episode_0265

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What kind of misunderstandings could arise from expensive alcohol?

After finishing lunch and returning, I leaned back in my chair and continued deducing.

The only idea that came to mind immediately was that one of them had accidentally broken a wine bottle—but thinking again, that didn’t seem right.

Leaving everything else aside, that scenario was too far from the keyword “misunderstanding.”

Then, what if the gift was so expensive that it led to the misunderstanding that Seol Dah-bin had earned the money through questionable means?

Even that speculation quickly faded from my mind.

Sure, I could understand if we were talking about an item costing hundreds or thousands, but a price tag in the tens of thousands isn’t that exorbitantly expensive.

Since she supposedly gets an allowance from home, she could’ve saved up enough from a part-time job to afford it.

Anyway, there’s no way a misunderstanding arose over something like this…

“What a shame… Teacher, if you’d just enrolled normally, you’d be my junior.”

“That probably would’ve been difficult. Aside from basic self-defense, I don’t really have any skills.”

“Huh, seriously? How good are you at self-defense?”

“Just average civilian level. Don’t expect too much.”

“Aww, don’t be shy~ What did you learn? Judo?”

“I studied judo up to a basic theoretical level, and…”

Misunderstanding.

A misunderstanding.

While treating the leg of some forgettable girl and pondering this, a series of deliberate knocks came from the other side of the door.

Somehow, the sound was duller than usual.

Glancing briefly at the clock, I noticed the hour hand, which had just passed 1, was now nearly at 2.

1:48 PM.

This girl would be the last before a short break, so another sudden task wasn’t exactly welcome—but I didn’t let it show.

Even in front of a worthless girl, it’s best to maintain the act of a kind-hearted school nurse when others are around.

Rumors spread uncontrollably in no time, after all.

“Come in.”

Come to think of it, students have been coming in and out so frequently lately that I rarely even need to invite them in at this point.

With a small thought, I averted my gaze and resumed examining the calf of the girl sitting on the examination table.

Then, the sound of the door opening and closing, followed immediately by someone plopping down onto the infirmary bed without hesitation, reached my ears.

…Someone who enters the infirmary without a word and behaves like that.

Only two names came to mind.

Lee Ji-yoon.

And Yozora.

Well, Yozora would’ve made even more noise—that’d be more like her.

Curious, I tilted my head up slightly.

“….”

There, seated, was Seol Dah-bin.

She didn’t seem injured anywhere.

Legs crossed, staring right at me—

No.

Glaring.

Seol Dah-bin.

265

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I don’t drink it.”

“Not a fan of caffeine?”

“It’s not that. I didn’t come here for coffee.”

I’d felt it the last time she visited too.

Somehow, this didn’t seem like the right atmosphere for small talk like, “The new coffee machine I ordered recently is way better than the vending machines outside.”

Inside the infirmary, now empty except for us after the other girl left.

I’d been maintaining a gentle smile ever since Seol Dah-bin arrived, but given the mood, I wiped it away.

You shouldn’t spit in the face of a smiling opponent, but smiling too much in a serious situation just invites a slap.

It wouldn’t do to just keep grinning.

“Then what brings you here? You walked in fine, so I assume there’s no leg injury… And if you’re suggesting something above the waist, that doesn’t seem to be it either.”

“Are you seriously asking because you don’t know?”

“….”

“If you really don’t know, just say so. I’ll talk—no, consult with Ha-yun myself instead of you.”

Not a talk—a notice.

Seol Dah-bin cut herself off, openly showing hostility as she stared straight into my face.

…Unfortunately, because her arms were crossed under her chest, my gaze unintentionally drifted there—

But I forcibly pulled it upward to meet her eyes before she could take offense.

“What were you planning to say to her?”

“Can I assume you still don’t get it?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Seol Dah-bin tilted her head slightly and let out a small scornful laugh.

Her delinquent-like appearance was similar to Han Su-ah’s.

But Han Su-ah never looked like she had any complaints.

Maybe that’s why. My eyes were unintentionally drawn to her for a few seconds before I snapped out of it.

…Anyway.

Given the situation, it seemed petty tactics like dragging out the conversation to stall wouldn’t work here.

My steps toward the coffee machine (ordered specifically to avoid running into Baek Seo-yeon) halted momentarily.

I turned around and sat back in my chair, staring intently at her.

All this time, I’d only considered probing for Seol Dah-bin’s weaknesses—never once did I imagine I’d be the one cornered by a girl.

Not exactly a pleasant feeling.

And clueless about how to resolve it, I was just pointlessly frustrated.

With no solution within the limited time, I reluctantly surrendered before things escalated further.

Given that she hadn’t immediately rushed to Lee Ha-yun to spill everything she knew, she probably didn’t want to blow things up either.

Finding a compromise now would be the wisest move.

“You’re here because of what happened when we ran into each other last time?”

“Oh? You do know. Then you must also know why I’m here.”

“…Roughly. Honestly, I’m not 100% sure.”

“Well, you should know.”

Should know?

As if that wasn’t just sheer stubbornness.

She exhaled, then rose and walked toward me, plopping down onto the chair directly opposite and looking up at me.

Unlike the more relaxed atmosphere at the tteokbokki restaurant, here, with her academy uniform buttoned all the way up and her necktie tightly knotted—

And her skirt firmly pressed down with both hands to prevent any peek inside—

Regardless of anything else.

“Stop with the nonsense. I’ll just tell you straight.”

