episode_0215

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Overwork. Stress. Nutritional imbalance. Lack of sleep. Last night’s shower with cold water…

Countless factors that could lead to a cold fever swirled in my mind as I pulled the blanket up to my chin.

The shower was probably the final blow.

The other factors might have each chipped away at my health, but none could’ve had as much impact as that shower.

If there was any silver lining, it was that the cold symptoms weren’t too severe.

I didn’t have a thermometer at home to check, but based on past experiences, I guessed it was just a mild fever—maybe slightly over 37°C.

Pressing the back of my hand to my forehead, it didn’t feel scalding. At worst, 38°C… or so I figured.

The sneezing was the same—frequent but not enough to make my throat unbearably sore.

I’d have to see how things progressed, but for now, I could tough it out if I had to.

Since there were no other major symptoms,

if I just put on a brave face…

I could probably go about my daily life without issue.

“…”

As I said,

if I put in the effort.

“Ugh…”

Sunday.

A day when I could stay home unless I had a reason to go out.

No student council make-up classes, no chance of being force-fed alcohol by some drunkard like yesterday.

So I didn’t want to put in the effort to act fine.

Just one day of comfort.

Since it seemed like a mild cold that would pass with a day or two of rest, I wanted to take it easy.

Even if someone messaged me, disappointed that I had no useful information to share, I’d use my condition as an excuse to ignore them.

I wanted to spend the weekend doing absolutely nothing.

Of course, because I was sick, my mind drifted to—

“…”

That annoyingly sanctimonious healer.

The transcendent healer who, weeks ago, told me to come to him anytime if I got hurt—even for a paper cut.

…He crossed my mind.

“…Phew…”

But the thought of being treated by him made me uncomfortable, so I shook my head.

It wasn’t exactly pride—though it was close, it felt different somehow.

Because he’s a guy Yozora has her eyes on?

No, that’s not it.

I just didn’t want to owe Seo Woo-jin anything.

That was probably the most accurate reason.

I’ve always been like this,

and if I ever wanted to bring up Yozora in front of him,

owing him a favor would be the last thing I’d want.

For example, if I saved him from some danger—given he has zero combat ability…

…

…Never mind.

My head hurts.

Thinking up ideas like this is exhausting…

“10 AM…”

After checking the time on my phone, I let out a weak sigh and crawled out from under the warm blanket.

“My hat… where did I put it…?”

First,

I needed to buy medicine.

215

A snapback to hide my messy hair. A worn-out jacket I’d been wearing for about two years. Cream-colored joggers I practically slept in.

Dressed in my usual zero-effort attire, I eventually decided to head to the convenience store.

While a pharmacy would’ve been more reliable for over-the-counter meds, the convenience store was much closer.

Considering the round trip, the distance difference would’ve doubled.

The ground was slightly damp—maybe it had rained briefly last night.

Dragging my feet slower than usual, I stepped inside the convenience store in a daze.

Just as I was about to adjust my hat—

I ran into someone unexpected.

“Huh?”

“……”

Vice President Yoo Si-woo.

Standing at the counter buying a disposable e-cigarette, his gaze locked onto me the moment I walked in.

“Mmm…? Hmm…?”

“……”

The brim of my cap kept him from recognizing me immediately, but his reaction made it clear he’d figured it out soon enough.

Of course—my hair was an uncommon bluish-white and fairly long, so his reaction wasn’t surprising.

This guy—no, this brat had been stalking me even before I joined the student council. No way he wouldn’t recognize my hair color.

If he realized it was me, things would get annoying, so I pretended not to notice and headed deeper into the store.

But of course, his sharp gaze remained fixed on the back of my head.

…Please just leave.

Maybe I should’ve turned around and walked out instead.

Or grabbed a handful of condoms from the shelf and taken them to the counter—maybe he’d be so disgusted he’d—

“Sunbae.”

“…”

While pretending to deliberate, I wiped my mouth with my hand and stared at the shelves.

Then, the vice president’s thin, distinctive voice reached my ears.

For a moment, I thought of Seo Woo-jin’s voice last night, but I quickly pushed it aside.

“You use convenience stores too, Sunbae? Honestly, at first I wasn’t sure it was you, but your height, your hair—it’s exactly like you…”

“…”

“Why won’t you answer? That hurts.”

“…I have nothing to say.”

“Meeting like this must be fate, right? How many convenience stores are there in the world?”

“There are only about five in this area, so 20%.”

“20% is huge. And then you multiply that by the chance of us being here at the same time, living nearby, and all that.”

“…”

Or maybe you just deliberately go to convenience stores near my place.

The words rose to my throat, but all that came out was a quiet sigh.

I had my suspicions, but no proof.

And I just didn’t want to drag this out.

Give him one word, and he’ll respond with ten or twenty. The best strategy is not to engage at all.

Especially now, when my head was pounding from this cold.

“What did you come to buy, Sunbae?”

“…”

“Oh, I came for an e-cig. This place is a bit far from home, but everywhere else was sold out of this flavor.”

“…”

“Maybe my taste is too hipster? Or maybe it’s just popular.”

“…”

I’d seen my sisters use disposable e-cigs before, so I knew about them, but I ignored him and looked for cold medicine.

