At her proposal, which far exceeded my expectations, I simply raised one eyebrow without answering. That alone made Chae Yujeong instantly deflate.
"You don't want to?"
"It's not a matter of wanting or not wanting…"
A headache throbbed, and I pressed my forehead.
Why is the day ending like this? Things had been going decently up until a moment ago.
"Do you know it's only been a little over a month since we met?"
"Yes."
"And you're inviting someone like that to your house? Do you think the world is that easy?"
Chae Yujeong, who had been quietly listening to me, soon broke into a smile again.
"It's not just anyone. It's you, Hyung. So what's the problem?"
"What kind of nonsense is that? You barely even know what kind of person I am, and you're inviting me to your place?"
"Sure, you've only known me for a short while, but I've liked you steadily for five years now. Of course I trust you."
"So just because you like someone, you trust them completely?"
That's enough. I sighed deeply and waved my hand dismissively.
"I'm not going. It's too much."
"It's not too much!"
"It is for me."
"Aaah, Hyuuuung!"
At my firm rejection, Chae Yujeong looked on the verge of tears and clung to my arm, whining.
"I'm not inviting you without a reason! I just need a bit of help sorting through my stuff for like two hours. I'll even send you pictures of the place in advance so it doesn't feel uncomfortable."
"Why are you organizing stuff anyway?"
"I'm moving into the dorm soon… If I don't do it now, I won't be able to come back until my break, so I want to sort it out before I go."
Ah. Right, she's a professional athlete. I keep forgetting because of how she acts.
"So… you want me to be your mover?"
"N-no! You won't have to do any hard work! Just help me tidy things a bit. I'll even prepare all the food!"
"If it's just tidying, you can do it alone or call someone else. Why does it have to be me?"
"There's no one else to call. I don't have friends."
"I saw in an interview that your cousin is your coach. Ask him. Or call your parents."
I shook her hand off in refusal, and her eyes turned slightly red.
She couldn't bring herself to grab my arm again. Her shoulders drooped as she spoke in a dejected voice, filled with disappointment.
"My cousin's busy with team practice. My parents… I don't really contact them for things like this. I've been living on my own for a long time now."
"…"
"I remember how lonely it felt packing alone before heading back to the dorm… Sorry. I won't ask anymore."
"…"
Standing under the streetlight, Chae Yujeong looked as if she might cry any moment, looking utterly pitiful.
It felt like I was bullying a stray puppy, and the guilt gnawed at my conscience. I don't even know what I did wrong to feel this awful.
"Even so, going to your house is a bit…"
"Can't you at least think it over instead of saying no right away? I'm doing the sorting next weekend, so there's still time."
Under her long lashes, her large, round eyes pleaded up at me. Her pale face flushed only around her eyes as she begged me again.
"Hyung…"
"…If it's just thinking it over…"
"Yes, yes. That's more than enough."
Ah, damn it. I ended up giving in to Chae Yujeong's teary eyes.
With a big smile plastered across her face, Chae Yujeong quickly climbed into her car after getting that non-committal answer from me.
"Then I'll get going now. I'll text you, Hyung!"
And just like that, before I could even regain my senses, she took off. I stood there dazed, only snapping out of it after she was already gone.
'That conniving brat.'
No doubt she was pretending to be pitiful on purpose. I've fallen for it before, and I fell for it again.
"Ha…"
Was I always this weak to sad faces? Hit by a wave of crushing self-awareness, I instinctively reached into my pocket for a cigarette.
Looks like I'll have to smoke one before heading inside. But just as I was about to pull one out, my phone vibrated with a new message.
[Kim Uichan: Yoo Ji-han]
[Kim Uichan: Still mad?]
"You son of a…"
Barely holding back a curse, I quickly blocked Kim Uichan and deleted the message history.
Should've done it earlier in the car. I forgot because I got caught up with the calls with Seo Taeyoung and the conversation with Chae Yujeong, and ended up reading another unnecessary message.
Even the urge to smoke vanished. I shoved the cigarette back in my pocket and headed home. One way or another, it had been an exhausting day.
[System Notification]
Trinity Raid – Abyss Difficulty First Clear Achieved! Congratulations! (Party Name: Early Evening)
The first clear attempt that started Saturday at 2 PM finally ended at 1 AM on Sunday.
As expected, Trinity Raid was much easier than last year's Loremha Raid. Even though it still took 11 hours, it was nothing compared to the 48-hour grind of Loremha.
[Guild] DrinkSomeWater: (Congrats x6)
[Guild] GuyWho'sCrazyAboutHunting: (Congrats x7)
[Guild] ManaOutGuy: Ugh, I almost puked;;
[Guild] It'sDorahee:~
[Guild] MocaBread: Everyone did great
[Guild] Statick: Thank god today's Sunday…
[Guild] CapitalistMonster: ….
