Chapter 43 – You Don’t Know Even That?

Hayeon held onto my hand as if she wasn’t going to let it go.

That behavior of hers shocked me to which I calmed myself down.

Why…Why is she so assertive today…?

If this was her usual self, she would’ve been all crass and dishonest.

But what of the current Yoo Hayeon?

With a playful smile yet a serious glint in her eyes, she was making assertive moves on me.

Her actions made it seem like she actually became my girlfriend.

Don’t tell me, she sees me as a man…?

Eyy, no way.

How could she see me as a man?

Just as I thought of Hayeon as family, she thought of me as one too.

There’s no way, how can her familial feelings change? This isn’t even a drama…

Drama shows often produced frustrating scenes where childhood friends did not realize their feelings for each other.

And be it a game as this place might be, it was still a space like reality.

Having grown up with me, there was no way she saw me as a man.

Hayeon was so immersed in our dating practice that it made me question it.

I didn’t know if she wanted me to answer that we were lovers not childhood friends, but she was biting down onto her lips as she squeezed my hand.

Ah, I shouldn’t be having these thoughts…

Our relationship was fake, but I became conscious of it for no reason since the situation was out of the norm.

Seeing her bite down on her lips made me think a little that she was “cute”.

While I was wondering whether Hayeon saw me as a man or not, the classroom door opened and our homeroom teacher, Shin Sihwa came in.

Taking advantage of that opportunity, I was able to escape from Hayeon’s grip.

“Yoo…Yoo Hayeon! T-The Teacher’s here!”

“…Tsk.”

She clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed that she didn’t hear an answer.

She turned her head to look at Ms. Sihwa. I also looked in her direction, and the entire class was facing towards the teacher.

Ms. Sihwa’s hair was tied up with a hair tie, and she had her usual white dress shirt and black skirt on, the attire she fancied.

Her eyes scanned the entire class to check if there were any absentees among the students. After confirming all the students including me were present, she cleared her throat with an “Ahem,” and began the class.

“Good morning everyone. It’s been a while since we had a full attendance. I’m touched…”

She looked at me with a delighted smile.

To be accurate, she was looking at me and Hayeon. 

I’m positive she thought of herself as a cupid.

After finishing her morning greeting, Ms. Sihwa started to get to the main point.

“Now then, everyone! Our class will be having a new transfer student!”

Transfer student.

That made the students in the class start to murmur amongst themselves.

In the midst of that, I could hear the conversation of the male students sitting in front of me.

“It’d be nice if the transfer student is a girl…”

“That’s what I’m saying, our class needs a girl…”

“Need…?”

One of the male students said that then spun his head around at me.

What the? Did he have something to say to me?

It looked like he was contemplating something, before he turned his head towards the front again.

“No, now that I think about it, a guy would be good.”

“…Yeah, a guy might be better.”

Was there still some misunderstanding left?

I had a good idea of what they were worried about.

Hayeon’s childhood friend. Yoona’s only friend.

It was natural for them to keep me in check since I was rumored to be involved with the prettiest girls in class.

Meanwhile…

Hayeon surprisingly showed interest in the transfer student.

“Han Sijoon. Could it be that transfer student is…”

Could it be…

That pink-haired girl?

The moment she was about to ask me that kind of question…

The classroom door opened, and Ban Hana, who Hayeon had expected, came inside the class.

“…”

Hayeon gave her a murderous glare.

Whenever she had that menacing look, I didn’t know what she was thinking, so I was even more scared.

I turned my head, and looked at Hana who was scuttling over.

Her actions drew quite the interest of the students.

“It’s a girl! A girl!!”

“What the…?! Is she the same age as us…?”

The students showed varied reactions while welcoming her.

It was the complete opposite than when I entered the class.

Ms. Sihwa quieted the students down and started to introduce her. 

“The transfer student is Ban Hana. She is one year younger than all of you, but she’s a friend who got admitted early for recognition of her ability. Please get along! Got it?”

The students responded with a, “Got it,” and then Ms. Sihwa told Hana to greet the students.

I wonder if she’ll do okay…

This was the first time Hana was standing in front of so many students.

Her speaking skills were on a level you couldn’t help but to worry about.

In that situation…

Her body trembled as she began to open her mouth to speak.

“I… I… I’m…Ba… Ban Ha…na.”

With her eyes shut tight, her voice quivered as she spoke.

It was only then did Ms. Sihwa realized she made a mistake and looked flustered.

When Hana turned her head, her body still trembling, we made eye contact.

The instant she met my gaze, her face brightened up.

When I waved my hand, not making it noticeable for the other students, she got her energy back like she got encouraged by me.

Of course, that didn’t go missed by Hayeon who was sitting next to me.

“Han Sijoon. Are you cheating on me right now…?”

“What do you mean, cheating…”

Hayeon’s brow scrunched up as if she was in doubt.

If waving my hand to Hana was cheating, then isn’t Hayeon’s standard for cheating really broken?

As I thought of that nonsensical logic, I turned my attention to Hana.

Perhaps she gained courage, she shouted at the students.

“N-Nice…to meet you! H-Hey!”

She was told to greet us, but she really just did exactly that.

Ms. Sihwa jumped in to help by asking her questions.

“That’s it for the greetings…! Hana, do you have anything you like?”

“Hm…”

The question made her begin to contemplate it deeply.

Since I spent a fair amount of time with her, I knew what she liked.

Rabbit doll. Not just any doll, but a rabbit doll which walks on two legs.

