episode_0034

Ring-

“I’m here!”

With lightning-fast reflexes, Hong Yeonseo jumped up as soon as the phone rang.

Giving a signal to the guys sitting on the sofa, everyone smoothly got up from the sofa and took their seats.

Confirming that, I followed behind Hong Yeonseo.

* * *

“Thank you.”

“Uh…uh. Yes.”

Although there was a small awkward moment when the delivery guy and Hong Yeonseo made eye contact, as soon as I showed up, the delivery guy turned around and disappeared.

I can somewhat understand the delivery guy’s feelings. Hong Yeonseo is pretty, after all, if she just stays still.

“I wonder what he thought when he saw us?”

“…What could he have thought.”

“Hehe.”

Watching Hong Yeonseo seem to be having strange thoughts, I picked up the packaged food.

I ordered chicken for Hong Yeonseo, taking into account her taste preferences, four chickens and two pizzas were in my hands.

With the drinks that came along with the food, Hong Yeonseo followed me.

“Is this enough?”

“Maybe a little lacking?”

“Since the others don’t eat much, it should be fine, right?”

“Um….”

“If it’s not enough, let me know, and I’ll order more.”

“Oh yeah!”

In my opinion, Hong Yeonseo could be bribed with food.

She’s that simple….

Surely she wouldn’t follow someone just because they offer candy on the street?

Moving the delivery food to the living room, the kids who were sitting down started unwrapping the packages.

“Oh. I’ll get some cups.”

Lee Soyun got up from her seat and headed to the kitchen.

Dragging my relatively long pajama pants with my short legs, I followed Lee Soyun.

Thankfully, the waistband was elastic, so they didn’t fall down.

It seemed difficult for her to carry six cups alone in that outfit, so I followed Lee Soyun.

In the kitchen sink, Lee Soyun was taking out the cups she had put away after eating snacks and doing a quick wash.

“Just use new cups.”

“I thought washing would be a hassle for you.”

It was a small gesture, but it showed Lee Soyun’s kind heart.

“Okay, give me that.”

Lee Soyun wiped the cups dry.

“Oops! What if you just shake the water off onto the floor. You can use this to wipe it.”

“Why go to that extent.”

Real men don’t use kitchen towels.

It’ll dry on its own anyway.

Carrying the cups with Lee Soyun, we went back to the living room, where the chicken and pizza were already spread out on the table, the packages opened.

“Let’s eat first.”

As we sat down, the kids looked at us with eager eyes, waiting to dig into the chicken.

“Oh, this.”

I picked up the chicken radish that was about to overflow with sauce, intending to pour some out.

Seeing that there were four chicken radishes, I gave a signal to Yoon Jiwu.

“Huh? Just drink it.”

Yoon Jiwu then simply drank the chicken radish sauce.

Eek.

“….”

Did that kid always drink the chicken radish sauce?

I’m not sure….

Looking at Yoon Jiwu with a shocked expression, Lee Saeah and Lee Soyun also seemed to be witnessing something new.

“Are you…drinking that?”

Seong Yurin asked with a surprised expression.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

Hong Yeonseo covered Seong Yurin’s eyes with her hand.

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

Yoon Jiwu, who had drunk the sauce from two chicken radishes like it was a refreshing dongchimi, wiped the sauce off my hand, and I sat down to eat the chicken.

I was about to pick up the wooden chopsticks when a boneless seasoned chicken appeared in front of me.

“Here, ahh.”

“…I’ll eat it.”

For some reason, Hong Yeonseo handed me a boneless seasoned chicken.

“Ugh, my arm is about to fall off.”

Reluctantly, I opened my mouth, and the chicken went in.

The taste is good.

Although the boneless chicken was a bit tough, it wasn’t that bad. I didn’t have high expectations since it’s a place that also serves pizza, but it seems to be quite satisfactory.

Isayoon fiercely poked Hong Yeonseo’s side as she giggled.

“Oops. Okay, I won’t do it anymore.”

After that, a pleasant dinner time continued.

* * *

“Ugh. I’m so full.”

Isayoon patted her stomach lightly with her small hand.

What Isayoon overlooked because of Hong Yeonseo was that a girl alone usually can’t finish a whole chicken.

While Isaea, Isayoon, and Seong Yurin were devouring a whole chicken and a few slices of pizza, the rest finished all the remaining food.

“Are you full?”

I asked Hong Yeonseo.

“I’m okay.”

Hong Yeonseo smiled in response, showing no sign of being full, but since it’s her, it must be true.

“I need some fresh air.”

The whole house smelled of chicken and pizza.

As I opened the window connecting to the outside, I felt the cool night breeze passing through the warm indoor air.

“It feels nice.”

Seong Yurin, who was standing next to me, said.

In the chilly night air, Seong Yurin’s fair cheeks turned slightly red.

And from behind, I could see the other kids tidying up.

Seong Yurin approached me and spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I think I should apologize to you for what happened yesterday.”

“Ah… yesterday.”

The events of yesterday came back to my mind.

I thought that Seong Yurin didn’t directly harm me, except for ruining the end of our outing.

It was a pleasant time with Seong Yurin yesterday, except for the trouble that happened with Isaea before we parted ways.

