As soon as Chae-in Jeong disappeared, the seniors sitting at our table left right away. I timed it just right to grab her bag and head toward the university’s main gate.
Not long after, the taxi that had picked up Chae-in Jeong arrived.
“Thank you, driver. Here’s the fare.”
“Be careful going in. Drink moderately. No matter how young you are, you need to take care of your health.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful. Take care. Hey, Chae-in Jeong. Get out quickly.”
“Ugh... I don’t want to...!”
“Get out quickly.”
Chae-in Jeong, who seemed to have sobered up a bit inside the taxi, stumbled out.
She sat on the bench in front of the main gate, but she was still nodding off.
“Hey... Are you feeling better?”“Ugh... I feel like I’m going to die...”
“Geez, where do you live?”
“Here... isn’t this my house?”
“Forget it.”
“I’m dizzy... Ugh!”
Chae-in Jeong nodded off and then fell backward.
“Ugh... My head hurts.”
“Hey! Are you okay?”
“Hehe... But it’s comfortable.”
Since she said she was comfortable, I didn’t bother to lift her up.
Being alone with her made me a bit nervous.
Should I call Eun-ha?
She did say to call if a girl needed help. Would she be mad?
She told me not to help girls just last week...! But I couldn’t just leave her here...
“Let’s call...!”
I cautiously dialed Eun-ha’s number, feeling very anxious.
After a few rings, Eun-ha picked up.
“Hey, Eun-ha...?”
- Hmm? What’s wrong with your voice?
I got chills just thinking about Eun-ha’s bright voice turning serious.
“Well… it’s a bit of a weird situation…! I just wanted to prevent any potential trouble…!”
- What’s going on?
Eun-ha’s voice turned serious. Her concerned tone gave me the courage to speak.
“A female classmate got drunk and passed out on the street. What should I do…?!”
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.
- Han-gyeol.
“Yeah?”
- Send me your location and wait right there.
Click-
Eun-ha hung up.
“This is bad... I’m in for it. Ugh- Should I not have helped her? Hah... Whatever. I can’t change it now. It’s my karma.”
I immediately messaged Eun-ha that I was at the university’s main gate. She’ll save me, right?
****
I waited patiently for Eun-ha at the university’s main gate. Chae-in Jeong was still sprawled out on the ground.
There wasn’t much more I could do for her at this point.
Should I have called the police instead? Wait, no. That would mean I lied to Eun-ha. Either way, it’s terrifying-
“Han-gyeol-! Where are you!”
“Gasp-! Over here!”
It hadn’t even been ten minutes, and Eun-ha had already arrived at the main gate, running.
Why did her footsteps sound so menacing, even with her hood pulled up?
Every step she took toward me made me want to step back, but I held my ground.
As soon as she reached me, she threw back her hood and looked at me like a predator about to pounce on its prey.
“Where is she? I’m really curious to see what kind of girl my boyfriend decided to help. How long have you two been alone at the university’s main gate this late at night? There must be quite a distance from the drinking spot to here, so how did you manage to bring a passed-out girl all this way? You didn’t carry her on your back, did you? If I find your scent on her, she would better be prepared. And just so we’re clear, be prepared doesn’t just apply to her. You’d deserve an appropriate punishment too, right?”
Wow- this is definitely not going well. But I moved her in a taxi, so there was no physical contact, meaning I might just pass her last question.
“Well... A male senior was trying to take her to his place...! I asked the taxi driver to bring her here first, then I finished up at the bar, grabbed her bag, and walked to the gate. I didn’t carry her or make any physical contact. She’s just over there, passed out on the ground. She looked comfortable, so I didn’t wake her up. That’s it.”
I answered Eun-ha’s questions, but her eyes still burned with intensity.
“You could have sent her home in the taxi. Why bring her to the university gate?”
“I didn’t know her address. When I asked, she kept insisting this was her house! I thought wasting time would mean the senior might come out, so I sent her here in the taxi first.”
As I rambled on, Eun-ha seemed to understand the situation.
“So? That girl over there lying on the ground is the one?”
“Yes.”
“Got it. Leave the rest to me.”
Eun-ha walked past me and approached Chae-in Jeong. She frowned as she looked down at the unconscious girl.
“Wait a second. Is she...”
“Huh?”
Oh- of all people, it had to be Chae-in Jeong... I’m doomed.
“Isn’t she the classmate who smiled at you during lunch that time? And the one who asked to borrow your printouts and gave you a canned coffee?”
