episode_0325

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This is weird.

I could’ve sworn Lee Ji-yoon was listening in from behind just now.

With my drowsy, exhausted head resting on Sua-chan’s shoulder, I fluttered my heavy eyelids.

…The girl who borrowed my boyfriend for a day yesterday.

And the girl who showed up at school the next day with a hickey on her nape.

Even with such a suspicious combination, she couldn’t possibly be sprawled over her desk, fast asleep like always, right?

If it were me, I would’ve definitely taken out those old earbuds of hers and eavesdropped on our conversation.

But…

Even after I threw out a line that could easily be misinterpreted—”I was lying in bed chatting with the nurse”—she didn’t react at all.

Hmm~…

Maybe she’s just a bit oblivious?

I still can’t tell for sure.

Ahem, ahem.

“Ah, right. Sua-chan.”

After fidgeting against Sua-chan’s shoulder for a bit, I quietly called out to her to avoid being scolded and scribbled something on a blank notebook.

My round, carefully written Korean handwriting filled a corner of the page.

| Did you get closer to Seo-yeon?

Truthfully, “closer” was an overstatement.

At best, all I’d done was drag the two of them to the downtown area once.

As expected, the Korean words written beneath mine carried a similar sentiment.

| Not really…

| You got her contact info back then, right?

| Yeah.

Well, it didn’t matter.

This whole thing had started as a project to pull Seo-yeon into our circle, earn some praise from Woo-jin, and help the still socially awkward Sua-chan adjust a little more.

At the very least, the second goal was definitely accomplished, right?

And for the first one, Woo-jin seemed to be handling it on his own somehow.

So for now… I could afford to take it easy.

Huuuuh— Letting out a soft sigh, I scribbled a few more words before flopping face-first onto my desk, claiming exhaustion.

“…”

How should I play with this new, adorable toy to make it fun?

I pondered over it, turning the thought over in my mind.

325

Maybe it’s because the white nurse’s uniform stands out so much.

Whenever I wandered the halls during the infirmary’s downtime, students passing by would often strike up conversations with me.

Most called me “Nurse” or “Nurse-teacher.”

From first-years to third-years—even the faculty—everyone addressed me the same way.

Except for one person.

A special exception.

“Ah, Woo-jin!”

“Noona?”

While leaning against the second-floor railing of the main building, paper cup in hand, I looked down at the central hall.

Lee Ha-yoon, dressed not in her usual academy uniform but in an adorable gym outfit, shyly waved and approached me.

Close enough that I could’ve hugged her if I wanted.

Close enough that our shoulders nearly touched.

Normally, she kept the same distance as everyone else, calling me “Nurse” or “Excuse me.”

But right now, maybe because the area was quiet, she acted differently.

“You’re in your gym clothes? Evaluations are over—are you still sparring?”

I considered offering her the coffee I’d been drinking but figured she’d dislike it, so I withdrew the thought and asked instead.

Unlike the rigid first-semester curriculum for first-years, from the second semester onward until graduation, students had more flexible, tailored classes.

Not that it concerned me, but I’d heard about it enough to recall it like a rehearsed fact.

So I knew Ha-yoon often trained under active-duty evolution-type heroes.

But to keep going even after exams?

Glancing at the sweat beading on her bright, smiling face, I asked, and she answered right away.

“Ah, well… Somehow, I’ve gotten more popular…”

“Popular?”

“I used to be the weakest in the second-year evolution class, but now… I’ve gotten a lot stronger.”

“…Ahh.”

“So some of the other evolution-types, uh… the competitive ones? They keep challenging me to spar…”

“Gotten stronger,” huh.

I suppose I played a small part in that.

Of course, without Ha-yoon’s own efforts, none of it would’ve been possible.

The thought made me smile softly, and Ha-yoon, mimicking my posture as she leaned on the railing, beamed back at me.

But only for a moment.

Her fully bloomed smile slowly stiffened.

Not in a bad way—more like she was tense about something.

I wondered if one of her classmates was nearby, but I didn’t see anyone.

If that were the case, she would’ve naturally put some distance between us anyway.

What is it?

I couldn’t think of anything.

“Hey, Woo-jin?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s just… I’m really just asking out of curiosity…”

A brief silence.

Just before it could turn awkward, Ha-yoon stammered out her question.

“Do… do you like traveling abroad?”

“…”

Now, logically speaking.

Logically, that question was clearly a setup—a way to hint that she wanted to travel with me.

