Chapter 8: “I’m Confident We Can Be Friends Again”

Drrrrk.

I opened the classroom door and stepped inside.

The kids, who had been happily sharing stories from the vacation, suddenly fell silent all at once.

Naturally, it was because of Chae and Hyunwoo.

With casts on their arms and hands, and the two of them walking in hand-in-hand, they couldn’t help but draw attention.

The others had a look that seemed to itch for gossip.

Though Hyunwoo wasn’t particularly close to everyone,

Chaea was someone who got along with pretty much everyone.

However…

Perhaps because of the homeroom teacher’s earlier warning, no one approached them right away like at the school gate.

“Where should we sit?”

“Hold on a sec.”

Since today was the opening ceremony, there probably weren’t any assigned seats.

As I looked around for an empty one,

“Hey, I saved a seat at the back.”

Enubi, who was sitting right in front of the window in the back row, waved her hand.

Whether she had deliberately saved the back row seat or not, it looked like a spot where there wouldn’t be any attention drawn during class.

Hyunwoo, bringing Chaea along, lowered his head slightly.

“Thanks.”

“If you know, you can buy me a drink.”

“Huh?”

“You said you were going to buy something at the snack stand earlier.”

“I thought you meant drinks.”

“Then buy me some bread too.”

“Okay, okay.”

With this much consideration, getting snack stand food was the least I could do.

“Sit here.”

“Thanks.”

After pulling out Chaea’s chair, Hyunwoo sat beside her.

Right away, Enubi, turning around in her seat, spoke up.

“What did the homeroom teacher say?”

“He said to take good care of them.”

“Is that it?”

“Yeah.”

When I casually answered, Enubi lowered her voice and spoke seriously.

“…Is Chaea’s condition really that serious?”

“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“Well, you missed the entire opening ceremony and didn’t get a penalty?”

“I think they just let it slide today.”

“Ugh…”

“What were you two talking about?”

As Hyunwoo whispered in sync with Enubi’s voice,

Chaea suddenly leaned in with her face.

Enubi and Hyunwoo were startled, but

“We didn’t talk about anything special.”

“I was just asking if she was okay.”

Hyunwoo responded nonchalantly.

“Do you have to say it so quietly?”

“I thought it might make the others uncomfortable if they hear it.”

“Ah, yeah…”

Chaea, who hadn’t considered that before, looked around and nodded after seeing all the eyes on them.

“Yeah, it could be uncomfortable.”

“See?”

“But why hasn’t the teacher come in yet…”

Drrrrk.

Speak of the devil, the teacher showed up right after.

The math teacher entered the classroom.

“Ah, Do Hyunwoo. You came because you called me, right?”

“Is this my fault?”

“Don’t you think you share a little bit of the responsibility, Hyunwoo?”

As the memories of their friendship returned,

Chaea laughed and, along with Enubi, turned the blame toward Hyunwoo.

“Alright, no one here doesn’t know my face, right? Unless you were one of the ones who always slept during math class.”

The teacher started the lesson without giving Hyunwoo a chance to argue.

“Just in case, I’ll write it down for you. If you forget, you’ll have to solve 100 math problems next time.”

Tap, tap.

While the teacher wrote on the chalkboard,

Chaea whispered.

“I was wondering if I should ask, but I’m glad I didn’t.”

“No way, even if we did, the teacher wouldn’t make us do 100 math problems. She’s not that cruel. She does think highly of us.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because we’re good students.”

“Ah…”

Enubi, who was glancing back, shot Hyunwoo a glare.

“Stop saying annoying stuff behind us, Do Hyunwoo.”

“Didn’t you do worse than us in studying?”

“Yeah, a lot worse.”

“Seriously…?”

And so, we spent time quietly teasing Enubi.

Since today was the opening ceremony, the classes were shortened.

Naturally, we wouldn’t have enough time for a regular lesson.

“We’re third years now, right? Too many kids are wasting time on pointless stuff preparing for the college entrance exam.

Please at least finish the textbook problems completely, okay?”

The teacher wrapped up with those words after the OT (orientation) session.

Ding-dong, dang-dong.

After the bell rang and the teacher left,

“Eugh. Why did they even bother making us come to school if it was going to be like this?”

Enubi stretched and looked back.

Normally, model student Hyunwoo would have said, “There must be a reason,” but

“Yeah, right.”

A timetable with 20-minute classes and 10-minute breaks was hard to accept.

“Just have the opening ceremony, or do normal classes.”

It was like this in the first and second years too, but after dragging Chaea here, it felt even more frustrating.

The pointless OT time passed, and it was finally lunch.

“Chaea, can I eat with you guys?”

Enubi, who had been waiting for this moment, jumped up from her seat and tapped on Chaea’s desk.

“Yeah? Sure.”

Unlike when she had brushed her off in the morning,

Chaea nodded without being wary of Enubi.

Hyunwoo, looking surprised, glanced at Chaea.

“Are you sure?”

“Umm… I think it’s okay.”

Until now, everyone besides Hyunwoo had felt scary to her.

Enubi, whom she met this morning, was the same, but for some reason, she felt comfortable now.

Even though they hadn’t really talked much during math class…

It felt strangely familiar, like something her brain didn’t fully recognize.

Maybe it was because they had been close friends before.

‘I’m just glad she’s acting like nothing happened.’

Enubi didn’t overly cater to Chaea,

but she also didn’t force any overly friendly behavior.

Even though Chaea couldn’t remember exactly how they had gotten close,

she knew why they did.

I’ll tell you for sure, Chaea. To win a man’s heart… Especially if you want to seduce a nerd like Do Hyunwoo…

But aren’t you also a virgin?

