The Female Bullies Eat Me Up

"Snicker~."

On the way to shop for clothes with Yoo In-ha.

For some reason, In-ha seemed to be in a particularly good mood today.

University town, Daehak-ro.

Everything from stationery shops to restaurants and bars, all clustered near the university.

Among them, there were a few counterfeit clothing stores scattered around.

Cheap t-shirt sale for 5900 won... That's a bargain.

"Let's go here."

Just a plain-looking clothing store.

It was a place I couldn't bring myself to enter alone because it felt awkward.

It wasn't some fancy, expensive place, but the part-timers staring made it intimidating to go in alone.

"Welcome. It's 77. If you need anything, just ask."

A part-timer organizing clothes glanced over and greeted us. Yoo In-ha replied half-heartedly and strode in.

An array of colorful clothes, so many it was overwhelming.

The yellow lighting and loud foreign hip-hop music was assaulting my ears.

The clothes on the mannequins... they look nice. When I stared at the mannequin, Yoo In-ha chuckled and said,

"When in doubt, just wear what's on the mannequin, right? But if you wear it, it'll look like total shit on you, so no."

Yoo In-ha started humming as she checked out various clothes.

Sometimes she'd pick out women's clothes, but always put them back.

"Let's start with something you can wear casually."

She seemed excited just to shop, rummaging through the clothes. I was just standing there, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of clothes.

I couldn't tell which was good or which was crap.

"When you're a total nerd, you gotta cover up. Just throw on any innerwear and a decent jacket to cover your body."

Yoo In-ha pulled out a windbreaker and held it up to me.

"Hmm~."

Not bad. Yoo In-ha muttered to herself, put it back, and pulled out another windbreaker.

"Hmmmmm-."

This one's crap too?

Yoo In-ha tilted her head and started digging again.

"Maybe it's not the clothes... Maybe it's the original package that's the problem?"

...She's dissing me like it's second nature.

Getting shit on constantly is pissing me off... I know, fuck!

"Flashy styles are definitely out."

I agreed.

Colorful windbreakers, patterns, or anything with too much going on...

Even I could tell that shit wouldn't suit me. Plus, I didn't like it.

"Just a plain, standard windbreaker with nothing on it!"

Yoo In-ha, with her weird poetic flair, pulled out another jacket.

This one looks decent?

A plain black windbreaker, the epitome of simplicity. It looked alright.

"Ha... but it's too..."

Yoo In-ha grimaced.

It seemed too similar to what I usually wear...

Maybe she felt it too because she put it back and bent over to look again.

Her shirt rode up as she rummaged, showing off her back muscles.

"Hmm..."

Is there nothing that's just a bit different from the plain one?

Like what I've seen on YouTube or on friends who dress well...

I stood next to her, flipping through clothes quietly.

"Uh... hmm..."

Fuck, I still can't tell!

Plus, I kept unconsciously looking at the price tags. They weren't cheap, which was a bit of a concern.

"Hey, this one's not bad."

Yoo In-ha had already pulled out another jacket and held it up to me.

Hmm... It feels familiar.

I think I've seen something like it on YouTube or on some guys walking by.

"Looks good? Try it on."

I put it on right away.

The rustling sound was annoying, but it wasn't bad.

Looking in the full-length mirror, it seemed pretty decent. Less plain than usual?

"Why the fuck are you standing like that?"

Yoo In-ha stood next to me by the mirror and forcibly adjusted my shoulders.

"Mmm..."

It's not bad, I guess.

At least it's definitely better than my usual jacket.

"Let's take this one for now."

Yoo In-ha, licking her lips, went back to hunting for more jackets.

We tried a couple more, but since there wasn't a dramatic difference, we decided on the one we had.

Some were nice but too expensive or not practical for everyday wear, so we passed on those.

"Now let's look at blazers or something..."

Honestly, most other outerwear didn't suit me.

Maybe because I'm not into dressing up, everything felt off.

It's true that clothes look better on those who wear them often.

"Ha! This one's hilarious."

Sometimes she'd bring out coats or flashy leather jackets just for laughs.

Each time, Yoo In-ha would burst out laughing and slap my shoulder.

"Man, why do you look so funny in everything!?"

Yeah, laugh it up, bitch...

"I guess we'll stick with just a basic windbreaker."

I agreed. We also picked out some casual tops and pants.

I hadn't tried on much, but I was already feeling drained.

"Try this on for now."

Black jeans and a white t-shirt.

I changed into what Yoo In-ha suggested.

Ugh... the jeans are tight. They're digging into my thighs.

"Gotta make sure you don't look like a total dork for the group date..."

Now it was time for the really important clothes for the group date.

Yoo In-ha started picking out clothes with a serious face, unlike before.

Trench coats, blazers, denim jackets...

I tried on outerwear I'd never seen before, comparing them constantly.

"Hmm..."

But honestly, I still couldn't tell what looked good. Fuck...

Maybe because I always dress for comfort, these stylish clothes just didn't feel right.

My shoulders aren't that broad, but it's like my vibe just doesn't match with these fancy or neat clothes.

"Fuck, this is annoying."

We must have tried on about 20 items, with me wearing around 10.

Yoo In-ha was getting irritated, her face scrunching up.

I should've just used a gift card!!!

"Should I just rip this face off? What the hell do we do with this look?"

Yoo In-ha squeezed my face, frowning.

Ow, ow, ow... I thought we were being nice... What can I do about how I was born?

"Hey, tilt your head forward. Show me your forehead."

Yoo In-ha took off my glasses and started messing with my hair.

Maybe it's my face; everything looked a bit off.

But my hair was getting long since I hadn't cut it in a while.

