Ch.7I’ll be watching a movie with you this weekend (1)

This may seem abrupt, but what do you think is the criterion for one person choosing another?

I’d like to answer that question with “trust.”

The standard for finding friends to spend time with.

The standard for selecting talent needed by a company.

And the standard for choosing a life partner.

The reason I say “life partner” is because the world I’ve been reincarnated into is a youth romance webtoon.

In this kind of world, anyone who mentions harems, cheating, or affairs might burn to death or get murdered by the school’s prettiest girl on high school entrance ceremony day, so please understand.

“If you want to hang out with us, you should at least live in an apartment this nice.”

“If you want to join our company, you should at least have graduated from this level of university.”

“If you want to marry me, you should at least match these qualifications.”

Looks, family background, education, wealth, certifications, and whatnot.

The “conditions” people talk about as criteria for choosing others are ultimately

just accessories that create trust that the person can make you a little happier.

Only those who can give trust without such things

make friends without discriminating against people,

And find soulmates without looking at specs.

Conditions never rule the world.

Only “trust” surpasses everything.

Huh? Why am I suddenly saying this?

“Um… sorry. I ran as fast as I could, but this is my first time here and I didn’t know the school building layout, so it took me a while to find the store.”

“Do you think I’m angry because you’re late?”

Let me say it again, the most important thing in choosing people is trust.

And right now, Do Hamin has betrayed my trust in him more than anyone else.

“This is mango flavor!”

“Eeeek! That’s all they had!”

The sin of abandoning Zero Lime and buying mango instead.

Accept your punishment.

As bitter as aspartame.

…

“Do-young, calm down. It’s not like he didn’t buy anything at all.”

“Yeah, they didn’t have it at the store. The lady probably forgot to order it.”

*Slurp*

*Sluuurp*

After Ms. Miso’s social geography class ended, during break time.

Sahyang and Hyerang were slurping away at the grapefruit juice and blue lemon ade that Hamin had bought from the school store.

“Damn it… why did this world create Zero Lime, and then needlessly create mango too!”

“I think mango flavor is pretty decent. Don’t you like mango?”

“Yu Hyerang. What’s the name of your favorite soccer player? Quick, it’s urgent.”

To say mango-flavored cola is edible.

Even in a world where only the pure love ending between protagonist Do Hamin and main heroine Ban Do-young exists, that’s too much.

Aren’t the supporting characters’ settings a bit too forced?

“By the way, that’s impressive. Even using the full break time, going to and from the store would be pretty tight. Is Hamin faster at running than I thought?”

“Ah, well, I often have to run to catch the subway, so maybe that’s why…?”

“I thought you’d definitely be late. I was planning to cover for you by saying you went to the bathroom if Ms. Miso came first. Fortunately, Ms. Miso is also new to this school and got lost, so she came in later than you.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened.”

“But what does it matter? It’s mango, not lime!”

“But I was fast, right?”

*Sluuurp*

*Sluuuck*

“Argh! Stop that vacuum suction sound!”

*Slurp slurp*

*Glug glug glug*

Sahyang and Hyerang, as if telling me to suffer more,

made straw noises that were half air and half drink, grating on my nerves.

Especially Hyerang, who was quite a spectacle as she sucked down the ade without using her hands, the bottle resting on her chest.

Ah, I wanted to try that too.

But not with mango.

“I’m sorry, I’ll buy the right one next time.”

“Next time…? Did you just say ‘next time’?”

“Um, yeah… next time.”

“You’re not going to bring pineapple flavor then, are you?”

“When you put it that way, I have nothing to say…”

“Do-young, you’re being too sensitive.”

“It’s that time of the month, you know.”

“I… next time I really will…”

“…”

I looked at Do Hamin’s face as he hung his head low.

My focus unnecessarily fixed on the beads of sweat flowing from his sideburns down under his chin.

A faint white breath.

The shirt he wore inside his vest was also soaked with sweat.

March mornings are still permeated with cold air that thinks it’s still winter.

Now that classes have started, at least the heating runs in the classroom, but there’s no way they’d heat places like the corridors.

Outside the classroom was still an icy path in winds that had forgotten the season.

It wasn’t much different from a classroom in the middle of winter.

Especially since they kept the corridor windows wide open for ventilation.

For him to be sweating like this after being in such a place,

he must have been running non-stop on his way to and from the store.

From what Sahyang and Hyerang said,

it would have been impossible to arrive on time unless he ran desperately.

It seems like Hamin sincerely wanted to express his gratitude to me.

In the best way he could right now.

“…Sigh, you’re all wet.”

“Oh, ah…”

I took out a roll of toilet paper that had been pressed inside my bag.

