Ch.44. Can Someone Actually Forget Their Fiancé?

Until just a moment ago, we had been getting along well and chatting about various things, but now we were silently looking in opposite directions as if we had planned it beforehand.

“Well then, we’ll be departing now.”

“Yes.”

With that brief exchange, the limousine carrying us began to move forward.

Whether it was worth the expensive price or not, the only people sitting in the steady back seat of the limousine were myself and Han Siwoo’s fiancée.

In the suffocating awkward silence, I rested my chin on the left car window and looked outside.

Fiancée.

Han Siwoo had a fiancée.

It was a strange word, and a sentence that didn’t feel real at all.

That made sense, considering I had read the original work more than ten times. Not just the main story, but the side stories and epilogues too. Even after reading more episodes than I could count on my fingers and toes combined, this was a story I knew nothing about.

I examined her outfit from the corner of my eye.

A pristine white school uniform with a large pink ribbon that would easily show dirt.

Looking at it again, it was quite an eye-catching outfit. If there had been a female student wearing such clothes, I couldn’t possibly have forgotten.

If I had, I’d be an idiot.

“…”

No, am I an idiot? I should have noticed earlier. Looking back, there were many strange things.

Where did it go wrong? Perhaps when I deleted the text from an unknown number, treating it as spam. I should have called back then. But regret always comes too late, no matter how quickly it arrives.

“Excuse me.”

I tried to speak to her, hoping to salvage the situation.

“…”

Of course, not knowing my intentions, she refused to engage in conversation, making the atmosphere in the car even more tense.

This is unbearably awkward.

If I had known beforehand, I could have prepared some excuse or explanation, but this was like a natural disaster.

The white-haired driver occasionally glanced at us through the rearview mirror. Though trying to be discreet, he seemed concerned about me and this female student.

I’m going crazy with worry too. How are you supposed to deal with an angry woman? If she would at least talk to me, I could try to soothe her, but her complete refusal to communicate made me feel like I was sitting on pins and needles.

How much time passed as I sat there restlessly?

-Screech.

The smoothly running car stopped at a crosswalk. She was still just looking out the window.

I took out my phone with my left hand and searched for “Yewol High School.” It was the name of the high school she attended, which I had heard during our earlier conversation.

[1.4KM ahead]

The location marked on the map was less than a 5-minute drive away. Since she lived right in front of Yewol High, she would be getting off soon. In other words, time was running out.

I took a small deep breath before speaking.

Even though we didn’t know each other’s faces, we were supposedly engaged… I had to try to fix this somehow.

“Um, I’m sorry.”

When you’ve done something wrong, the right thing is to apologize first. Although it wasn’t intentional on my part, she probably thought I was making fun of her.

Putting myself in her position, it was understandable that she would be upset, and it was certainly a misunderstanding-inducing incident.

Having chosen the direct approach, I anxiously waited for her response. If she ignored me after I humbled myself like this, there would be no hope.

“What exactly are you sorry for?”

…Could this be what I think it is? That thing where a girlfriend interrogates her boyfriend about what he did wrong after he apologizes?

Of course, this student isn’t my girlfriend, and we’re not close enough to have such a conversation, but I instantly felt like I had stepped into dangerous territory.

From what I’ve heard, in situations like this, you shouldn’t just gloss over it. What was it again? Something about detailing what you did wrong and how sorry you are.

“Um, about ignoring your text message. It wasn’t intentional.”

“…Not intentional? What an obvious lie. You must have known my number.”

“Look. See if I’m lying.”

Seeing her disbelief, I showed her my empty contact list on my phone.

The only saved names and numbers were Han Siwoo’s parents and the driver. As she carefully examined the screen, her face froze like stone.

“A-am I seeing this wrong? Did you hide them in another group or something?”

“Check for yourself if you want.”

Since all the files were gone anyway, I handed it over without hesitation.

Taking the phone, she began tapping around. She opened empty groups and checked if anything was hidden.

After exhausting all possible methods of verification in about a minute, she muttered dejectedly:

“…It’s true? How can you have no contacts at all?”

I’m curious about that too. For some reason, all the previously saved numbers in my phone had disappeared. I wish someone would explain what was going on.

“Yeah, do you believe me now?”

“W-wait a minute. No, how. How could this be…”

The empty contact list seemed to shock her, as she clutched the phone tightly and couldn’t finish her sentences. She was sputtering words, but they weren’t forming complete thoughts.

“This won’t do. My fiancé being such a serious loner, I need to do something about this…”

“No, I’m not a loner.”

“You can say that after seeing this? Really?”

“Well, that’s…”

It’s Han Siwoo who’s the loner, not me. That shouldn’t matter, right? As I was about to answer that way, I quickly realized my mistake.

“Uh…”

…I am Han Siwoo right now. Objectively speaking, I am undeniably an outsider.

As that realization hit me, she gave me a look of pity.

“Hey, Siwoo? Don’t worry. I’ll be your friend.”

“That…”

Just as I was about to say something, the car stopped at the curb. Outside the window, I could see the main gate with “Yewol High School” written on it. While we were having our pointless conversation, we had arrived at our destination.

“Young master, we’ve arrived at Yewol High School as requested.”

“Well, aren’t you getting out?”

“…Ah, just a moment.”

Without looking up, she continued fiddling with my phone.

Her fingers moved quickly, as if she was typing something.

“I’m done.”

She handed the phone back to me. Puzzled, I took it and examined it, but couldn’t see any significant changes. What was she trying to do?

