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Episode 38: We Got Married.

A person’s psyche is more twisted than one might think.

Even when faced with cold reality and undeniable facts,

Underneath the twisted psyche, denial and distortion persist.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh…?”

“Go. Confess.”

It was a decisive statement that defined the cold reality.

Kim Hyeongmin’s expression, warmer than usual, subtly gentle in a different sense, was relaxed.

He didn’t throw a punch. Nor did he shoot sharp glances.

Gazing blankly at Jeong Ah-young,

He simply extended his hand slowly with a compassionate smile.

His outstretched index finger pointed towards Han Se-in.

It could have been a violent scene as usual.

However, the command from Kim Hyeongmin’s lips was enough to change the atmosphere.

Kang Hyeon-ah’s expression crumpled.

She thought it would pass without a word.

But a storm beyond her expectations approached.

There was no escape anymore.

Trying to mask her face as much as possible and watching Kim Hyeongmin’s reactions, Kang Hyeon-ah was merely an audience member.

Because of the man who manipulated the situation, unable to achieve what he desired.

The stage lights illuminated only Han Se-in, Jeong Ah-young, and Kim Hyeongmin.

Kang Hyeon-ah was left in the darkness untouched by the light.

In other words, she could only observe the situation from the shadows.

She wanted to reach out, but the stage was too high.

The difference between above and below the platform was clear.

Kang Hyeon-ah’s expression gradually crumbled.

Fortunately, the shadowed expression went unseen by anyone.

It wasn’t just a woman harboring her own feelings, but now directed towards the leads.

Jeong Ah-young’s expression gradually softened.

Amid a seemingly blank yet complicated expression,

She heard a command to rise slowly, and she obeyed.

Passive and coercive, Jeong Ah-young’s heart raced.

The command represented the crystallization of her usual thoughts.

Rather than a man with a gentle smile, she faced a man who cultivated emotions.

With tightly closed lips,

Han Se-in’s expression was cautious, perhaps due to the sudden situation.

His bewildered gaze shifted between Jeong Ah-young and Kim Hyeongmin,

eventually capturing Kang Hyeon-ah.

The eyes of the main characters on stage met those of the seated audience.

However, nothing changed.

Even if the audience protested, the play’s content remained unchanged.

Even if it was a tragedy.

Following Han Se-in’s words,

Kang Hyeon-ah’s eyes were filled with deep sorrow.

She looked at him more sadly than she would have if she had to force him or shout and threaten him coercively.

Amid the twisted and distorted situation,

Ironically, there was a glimmer of hope in Kang Hyeon-ah’s eyes.

Just for a moment.

She recalled a distant past.

The time when she first met him, when she ingrained the existence of Han Se-in with Kim Hyeongmin.

“No.”

“You promised to help me with math problems.”

Kim Hyeongmin, the man who shouldn’t be touched, was there.

Actions that an ordinary student wouldn’t take.

Han Se-in did them all.

Was that why?

Kang Hyeon-ah, who harbored feelings for him, remembered that time.

Please.

Rebel just this once.

Refuse and act irrationally in this unreasonable situation.

Always proactive and decisive, Kang Hyeon-ah prayed for the first time.

In a situation beyond her control, where she couldn’t intervene.

For the first time, she took a passive stance.

“Sein…”

Jeong Ah-young’s expression was that of a woman on the verge of confession.

Indeed. Because that was the truth, it was somewhat expected.

Was it because of her expression?

Kang Hyeon-ah’s insides were gradually crumbling.

If she usually tormented others,

Should she confess to a male student who was also being tormented?

It wasn’t about mutual agreement or the love they usually pursued.

Docile and shy.

The girl who had dreamt of a love that made her heart flutter began to crumble.

Denying, and denying again.

“I-I want to date you.”

The trigger was pulled.

All eyes and attention turned towards Han Sein.

A forced situation.

Kang Hyun-ah’s lips pressed tightly together, a faint flush rising on them.

From a third-person perspective,

It was a situation understandable if viewed objectively as an outsider.

If she refused, surely she would face even greater anger.

If she didn’t accept the confession, even greater pain would come.

It was a predictable situation.

Something that could be received even with no feelings involved.

However,

Kang Hyun-ah’s twisted emotions prevented such thoughts.

The confession was thrown, leaving Han Sein to receive it.

His lips slowly parted,

And soon contained his response.

“…Okay.”

Reason chilled down.

It was an unbelievable reality.

No, an unbearable reality.

Although knowing it was a natural choice,

Her feelings towards him deepened and suppressed.