"Fuck, do you have scissors? I wanna cut all this off."

Yoo In-ha's temper was showing.

She's way better than before, though. Back then, she would've just stormed out, yelling "Fuck this, I'm out!"

As she was messing with my bangs, she suddenly flicked my forehead.

"Pfft!"

My gasp flew everywhere.

...Is it that funny? Fuck.

Yoo In-ha laughed, leaning on my shoulder.

"Fuck, you look even funnier with your forehead out. Never do that again."

Bitch...

I couldn't even get mad since she was supposedly helping me out. Not that I could anyway...

I was like a mannequin, getting humiliated.

"First off, lose the fucking glasses. You look like you've been wearing them all day, even when you take them off, you bastard."

My glasses!

Yoo In-ha spun my glasses around, grinning.

"No glasses. Wear them to the group date, and I'll lock them up?"

"But I can't see without them..."

"So what? Get contacts, you idiot. If you wear them to the date, I'll kill you."

She looked like she might break them but handed them back.

At least she didn't confiscate them... fuck.

"Tch. Let's call it a day for now."

Yoo In-ha picked up the clothes with a frown.

One windbreaker, one blazer, two t-shirts, one black jeans, one slacks.

The everyday clothes were decent, but I wasn't sure about the blazer.

The blazer really didn't seem to suit me... but Yoo In-ha said it might look different at home, so whatever...

"You gotta wear clothes often to know what fits. You have to spend some money at first to get the feel. Stop going to the PC room during breaks and come here more often. Got it, you dork?"

Yeah... sure.

She's right, though. Yoo In-ha's more of an expert in this than I am.

"First thing, it's your head that's the problem. Stop getting cheap haircuts and let it grow out. We'll go to a proper salon next time."

Even the salon?

I guess I always just went for the cheapest cuts. But they weren't that bad...

Just today, I spent about 220,000 won. That's a big hit to the wallet, but what can you do?

"Then, since we're here, let's look at some for me~."

Yoo In-ha, excited about shopping for herself, dashed to the women's section.

...Do I really need to look at women's clothes?

"Should I just pay and go?"

"What the fuck?"

"Just kidding."

"Say that one more time, and you're dead."

I had a feeling we'd be here for another hour or two.

But I had no say in it. I stood there like a servant, watching her pick out clothes with my mind blank.

"Hmm~."

From blouses to tank tops, shirts, and t-shirts.

Unlike with me, everything seemed to suit her.

She knew it too, looking thrilled.

"What do you think of this?"

"Looks good?"

"And this?"

"Seems pretty."

"Fuck, you have no taste."

Why ask me then? I don't know shit about women's clothes!

If I gave a serious opinion, she'd just say, "What would a dork like you know!"

"Hmm. Let's see."

I was stuck there for almost an hour more.

Sometimes she'd try on short skirts, which was a surprise, but even that got old.

Eventually, I just sat down, exhausted.

"Checkout, please~."

"Total is 220,000 won. Do you need a bag?"

No, thanks.

I was worried she might make me pay for her stuff too, but she didn't.

Well, my clothes alone cost 220,000 won. That's a big spend for a day. I thought about the 300,000 won I earned recently. Maybe I should've just asked for 150,000... Damn.

"Thank you. Come again."

"Sure."

It was already dark.

We must have spent nearly two hours in this store.

I was tired, and with the heavy bag, I felt even more exhausted.

"Ugh."

Yoo In-ha stretched, shaking her legs.

The university street, lit up, looked even more vibrant.

"Should we grab dinner? Oh, right. Did you ask about the group date? Your friends?"

"Oh, yeah, I did."

Good thing I asked before we came. If they'd said no, Yoo In-ha would've flipped. "When were you planning to ask, you dork!"

"Really? Who did you ask?"

Yoo In-ha looked skeptical.

As if I'd lie about this. It wasn't confirmed yet, but they responded positively.

I opened my phone to find Kim Myungjoon in our department chat. Did I add him on Kakao?

"Is there no photo? Show me a photo."

"Just a sec..."

Did his profile have a photo? I couldn't remember.

Scrolling through, I found Kim Myungjoon's profile. There was a face photo.

"Ooh."

Yoo In-ha immediately reacted positively.

When I handed her my phone, she started flipping through with a big grin.

"Ooh."

I'd never seen that look on Yoo In-ha's face since high school.

She was all smiles.

"You really got this guy? Seriously?"

"Yeah, he said he'd come."

"Wow, jackpot. I need to find someone too!"

...But didn't you tell me to find someone for you? Haven't you found anyone?

I gave her a side-eye, but Yoo In-ha, with her smile stretching from ear to ear, kept bombarding me with questions.

"Does he really look like this? Have you seen him in person?"

"The photo might not do him justice..."

"Really? Wow, that's amazing. You have to bring him. If you get him, I'll treat you really well, got it?"

"Yeah... he said he'd come, so he will."

"Really?"

Her voice suddenly got all sweet.

A good-looking friend can even make Yoo In-ha act cute...

"I'm in a good mood now. I'll treat you to dinner."

"Really?"

Yoo In-ha nodded.

Yoo In-ha buying food... miracles do happen.

"You haven't found the other guy yet, right?"

"Nah, but I'll find someone soon."

Kim Myungjoon said he'd look for someone too...

It might happen faster than I thought.

"Oh, you look different, huh, Lee Joon-hyung ?"

Yoo In-ha put her arm around my shoulder, laughing.

This materialistic bitch...

"Let's go! I'm treating you specially."

I was dragged along, arm around her.

A good-looking friend can turn Yoo In-ha into an angel. Note to self...

"But what do you want to eat?"

"Maratang!"

Fuck. Mood killed.