Unrequited Love Obsession Diary - Chapter 43

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 43

 

“What?!”

 

Yeon-jae hung her head low.

 

The tone saying cute…

 

Cu. te. He said…

 

I… to Dohan sunbae…

 

As her head dropped, her hair flowed down, revealing Yeon-jae’s reddened earlobes. Not just her earlobes. Her entire face had somehow turned beet red.

 

“When are you going to fix that face-turning-red thing?”

 

Hyeonoh, who had been quietly watching that whole process, spoke as if it was amusing.

 

“It’s not something I can control at will…”

 

“Well, I guess so. But no matter what, you’re way~ too obvious, you know?”

 

Though his words sounded like scolding, Hyeonoh’s face looked like he was having the time of his life.

 

“But don’t get into 3-on-1 situations if you can help it. If something like that happens, definitely contact me or Lee Do-han.”

 

Hyeonoh muttered quite seriously.

 

“Thank goodness nothing happened. There are so many crazy people in the world~”

 

He seemed fully awake now, yawning once and stretching lazily.

 

Just then, club members and their acquaintances began taking their seats one by one.

 

“Yeon-jae, you came early?!”

 

Si-eun had arrived too.

 

“Oh, yeah. Wait a minute, Si-eun. What did you say?”

 

However, Yeon-jae was unusually flustered even at Si-eun’s casual greeting.

 

A puzzled expression appeared on Si-eun’s face, who had no idea what had just happened, and she spoke as if scolding.

 

“This girl is completely out of it. Sunbae, did something happen to Yeon-jae?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Hyeonoh shrugged expressionlessly. Si-eun, who had been looking at the two meaningfully, eventually started bickering with Hyeonoh for a while, going ‘Sunbae, you know, right?’ ‘I told you I don’t know?!’

 

Before long, the audiovisual room was almost completely packed with no empty seats.

 

Soon it was the appointed time, and all the lights went down except for the podium where the host would deliver the opening ceremony remarks.

 

In the dimly lit audience, Yeon-jae sat quietly without saying anything.

 

Hyeonoh glanced at Yeon-jae and made an incredulous expression. Looking closely, Yeon-jae wasn’t just quiet—she looked completely spaced out.

 

And Hyeonoh tilted his head and whispered in a small voice.

 

“Are you that happy?”

 

Instead of answering, Yeon-jae typed on her phone’s notepad and showed it to him.

 

🙈

 

Hyeonoh let out a deflated laugh after seeing the emoticon Yeon-jae had hastily typed.

 

“What a mess. But why are you writing on your phone to show me? The screening hasn’t even started yet. Kwon Min-wook is chattering away just fine, isn’t he?”

 

As Hyeonoh said, the people around them were laughing along with Min-wook’s mood-lifting remarks like canned laughter from a sitcom.

 

But Yeon-jae’s situation was different.

 

I can’t even speak

 

“Over the top, seriously.”

 

ㅠㅠ I’m not exaggerating

 

“Why are you crying? Be strong, Shin Yeon-jae.”

 

“Don’t make fun of other people’s suffering…”

 

“Finally you speak up. And what suffering? Isn’t this a good thing? He said it in a tone calling you cute.”

 

“The suffering of joy.”

 

“There’s no such thing.”

 

“It’s a paradox. Everything works in literature.”

 

“Oh? Department of Korean Literature?”

 

“I don’t even have a bachelor’s degree yet…”

 

As the two were whispering away, Si-eun, who was sitting in the front row, turned her head sharply.

 

“Could you please be quiet?”

 

Only then did the two go “oops” and shut their mouths.

 

Just then, Min-wook wrapped up his opening remarks by saying, ‘I hope you enjoy the film, and please participate actively in the talk session after the screening.’

 

Soon the lights in the audiovisual room went out and complete darkness descended.

 

While everyone who had been chattering closed their mouths, Hyeonoh spoke up once more in a very small voice.

 

“Let’s redo the first date we couldn’t do yesterday.”

 

First date?

 

While Yeon-jae was puzzled, not understanding immediately, Hyeonoh added one more thing.

 

“The bet.”

 

Yeon-jae, who realized belatedly, swallowed once and then asked in a very, very small voice.

 

“How?”

 

“After this ends, we’ll call Do-han and the three of us will hang out. Then when you go home, you’ll go back together just the two of you, using the excuse that you’re going in the same direction.”

 

Just the two of them.

 

* * *

 

After the screening ended completely, the club members gathered in small groups and prepared to leave for the after-party venue.

 

“Hyeonoh hyung, aren’t you coming to the after-party?”

 

“I can’t go right now. I have something to do with her.”

 

Here, ‘her’ referred to Yeon-jae.

 

“I’ll come later if I have time. You’ll be drinking until the last train anyway, right?”

 

As soon as Hyeonoh finished speaking, all the club members’ gazes turned toward Yeon-jae at once.

 

Yeon-jae smiled awkwardly and just raised her hand in greeting.

 

Hyeonoh’s words were based exactly on facts, but they were enough to cause misunderstandings about their relationship. It would have been good to just let it slide there.

 

“Kang Hyeon-o. You have business to attend to alone with a woman? This is suspicious.”

 

After all, college students’ biggest interest is romantic relationships. Eventually someone questioned what was between the two.

 

Min-wook, who had learned through Si-eun that Yeon-jae and Hyeonoh weren’t siblings, also chimed in.

 

“He’s been weird lately. He even lied to me.”

 

Yeon-jae, feeling awkward, added a lame excuse.

 

“I’m a double major student.”

