episode_0021

“Are you tired? Hmm…”

Yeji Lee’s eyes never strayed from her smartphone. I was in the middle of going out to play with my classmates, but I was a little annoyed when I heard Ji-woon Lee’s reply was strangely delayed.

“Foresight! What are you doing, just look at your phone~”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Let’s go there, there! They say they sell strange Tanghulu over there~”

She was reluctantly dragged along by the girls. Although she only looked like Geumtaeyang (Women.ver) on the outside, strangely, her friends did not have any special distance or wariness towards Yeji Lee.

This was thanks to the fact that Yeji Lee’s nature and personality were not unique enough to be able to see through them even in a short period of time. The one person in the class is scary-looking, but when you get to know him, he’s surprisingly aloof. Because Yeji Lee’s position was able to be established to that extent.

Plus, with her heroine-like appearance that showed through her tanned skin, girls had no reason not to become friends with her. Wanting to be with a handsome and pretty person, even if they are of the same sex, is like an instinct for children of this age.

“Hmm~ It’s delicious~”

“Yeji, you should try it too. Isn’t it delicious?”

“Ugh. Yeah… it’s delicious…”

Ye-ji Lee became the boss rather than the boss in the group, but her current condition was subtly withering. Like a plant that hasn’t been watered for just a day, Yeji Lee has lost her vitality, as if the grass has died.

A friend who looked into her smartphone as a joke to find out the secret started shaking his hand in disgust. While checking Lee Ji-woon’s profile card hanging on the screen.

“Are you sure you’re so depressed right now because of Lee Ji-woon? What did he do to our Yeji again??”

“No, it’s not really anything like that…”

“No, that’s not it! Right now, our Yeji is just staring at her phone all day! What on earth is going on?”

The relationship between men and women was one of the essential interests of teenage children. This is especially true when it comes to the love story of Yeji Lee, who boasts outstanding beauty.

“It’s nothing.. It’s just that I feel like I’m a little late in contacting you.”

“Oh my, are you chewing on our Yeji contact? If I were a man, I could react and reply in seconds. It’s real!”

“But he also looked a little better. Honestly, is Yoon Dong-gun at school? Isn’t he next?”

“Then what do you do? I heard he’s a total brat and his relationships with women are promiscuous? I admit that I hit him a little, but honestly, as a boyfriend…”

“Hey.”

In an instant, the atmosphere cooled rapidly. Next to the girl who was scolding Lee Ji-woon, Lee Ye-ji’s sharp eyes began to press through her as if piercing her.

“Our Jiwoon is kind. Don’t say anything just based on appearance.”

“Ugh…! I’m sorry, Yeji! I was wrong…”

A friend who uses the palm of his hand to beg in an exaggerated manner. Even though she knew this wasn’t sincere, Yeji Lee’s heart wasn’t cold enough to cool the atmosphere any further.

“Our Jiwoon has completely changed since he was discharged from the hospital. You said before that you took off your skirt so I could see my legs? So don’t slander anymore.”

“We are Jiwoon.. We are almost boyfriends.”

“So when are you going to date, Yeji? He’s famous at school now. It’s true in a bad way, but on the other hand, it seems like there are quite a few girls who are interested, right? Is there something like that? Kids from prestigious high schools like this surprisingly like kids who are like gangsters.”

“And to be honest, since you have a fair face, there must be a lot of girls in the back room secretly targeting you, right? Dropping a handsome gangster on your mental stress from exam stress? I can’t stand this~”

“What… When I was in middle school, I was so scared of her that I couldn’t talk to either men or women. Other than me, there was no one I could really call a friend…”

Ye-ji Lee dismissed the possibility, telling her not to talk nonsense, but unknowingly, anxiety was sprouting in a corner of her heart.

In middle school, there was a strong perception that he was a bully who always got into fights and caused trouble, but now Lee Ji-woon has changed a lot. It seemed like he was opening his heart a lot to himself, but if you think about it the other way around, it means that he was opening his heart to others as well.

The story was that Lee Ji-woon, who had become so open(?), could unexpectedly receive a lot of attention. In fact, even when he was a middle school student who was always acting like a bully, he would periodically receive love letters or DMs.

‘Ugh… that can’t be possible!’

Yeji Lee shook her head. Even though she said she liked Lee Ji-woon, she didn’t want to confess it unilaterally first. Lee Ji-woon’s confession when he was not even aware of himself as a member of the opposite sex could have foreshadowed a miserable future in which he could not even be a friend.

Therefore, Yeji Lee’s choice was to wait. If you continuously appeal and show your charm, Jiwoon Lee will inevitably be moved as well, as he is a man. 3 years of middle school like that. Furthermore, I was planning to wait this year as well.

“Isn’t he Lee Ji-woon?”

“What is it, who is next to me? Wow, your breasts are so big.”

“He doesn’t know? He’s the guy who goes with Dong-gun Yoon. Is it Park Ha-eun? She’s small but looks very pretty.”

