Chapter 52: Trap

‘The atmosphere is more ordinary than I thought.’

On the weekend when Seo Yuna came over to my house, we sat side by side on the couch, staring at the TV screen.

I grabbed a piece of popcorn and popped it into my mouth, sneaking a glance to the side.

A completely ordinary atmosphere.

Kim Harin didn’t seem to be paying special attention to either me or Seo Yuna, and Seo Yuna looked absorbed in the movie.

To be honest, the movie itself was boring.

No action, no touching moments, and the so-called comedic scenes in between weren’t funny at all.

I sighed inwardly and thought, ‘Why did she pick this…? This is so lame.’

But Kim Harin seemed satisfied enough, munching on popcorn as she watched, and even Seo Yuna appeared to be more entertained than I expected, unable to take her eyes off the screen.

Two hours passed, and the movie finally ended.

As the ending credits rolled, Kim Harin got up from her seat.

“How about some ice cream for dessert?”

I instinctively turned my head to look at her.

“Ice cream?”

“Yeah. I’ll go buy some.”

A strange sense of unease crept up on me.

‘A brocon is leaving her brother and a female friend alone at home to go buy ice cream?’

‘Normally, she would never do that. If anything, she’d insist on tagging along if I were the one going out. But now, she was choosing to go alone?’

“I can go instead.”

When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Kim Harin smiled naturally.

“Hmm… I just wanted to get some fresh air.”

I still felt uneasy, but there was no real reason to stop her.

“Well… if you say so.”

Seo Yuna’s face lit up.

“Oh~ really? Nice! I’ll have strawberry flavor!”

“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Kim Harin grabbed her wallet and left the house.

I quietly watched her go, then turned my gaze back inside.

Now, it was just me and Seo Yuna left in the living room.

Seo Yuna absentmindedly tapped the table while fiddling with her phone.

I crossed my arms and looked at her.

‘Something feels off.’

‘I knew Kim Harin was suspicious of our relationship. But why would she deliberately leave us alone and go out for ice cream?’

The alarm bells in my head started ringing like crazy.

Something was up.

Seo Yuna glanced at me.

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?”

I smirked and looked away.

“It’s nothing.”

“Your face says otherwise.”

Seo Yuna went back to focusing on her phone.

I kept silent, choosing not to engage in conversation.

Noticing my odd behavior, she tilted her head slightly but didn’t say anything.

An awkward silence settled between us.

Then, she spoke again.

“They made a sequel to this movie. Wanna go watch it tomorrow?”

I paused for a moment.

‘A sudden date invitation?’

I already had a bad feeling, and I had no interest in spending money to watch a boring movie in theaters.

“It was lame.”

“What? This kind of emotional movie isn’t something you watch for fun.”

“Sorry for not being emotional enough.”

Seo Yuna frowned.

“Come on, you don’t have anything planned for the weekend anyway.”

“Actually, I do. I’m going to the PC café with Lee Jinyoung.”

“Seriously… you’re no fun.”

I avoided Seo Yuna’s intense gaze.

I couldn’t act weird now.

Since Kim Harin was already suspicious, I had to behave as naturally as possible.

‘But if I pushed Seo Yuna away too much, she’d find it strange. And if I acted too friendly, Kim Harin might do something crazy.’

“So, you’re really not going?”

Seo Yuna asked again.

I let out an exaggerated sigh.

“It’s a hassle. And the movie wasn’t even good.”

“Hey, that’s just your taste!”

“Then you can go watch it with Choi Dabin.”

Seo Yuna propped her chin on her hand and stared at me.

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Doing what?”

“You’re being even more annoying than usual today.”

“Is that a compliment?”

Seo Yuna gave me a meaningful look.

I instinctively avoided her gaze and shrugged.

“You keep cutting off the conversation, and you’ve been acting super disinterested.”

“Just think of it as me being tired.”

I deflected, picking up my glass of water.

Seo Yuna kept looking at me but didn’t press further.

Then, she put her phone down and stretched.

“Forget it. I’ll just go with Dabin.”

I nodded.

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

***

Just then, the front door opened.

“I’m back~”

Kim Harin walked in, holding a bag of ice cream.

She looked around at the two of us and smiled brightly.

“Did you wait long?”

“Oh~ you actually bought it!”

Seo Yuna, seeming in a better mood, rummaged through the bag and pulled out her strawberry ice cream.

I quietly observed them.

That nagging feeling of unease still hadn’t gone away.

Kim Harin looked at me casually and said, “You like melon flavor, right, Orabeoni?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

She naturally handed me a melon-flavored ice cream.

As I unwrapped it, I fell into thought.