 

Haha. She laughed awkwardly, but Hyeonoh stepped in front of Yeon-jae protectively and answered instead.

 

“None of your business? Everyone mind your own business.”

 

Only then did the club members stop prying and disappear to have their after-party. Si-eun also looked at the two with a puzzled face before waving and following the other members out.

 

And as soon as Hyeonoh left the audiovisual room, he immediately called Dohan.

 

“Lee Do-han, what are you doing? Let’s hang out. Don’t tell me you’re still at the bar? Oh, I don’t know. Tell them I’m not doing it. I’ll come over there, so let’s join up.”

 

* * *

 

When they went to pick up Dohan at the Business Department pub 【Handsome Hof】, Dohan was still wearing his department t-shirt and handing out flyers.

 

Dohan, who was handing out flyers with a soulless expression, treated even Yeon-jae as a passing pedestrian and handed her a flyer, then withdrew his hand a beat later after confirming Yeon-jae’s face.

 

“Oh, Yeon-jae came?”

 

Dohan gave his usual plain greeting, but his eyes looked more haggard than usual. He seemed to be staying at the bar until late every night.

 

“I told you to get ready, didn’t I?”

 

Hyeonoh looked at Dohan and spoke as if dumbfounded.

 

“Still, how can you just skip out? You might be fine with it, but I’m on the student council.”

 

“Crazy. Such a goody-two-shoes.”

 

Hyeonoh muttered as if fed up and went inside the bar. Then he sat down at an empty spot.

 

“Ahem… He’s just being responsible. It’s not like we had prior plans or anything.”

 

Yeon-jae habitually defended Dohan without even realizing it.

 

Hyeonoh looked at Yeon-jae as if he couldn’t believe it. As soon as Dohan turned his back, Hyeonoh said teasingly.

 

“Amazing defense. It’s like an automatic reflex.”

 

“I’m good at waiting anyway. I’m so used to waiting that this much isn’t really difficult…”

 

Feeling embarrassed after saying that, Yeon-jae poured soju into the empty glass in front of her.

 

And immediately brought it to her mouth to down it in one shot. Or rather, she tried to. She definitely tried to.

 

“They say a thief who learns late is the most dangerous. Look at you chugging alcohol.”

 

Hyeonoh blocked Yeon-jae’s movement, took her glass, and downed it himself. Then he filled Yeon-jae’s empty glass with alcohol and said.

 

“Don’t get drunk like that day today.”

 

“Ah.”

 

The ‘that day’ Hyeonoh mentioned was the day they went to the grilled eel restaurant. When Yeon-jae got completely wasted by herself.

 

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

 

“Sip it slowly.”

 

As Yeon-jae brought the soju glass to her mouth, Hyeonoh added another piece of advice.

 

“Don’t follow those stupid old-fashioned rules about downing the first glass in one shot.”

 

“Are you good at drinking, senior? You seem like you can handle your alcohol well.”

 

“So-so. At least I won’t get completely wasted and make the person sitting across from me feel lonely?”

 

“You even consider that? But you don’t get lonely, senior.”

 

“How would you know?”

 

“You’re always just pretending to want to date, pretending to be lonely.”

 

Yeon-jae pouted. Hyeonoh made an expression of disbelief. And just as he was about to open his mouth to argue back.

 

“That’s not what I…”

 

“Oh! As expected, Hyeonoh!”

 

The news that Hyeonoh had arrived must have reached the back, because Jun-sang, who had been washing dishes frantically inside, came out without even taking off his pink rubber gloves.

 

“Our loyal man is here? Did you come to sacrifice yourself for our department again!”

 

“Wow. What’s with that disgusting way of talking? Get lost.”

 

Hyeonoh waved his hands dismissively.

 

“Aww. Business has been a bit slow without our honey~♡”

 

Hyeonoh really was all over the place.

 

“Pfft.”

 

Yeon-jae couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing Hyeonoh, who seemed to have no rivals on this entire campus, getting owned by Jun-sang was just hilarious.

 

“You’re laughing?!”

 

Hyeonoh, who had been bickering with Jun-sang, whipped his head around and asked.

 

“It’s funny, so I’m laughing…”

 

Jun-sang’s gaze turned toward Yeon-jae. And only then, as if recognizing Yeon-jae’s presence, his eyes widened.

 

“Ahem. I apologize for being rude, not realizing a beautiful lady was present.”

 

The way he had been talking just moments ago disappeared instantly. Jun-sang even offered a handshake with one arm supporting the other.

 

When Yeon-jae just stared blankly without immediately taking his hand, Hyeonoh swatted Jun-sang’s hand away awkwardly.

 

Just then, another female classmate who was serving grabbed Jun-sang by the back of his neck.

 

“I told you not to slack off.”

 

“No! Hyejin! Our MVP Hyeonoh came by~ just to say hello!”

 

Hyejin, who knew that Hyeonoh had worked quite hard yesterday despite not even being on the student council, shook her head.

 

“Did your conscience go on vacation?”

 

“Enough of that, let’s go smoke. Kim Jun-sang, call Lee Do-han over here.”

 

Hyeonoh got up from his seat and said to Jun-sang and Hyejin.

 

“Wait a bit. Lee Do-han will come.”

 

As the three of them disappeared, the seat across from Yeon-jae became empty.

 

Even though there were two glasses, when everyone else was sitting around tables in groups, she felt embarrassed to be occupying an entire table by herself.

 

A new face appeared in the empty seat across from her.

 

“Hello.”

 

It was Dohan.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————