episode_0011

In a corner of the classroom, Mayeon sat alone, quietly fiddling with her phone.

“……”

She was already feeling a great deal of frustration with school life. It had been just over a month since the start of the semester, and there seemed to be no sign of improvement ahead.

Not that she had expected things to get better in the first place.

Simply attending school felt like a serious waste of time. It felt even worse because Kang Yoochan, who should have been by her side, wasn’t there.

“What is he doing right now?”

Lately, her thoughts had been consumed by Kang Yoochan. Even before, she had spent most of her days thinking about him, but being separated by school made it even more intense.

It was an unbearable love, knowing it was severe yet unable to restrain herself.

“…I hope no one has dared to bother him.”

Above all, she was deeply worried that someone might bother him while she lacked confidence.

It was as if she had been thrown naked into a jungle full of hungry beasts, vulnerable and defenseless.

It would have been better if she were shorter, less attractive, and had a terrible personality. If she were so unapproachable that others couldn’t even speak to her, that would have been perfect.

Unfortunately, Kang Yoochan was not that kind of person.

“…I’m anxious….”

Unable to bear the anxiety any longer, Mayeon bit her lip tightly and turned on an app that had been hidden on her phone.

As she did, the phone screen displayed a photo of a woman as its background. The woman in the picture was none other than Mayeon herself.

She had secretly installed a surveillance app on the phone she had given Kang Yoochan, curious about whether he had a girlfriend.

Using their relationship as a shield, Mayeon skillfully operated the phone as if it were her own, quickly scanning through the records. She checked contacts, messages, app usage times, internet browsing history, and even video viewing records.

“I looked at this secretly?”

Fortunately, apart from a fashion lookbook watched the previous night, there was nothing particularly bothersome in the records.

This was something that could be overlooked as a cute gesture from a girlfriend.

“…I miss Yoochan….”

So, today as well, Mayeon managed to quell her boiling anxiety in her own way.

It’s still effective for now.

But if it gets worse, she couldn’t guarantee what she might do.

“Here. Volume 1.”

Hanyeo-won handed me the book she had promised to lend without forgetting.

It was commendable that she offered it before I even brought up the subject.

If only it hadn’t been a situation that attracted everyone’s attention.

Whispering. Whispering. Subtle glances and interest poured from the students gathered in the classroom.

It wasn’t strange that the most popular kid in school was talking to the only nerd in the class.

I didn’t particularly enjoy that kind of attention.

“…Thanks.”

Thinking that we weren’t close enough for a full-fledged conversation, I tried to wrap it up appropriately, but…

“Do you like this author by any chance?”

Hanyeo-won threw the question without hesitation.

She might be more approachable than she looks.

“I’ve been a fan for a while.”

Since there was no reason to act coldly just because I received the book, I smoothly returned the answer, and she naturally continued the conversation.

“I see. This was my first time, and I found it really enjoyable.”

“It is enjoyable.”

“Are there other books you find interesting? After finishing this one, I want to read more.”

“What genre do you like?”

“Well… I like almost anything as long as it’s not too difficult.”

“Hmm… Romance?”

“Oh. I love romance novels!”

She seemed genuinely interested, as if she hadn’t just visited the library on a whim.

Moreover, perhaps because it was about my favorite author, the conversation flowed effortlessly.

“Then… there’s ‘Management Tower.’ Try reading that. It’s my favorite book.”

“‘Management Tower’… ‘Management Tower’…”

Hanyeo-won seemed genuinely intrigued, even taking out her phone to jot down a note.

“She does have an eye for good reads.”

This guy. Surprisingly, he had an admirable side.

Since borrowing a book from Hanyeo-won, we’ve occasionally engaged in conversation.

Though it was all about the book.

All day, I had kept my lips sealed, so having a conversation with her felt like quite the event.

“I stayed up all night to finish it! It was really interesting.”

“You read all of that?”

“Yeah! It was so captivating, I couldn’t stop in the middle and just kept reading.”

“So that’s why you were dozing off earlier.”

“Oops. You saw that?”

“You kept shaking your head in front of me.”

Teasingly ruffling her hair, she chuckled with a cool air about her.

Han Ryeowon turned out to be much kinder and livelier than I had imagined.

Primarily composed, but quick to get excited when discussing something she liked.

Her unadorned nature made conversations quite comfortable…

Yet, the more I felt close to her, the more uneasy I became.

It was all because of my promise to Mayeonseo.

“Do girls not talk to each other?”

“If someone talks to you, you have to respond.”

“I’d rather you didn’t make friends at all. I won’t either.”

