Unrequited Love Obsession Diary - Chapter 44

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 44

 

“Senior…! Thank you so much for yesterday.”

 

“No, it’s nothing. What did I even do? I should have helped you sooner.”

 

“No, you’re wrong. If you hadn’t shown up, those people might have really kept bothering me until the very end.”

 

“Then I’m glad I could help.”

 

Dohan was wearing a group t-shirt.

 

The green text reading “Handsome Hope” on the front of the yellow t-shirt was tacky beyond belief.

 

On the back of the t-shirt, the Department of Business Administration’s FM was printed in large letters.

 

But since the person wearing it was who he was, even that looked impressive. Noticing Yeon-jae’s gaze pouring over him, Dohan smiled softly.

 

“This is funny, isn’t it?”

 

“Oh, no! It suits you so well though…!”

 

“Really? Saying this t-shirt suits me well doesn’t really sound like a compliment though?”

 

“No… I mean the phrase written on that t-shirt, hup.”

 

Yeon-jae shut her mouth in the middle of speaking. Saying it goes well with “Handsome Hope” meant she was seeing Dohan as handsome.

 

“No. I misspoke… That’s not what I meant…”

 

Dohan leaned his face forward about a hand’s width. Then he asked.

 

“Why? Am I ugly?”

 

Gasp…

 

‘…There’s no way that’s true!’

 

But how could she say these words out loud? Yeon-jae just clenched her fists tightly, trying to calm her heart that felt like it would burst.

 

Never had Yeon-jae longed for Hyeonoh as much as she did now. Even if Si-eun had been there, she would have asked.

 

Is this flirting… or am I overthinking again…

 

Instead of answering, Yeon-jae hung her head low.

 

She was so nervous that she couldn’t even calculate that this attitude might be perceived as a positive answer to the question of whether he was ugly.

 

Fortunately, Dohan didn’t show any particular reaction. He just laughed, “Haha.”

 

Dohan poured alcohol into the glass Hyeonoh had been using and downed it in one shot.

 

“Are you okay? You have to work again.”

 

“You know what? If you look inside, everyone’s pouring soju into water bottles and drinking while pretending to drink water as they work.”

 

“Wow. I see.”

 

“Yeah. All the other bars are probably working the same way. Mixing soju with Bacchus and drinking it. Drinking energy drinks. It’s like a tradition at university festivals.”

 

“This is my first time coming to see a festival, so I had no idea.”

 

“Oh, really? You must have been disappointed since it’s not as special as you thought. Festivals are only fun for the people involved anyway.”

 

“No, it was fun, really! I also enjoyed watching people who were absorbed and immersed in something…”

 

“Yeon-jae…”

 

Dohan held onto the end of his sentence for a moment, quietly lost in thought as if choosing the right expression.

 

“You seem to see the good side of the world.”

 

“Me?!”

 

Yeon-jae was startled. She was glad she wasn’t drinking anything.

 

A person who sees the good side of the world.

 

‘If I had been holding alcohol or water in my mouth, I would have almost sprayed it right on Dohan’s face…’

 

It was such a nice thing to hear.

 

It felt like a more rational description that would be enough to have romantic interest, compared to the “cool woman” she had heard through Hyeonoh’s mouth.

 

But that wasn’t the image of herself that Yeon-jae knew. So it wasn’t true.

 

Just as Yeon-jae was about to explain.

 

“Kang Hyeon-o is coming.”

 

Dohan looked beyond Yeon-jae and waved his hand. Soon Hyeonoh appeared. Hyeonoh dragged over a spare chair from another table and sat down.

 

“Aren’t you getting off work now?”

 

“I think it should be fine. And there aren’t many people after this time. Yesterday was just a bit unusual.”

 

“Yesterday, this body cooked too well. Hmhaha.”

 

“Let’s have fun. What should we do?”

 

“I don’t know. Watch performances? But are there any singers you’re interested in?”

 

“No. I don’t even know who’s coming. What about you, Yeon-jae?”

 

“Me neither…”

 

She was sure she had heard a filibuster from her classmates about who the invited singer was throughout the festival, but now she had completely forgotten.

 

After thinking for a moment, Dohan ran his hand through his hair and said.

 

“Sorry, but I think I should just go home. I’m tired. What about you, Kang Hyeon-o?”

 

“Tch, let’s have fun. My club members are drinking and told me to come.”

 

“Then, Yeon-jae, if you don’t have anything else to do, let’s go home together.”

 

“…!”

 

Wait, did Dohan just suggest going home together first?

 

After finishing his words, Dohan stood up from his seat without hesitation.

 

Caught off guard, Yeon-jae also stood up following Dohan.

 

At that moment, only Hyeonoh was still sitting. Hyeonoh looked up at the two people who had stood up.

 

Somewhat sullenly.

 

“We’ll get going first.”

 

“I’ll be leaving first…!”

 

Only after Dohan and then Yeon-jae awkwardly said goodbye did Hyeonoh seem to come to his senses.

 

“Huh? Oh… Yeah. Take care.”

 

Even until Dohan and Yeon-jae completely disappeared from sight, Hyeonoh kept thinking.

 

What is this…

 

He realized a beat late that he felt something was off.

