I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga -
Chapter 55: Like Red Lotus
Tojo Karen had failed in her first love.
That was an undeniable fact.
She had experienced just a week-long puppy love, but Karen earnestly tried to change herself to match the other person.
Although she was cleanly rejected due to her hasty actions led by her heart, the aftermath of the rejection didn’t last as long as she had anticipated.
Probably because she had the reassuring presence of Kim Yu-seong by her side.
She first saw Kim Yu-seong when he came to the kendo club room for dojo storming.
He had instantly defeated Fuma-senpai, the only person in the school Karen acknowledged as strong, and honestly, from the perspective of the average student, he was like a natural disaster.
Among the people she knew, only her father, Naoto, and his right-hand man, Uncle Takeyama, seemed as strong as Kim Yu-seong.
She started getting seriously involved with him from the time she first gave love advice to the transfer student, Rika.
He seemed like a blunt guy, hard to read from the outside, but it became clear after having a direct conversation that Kim Yu-seong was just awkward at conversing with people, not inherently bad-natured.
After realizing this, Karen slowly opened her heart to Kim Yu-seong.
The decisive moment came when he silently comforted her after she was rejected by Sakamoto.
Thinking back, Kim Yu-seong was always there, right by her side.
Sharing emotions together, whether in joy or sorrow.
…It was impossible not to fall for such a kind man.
However, Karen couldn’t be honest with her feelings.
Because she thought she didn’t deserve to.
Kim Yu-seong was the boyfriend of another friend, Rika.
If she confessed her feelings to such a person, their current close relationship would undoubtedly collapse.
So she ‘tried’ to be satisfied with just being friends.
If only there wasn’t the appearance of a new rival.
The Russian exchange student, oblivious to everything, proposed dating Kim Yu-seong on the very first day of her transfer.
Karen naturally intended to support her friend Rika.
It was the logical thing to do.
But Rika’s response shattered her delusions.
“Huh? Ryu-chan and I aren’t in that kind of relationship! What are you talking about, Karen-chan!”
Hearing that, Karen felt as though she had been hit hard on the back of the head.
After all, Kim Yu-seong and Rika had never said they were dating.
It was just Karen’s assumption that they were in a relationship.
Upon this realization, Karen could no longer lie to her heart, which she had ignored until now.
She had fallen for Kim Yu-seong.
Not just as a friend, but as someone of the opposite sex.
“There was a chance for me too…”
It was the moment Karen finally stepped into the chaotic situation surrounding Kim Yu-seong.
After eating the bingsu, we studied for about two more hours.
“Ugh~ I’m exhausted~”
“I can’t do any more~”
“Weak. You got tired so soon.”
As soon as 6 o’clock struck, our exam study session ended.
Probably because it was almost time for dinner, and we judged it would be too much to continue studying.
Karen, lying on the desk, asked,
“What about dinner? It’s okay to eat and go.”
Then Rika, her eyes shining, asked,
“What’s on the menu today?”
“Anything’s fine. The chef will make pretty much anything you ask for.”
“I want to eat!”
Rika, more serious about eating than anyone else, exclaimed and raised her hand.
It wasn’t strange to be hungry after focusing on studying for nearly half the day.
Especially since the only thing we had eaten in between was bingsu.
“Sasha, what will you do?”
“I’ve always been interested in Japanese home cooking.”
“If you want to eat, just say you want to, Sasha. Today is a temporary truce.”
“…I want to eat.”
Then Karen chuckled and said,
“Yeah, it’s better to be honest.”
Lastly, Karen asked me,
“Yu-seong, what about you?”
“I’ll eat too.”
After all, the consensus was to have dinner before leaving.
It would have been awkward to suddenly be the only one to opt out.
Thus, we decided that the study session would end after dinner, so we began tidying up the scattered stationery on the floor and desk.
Since Karen had informed the staff, they would probably come to call us soon.
Still, teaching was rewarding, as all three had followed along diligently.
Had we slacked off from start to finish, we might have lost our motivation midway.
