episode_0006

In conclusion, I bought a gift for Kim Chabin.

Anyway, it wouldn’t have been right to return empty-handed after promising to give it to her.

“Oppa! You waited, right?”

As soon as the first period ended, I went straight to find Kim Chabin.

The freshman classrooms were gathered separately on the first floor, and perhaps because I was unfamiliar, I felt a bit burdened by all sorts of gazes while waiting.

“Oh. I’ve been waiting forever.”

“Hehe. Sorry. But why did you call me?”

“I have something to give you.”

When I subtly revealed the small shopping bag I had been hiding, a big smile spread across her face, which had been puzzled.

“No way?!”

“It’s your present.”

“Did you really buy it?”

“You’re my one and only junior, how could I not take care of you?”

“Wow… Oppa, you’re the best!”

Accepting the shopping bag, Kim Chabin expressed her joy by bouncing around and showing it with her whole body.

Because of that, she attracted interested glances from the surrounding students.

Good things are good. I just accepted it wholeheartedly.

“You’re so cute…! Thank you, Oppa!”

“I’m glad you like it. It was worth buying.”

Showing a very moved reaction and delight, she hugged the doll and spoke with a determined expression.

“Oppa, let’s watch a movie this weekend!”

“A movie?”

“Yes! I have a ticket. Since I got the doll, I’ll show you! How about it?”

She awaited my answer with a face full of anticipation.

It seems the reward she mentioned before was a movie.

I accepted her offer with a light heart.

“Hmm… should I?”

“Really? Is the time really okay?!”

After securing the promise, she repeatedly confirmed with a bright smile.

How much did she want to see me to be this excited?

“If for some reason I can’t make it, I’ll definitely find time.”

“Yay! Oppa, you won’t break your promise, right? Promise?”

“Okay, okay.”

Kim Chabin continued to smile happily, holding the doll dear.

She seemed like a child who had fallen in love with something.

“Then, I’ll contact you later.”

“Okay!”

And so, we agreed to get in touch later and parted ways for the time being…

“I should head back soon.”

As I hurried up the stairs, on my way back to the second-year classroom…

“…Hm? Come to think of it….”

Suddenly, a certain fact flashed through my mind.

This is the first date in my life.

“…Huh?”

I started getting nervous all of a sudden.

*

“Help! Yeonseo-mong…!”

Right during the next break,

I hurriedly went to find Ma Yeonseo for help.

“I’m in big trouble!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I made plans for the weekend, but I…”

“Plans? With whom?”

“The junior I mentioned last time!”

Ma Yeonseo’s face stiffened for a moment.

It seemed like she was also facing a surprising major event.

“How did this happen…!”

I quickly explained the whole situation.

I gave Kim Chabin a doll, and then he suggested a movie date.

At first, I accepted without much thought, but soon realized it was a mistake.

“Please help me!”

But then…

“……”

For some reason, she didn’t respond at all.

She just stared at me absentmindedly, as if deeply lost in thought.

“Yeonseo?”

“…Hm?”

“What do you think?”

“……Well……”

Completely distracted, Ma Yeonseo just stared at me with unfocused eyes.

‘Why is she acting like this?’

Unable to gauge her thoughts, I waited for some advice…

‘Wait. Hold on.’

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

Could it be that Ma Yeonseo is also clueless about romantic relationships like me?

‘Is she inexperienced too…?’

Quietly, I adjusted my trust in Ma Yeonseo downward.

♫ ♩ ♬ ♪

Just then, the bell announcing the start of class rang out.

“Oh dear… This won’t work. I’ll come back during lunch! Will you remember?”

“……”

Yeonseo was still absentminded.

I reluctantly left, anticipating what would come next.

‘She couldn’t possibly like me, could she? No, no matter how I think about it… Ugh. Still, why insist on a movie…? And on the weekend? On purpose? It feels like I’m just imagining things for no reason…’

Naturally, I couldn’t concentrate on the class and spent the entire time pondering.

Eventually, with a determination to grasp at straws, I sought out Yeonseo again.

“Yeonseo!”

However…

“?”

She wasn’t in the classroom for some reason.

“Oh. Did she leave early?”

“Huh? Left early?”

Instead, I heard that she went home early because she wasn’t feeling well.

‘I saw her earlier… Is she really in a lot of pain?’

Returning to the classroom, I sent her a message.

Me: [You left early.]

Me: [Are you okay?]

Fortunately, it seemed like she had enough strength to handle her phone as the “read” notification quickly appeared…

That was all.

Even after waiting for a while, she didn’t reply.

She read it and ignored it.

‘How much pain is she in if she can’t even move her fingers?’

My worries about our date or whatever else took precedence, so I decided to call her during lunchtime.

[The call wasn’t answered, just a beep… ]

However, she didn’t pick up the phone.

*

Thud. As the vibration on my phone ceased, a heavy silence filled the dark house once again.

“……”

Sitting on the bed with my knees pulled close, Mayeonseo silently watched the screen showing the missed call notification.

The gaze directed at the now dark phone was endlessly bleak.

Within the hazy pupils, a multitude of emotions surged.

Anger. Regret. Worry. Sadness.

All because of Kang Yoo-chan.

All of it.

“……”

Gritting her teeth, Mayeonseo unconsciously clenched her fist, her hand trembling.

Never could she have imagined it would come to this when she bought a doll for someone who seemed so clueless, even though Kang Yoo-chan should have had some inkling.

She was too careless.

What’s obvious to me would naturally be obvious to others.

