Chapter 14 : Deception
"Well, I'm not sure~?"
Eunbyeol replied with a giggle.
The dim light inside the bar cast shadows on her face. She was still wearing a baseball cap.
Seeing that, I smacked my lips.
'Tsk.'
It was an evasive answer.
I couldn't tell if she genuinely didn't know or was pretending not to.
Personally, I thought it was the latter.
From what I had observed throughout the day, her intuition was anything but ordinary.
There was no way she didn't understand the purpose behind my question.
Yet, if she was pretending not to know... did that mean she didn't want to answer?
I couldn't figure out what she was up to.
At that moment, Eunbyeol stood up from her seat.
After checking her phone, she gave me an awkward smile and said,
"Ah, I'm sorry, oppa. I need to go to the bathroom for a moment... Hehe."
She pretended to clutch her stomach as she stood up.
I immediately understood what the gesture meant.
"Oh, sure."
It wasn't a topic I could delve into deeply, so I quickly nodded. There was nothing I could do if her stomach hurt.
It was best to let her go quickly in such situations.
She headed towards the counter with slightly unsteady steps, seemingly tipsy from drinking a bottle.
Ding.
The clear sound of the door chime rang as the transparent entrance door opened and closed. Eunbyeol Lee disappeared down the stairs. Silence enveloped the table afterward.
"......"
Gulp.
I watched her as I sipped my drink.
_____
"......Phew."
Eunbyeol, she stepped out of the store and let out a sigh.
As she went outside, the cool night air greeted her.
She took off the baseball cap she was wearing and brushed her bangs aside. The refreshing breeze blew, clearing her mind, which was getting hazy from the alcohol.
The current time was 9:12 PM. It was a time when people were just starting to enter bars and others were finishing their parties and heading home.
"Hey! Today, Jieun is treating! Order whatever you want!"
"When did I say that?"
"Waaah!"
"I told you to drink in moderation."
Drunken streets were visible.
People were chatting and passing by everywhere, and some were even cooking kimchi pancakes on utility poles.
Eunbyeol watched the scene for a moment before taking out her phone. She dialed a familiar number and immediately pressed the call button.
The person she was calling was Yoo Boram.
Ring... Click.
Yoo Boram answered the phone after just a few rings.
It was as if she had been waiting for the call.
As soon as she answered, Yoo Boram on the other end of the line asked,
"Hey, how's it going? Are you successfully seducing him?"
She already knew that Eunbyeol was drinking with Se-won.
Eunbyeol replied in a matter-of-fact tone, her face expressionless, as if it were no big deal.
"Yeah, it's super easy?"
Her mind was already filled with thoughts of 50,000 won.
_____
'...She's taking a while.'
Gulp.
I sipped the soju in my glass and thought.
It had already been 5 minutes since Eunbyeol disappeared into the bathroom.
During that time, she still hadn't shown her face.
'Maybe she's doing something big.'
If it's something big, it would definitely take that long... but it was still uncomfortable.
Of course, 5 minutes isn't that long.
But it was long enough to feel awkward waiting alone.
Being alone in a bar... it's not like it's a jazz bar or anything.
Thanks to that, women from nearby seats were looking at me.
"Hey, look over there..."
"Oh... amazing."
Of course, it wasn't a sympathetic look like, 'Is that guy a loser? Why is he alone?'
Rather, it was a look mixed with interest.
The warm atmosphere unique to an izakaya tends to dress people up. Somehow, it seemed to create a certain mood.
"Hmm..."
But even a look mixed with interest wasn't enough to make me feel comfortable. Every move I made felt scrutinized under their gaze, as if they were undressing me with their eyes.
I hadn't dressed provocatively today, and I was even wearing a cardigan, but the lingering glances didn't seem to go away.
'This is so awkward.'
Unable to bear the stares any longer, I stood up from my seat.
'I can't take this anymore.'
I thought I'd go to the bathroom to cool my head and empty my bladder.
Ding.
The counter door chimed clearly, guiding me outside.
Even though I had only passed through one door, the air was noticeably different.