“But why does he go with Lee Ji-woon? Aren’t you dating Yoon Dong-gun??”

I turned my head instinctively at the words of my friends. In the changed field of view, Lee Ji-woon was walking down the street with Park Ha-eun.

The friends cover their mouths without realizing it and are watching Yeji Lee’s thoughts. Soon, her red eyes began to emit fire, and Lee Ye-ji began to turn to the handsome man and woman without hesitation.

“Sorry, let’s play again next time.”

“Uh, uh, yes…! Hey, cheer up, Yeji!!”

“Fighting!!”

With the support of her friends around her, Yeji Lee just quietly burned her fighting spirit.

* * *

“Why are you here now?”

It’s cold. It seemed as if the warm spring warmth just moments ago had melted away.

This was like the mind of a married man who was caught having an affair. Of course, to be honest, there was nothing wrong with me. He wasn’t even in a romantic relationship with Ye-ji Lee, and that didn’t mean he was dating or dating Park Ha-eun.

But why is my heart pumping like this? Don’t show off, my heart. If it’s the heart of the golden sun, it means showing the roots of kindness and filial piety a little more…!

“I asked Jiwoon to eat first, Yeji. Right now, I’m on my way to the game center after eating.”

“What? Who are you to ask Jiwoon to eat? And wasn’t Jiwoon already rejecting that?”

“ I was like that… Thankfully, Jiwoon made an appointment. ah. Haven’t you heard, Yeji?”

Park Ha-eun used to be timid, but now her face had a strange smile on it. The way he spoke somehow sounded like, ‘I knew something you didn’t know.’ Maybe it’s my mood? This has to be because of my mood, right??

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

The sparks now began to fly elsewhere. The problem was that I was the one who got splashed.

Why didn’t you tell me? Honestly, I could have answered by listing the words I thought of earlier, but I wanted to save my words because it felt like real dinosaurs would appear in this world if I did that.

okay. I wanted to save it, but still.

“Because it was uncomfortable.”

“….Huh?”

Perhaps because it was an unexpected answer, Yeji Lee was startled and took a step back. Without realizing it, he placed his right hand near his heart and was unable to hide his embarrassment.

Seeing her like that didn’t make me feel good. No matter how delinquent she appeared on the outside, Yeji Lee was by no means a bad person. To Lee Ji-woon too. And to other children too.

but.

“If I had told you that I would meet Park Ha-eun, what would you have said?”

“…….”

“Of course I told you not to meet. I would have given every reason to stop them from meeting at all costs. It was obvious that he would act no differently this time, as he had always done with me.”

“Profit..! It’s all because I thought of you…!”

“I am truly grateful for that. However, I am also a person who has thoughts and can make my own judgment. I don’t want to ask for your permission to meet someone anymore. Whether it be a friendship or a relationship with the opposite sex.”

“…….”

Yeji Lee makes a depressed expression as if she can’t believe it. My heart ached to see a face that looked like it was about to burst into tears at any moment, but it was definitely an issue that had to be addressed at some point.

She was the same friend as Lee Ji-woon when he was Lee Ji-woon and now when he was me. A very strong and close friendship.

But even among such close friends, there had to be at least some distance. It was strange to have to ask for permission from friends when meeting people or dating people of the opposite sex. Even if it is a close friendship that has lasted for several years, like Lee Ji-woon and Lee Ye-ji.

Still, considering Lee Ji-woon’s history with women in the past, it was not unreasonable for Lee Ye-ji to always act recklessly. But right now, I’m not both Lee Ji-woon and Lee Ji-woon, but I’m in a state of quantum mechanics.

I need to show a different side of myself from now on so that Yeji Lee can let go of her impatience with me, but they kept trying to keep me in a cage, so I didn’t even have a chance to show it.

Even that gangster who wanted to leave a deep impression on his brother whom he saw in a movie, how can he make an impression and accumulate achievements if he doesn’t even have the chance?

“So give it a chance. An opportunity to show that I am a person who can make my own decisions.”

“……Is that opportunity related to Park Ha-eun?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m really just meeting this guy because he wants to buy me food, there’s no other intention. Is that so?”

I continued speaking without delaying even 0.1 second for fear of causing some misunderstanding. To increase persuasiveness, I asked Park Ha-eun to agree, but strangely, she only made vague gestures, neither nodding nor shaking her head.

Why is he like this again? Please cooperate before it gets even more awkward. I don’t want to see dinosaurs with my own eyes.

“Did you really just meet Park Ha-eun for a meal?”

“Uh. The two of us ate some refreshing soup. This is a pig. I am sundae.”

“Soup.. Soup and rice?”

“Uh. So it’s not what you think.”

It was a perfect alibi. Isn’t it common to have a soup restaurant with someone of the opposite sex that can be described as having a fling? They hugged each other without leaving a single grain of rice or a drop of soup behind. Is this something a man and woman who are in love with each other would do? Even if you post this on the community, it will immediately be pointed out that you are just friends.

