Chapter 13: Tangled First Impressions

Just a moment ago, the person who was referred to in the hallway as the “handsome first-year transfer student” not only barged into our class but also casually called someone by a friendly name.

Everyone alternately glanced at the two people that Yeon Hyeong-kwang called out with those kinds of looks.

I, one of the “someone” he called, had to feel the overwhelming gazes once more.

Unaware of my burning inside, Yeon Hyeong-kwang entered our class as if it were his own, with not a single hesitant step.

“Didn’t I tell you to call me ‘noona’ at school?”

Yeon Ha-yeon frowned slightly as she looked at Yeon Hyeong-kwang, put down her sharpener, crossed her arms, and glared at him.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I’m not used to it yet.”

Yeon Hyeong-kwang apologized with a bright smile even at her scolding.

He then noticed me, who was standing nearby.

As soon as he saw me, the girls around me started collapsing one by one, holding their noses as they looked at his beautifully curved eyes.

‘One more has been added to the Four Heavenly Kings…’

I stared coldly at the girls who collapsed and then quickly adjusted my expression to a welcoming one as I greeted Yeon Hyeong-kwang.

“So you’re the first-year who transferred today. It’s so nice to meet you.”

‘Why did you have to come here instead of another school and make my life harder?’

Despite saying words that were the complete opposite of my feelings, my lips still stayed in a smiling position.

“I decided to live in Korea now. All my close friends are here.”

“Oh, so your friends are here at this school?”

“Yes! My noona and the boss.”

Who?

“Me?”

“We went through that thing together by the Han River, so of course we’re friends!”

I couldn’t even think to stop him from speaking such a bombshell.

I was too terrified and turned around to look at the friends who were already looking at me with eager eyes.

There were also a few girls glaring at me, as if I were a rival, chewing on handkerchiefs they had somehow gotten their hands on.

“What could that be? Maybe there’s something more we don’t know?”

A butterfly, who had been standing with her arms behind her back, approached and gently tapped my arm while dragging the end of her sentence as she asked.

‘I just want to drop out…’

It’s over.

There’s nothing I can fix now.

This… it’s definitely the system messing with me.

If not, there’s no way this kind of thing would happen to only me!

While I inwardly cursed at the system, unable to even reach it, I was about to explain that everything was fine when I suddenly noticed someone who hadn’t been with the Four Heavenly Kings arriving late and coming up the stairs from far below.

I could tell who it was just by hearing the sound.

“Ahhh! Eun Hyeol!”

“Today is truly a feast for the eyes… Now I have no regrets even if I die.”

“Isn’t he looking even cooler today? Look at his hair!”

“I told you he’s not just some emotional high school celebrity!”

Now, just hearing that high-pitched scream, I think I could tell where the Four Heavenly Kings are.

As usual, they’d enter through the back door, so I was planning to fix the situation.

If I didn’t explain myself here, by the next period, my class—no, probably every class in the nearby high school—would definitely treat me as a rival.

“Who are you? Move.”

I let my guard down.

Ban Eun-hyeol, who had been watching me and Yeon Hyeong-kwang, pointed at us and entered through the front door.

‘Why is he coming through here?!’

Wasn’t it the unwritten rule for male protagonists like Ban Eun-hyeol to use the back door?

I was trying to salvage the situation, but I awkwardly stepped back to avoid Ban Eun-hyeol, gesturing for Yeon Hyeong-kwang to leave.

“What’s this?”

Just then, a large shadow loomed over me, and a voice laced with mockery drilled into my ears.

“You’ve already switched?”

***

What is this about?

Meanwhile, Na-bi, having heard directly from Dan-ah about the events that happened over the weekend, quickly grasped the situation and had an excited glint in her eyes as the story progressed.

“I didn’t realize she was this impressive when we first talked at the start of the new semester!”

On the first day of the second year, Na-bi thought it was a good idea to start talking to Dan-ah, who had been sitting quietly by herself.

She seemed to be just a pretty, kind girl, so it felt like it would be nice to hang out with her.

However, when Dan-ah showed obsession rather than just admiration for Ban Eun-hyeol, Na-bi felt a bit uncomfortable.