‘Something feels off…’

But Kim Harin’s expression remained unchanged.

We sat in the living room, eating our ice cream.

Then, she smiled quietly.

“I’m bored. How about a board game?”

“Oh~ board games sound fun.”

Seo Yuna took another bite of her ice cream, dusted off her hands, and got up.

Kim Harin went to her room, grabbed a board game box, and spread it out on the dining table.

And so, the three of us passed the time playing a simple board game.

Rolling dice, moving pieces, laughing and chatting—it all made the atmosphere feel much more relaxed than before.

I glanced at Kim Harin.

‘Maybe I was just being too paranoid.’

Seo Yuna, seemingly aware of my earlier attitude, kept making playful remarks as we played.

“Ugh, seriously! Why is my luck so bad?”

“If you have no luck in a luck-based game, that’s on you.”

“You’re not doing this on purpose, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Time passed quickly as we played, and before we knew it, the sky outside had darkened.

Seo Yuna checked her phone and frowned slightly.

“It’s already this late?”

Kim Harin smiled softly as she looked at her.

“It’s gotten pretty late. Shouldn’t you be heading home now, Unnie?”

“Yeah, I was just about to leave.”

Kim Harin slowly got up and spoke.

“It’s dangerous for a girl to walk home alone at night.”

‘Was that meant for me to hear?’ I hesitated for a moment.

Then, Kim Harin turned to me naturally.

“Orabeoni, why don’t you walk Yuna Unnie home?”

‘What the hell.’

Seo Yuna casually grabbed her handbag and stood up.

“There’s no need for that.”

“It’s dangerous for girls to be out alone at night.”

I deliberately replied in a flat tone.

I put on my shoes and stepped outside with her.

***

Kim Harin slowly returned to the living room.

Then, as if it were nothing, she reached for the recorder sitting on the shelf.

Her small fingers pressed the play button.

A quiet stillness.

Then, voices began to play.

[What? Why are you looking at me like that?]

[Nothing.]

[Nothing? Your face says otherwise.]

Kim Harin narrowed her eyes slightly and focused on the recording.

It was the conversation between Seo Yuna and Orabeoni when they were alone.

Now, she could finally confirm the truth about their relationship.

[They made a sequel to this movie. Wanna go watch it tomorrow?]

At the sound of Seo Yuna’s casual question, Kim Harin’s fingers froze for a moment.

A smooth, natural way of asking someone on a date.

[It was lame.]

[What? This kind of emotional movie isn’t something you watch for fun.]

[Sorry for not being emotional enough.]

Seo Yuna’s playful grumble echoed through the speaker.

Kim Harin quietly lowered her gaze.

‘She could’ve just been asking casually. Or maybe…’

But more than that, what really mattered was Orabeoni’s response.

[So, you’re really not going?]

[It’s a hassle. And the movie was boring.]

[Hey, that’s just your taste!]

[Then you can go watch it with Choi Dabin.]

Seo Yuna hesitated for a moment, as if thrown off.

Then, her voice came through again.

[Are you doing this on purpose?]

[Doing what?]

[You’re even more annoying than usual today.]

[Is that a compliment?]

Seo Yuna chuckled meaningfully.

But Orabeoni’s attitude remained firm and distant.

Kim Harin took a quiet breath as she held the recorder.

A subtle sense of relief washed over her.

‘Thank goodness.’

Orabeoni had pushed Seo Yuna away.

Even so, an uneasy feeling lingered.

Seo Yuna’s persistent clinginess was unsettling.

Kim Harin slowly placed the recorder back on the shelf.

Pressing her lips together, she sank into thought.

‘So it’s true. He doesn’t have feelings for anyone.’

She let out a quiet breath, her gaze turning cold.

Kim Harin looked out the window.

Under the streetlights, Orabeoni and Seo Yuna could be seen walking together, their silhouettes growing smaller in the distance.

Watching them fade from view, she slowly ran her fingers over the surface of the recorder.

“Just as I thought…”

Her quiet voice lingered in the air.

Orabeoni had no feelings for Seo Yuna.

No matter what Seo Yuna tried, it didn’t matter.

Orabeoni simply wasn’t that kind of person.

However…

Kim Harin’s eyes turned icy.

‘Still, I can’t let my guard down.’

Even someone with no feelings could be swayed.

After all, people say no tree withstands a hundred chops.

Forcing emotions onto someone was a completely different matter.

Seo Yuna was relentless.

That meant she had to be just as thorough.

Kim Harin tilted her head slightly and murmured to herself.

“For now, it’s a relief.”

Her fingertips slowly pressed the button on the recorder again.

It was going to be a long night filled with thoughts.