But the opponent was Yeji Lee. A golden sun and a gyaru woman whose actions you cannot dare to predict. Just before her mouth opened, I couldn’t help but instinctively retract my mouth.

This behavior, which has now become a habit, is like an automatic reflex that occurs every time my heart beats. If there is Pavlov’s dog in the dog world, then in the human world there is Ji-woon Lee the butthole.

Don’t laugh. Right now, I was a serious sellout who was wondering whether to stay still or run wild depending on what Ye-ji Lee would say.

Among the bustling people passing by, we were the only ones experiencing the silence. In such a strange fate, we have to wait for Lee Ye-ji’s words. Yeji Lee’s lips slowly opened, and the short words she spat out were,

“…Yes, it was uncomfortable.”

With that phrase, Lee Ye-ji’s enthusiasm quickly cooled down, and she quickly returned to her original form.

For a moment, I felt a sense of desperation in a situation that was so frustrating, but isn’t a good thing a good thing? In this worldview, there was no need to provoke a casting-level person. If we were not careful, at least one city could have disappeared from the map (this is half true).

However, after a short period of time talking, Yeji Lee’s mood had clearly changed. Should I say that it looks as if it has decided on something? It seems like a strangely different situation from the usual rampage.

“I guess I’m too obsessed with your relationship with women even though I’m not your girlfriend. Even among friends, there can be inconveniences. I’m sorry I misunderstood, Jiwoon.”

“Hmm… I’m having a hard time getting used to hearing those words all of a sudden.”

“I won’t say things like that anymore, so if you meet someone, please tell me honestly. Can you tidy it up?”

Yeji Lee was smiling a friendly smile that did not suit her. That actually made me even more anxious. Is this the Yeji I knew? Something has changed. Something has changed!

“Yeah, right. I can do that much.. But what can I say… you seem to have changed…?”

“But where were you guys going? Is it okay if we sit together?”

Yeji Lee said and naturally hugged my left arm tightly. I think Park Ha-eun’s gaze became sharper at that moment, but I believe this was also due to her mood.

Anyway, I had no idea why he was like this. Even though the situation was going to be very heated, he calmly accepted my words, and the sense of distance that I always had was reaching me as if he had boldly destroyed it with a hammer.

Ugh, don’t stand. You can’t wake up now, Mai Johnson.

“…I don’t care. As long as Jiwoon is okay.”

“Ji-woon. Are you okay?”

“Huh? Uh…yeah. Well, it doesn’t matter to me either.”

My survival instinct was leading me to answer in the affirmative. If Lee Ye-ji here told me to go home, my future would be uncertain. Both physically and mentally.

“Oh yeah, let’s go~”

Yeji Lee energetically stretches her arms straight up to the sky with strangely excessive tension. In this way, an unintentional three-person pot was suddenly formed.

What kind of moth effect this will bring about, I no longer know.

* * *

‘Hey, you too?’

‘Hey me too!’

Of course, Park Ha-eun and Lee Ye-ji would not have exchanged words like this, but their meaning was similar. Lee Ye-ji’s linking arms with Lee Ji-woon was not a sudden move, but a thoroughly calculated one. Thanks to that, I was able to clearly see into Park Ha-eun’s heart.

‘In the end, what they said was correct.’

Yeji Lee thought back to what her friends said earlier. Lee Ji-woon is more popular than expected. He is a man who never knows when someone will snatch him.

The words that I had just passed over when I heard them, now flew like a dagger and pierced my heart. I don’t know what Park Ha-eun actually did, but she was spending time with Lee Ji-woon on the weekend.

The moment she saw that, Yeji Lee realized she was wrong. Originally, she claimed to be Lee Ji-woon’s goalkeeper. Even if I conceded a point, I planned to continue to stay by his side and wait until Lee Ji-woon and I reached a rapport.

‘Not anymore.’

I couldn’t win Lee Ji-woon with such an easy method. It took over three years, but the results were shabby. Lee Ji-woon played around with other women, and even now, it seems like an unknown emotional exchange is sprouting with Park Ha-eun.

Even from a woman’s perspective, Park Ha-eun was objectively an attractive woman. I was wondering if there would be a man who wouldn’t be seduced if he made up his mind to seduce him. A being too large to be considered a rival. Even though he had no place to fall in, he felt as if he would become smaller in front of her.

‘I will never lose.’

Yeji Lee composed herself. Now there was no longer a goalkeeper named Lee Ji-woon.

The owner of the goal was threatening that no one could interfere with his mind, and such a situation reborn Yeji Lee not as a goalkeeper but as a proud striker.

Everyone has the ball, and now anyone can shoot. I don’t know who will put the ball into the goal at the last moment, but at least Lee Ye-ji was never the type of person to give up before even starting.

“Shall we go then, Ji-woon?”

The blonde cat started running now.

Toward that vaguely visible goalpost that is still far away.