“Isn’t this evidence that we still have some perseverance, at least as students?”
Pleased the studying was finally over, I happily watched Karen and Rika fool around.
Regardless of anything else, I looked forward to their midterm exam results.
“Hahahaha! It’s nothing fancy, but eat a lot!”
A little later, the feast we ate was truly magnificent.
Dishes made from all sorts of delicacies were neatly plated and filled the table.
For some reason, Karen’s father and Boris, who had naturally joined us, sat facing each other, drinking back and forth.
It seemed they had found common ground during our study time.
Well, having a drink with great food was a temptation no man could resist.
I forced myself to look away from the sake they were drinking and decided to focus on my meal.
Karen, sitting opposite me, asked,
“How is it, Kim Yu-seong? Do you like the food?”
I nodded with approval.
“It’s like eating at a fancy restaurant, though I’ve never been to one.”
“Hehe, I’m glad you like it. Eat as much as you want. There’s plenty of food prepared.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
To maintain a physique and muscles like mine, I needed a substantial daily food intake.
I packed lunch or ate something decent at the school cafeteria, but breakfast and dinner were usually hearty meals.
I started devouring the side dishes and rice on the table with gusto.
Karen’s father complimented me on eating in such a manly way, but honestly, I hardly paid attention.
It was uncommon for a high school student to indulge in such luxurious food.
After refilling my rice and soup five times, I was finally full.
What surprised me was that, despite my hearty appetite, I finished around the same time as everyone else.
We expressed our gratitude to Karen and her father for the delicious meal by bowing our heads.
“We enjoyed the meal.”
It had been a truly delicious meal.
Karen saw us at the door.
Naoto, Karen’s father, insisted we stay the night given our apparent exhaustion, but I politely declined, feeling it would be an imposition.
Moreover, we hadn’t brought any toiletries or a change of clothes.
…For some reason, he gave me a look of regret and smacked his lips, but that was probably just my imagination, right?
Riding back home in Sasha’s black armored car, just as we had in the morning, I told my mother, who inquired whether I had eaten, that I had dined at a friend’s house.
It was now 8 p.m., so it was nearly time to close the shop.
I tidied up after the last customers and washed the remaining dishes in the kitchen.
“Oh my, you must be tired from studying all day. Go inside and rest.”
“Nah, this is nothing. You must be more worn out than I am.”
Saying that, I let my parents relax on the outdoor chairs and finished the remaining cleaning.
With my wet hands wiped on my apron, I noticed my parents laughing at a TV variety show.
Seeing them like that, I felt guilty for being the only one who had enjoyed a lavish meal, so I nonchalantly asked my parents,
“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? Is there anything specific you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
“Oh my, what’s gotten into our son? To hear you say such commendable things all of a sudden.”
“I can be like this sometimes too.”
I replied with a smile, and after a moment’s thought, my mother responded,
“Then make me a rolled omelette, please.”
“And what about you, Dad?”
“Anything is fine with me.”
“In that case, I’ll prepare the chili shrimp you often enjoy.”
I searched through the kitchen fridge and began to carefully prepare a meal for them.
When I brought the food out, my father pulled out a chair, inviting me to sit next to them.
I placed the food on the table first, then took a chilled beer from the fridge and handed a glass to each of them.
“Oh my, our son is so thoughtful.”
Embarrassed by Mrs. Imija’s compliment, I rubbed the back of my neck and carefully poured the beer into their glasses to avoid creating foam.
Then my father guzzled the beer and let out a satisfied grunt.
“This is what makes it worthwhile.” 1
“If you need more snacks, just let me know, and I’ll make more.”
“Why don’t you have a drink too?”
“I’m fine. I’ll drink when I’m an adult.”
I spent some time chatting warmly with my parents, enjoying a brief moment of family harmony.
The night of Saturday evening deepened like that.
ED/N: In Korean, this phrase is used metaphorically to express a feeling of satisfaction or fulfillment from one's work or actions.️
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