Luckily, it was displayed prominently, so I found it quickly.

Ignoring his attempts at small talk, I grabbed the first fever-reducing medicine I saw and headed to the counter.

“That’ll be 2,300 won.”

“…Just a sec.”

“Medicine? Are you sick, Sunbae?”

“Need a bag or receipt?”

“No.”

“Sunbae? Where does it hurt?”

“…”

“Have a nice day~”

“Sunbae?”

“…”

“Hey. Seo-yeon noona?”

“…Haah. I have a bit of a fever. Happy now?”

His chattering was grating.

I just wanted to go home, take the medicine, and collapse into bed.

With that in mind, I gave a short answer and tried to leave, but Yoo Si-woo followed me out and blocked my path.

“Let me take care of you!”

“…”

What kind of idiotic—

“Not that I’m particularly grateful, but I don’t need your kind of care. Sorry.”

“I’m better at this than you think! I can put a cold towel on your forehead, make porridge…”

“It’s not about skill. I just know a few of my underwear would go missing afterward. And not from the drawer—the laundry basket.”

“I won’t steal them. Want me to sign a pledge?”

“Haah… It’s not serious enough to fuss over. Go home and play your favorite game or something.”

“I can bring my handheld console to your place. No problem.”

“…Wouldn’t most people just say no?”

“Anyway! The point is, I really want to help.”

“You want to help…?”

“Yeah!”

Want to help, huh.

…Can I really take that at face value?

Rather than believing his fake goodwill and letting him into my place,

it’s more accurate to assume he just wants to take advantage of me while I’m weak.

As I stared at him—still blocking my way like he wouldn’t budge without permission—

I let out a deep sigh and whispered something to make him back off.

“…Hey.”

“Yes, Sunbae.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask the school nurse for help instead of having an amateur like you clumsily play caretaker?”

“…Huh?”

I don’t need you.

“Right? You just said—with zero ulterior motives—that you only wanted to help take care of me.”

“W-well, yeah, but you already bought medicine, and bothering the nurse on a weekend is kinda rude, isn’t it?”

Since you’d just cling to me with perverted intentions, get lost.

“It’s fine. The nurse and I… have a bit of a connection.”

“All you’ve done is run into each other while jogging, right?”

“There’s more. Stuff you wouldn’t know, Vice President.”

“…”

You wouldn’t know, but we’re close.

…What, jealous?

If you are,

what’re you gonna do about it?

“Since that’s the case, I’ll call the nurse to my place…”

“…”

“I’ll just keep this medicine as a spare.”

“…”

“I don’t need your help… so don’t follow me. I’m being nice.”

“…”

For once, the ever-chatty vice president was speechless. This might’ve been the first time I’d seen him like this.

Feeling an unexpected rush of petty satisfaction, I turned and headed home before he could slither back with another excuse.

Of course, the part about calling Seo Woo-jin to my place was a complete lie…

…Cough,

cough.

…Ugh.

Even after sleeping, I still feel awful…

“Gnnn…”

I’m sure I fell asleep early, so how did I only wake up around lunchtime?

Despite nearly 12 hours of sleep, even sitting up was a struggle. Wincing, I brushed back my messy golden hair.

Dazed, I wondered what time it was. The bean sprout soup smells good—ugh, I reek of alcohol… Sniffing the air, I finally started to regain some clarity.

Then, I began piecing together last night’s memories.

So…

Yozora kept saying, “Su-chan’s such a good drinker!” and pouring me more, so I kept drinking…

Then, the student council president half-carried me home, where I ran into him…

I was worried there might be gaps, but thankfully, I hadn’t blacked out.

Not that I remembered every word exchanged, but the general flow seemed intact.

“Thank goodness…”

…So when I’m drunk, I just giggle and slur my words aimlessly.

A little embarrassing, but it could’ve been worse.

Some people turn into complete monsters when they drink. Yeah, yeah.

If there had been gaps, I was ready to call Yozora for details, but it didn’t seem necessary.

Phew. Letting out a relieved sigh, I slowly sat up, sniffing the bean sprout soup smell wafting from outside.

“…”

What did bother me was the student council president.

We weren’t drinking together, and we’re not even close—yet she went out of her way to help me home?

And instead of thanking her, I clung to him, nuzzling his cheek?

From a friendship-building perspective, that’s a solid zero.

I should get her number from Yozora and reach out properly…

“…Huh?”

Wait.

That means she saw what kind of relationship I have with him.

Stone-cold sober.

“…”

But it’s not like we’re celebrities in a scandal… Is this really a big deal?

A “sex partner” relationship—according to Yozora, it’s super common in manga and novels…

Torn between embarrassment and maybe I should just own it, I hesitated briefly.

Once I got the president’s number from Yozora (who was already awake), I carefully dialed, now fully alert.

At the very least, I owed her thanks.

The other conversation could wait.

—Brrring

The moment I held the phone to my ear, it connected before the third ring.

—…Hello?

“Ah, um, it’s me—the one you helped home yesterday…”

What greeted me was—

not the energetic voice I’d heard yesterday,

but the student council president’s weak, exhausted tone.

—…Han Soo-ah… Cough!

And a small, stifled cough.