It was clear she regarded me with extreme wariness.

“Don’t even think about getting involved with Ha-yun.”

“….”

“You have a girlfriend, don’t you?”

Or—

Maybe disgust was more accurate.

“…You saw me in Sinchon a few days ago, right?”

“Yes.”

No embellishment—just a clean answer.

The razor-sharp response annoyed me slightly, but I exhaled slowly and straightened up.

Looking straight at her, I chose not the clean solution I’d considered earlier but a rough compromise instead.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“The person you saw me with isn’t my girlfriend—she’s a sexual partner.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s an embarrassing relationship to disclose to someone I barely know, so I just casually brushed it off as her being my girlfriend.”

“….”

Seol Dah-bin dislikes the idea of me dating Ha-yun while seeing someone else, right?

So if it’s another girl—Han Su-ah—she might tolerate it.

As long as I concede just enough while pushing back subtly.

Rather than outright denying a romantic relationship or childishly dodging responsibility by calling it all a misunderstanding, carefully fabricating and manipulating the truth would carry more persuasion.

Of course, my image would take an absolute nosedive.

At worst, this could backfire spectacularly here and now.

But this was merely a compromise, not a clean solution.

And my image?

It already hit rock bottom the moment we crossed paths earlier.

No avoiding it now.

“‘Sexual partner’—what the hell are you even— Ugh…”

“….”

Fortunately, Seol Dah-bin didn’t immediately storm out.

Instead, she scowled in disgust before turning her head away with an exasperated sigh, as if demanding I listen carefully.

“So you’re telling me to just turn a blind eye? Because she’s just a sexual partner?”

“Wording aside… Yeah, that’s the gist.”

“…You’re insane. You expect me to stand by while a promiscuous bastard with a sex partner on the side toys with my innocent, untouched friend? Are you out of your damn mind?”

Her voice was loud.

But saying “Lower your voice, people outside might hear” would only escalate things.

So I stayed silent.

Her anger cooling slightly, Seol Dah-bin glared at me and continued in a marginally calmer tone.

“Fine. Let’s hear it. How exactly does the wording differ?”

Think of this as a test, I suppose.

Why a mere friend like Seol Dah-bin gets to administer it, I don’t know—but since the situation wasn’t worsening, I played along.

The more we talked, the better I could gauge what kind of person she was. Useful for later.

“It’s not just asking you to turn a blind eye because she’s a sexual partner…”

“Then what?”

“I was going to say I won’t see her privately anymore—so please turn a blind eye.”

“…How is that different?”

“Isn’t it?”

“HOW?! Either way, you still did something disgusting…!”

Definitely kind.

Her rushing to the infirmary to personally intervene when her friend’s boyfriend turned out to be trash.

Looking at me with contempt for engaging in loveless, pleasure-driven relationships—

All of it stemmed from her innate kindness.

…And yet, somewhere in my mind, the desire to one day corrupt even Seol Dah-bin into indulging in loveless, physical relationships squirmed—

But seeing her reaction, I crushed that thought underfoot. That’d take years.

“I only saw her while I was single, and now I’m ending it. What part of that bothers you?”

“All of it. The fact that you even had a sex partner, the fact that instead of keeping it behind closed doors, you flaunted it in public like some sort of date, and the fact that someone as innocent and sweet as Ha-yun got tricked by trash like you. Do you understand now?”

Kind yet—how should I put it? Righteous.

Like she’s following some How to Live as a Proper Human guidebook.

Probably grew up with loving parents and impeccable upbringing.

Meanwhile, as for why she entered this academy…

Well, I exist here.

“So don’t even think about dating Ha-yun. Before I tell her everything about your sleazy sex partner history.”

“….”

Kind, righteous, multi-talented as expected of the evolution line… and meddlesome.

Aside from her villainess-like appearance better suited to a killer than a hero, it’s easy to see why she enrolled here.

…To bend this situation even slightly in my favor—

This might be the best approach.

“…A chance.”

“Huh?”

“A chance to prove myself. Just one?”

Pretending to acknowledge my mistakes.

Feigning regret. Melancholy. Reluctance…

Genuinely so.

Yet acting as though giving up is the one thing I can’t do.

Lowering my voice—

Staring straight into Seol Dah-bin’s ash-gray eyes—

Betting everything on the kindness Lee Ha-yun kept praising about her character—

That had to be the highest probability play.

“…W-What do you mean, prove yourself…?”

“Who else could it be?”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

“…H-How exactly would you prove it?”

“I want to show you.”

“….”

“Show you how happy Ha-yun is with me.”

“…”

“Show you just how serious I am too.”

While composing this script in my head to persuade Seol Dah-bin, it hadn’t felt particularly cringey—but saying it aloud made my skin crawl.

But this part required no acting, making it easier.

I’ve never treated Ha-yun—or any girl—without sincerity.

“And though I’d like to show you that I’ve cut things off with that sex partner… Practically speaking, unless you stalk my every move, that’d be impossible.”

“….”

“I’ll tell you where I’m meeting Ha-yun today. Follow us.”

“….”

“…Go ahead. Save it. My number.”

I unlocked my phone and handed it to Seol Dah-bin.

Miraculously, no “Stop spouting crazy nonsense” came.

Instead—

Beep beep beep.

She dialed my number—

And let the vibration from inside her skirt pocket confirm it.

As if to say, There. Happy?

Or, Fine. Try me.

Then ended the call after two rings.