40 – Evaluation Battle (2)
[Haoot…! Sou-ta…! There, there…!]
In the deep darkness of the midnight, Arna sat on her bed enjoying a romance manga.
It was the newly released volume for this month, and it was just getting to the good part.
[No, no breasts…!]
With beautiful artwork, unique characters, and a high level of sophistication, it was undoubtedly a masterpiece.
“…”
However, Arna couldn’t concentrate on the manga at all. She always found herself even sniffling in front of the highlight scenes. But for some reason, she didn’t feel like doing that today.
“Haah….”
Thud─
In the end, Arna closed the book and sighed. She pushed the manga aside for a moment and lay down on her bed.
“Today… I couldn’t say anything.”
The reason she couldn’t focus on the manga was all because of Shin Yoon-seong. Right now, Arna’s mind was filled with thoughts of Shin Yoon-seong.
Today, she had originally planned to thank Shin Yoon-seong. There were things he helped her with during the midterms.
But that plan went awry. The moment she was about to express her gratitude, Shin Yoon-seong hit the wall first, saying there was no need for thanks.
“Uh…”
Because of that, Arna felt uneasy all day today. It was a feeling of having taken on unnecessary debt.
In addition, the debtor is Shin Yoon-seong. To have incurred debt to that wicked villain. There was a need to settle this debt quickly.
“That’s right. I can’t just sit still like this.”
Arna jumped up suddenly. If she couldn’t convey her gratitude with words, couldn’t she just throw a gift? In front of a gift, Shin Yoon-seong would have no choice but to accept it without a fuss.
There is a difference in effectiveness between expressing it in simple words and through actions.
“But…”
Since she’s giving something, it should be a proper gift.
What would be a good gift to prepare? It was a challenge from the start. She should have experience giving gifts to men. And she doesn’t even know what Shin Yoon-seong likes.
“Should I just give him a jersey…?”
The jersey she got during the last photoshoot came to mind. It was just the right size for a man.
The price was reasonable, and it could be useful in daily life. Wouldn’t this be a fairly decent gift?
“Oh, no…! This would be no different from a clearance sale…!”
She decided to skip sportswear for now. It seemed too insincere. She moved on to the next option.
“Um…”
But no matter how hard she thought with her fists clenched, a suitable gift did not come to mind. Nothing seemed quite satisfying.
It was too much for Arna alone.
“At times like this…”
It was time to borrow the power of collective intelligence. Arna took out her smartphone and connected to the school community.
She decided to post a message.
─── Everyhunter Han Yulsa Military Academy ───
*Concerns Board ＞ Write Post
＜Title＞
[Urgent!] Recommend a Gift for an Early 20s Male!
＜Content＞
It’s not a birthday gift, just a gift to express gratitude, you know?
By the way, we’re not in a dating relationship… and not just regular guy friends either… we just know each other’s faces?
What would be the best gift in a situation like this? What would you guys most want to receive? The budget is not a problem.
Please, I’m asking for recommendations! 8ㅅ8
Ding─
As soon as she posted the article, intimidating comments began to flood in.
Arna immediately hit refresh.
└Anonymous 4912: Electric razorㄱ
└Anonymous 2176: Anything’s fine, right? If it were me, I’d ask for a Dyson vacuum.
└Anonymous 1008: I want a wallet!
└Anonymous 4741: A nice belt would be great!!
└Anonymous 7590: Forget the wallet and belt above, seriously useless.
└Anonymous 3314: If money doesn’t matter, definitely a phone.
Various comments were posted. Among them, there were a few items that overlapped with what Arna had in mind.
For example, a wallet, or a belt….
Ding─
“Huh…?”
At that moment, a comment caught Arna’s attention….
└Anonymous 9080: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ They don’t know anything.
└Anonymous 9080: Just let them touch your chest once; that’s the best gift ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Anonymous 5472: True
From Noble mtl dot com
└Anonymous 8531: Chest touch is the best
└Anonymous 2964: Seriously, there’s no better gift
└Anonymous 7125: But what if the author is aaa?
└Anonymous 9080: Gummi milk? Just give money…
“I’m not gummi milk!”
Arna exclaimed towards the smartphone screen. Then, she got up from the bed and stood in front of the full-length mirror.
….
The reflection of Arna in the mirror.
Despite wearing loose clothes, her chest still had a noticeable volume.
It was a chest that she could take pride in. She didn’t buy it to impress others, and the size was by no means one to be ridiculed.
Arna decided to lift her chest with both palms.
“Really… is this the best gift…?”
Do guys really like this kind of thing? It’s just flesh, after all.
Arna imagined it. Just like her own reflection in the mirror, Sun Yoon-seong holding onto this chest.
Then, moving her fingers…
“Oh…!”
Arna momentarily shuddered.
What am I imagining right now? Is it really considering giving him my chest as a gift? To Sun Yoon-seong? He’s not even a boyfriend?
“Ughhh…! Even if it’s just a thought, this is a bit too much!”
Arna ended up grabbing her own hair in self-reproach.
***
“What? A gift for a guy?”
Before the lecture began, Arna grabbed Baek Ju-hee and poured out yesterday’s dilemma—still undecided about the present.
“Why are you asking me that?”
On the other hand, Baek Ju-hee was perplexed. Astonishingly, Arna initiated the conversation. After what happened during the midterm, coming here like this was unexpected. Normally, one might feel a bit resentful.
But Arna seemed completely forgetful of past events.
Truly, she had a generous heart.
