episode_0040

After lunch, Lee Yu-ri’s condition improved noticeably.

The look of lethargy and annoyance at everything disappeared and became the usual slightly somber and cute expression, and the voice that had become extremely low returned to its original tone.

“I hope it’s Saturday soon. I don’t think I’ve ever waited this long for a weekend.”

The last week of disciplinary action for cleaning up after school last time.

While cleaning the classroom with me, Yuri Lee hummed and said that as if she was in a bad mood.

“Did you want to be with me that much?”

“Huh? Oh, no, I mean… it’s the weekend! Yeah, it’s just the weekend! Isn’t there anyone who doesn’t like weekends?”

Yuri Lee was in a hurry and came up with a suitable reason.

When he was stuck in the student council room heartbroken, he listened to me and told me honestly about his feelings, but when he came to his senses, he felt ashamed again.

“It’s okay to be honest when it’s just the two of us.”

“Well, that’s okay! Are you studying? No matter how much we study together, it’s not only you but it’s hard for me too if I come with a blank slate.”

“Of course I am doing it.”

“… Is it true? Looks like you fell asleep in class again today.”

“I don’t know! Even though I may seem like a delinquent child who falls asleep all the time in your eyes, I am also studying diligently!”

“Where?”

“When you have time while working part-time.”

The suspicion on Yu-ri Lee’s expression became deeper.

“You often fall asleep in class even though the teacher is in front of you, but you study while working part-time?”

What I said was true.

Of course there was a reason…

#####

“Oh, it’s over 50 points! Well done, senior! As a reward, I will give you a kiss of praise. Haup…♥”

When classes ended and part-time work began, Sooyeon Choi started helping me study in earnest.

Is it true that he had top-notch grades in middle school? Even though he gave up studying for two years, he was still good enough to teach me.

Every time she solved a workbook and exceeded a certain score, Soo-yeon Choi would throw tongues at her in the name of an award.

It had been a while since my first kiss, but now I was completely addicted to kissing, and my tongue was becoming quite entangled.

“Puha…♥”

When our lips parted, Choi Soo-yeon let out a breath full of pleasure, and then immediately urged me to study again to give me a ‘reward’.

Her back pain was worse than I expected, so I had to study with Choi Su-yeon at the counter, not moving, except when I was doing necessary work, such as putting new items on display or cleaning.

Of course, because I had strong motivation, I had enough motivation to study.

I’ve never studied like this before.

“Ah… 42 points this time. Hmm… looking at the wrong types, I think I can roughly figure out what the problem is, but it’s been a while since I stopped studying. lol. Oh! I almost forgot! I’ll kiss you as encouragement to take a better look at the next question. Chuuup…♥”

Soo-yeon Choi now makes up reasons and kisses every time she solves a 20-question problem.

After mixing our tongues again and then parting our lips, I teased Choi Su-yeon by poking her cheek.

“If you pass the score cut line, they kiss you as a reward, and if you don’t, they kiss you as encouragement. Actually, the problem is an excuse, isn’t it just that you want to kiss me?”

Suyeon Choi stuck out her tongue at my words.

“Hehe, I got caught! Since you did such a bad thing, the only thing you can do is get a forced kiss as punishment, right?”

Even though we are working part-time and studying at the same time, what we do hasn’t changed much.

#####

Friday after school.

Yuri Lee and I have finally finished the two-week penalty for cleaning up after school that we received for skipping school.

“Ahh, it’s over…”

After finishing the final cleanup, Yu-ri Lee flopped down on a random seat and stretched out.

It was probably the first discipline she had ever received in her life, so she seemed uneasy the entire time.

“You worked hard. Isn’t this a fresh and good experience?”

“What is fresh? I will never do this again. Why did I do that that day…”

“So, why did you do that? It would have been nice if you had run into my arms earlier and received healing.”

“Well, what do you say? At that time, I was also very mentally ill-”

“Do you mean that if you hadn’t lost your temper, you would have been in my arms?”

“……”

“Just kidding.”

As Yu-ri Lee’s expression turned grim, I gathered my words.

Then he went behind her as she was stretched out on the chair and massaged her shoulders.

“Would you like to give us a massage for Yuri, who has been freed from disciplinary action for the first time in her life? As a reward?”

“Am I a kid? Something like that…”

Yuri Lee responded harshly.

And 1 minute later.

“Ah… Ah, there… Just a little harder…”

She was melting, enjoying my shoulder massage to the fullest.

“Where is the person who just said ‘something like that’?”

“It’s noisy, it’s nice now… Ah, there, there.”

“Your shoulders are very stiff, sir.”

“Really? Then, please try harder and let it go.”

“Of course.”

“Ah… It’s cool. Should I have asked for it earlier?”

