episode_0004

“Ah chu…”

The place I went straight to was none other than the men’s restroom. As assembly time was quickly approaching, there was not a single student in the bathroom.

In fact, even if there were a few people, my behavior would not have changed. They’re all hot-headed guys anyway, so why not take a crack at it? It was uncomfortable, but since the morning in March was cold, I couldn’t keep wearing wet clothes.

“Wow. As expected, the perfect golden sun.”

As soon as I took off my shirt, what greeted me was a muscular body tanned to the right density. It’s not so big that women wave their hands, but it’s not so small that you can hear the sound of anchovies.

Perhaps because of his mixed Western blood, Lee Ji-woon’s body was unrivaled compared to other kids of his age.

In terms of body alone, he could be compared to students from the sports team who aim to become professionals and work hard. Additionally, the tanned skin made her body shine even more. It’s a body that men in the military are built for.

I was in pretty good shape when I was working out, but this guy’s genes were nowhere close to keeping up. I can’t believe I was like this when I was a teenager. Is it true that genes cannot be defeated? I’m jealous, mixed race…

“Hey! What if he suddenly goes away like that… Wow!!?”

As I was posing and admiring Lee Ji-woon’s body, Lee Ye-ji, who seemed to have followed me, was startled and hid behind the wall. Even then, half of his face was sticking out.

“Rice, rice, you pervert!? Why are you naked!!”

“This is the men’s restroom.”

“Me, the men’s restroom and all! Why are you taking your clothes off, people are startled…!”

That’s right… because it was wet.

I couldn’t understand why Ye-ji Lee got angry in the men’s bathroom when a man asked her to show off her top.

Do kids of this age go through especially hard times of stormy weather? Well, when you have just entered high school, you are bound to feel unstable. As an adult who is a few years older, I had to understand.

Yeji Lee, whose face was so red, stared at me in silence for a while. Yes, I understand. Even if I were a woman, I don’t think I would be able to easily take my eyes off this body.

But I wish you would refrain from looking at me too blatantly. I am also a person. Of course, it wasn’t Lee Ji-woon himself, but if you had to ask, wouldn’t he be an agent?

“Aren’t you staring at me too much?”

“Who, who, who said they were looking at whom!? I didn’t look at this…! Just…just…?”

“You just saw what you saw?”

“Yes! naturally! Just!”

…Isn’t that what it means? As expected, as we saw in the story, Yeji Lee was not a very intelligent friend.

But even if Lee Ji-woon is the only one there, isn’t it a bit weird to be openly looking at the men’s restroom? Is this everyday life in Miyeonsi’s worldview? Or, has the culture changed without me even realizing it?

First of all, it seemed clear that the world was very early for me, an orthodox Confucian boy from Korea, to understand.

“…But why did you run away? You’re not like this normally.”

“How was your day?”

“I was discharged from the hospital and came back as a goldfish. Normally, you’d be lucky if you didn’t do anything with your hands! Do you know how anxious I was because I was afraid you would get into trouble again?”

Yeji Lee must have been recalling memories from before, and sat down, clutching her chest and leaning her back against the wall.

“That’s why I raised my voice on purpose. I thought it would help you feel a little better if you got angry on my behalf… The student council is already trying to discipline you, but they even drove the wedge by assaulting a classmate. You will just be expelled from tomorrow, expelled!”

“Oh.”

Now that I think about it, if I’m expelled from school, doesn’t that mean I don’t have to go to juvenile detention center? When that thought suddenly occurred to me, an exclamation escaped my mouth without me realizing it.

Of course, at the same time, I had to endure Nyan Yeji’s meow punch that came at me like lightning.

“Oh, really! When will you grow up? Don’t you know how big a deal it is to be expelled from Laon High School!?”

“How big a deal is it?”

“First of all, it is basic for other schools to refuse admission, and the case may be sent to the police and you may be punished, and from my perspective, I cannot go to school with you… Eup!”

Lee Ye-ji keeps talking and then suddenly closes her mouth. I wasn’t really listening, but what did I say that made me cover my mouth with both hands?

His face, which was originally bright red, now looked like a ripe apple.

“What did I say that suddenly made me open my mouth…”

“Aaaah! Anyway, you don’t even have anything to wear right now! The gym clothes I borrowed from you last time. I still have it, so I’ll bring it to you right away next time!”

“I haven’t been to school for a week, so how can I wear gym clothes…”

“Sir, don’t ask questions about trivial things! Normally you always do that, but suddenly you act sharp…!! Then I’m leaving!?”

It was Lee Ye-ji who suddenly burst out of the men’s bathroom. Unfortunately, the mystery of how Lee Ji-woon, who had not been to school since his first day at school, got his gym uniform, will never be solved.

Still, as expected, his thoughts about Lee Ji-woon seemed genuine.

Although he bullied the heroines in the story, it was largely because of Lee Ji-woon’s request and, like all children, his tendency to be easily swayed, so he sympathized with them.

Even if you bicker all the time, does that mean you are still best friends? It was a moment that made the tip of my nose tingle for no reason.

I don’t know about other heroines, but I definitely have to be nice to Lee Ye-ji. Starting today, Day 1 of Yeji Lee’s Tal Gyaru Project has been solemnly declared.