Even if he begged here and there, how could he not back off?

“It’s my fault.”

Mayeonseo had no choice but to admit her own mistake.

A dog with an owner shouldn’t be running wild without a leash, and it’s entirely the owner’s fault.

It’s also the owner’s responsibility to repent for their mistake and make amends.

“I can still… I can still fix this.”

Determined to make amends, Mayeonseo picked up her phone.

She wouldn’t stay silent any longer.

*

As luck would have it, my mother had a company dinner, so I was having a rare evening with takeout food, fiddling with my phone, feeling unsettled in many ways.

Kim Chabin and I had made a promise, but as the evening wore on with no contact from Mayeonseo, I couldn’t help but worry.

‘Just how much pain is she in?’

It was at that moment.

Ring… Ring…

The phone screen suddenly changed, and a call came through.

“What a surprise.”

Startled, I quickly checked the caller after wiping my chest and…

[Mayeonseo]

Her long-awaited name was written there.

“Hey! Why haven’t you been answering? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been about you… What?”

I hung up the phone and hurriedly put on my clothes before rushing out of the house.

“It’s getting chilly now.”

As I turned into the dark alley in front of my house, I spotted her standing alone under the only streetlight that hadn’t gone out. It was Mayeonseo. She was standing there, dressed oddly with even her hat crumpled.

“Has she caught a cold?”

Suddenly concerned, I waved my hands and approached her.

“Mayeonseo!”

“……”

“Are you feeling okay…?”

At that very moment.

“Huh?”

I glanced at something in her hand and paused for a moment.

“That’s…”

A rough and rugged rectangular object.

It was a brick.

The kind of red brick often used in building houses.

“Huh…?”

It seemed so out of place that I was slightly taken aback, but I quickly approached her again, thinking to ask her about it.

“Are you okay? Why are you carrying that?”

“……”

She tightly pressed her lips together and sent me a piercing gaze.

Perhaps because it was dark, her usually sharp eyes seemed empty. Somewhere, it felt like she wasn’t quite herself.

“Why is she acting like this?”

Not knowing English, I scratched my head and glanced briefly at the brick in her hand.

It looked threatening with its sharp, jagged edge, as if it had been picked up from a construction site.

“Where did she get this from… No, that’s not important right now.”

From her earlier phone call, I hadn’t sensed anything unusual.

She just said she had something to tell me and asked me to come out in front of the house right away.

It didn’t seem significantly different from usual.

“What happened during that time?”

Feeling needlessly worried, I cautiously spoke up once more.

“What’s wrong?”

And then, right at that moment…

She raised her head quietly and met my gaze.

Her eyes lacked vitality.

I reflexively averted my gaze from hers.

A fierce image of those who had tormented me to the point of death flashed through my mind.

“Is she angry? What did I do?”

I swallowed involuntarily and cautiously tried to speak, checking her reaction.

“Ye-yeonseo?”

Her tightly closed lips finally moved.

“W-well, I have one thing to ask.”

“To… me?”

She only sent a glance without saying anything.

It felt as if she was trying to read my thoughts.

“Is that why she came all the way here?”

For now, I simply accepted her question.

“Yeah, what… do you want to ask?”

And then, an unexpected question came.

“Do you like me?”

“What?”

Did I hear that right?

Startled by the unexpected ambush, I stumbled and blabbered like a flustered person.

“W-why are you suddenly saying that? Do you like me? Me?”

My face flushed.

How should I answer this? I couldn’t remain calm at all.

“Of course I like you! You’re my best friend! Don’t you like me then?!”

I spat out random words in frustration.

Then she asked again.

“Do you love me?”

“L-love…! W-why are you asking that?! What’s really going on?”

Dizzy from the sudden direct hit, I started to worry about her.

She didn’t seem well no matter how I looked at it.

But…

“Answer.”

She didn’t give me a chance.

“Hey. Why talk about love all of a sudden…”

“Answer.”

Her hand holding a brick trembled.

“N-no… um… It’s not that I don’t want to answer…”

Feeling slightly intimidated by her forcefulness, I continued hesitantly without meeting her eyes.

“So, it’s not that I dislike you… then, why…?”

“…What about your junior?”

“…Junior?”

What does Mayaunseo mean by “junior”?

“Could it be Kim Chabin?”

Belatedly realizing, I raised my hand and waved.

“Hey, why do I like you! Cha Bin is just a close younger sibling! That makes sense…”

“…Really?”

“Really!”

“…….”

A chilly silence flowed through the alleyway.

‘I’m going crazy.’

It was a time when my breath caught in awkwardness, and my restless head scratched itself.

Swoosh. Ma Yeon-seo, who had been quietly observing me, took a step closer and suddenly made a confession.

“I, I like you.”

It was a genuine confession.

“……Huh?”

My words stuck in my throat as I blankly looked at her.

Before I knew it, she reached out her hand and abruptly grabbed my chin.

“!”

Standing on tiptoes, she forcefully pressed her lips against mine.

“Mmph!?”

The soft sensation overwhelmed my lips.

Startled by the sudden turn of events, I struggled helplessly, then hastily pushed her away.

“You, you right now…!”

An unintended first kiss.

Ma Yeon-seo, satisfied, smirked subtly and whispered.

“Is your heart racing?”

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. My heart pounded violently as if it would burst.

“You….”

Looking at her with a dazed expression, I said…

“…You’re the one who kissed first.”

Smack! Embracing her, we shared a second kiss.

It was a moment when we unexpectedly became lovers.