“I felt a bit cold-headed, and upon reflection, I realized that I shouldn’t have done what I did to you.”

“…”

Looking at me quietly, Seong Yurin turned his gaze to the moon in the night sky.

“I know you’re confused. You don’t know why I’m apologizing or what happened yesterday. I understand that you don’t know.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Someday, you’ll find out what happened between me, Seaea, and you. And when that time comes, even if you blame me, I won’t have anything to say.”

Seong Yurin, who had a gloomy expression for a moment, closed his eyes, then opened them again.

The clear eyes of Seong Yurin, looking at the moon, sparkled with a faint light.

“I’m sorry. I said something strange. What I wanted to say is just that I want to continue being close with you and your friends for a long time. … Even if it’s just words of apology, it’s embarrassing.”

“Yurin.”

I interrupted Seong Yurin’s continued words and called his name.

Seong Yurin, who had been avoiding eye contact, suddenly widened his eyes and met mine.

He seemed surprised when I called him by his name.

In Seong Yurin’s blue eyes, my face reflected.

I looked at Seong Yurin, who was blinking in surprise, and continued speaking.

“If Seaea has forgiven you, I won’t be mad at you. So don’t blame yourself anymore.”

“…But.”

“Keep being confident as usual, that’s your charm.”

“Eek.”

I lightly tapped Seong Yurin’s head, which was looking down again, to make him lift his head, and then I walked to the living room.

I guess that’s enough comfort for now.

While having various conversations with Seong Yurin, the other kids had already cleaned up the living room.

“Well, I guess it’s time to study a bit.”

“Ugh.”

“You’ve played enough.”

Although Hong Yeonseo and Yoon Jiu tried to move slowly, eventually everyone’s books were opened.

Two people in need of concentrated care, Lee Sae-ah and Seong Yurin, decided to take charge.

Seong Yurin, without a doubt, was the top student in their grade.

Lee Sae-ah, too, was an excellent student with high grades, although she was a bit weak in the science subjects.

In the 2:2 private tutoring session, I turned my gaze away from the textbook.

Even though I was daydreaming during class, the math formulas I had marked were visible. Should I memorize all of this today?

Although I was slightly bothered by Lee So-yoon sticking close to me, I didn’t say anything since it wasn’t to the point of hindering my studies.

I couldn’t figure out how long it had been since I studied outside of class hours like this.

Nevertheless, once we started studying, the students quietly focused on their work.

The gentle voices of the top students in the superior class, Yoon Ji-woo and Hong Yeon-seo, who were helping the struggling students in the inferior class, were the only sounds filling the quiet house.

* * *

“Ugh, my head hurts. Can’t we just sleep here tonight?”

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go quickly.”

“Tsk.”

I saw the four of them changing back into their school uniforms.

I had told them to leave their pajamas in the room,

but Lee Sae-ah and Seong Yurin were shocked. Hong Yeon-seo punched me in the stomach. Feeling unfairly treated, I thought, “Did I say I was going to wear them as they were?”

Of course, I meant to wash them.

In the end, the pajamas ended up in the washing machine at the hands of the four, and after making sure the washing machine was running along with the laundry that had piled up, they finally left.

They decided to finish studying according to Hong Yeon-seo’s dormitory curfew time and return home.

Seeing me in light clothing at home, Hong Yeon-seo put on a thin coat and said to me, “Shall I give you a ride?”

“It’s late at night, so I should do at least this much.”

“Aww, so sweet. What about Jin?”

Why do you care about Jin?

“Let’s go. There’s not much time left before curfew.”

As we stepped outside, a luxurious car was waiting in front of the house.

It was the car that had come to pick up Seong Yurin, who lived in the opposite direction.

Seong Yurin had offered to give everyone a ride home, but the others said they were fine. They wanted to enjoy the night air and walk.

“Take care. See you on Monday.”

Since I didn’t have my usual morning exercise on Sundays, I looked forward to Monday.

“Okay. Goodbye.”

As Seong Yurin’s waving hand disappeared into the car, we watched the car drive off for a moment before moving our feet.

The sound of footsteps on the quiet night street echoed loudly.

After parting ways with Lee So-yoon, who lived not far from our house, Yoon Ji-woo and Lee Sae-ah also bid farewell in front of their houses.

At Lee Sae-ah’s house, there was a funny incident where her mother asked, “Weren’t you staying overnight today?”

With a flushed face, Lee Sae-ah quickly said her goodbyes and dragged her mother inside.

Left alone with Hong Yeon-seo, we walked towards the city without saying much, keeping a little distance between us.

“Seo Ee-jin.”

“What?”

“…No, not yet.”

“What do you mean?”

What do you mean by ‘not yet’?

I was about to say that when suddenly, Hong Yeon-seo grabbed my arm and clung to me.

“Heh, you don’t need to know.”

Under the streetlight, Hong Yeon-seo’s red hair shone.

“…Back off. It’s hot.”

“It’s hot. Even though the night air is cool, isn’t it warm?”

I didn’t push away the giggling Hong Yeon-seo.

We just walked together in silence.

…The warmth emanating from the girl’s body was very comforting.

In the late spring night, the chill of the air was barely noticeable.