“…Anyway, what should I do now?”

After the storm passed, all that was left was my heart that was in ruins. It’s a situation where you can’t give an answer even if you want to.

Although I ran away, I ended up having to return to class, so it wasn’t a very efficient thing to do.

“Even if you enter the tiger’s den, you will survive as long as you keep your wits about you.”

I counterattacked out of embarrassment, but looking back, it wasn’t such a big deal. Rather, it was Park Ha-eun who was at fault, and I was closer to the victim.

And no matter how much the main character had bad feelings towards me, there was no reason to suddenly cut Inish off. Perhaps Dong-gun Yoon had approached me in advance to prepare for my rampage. Without knowing the reason, I tore off my pants.

So there was absolutely no need to be scared. Even though my usual behavior was golden, at this moment, I was a victim. This means that the victim receives an apology and is shown mercy.

“So please stop the throbbing in my butt…”

For some reason, if only the protagonist and heroines were involved, it felt like my butt was full of bad feelings. I don’t want to explain exactly what this feels like, and I definitely don’t want to know.

I feel like I have PTSD because of something I haven’t even experienced yet. I wiped off my uncomfortable butt, put on some clothes, and left the bathroom.

* * *

“Phew…….”

Inside the classroom, Park Ha-eun was sighing deeply as she looked at the empty back door.

Yun Dong-gun, who was nearby, comforted him and said he would be okay, but strangely, it did not bring much comfort to his heart. Her anxiety usually subsided whenever she heard his words, but today, the comfort was especially hard to reach her.

Of course, his anxiety wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t Lee Ji-woon’s fault who had just run out the back door, and everything was purely because of the trouble he had caused.

‘I never thought I would slip there…’

From the moment Park Ha-eun burst open the classroom door and entered, Park Ha-eun couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Wasn’t he one of the people she spent her childhood with, and with whom she had the happiest times? Even though they are now distant, Park Ha-eun always wanted to be close to Lee Ji-woon again like before.

Like that time when the three of us were wandering around the neighborhood. Just like when we took care of each other like family and played together every day. Just like the time when we went in and out of each other’s houses day after day and ate together.

From the moment he went to study abroad, he changed 180 degrees and quickly became distant from himself.

His innocent face became fierce, and he started hanging out with delinquent kids and drinking and smoking. My previously normal skin was blackened, and I had completely abandoned even the studies I had been quite good at.

As someone who was once a close friend, she couldn’t let Lee Ji-woon go down the wrong path.

Although he visited and talked with his childhood friend Yoon Dong-gun several times, even dozens of times, Lee Ji-woon’s attitude did not change. He sometimes lost his temper and caused quite a bit of friction with his old friend, Yoon Dong-gun.

In the end, the two people completely fell apart, and Park Ha-eun had no choice but to stand lonely between the two, unable to take anyone’s side. Even in middle school. And, even when I had just entered high school.

“Did you hear that? The gangster who has been causing accidents since the first day, said he got into a car accident while riding his motorcycle.”

When she first heard those words, Park Ha-eun felt her heart sink. I tried contacting Lee Ji-woon several times to confirm the truth of the rumor, but all I got back was an echo of silence. Time just passed by without even knowing basic things like which hospital I was admitted to.

And now, just one week has passed.

“….Ah.”

Lee Ji-woon appeared in the classroom looking the same as usual.

Next to him, his best friend Lee Ye-ji was chatting as usual, but only one person caught Park Ha-eun’s eyes.

Is your body okay? I wonder if he got hurt a lot. Is there any pain? What were you doing at the hospital? There were a lot of things I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t hastily ask because I knew the answer I would get would be harsh and painful.

but.

“I can see all my legs. What is it that a girl is doing?”

These were incredibly kind words, obviously coming from Lee Ji-woon. Even though the target was not herself, Park Ha-eun was certain that the person named Lee Ji-woon had changed to some extent.

From then on, she couldn’t stop walking. Without realizing it, he kicked off his chair and stood up, narrowing the distance towards Lee Ji-woon step by step.

Of course, I came to my senses and acted awkwardly, pretending to water the flower pot, but I couldn’t help but say a word after coming all the way here.

“Ji.. Jiwoon.”

She took courage. The utmost courage that the timid and introverted woman could muster.

And perhaps because her courage was ultimately limited, Park Ha-eun slipped on the wet floor and ended up splashing water on Lee Ji-woon.

ruined. And that too, absolutely perfectly.

The very moment when I was about to drive myself into the abyss of despair, thinking that our relationship had become irreparable.

“I’ll dry my clothes and come back.”

What came out of his mouth was not a profanity or swear word, but just a simple word.

Instead of blaming himself, he walked towards the bathroom with a nonchalant expression on his face. At that time, Park Ha-eun was sure.

I don’t know why, but Lee Ji-woon has changed.

‘Again… like before…’

Park Ha-eun tightly grabbed the hem of her skirt. Even in the midst of anxiety, my round eyes were filled with a little strength at seeing a ray of hope.

The expectation that things can go back to how they were before. That was when the three of us were happiest together, when everyone could laugh without any worries.

Dandelions blooming between concrete walls.

This dandelion, which bloomed while Lee Ji-woon was away, probably wouldn’t be easily pulled down.