Paranoid Love Affair

“Yoon-woo, you didn’t retake the exam and repeat a year, did you?”

Coming out of the classroom with Yoon-woo, Hye-rim asked Yoon-woo.

“No. Why?”

“Then why don’t we talk informally now? We’re the same age and in the same grade, and it’s so awkward.”

‘No, I want to keep you awkward and out of touch.’

“Do you really need to? We’re only doing assignments together.”

“What do you mean we’re only doing assignments together? That would be disappointing. We’re taking classes together, right? Two of us! And now we’re going to eat together. So let it go, will you?”

Can I say that we take those two ’classes’ together?

In modern business administration class, Hye-rim and I only sleep on the chairs, and Hye-rim’s friend changed plans so we are only eating together for today.…it really depends on what she says.

People who offer Yoon-woo something are often just asking him once out of courtesy, so it was the first time anyone pushed him to this point of rejection.

“Uh…… sure.”

“What do you mean, Yoon-woo? You’re gonna say yes, aren’t you?

“Uh…… yes……… Yeah.”

It was the worst.

What was the worst was that everything that happened from the moment she asked me to eat together in the classroom was the worst.

First of all, the distance from the lecture hall on the science campus where the economics principles class was held was quite far from the snack bar.

So, there were too many people looking at Hye-rim and Yoon-woo.

I’m sure they looked at Hye-rim and saw me while looking at her.

And the problem was that I couldn’t find anything to say no to Hye-rim’s suggestion to speak informally as soon as I got out of the classroom.

As she got comfortable talking, Hye-rim bombarded Yoon-woo with questions.

What’s your major? Did you join any club? What other classes do you take?

There was no end to questions.

“Yoon-woo, do you usually cook in your own room?”

“No, I just order a large salad with a little meat.”

“What a diet! That’s why you’re so fit. And I’m so fat. I have to go on a diet, but I can’t stand my appetite.… But I think Yoon-woo needs to eat a little more. It’s okay now, though.”

As a super insider, Hye-rim naturally mixes words, praising Yoon-woo in between conversations.

The moment you truly accept these compliments, you fall into the abyss.

This is a kind of conversation template.

Praise is just a sign of wanting to maintain a favourable relationship with the other person, not necessarily telling the truth.

Insiders exchange compliments as naturally as ‘I’m fine, thank you and you?’ and comes after ‘How are you?’

In other words, it is time for Yoon-woo to pay Hye-rim back her compliments.

“You’re not on a diet but still you’re skinny. And, you work out so hard. Shouldn’t you pay more attention to eating? I’m just eating like that because I don’t have any living expenses.”

Did I do a good job?

Now, Yoon-woo’s conversation with Hye-rim was like a test to choose the right answer to the question.

“Huh? ‘So hard?’ Yoon-woo, have you seen me working out?”

‘Oops…I made a mistake.’

Yoon-woo intuitively felt that he had chosen the wrong answer.

“Oh…… yes. I’ve been in the weight zone a few times during summer vacation.”

I’m sure you’re creeped out. ‘What if someone like you reports me for sexual harassment? Then do I have to kill myself right now before I bother my parents? If I was reported for sexual harassment, then Bunny wouldn’t get to die with me.’

A lot of anxiety passed through Yoon-woo’s head for a short time, as he thought he had chosen the wrong answer.

“Oh, right. We go to the same gym, right? I’m so embarrassed. I’m sure you’ve seen me chubby. It must have been ugly because I was covered in sweat with no makeup on.….”

Yoon-woo realized that he almost made the same mistake while trying to answer, ‘Not at all’

Those are not the words of humility, but it’s a trap that says,’Confess how closely you looked at me, you pervert.’

Insiders’ conversations are psychological warfare.

In fact, Yoon-woo has never been an insider, but she is.

Yoon-woo should be more careful in talking to each other as he has no experience.

Every word of Zhuge Liang, who went alone as an envoy to Wu, should be regarded as a trap.
(Zhuge Liang= Chinese strategist )

“I just remembered the first time I saw a woman working out in the weight zone. I didn’t take a closer look.”

“You didn’t look closely? Well, I see …. you are not the type to pay attention to others. What do you usually exercise?”

Seeing that the topic has changed, the risk of being reported for harassment is over.

However, there was no sign of a stopping the conversation.

Why is the snack bar not coming, how far is it?

I am answering Hye-rim’s question, but how can the conversation be so long?