When Dan-ah was rejected after confessing and quickly moved on, it seemed there was no need to distance herself from her.

No, rather than distancing herself, it would be better to stay close.

Dan-ah was hearing jealous comments about Ban Eun-hyeol, and it was even more surprising that she seemed to have some special relationship with the first-year, who was probably Yeon Ha-yeon’s younger sibling!

Surprisingly, Na-bi had witnessed quite a few interesting things while staying close to Dan-ah.

The first-year transfer student, who looked so handsome it could blind you, looked at Dan-ah’s hand gesture, tilted his head slightly, waved, and returned to his class.

Ban Eun-hyeol, who had asked about the situation, looked at Dan-ah with an indifferent gaze and asked, “So you’ve switched already?”

Dan-ah, who had always blushes around Ban Eun-hyeol, didn’t show even the slightest trace of a blush this time.

She replied to him in a tone that was firm, with no trace of hesitation.

“It’s not like that.”

Na-bi, who was excitedly watching the exchange between the two, eagerly awaited what jealous words Ban Eun-hyeol would throw at Dan-ah in response to her firm answer.

However, no more thrilling drama followed.

“Right. There’s no way you’d forget me that quickly.”

It might seem a little arrogant, but with his perfect face and picturesque vibe, Yeon Hyeong-kwang tilted one corner of his mouth up and then went back to his seat.

‘Huh?’

Is that it?

Na-bi’s thoughts mirrored the thoughts of the entire class.

Despite trying to act like it wasn’t a big deal, the students who had been observing the situation with curiosity returned to their everyday routines with disappointed expressions.

‘Dan-ah wouldn’t switch that easily.’

And there was no reason for Ban Eun-hyeol to be jealous of Yeon Hyeong-kwang.

After a moment, as my rationality returned while I focused on the two extremely handsome faces, I realized that the classmates had been indulging in wild fantasies just by standing there, as though the situation was a romance story.

‘Of course.’

Na-bi also snapped out of it, agreeing with Ban Eun-hyeol’s “right” and returned to her seat.

The only person watching this with a frown, instead of with excitement, was Yeon Ha-yeon.

***

I don’t even know how I attended class.

‘Why is time moving so slowly today?’

I let the lesson flow in one ear and out the other as I absentmindedly spun my mechanical pencil.

Then, suddenly, I realized that I couldn’t feel the presence of the shadow I had always sensed lurking behind me.

‘Where did it go?’

At that moment, I felt a piercing gaze from my left.

Hii, what’s that?!

When I turned to look, Yeon Ha-yeon was resting his chin on his hand, slightly turning his head to lock eyes with me.

He was scribbling away on his notebook, completely ignoring the textbook, and it was so intense it was almost scary.

‘Why has he been acting like this since the morning?!’

After that, I didn’t look at the chalkboard for the rest of the day.

Before, even when I wasn’t paying attention in class, I’d at least look at the chalkboard out of politeness, pretending to listen.

But when I looked at the chalkboard, I could see Yeon Ha-yeon’s eyes boring into me, so I couldn’t bring myself to turn my head.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

Suddenly, an episode from the original novel I had read before I possessed this body popped into my mind.

It was the one where Yeon Ha-yeon made his first friend, which held the crucial information I needed right now.

I froze, still holding the mechanical pencil in the same position, as the thought struck me.

“Dan-ah, are you okay? Your face looks pale.”

“Huh? I’m fine, teacher.”

When the main characters in the original novel skipped class or were late, the teachers never noticed, but whenever something was wrong, they were remarkably observant.

I answered quickly, reassuring the teacher that I was fine, and then I went back to recalling the original story.

In novels like this, the female protagonist always has a close friend, right?

But Yeon Ha-yeon had grown up in a mafia family, far removed from normalcy, and was more focused on studying than making friends.

In the original, he didn’t make a friend until the middle of the story.

The episode where he made his first friend was described in detail.

‘Wasn’t the first step to staring at the friend he liked in school?’

I subtly lowered my head and shifted my eyes to watch Yeon Ha-yeon’s actions.

