77) Chapter 13. She Says She Wants to Talk to You (4)
From my experience in the working world—
The reason company dinners are awful isn’t because the meat tastes bad. It’s because you have to eat in the same space as your boss.
No matter how uncomfortable you are, you still eat the meat in front of you. Otherwise, it feels like a tragic waste.
So Jinwoo must’ve thought the same.
Even while glancing nervously at me, Soi, Chae‑yi, and Hyeonji, she quietly ate her pasta, bite by bite.
Hmm. Is that… manly?
Someone in the 21st century would probably scream “sexism!” at that, but I still have to make these judgments.
Because, again—from my experience—
If you treat a woman who dresses and acts like a man as if she were actually a man, the reaction you get is usually… not pleasant.
Of course, Jinwoo is openly pretending to be a boy in front of everyone, so this is a slightly different case.
“Is it good?”
“Eh!? Cough—!”
I only asked one question, and Jinwoo immediately choked.
This makes it look like I’m bullying her. In the original story, I did bully her, but that Rua never sat down to eat with Jinwoo. She was a simple, one‑dimensional villain who didn’t bother with subtle harassment like this.
Jinwoo thumped her chest, gulped down water, and finally calmed herself.
“Is it good?”
“Y‑yeah.”
“You like it?”
“Y‑yeah.”
Why does she only have one type of response?
Well, I was like that too. In my previous life, I was terrible at socializing. When coworkers or my boss talked to me, I always answered with short replies like “Uh, yes,” or “No, not really.”
They probably didn’t like me for it, but… what was I supposed to do?
If I had nothing more to say, why force a long answer?
So I understand Jinwoo. I do. But…
It still bothers me.
Why?
After thinking for a moment, I realized:
I brought Jinwoo here because I wanted to learn more about her. I can’t ask directly with Soi, Chae‑yi, and Hyeonji right next to me, but there are things I want to know.
But if Jinwoo only gives short answers, I can’t gather any information.
It’s not just that, though.
More than anything—
She’s easy.
“……Hmm.”
In this life too, I’ve lived curled up, unable to fight back even when others pushed me around.
There were many reasons. I was timid. I didn’t want trouble to spread to my family or friends. And no matter how much I denied it, I couldn’t erase my connection to the witch.
The world was never easy for me.
But now, suddenly, there’s someone in front of me who’s easier than me.
I think I understand why the original Rua bullied her.
Not that I plan to become like that Rua.
“Here.”
“Huh?”
“You got something here.”
I pointed to my own mouth with my right hand. Jinwoo raised her right hand and wiped the right side of her mouth.
But since we were facing each other like a mirror, the stain was on the opposite side.
“No, not there—”
Without thinking, I reached toward her face.
But—
Scrape, scrape.
Chae‑yi, sitting beside Jinwoo, suddenly yanked out a bunch of napkins and scrubbed Jinwoo’s face roughly.
“Mmff!”
She practically sandpapered her.
Uh, no.
I mean—
Sure, Soi and Chae‑yi often wipe my mouth when something gets on it.
And yes, sometimes they wipe it with their bare hands and then casually lick their fingers afterward.
But doing that to someone else’s face… feels wrong.
…Not because I’m worried about Jinwoo.
It just feels unpleasant.
“……Hmm?”
So… do I dislike seeing Soi and Chae‑yi wipe someone else’s face?
No, I’m not jealous of that specific action.
Is it because Jinwoo might be a boy? I’m almost certain she’s not, but not 100%.
No, more than that—
I don’t want Soi or Chae‑yi getting close to someone else.
Because we’ve always been together. We sleep in the same bed every night.
They follow me everywhere, hold my hand when I’m scared.
I don’t want to lose even one of them.
I was startled by my own surprisingly possessive thought when Chae‑yi lowered her hand.
Then she glanced at me, cautiously.
No, it’s not like she did something wrong.
If anything, if she knew what I was thinking, I would die of embarrassment.
“So, what do you do when you’re alone in the dorm?”
I asked again.
“Uh……”
Jinwoo’s eyes darted around.
In the original, it never said what Jinwoo did in her free time. If it did, I must’ve skimmed past it.
But readers had a theory:
Jinwoo was probably into anime or manga.
The author was that type, so Jinwoo’s lines and inner monologues often parodied famous anime.
It was a joke, but if that trait carried over into this world…
“Uh, I, um, m‑movies. I watch movies.”
“Movies? What kind? What did you watch recently?”
Just naming a movie would’ve been enough, but Jinwoo’s eyes trembled violently.
Meaning: she watched something she doesn’t want to admit.
Suspicion intensifies.
It’s a classic otaku trait.
They hide their real hobbies because they know how people react. They mention something “normal” instead—something that overlaps slightly with their real interests.
But when asked for details, they panic because they don’t actually watch those “normal” things.
She’s probably trying to remember the title of a recent popular anime movie. Something everyone here would know and not dislike.
Honestly, even if she admitted it, none of us would hate her for it.
I’ve watched plenty of anime with Soi and Chae‑yi. After they caught me playing a game with a bikini‑clad girl on the lobby screen, I stopped hiding my tastes.
But Jinwoo doesn’t know that.
“Uh……”
Watching her stall while glancing at me stirred mixed feelings.
First, frustration. I want answers, but I can’t force them.
Second, a strange satisfaction at seeing someone even more timid than me.
Third, sympathy.
“…….”
I gave up on getting a direct answer and focused on my steak.
When my gaze dropped, Jinwoo visibly relaxed.
Too bad for her.
I’m not planning to let her go that easily.
As I watched her resume eating, I thought—
*
“Uh, wh‑what?”
“That’ll be 120,000 won.”
The cashier repeated the amount as Jinwoo stared blankly.
Somehow, Jinwoo ended up at the front of the line and walked straight to the register, so she heard the total.
Obviously, the pasta wasn’t 120,000 won. That was the total for all of us.
But why was she standing at the front?
Did she think we’d make her pay?
…Well, considering she was being extorted since the first week of school, maybe that wasn’t a strange assumption.
“Hey.”
“Eek!?”
I called her from behind, and she jumped.
The cashier’s expression shifted slightly.
No, we’re not bullying her.
We’re not delinquents.
Sure, Soi, Chae‑yi, and I dress kind of like that, but Hyeonji didn’t even alter her skirt. It flutters at the bottom.
But with Jinwoo acting like this, we look exactly like bullies. What a nuisance.
“You rich?”
“H‑huh? Huh?”
“I asked if you’re rich.”
“N‑no……”
Jinwoo lowered her head, face bright red.
If a normal boy made that face, it would be creepy. But since I think of her as a girl—and maybe because she doesn’t actually look creepy—it doesn’t bother me.
I pulled out my card and paid.
Normally, people are happy when someone buys them a meal.
But Jinwoo only looked more suspicious of me.
…Right. Just like at company dinners, not paying doesn’t make you grateful.