“You know the most about guys, Baek Ju-hee, so…”
“Well, that’s not entirely untrue.”
Baek Ju-hee ran her fingers through her hair as if in satisfaction. Came to the right person.
“So, who’s the gift for?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
Arna hesitated in her words. It seemed a bit difficult to disclose the recipient.
“Never mind. You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”
“T-Thank you…”
“But you should know this: what kind of relationship do you have with this person? A crush? Just a guy friend?”
The most crucial aspect. Depending on the relationship with the other person, you can decide on a specific gift.
And Arna’s response was…
“Just… someone I know…”
“Huh? Someone you know?”
“Yes… Just know their face…”
Goodness. Ended up in the most complicated relationship possible. Knowing just their face… that means not knowing what they like, right?
It’s just exasperating.
“Sigh….”
“I-I’m sorry! Did I ask for something too difficult?”
But Baek Ju-hee was not one to give up here. Especially when it came to matters involving men, she was more confident than anyone else. Retreating like this was not permitted by Baek Ju-hee’s pride.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes, yes…!”
“Then, where…”
The most comfortable way would be to go directly to the person and ask what they want.
But Arna coming here meant even that was impossible. Here, the two had no choice but to squeeze out a solution together.
“Is the other person just a superficial acquaintance?”
“Yes…”
“At least we’re of the same age, right?”
“….”
Arna nodded with her lips tightly sealed.
“In that case…”
Thinking about what the other person might like is indeed one way to choose a good gift. However, here, a different perspective was needed.
It’s about tailoring it to oneself, not the other person.
Let’s first figure out what I can give.
“Let’s see…”
Baek Ju-hee scrutinized Arna from head to toe. As a hero who drew the world’s attention, her appearance was outstanding, befitting her skills.
That dazzling blond hair that captivated everyone’s gaze, coupled with the beautiful features as if chiseled from jade. It truly seemed like looking at a doll. It was strange that there was no jealousy as a woman.
But apart from the face, what Baek Ju-hee was most interested in was Arna’s figure. The violent curves emanating from that elegant body line, especially the impressive chest.
Regardless of anything else, admiration burst forth every time she saw that chest.
“What is it? There’s really no need to think.”
“Yes…?”
“Right here. A great gift.”
Baek Ju-hee pointed at Arna’s chest with a nod.
Arna was startled and hugged her chest with both arms.
“W-What, what, what, what, what…! What are you talking about right now…! It’s not the time for jokes…!”
“hehehehe. I was just saying it out of envy.”
In reality, the gap between Baek Ju-hee and Arna was immense. It was clearly evident even at a glance.
Baek Ju-hee imagined. What if I were born with that kind of chest, she imagined.
If that were the case, she could have had every man in the world in the palm of her hand.
“But it’s not entirely wrong, so it wouldn’t hurt to keep it in mind.”
“It’s not entirely wrong…”
“You know. There’s a saying that a woman’s chest is invincible to men.”
“Ugh…”
From the online communities to Baek Ju-hee herself. Why is everyone only talking about chests? Can’t someone recommend a more normal gift?
Arna glanced at Baek Ju-hee, furrowing her brow.
“Hey! Did that spoon arrive today? You wouldn’t dare say it hasn’t arrived again today, would you?”
At that moment, a male student barged into the classroom. It was Kang Tae-hoon, a sophomore who had been frequently appearing in the second-year classroom lately.
“What? Not here again? Does that punk even attend class? There’s no one more delinquent than him!”
Before, it was Arna he was looking for, but these days, Kang Tae-hoon had shifted his target to Shin Yoon-sung.
It was good news for Arna that Kang Tae-hoon no longer approached her, but deep down, she felt a sense of unease.
Because Shin Yoon-sung was involved.
“Ugh, there he goes again.”
Baek Ju-hee sighed deeply as she watched the commotion Kang Tae-hoon caused. Soon after, she headed towards where Kang Tae-hoon was.
“That damn spoon, where the hell did it vanish! Come out now!”
“Alright, I get it. Let’s talk outside for a moment, okay? Since it’s not here in this classroom anyway.”
Luckily, Baek Ju-hee managed to lead him out without causing further chaos.
“…”
More than that, why was Kang Tae-hoon looking for Shin Yoon-sung? What business did he have with him? Kang Tae-hoon was someone who wouldn’t even spare a glance to someone weaker than himself.
Arna couldn’t understand it.
“Phew, is he finally gone?”
At that moment, Shin Yoon-sung’s voice came from behind. Arna was startled and quickly turned around.
“Huh…?”
However, there was no sign of Shin Yoon-sung. The only thing visible was a curtain covering the window.
Strange. She distinctly heard Shin Yoon-sung’s voice from behind…
“No way…”
With a sense of doubt, Arna cautiously pulled the curtain.
“aaah! What are you doing there! It’s dangerous!”
Beyond the curtain, I could spot Shin Yoon-seong precisely. He was hanging on the railing outside the window, sweat pouring down as if he might fall any moment. He looked incredibly precarious, as if he could drop at any second.
“You never know. Everyone was avoiding Kang Tae-hoon.”
“Why avoid him if he’s not even a wanted criminal! Instead, get out of there quickly, it’s more dangerous!”
Arna reached out through the window.
But.
“Uh.”
It was just Shin Yoon-seong, staggering and slipping from the window sill.
Shin Yoon-seong plummeted to the floor.
By the way, it was the second floor.
Time to meet Waifu at Hospital again 💀