Chapter 87.2

Chapter 87 (Continued)

Yeon-hee, trying to come up with an excuse, quickly stood up and attempted to leave the party.

As she reached the exit, the door opened.

“Hmm~. I smell freshness…. I have a feeling my boyfriend candidate is here!”

“Dating is forbidden in our school.”

“Not dating, Baek-seo. I’m aiming for an engagement! …Huh?”

Yeon-hee stopped in her tracks, startled.

A tall male student stood before her. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face.

Teal eyes.

It was Ahn Woo-jin.

Behind him were Vice Leader Oh Baek-seo and officer Ha Yesong. They were also looking at Yeon-hee.

“?”

Woo-jin met Yeon-hee’s gaze with a puzzled expression.

“Oh!”

Yeon-hee saluted hastily and darted past Woo-jin, walking away quickly.

“She looks like a new recruit. Is she rushing to the bathroom?”

“The bathroom is inside, though,” said Yesong and Baek-seo, puzzled, watching Yeon-hee descend the stairs.

“Leader, I’ll go check on her.”

“No, stay here,” Woo-jin stopped Baek-seo, who had started moving with a slightly quicker pace.

“I happen to have some questions for her.”

***

It was customary for the Disciplinary Committee Leader to make an appearance at the welcome party for new recruits. Not a written rule, but a long-standing tradition.

There wasn’t much to do: say a few words about the mindset expected of Disciplinary Committee members, toast to welcome them, enjoy a bit of food, and then leave. After that, I would get back to my tasks.

Since there was no pressure, I decided to follow Kim Yeon-hee, who had left the party. She was the most intriguing among the new recruits.

[Ha Yesong: Leader]

[Ha Yesong: I talked to the kids]

[Ha Yesong: They tried to include her in their conversation, but she shook them off and suddenly ran out]

[Ha Yesong: The kids are confused about what they did wrong]

[Ha Yesong: They’re sorry if they did something wrong]

[Ha Yesong: Please tell her if you see her!]

[Ha Yesong: Oh]

[Ha Yesong: I’m off to eat chiㅋㅋni]

[Ha Yesong: I’ll be eating chicken]

Yesong’s CoconutTalk messages got frantic as soon as fresh fried chicken arrived.

I confirmed the direction Yeon-hee went and used spatial leap lightly to intercept her path.

‘Let’s make an impression.’

Leaning against the wall, I crossed my arms. Maintaining my image required some posturing, especially in front of new recruits.

“Huff…!”

Yeon-hee, hurrying along, was startled upon seeing me.

“Where are you going?”

“Why are you here, Leader…?”

Because you’re suspicious.

“You’re now part of the Disciplinary Committee. You’re one of my people. Naturally, I’m concerned.”

It was a straightforward yet somewhat romantic answer.

Had it been anyone else leaving, I wouldn’t have cared.

After all, attending or leaving the welcome party was up to them.

Even in the Disciplinary Committee, we weren’t sticklers about such matters.

“Was the welcome party boring? It’s just started.”

“It’s not that…”

I took a step forward.

As I advanced, Yeon-hee stepped back.

“?”

What’s this?

Another step forward.

Like magnets repelling each other, the distance between us remained unchanged.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“Why are you coming closer?”

“To talk.”

“I don’t have anything to say…!”

“……”

My eyes narrowed.

This was becoming a matter of stubbornness.

I quickened my pace and approached her directly.

“Huh! Don’t…! Ah!”

“!”

Thud!

Yeon-hee, backing away hastily, tripped over a low-lying structure and fell on her backside.

“Ouch…”

She wasn’t reinforcing her body with magic, so it seemed quite painful.

‘Her reaction is like someone who just encountered a stalker…’

Yeon-hee’s round glasses had fallen to the ground. I picked them up and handed them to her.

Out of habit, I quickly checked if there was anything suspicious about the glasses. They were just ordinary glasses.

“Are you okay?”

“……!”

Yeon-hee stopped groaning in pain and looked at me with surprised eyes.

“Thank you…!”

She snatched the glasses, quickly put them on, and stood up.

Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

Judging by her direction, she seemed intent on fleeing the scene.

What’s going on?

I glared at Yeon-hee, then sighed and closed my eyes.

“Tell me why you’re avoiding me.”

I opened my eyes and looked at her calmly.

Yeon-hee’s clumsy behavior was raising many questions.

It felt like the reaction of someone meeting their crush for the first time.
But, no, it was slightly different.

More accurately,

It was as if she couldn’t calm down and was trying to avoid the cause of her agitation.

“Kim Yeon-hee.”

Pretending to look at her name tag, I called out her name and approached her.
Then she started to retreat again.

“I’m sorry!!”

“Wait…!?”

Like a third-rate villain, she turned and ran away.

Dust rose as she sprinted off.

“?”

What on earth… is going on?

I was briefly bewildered.

Aside from suspecting Kim Yeon-hee, I became strongly curious about why she was avoiding me.

“……”

I thought of several hypotheses, but it was difficult to draw a clear conclusion. This kind of mystery needed to be resolved soon.

It seemed I would be seeing more of Yeon-hee in the near future.

***

“This is driving me nuts…”

Kim Yeon-hee, wary of Ahn Woo-jin possibly following her, hurried home.

She let out a sigh.

Immediately, she spun the spinner to remove her disguise.

She reverted to her original appearance, Kim Dalbi.

“Haa…”

Dalbi rubbed her forehead, trying to cool down the heat in her head.

Without a doubt, Woo-jin was Dalbi’s weakness.

Until now, she hadn’t realized it, but facing Woo-jin in everyday situations was more stimulating than expected. It was like a tsunami of joy and excitement hitting all at once.

Also, Woo-jin and Dalbi had shared a close bond since childhood. There was a chance Woo-jin could recognize the habits ingrained in her body.

Even without Baek-seo’s level of insight.

So, she became even more cautious.

Coupled with the urgency to hide her identity and the intense excitement, it was almost impossible to stay composed.

Especially since she had already decided that Baek-seo, not herself, should be by Woo-jin’s side.

Caught in the complex emotions, Dalbi’s instinctive choice was to run away.

“Was I always this foolish…?”

Dalbi felt pathetic about herself.