Fugly Casanova

Noeul and Hansol walked out of the school building.

If Hansol wanted to be seen as a free spirit, someone who could effortlessly read others like an open book, then Noeul could play along. He’d simply pretend to reveal his inner thoughts to her. That would satisfy her enough so that she’d stop feeling the need to keep up this act.

“How did you know, though?” he asked.

“Know what?”

“That I didn’t want to go on the group date. Are you a mind reader or something? Was it that obvious?” He tilted his head in mock confusion.

Hansol looked at him silently.

“Thanks, by the way. You saved me.” Noeul turned to leave, but Hansol’s voice stopped him.

“Running away?”

Noeul turned back. “What?”

“Are you running away?” Hansol repeated, walking toward him.

Noeul didn’t reply.

Attractive girls have a way of affecting a man’s brain. Something about seeing Hansol’s face up close made his mind go blank. How was it possible for skin to be so fair, for a nose to be so perfectly sculpted? The impact of her beauty was undeniable.

Caught off guard, Noeul stood frozen as Hansol pressed on. “We were supposed to hang out, remember?”

“When did I agree to that? You just decided that,” he retorted.

“You owe me. Thanks to me, you don’t have to play the fool in front of those brainless jocks. So, spend that extra time with me, alright?”

Noeul was taken aback once more. ‘Brainless jocks’? Had Hansol always been this articulate? And as for playing the fool, Noeul was used to it. It was a role everyone silently acknowledged but never voiced so bluntly.

Am I supposed to feel bad? I should, right? But why doesn’t it sting when she says it? What’s happening?

While Noeul blinked dumbly, Hansol drove her point home. “Since you were planning to hang out with girls anyway, hang out with me. I’m pretty, so it’s not a loss for you.”

It was hard to argue with that—especially when a pretty girl knew she was pretty.

Noeul had suspected it, but now he was convinced: Hansol was truly one-of-a-kind. Unlike most girls, who rarely acknowledged their own beauty, Hansol’s self-assured declaration of her looks was refreshing.

She was admittedly arrogant, but Noeul didn’t find it annoying. It was better than girls who made self-deprecating remarks like, “Me? I’m not pretty,” “I look awful today,” or “Look how much weight I’ve gained.” They were just fishing for compliments every time.

“Alright, then… Let’s ask Joonki to join us. He lives nearby,” Noeul said.

“No.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“I just want to hang out with you. You don’t like hanging in threes, do you?”

“What do you mean? Joonki’s a close friend.”

“It’s not about being friends. It just sucks being around good-looking guys.”

How does she know that?

With a disbelieving chuckle, Noeul said, “Wow, you really think I’m antisocial, don’t you? Just because I’m not a ten doesn’t mean I hate good-looking people. I feel like there’s a misunderstanding here.”

“Really? Then you must have a great personality. I can’t stand it. Every time I see them, I just want to mess up their perfect little faces.”

“The hell…? You’re really something else. You’re dangerous, you know?”

Noeul laughed, trying to shrug it off as a joke, yet he felt a flicker of unease. It was almost like Hansol could read his mind.

Hansol continued, “Yeah, I think about this stuff all the time. Now that you know how scary I am, wouldn’t it be better to just hang out with me?”

She tapped Noeul’s shoulder lightly and started walking toward the main gate. Noeul could no longer think of a reason to refuse her offer and trailed after her.

Hansol passed the stores in front of the school gate and headed toward the market. While the stores were crowded with students, the market was mostly frequented by locals.

She entered a Chinese restaurant tucked away deep within the market. Noeul followed her in, taking in the aged interior. The wallpaper was darkened from years of exposure, round tables were shielded by glass tops, and the red backrests of the wooden chairs were mostly torn. A dusty fan creaked overhead as it spun.

Hansol chose a corner seat and motioned for Noeul to join her. He sat across from her as an elderly woman, likely the owner, dropped menus on their table before retreating to watch TV.

“I come here a lot,” Hansol remarked casually.

“You come all the way out here?”

Noeul almost said, To this rundown place? but caught himself, worried the elderly woman might hear.

“Yeah,” Hansol replied.

“It must be a real hidden gem.”

“No, I come because there are no people here.”

“…”

“Chinese food is pretty much the same everywhere… Ma’am, we’ll have two jjajangmyeon, a plate of sweet and sour pork, and a bottle of kaoliang liquor, please.”

Noeul found himself increasingly at a loss for words around Hansol.

“Do you prefer places without people?” he asked.

“Yeah. Don’t you?”

Noeul almost responded with a quick, “You and I aren’t in the same boat,” but instead he said, “Uh… well, I like most places. That’s why I don’t really chase the popular spots.”

“I don’t like people looking at me. It always feels like they’re staring, even if they’re not. And if I accidentally make eye contact, I lose my appetite and sometimes just leave.”

Hansol’s experience was eerily similar to Noeul’s. Though their reasons for feeling stared at were likely different.

“So even attractive people don’t like being stared at,” Noeul remarked. “I always thought it would feel nice to be admired.”

Hansol gave a small laugh.

Their food arrived soon after. Noeul eyed the dishes before him. “You didn’t even ask me before ordering. You just went ahead.”

“Why complain now? You should’ve said something when I ordered. What can we do about it now? Just eat.”

Distracted by Hansol’s comment about preferring empty places, Noeul hadn’t thought to object earlier. Realizing she was right, Noeul silently started eating his jjajangmyeon.