[Guild] SoySauceCrabYum: ….
Everyone was clearly worn out after focusing so intensely on the game for such a long time to aim for First Clear.
We had braced ourselves since Loremha took 48 hours, but we hadn't expected this to be so draining… Still, we got First Clear, so it wasn't a bad feeling.
Rubbing my tired eyes, I heard the ping of a new message.
[Yoo Chae]: Hyung
[Yoo Chae]: Good work
[Yoo Chae]: Are you going to rest right away?
[SleepyAF]: Dunno, doubt I can do much more
[SleepyAF]: My focus is shot
[Yoo Chae]: ….
[Yoo Chae]: Are we playing next weekend too?
Next weekend? That would be…
'The day Chae Yujeong invited me over.'
I hadn't said yes yet, but with so many things to consider, it was hard to outright decline.
Plus, after we parted yesterday, she really did send me several photos of her place, which blew my resistance straight into the stratosphere.
Scratching my forehead, I typed while still undecided.
[SleepyAF]: Not sure yet
[SleepyAF]: Might log in if I'm free
[Yoo Chae]: Shu
[SleepyAF]: What about you?
With a crying emoticon, Yoo Chae replied with a hint of disappointment.
[Yoo Chae]: Me? Meh
[Yoo Chae]: I'll just game as usual
[SleepyAF]: All weekend?
[Yoo Chae]: I'm not like you, Hyung. I'm an outsider. Got no friends to meet
[Yoo Chae: I'm not like you, Hyung… I'm a loner, so I've got no friends to meet up with]
I narrowed my eyes at Yoo Chae's sly comment. This was starting to feel just like the wedding situation all over again.
Yoo Chae, who logged in late because she'd gone to her family's place.
Chae Yujeong, who said she's been living alone for a long time, away from her parents.
On the Wednesday when Chae Yujeong had her team interview, Yoo Chae had been playing Zenoris. I didn't know the exact time of the interview, but the LVS Team's official social media account had posted on Wednesday about the interview schedule. Which meant what Chae Yujeong told me wasn't a lie.
Are these two really the same person? Or did things just coincidentally overlap, and I'm the only one jumping to conclusions?
'…If I keep going like this, it'll never end.'
It felt like it was finally time to make a decision. Up until now, I'd tried to get evidence from either Yoo Chae or Chae Yujeong without revealing my suspicions. But all I'd gotten from that approach was failure.
[SleepyAF: lolol]
[SleepyAF: I don't have friends either]
[Yoo Chae: Liar]
[Yoo Chae: You always ditch me to hang out]
[Yoo Chae: You haven't forgotten your autumn bride, right?]
If I wanted definite proof, I'd have to be willing to pay the price. With that thought, I began formulating a plan to gather proof from both Chae Yujeong and Yoo Chae.
[SleepyAF: Bride, my ass lol]
[SleepyAF: I'm only busy next Saturday, I'll be online Sunday]
[SleepyAF: Actually, we can play even today]
[SleepyAF: Aren't you gonna log on after a nap and play with me?]
[Yoo Chae: !]
[Yoo Chae: Yes!!! ]
[SleepyAF: Yeah]
[SleepyAF: We grinded hard with that raid, so let's relax a bit later]
[SleepyAF: Gotta do some solo questing for the first time in a while]
[Yoo Chae: Sounds great! ^▽^)/]
After making plans with Yoo Chae, I logged out of Zenoris and sent a separate message to Chae Yujeong.
[Yoo Ji-han: You said next Saturday, right?]
[Yoo Ji-han: I'll go. So stop sending me pictures]
[Chae Yujeong: !!!]
[Chae Yujeong: (emoticon)]
[Chae Yujeong: Really?]
[Chae Yujeong: You're not messing with me, are you? If so, you're a seriously mean person, Hyung]
[Yoo Ji-han: I said I'm going]
Even though it was nearly 2 AM, her reply came instantly. I let out a sigh as I stared at the animated emoticon of a black cat dancing happily.
This would be the last time.
I'd made up my mind to face this head-on. And if I still couldn't get any proof after this, I'd stop doubting them altogether.
It was true that, after what happened with Kim Uichan, I'd grown hypersensitive to people lying to me and causing unnecessary stress. But even so, to keep suspecting someone for over a month with no proof, seeing everything through a tinted lens—that wasn't the right thing to do.There was no meaning, no benefit to be gained from this.
So it was time to stop.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE-https://payhip.com/Beastnovels