episode_0214

‘Instead of pushing too hard, how about pulling once in a while?’

‘What if I lose it? Phew, that can’t be. After 14 years of shady work, do you really think the tower you’ve worked so hard on will collapse overnight?’

‘So don’t worry and just pull. Maybe this will be the chance for Jae-seok, that guy, to notice my feelings.’

My aunt’s advice to mix up the pushing and pulling.

When I first heard that advice, to be honest, I was skeptical.

What if I try to pull him in vain and Jaeseok leaves me?

I’ve lived almost my entire life looking only at Jaeseok, but if I pull it off once and everything goes down the drain…

Although I was starting to feel uneasy, I decided to give it a try anyway.

Because it was advice from my aunt who had lived for an unimaginably long time.

With such advice from my aunt and grandmother, I had a faint hope that I could escape this one-sided relationship.

Anyway, I took to heart the advice I had heard all night and decided not to go see Jaeseok today.

I’ve been going to Jaeseok first every single day for the past 14 years, except for holidays and vacations, so shouldn’t it be okay to endure it for just one day?

I began to wait for Jaeseok, suppressing my boiling desire, and as I waited, my feelings of anxiety began to build up.

It was okay during breaks between the first and second periods.

Since the original pick-up time was 3rd period, I wasn’t expecting much anyway.

But things were different after the third period break.

From then on, it’s time for me to go first.

I thought Jaeseok would come looking for me, worried that ‘something went wrong’ if I didn’t go.

“It’s not coming…”

Unfortunately, Jaeseok didn’t come to see me.

It was a little disappointing… no, it was very disappointing, but I was able to endure it up to this point.

It’s really rare, but there were times when I couldn’t come to the 3rd period because I was busy.

I guess you probably thought I didn’t come because I was busy.

So I decided to wait until lunchtime.

If I don’t go during lunch time, I expect Jaeseok to come to me first.

however.

“…”

No matter how long I waited, Jaeseok never came to me first.

But won’t it come back before it’s over?

I didn’t give up my anticipation until the very end, but all that awaited me was the gloomy sound of the bell signaling the end of lunch time.

The 5th period class time arrived like that.

All kinds of thoughts began to come to mind along with sad feelings.

Was I the only one who thought Jaeseok had a special relationship with her?

Wasn’t all that hard work over the past 14 years really all for nothing?

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Feeling depressed, I pretended to sleep, lay down on the desk, and sobbed without anyone knowing.

After sobbing for a while, it was time for a break again.

After going to the bathroom to wipe away the tear stains, I had a gloomy expression on my face without any sense of anticipation.

Maybe the reason my aunt told me to pull was to get to know the other person’s feelings.

As I was doodling on my textbook in a state of emptiness, a faint shadow soon formed on my desk.

“…!”

A sweet, sticky smell wafting in.

I tried to calm my pounding heart and quietly looked up at the owner of the shadow.

Then, the master of the shadows raised me up and slowly opened his mouth.

“Let’s talk for a minute.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This is an important conversation, I’d like to talk about it outside.”

An expression that is as blunt as usual, but somewhat desperate.

I felt a surge of joy at the sight of Jaeseok’s expression when I first saw him.

Ah, so that’s why my aunt told me to pull it.

Grandma, how much do you know?

The confidence that had run away returns and settles in my heart.

And then, the love that had been gradually fading away begins to burn fiercely again.

Wouldn’t it be possible to confess your love by handing over a love letter now, or maybe just a little while later?

I barely managed to suppress my excitement and gave the order with a cold face.

“Come later. I’m busy now.”

“What are you doing? You were just sitting there a moment ago.”

“Didn’t I tell you before not to ask a woman’s secrets?”

Let’s glare at him fiercely. Jaeseok paused for a moment, then nodded.

“…Then when should I come?”

A question filled with impatience, though I don’t know the reason.

I answered softly, holding back the laughter that threatened to burst out.

“After 9th period, before dinner.”

“Isn’t it too late?”

“It has to be then.”

I need some time too.

To prepare to be your lover.

I carefully pushed Jaeseok’s broad back.

—–

“Why are you so dead? Did something happen with your girlfriend a little while ago?”

“…It’s noisy, focus on class.”

“The guy who’s always blunt is looking really depressed next to me, and I’m really concentrating. What’s going on? Tell me.”

“I told you, don’t worry about it.”

I waved my hand and told him to ignore me, but Seungje stubbornly clung to me, even putting down the novel he was reading.

Eventually, I was defeated by the guy’s overwhelming persistence and had no choice but to confess everything that happened during the 5th period break.

“When I went to see her, I saw traces of her crying, and when I tried to talk to her, she responded coldly and told me to come back in the evening…”

“Do you have any guesses? If you do, tell me everything.”