“That... that’s true, but those are separate incidents...”
“It’s annoying how she keeps getting involved with you...”
Unaware of the danger to her life, Chae-in Jeong continued to lie there peacefully.
“Now I don’t feel like helping her...”
“Should I call the police?”
“No. If a police car picks up a female student at the university gate, weird rumors might spread. She’s a freshman and it’s early in the semester, so strange rumors could cause trouble for her. Let’s just get her to sit up.”
Eun-ha walked over to Chae-in Jeong and started to lift her up.
Eun-ha propped up the slumped-over Chae-in Jeong and sat her on the bench.
She shook her shoulders and shouted.
“Chae-in Jeong! Get a hold of yourself!”
“Ugh... I’m so dizzy...”
“What’s your address? Tell me your home address, quickly! Otherwise, I’ll leave you here!”
“Isn’t this... my home?”
“Give me your address before I actually make this your home.”
“Gyeonggi-do... Ansan-si...”
Ansan...? That’s almost two hours from here!
“You live in Ansan? You don’t have a place nearby? Where’s your dorm?”
“Sorry... I can’t remember...”
Chae-in Jeong dropped her head onto Eun-ha’s shoulder. This was like pouring fuel on the fire.
“Han-gyeol, did her family call at all?”
“I didn’t check her phone. There were no calls when we were together.”
“If no one has contacted her by this hour, she probably lives alone... Has she ever mentioned living alone?”
“We’re not that close, so I don’t know. Should we unlock her phone with Face ID and try calling her family? Or is that too much?”
“Yeah... It’s a bit invasive to unlock someone else’s phone. The best option might be to take her home.”
“But we don’t know her address. And we’re not even sure if she lives alone.”
“Huh? I meant our home.”
“Our home?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“Yeah, our home.”
“W-wait a minute?! The home where you and I live?”
“We can’t take her to her family’s place at this hour, and leaving her alone in a nearby motel feels unsafe.”
“Even so, bringing her to our home is a bit much...”
“You’ve already helped her. You have to take responsibility till the end.”
“Sorry, I didn’t expect things to escalate this much. I thought she’d sober up by now.”
When I apologized to Eun-ha, she looked up at me and said.
“I’m jealous, but you don’t need to apologize. I understand your intentions for helping her. I’m jealous, but I’m not angry.”
I felt a bit touched by Eun-ha’s words.
“Could you grab her bag for me?”
“Huh? Why?”
“You’re not thinking of carrying her home on your back, are you?”
“Of course not...! Should I call a taxi then?”
“It’s not that far, so I’ll help her walk.”
“Got it.”
Eun-ha carefully draped Chae-in Jeong’s arm over her shoulder and stood up slowly.
“Let’s go...”
“Okay.”
Eun-ha struggled to move Chae-in Jeong to our place.
She was panting heavily but never once asked for my help.
Finally, she threw Chae-in Jeong onto the living room sofa and let out a deep breath.
“Phew... I thought I was going to die.”
“Good job.”
“Yeah, yeah. Han-gyeol, you’re sleeping at the jjimjilbang* tonight.”
“Huh? Why?”
Eun-ha glanced down at Chae-in Jeong’s face and replied, a sly smile creeping onto her lips.
“From here on out, it’s a matter between women.”
“What...?”
“Well, I can’t just send a girl who got help from my Han-gyeol home quietly, can I?”
The moonlight streaming through the curtains illuminated Eun-ha’s face. It looked like a scene straight out of a thriller movie.
“Don’t worry, Han-gyeol. I’ll make sure she gets home safely. You aren’t still worried about her, are you? Your concern should have ended the moment you put her in that taxi. You weren’t actually planning to spend the night in the same house as this girl, even with me here, were you? That won’t do. The only woman who gets to spend the night with you is me. Forever. Right?”
If I refuse, I’m dead.
“I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”
“Great~ Be careful, and let me know when you get to the jjimjilbang, okay?”
Realizing that defying Eun-ha might be dangerous, I carefully put on my shoes.
Just before leaving, I spoke to Eun-ha one more time, just in case.
“Uh, Eun-ha.”
“Yes, yes! What is it, my lovely Han-gyeol?”
“Um... Don’t kill her, okay?”
Eun-ha only smiled sweetly in response, without saying a word.
--- The End OF The Chapter ---
[TL: *: Jjimjilbang are bathhouses in South Korea.
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