Chapter 30: Note

The next day, the school was completely quiet.

Classes continued even the day after the major arts festival event. Thanks to the teachers’ mindset that there should be no gaps in academics.

You’d think they could have held the arts festival on Saturday, but there must have been circumstances. Plus this wasn’t a school that considered student convenience anyway.

Of course, students who’d worked hard preparing performances for days had no energy left for classes.

When I arrived in the morning, silence had fallen over the usually noisy classroom.

Looking around, most arts track students were lying down trying to sleep. Since academic track was already absorbed in studying, the classroom had become unusually calm for once.

This was good. It was even desirable in terms of creating a study atmosphere. I almost wished it would stay this calm consistently.

Thinking this, I went to sit in my usual seat in the second-to-last row… or tried to.

For some reason, familiar amber hair was messily spread across the desk behind me.

Though I couldn’t see her face since she was lying down, her identity was clear. The sleeves slightly covering her hands, long slender fingers. Pure white nape and notably small frame. There were countless distinctive features.

I asked quietly so others wouldn’t hear:

“Why are you sleeping here?”

The answer came quickly:

“…Zzz.”

An answer showing no intention to respond.

If you’re going to pretend to sleep, don’t make snoring sounds.

Anyway, though her intentions were clear, it felt awkward to move seats. Deliberately avoiding someone just because they sat nearby. It would look like I was conscious of them.

Well, that wasn’t entirely wrong but…

In the end I decided to sit in my usual seat.

“Hehe.”

Hearing this laugh from behind was just a bonus.

◎

But So-yul wasn’t bold-hearted enough to suddenly do anything daring either.

Until first period started after our homeroom teacher gave brief announcements, So-yul’s schemes didn’t activate.

Well, there wasn’t much she could do from behind anyway. She’d even sat right next to me before, so I might have overreacted. Maybe she just moved back because she was tired.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I clicked my tongue.

As if waiting for this moment… one finger poked my back.

My back straightened at the sudden touch. Of course my whole body froze stiff. Finding this reaction quite amusing, small giggles drifted from behind.

Good grief. What on earth was she doing?

As I let out a small laugh at how ridiculous it was, So-yul’s finger attack continued. Again my whole body stiffened. Even the teacher shot me a look asking what was wrong.

Then she started writing letters with her finger:

First ㅉ, then ㅗ, then ㄱ, followed by ㅈ, ㅣ, ㅎ, ㅏ, ㅈ, ㅏ.

…Pass notes?

The moment I understood the secret message, So-yul’s finger flew to my back again.

Wondering if maybe, I reached back… So-yul handed me something with a tiny barely audible laugh.

As expected, it was a neatly folded note.

[Make sure to read it.] was written on the outside. The neat handwriting held a strange cuteness. The bear drawn beside it was the character from the emoticon So-yul often used.

What could she have written to deliver it so secretly? A note delivered while risking discovery by others. There might be something quite special written inside.

With some expectations, I carefully unfolded it to read the contents:

[Nyah.]

I immediately tore it up.

So-yul’s quiet giggles could be heard from behind. Really, what a nasty personality. Doing all this just to send “nyah.”

But well, that wasn’t all it seems.

Soon another note arrived the same way.

[Thank you for yesterday.]

Yesterday must mean what happened backstage after the arts festival ended.

So-yul who got no applause from her parents despite showing an excellent performance.

To comfort So-yul who was completely down because of this, I went backstage and poured out everything I could say.

During that… I realized.

That I’d become attracted to So-yul before I knew it.

The school forbidding relationships between boys and girls was ridiculous, and we were ridiculous for starting this fake relationship to defy the school. But I who actually developed feelings for her was the most ridiculous of all.

Well, hadn’t Juho said it? That love can’t be helped. I was paying the price for ignoring what was almost a prophetic warning. There was nothing that could be done about it.

But well.

Would a good ending await at the end of these feelings?

Anyway, having received a message I should send a reply. But concern took over.

I quietly took out my phone under the desk and wrote a KakaoTalk:

[First of all, is it okay to do this so openly in a classroom full of people? It’ll be a disaster if the others catch us.]

About thirty seconds after hitting send. Finally I felt a finger poking my back.