Hansol poured the kaoliang into small glasses and slid one toward Noeul. He was so taken aback by her other actions that he didn’t even think to question drinking strong liquor in broad daylight.

“Cheers!” Hansol raised her glass with a bright smile.

Noeul clinked his glass against hers and downed the liquor in one gulp.

“Ahhh.” Hansol squinted, reacting to the strong burn. Noeul couldn’t help but think how even this looked charming when done by a beautiful person.

Noticing his gaze, Hansol giggled. “What? Do you think I’m pretty?”

“You’re shameless,” Noeul replied.

“Being pretty is the best, don’t you think?”

“Oh, come on,” Noeul scoffed.

Hansol continued, “It’s true. Being pretty is the best. Better than any genius talent. If I were a piano prodigy, my talent would only shine when playing. But being pretty? I’m a genius every moment I breathe. A face genius. A pianist can’t walk around with ‘I’m a genius’ written on their forehead. But if you’re pretty, it’s like wearing a sign all the time. People see your talent instantly.”

Noeul was taken aback by Hansol’s sudden burst of conversation. He could hardly keep up.

“Wow. Good for you to have such overflowing talent,” he said.

Hansol nodded eagerly. “Of course. It’s amazing. And the best part? This talent doesn’t require any effort to develop. It’s something you’re born with. Sure, you can try to look a little better, but over ninety percent of it’s inherited. It’s like being born with ten billion won in the bank.”

Noeul had often thought similarly. From birth, attractive people and people like him walked different paths. Beautiful children received more affection from a very young age. While it could seem like all children are loved, the beautiful ones seem to receive a deeper affection. For those less attractive, the compliments they get are often just polite platitudes, a forced “cute” from adults.

Beautiful children experience love simply by existing. This builds their self-esteem, which later gives them enough strength to overcome significant challenges and pain. Unattractive children quickly realize they can’t be loved just for being themselves. They become skilled at reading people’s preferences and dislikes, quickly doing whatever it takes to earn affection.

Whenever Noeul talked about this, attractive people usually reacted with displeasure. They wanted to believe that the love and recognition they received were earned through their own efforts, not because of some random factor like their looks. They didn’t like to acknowledge that their efforts might play a minimal role.

But here was Hansol, openly acknowledging that her overwhelming “talent” was simply a stroke of luck. That her efforts had nothing to do with it.

“And being attractive means whatever you do gets an extra boost,” Noeul added. “If you become a doctor, you’re not just a doctor but a ‘beautiful doctor.’ If you’re a chef, you’re a ‘beautiful chef.’ It’s easier to appeal to people and get famous.”

Hansol smacked her palm on the table. “Exactly.”

She downed several shots of kaoliang in a row, although she seemed quite drunk already.

“But all that talk about not caring about looks, about personality being more important than appearance… It’s all bullshit. Complete bullshit,” she exclaimed a bit louder than before.

Noeul let out a laugh. “Dude, are you drunk?”

“No, but I’m right, aren’t I? A guy says he loves his girlfriend because of her great personality? Would he still love her if she gained a ton of weight and a face full of acne? Would he still love her, even if her personality didn’t change? No way. Bullshit. He wouldn’t.”

Noeul laughed out loud. “Hey, why is a pretty girl like you thinking the same thing as me?”

He said it half-jokingly and glanced at Hansol, worried she might take offense. But Hansol just giggled, seemingly unfazed.

“Did you see the guys waiting for Hyunsoo at the back of the lecture hall earlier?” she said. “They were all uglier than him. Not that Hyunsoo is the hottest or anything… Anyway, they’re all trying to stand out. The others are just sidekicks. You know what’s funny? The guys waiting for Hyunsoo are all thinking the same thing. Like, ‘Oh, I’m better than these guys.’ It’s hilarious.”

Noeul found himself nodding. He had thought the same thing. Hyunsoo didn’t seem like a bad guy, and honestly, Noeul would have done the same thing in his shoes. As Hansol said, the whole scenario was just funny—a reflection of human nature.

Hansol, swaying slightly, suddenly pointed at Noeul. “Heyyy, I’ll show you a trick,” she slurred.

Noeul gave her a puzzled look. “What trick?”

“Patamon voice impression.”

“Why?”

“Just watch… Patamon digivolves to… Angemon!”

“Pfft.”

Hansol’s voice took on a serious timber at “Angemon,” before she stared at him solemnly.

Taken aback, Noeul accidentally spat out his kaoliang. Did this girl have a split personality or something? She seemed so aloof at school. If people saw this side of her—not only her beauty but her vibrant personality—her popularity would skyrocket.

Hansol giggled like a kid, amused by her own antics.

Noeul felt like he was in some sort of dream, sitting there chatting so freely with such a gorgeous girl.

Suddenly, Hansol reached out her hand. “Let’s be good friends!”

Noeul chuckled. For a brief moment, he thought it might be easier if Hansol had at least one big flaw. Then her offer of friendship might feel less daunting.

As he pondered, Noeul realized two things: first, there was a significant gap between them that only a major flaw in Hansol could bridge, and second, he wanted to be her friend badly enough to wish for such a flaw.

Hansol tilted her head. “You know, I don’t have many friends. Let’s hang out more.”

Maybe it was because he wanted to justify it to himself, or maybe it was the alcohol, but Noeul found that he couldn’t refuse.

Or that Hansol’s adorably flushed face left him with no room for any other thoughts…

He grasped her hand and replied, “Alright.”

Hansol grinned as she shook his hand enthusiastically.

“Great! On to the next round!”