I've Been Possessed, But What If I Get Pregnant First? - C27
#27
My butt was already swaying at the thought of buying and eating delicious things. I arrived in front of the convenience store with the lightest steps in the world and opened the door without hesitation. And with confident strides, I headed towards the frozen section that I had been keeping my distance from like a restricted area.
Between the bright lights of the freezer that never turned off 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, Häagen-Dazs was revealing its dazzling appearance.
Among the ice creams neatly lined up, Häagen-Dazs was on the pricier side. I had never even thought about eating it before due to my not-so-affluent wallet. But to think that I would be buying this premium ice cream at a convenience store, not an ice cream discount store.
I thought this was a luxury that only true rich people could enjoy, but thanks to Kwon Taebeom, I could now buy and eat it without worry. Although I would only be able to enjoy this luxury for a few months, I decided to fully enjoy this moment for now.
I felt a little prick of conscience about spending Kwon Taebeom’s money like crazy, but there weren’t many days left when I could spend like this… and Kwon Taebeom told me to spend freely.
Come to think of it, I had been working so hard to act cu-, cute and speak nicely to please him, so I came to an agreement with myself that it was okay to spend as much as I wanted to this extent.
‘It’s not like I’m buying a house or a car, it’s just… well, not just, but anyway, it’s just buying and eating an ice cream…’
After finishing my self-rationalization by muttering hard to myself, I confidently opened the freezer door.
‘Ah… it’s cool.’
Was the freezer always this cool? It definitely felt different from the refrigerator section that just felt cold. The chilled air mixed in even felt refreshing.
“What flavor should I eat…?”
Chocolate. Yes, today is chocolate flavor. There’s still plenty of time, so let’s eat chocolate flavor today, strawberry flavor tomorrow, and vanilla flavor the day after!
“Money is really the best… If he was just a little less scary, I would have totally seduced him. What a waste, such a waste.”
I picked up the chocolate-flavored ice cream and took my eyes off the strawberry and vanilla flavors lined up next to it.
“Mmm. It’s going to be delicious.”
As my mood improved, my butt swayed on its own. I stood in front of the cashier before the ice cream melted. The employee, who was scanning the Häagen-Dazs barcode with a cheerful beep sound, took the card I handed over and said,
“This is a 1+1 event with the discount king, so you can take one more.”
“1+1…? Really?”
“Yes.”
What should I do…! I’m really lucky. Is this what the tiger dream meant? When I couldn’t contain my joy and hopped up and down, the convenience store part-timer looked at me strangely.
Ignoring that gaze, I quickly turned around and headed to the fridge. Then, I took out one more chocolate Häagen-Dazs and handed it to the part-timer who was memorizing English words.
“You can have this one! You’re also very lucky today. Then I’ll get going, take care!”
I winked refreshingly and left the convenience store. When I saw the face of the part-timer who received my wink, the face of the mustache ajussi came to mind like déjà vu, but I stopped thinking at the cold chill touching my fingertips.
“Ah, it’s satisfying! Aren’t you too nice?”
I sat on the bench across from the convenience store, praising myself.
“Gasp… Ah, Cha Yuwon, you’re so stupid.”
While peeling off the ice cream wrapper, it suddenly occurred to me that the card transaction would have gone to Kwon Taebeom. Then why did I celebrate by myself…?
Embarrassed that I had been happy to have evaded Kwon Taebeom’s eyes like a spy operation, I kicked the air.
“Ah… so embarrassing.”
The more I thought about it, my face burned with shame, and I bit my lips tightly. Then, seeing the droplets flowing down my wrist, I looked down at the Häagen-Dazs.
“Okay, let’s get deep consolation with this.”
Although it was still cold in March, the ice cream was not at fault.
I zipped up my jacket to the end and finished peeling off the rest of the wrapper. Finally, I pushed the spoon all the way into the smooth surface of the ice cream. Taking a big scoop and putting it in my mouth, the ice cream melted smoothly in my mouth, spreading sweetness throughout my body.
“Ugh… it’s so dang delicious!”
I calmed my butt that was bouncing on its own and pushed the spoon in all the way again. Even after eating twice, the cool and sweet chocolate scent still filled my mouth, and my upset stomach completely settled.