I carefully reached back to receive the note then slowly unfolded it:

[Everyone in the back row is sleeping so it’s fine. There’s a chance the people sitting beside you might notice, but that makes it even more thrilling.

Anyway, so you reply with notes too.]

What do you mean anyway. In the end isn’t that saying it’s risky? …Though I knew better than anyone it was pointless to argue this. Plus secretly passing notes did feel quite interesting.

Looking at those sitting beside me, they only kept looking back and forth between their books and the teacher. They showed no sign of even glancing this way, let alone paying attention. If we passed notes quietly and carefully, the risk of getting caught would be low.

…Or was I becoming careless like So-yul?

I tore a small piece from a notebook page and made a note:

[It wasn’t anything special. Not unusual enough to deserve thanks. I just told you what I felt experiencing various things with you so far.]

After quickly writing this, I looked left and right before holding the note back. When So-yul’s fingers lightly brushed my hand taking it, a strangely ticklish sensation arose.

Soon after, along with pokes to my back, her reply arrived:

[That’s exactly what I’m thankful for. Dummy.]

Next to the very brief message was the bear character turning its head with a “hmph.”

Well, it would be strange for me to argue when someone’s trying to thank me. This was neither modesty nor anything else. Since So-yul said so, I decided to gratefully accept it.

I tore another corner from the notebook and wrote again:

[Did you have fun at the after-party? I kept you so long you probably couldn’t enjoy it much.]

When I handed over this note, for some reason there was a very urgent movement behind me.

While I wondered what was going on, another reply came back:

[No, no. Though I was a bit late, friends waited for me so I had lots of fun.

They even asked if something good had happened because I seemed so happy.

And if you hadn’t comforted me, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the after-party anyway…]

This time the handwriting was somewhat slanted for some reason. The letters getting smaller toward the end might have been adjusting for running out of space.

Anyway, I was just glad she had fun. Plus at the words that my insignificant comfort had been effective, my heart even fluttered for a moment.

Surely, it meant my comfort had reached deep inside So-yul’s heart.

I never want to see someone I like looking depressed.

I want to see someone I like being happy, as much as possible.

And seeing someone I like being happy because of me… can only be the happiest sight.

My heart raced. I even felt goosebumps rising across my body. Due to the ticklish feeling flowing through my whole body, I froze unable to even send a reply.

Perhaps finding my state somewhat strange, So-yul sent another note.

I carefully took it and gently unfolded it to read:

[In this spirit, I want to start doing thrilling fake couple things again from today.

Come to think of it, I just had an interesting idea.]

An interesting idea? That expression just brought unnecessary anxiety. Since So-yul was missing a few screws in both her brakes and protractor, I only grew worried about what she might do.

But well, let’s hear it first. If she seems to be going too far, there might be ways to persuade her.

With this thought I quietly waited for what would follow, and soon So-yul’s explanation came:

[Remember when you comforted me, you clearly acknowledged being my boyfriend even if fake? As you know, usually boyfriends decide date plans.

So today.

As my fake boyfriend, decide what you want to do with me.]

Ah, no. After reading the whole note I needlessly scratched between my eyebrows.

It was true I’d acknowledged being her boyfriend even if fake, and true that usually boyfriends decide date plans. But strictly speaking, what we do isn’t exactly… dating.

After wondering what dangerous thing she’d jump into, the direction was completely opposite. While internally relieved, I also felt quite troubled.

Suddenly being asked to decide what couple-like thing to do. Getting such a sudden question could only be perplexing.

Looking back, we’d done all sorts of things. We’d walked the path together, eaten together too. We’d even had secret phone calls, and gone out together.

What more should we do?

After thinking briefly, I suddenly remembered something we’d discussed before.

Come to think of it, there was one thing So-yul had mentioned liking.

I wrote it briefly on the last scrap of notebook paper and handed it over:

[Then should we watch a movie together in the club room?]

No reply note came back for this.

Instead, So-yul wrote just two letters on my back with her finger:

‘Okay.’

Whether the loose smile that kept escaping my lips was from my back being ticklish or my heart being ticklish.

I had absolutely no way to tell the difference.