. Around five in the afternoon, Kang Uihyeon messaged me to ask when I was going home, and I replied that I had been home for three hours already. He praised me for it.
I stared hard at the white message bubble and wondered what exactly I had done well. Was Kang Uihyeon still seeing Jeong Sujin? If he was, what right did he have to praise me?
* * *
After packing my backpack, I approached Mom, who was sitting alone on the couch. Ever since she watched me throw up sundae-gukbap, there were times when she felt like a real mother.
Not a horrifying ghost whose presence in the same space made me unbearably uncomfortable.
“I'm going on our MT today. To Daeseong-ri.”
As I dutifully explained, Mom kept staring at the black screen of the switched-off TV, as always.
“We're staying there for one night, so don't wait up. I'll be back tomorrow.”
I suddenly thought that if Yu Dogyeom saw me like this, he would be even less willing to look in the direction of home. A younger sister who claimed their dead mother had been living in the house for three years, and who now even said goodbye to that ghost before leaving. I would find that creepy too.
Until I closed the front door behind me, Mom only stared blankly into the air.
When I went down to the underground parking lot, Kang Uihyeon's car was waiting for me with the engine running. A sticker showing that he was a resident of our apartment complex was attached to the bottom of the windshield. I had picked it up from the management office and put it on his car myself three years ago.
Someone was already sitting in the passenger seat that should have been mine. When I opened the door without warning, Baek Jungyeong drew in his shoulders. He had brazenly taken someone else's seat, yet he didn't look very confident about it.
“Move.”
“Come on, why do I have to move again? Just sit in the back.”
“I said move.”
From the driver's seat, Kang Uihyeon neither stopped me nor took Baek Jungyeong's side. Under the car owner's thorough indifference, Baek Jungyeong muttered as he climbed out of the passenger seat. I frowned at the lukewarm seat and fastened my seat belt.
“You live somewhere nice. I suddenly feel like there's a gap between us.”
Baek Jungyeong, now in the back, poked his head between the driver's and passenger seats. Kang Uihyeon smoothly pulled out, resting his elbow at an angle on the center console. That made Baek Jungyeong's uncomfortably close face retreat.
“What, did you think I was some easy-to-push-around girl supporting herself?”
It was widely known that I had no parents. So sometimes, classmates offended by my rude way of speaking would whisper behind my back and reach the same conclusion.
“She grew up alone without parents.”
“Stop dreaming. I have no intention of sharing my inheritance with you. I'm not some unfortunate woman who attracts deadbeat men just because she has no parents or money.”
“Where did you learn to say things like that?”
Kang Uihyeon spoke for the first time since I got in the car. He looked clearly taken aback by my answer, but the corner of his mouth had lifted slightly, as though something pleased him.
“Who else? Yu Dogyeom.”
My brother had advised me not to act like a pitiful girl with no parents wherever I went. Showing that there was no adult behind me to protect me would only draw men who would treat me carelessly. Those bastards would only covet the insurance money I had received. It was one of the few precious pieces of advice Yu Dogyeom had ever given me, despite never acting like a brother.
“Hey, when have I ever thought you were an easy mark? Do you know what the guys say? They say they get so intimidated whenever they see you that they can't even talk to you...”
“Jungyeong, is there anything else we need to buy?”
Kang Uihyeon changed the subject so obviously that anyone could tell.
“No. If we buy any more food, the trunk will burst.”
“Check whether anyone is running late. We can fit two more people in the car.”
“Ah, things are perfect right now...”
Pretending not to hear Baek Jungyeong's ulterior motive, Kang Uihyeon drove slowly on. We had even done our grocery shopping with him just because he was a senior with a nice car, and he was trying to pick up people who had missed the subway too. Just how many people could that ridiculous generosity of his take in? Of course, I was no different from the people living off it.
Thanks to Baek Jungyeong vaguely saying that everyone had left on time, we were able to reach the vacation rental comfortably. The people who had arrived first spotted Kang Uihyeon's car and ran over happily.
More precisely, they ran toward the food stashed in the trunk.
I blended in with everyone and carried supplies. Normally, I would have followed Kang Uihyeon everywhere, but after that unpleasant museum date, I had been practicing how to distance myself from him emotionally.
Because I had clung to him too blindly for too long, Kang Uihyeon seemed to believe my feelings were made of steel. That even if he hurt me, my devotion would not waver. That was probably why he had brazenly shown up at the museum with Jeong Sujin.
I was fine with Kang Uihyeon coming to the museum without saying anything to watch over me. If he had come alone, I would have been very happy. I would have misunderstood it as proof that he cared about me this much.
The problem began when he tried to handle watching over me and going on a date with Jeong Sujin at the same time. I hated the way he pursued efficiency by thoroughly trampling on someone else's feelings.
So I was trying not to chat with Kang Uihyeon about every little thing or hover around him. On top of that, I decided to seriously consider Han Jio not as bait to draw Kang Uihyeon's attention, but as someone I could direct my feelings toward.
“Why are you here?”
Baek Jungyeong, who was rinsing wrap vegetables, looked me up and down as I stood beside him doing nothing.
“You should be over there with your eyes wide open, keeping watch.”
Baek Jungyeong tilted his chin toward Kang Uihyeon, who was heading outside the vacation rental surrounded by first-year girls. Instinctive jealousy rose in me, but I forced myself to turn away.
“Huh? Seo Minji just hit Uihyeon-hyung's arm. Isn't she flirting with him?”
“Shut up and keep washing. You're spraying spit everywhere.”
I scolded Baek Jungyeong and held out the colander. As I told him, he pressed his lips together in a pout and shook the water from the vegetables.
When I went out into the tented yard, Kang Uihyeon was lighting the charcoal while the girls cheered for him. My heart pounded. I wondered if I was the only one making pointless resolutions while Kang Uihyeon did not care at all. What if he completely forgot that I existed in the meantime? Anxiety left the tip of my tongue dry.
After finishing the wrap vegetables, I joined the group wrapping sweet potatoes in foil. Then I took charge of sorting the snacks we would use for the games. I kept busy because I wanted to stay away from the grill, and before I knew it, I had become a helpful gofer for the student council.
“Did you fight with Uihyeon-hyung?”
After all the meat had been grilled, I sat apart from everyone else and picked at pork neck. Even Baek Jungyeong, who came to pour me a Coke, stiffened his expression and asked seriously.
“Want me to pass something along? Should I tell Uihyeon-hyung to pay more attention to you?”
Baek Jungyeong was getting involved without knowing his place. He had been babbling about how scared he was of me that he could hardly speak, but now that I was sulking alone, he must have thought I looked easy. I gripped the grease-stained wooden chopsticks and pretended to stab him in the face.
“What did I tell you earlier? I told you to keep your mouth shut. Eat your meat and stop acting up.”
Baek Jungyeong furrowed his brow and started to protest, but a disposable plate landed in front of me with a thump.
A mound of pork belly sat in the middle, surrounded by appetizingly cooked sausages.
“Eat this too.”
Kang Uihyeon took off his work gloves and dropped into the empty spot next to me. A faint, familiar woody scent drifted through the air that had only smelled of meat. Though the glossy, greasy meat was right in front of me, my appetite suddenly vanished.
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