Chapter 40: School Trip (3)

“Actually, I have a different father. My birth father.”

“Your birth father?”

I repeated the question, caught off guard by this unexpected revelation. After a moment, understanding dawned and I let out a soft “Ah.” So-yul gave a faint smile, seemingly unbothered.

Having a different birth father meant the man I’d seen at the arts festival wasn’t her real father.

“Since it happened when I was young, I don’t know all the details. But piecing together what I’ve overheard…”

So-yul’s gaze dropped to the ground. Her amber hair fell limply over her shoulders.

Her voice that followed sounded incredibly fragile.

“My birth father wasn’t as famous as my mother, didn’t come from a prestigious family, and wasn’t financially well-off. No, to be blunt, he was quite poor.”

She fidgeted with her hands resting on her stomach as she continued.

“I have hazy memories of that time. When the three of us lived together in a tiny one-room apartment. Though I’m sorry to say I can’t remember what my birth father looked like…”

So-yul apologized, but there was no need. Nobody remembers everything from their childhood. Even I couldn’t recall anything before kindergarten.

“I’m sure we were a very happy family. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have married and had me. Mom was always smiling back then, I think. And I heard my birth father truly loved her.”

“…You heard?”

When I asked carefully, So-yul placed a hand over her lips. Her eyes widened as if surprised by her own words. It was like she’d let slip something she shouldn’t have.

“Ah, sorry. You don’t have to continue if it’s hard.”

“No, it’s fine.”

So-yul shook her head and paused for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully.

“Sometimes, Mom would tell me to stay in my room and just practice piano. Actually, those were times when my parents would argue. I’d hear their conversations through the piano music. Sometimes I’d even sneak out to the hallway to eavesdrop… That’s how I found out.”

She let out a faint sigh.

“I wish they’d just hidden it completely.”

To me, this seemed to be her most heartfelt statement yet.

Neither properly telling her nor completely hiding it – forcing her to suffer alone without anyone to confide in. It must have been nothing but painful for So-yul.

“So my mother loved my birth father. But there was a huge gap between them. Of course, that shouldn’t matter between two people in love, but…”

Her voice trailed off, perhaps because what came next was the painful part. I had a vague idea of what was coming.

While it didn’t matter to the two in love, it mattered to others around them.

So-yul continued her story.

“My mother’s family apparently hurt them.”

“Hurt them?”

I tilted my head at the otherworldly term. So-yul glanced up at me before continuing with a bitter smile.

“I don’t know the exact details. They never told me that much. But looking at the current situation, things must have gone according to their intentions.”

According to their intentions… Her mother ended her marriage, later remarried her current husband, and So-yul got a new father. Was that how it went?

“I see.”

I muttered this almost to myself after hearing So-yul’s explanation.

Come to think of it, there had been odd things.

Like how So-yul’s surname mysteriously followed her mother’s side.

And how her mother seemed unusually young for having a second-year high school daughter.

Plus at the arts festival, when someone mentioned So-yul inheriting her parents’ talents, both had reacted coldly.

The puzzle pieces finally fit together. All those scenes I’d found strange but overlooked were now connected by a single thread. Because of this background, the two of them were especially strict with So-yul…

No, I still didn’t understand completely.

Her stepfather might have complex feelings. His cold attitude toward So-yul was hard to accept but somewhat understandable.

But her mother was different. Even if So-yul was her daughter with her ex-husband, they shared blood. What reason could she have for being so cold to So-yul?

“But you know.”

As if reading my thoughts, So-yul spoke up at the perfect moment. However, she didn’t continue right away. Glancing over, I saw her lips were just twisted in discomfort.

After a long silence, So-yul nodded as if steeling herself.

She spoke again.

“Whether by coincidence or fate… apparently my birth father also played piano.”

So-yul’s words came out with difficulty.

To me, it felt like the final missing clue.

“So my very existence reminds both my current father and mother of the past… That’s why they’re not happy.”

Not happy, she said.

The euphemism might be So-yul’s defense mechanism. Without question, their attitude went far beyond mere unhappiness.

They probably hated seeing So-yul play piano.

Understanding this truth made it hard to speak. As I hesitated, So-yul looked up at me with another bright smile.

“Maybe if I gave up piano, they’d like me?”

But contrary to her bright expression, shocking words flowed from her lips.

“What if I just studied normally and enjoyed college life? Or maybe it would be fun to learn composition like Dad? It’s probably too late to learn violin like Mom?”

“Don’t.”

“It’s okay. I could still play as a hobby in college. Even if I went into composition, I’d still need to use the keyboard. Either way, all my piano practice wouldn’t go to waste.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

I let out a deep sigh and said:

“When you love piano so much, why give it up?”

So-yul loved piano more than anything. She always poured her heart into playing. Sometimes she’d transform into a different person at the keyboard. When I first met her, she’d even been playing an imaginary piano.

How could she quit something she loved so much? When people acknowledged her talent. When the whole world was listening to her performances.

Not only that.

So-yul had said she wanted to break free from her controlling parents. She said she enrolled in this school to prove she could succeed on her own.

Perhaps even that was just a convenient excuse.

At home they constantly pressured her. After she enrolled here, they responded with indifference…

This seemed like they were trying to force So-yul to give up piano.

If so, she absolutely shouldn’t follow their wishes. She should stubbornly persevere and earn their recognition. Turning back now would make everything meaningless.

“It doesn’t matter what anyone says. You love it. Isn’t that enough?”