I unrolled it, bunched it up, and wiped the sweat running down Hamin’s cheeks.

A high school girl’s bag is full of sentiment.

Simple skin lotion and makeup, wet wipes to remove makeup, and toilet paper.

Even gym clothes and a blanket to secretly wear when it gets cold.

It has everything.

Except textbooks.

I hadn’t checked, but

I thought the main heroine of <Half of Ban-do>, Ban Do-young, would definitely have these things.

And I was right.

“I’ll do it myself. Give it here.”

“Stay still. How could you not notice you were sweating?”

“Earlier you talked like this and then made me go buy it…”

“Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?”

*Pat pat*

I forcibly pushed away his hand that said he would do it himself,

and patted Hamin’s face with the bunched-up toilet paper.

“It’s like spring rain is falling on your face, how could you not notice?”

“Ah… I was looking for Zero Lime, and when I couldn’t find it, I was searching for alternatives and must have forgotten. I found the grapefruit juice and blue lemon ade right away, but…”

“Don’t talk, just stay still. The sweat under your chin is about to drip.”

“Oh, sorry.”

*Pat pat*

After wiping several times, his sweaty face was somewhat cleaned up.

“Ugh, this is dirty, so you throw it away.”

“Oh, okay. I should.”

I placed the tissue wad full of liquid from Hamin’s physiological process on his desk.

The shape of the tissues placed here and there on the desk looked a bit strange, but whatever.

“I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Ah, um…”

I decided to back down this time.

Although it was vexing that he betrayed the trust I had in him,

it’s not like there are other routes available anyway.

Especially today, when Ban Do-young’s body was expressing heightened sensitivity.

Even with my mind fully intact, the hormones emitted by my body

could cause my emotions to swing wildly regardless of my will.

When swayed by emotions, even things I thought were right at the time

could seem different from another perspective later.

I could end up reducing Hamin’s affection over truly trivial matters.

And if that happened, the path to the conclusion would inevitably become longer.

Rather, during times like these, I should maintain a generous and gentle heart.

If I become more prickly because of “that day,” I won’t be able to leverage the heroine’s advantage of sitting next to the protagonist.

“By the way, didn’t you buy anything for yourself?”

In Hamin’s hands, who had rushed here, there were clearly two bottles and one can.

One bottle of grapefruit juice, one bottle of blue lemon ade, and one damned mango cola.

“Ah, I was in such a hurry that I just skipped getting something for myself.”

“…”

“I’m fine. It’s not like I particularly wanted anything to drink.”

“You’re sweating profusely but still acting tough… wait a minute.”

A high school girl’s bag is full of sentiment.

It wouldn’t be strange at all if it contained a famous coffee brand tumbler

bought at a high price from a secondhand market for the “aesthetic,”

but never used because it was too precious.

As expected of Ban Do-young.

She has everything.

Except textbooks, which weren’t in there.

“Oh, Do-young. I thought you said you’d never use that.”

“I told you. I’ve been reborn.”

*Click!*

I opened the cola can that Hamin bought and poured half of it into the tumbler.

“I told you to buy it, but you clearly bought the wrong thing. Right?”

“Oh, yes. That’s right.”

“So it’s our joint responsibility. You take half the responsibility.”

I handed the tumbler with half the cola to Hamin.

“Take responsibility and drink it all. I’ll drink the other half.”

“O-okay.”

Hamin took the tumbler I handed him and gulped down the cola inside.

“Is it good?”

“Whew, it’s not as bad as I thought.”

For a moment, Hamin hesitated and pulled the tumbler back.

He probably flinched, thinking I might pour the rest of the cola into his tumbler after hearing it wasn’t that bad.

*Thud*

Perhaps because he hastily pulled back the tumbler.

The calendar I had placed on his desk fell down.

“Ah… I keep dropping things today.”

Hamin picked up the fallen calendar and put it back on the desk.

Due to the impact, a few pages had turned over, showing future schedules.

“Ah, I need to mark my mom’s birthday. If it’s the 10th month in the lunar calendar…”

As if remembering something, he put down his drink and marked some dates on the calendar.

Some parents follow the lunar calendar for birthdays, so he seemed to be marking it in advance.

“Give me that.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

I took Hamin’s calendar, marked various spots with a red pen, and returned it.

“Remember this well.”

“Huh?”

Hamin tilted his head, looking at the red circles marked throughout each month.

“Um… what do these circles mean? There are too many for birthdays… and today is marked too…”

“Oh, my menstrual cycle.”

*Splurt!*

The mango cola in Hamin’s mouth burst out, wetting the desk.

“What…?”

“On those days, I’ll be in a fucking bad mood, so watch how you act.”