Chapter 91: Counterattack

No matter when I looked at it, this place was frustratingly in-between—not quite small, not quite large.

Late at night, on my way back to the dormitory after finishing a group project.

This thought struck me as I glanced around the lamp-lit school grounds.

It couldn’t compare to a university campus, but it was definitely larger than an ordinary high school.

That made sense, considering it gathered outstanding students from various fields who needed appropriate facilities.

From the gym that sports students frequently used to practice rooms for those who played instruments.

Meanwhile, the academic track only had desks and chairs. It almost felt like discrimination.

And when you’re confined in a place like this 24 hours a day… you eventually run into people you don’t want to see.

In fact, that’s exactly what was happening right now.

As I looked around, someone was approaching from the opposite direction.

Unusual attire for a student. Unfamiliar silhouette for a teacher.

The pale moonlight made it impossible to distinguish their face. Only when the streetlight illuminated them did I finally identify who it was.

The person walking toward me was… none other than So-yul’s mother.

She wore a dark jacket over a black dress. The complete opposite of So-yul, who preferred bright clothes.

She seemed to be aiming for a look that emphasized charisma, but to me, it just looked tacky.

From her earrings to her handbag, everything was luxury branded, making her appearance almost offensive to the eyes.

At this rate, she wouldn’t look pretty—she’d be lucky not to be laughed at. For the record, I burst into a snicker the moment I saw her.

Was she heading home after watching So-yul’s piano practice until this late hour?

What an exhausting way to live.

I had no business with this person. If anything, seeing more of her might make me sick. I quickened my pace, deliberately raising my chin and keeping my hands in my pockets.

Just as we were about to pass each other:

“…It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

A strangely sharp voice came from behind me.

I thought there was no reason to exchange words, but apparently, she felt differently.

Ignoring her, I turned my head to find So-yul’s mother staring at me.

She stood straight, glaring at me with an irritated expression and tightly bitten lips. Her fierce eyes appeared quite threatening. It was a face meant to dominate the other person psychologically from the start.

Of course, that wasn’t my problem.

With a snort, I responded:

“Yes. It has been a while.”

I returned her greeting bluntly without restraint.

Even this much made So-yul’s mother twitch the corner of her mouth as if she found it appalling. Her expression clearly showed her displeasure. Her brow also seemed slightly furrowed.

“You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you.”

“Have I?”

“Yes. You seem much more spirited.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

“Yes. Really spirited. …Last time we met, you could barely make eye contact.”

So-yul’s mother said with a distorted smile.

Her tone didn’t sound remotely like a compliment.

That was natural. Last time, I had deliberately been submissive.

So-yul had also been right beside me then. Above all, at that time, I had wanted to support So-yul’s goal.

But many things had changed since then.

If she was determined not to acknowledge So-yul no matter what happened, I had no reason to humor her either.

Belatedly, we were facing each other on equal footing.

So I deliberately maintained a casual attitude and said:

“Well, that’s true. We’ve met several times before.”

“…Hmph.”

When I briefly agreed, So-yul’s mother let out a mocking laugh.

At the same time, the smile completely vanished from her face. Her narrowed eyes openly displayed hostility.

Not the way one should behave toward someone who’s merely a friend of her daughter.

Conversely, this meant that So-yul’s mother wasn’t treating me as just her daughter’s friend.

In fact, when we had encountered each other previously, she had probed about the existence of “a male student who’s close to So-yul.”

When I responded that I didn’t know, she added the ominous remark, “I understand for now.”

By this point, it was impossible not to understand.

This person was definitely suspicious of the relationship between So-yul and me.

But I couldn’t preemptively deny anything by claiming there was nothing between us.

As I silently stared at her, So-yul’s mother spoke again:

“Are you still getting along well with our So-yul these days?”

“Yes, we’re doing fine. We’re in the same class, so we see each other every weekday.”

“Oh, is that so? Thank you for being on good terms with my daughter.”

With these words that didn’t convey any actual gratitude, So-yul’s mother gave a deliberately vicious smile, then:

“But don’t get too friendly with her when you’re just high school students. I heard the head of student affairs is watching you carefully because he wants to look after you both.”

“…”

Faced with this sudden barbed comment, I was momentarily speechless.

Ah… so that’s why he was scrutinizing everything during the sports festival.

They really go to any length to catch students breaking school rules. I wonder how they have so much time on their hands.

How should I respond to such a warning from my girlfriend’s mother?

Should I laugh it off, claiming we’re just ordinary friends?

Would it be better to downplay our relationship by saying we’re not that close?

Or should I stand up to her confidently, telling her we’re dating and asking what she’ll do about it?

With no particular response coming to mind, I simply said with an utterly expressionless face:

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

◎

“…Did something happen today?”

That night. The same path bench as always.

So-yul, sitting close beside me, asked this while examining my face.

“Me?”

“Who else would I be talking about? There’s only you and me here.”

“You never know. Someone might be hiding under the bench. Should we check?”

“Stop joking around.”

So-yul firmly stopped me from brushing her off, then with a worried expression:

“…Really, nothing happened?”

She repeated the same question as if she absolutely needed confirmation.

We had only exchanged a few words since meeting, yet somehow So-yul seemed to have read something from me.

Was it my somewhat subdued mood? Or perhaps my slightly stiff expression?

Whatever the cause, I must have shown a change noticeable enough for So-yul to detect.

I had tried to hide it precisely for this reason. My poor acting skills were showing. Maybe it was wrong to try deceiving So-yul in the first place.