Just as I wondered that:

-Buzz buzz.

The phone vibrated loudly. Not once, but twice. Three times in succession. Someone was calling.

I was about to press the answer button when I paused.

I couldn’t believe it. The person in front of me was calling someone with her own phone.

And the recipient was probably me.

She was creating this ridiculous scene of calling someone who was right in front of her.

“…What are you doing?”

I asked in bewilderment, but she just gestured for me to answer, without saying anything.

This isn’t some family game show. Since she wouldn’t explain even if I asked, I went ahead and answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Ahem, is this Han Siwoo’s phone?”

“Yes, it is.”

The driver in the front seat looked at us like we were crazy. And rightfully so. We were doing something childish that even kindergarteners would find silly. My face was burning with embarrassment.

“Ah, that’s good. I’m Hwa Nabi. I’m Han Siwoo’s fiancée.”

“Y-yes, and?”

“Well. Is Han Siwoo there right now?”

“…I am Han Siwoo.”

“Oh my. Really? That’s great.”

What is she doing? Acting as if she didn’t know until I said something, with such an innocent face—I couldn’t bear to watch. I covered my face with my left hand.

Without a mirror I couldn’t check, but my face was probably red with shame. I spoke quietly enough that the driver couldn’t hear, just loud enough for the person in front of me.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“My name isn’t ‘Hey’.”

“Name? No, I didn’t mean your name…”

“You’re not going to say you don’t know your fiancée’s name, are you?”

My mouth snapped shut as I was about to ask how I would know. …I had nothing to say.

“You really don’t know? I just told you.”

I couldn’t honestly say I hadn’t heard because I was too embarrassed. She looked at me with a bit of pity.

“I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll give you a hint.”

Saying that, she showed me her phone screen.

The hint is her phone screen? Surely she’s not asking me to take her phone. I moved my phone slightly away from my ear.

The screen lit up, and I finally understood what hint she was giving me.

“…So that’s what you were doing.”

On the screen that should have been empty of information, the caller’s name was displayed.

[Hwa Nabi♡]

What’s with the heart? I put aside my complaints for now. If I voiced them, I’d only make things worse.

“Um… Ms. Hwa Nabi. What are you doing?”

“Drop the ‘Ms.'”

“…But you used it with me?”

“Am I the same as you, Siwoo?”

How are we different? I didn’t have the courage to ask, so I just did as told.

“Hwa Nabi. What exactly are you doing?”

“We’re the same age, why so formal? Be more casual.”

“…Nabi. What are you doing?”

“Yes, that sounds better.”

Like a boss rejecting reports multiple times, I finally received a passing grade after several attempts. Hwa Nabi nodded with satisfaction.

“Call me like that from now on.”

“You’re being formal with me, but I have to be casual?”

“This is comfortable for me. Or would you prefer I speak casually too?”

Being formal with a younger woman felt… how should I put it, very uncomfortable. It’s not that I’m old-fashioned. I had similar experiences in the military that gave me PTSD.

“That’s a bit…”

“Then it’s settled. This matter is closed.”

Clap! Hwa Nabi lightly clapped her hands. With that gesture, our call ended. The ridiculous farce of calling someone less than a step away was finally over.

“Siwoo. I’ll be going now.”

“Oh, okay?”

That was welcome news. I couldn’t help but look relieved.

“Aren’t you a bit too happy? I’m starting to feel hurt.”

“…I’m sad to part. I wish we could spend more time together.”

“You’re really bad at acting.”

It was my best attempt at acting, but apparently Han Siwoo wasn’t very talented in that department.

Hwa Nabi opened the back door and lightly jumped onto the sidewalk. It seemed inappropriate for me to just sit in the car while seeing her off, so I started to get out. But she gently stopped me.

“No need to come out. My home is right there.”

“Where do you live?”

“Here.”

The place Hwa Nabi pointed to was Yewol High School.

“You live at school?”

“Not there. The apartment complex behind the school.”

“Ah.”

I thought I knew the place. It’s where only wealthy people live.

“Since it’s right there, should I just drive you all the way?”

“I’m not just saying this, but it’s really fine. I left something at school that I need to pick up anyway.”

“Alright, I’ll go ahead then.”

I couldn’t insist on driving her if that’s what she wanted.

The back window that had been lowered closed with a smooth sound, and the stopped vehicle began moving again.

“Phew.”

With just one person gone, the interior of the car instantly became quiet. It’s really draining. I sank into the soft backrest and turned on my phone.

“What’s this?”

There was a text message. It was sent just 10 seconds ago.

[From: Hwa Nabi♡]

[Thank you for driving me today.]

“…”

Everything was fine except the heart, which bothered me. Just as I was about to go into the contacts to delete just the heart:

[Oh, just in case, don’t delete the heart. I’ll check later.]

A message with that content arrived, making me flinch.

[Okay]

[Good, then I’ll see you tomorrow. ^o^]

With such high energy even in texts, I wasn’t sure how to respond. I wrote a brief reply and closed my eyes. I was planning to rest until we arrived home, but:

“…Wait, tomorrow?”

[What do you mean tomorrow?]

[Oops, my mistake.]

[Are you planning to come see me tomorrow?]

“…Why isn’t she answering?”

I had an uneasy feeling, but I tried to reassure myself that she must have sent it by mistake, that it couldn’t be true.

*

And then, the next morning.

“Hello everyone! My name is Hwa Nabi. I’ve transferred from Yewol High School!”

Unable to believe this reality, my mouth fell open.