“Ah… I want to eat one more…”
In the blink of an eye, I had finished a whole pint of ice cream. With a wistful heart, I licked the ice cream stuck to the corners of my mouth. The melted ice cream from the spoon made my hand sticky, but it was so delicious that I didn’t mind at all.
Licking my lips at the lingering sweetness in my mouth, I hoped tomorrow would come quickly. I should eat it again tomorrow.
I went back into the building and washed my hands thoroughly in the restroom on the first floor. Then, looking in the mirror, I neatly arranged my clothes and got on the elevator.
The academy on the 7th floor, the top of the building, seemed to use the entire floor, with a very large entrance. According to my search last night, this academy ranked 1st in the metropolitan area university acceptance rate per number of students.
As if to prove that, the entrance was densely filled with numerous universities and names of accepted students. With the mindset of starting anew here, I pushed the transparent glass door and entered.
“How did you come?”
The staff member sitting at the information desk asked me.
“I came to register for the academy. Is it possible to start classes today?”
“Yes, it’s possible. First, we’ll do a consultation and then help you with the test.”
“Okay.”
Following the staff, I arrived at the principal’s office. As it turned out, the staff member who guided me was the principal of this academy.
The consultation proceeded smoothly, and I took a test to assess my level and assign me to a class. Based on the results of the March mock exam, various consultations followed.
“The test results are not bad. I think you can go straight to Class A.”
I glanced at the test paper in the teacher’s hand. Unlike when I studied alone, the test paper was filled with red circles. The corners of my mouth involuntarily twitched, and an excited smile couldn’t be hidden.
‘My skills haven’t died yet.’
Even after entering Korea University, while others were busy with various extracurricular activities such as clubs and trips, I did tutoring for living expenses and tuition. Am I reaping the benefits of that now? At that time, it was so hard that I tasted blood in my throat.
Recalling those memories made me a little sad. If I could go back, I wanted to advise myself to have a little more leisure and spend time for myself. Still, it’s thanks to those experiences that I can do something for Cha Yuwon now. I took a deep breath, thinking as positively as possible.
“For now, I’ll copy the parts to cover today and give them to you, so prepare the textbooks by the day after tomorrow and come.”
“Yes, teacher!”
I nodded, putting the paper with the textbook names in my pocket. The newly started life as a test-taker already seemed daunting, but I decided to let it slide since I fulfilled my wish thanks to Cha Yuwon.
I followed the principal to Class A. Self-study for period 0 had already begun, so the students were sitting at their desks studying. I looked around for an empty seat in the crowded classroom full of students.
“Yuwon, you can sit over there, in that seat.”
“Ah, yes.”
Fortunately, there was one empty seat in the very back. I carefully moved my steps so as not to disturb the other students. Maybe because there were many people, the temperature inside the classroom was steaming. When I turned my head to take off my outerwear and hang it on the chair, a familiar-looking man caught my eye.
“Huh…?”
“Oh… Häagen-Dazs?”
The man seemed to recognize me too, blinking his eyes at me. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of period 0 self-study. With the bell sound, some people buried their heads in their desks for a short nap.
“Hello. Do you attend here too?”
When I greeted him first in a friendly manner, the part-timer who was scratching the back of his head also held out his hand and greeted me.
“Uh… yes, we meet again. Thanks to you earlier, I ate well.”
“I ate really well too. It was super delicious. Ah, I’m Cha Yuwon. I’m twenty-three years old!”
“I’m Baek I-jun. I’m twenty-four.”
Oh, he was older. I was worried that most of the people here might be younger than Cha Yuwon, but fortunately, there was an older guy. I swallowed my laughter inwardly, looking at I-jun, whose ears had turned slightly red in embarrassment. After only seeing Kwon Taebeom’s stern face, seeing such a young boy was cute.
‘It’s a good time. He’s so fresh and youthful.’
Maybe because he was much younger than my original age, it felt like seeing a cute younger brother. I firmly grasped I-jun’s outstretched hand and shook it up and down.
“Let’s get along well from now on, and feel free to speak casually, hyung!”
Although the title “hyung” gave me goosebumps, I shamelessly raised my face and grinned. Then I-jun turned his head, cleared his throat, and spoke to me with a strangely reddened face.
“Okay… ahem. Nice to meet you too.”