I asked the guy with the mindset of grabbing at straws, but the answer I got back was completely useless.

“…I’ve never seen this situation in a novel.”

“I’m an idiot for believing that. Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep.”

I secretly cast a sleeping spell on Seungje and continued my thoughts in a slightly quieter environment.

Where did it go wrong?

I thought back slowly, but nothing came to mind.

The only thing that comes to mind is that I have never approached Jin-ha first.

And, there is one emotion that is kept deep in my heart.

If the reason Jin-ha was cold was the former, then it’s still worth doing.

Because Jin-ha has to come to me as much as he did, if not even more.

But what if the latter is the case?

“What should I do?”

It would be a lie to say that I’ve never been excited by Jin-ha.

With her beauty and personality, what man in the world could not be attracted to her?

But apart from being attracted to him, he’s my childhood friend.

What if I confess and this comfortable relationship gets ruined?

“…There’s nothing more horrible than that.”

Phew.

I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind of complicated thoughts, but the more I did, the more complicated it became, like looking at an unsolvable magic formula.

What on earth are Jin-ha’s intentions?

What did you expect from me that made your attitude change so completely overnight?

It would be nice if the reason was love.

Really, if that’s the reason, I’d feel better too.

My complicated thoughts continued through the 6th period, into the 7th and 8th periods, and by the time I reached the last period, the 9th period.

“Confession, I should try it once.”

I was finally able to decide on a direction.

Even if the relationship goes wrong, I will be a man and tell you what’s really on my mind.

Either way, I’ll lose my precious childhood friend, but even if I regret it, I’ll choose the path that will make me regret it less.

As soon as I made my decision, the bell rang indicating that 9th period was over, and I followed my classmates who were rushing out with their own goals and slowly headed towards Jin-ha.

Step by step.

Even though it was clearly a short distance, the road to my childhood friend felt so far away.

Is it because of guilt or because of burden?

Probably both.

If only one side had been there, my steps would have been lighter than they are now.

“Hoo – ”

As I was walking, I arrived at Jinhae Ban without realizing it.

I took a deep breath and carefully opened the sliding door.

Knock knock –

Then he slowly walked inside, softly saying his childhood friend’s name.

“Jinhaya.”

Then, in the empty classroom, my childhood friend, who was shining brightly alone, slowly turned his gaze towards me.

“You’re here?”

Blonde hair that shines even more beautifully in the red sunset.

When I saw those hazy eyes that were redder than the sunset, my already pounding heart began to beat even faster.

Wouldn’t it be possible to confess with peace of mind now?

If I confess now, I don’t think I’ll regret it even if I fail.

I slowly approached Jin-ha and opened my mouth.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course, before that.”

Exactly!

Jin-ha snapped his fingers, revealing perked ears and a cute tail, before completely isolating part of the classroom from reality.

Then, with a nine-tailed fox-like, devilish laugh, she walked seductively and closed the distance between us.

“I put up a barrier so you don’t get interrupted. Okay, then tell me. What do you want to say?”

“…That’s it.”

As soon as I opened my mouth, I was speechless.

The promise to confess even if there was regret disappeared, and only fear began to encompass all the emotions.

For a magician, nothing should be easier than putting his thoughts into action, so why is this so difficult?

Smiling bitterly, I steeled my resolve again.

If you don’t confess now, you will surely regret it for the rest of your life.

I opened my mouth while carefully holding Jin-ha’s soft hand.

“This is, haa… I don’t know where to start.”

“Speak slowly, there’s still plenty of time.”

“Okay, I’ll speak slowly as you said. Let’s get straight to the point.”

I looked into my childhood friend’s confident red eyes and mustered up as much courage as I could to confess candidly.

“I love you, Yoon Jin-ha.”

Perhaps there is no confession worse than this for the recipient?

It’s a plain confession without any introduction, development, turn or conclusion, and without any romantic atmosphere.

Even in my opinion, it was such a pathetic confession that I burst out laughing in the quiet atmosphere.

…will definitely fail. What kind of generous woman in the world would accept such a pitiful confession?

Feeling a rising sense of inferiority, I slowly raised my head to see my childhood friend’s cold reaction.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

There I found my childhood friend, who was at a loss and wagging his thick, lovable tail vigorously.

Was there such a generous woman here?

Did he just look dumbfounded for a moment because he was flustered?

My childhood friend, who had just come to his senses, took something that looked like a letter out of his uniform pocket and handed it to me with a shy face.

“This, this is my answer.”

A lovely childhood friend who quickly averts her eyes in embarrassment after handing me a letter.

I quickly took the letter after seeing Jin-ha’s face turn red as if it was going to burst, and when I opened the package and saw the words ‘I love you♡’ written in large letters on the letter paper.

Side –

The golden, dazzling nine-tailed fox slowly approached me and stole my lips.