48. Midterm exam (11)
‘You don’t need me anymore?’
A dark alley between buildings in the school where people don’t pass by often.
Chaerin asked her friend who followed her with tears in her eyes.
“Jimin… what should I do?”
“…”
The other person has no interest in you.
I’m making plans to go out to eat with a cute girl.
Chae-rin’s composure, which she had managed to maintain for so long, collapsed.
‘Ha… how should I say this?’
Jimin had dating experience, and had heard many stories from friends around him, but he had never heard of a drama as extreme as the current situation.
So I had no idea what kind of words would be the right advice for her right now.
‘Why did I get my nose pierced by a bastard like that?’
Jimin lamented internally and walked up to her and patted her shoulder.
“It’s okay, you two don’t have to worry so much about eating.”
“but…”
“Isn’t it so ridiculous that you two are eating together in the first place, considering what you’ve done with Lee Joo-woon?”
Ever since Joo-woon got his cast on, Chae-rin has been spraying salt in the cafeteria, arguing over whether or not they can feed each other.
There was no reason for me to break down like this just because of a meal plan.
Chae-rin, who was gradually calming down, nodded slowly, probably thinking that what she said made sense.
“… is it?”
“So, from the beginning, all the kids now think you and Lee Joo-woon are dating?”
Of course, unfortunately, we weren’t dating.
At least his closest friend of the opposite s*x was Chaerin.
‘Ugh, I just saw the message and said something…’
While eating dinner, I pointed out the way she spoke on the Internet, and from then on, my anxiety got worse.
I thought Jaune never showed any flaws.
After that trust first cracked, I was busy blaming myself, remembering the way I had always treated him so rudely.
‘If you think about it, that bastard is really amazing. How can he seduce another woman in less than three days after a fight?’
To anyone, it could easily be seen as a bit of a push-and-pull, but it was an experience I had at a middle school like that.
Additionally, looking at what he usually does, he wasn’t the type of person to do that on purpose.
‘Is it just that there is no awareness…’
Jimin patted Chae-rin, who looked like she was about to burst into tears in front of him.
It felt bad to see her, who was always confident and would burst out in anger instead of tears even when pricked with a needle, crumble like this.
‘Honestly, I think if I just go and talk to Lee Joo-un now, everything will be okay.’
Unfortunately, Chae-rin is currently in an inappropriate state to talk to Joo-woon.
However, it was too foolish for him to intervene in the affairs between the two.
All Jimin could do was give some advice as a friend.
“Don’t be swayed by her too much and shamelessly do whatever you want like usual.”
“… As you wish?”
Jimin gets up from his seat and gives simple advice.
It was a really meaningless thing that anyone would say in a situation like this.
Those words meant a lot to Chae-rin.
[So you can do whatever you want.]
From noble mtl dot com
I remember the hand he extended to me, who was constantly causing trouble for his own satisfaction.
As I recall the words that Jaune said as he filled the quiet street with no one around, the emotions I experienced for the first time in my life sprouted.
‘I said it was okay to do whatever I wanted.’
At that time, I walked you home without saying a word and without letting go of your hand.
But why?
[Yes, you can’t help by skipping school.]
Why does he not remember what he said and pushes himself away?
[If you’re doing this because you feel sorry for me, then stop.]
All the sincerity that must have been felt dozens of times has been cruelly trampled upon.
[There’s no need to keep feeling guilty just because I helped a little.]
Are they trying to turn away from the responsibility they have created by changing the word to guilt?
“…”
Chae-rin’s once tearful face gradually hardens.
The face that had a sorrowful expression until just now is gradually losing its emotion.
My mind, which had been vague until now, received a ray of light.
‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’
I just gave it my all because he said he would accept it all.
So did Jaune do something wrong?
‘no.’
As Jimin said last time, he is an innocent man who has never dated a woman before.
I just made a mistake because I didn’t know how to treat a woman.
Chaerin felt like her head was clearing with a small realization.
“that’s right…”
mistake.
People may forget their promises.
Sometimes, you may not be able to convey your message properly and you may be misunderstood.
‘Me and Lee Joo-un are like that too.’
Since our paths diverged for a moment, we just need to straighten things out again.
Some people may find this frustrating and dislike it.
It was proof that he had never had a deep relationship with the opposite s*x like he did.
‘Is this your first time fighting with a woman like this?’
The clumsy parts that had hurt me actually felt more precious.