A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead from the intensity of his gaze.

‘Is he already trying to make friends even though the original story hasn’t even started yet?’

The episode where Ban Eun-hyeol gets caught up in Yeon Ha-yeon’s hidden charms doesn’t happen until the fall sports festival, just before the main event.

It wasn’t long after Ban Eun-hyeol fell for Yeon Ha-yeon’s hidden charm, after seeing his fighting skills in the alley, that the sports festival arrived.

As vice-president, Yeon Ha-yeon naturally participated in almost every event, and it was inevitable that he would have a lot of events to compete in.

Despite being incredibly uncooperative during PE class and only memorizing words, no one expects anything of Yeon Ha-yeon’s athletic abilities.

However, during the sports festival, he defied everyone’s expectations and displayed outstanding athleticism.

All eyes were on him in surprise, but none were more captivated than Ban Eun-hyeol, who couldn’t take his eyes off Yeon Ha-yeon.

While he wasn’t yet at the stage of being totally smitten, where hearts would appear in his eyes, it was still a significant day for him.

After that, Ban Eun-hyeol became closely involved with Yeon Ha-yeon, and after making friends with the Four Great Kings, Yeon Ha-yeon took a liking to a new transfer student and went after them, trying to befriend them unilaterally.

However, the object of his attention may have changed. Perhaps it was me.

‘Could it be because of something related to the weekend?’

The staring was just the beginning, and if Yeon Ha-yeon followed the pattern from the original story, I would inevitably get entangled with him.

His dog-like tendency to never let go of someone he has bitten…

No, it was his nature to keep the people he liked close to him no matter what.

Yeon Ha-yeon’s way of making friends followed a clear three-step process: First, staring at the person; then, greeting them every time they crossed paths.

“Dan-ah, hello!”

“Have a nice lunch.”

Next, it was offering food.

“Here, eat this.”

“Huh? What is this?”

“It’s a potion! It’ll restore your stamina to 100% when you drink it.”

“Thank you, but I’m an unawakened one…?”

“It’s my special yogurt flavor! It’s really delicious!”

“Um… okay.”

Isn’t the target already switched to me?!

So far, it was all pretty normal.

But thinking about what would happen after this, I certainly couldn’t relax.

When the boss first said he wanted to make friends, his mafia uncle, as expected, gave him strange advice that made things even weirder.

The advice about showing the boss’s strength because strong people attract others… led him to knock out street thugs in front of his new friend.

There was also the suggestion that friendships could blossom from throwing punches, so he gifted a pair of boxing gloves and invited his new friend to fight.

And when his friend was being threatened, the advice was to rescue them, which would only strengthen the bond.

So, he grabbed a dodgeball flying at him during PE and burst it in mid-air, looking smug as if to say, “I did well, right?”

‘I’m already tired.’

Apparently, the fact that he had saved Yeon Hyeong-kwang earlier had a big impact, and it wasn’t something I could undo by going back in time.

My ominous premonition turned out to be true.

During lunch, after eating with my friends, I took a brief walk around the sports field to help digest.

“Dan-ah!”

From afar, I saw someone sprinting toward me at an incredible speed.

Yeon Ha-yeon, who had arrived in no time at all, suddenly jumped high into the air.

The soccer ball flying toward him was struck with such force by his hand that it exploded mid-air.

I stood there, my jaw practically dropping, as I watched the spectacle.

‘That wasn’t volleyball…’

After bursting the soccer ball, Yeon Ha-yeon walked toward me with an expression on his face that couldn’t hide his pride.

Even after that, it seemed like he had received numerous pieces of advice from his mafia uncles, as Yeon Ha-yeon’s eccentric actions continued.

Every day, caught between Yeon Hyeong-kwang’s persistent visits and Yeon Ha-yeon’s relentless advances, I felt like I was withering away a little more each day.

Even the mask I had crafted so perfectly began to crack here and there, especially under the joint pressure of the siblings’ combined attacks.

To think that something as trivial as this would make someone push this much…

‘He’s definitely not ordinary.’

Even my quiet possessed life was beginning to show cracks.