…0101!

Somehow, there was a funny memory wiggling from the back of her mind.

“You’re kind of like me.”

“…Why are you insulting me all of a sudden, Chaea?”

“That’s what I should be saying.”

Enubi and Hyunwoo, who had been compared to each other, frowned as they looked at each other.

Seeing them, Chaea smiled playfully.

She gently shook her hands, still clasped together.

“I’m hungry, Hyunwoo.”

“Let’s go.” To the cafeteria.

“Today’s cod fish is fried and glazed.” Seriously?

“Let’s go to the snack bar.”

Hyunwoo smoothly changed the destination at Enubi’s words.

“Anyway, I have to buy for Jeong Enubi too.”

“Oh yay, I get to eat Hyunwoo’s food.”

“There’s bread you like too, let’s go try it.”

“Okay.”

Hyunwoo and Enubi slowly headed toward the snack bar, matching their pace to Chaea’s.

“Ugh… I’m not a bread shuttle. Why do they want me to bring food for three people?”

After coming out of the snack bar, Enubi grumbled while distributing the bread and drinks she bought.

“The snack bar’s full of people. What if something happens to her after we go inside?”

Chaea isn’t a three-year-old. Sigh.

“Right. I’m totally fine though.”

“You’re definitely not fine, though.”

Although Hyunwoo was concerned about her body in a cast, what worried him more was when Chaea suddenly complained of a headache.

What if she asked for a hug in a place so crowded?

If she said her head hurt, he’d have to hug her.

What would happen if they just stood there hugging in front of so many people?

Shakes head—why was he imagining things so clearly?

He shook off his thoughts and spoke while sipping through a straw.

“And I paid for everything, right? I even told you to keep the change.”

“Well, I don’t mind that. Hehe.”

Enubi let out a sly laugh as she bit into the burger Hyunwoo had bought with his money.

Hyunwoo smiled in disbelief and unwrapped the bread in front of Chaea.

“Try this. It’s the cream bread you like the most.”

Chaea took a bite, her ears perking up as she chewed.

Hyunwoo couldn’t interpret it perfectly, but it was probably a sign she liked it.

After they finished their bread and drinks…

“Chaea.”

Enubi slurped the last sip and called out to Chaea.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“I was just wondering… does your head hurt if I talk to you?”

Upon hearing the cautious question, a smile appeared on Chaea’s face.

She acted like everything was fine, but now she cared about Chaea’s condition too.

It was exactly what Hyunwoo would do.

“No, you’re fine.”

“Right? I can keep talking to you, right?”

“It’s not like you’re petting a stray cat. Why are you being so careful?”

When Hyunwoo chided from the side, Enubi glared at him.

“You wouldn’t understand the feeling from this morning. She really looked like a stray cat.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah, you. Do you know how shocked I was when you suddenly swatted my hand away?”

“Ugh, sorry.”

“If something happened, you should’ve called me. Though, you lost your memory, so I can’t blame you…”

It seemed to have left a big scar on her.

After Enubi unloaded her worries in a rush, she suddenly apologized.

“…Sorry, that’s not what I meant to say.”

Chaea blinked, listening calmly to Enubi’s words.

“Well then?”

“Huh?”

“What did you want to say?”

“Uh, it’s…”

Enubi froze up, suddenly speechless.

To put it in comparison, it was like a stray cat that had never shown any attention suddenly pushing its head forward, not knowing what to do.

After a few moments of struggling, she finally said,

“I want to be friends with you again…”

It was surprisingly cute, considering the image she’d been giving off.

“You probably don’t remember, but back in first grade, you were the one who came to me first when I was all alone.”

Although it was only two years ago, Enubi considered Chaea her closest friend—someone she didn’t need to be fake around.

“So this time, I’ll help you. Help you find your memories.”

Blushing with embarrassment, Enubi shook her head.

“No, honestly, I don’t care if I don’t get my memories back. I’m confident we’ll be friends again.”

Chaea let out a sigh of admiration.

“Wow…”

“What was that reaction?”

“Because it’s cool.”

“…What?”

Enubi’s face turned bright red at the unexpected response.

‘Is this why we’ve been friends?’

Chaea thought this inwardly, finding Enubi cute, and reached out her hand.

“Let’s be good friends from now on, Enubi. You’re my first friend now.”

“…First friend?”

“Yeah. I’ve forgotten everything, so you’re technically my first friend.”

Enubi hesitated for a moment, but then cocked her head.

“Wait a second. What about Hyunwoo?”

“He’s a childhood friend.”

“…What’s the difference?”

“He’s more special and important.”

“Hmm…”

Even without her memories, Chaea felt like she was regaining her old relationships, so she let it go.

And then…

“You’re saying this in front of the person involved?”

Enubi’s blunt words made Chaea blush.

Chaea looked confused, while Hyunwoo averted his gaze.

As Enubi glanced back and forth between them, she whispered in Chaea’s ear.

“Wait, come closer.”

“What?”

“Hurry.”

She leaned over to Chaea’s ear and whispered,

“I don’t know how much you’ve forgotten, but this time, I’ll help you get closer to Hyunwoo.”

“Uh, huh?”

Chaea was startled and took a step back, caught off guard by Enubi’s unexpected words.

“What was that? Did you just curse?”

Hyunwoo became suspicious of Enubi as Chaea’s reaction seemed strange.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Enubi gave Hyunwoo a sharp look, her eyes saying,

‘If you even say she doesn’t like him, I swear I’ll smack you. I’m dying from frustration just watching.’