But… what good would come from telling her I’d had a tense encounter with her mother and been warned to stay away from her?

I didn’t want to burden So-yul, who was already busy preparing for her performance. If I couldn’t help, I should at least avoid becoming a hindrance. That was my duty as her boyfriend.

So I deliberately smiled broadly and said:

“Yeah. Nothing happened at all.”

“…Hmm.”

Perhaps my answer wasn’t convincing. So-yul made an indecipherable sound.

Feeling guilty for hiding my true feelings, whatever the reason, I gently stroked So-yul’s hair.

Beside her slightly reddened cheeks, I saw her previously downcast lips curl upward.

“But why did you think something happened to me?”

I asked quietly while continuing to stroke her hair.

So-yul, eyes tightly closed as she enjoyed my touch, said:

“…Because today you seemed like you were forcing yourself to appear cheerful.”

“Ah, I see.”

Well, that’s ironic. I had worked so hard to act exactly like normal, but that itself had backfired. I hadn’t expected that.

“Did I look that different?”

When I casually asked, So-yul thought for a moment, then:

“You didn’t look drastically different from usual. But you know, a girlfriend’s intuition exists.”

“…A girlfriend’s intuition.”

Just hearing that made my whole body tremble. I even felt afraid that if I ever lied in the future, I’d be caught 100% of the time.

Of course, I wouldn’t need to lie unless it was for So-yul’s sake.

“I wonder why I don’t have that kind of intuition. It’s unfair that only my girlfriend has it.”

“What’s unfair about that? You would feel it too if you spent all your time looking at me.”

Oh ho… that was something I couldn’t just let slide.

“So you spend all your time looking at me?”

“…Ugh.”

When I pointed out her obvious slip of the tongue, So-yul tightly closed her mouth and let out a sound almost like a groan.

Her cheeks, which had been faintly flushed while I stroked her hair, instantly turned bright red and tensed up.

Could there be another girlfriend in the world this cute and lovable?

After withdrawing my hand from her hair, I suddenly wrapped my arms around So-yul’s fragile body.

I placed my large palm on her slender back and gently rubbed it.

Her body, soft to the touch everywhere, trembled with what might have been shame or embarrassment.

From So-yul’s tightly closed mouth came only robot-like sounds: “Uh, uhh…”

The reason she was sensitive to even small changes was that she knew my normal self better than anyone.

She had brushed it off as her “girlfriend’s intuition.” But in reality, it was because she was always watching over me. I hadn’t considered such an obvious principle.

“If you want to look at me, feel free. I give you permission.”

When I said this teasingly, So-yul, still leaning against me, clicked her tongue with a “tch” and said:

“What do you mean ‘permission’? A girlfriend looking at her boyfriend is normal.”

Well, that was also true.

“Alright. Then look all you want without asking permission.”

“I’m already looking all I want, so don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried. I think you were only looking at me even before we had this conversation.”

Thump. So-yul’s small palm stuck to my back.

Strictly speaking, she probably meant to hit me, but both her strength and heart were too gentle for the damage to be anything but minimal.

Of course, even if it didn’t hurt, I couldn’t keep teasing her.

To prevent her from getting upset, I gently pulled So-yul closer.

Fortunately, So-yul silently nestled into my arms as if her irritation had faded.

I changed the subject.

“So? How’s the performance practice going?”

“Ah, yes. I’m working hard, but…”

When the usually energetic So-yul trailed off, a small anxiety grew within me.

Suppressing this feeling, I carefully asked:

“What’s wrong? Is there something you’re worried about?”

“Well. Rather than worry…”

So-yul moved her lips as if organizing her thoughts, then:

“Since I ended up not doing what my mother told me to do. I am a little worried about that.”

“…Ah.”

Well, that was only natural.

So-yul had decided to disobey her mother’s demand to sit still while playing.

In essence, she had chosen to confront her mother head-on. It was practically an act of rebellion against her mother.

Moreover, my persuasion had played a significant role in that choice. Whatever the outcome, I bore a heavy responsibility.

But what if So-yul’s mother didn’t change her mind after this performance? If she didn’t alter her attitude and continued to pressure So-yul?

So-yul would appear to have stubbornly persisted in her own style despite receiving instruction all semester. It was hard to even imagine how her angry mother might torment her.

Had I placed an unnecessary burden on So-yul?

What if I had ruined her future by giving useless advice when she could have had a bright future by compromising and accepting her mother’s demands?

Just as these thoughts were making me feel sorry for So-yul:

“…I’m worried whether I can give a performance impressive enough to surprise my mother into acknowledging me.”

So-yul said this with a refreshing laugh.

Rather than worrying about the consequences of failure, she was concerned because she wanted to ensure success.

She was determined to show her mother—who had always suppressed and criticized her—what she was truly capable of.

Indeed, my girlfriend was several times more mature than her tall boyfriend.

I wondered where such strong will resided in such a small and fragile body.

As I held So-yul’s soft body tightly, I said:

“Really, you’re too good a girlfriend for me.”

“W-what? Why are you suddenly saying that?”

So-yul asked, seemingly startled by my unexpected compliment.

But she didn’t seem displeased, as her voice carried both shyness and laughter.

I decided not to answer this and instead guided So-yul’s head to rest against my chest.

So-yul simply rubbed her face against me and let out adorable giggles several times.

Would our counterattack succeed?

The time of the decisive battle was steadily approaching.