episode_0005

The house was quiet, devoid of any sign of popularity.

Collapsed onto the bed, I buried my face in the blanket, recalling the conversation with Ma Yeon-seo.

“Oh really? I’m here.”

Ma Yeon-seo had someone she liked.

Someone she liked, that arrogant girl with her high nose bridge!

“No way.”

Somehow, I was greatly shocked by this fact.

I even thought she might have been joking to tease me.

“…No. That can’t be.”

Subtly mischievous as Ma Yeon-seo could be, she wouldn’t play around with something like this.

At least, not the Ma Yeon-seo I knew.

“Then… it’s true.”

It wasn’t an entirely unbelievable story.

Even infamous individuals throughout history harbored a bit of innocence in their hearts.

Though Ma Yeon-seo mostly looked down on people, it wasn’t strange for her to like someone.

The problem was…

Who that person was.

“Well, it definitely isn’t me.”

The likelihood of Kang Yoo-chan being Ma Yeon-seo’s boyfriend was practically a fact.

I could be certain as one of her few friends.

Four years of knowing each other. Minus the first year when we weren’t close, that’s about three years.

The time we spent together was decisive evidence.

If she really liked me, there would have been some hint at least once.

But there had never been such a sign.

Even for someone who prides themselves on being very perceptive, like me, not noticing anything, it probably just didn’t exist.

Therefore, the possibility of me being Ma Yeon-seo’s secret crush was close to zero.

“Maybe it’s one of the guys in our class?”

The most plausible candidates were the boys in the same class as Ma Yeon-seo.

As we entered our second year, there were boys who had explosively grown up.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that my uniform fit perfectly?

Moreover, it was the time when more boys started to show off their style, so it was a pretty reasonable guess.

“It could also be someone completely unexpected.”

We can’t completely rule out the possibility of someone entirely unforeseen.

For example, childhood friends like “Mom’s friend’s son” or “Dad’s friend’s son.”

Her family is quite wealthy. They have a spacious house, enough to spend entire vacations in the US, and even secured a high-end apartment for Ma Yeon-seo to attend school comfortably.

The neighboring households are clearly not ordinary. There were plenty of stories about secretly admiring the sons of well-off families.

‘Oops. Who could it be…’

It was a moment when Ma Yeon-seo was deeply contemplating potential boyfriends.

‘Wait a minute.’

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

‘Why am I worrying about this? Could it be that I…’

Suddenly, my face turned red.

“Ugh.”

Even though no one was watching, I vehemently denied it with a shake of my head, but involuntarily, I ended up thinking about Ma Yeon-seo’s face.

She was already beautiful, but she had become even more so. Her forehead exposed, black hair parted neatly, an elegant face that seemed somewhat cold, and a figure with proportions that could rival those of celebrities on TV. They say love makes you beautiful. Lately, she had unexpectedly become stunning to the point of surprising me.

Gulp. Somehow, my heart sank and started pounding heavily.

‘You’re crazy, Kang Yoochan.’

I forcefully suppressed my racing heart and buried my face deep in the blanket.

To think of my only close friend as something more.

It’s truly pathetic.

‘…I should have wished for it…’

It’s not entirely impossible for a simple friendship to evolve into something more.

Among those cases, there are often stories where both liked each other but couldn’t make it work, even appearing in novels.

But I don’t think that applies to us.

I didn’t want it to be like that.

I’m content with our current relationship.

Not too close, not too distant.

Honestly, I’m not sure if I really like her.

So, it’s probably best not to dwell on it too deeply.

Ma Yeonseo is Ma Yeonseo. Kang Yoochan is Kang Yoochan.

Let’s focus on the present relationship.

‘Yes. This is right.’

I made up my mind firmly.

*

“What are you looking at like that?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s just… You look different today.”

“How did you know? I changed my makeup.”

“So what.”

Firm determination didn’t even last a day.

‘Ugh. Why does she look so pretty for no reason?’

Perhaps due to unnecessary self-consciousness, Ma Yeon-seo, who was usually no different, began to look exceptionally beautiful.

Thump thump. My heart pounded so loudly it felt like it could be heard in my ears.

“Ugh!”

Have I ever been this nervous in my life?

It felt more nerve-wracking than when I was a child and about to get scolded by my mom after causing an accident.

“This… can’t go on like this!”

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, I finally decided to take dramatic action.

There’s a saying that “one love drives out another.”

If the problem is finding Ma Yeon-seo attractive…

Wouldn’t I feel better if I liked someone else instead of her?

And so…

I embarked on a plan to get a girlfriend.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“Where’s our eyebrow razor?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I want to try it later.”

Clang. My mother, who had missed her chopsticks, looked at me with an incredulous expression.

Then, she scolded me and said seriously,

“You… You’re not our son, are you? Our Yoo-chan doesn’t know anything about an eyebrow razor! Tell the truth! Who are you?!”

Is this really such a surprising thing?

Staring at her with a bewildered look, I soon overcame my embarrassment and honestly asked for help.

“Well, I think I need to start taking care of myself now.”

“All of a sudden? What’s gotten into you…. Oh.”

As if remembering something, my mother suddenly looked at me with a sly expression.

“So, you’ve finally set your sights on her?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Even though I didn’t know what she meant, I quickly drew a line.

“Anyway, if you’re not going to help, forget it.”

“Who said I won’t help? I was just curious. …So, how are things with Yeon-seo these days?”

“Mom!”

“Oh, fine, fine, kid!”

And so, the dating project began.

“You… tidied up your eyebrows?”