The cold air greeted me. I stood there for a moment, feeling the cold air on my skin, and thought,
'A little while ago, Eunbyeol went downstairs...'
The bathroom must be downstairs as well.
With that thought, I headed downstairs.
But,
"...Huh?"
There was no bathroom there. There was only an exit leading outside the building.
In other words, the bathroom was on the upper floor.
This made me curious.
'What's going on?'
I clearly saw her going downstairs.
Could I have been mistaken?
No, that couldn't be... I wasn't particularly drunk either.
Moreover, I had seen the blue baseball cap disappearing downstairs.
"......?"
Feeling a slight sense of unease, I decided to walk around for a bit.
My bladder could still hold on, and I wanted to cool my head with the night breeze.
And at the same time, I could look for Eunbyeol Lee.
If I couldn't find her, I thought she might be back by the time I returned.
As I was walking aimlessly, I found traces of Eunbyeol sooner than I expected.
"...Hey, so how did you seduce him? Spill the details."
"Nothing much."
From behind the corner of the street, I heard a familiar girl's voice.
Two voices.
"I just giggled and reacted to him, and he responded well."
"Really? That's all? Come on, you're lying."
Amidst the laughter mixed in their voices, I stopped in my tracks.
I felt like I shouldn't go any further, so I just peeked my head around the corner.
Behind the corner, Eunbyeol was talking to another girl.
The other person was Yoo Boram. I didn't know her well, but I recognized her.
She was the one who always shouted about 5:5 internal battles in class.
'She said she was going to the bathroom?'
Feeling something was off, I stayed put behind the corner.
Why was the girl who said she was going to the bathroom here now, and where did her friend suddenly come from?
It didn't make sense.
The two of them continued their conversation, unaware of my presence.
"No, really. Towards the end, oppa asked me why he brought me to the bar with some affectionate vibe... Kyah, I could totally feel it."
"No way... People's guards come down in just two days."
"Hehe, Prepare 50,000 won."
Eunbyeol giggled as she spoke, and Yoo Boram grumbled in response.
'50,000 won?'
I tilted my head. What were they talking about, and why were they suddenly mentioning 50,000 won?
I leaned my ear a little closer to the other side.
"Se-won turned out to be an easy guy. I thought it would take at least four months just to have a drink together."
"Hmph, that's how amazing my charm is."
"Bullshit."
Their conversation continued.
I didn't know the full context since I started listening midway, but I could grasp the general idea.
It seemed like the two of them had made some kind of bet involving me.
Eunbyeol was trying to seduce me, and money was even involved.
I suddenly felt upset.
'Those girls...'
They were treating me like some kind of challenge.
It's not a pleasant feeling to have people talking about you behind your back without your knowledge.
"But you haven't received a confession yet. I can't give you the prize money."
"It's practically mine, though?"
"The game's not over until it's over, damn it. The year's not over yet."
Yoo Boram cursed and sighed. It seemed sad to think that 50,000 won of free money was slipping away.
She stayed like that for a moment before asking another question.
"...So, what are you going to do if you get a confession?"
"Huh?"
"Are you going to date him if he confesses? Honestly, Se-won Seonbae is handsome. He's definitely someone you could date."
I perked up my ears at that topic.
'...Really?'
Honestly, being the target of a bet felt pretty bad.
It just left a bitter taste, feeling like I was being deceived.
But if there was a chance to date her?
On second thought, it didn't seem so bad.
Honestly, a girl like Eunbyeol was someone I wouldn't have even dared to talk to in the past.
But now, I could date her just by confessing first.
Even if there was a shady aspect to the bet, it could still be a win for me.
Moreover, this was a world where the sexes' desires were reversed.
Eunbyeol Lee might even be the one to suggest going to bed first.
If that were the case, maybe we could quickly progress to sex?
'...! Sex!'
Just by confessing, we could fast-track to sex!
In other words, I could get laid! We could have sex!
For me, it was like having a meal served on a silver platter. If she was willing to date, there was no reason not to confess.
But.
"Um... no, I think I'll reject the confession."
"Huh? Why?"
'Why the hell!'
I almost shouted out loud.
Translated by ReversalNovel.web.id
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