Now, I’ve just left the science camp and crossed the signal. It’ll be street food if I walk a little longer.

There are so many students moving around, so there are so many people looking at Hye-rim, and there are so many words from Hye-rim that Yoon-woo’s mind is getting worn out.

Yoon-woo answered Hye-rim’s questions patiently, comforting himself by saying he would be sleeping comfortably in the soft chair of the management office two hours later to withstand the situation.

“During the semester, I was doing burpee tests and bare body workouts, but from vacation, I started watching Wetube and doing some weights. I’m not good at it.”

“Oh maybe… … That, the person who always came and did burpees very quickly, right? Had a good physique! It’s a little hard to do… …and at that speed for quite some time, so I glanced at him hehe.”

It seemed like a compliment, but it was not easy to repay it this time.

Since you have been praised for your athletic ability, you should also praise the other person’s athletic ability.

The reason Yoon-woo looked at Hye-rim exercising was not due to sexual desire, but as a foot of inferiority to check how many kilos that woman can lift with a deadlift, and whether or not she could lift a weight heavier than himself. If I said it was, no one would believe it.

Could it be a trap that counted up to there? But fortunately, I could see the food bar in front of me.

“I can just do it relatively faster because I weigh less. We’re almost there.”

“Why is there no one waiting? Although that’s a relief. The classroom is so far away, some people must have left while we were walking!”

He got used to Hye-rim’s questions and the gazes of people around but there was still a difficult task left that was choosing what to eat.

“What should we order? Is there anything you particularly like, Yoon-woo?”

“I don’t know because it’s my first time coming here, so order what Hye-rim usually eats.”

“Really? Is this your first time here? You don’t like snacks, do you?”

“No, I like it.”

I hate it.

When he was young, Yoon-woo’s parents forced him to attend the academy.

Yoon-woo used to settle most of his meals at convenience stores or snack bars.

Other children ate their own packed lunches while their parents sent them with the car according to the schedule of the academy, and they also ate dinner with their parents at a beef-bone soup restaurant or a Korean restaurant.

Only a few children whose parents couldn’t take care of them because of their busy schedules gathered at the snack bar and ate while chatting and talking about children.

‘You don’t like snacks?’ Ever since I was born, I have never liked snack food.

It was just a means to fill a hasty meal.

Ramen, gimbap, and tteokbokki are disgusting. Ramen that is only salty and spicy, gimbap that makes you thirsty when you eat it, tteokbokki that is needlessly sweet… …

“Thank God. I really like tteokbokki. Hehe. So, are we going to the right or left?”

“Wherever you like.”

I don’t know what she thinks, but I hate everything anyway, so it didn’t matter what she ordered.

For Yoon-woo, eating was an unavoidable daily life, but for Hye-rim, was it a pleasant escape? What was her childhood like?

As Yoon-woo was thinking like that, Hye-rim quickly checked her order form without hesitation and handed it to the owner.

‘Huh? I think you did a lot of checking?’

“… … What did you order?”

“Tteokbokki, gimbap, sundae and dumplings.”

‘Who eats that much?’

Yoon-woo usually eats very little, and skipping meals before exercising was a daily routine, so he had a picky taste.

He will barely eat even a single line of gimbap.

He used to buy a sandwich from a convenience store and shared it for lunch and dinner.

‘It’s a little bit too much for the two of us to eat… …. Isn’t it?’

“Isn’t this the perfect amount for the two of us to eat?”

Absolutely not. But if you think about it, it’s already too late.

Within minutes of submitting the order, the menu was brought to the table. There is a reason the turnover rate is fast.

‘There are a lot of people… ….’

It was a lot more than I thought.

Gimbap was also not as thick as Yun-woo thought.

Unlike other gimbap, it was gimbap made with black rice, and although the rice was not very thick, it was full of ingredients, so it looked like it would burst at any moment.

I glanced at the lady rolling the gimbap, wondering how on earth it was made. She opened the lid of a large-capacity tuna can for commercial use, picked up the contents roughly with her hands wearing sanitary gloves, and threw it roughly on the flat rice.

There are no men working here.

There is a reason why this place is called the hope of the poor economics students.

But only gimbap was tasty.

“Isn’t it great for the money?”

“You’re right.”

Hye-rim looked really satisfied.

Whether she really likes tteokbokki or not, her chopsticks were busy dipping dumplings, gimbap, sundae, and tteokbokki sauce.