Chaerin thought about Jaune and gradually raised the corners of her mouth that had no meaning whatsoever.
‘… What’s wrong with him?’
Jimin guessed that the atmosphere had changed in an instant.
At that time, I was trying to talk to her cautiously as her eyes lost focus.
“okay.”
She smiled so brightly that it sent shivers down my spine.
It’s not a smile that’s always full of frustration and only occasionally raises the corners of your mouth.
A confident and bright smile like a class president.
“You’re right, it’s right for me to do as I please.”
But what it contained was not simple joy.
“…”
As Jimin looks at her blankly, the preliminary bell rings inside the school building.
“The bell rang, so let’s go in quickly.”
“Uh, okay.”
Unlike before, when she was timid, as if she were a different person, Chaerin’s steps were cheerful.
The look on her face as we walked next to her.
“Jimin, should we go to the snack bar later during break?”
It was so beautiful and scary that it made my skin crawl.
*
“Hey, are you going to study today too?”
After school, Yuma approaches Jaune and talks to him.
Jaune said as he organized the textbooks and notebooks on his desk.
“I guess so.”
“I… I suddenly decided to study something.”
“Shouldn’t I go to college too?”
Jaune was always jealous whenever he saw stories about college floating around on the Internet.
When I first started studying, I didn’t have any big goals in mind, but as time went by, I started to become more greedy about college.
‘I should go to MT and go to bars with kids my age, not with old people who work hard.’
Yuma silently accepts the word “university.”
Surprisingly, when I saw that he was studying seriously, he stopped mocking me and left the class with a message telling me to work hard.
‘I have to go soon too.’
Anyway, Hayan can’t study together right away because of things like returning books or working in the library department.
Still, I was in a situation where 1 o’clock was a waste, so I had to go and study first even while she was handling the library work.
Jaune picked up his bag and stood up.
“Lee Joo-un~”
But then a voice that I should not have heard struck my ears.
Jaune was so shocked that he didn’t even look back, but Chaerin’s face suddenly appeared in front of him.
“I called, but why is there no answer?”
“…”
She comes across as normal to me, ignoring the fact that we spent three days as if we were complete strangers.
No, it wasn’t normal.
It was so foreign.
‘what?’
It’s embarrassing enough to suddenly talk to me.
But it’s understandable.
Since we had quite a lot to talk about, it wasn’t strange that she, frustrated, approached us and took the initiative to start a conversation.
But the problem was her bright smile and charming nasal voice that I had never seen before.
“Can’t you hear me?”
“Oh, no… why?”
Chae-rin looks at him with a puzzled expression when he gets no answer no matter how many times she calls him.
Jaune finally answered after she called him three times.
“I just wanted to do something after it was over~”
Is this Chae-rin who was so angry at the cafe?
It would have been more realistic to just spew out abusive language.
‘This makes it rather scary.’
It was definitely creepy that a kid I hadn’t even met before this morning came up to me smiling like this right after school.
Jaune caught his dazed mind and barely answered her question.
“I’m going to study with Hayan at the library.”
“hmm…”
Chae-rin drools at the thought of studying with Hayan.
‘Oh, it’s going to be crazy again.’
In a conversation that took place three days later, the reason for the last fight was brought up right away.
Anyone could see that it was a choice no different from suicide.
But the bomb did not explode.
“okay? “I was planning on having dinner with you if I had time…”
“…”
You are not Park Chae-rin.
If it had been Chaerin, she would have contorted her face and threatened her with a fierce look like a wolf.
Now, like a gentle sheep, he expressed his regret softly.
‘What on earth is this plan?’
Jaune was having a hard time because of Chaerin, who had no idea what he was doing compared to when he was studying.
Chaerin said.
“Would you like to have dinner?”
“Yes, we have something to talk about that happened last time.”
My heart is pounding as I hear Chaerin’s words.
‘I was planning to talk about it later.’
I thought it wasn’t time yet.
Was today the breaking point for her?
That said, the face that was as bright as a sunflower was contradictory.
Jaune thought for a moment and then spoke to her.
“When does the academy end?”
“8 o’clock.”
“Then I’ll call you then.”
“okay.”
Chae-rin smiles happily at the promise she shared with Joo-woon.
She disappeared outside with her friend, saying she would see her later.
“… will you be okay?”
As Jaune walked to the library, he constantly pondered the meaning of Chaerin’s creepy smile.