 

‘I feel uneasy.’

 

It was definitely a plan he had set up.

 

Yeon-jae and Dohan were the lead actors in that plan. With the clear purpose of making them a couple.

 

But just now, before Hyeonoh could even intervene, Dohan had taken the initiative to advance his relationship with Yeon-jae.

 

Did he dislike that?

 

No, that couldn’t be. Hyeonoh, who was about to deny it, changed his mind. He decided to be honest.

 

He definitely disliked it.

 

Hyeonoh quickly acknowledged the emotion he felt. Soon he was a bit flustered.

 

It was the first time. This kind of feeling.

 

* * *

 

A few days later, the school that had gone through MT and the festival consecutively was quiet as if it had never been so noisy.

 

That meant they were right in the middle of the assignment storm week, between midterms and finals, which could no longer be ignored.

 

The group assignment between Hyeonoh and Yeon-jae, which had been postponed until now, had also approached right up close.

 

The laid-back professor was not conducting any proper class today either, under the pretext of giving time to work on group assignments. He was just sitting on the platform, surfing the web alone in lofty solitude.

 

“Senior, I did some research. I also extracted data samples.”

 

Yeon-jae pulled out a bundle of printouts from her bag.

 

“Already?!”

 

“Yes…”

 

“We were playing around together at the festival just a few days ago?”

 

“Did I rush too much… But I had nothing to do on the weekend and plenty of time, so I tried doing it first. Oh right. While I was extracting data, I also tried running dummy data analysis once? I found patterns and organized them, but I think you need to look at this part with me, senior. Since this is my first time taking this class…”

 

“You should have said something. You must have had a hard time alone. Sorry.”

 

“Oh. There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, senior! I really had nothing to do so I did it in advance. Don’t feel too burdened. You’re doing the presentation anyway.”

 

Hyeonoh looked through the materials Yeon-jae handed him. Yeon-jae had said she did it roughly, but honestly speaking, the quality was high enough that they could immediately prepare for a presentation with this material.

 

“Is this really your first time taking a Department of Business Administration class? Why did you do so well?”

 

“I listened to the lectures diligently…”

 

“Didn’t you keep doing other things with me?!”

 

“I woke you up several times, senior.”

 

“This makes me feel too sorry though?”

 

Hyeonoh felt a bit awkward. Somehow it felt like he was freeloading just like the professor.

 

“Just do well on the presentation. That’ll be enough.”

 

But Yeon-jae, who had actually done all the hard work alone, replied as if it was no big deal.

 

“I’m betting everything on this presentation right now. It’s my first time taking a Department of Business Administration exam, so I can’t even gauge what score to expect…”

 

“Then I’ll present so well it’ll rival a National Assembly member who got speaking rights in the main assembly.”

 

“Isn’t that too controversial?”

 

“A university president giving a graduation speech.”

 

“That’s too boring.”

 

“Hmm… then how about an educational broadcast announcer?”

 

“Good. You pass.”

 

Yeon-jae laughed. Hyeonoh gazed at that smile for a moment before asking a question.

 

“By the way, did you get home safely that day?”

 

“Last time? Oh.”

 

The memory of that day when she went home with Dohan flashed through Yeon-jae’s mind.

 

* * *

 

Nothing was particularly different from usual. The only difference was that they were walking after having a few glasses of soju. However, even combining what both of them drank didn’t amount to half a bottle, so neither of them was drunk.

 

Furthermore, there wasn’t even a trace of tipsiness. Still, it was a situation where she could make excuses. She could have acted completely wasted after just one drink and tried some moves.

 

But Yeon-jae stiffened like a wooden statue and just walked forward like a toy soldier.

 

She couldn’t even look toward where Dohan was…

 

Just like whenever she stood next to Dohan, she kept her head down and only looked at her feet.

 

“Yeon-jae. Are you drunk?”

 

Dohan asked.

 

“N-no! I barely drank anything…”

 

“Really? Should we stop by a convenience store and get some hangover cure? The pharmacy is open too. I’m sure the pharmacy sells hangover cure boosters or something.”

 

Yeon-jae quickly raised her head and waved both palms.

 

“Senior, I’m really fine! I’m totally sober…!”

 

“Well, even if you’re not drunk, it’s good to drink it preventively. Let’s drink it together. I had a few drinks that the kids gave me while working today.”

 

No matter how much Yeon-jae refused, it was useless. Eventually, the two entered a nearby pharmacy with the bus stop right in front of them. As expected, the pharmacy in the university district seemed to have its peak season during festival time.

 

Just as Dohan said, they sold several medicines bundled together under the name hangover booster. After Dohan picked up two and paid for them, the two drank the hangover cure and came outside, heading back to the bus stop.

 

The bus stop was quiet, in contrast to the noisy campus side. The two sat side by side on the bench, waiting for bus number 7122 that they needed to take. There wasn’t much conversation.

 

Yeon-jae placed both hands neatly clenched into fists on her thighs.

 

‘This is awkward…’

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Yeon-jae.”

 

Breaking through the silence, Dohan suddenly called out to Yeon-jae.

 

“Yes?!”

 

“How long are you going to keep being so formal with me?”

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