Yoon-woo was careful to eat as neatly as possible and put a little bit of each type of food on a plate, especially because of the large satiety that dumplings and gimbap give me, so I quickly got full.

I’m in trouble.

When you eat, it is not polite to make you feel like you’ve been forced to come to meet the other person.

This was even the place Hye-rim chose considering Yoon-woo’s financial situation.

However, I was already full and there was so much food that it was not obvious that he ate it.

If you stop using chopsticks like this, she will think that Yoon-woo came with her by force.

I can’t help it. I’ll have to eat for dinner as well.

Then a few minutes later, the food on the table was finished.

“What? I think I ate it all by myself…Did you really hate street food?”

Despite trying his best, Yoon-woo’s efforts failed.

It’s true that he hates street food, but Yoon-woo really ate more than he could.

Nevertheless, the amount Yoon-woo ate was about one-third of the total menu ordered by Hye-rim.

Surprisingly, Hye-rim finished all of the remaining two-thirds of the food.

“No, I ate a lot. I’m telling you, I won’t be having dinner.”

I really didn’t think I could have dinner.

“Yoon-woo, you really don’t eat a lot. I’m jealous of you who have such a small appetite and maintain your physique. I’m embarrassed for no reason. I’m the only one who ate a lot…….”

“Hye-rim. It’s ok. I eat just like that.”

So, let’s go home now.

“Well, we’re almost done eating, so I’ll just pay for this place. Here’s the check!”

After saying that, Hye-rim stands up and hands the 10,000 won bill to the lady.

Ten thousand won for that amount…….

If Yoon-woo did not hate street food, it would have been worth considering using it as a staple food.

“Oh? No, don’t do that. I’m so sorry. Here’s 5,000 won.”

“No, no. If you’re sorry, Yoon-woo, buy me a coffee! There’s no one waiting at the coffee shop.”

Come to think of it, college students always drink coffee after eating.

Yoon-woo liked coffee, and college coffee was cheap considering college students’ wallet circumstances, but it was a luxury for Yoon-woo to drink 2,000 won coffee, who set a budget of 4,000 won per meal.

But under the current circumstances, Yoon-woo thought he owed her at least 3,000 won, so it wouldn’t be a bad thing to be able to settle it right away with coffee.

Since the café is not a lot, spacious seats are always taken, so you have to order take away most of the time.

“What will you like to drink, Hye-rim?””

“I like ice cafe mocha! I’ll take it out and walk to the management, ok?”

Strangely, it sounded as if we were going together.

There’s still more than an hour left until the class, so why? Yoon-woo paid for the coffee and told Hye-rim just in case.

“Well…… I’m just going to read a book in the library.”

“You study too much, that’s why you are so good at completing assignments?”

“I’m just copying theories.”

I guess you didn’t mean to come with me. It was the moment when Yoon-woo received the coffee he ordered and gave it to Hye-rim and turned his back on her.

“Yoon-woo, where are you going?”

“Huh? I’m going to the library.”

“Why are you going to the library there? The library is next to the management center.”

Oops. I guess what she thought was the Central Library.

Yes, loser Yoon Woo didn’t go to the crowded central library.

The corner of the science and engineering campus library was good.

“Uh…… I’m used to going to the library that is around the corner of the science and engineering campus.….”

“There’s also a library right next to the management building so why not go there? I’m bored anyways so let’s go this way.”

I don’t want to. I feel pressured to go with her already, but I have to go to the crowded central library.

Nothing was beneficial to Yoon-woo.

Shouldn’t this be enough to say no?

‘I don’t like it when there’s a lot of people. Wouldn’t that be a special reason to refuse?’

No, I can’t do that. ‘I don’t like crowded places’ is just Yoon-woo’s subjective preference.

Yoon-woo’s taste is not important to anyone in the world.

On the other hand, it is important for many people that people like Cho Hye-rim aren’t bored or have someone to hang out with.

There must be people lining up to buy her boredom.

But you let Hye-rim walk alone because of Yoon-woo’s subjective preference?

And Hye-rim recommended Yoon-woo first.

This is a grave rebellion against the structure of society.

It’s like a King giving a gift to a soldier that he doesn’t like.

What would happen to such a soldier? I’m sure you’ll have to put your head on the guillotine.

“Yes, okay.”

I guess it’s just for today. Like she said, she was bored.

There won’t be another day when she has nothing to do.

Yoon-woo repeatedly took forceful steps with Hye-rim.