episode_0297

“Uh, um… Dang, of course I was doing well… !”

Kwon Yuri answered, barely holding back her pounding heart.

Before she knew it, she was glancing at the boy’s face.

“Jeong, you really were a chick… I didn’t know… ”

Then I asked him carefully.

“But… What about that mask you always wear?”

“Oh, that?”

The male student, who had been pretending to think about something for a moment, answered with a nonchalant smile.

“I threw it away. It was a bit stuffy.”

“Oh, I see… ”

Kwon Yuri nodded faintly.

There was no sign of his usual lively and boisterous demeanor.

“… ”

She looked at the boy again.

His tall, slender face was brimming with life. The pale mask that had been a desperate attempt to hide his rotting insides was no longer there.

And Kwon Yuri could feel his inner self through the other side.

It was partly because he took off his mask, but it was also because I didn’t sense his characteristic gloominess at all that I couldn’t immediately recognize his identity.

The boy of today was like a clear, blue lake. There was not a single bit of darkness inside him.

I don’t know what happened, but he succeeded in overcoming his pain and standing up on his own.

For Kwon Yuri, who had been concerned about him all along, this could not have been a happier thing. However, for some reason, she was now feeling inexplicably disappointed.

‘Now you don’t need me…’

Kwon Yuri shook her head. Feeling disappointed? That’s ridiculous.

If you have experienced that pain firsthand, then it is only natural that you should congratulate the chick that has hatched from the egg.

‘but…’

Still, the loneliness that comes with useless complaining is something that can’t be helped.

“Senior? Are you feeling unwell? Are you hurt somewhere… ”

“Uh, uh. No. It’s okay.”

To the strange question, Kwon Yuri, who had regained some of her usual self, nodded.

“I’ve been playing and eating in the cradle the whole time. I’m more worried about our baby than myself. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Then he deliberately changed the subject in a lively voice.

“As you can see, I am fine.”

“Do you know how worried I was? Huh? Anyway… ”

Kwon Yuri continued talking nonsense without giving the male student a chance to respond.

She was more talkative today.

“Ah, anyway, I’m glad you’re back. See you later? I’m busy… ”

There probably won’t be a later time, Kwon Yuri thought.

He was a male student who absolutely hated being approached and treated in a friendly manner. Although we only ran into each other by chance today, it seems like we won’t become friends in person.

Moreover, now there is no reason to take care of him on purpose.

It was an abnormal approach that was initially caused by her stubbornness and interference. Now, she is nothing more or less than a nuisance to the male students.

‘I guess this is it… Still, I’m glad…’

Thinking like that, Kwon Yuri was about to leave, clutching her heavy heart.

The voice she heard caught her attention.

“Excuse me, senior?”

“Mi, sorry! I’m really busy… ! If we’re talking about next time… ”

“That’s not it… There’s a button on the floor. By any chance… ”

“What, what?”

Kwon Yuri’s face turned bright red in surprise. She couldn’t even raise her head because of embarrassment.

I was already thinking of changing my uniform to a larger one because my chest was already tight. Recently, a few of them were dangling dangerously. But of all things, of all times, in this situation…!

Kwon Yuri glanced down and instinctively looked at her chest. But she soon ended up making a puzzled expression.

“Well, it’s fine… But… Huh.”

And she was just checking to make sure all the buttons were in place.

A lukewarm warmth seeped into her hair, with a slight heaviness.

“You got hit.”

“Ah, ahh… ?”

Kwon Yuri made a strange sound. It was because a large palm was gently placed on the top of her head.

She slowly raised her head and looked forward again. The sad-looking male student was now smiling slightly mischievously at her.

“I paid back the prank you played on me last time.”

The boy said in a playful tone. Her hair, which she had worked so hard to style, was now a mess, but she didn’t even think about getting angry or complaining.

“What, what are you doing… Hehe.”

Kwon Yuri was able to realize belatedly that she was backed up against the wall. In a space where there was nowhere to run, the male student gradually began to close the distance.

Kwon Yuri tightly closed her eyes. And the distance between her ear and lips was almost touching.

The boy’s whispering voice penetrated lazily.

“Thank you, sis.”

“Ha, haeuh… ?”

Kwon Yuri opened her eyes slowly, making a sound like a kettle boiling. The male student, who had moved away again, was shrugging his shoulders calmly.

“Why are you like that? Last time you told me to call you sister.”

“That, that’s why… ”

“Ah, it’s already lecture time… I’ll go first.”

“Sleep, wait a minute… !”

“See you next time, sis?”

“Hit… ”

The bell announcing the start of the first period rang throughout the school. The male student waved his hand and passed her, disappearing before Kwon Yuri’s feeble voice could even reach her.

Left alone, she stood there as if time had stopped. Soon, Kwon Yuri collapsed and sank to the floor.

Then, he touched his forehead, which was still warm, with both hands and muttered as if he had lost his mind.

“A chick… no… ?”

***

The leader of the Cradle Student Council. A second-year male student with a timid appearance.