Now that things have settled down, but at the beginning of the semester, she used to ask me two or three times a day.

Every time, I reassured her not to worry.

The situation is a bit delicate now.

Han Ryeowon is definitely a female student.

Even if our relationship is somewhat ambiguous, the fact remains that she’s a female student.

According to my previous promise to Mayeonseo, even such casual conversations should be “reported” to her.

But…

I still haven’t disclosed Han Ryeowon’s existence.

“How should I bring this up?”

Honestly, it’s a tough task.

If I say it straightforwardly, I can predict the kind of response I’ll receive.

Lately, things have been relatively calm, but if I say something wrong here, what will happen?

This might become an issue that haunts me for the next three years.

“I can’t just hide it altogether…”

But at the same time, I can’t just stay silent.

“It’s not easy.”

Caught in an untimely dilemma, I wracked my brain, agonizing day by day.

One day, something happened that solidified my resolve.

It was when we were lying side by side on Mayeonseo’s sofa, watching TV as usual.

“Yuchan.”

“Yeah?”

Suddenly, while fiddling with her phone, Mayeonseo asked quietly, “Is she the one?”

I checked her phone absentmindedly.

There, a woman’s SNS account was open.

“Hmm…?”

Upon closer inspection, it was Kim Chabin’s account, my junior high school classmate.

“Oh. I see. How did you find it?”

“She liked one of your old posts.”

“…Really?”

Back when we were close friends, I had made an SNS account but had left it neglected.

“Is that so?”

Hastily checking my phone, I found a long-forgotten post with a single ‘like’ on it.

“No way, how did I miss this?”

Momentarily spooked, I gazed blankly at Mayeonseo’s face.

She casually asked me with an indifferent expression.

“Since I don’t use the account anyway, should I just delete it?”

“…Huh? My account?”

“The pictures posted there are all in the cloud. So, is it okay to delete them too?”

Though she seemed to be asking for my opinion…

Being extremely perceptive, I could tell.

In reality, it was a suggestion to delete it.

“Um… But, I don’t really know how to delete it….”

“I’ll show you. Go to the settings there.”

“…Uh, okay….”

In the end, under the guise of help, I began deleting the SNS account under her surveillance.

And….

[ Are you sure you want to withdraw? ]

Touching the withdrawal button firmly, I thought to myself.

“Never speak of this.”

Let’s keep everything about Han Rye-won strictly confidential for the time being.

*

Time passed swiftly, and it was the day before the first midterm exam.

Waiting for the closing ceremony, I was having a staring contest with Mayeonseo over the gift card she had sent.

“Hmm….”

Having received almost every kind of gift, I thought I had become somewhat indifferent.

This time, the gift felt distinctly different.

It was a gift card worth 100,000 won.

“Isn’t this basically cash…?”

I had casually mentioned feeling regretful because I wanted to buy a book, but my allowance was tight. Then, out of the blue, a gift card arrived in the morning.

“Since our schedules don’t match, buy what you want yourself,” accompanied by a message.

“Sigh. I can’t not use this….”

After receiving my first gift from her, I had become unable to refuse gifts.

Politely refusing or declining is impossible when they force all sorts of things on you.

Moreover, having received much more expensive gifts, how could one refuse a relatively inexpensive gift card?

That’s probably why there’s a saying about getting the first button right.

“…Should I exchange it for something a bit more expensive…?”

So, with the strong desire to somehow return the favor to her, I’ve been diligently saving my allowance to take charge of purchasing “Vitamin C.”

Even that seems quite tight due to the speed at which I’m spending.

“Sigh…”

As I sighed in embarrassment, I decided to find my way to the bookstore, even planning to buy some snacks with the remaining money.

“The bus is the fastest.”

After finishing my errands, I hurriedly made my way out of the school gate.

“Hey, teacher! If you keep this up, I’ll call the police!”

“I came to see my kid, why do you keep causing trouble?!”

Murmurs. Murmurs. There was a commotion outside the school gate.

“This is a place for kids to study! Kids! Aren’t you ashamed to be seen by your children?!”

“What’s there to be ashamed of? What?!”

It seemed like a drunkard had come and the guard was trying to stop him.

Drinking and causing a scene in broad daylight, what a man.

I felt like I knew who he was without even looking.

“I wonder whose dad he is….”

Avoiding the disturbance, I left the school gate, trying to ignore it and catch the bus.

“Oh, there he is!”

But at that moment,

“Hey!!”

A student’s name pierced my ears and grabbed my ankle.

“Han Ryeowon!”

It was a name I had heard somewhere before.