“But my parents…”

“Just endure until they acknowledge you. They’ll have to accept you eventually if you become someone they can’t ignore. And if you feel like you can’t hold on until then…”

My lips stopped abruptly. I wondered if I had any right to say such things to her.

But unaware of my concerns, So-yul held her fist to her chest and:

“…If I can’t hold on?”

She tilted her head and prompted me to continue in a fragile voice.

Without thinking, I reached out one arm. The gesture suggested embracing So-yul. I wanted to hold that delicate body tight. I wanted to pull her into my arms. I wanted to stroke her back and tell her “If you can’t hold on, I’ll support you.”

But that would be presumptuous. How could I, just a fake boyfriend, embrace So-yul? Plus offering unwanted words about supporting her. It was completely inappropriate.

As I withdrew my extended arm, So-yul narrowed her eyes in confusion. She hadn’t noticed my intention. Grateful for that, I fumbled for words.

“…I’ll help however I can.”

“However you can?”

“Yeah. Like thinking through things together when you’re stuck. Or helping with study questions you don’t understand. Things like that.”

“Mmm…”

So-yul nodded with a bewildered expression. Was it the answer she’d hoped for? Or did she find it lacking? Either way, it was the best I could offer as a fake boyfriend.

As I was thinking this:

“Okay. Thank you. Boyfriend.”

So-yul gave this response with a faint smile.

After finishing our long conversation, silence fell between us again. The insect sounds had died down, leaving only the whisper of wind through grass.

The mood had been good until we made up and cleared the misunderstanding. But somehow we’d ended up hearing So-yul’s private story. It must have just reopened old wounds for her.

If I had to identify the root cause, it was me bringing up her parents.

“I’m sorry.”

When I apologized quietly, So-yul blinked her large eyes. Confusion flickered in her wavering gaze.

“W-what for?”

“No, well, I feel like talking about your parents made you tell this whole story.”

“What? No. I was planning to tell you eventually, just couldn’t find the right timing…”

So-yul frantically waved both hands in denial. The fact that she seemed to be considering my feelings only made my heart ache more.

“Still, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you gloomy.”

“…Hmm.”

When I apologized again, So-yul crossed her arms for some reason. Glancing over, her face was full of sulky signs. As if trying to show she was upset, she deliberately pushed out her lips and puffed up her cheeks.

In that state, she whispered:

“I’m really fine but you keep apologizing and it’s annoying.”

“What?”

“Your girlfriend is annoyed because of her boyfriend. Now the boyfriend needs to make it up to her?”

So-yul seemed to be testing my reaction as she said this. The frozen atmosphere from moments ago had completely vanished, suddenly replaced by her usual teasing. She was quick to change moods as always.

Dumbfounded, I asked:

“What do you want?”

So-yul grinned as if she’d been waiting for this, then:

She came right in front of me, stood on tiptoe, stretched out her arms… and began slowly stroking my hair.

Her tiny fingers with their long reach rustled through my hair. A ticklish sensation bloomed where her palm touched. Her strained expression from the height difference and her slightly tense movements were incredibly cute.

The close distance meant even her breaths reached me. My heart pounded even harder because of it. Unaware of this, So-yul continued stroking without pause.

Finally, I decided to ask first.

“W-what are you doing?”

When I asked, unable to hide my bewilderment, So-yul answered in a small voice:

“Even if we’re fake dating, I thought I could at least pat your head.”

It was a nonsensical answer.

“You wanted to pat my head?”

“Well. Usually people want to be patted, don’t they?”

“I guess so.”

“Right? But someone was acting too scared to try.”

“So you wanted to show me what’s allowed?”

“Yeah. Suddenly hugging would’ve been too much.”

“…”

“What? So you really were going to.”

So-yul giggled with a tinge of red on her face.

She’d noticed my earlier gesture completely but pretended not to.

Then she removed her hand and stood straight. Taking a few steps back, she looked up at me. Her usual playful expression greeted me.

“Well, since you seem to have figured it out now… go ahead.”

The meaning of these words was unmistakable.

I stepped closer to So-yul and slowly reached out my hand. She stayed still without any sign of avoiding it.

When I placed my hand on her neatly arranged amber hair, I saw her body twitch slightly.

I moved my palm slowly, gently.

A soft sensation transmitted through my palm. Her hair sliding between my fingers felt ticklish. The occasional satisfied sighs she let out were strangely alluring.

“Mmm, it tickles.”

“Should I stop then?”

“No way. I like the tickling.”

“You say such weird things.”

We exchanged this meaningless banter while I continued stroking So-yul’s hair.

So-yul accepted my touch without resistance, even closing her eyes.

What were we even doing in the middle of the night on a school trip? It was absolutely ridiculous.

When it seemed like enough, I removed my hand from So-yul’s head. She followed my retreating hand, then finally looked up at me with what appeared to be a regretful gaze.

Her cheeks were tinged pink, perhaps embarrassed despite having asked for it herself.

The sight was so cute I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“How was it?”

When I asked softly, So-yul bit her lip and:

“Um, actually…”

She whispered these words.

With moisture-filled eyes. Wearing a hesitant expression like she wanted to say something important. Fidgeting nervously with her fingertips. Her lips kept moving slightly.

“Yeah?”

I answered firmly.

Whatever she was about to say, I expected it to be serious. So-yul usually expressed her feelings honestly, so I was certain.

As I waited quietly:

After a moment, So-yul spoke in a trembling voice that sounded almost tearful.

“I… I need to go to the bathroom…”