“What? You noticed right away.”

“I see you every day… But, why all of a sudden?”

I answered while avoiding Ma Yeon-seo’s gaze naturally.

“Just because.”

I couldn’t muster the courage to say it was because of her.

Me [ Busy? ]

Yeon-seo [ No. ]

Yeon-seo [ Why? ]

While getting help from my mother to start small grooming routines, I also sought external changes.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly thanks to Mayeonseo.

Me: I’m going to the salon soon. Help me choose a hairstyle.

Yeonseo: Getting your hair done?

Me: Yeah, I’ve picked a few trendy ones. Choose what suits me here.

Me: (sends a photo)

Yeonseo: Delete all of those.

Me: Huh?

Yeonseo: I’ll pick some and send them. Just ask for it as is.

Me: Is it really that bad?

Yeonseo: I almost said something harsh.

Me: What the…?

Starting with the hairstyle.

Me: How about this outfit?

Yeonseo: This time it’s clothes?

Me: Help me out a bit.

Yeonseo: Budget?

Me: Around 15~20…?

Yeonseo: Wait. I’ll pick a few and send them, so buy similar ones.

Me: You’re the only one after all.

Me: ♥

Even delving into fashion.

Furthermore, it was a time when I started exercising and actively improving myself.

“Mayeonseo! Over here!”

As autumn arrived, we headed to an amusement park for a field trip.

Originally, I was supposed to play with my classmates, but this time, I decided to accompany Mayeonseo to get evaluated for the changes I had made.

…Truth be told, I wanted to spend more time with her.

“Ta-da! How do I look? It’s not bad, right?”

However,

“……”

For some reason, Mayeonseo, who checked my appearance, froze in place.

‘Is it not good?’

I had put in a lot of effort, touching up my hair and wearing nice clothes.

Her round eyes scanning me from head to toe gave a peculiar reaction.

“Why aren’t you answering? Is something really weird?”

“…No. It suits…you.”

“Right?! And today, our classmates were praising how good-looking the girls in our class are, right?”

“…Really?”

“Well, it’s a bit different…but anyway! The important thing is the intention behind the praise.”

“Hmm…is that so?”

Once again, she sent me a strange look.

‘This guy. Doesn’t trust me.’

Anyway, I managed to get a decent evaluation from Mayeonseo in the end.

It was not a bad start.

“Let’s go!”

After finishing attendance in our respective classes, we entered the amusement park side by side.

“Wow. It’s been a while even for here. Since 6th grade.”

“Yeah.”

MAYEONSEO and I playing at the amusement park isn’t a first.

Famous for graduation photos, we visited here in sixth grade too.

Back then, we were each other’s only support.

This time, it was quite meaningful as we chose each other directly.

…Of course, that could just be my own thought.

“What do you want to ride first? The Viking? Flume Ride? Or maybe the roller coaster?”

“…I don’t like those.”

“Oh. You dislike scary things?”

“It’s not that I’m scared, I just don’t like things breaking.”

As I teased her with a grin, Mayeonseo squinted her eyes and lightly nudged me.

‘Cute.’

I decided to go along with her quietly.

“Okay. Since we’re all dressed up, let’s take lots of pictures!”

“…Sure.”

We started with the carousel and moved on to lighter rides.

“There’s a mirror here too. Want to take a picture?”

“Yeah.”

We took selfies in front of the strategically placed mirrors.

“(Hey, let’s take a picture like those couples!)”

“…Do you have to whisper in my ear like that?”

“If they hear, it’ll be embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?”

“Why are you laughing? Do you want to get scolded?”

“Stop it, you dummy. It tickles.”

We took plenty of selfies against the brightly decorated backdrop.

I guess we’ve gotten our money’s worth out of the tickets.

“It’s 4 o’clock now. We should start heading back.”

“Already? Did we play too hard? Time flew by.”

So, we made our way towards the entrance, adjusting to meet the bus schedule.

“Oh, right!”

“What?”

“Sorry, can we stop over there for a moment?”

I asked Mayeonseo for permission and hurried to find the biggest gift shop.

‘I almost forgot.’

I nearly forgot the present.

“Hmm. This doll looks cute. What do you think?”

“…Who are you giving it to?”

As I picked a small doll, Mayeonseo softly inquired with a slightly raised voice.

I absentmindedly answered while inspecting the doll.

“A junior from the club.”

“Who?”

“You know, the girl we saw last time. She begged so desperately for a gift.”

“The girl we saw last time…?”

“You know her? Kim Chabin. Short, big-eyed girl.”

Recently, there was an encounter with Kim Chabin while walking home from school.

At that time, Ma Yeon-seo behaved quite coldly, leaving him utterly flustered.

“Ah… that person.”

Yeon-seo suddenly put on a chilly expression as if recalling it belatedly.

It seemed to have greatly displeased her.

“You’re not making it obvious that you hate him, are you?”

“…So, did he ask you to buy a gift? For you?”

“Yeah. I thought he was just saying it, but he even called me yesterday to stress it.”

Yeon-seo glanced at me with a slightly serious expression.

She seemed almost shocked in some way.

“Is this really such a surprising thing?”

Failing to understand her reaction, I awkwardly added an excuse, scratching my head for no reason.

“I… I’m just saying in case there’s a misunderstanding. If he buys me a gift, I’ll reciprocate. Am I that gullible?”

Then…

“…What?”

In an instant, all expression vanished from Yeon-seo’s face.

“Oh… this isn’t right.”

It felt like the situation had worsened somehow.