Hyun Ju-hak’s face, which was usually gloomy, was suddenly filled with a bright smile today.

Today is the first student council meeting since the cradle reopened.

At the same time, it was also an opportunity to welcome the new first-year student council executive committee members.

He jumped up from his seat and shouted at someone with a voice full of joy.

“Now, everyone, please welcome the new student council executive committee members!”

“Nice to meet you. I am… ”

The male students responded to his nomination with a light greeting, and soon the student council conference room was filled with enthusiastic applause.

His seat is right next to Yeon Min-ha, a second-year executive.

As soon as the boy finished introducing himself and sat down again, Yeonmin immediately leaned in and clung to his shoulder.

Considering the relationship between the two that was known so far, the situation was not all that special. However, Baek Seo-yeon and Jin Ye-seo, sitting across from each other, pursed their lips as if they were somehow resentful and aggrieved.

And unlike Lee Hyeon, who had a slightly embarrassed expression, he responded by sticking out his tongue slightly as if giving medicine while looking at the two with pity.

Although he had declared long ago that he would embrace all three, this is still something that is between them.

If that relationship had been rashly revealed to the world, uncontrollable chaos could have occurred. It would have meant that three out of five families had fallen into the hands of the Black Lotus.

If it’s just gossip, then I don’t know, but at least it’s a situation that’s impossible until I take off my student status.

That means, anyone who can openly flaunt their friendship with him in a public place right now is still pitiful.

And he was not one to miss a chance to tease his pitiful absolute rival.

“Ahem… ”

“… ”

Aside from the war of nerves between the three, there was a strange atmosphere in the student council conference room today.

Usually, when the meeting began, those on both sides would split up and start arguing with each other, calling each other names. Their greetings were sarcastic remarks, and their responses were roundabout insults.

But now the executives were just rubbing their legs, running their hands through their hair, and looking embarrassed. Or they were constantly whispering to each other or glancing at someone sitting next to them.

Even Cheon Ha-rin, who had lost her little finger to Yeon Min-ha and was filled with resentment, blushed and carefully maintained her posture, so there was no need to say anything more.

‘at las…!’

And the student council president, Hyun Joo-hak, was unaware of the atmosphere and just shed tears of emotion on his own.

The long and painful past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

He entered the school from humble origins and eventually achieved the honor of becoming the student body president of a prestigious school, but what followed was only a thorny path to hell.

There was nothing he could do in the student council, which was comprised of proud and arrogant young ladies. During his term, he was more of a mediator who barely managed to manage loud-voiced meetings than a respected student council president.

In the midst of all this, she couldn’t be happier that a male student had finally joined the executive board besides herself.

‘I saw the person well… Tsk tsk, that kind-looking junior is a pervert or something…’

Hyun Joo-hak nodded happily while looking at Lee Hyeon. Lee Hyeon, who didn’t know what it meant, just smiled awkwardly and responded.

“Oh my… ”

” and… ”

Some people who saw his smile unconsciously opened their lips and let out exclamations. Of course, when they received Yeonminha’s fierce gaze, they immediately shrugged their shoulders.

“Okay, okay! There’s a lot to do. So let’s start the meeting… ”

“Excuse me, Chairman. The Vice President hasn’t arrived yet.”

The student council president was about to enthusiastically preside over the first meeting when he suddenly tilted his head at someone’s words.

“Choi Ire Youngae…? Oh, what a strange thing… ”

As the saying goes, the position of the vice president was empty without a master. It was already the time. And Choi I-re had never been late for a meeting before.

When the question of whether some kind of accident had occurred began to creep in.

Finally, the conference room door opened with a creak and someone’s breathy voice was heard.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

The owner of the voice was Choi Ire.

“Oh, it’s okay! There may be circumstances. The leader of the group isn’t the type to do that… Huh?”

And the student council president, who was about to wave his hand in vain, ended up letting out a stupid sound.

This is because the appearance of Choi I-re was somehow very unfamiliar.

She was usually the type of person who had no interest in dressing up. Instead of wearing makeup, she always tied her hair neatly into two pigtails and wore high-precision glasses that accentuated her sharp features.

She was a true upright and noble young lady, a role model for others, who was a natural example of what a leader should be like…

“… Hmm, hmm… ”

Choi I-re, who was sitting down, coughed a couple of times as if she felt awkward.

Baek Seo-yeon, next to him, opened her mouth as if she was dumbfounded.

The glasses he always wore were nowhere to be seen, his large eyes were exposed. His bangs were slightly wavy and voluminous. His long hair hung down to his chest, shining as if he had applied perfume. His uniform shirt looked tighter than usual, perhaps because of his mood.

It was an unbelievable change for the strict leader. Choi I-re, who had an embarrassed expression, glanced around aimlessly. Even in that state, his gaze was fixed on someone on the other side.

And then suddenly, the moment our eyes met.

Choi I-re shivered slightly. Then, with her slightly flushed face, she fanned herself with her hand and muttered.

“Oh, it’s a bit hot today… Is it because it’s summer… ”

Then he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.