I still didn’t get why she had to be so nervous about it, though.

Maybe she was worried about seeming materialistic since overseas trips are expensive?

Playing along, I smiled gently to ease her worries and answered.

“I do. Honestly, I haven’t been anywhere properly yet, though.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. At most, I’ve been to Japan for a few days.”

“…Japan…”

Did that help?

Ha-yoon’s stiff expression loosened slightly.

Then came the next question.

“If it’s Japan… yukata or kimono…”

“Yeah. I happened to go during a festival, so I saw them a lot. They were pretty.”

“…Hmm…”

“Back then, it was… Natsu Matsuri, I think?”

“Then, what about… Western places?”

“Western? North America? Or Europe?”

“Eur…ope? …Hmm. I guess it’s closer to that vibe…”

“I don’t have strong feelings either way. If I had to pick, I’d say I like it more than dislike it.”

“…Ah.”

“Why? Do you want to travel to Europe?”

“N-No, no! It’s not that I want to go, it’s just… Ji-yoon, she…”

“…”

“Ha-yoon.”

Midway through her rambling, a familiar voice called out from afar.

Lifting my gaze from Ha-yoon, I spotted a head of strikingly red-black hair.

A hand, busy wiping sweat off her chin, soon came into view.

And then—whether out of annoyance or something else—her narrowed gray eyes.

Unlike Ha-yoon, her gym shirt was unzipped, sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

And the thinly veiled hostility directed at me.

For a moment, her name slipped my mind, but luckily, I managed to recall it soon enough.

Seol Da-bin.

With one hand stuffed in her gym pants pocket, she strode toward us, accompanied by a friend whose name I didn’t know.

“Hello, Teacher!”

“Ah, yeah. …Hi.”

At least she greeted me warmly.

As I exchanged greetings with the unfamiliar girl, Seol Da-bin—now uncomfortably close—properly zipped up her gym shirt and stared at me.

…Whether she was trying to intimidate me or had some other reason, it was suffocating.

Obviously, it was because of Ha-yoon. And because she hated me.

Even after my half-hearted explanation last time, she kept this up—just how much did she despise me?

After a brief hesitation, I decided to greet her lightly.

You can’t spit on a smiling face, as they say.

“Hi ther—”

“What are you doing here, Ha-yoon? A ton of people are looking for you.”

“…I-I was just taking a break and saying hi…”

“Saying hi?”

“She helped me with something before. Just thanking her.”

“…Whatever. Just come back. Everyone’s challenging me because you’re not there.”

But while you can’t spit on a smile, you can ignore it.

Left awkwardly scratching the back of my neck, I watched as Seol Da-bin yanked Ha-yoon’s wrist and pulled her away.

If a guy had grabbed Ha-yoon’s wrist like that, I’d have been pissed.

But since it was Seol Da-bin, I didn’t feel that same anger.

If she just hated me for no reason, fine—but she’d seen me with Han Su-ah.

So this level of wariness was, in a way, understandable.

The fact that she hadn’t told Ha-yoon about it meant she was holding back, too.

Staying silent like a Korean stranded in some foreign country, I waited until the girl who’d come with Seol Da-bin spoke to Ha-yoon.

“Huh? Ha-yoon, you’ve gotten counseling from the teacher before?”

“…Ah, yeah. Just once.”

“Teacher. Teacher. Do you do counseling if students ask?”

“Of course, since I’m only one person, I can’t help everyone. But if I have time, sure.”

“Then can I come for counseling too? It’s embarrassing, but it’s about love~…”

“Hey. Cut it out. There’s a separate counseling teacher anyway. This person’s just the nurse.”

“But… Ha-yoon did…”

Seol Da-bin, who’d been holding back, finally snapped at her friend with a growl before glaring at me again, eyebrows twitching.

…Back when I’d looked into Seol Da-bin, I’d noticed it then too—her sharp features were as piercing as Han Su-ah’s, making it hard to even open my mouth carelessly.

The fact that “she’s kind to her fans” meant nothing to me, practically treated like a villain anyway.

So with no other choice, I kept my smile soft and spoke slowly to Seol Da-bin and Ha-yoon.

“If you need counseling, I’ll do my best to help. Same if you’re hurt. All three of you.”

How do I soften that expression of hers?

The only way was to take my time and earn her trust.

Waving gently with my free hand, I saw them off.

“I’ll definitely visit next time! Teacher!”

“…….”

Unlike the other two, Seol Da-bin didn’t look back at me.

Not even once.

For a long time.