“Hasn’t your attitude changed so much in just one minute?”

“It’s wrong for you to be too good at massaging.”

I massaged Yu-ri Lee’s shoulders for a while and then took a back hug position, crossing my arms in front of her collarbone.

If she lowered her hand just a little, it would have touched her chest, but Lee Yu-ri did not express any resistance or refusal.

The hurdles of her heart, which had been infinitely high, were slowly and steadily falling down.

“What.”

Instead of rejecting me, she just turned her head back and looked at me and responded like that.

“Hey, do you want to hang out and have dinner together to celebrate liberation?”

“Where?”

“Well, I haven’t decided on a menu. Should I just walk to a place that looks good? It would be nice to go to the arcade or play sports before dinner.”

“Arcade…?”

Yuri Lee’s eyes changed slightly.

She still hasn’t completely forgotten the fun that all the gadgets in the arcade can bring.

“Uh. If you exercise your body moderately while playing DDR or air hockey, you’ll get hungry quickly, isn’t that good? I work part-time until Thursday, so I don’t have time today or after school. What do you think, do you want to go?”

“…… I want to go.”

Lee Yu-ri, who answered while avoiding my gaze, could never have looked so cute.

#####

Just like we did on our last date, we spent a fun afternoon working out at the arcade, sweating it out, and singing at the coin karaoke room.

Yuri Lee seemed to be in a very good mood after going on a date with me, so she couldn’t stop smiling the whole time we were playing, and she was showing her emotions more than usual.

“Ah, did I shout too much? My neck hurts.”

“Would you like a cola? Should I get it from the vending machine?”

“That’s it. On a subject with no money. How much do you have left for living expenses?”

“… 30,000 won?”

“I really can’t survive. So how are you going to eat dinner?”

“There’s only a week left until the paycheck, so if you spend 20,000 won today and somehow survive with the remaining 10,000 won…”

“Take 10,000 won of happiness? I’ll just buy dinner myself. Instead, when your salary comes out, you buy it once.”

“Thank you so much, Lee Yu-ri.”

Lee Yu-ri looked at me with a subtle expression that I couldn’t tell if it was pitiful or pitiful, then went to the vending machine and took out two cans of cola.

Then he handed me a can and asked a question.

“Who would have imagined that Han Seong-jin of the world would act like a beggar like this and go around getting food?”

“The more I listen to you, the more miserable I become, so please stop.”

“But you’ve been like that for a long time? Before that, how did everyone play, eat, and live like that?”

“It’s not a very nice thing to hear.”

Yuri Lee paused for a moment while drinking her cola at my words.

And after taking a sip, he looked at me.

“Still, I want to hear it. About you.”

“If you hear it, you’ll be disillusioned, right?”

“I was always doing that.”

I forgot what to say for a moment.

What exactly does it feel like to be disillusioned and like someone at the same time?

“I clearly regret asking.”

“No. So let me know.”

“Ha… Until last year, the kids in my gang… collected repayment periodically from 1st to 3rd grade. Even if I don’t tell you how I got that money, you know right? And then I got into fights with guys from other academies, and after they stepped on me, I got ripped off… something like that.”

“……”

Yuri Lee opened her mouth with an expression of bewilderment.

“So I told you that it wouldn’t be good to hear it.”

“The more I listen, the more I wonder how people like this exist… But I still wanted to know. I don’t know exactly what your past was like. How did you live? I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.”

Yuri Lee took another sip of cola.

“But when I look at you in front of me, you look like someone who wouldn’t do something like that.”

“It’s really not like that now. I hope you believe that.”

“… I will believe it. I’m going to think that the fact that I’m struggling right now because I don’t have money is proof of that.”

“Thank you.”

Instead of “.”

Yuri Lee said as she placed her fist on my chest.

“Allow me to be confident in my faith.”

“For example?”

“Promise me that you will pass the failing cutoff line for this test. And study properly when you come to my house tomorrow. Show me with your actions so that I can be sure that you have really changed.”

“I will try really hard, but the failure cutoff line is… honestly a bit scary.”

“Isn’t there a reason for you to make a strange bet with Eunji and study hard anyway? It’s just one more thing added. And the cutoff point is only 60 points on average. You can do it if you just work hard.”

“No, that’s about smart kids like you, not a loser like me-”

“Do it.”

“Yes.”

After receiving my answer, Lee Yu-ri thought about something for a moment and started twisting her hair with her fingers.

And then he quietly averted his gaze.

“Instead, if you pass the test failure cutoff line… I will repay you.”

It was an appealing proposal.

“Return? What? Suddenly I want to study hard.”

“What, then you mean you didn’t originally intend to work hard?! Oh, anyway, you can’t tell me now! After you pass… I’ll let you know then.”