Hana firmly believed that because a rabbit had two legs, it was bipedal like a human.

No matter how much I explained it to her, she wouldn’t acknowledge it, so I gave up on the common knowledge of rabbits.

If it was Hana, she would definitely say a rabbit.

She opened her small mouth, and the rabbit doll that I was expecting her to say…

“I like Sijoon! Sijoon is what I like!”

“…”

She did not say.

Exclaiming she liked me, Hana’s voice caused a still silence in Class 1-A.

“That wench…”

Hayeon’s growl was the only sound which resonated in my ear.

I stared at the instigator of this situation, Ban Hana.

She was all smiles like she didn’t know what was going on.

Hana. I even gave you two chicken legs.

You’re repaying me like this…?

“It’s…a love triangle…”

Haha.

Shin Sihwa burst out laughing, that sound echoed throughout the class, as I felt the students’ burdensome attention on me.

 ***

After Hana’s bombshell of an outburst…

Morning assembly was over, and once Ms. Sihwa left the class, the students’ reactions blew up.

“You said you like Han Sijoon…?!”

“Mhm! I like Sijoon! Sijoon’s nice!”

Hana was chatting with the students sitting in front of me.

Surrounded by the female students, she was being bombarded with questions. 

Hana looked like she felt pressured by their curiosity since she kept glancing at me as she answered them.

“When did you start liking him?”

“Since the moment I saw him!”

The students reacted with, “Kyaa,” to her answers.

Hayeon’s reaction was also mixed in.

“Ugh… Since the moment she saw him, she says. Looks like someone falls in love easily. Sijoon, don’t you think a foxy wench is like a pushover?”

“Why’re you asking me that?”

“I mean, it’s true though. Feelings that form in a short period of time don’t last long. They say feelings grow deeper the longer you’re together.”

Was that so…?

Her words were strangely convincing.

Hayeon was on guard by Hana’s sudden appearance. But since she viewed her as unsophisticated, it didn’t seem like Hayeon knew I already made moves on Hana.

That’s a relief.

Feeling the hot stares from the seats in front of me, I turned my head around.

Park Jiu from earlier and a few female students were talking about me with their eyes.

“Didn’t she say that the two of them are dating…?”

The female students looked at Hayeon and me back and forth, then shot stinging glares at me.

They looked to be the girls who were filled in about our relationship. They were viewing me as garbage who cheated even though I had a girlfriend.

I tried my best to ignore their stares, and looked at Hana who was surrounded by people.

To be specific, I was looking at the chair where she was sitting.

Just up until now, that chair had been occupied by a male student. In other words, it meant that Hana had taken the boy’s seat.

Knowing the whole story of the incident, I apologized to that male student on the inside.

…Sorry.

The male student had come to concede his seat to Hana for the sake of peace. This was how he came to give way.

“I want to sit next to Sijoon…”

“Haa…?”

When Hana started to covet Hayeon’s seat, a subtle war of nerves ignited between them.

“This is my seat. Brat. If you sit in the back with that tiny height of yours, you won’t be able to see the board. How about you just go to the front?”

“Don’t wanna! I wanna sit next to Sijoon!!”

There was Hana, who without a thought, wanted to steal Hayeon’s spot, and then there was Hayeon who was getting ticked off by her.

A war of nerves in which neither party backed down.

I tried to mediate between them, but when they shot me a look of, “Sijoon. Who’s side are you on?” I shut my mouth.

It seemed like a fight would break out any moment now.

They exchanged looks without saying a word, the war of nerves persisting.

Although it was quiet, it seemed like the situation was going to get rowdy.

As a blazing fight brewed on quietly, heroes were meant to appear.

“S-Sit here… I’ll move to the front…”

The male student in front of me gave up his seat to Hana. 

I didn’t know whether he yielded it with good intention or if it was because of their heated war of nerves. It didn’t change the fact that he was a hero who prevented a serious fight from breaking out.

As I recalled what had transpired, I thanked the boy in my heart while wondering, “Is this alright?”

In front of me was the Black Dawn member, Ban Hana.

Next to me was my childhood friend, Yoo Hayeon.

The atmosphere of the two antsy people who couldn’t fight yet coexisting with each other… It seemed like things would tip over the boiling point any moment now if I hadn’t been in the middle.

The students, who had asked Hana questions, were all back in their seats, and Hana, having regained her freedom, whispered to me, while sitting on the chair backwards.

“Sijoon. That girl keeps staring. I’m scared.”

“You’re not even a kid, yet you’re saying you’re scared. Sijoon hates childish things. You don’t even know that?”

“…Hana’s not a kid. I’m an adult. Sijoon likes me though.”

Their relationship was like oil and water, it didn’t seem it would ever get better.

In the midst of their verbal battle, a thought came to my mind.

Can’t tell who’s the girlfriend here…

In order to deal with Hana, Hayeon blindly matched her childishness by showing her pictures she took with me on her phone, putting on a disgraceful performance.

“You don’t even know Han Sijoon from 4 years ago, do you? Well, I do!”

“I also… I also, Sijoon…!”

She showed a sneak peek of the picture, purposefully stirring Hana’s curiosity.

It looked like Hayeon was secretly enjoying this.

“This is a picture we took at a lake. You wanna see, don’t you? No, I’m not going to show you.”

“S-Show… Sijoon…! T-The Sijoon who’s the same height as me…!”

Hayeon recollected her memories of me as she tormented Hana.

I could tell she was feeling superior by doing that.

“Haa…”

I was only embarrassed by my childhood friend and wanted to go hide somewhere.