Not even friends. Not even classmates in the same grade.

Desire for a closeness that couldn’t be narrowed due to being in the position of the perpetrator intensified.

Rather,

If I were in Jung Ah-young’s place.

If I were from an ordinary family, not the daughter of a prosecutor.

Rather,

It would be much better to endure harassment.

What’s the point of being in a position to force someone?

The more one does so, the further they drift apart.

Head bowed.

A vein seemed to trickle down the corner of her mouth.

Trying to calm herself as irregular breaths were drawn in forcefully.

Her mind was colder than ever, but her heart was pounding.

“Congratulations. You two look good together. Now go.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Tap, tap.

Kim Hyung-min patted Jung Ah-young and Han Sein on the shoulders.

With a seductive smile.

He ushered them away, and Park Hyo-rin also sent her congratulations.

When Kang Hyun-ah, trapped in her thoughts, raised her head,

Kim Hyung-min met her gaze.

In an empty hallway,

He slowly raised his hand to wipe the blood off Kang Hyun-ah’s mouth.

“Does it hurt? Are you okay?”

“Uh…”

“They don’t really suit each other, do they?”

“No, they don’t.”

Kang Hyun-ah’s eyes met his emptily.

Kim Hyung-min smiled as he looked at the blood on his fingers.

Blatantly, he asked,

Words that stabbed at Kang Hyun-ah’s heart.

Actions stemming from a selfish, inconsiderate mind.

Her precious emotions directed towards someone else?

For Kim Hyung-min, this was unthinkable.

Having everything he wanted, the only person he couldn’t have was Kang Hyun-ah.

If he couldn’t have her, then he would break her.

It was a very obvious statement, yet it struck deeply.

Kang Hyun-ah’s lost heart grew even emptier.

A sudden situation and shock.

A kind of psychological collapse.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Kang Hyun-ah’s demeanor grew colder.

The inexperienced Kim Hyung-min made a common mistake in love.

There was no clear path ahead, and the future was uncertain, but

At least the expectation that the love lost its way would turn towards him,

A very foolish and immature expectation.

Resulted in a significant impact, akin to a childlike psyche.

How it would change Kang Hyun-ah’s heart was unknown to anyone.

Excitedly,

When Jung Ah-young came to her senses, it was the moment she sat down with Han Sein.

Towards the end of lunchtime.

Normally a time when she would have been tormented to the extreme,

But now it was a time filled with excitement.

It was difficult to speak.

More cautious than ever,

Jung Ah-young watched Han Sein’s reactions more closely than usual.

His presence sitting right next to her felt unusually unfamiliar.

No, perhaps what was unfamiliar was not him, but herself?

Jung Ayoung opened her mouth to dispel the confusing thoughts.

However, the words couldn’t escape her lips and were soon sealed shut.

The uncomfortable reality remained unchanged, no matter how much she pondered.

The feelings she had for him blossomed like a flower.

Are we really dating?

What’s going to happen?

The establishment of their relationship was such an exciting event that it made her want to jump up from her seat right away.

Liking him, loving him, transitioning from friends to lovers on this first day.

But…

An indescribable emotion tormented Jung Ayoung.

It felt like a thorn stuck in her throat.

A prickling sensation uncomfortably pricked at a corner of her heart amidst the excitement.

“Sorry.”

“Huh?”

It was an unexpected apology.

Jung Ayoung looked at him with eyes full of questions.

Hansein ignited a fire in her confused emotions.

Why apologize out of the blue?

Her fondness for him remained, yet Hansein, unsure of what she thought of him, eventually confessed…

“I forced myself to confess.”

…Silence.

A disturbance twisted deep within her heart.

This isn’t right.

Anxiety surfaced on Jung Ayoung’s face, and while Hansein continued speaking, he properly addressed the discomforting emotions.

“It turned out this way, but… you still dislike it, don’t you?”

No.

That’s not it.

Jung Ayoung tried to deny it, but seeing Hansein’s apologetic expression, her mouth closed.

Something was wrong.

A relationship built by others without courage only made her more uncomfortable, creating a reality more twisted than imagined.

“Even if it’s just pretending to date… I feel like I should do it.”

…Silence.

Jung Ayoung’s mouth firmly shut.

Beneath her wavering gaze,

There was no courage to deny it; after all, the confession wasn’t hers to begin with—it was something dictated by Kim Hyungmin.

Unable to face Hansein’s expression any longer,

She tightly shut her eyes, barely nodding her head.