Seojin glanced at Seolhyo.
She noticed and tilted her head slightly, a faint smile forming on her lips.
"How did it go?" I asked.
Seolhyo lifted her chin confidently, closing her eyes. "It was great. I knew the answers before I even looked at the choices."
Then she opened one eye and glanced at me, clearly waiting for praise.
I smiled faintly and pinched her cheek. "Of course you did. You studied so hard it's only natural."
As we started walking again, the girls, along with Suwon, moved a little ahead of us.
Hearing our conversation, they all seemed to think the same thing.
Wow… No 'how it went for you guys', huh…
"Where are you guys headed?" I asked.
"The study room," Seolhyo replied. "The most important subject is tomorrow. I need to study more."
"Geez," I said. "All you've done these past few days is study. Aren't you getting bored?"
Seolhyo smacked my side and squinted at me. "Sorry that we don't all have brains like yours that can remember almost everything."
Then she wrapped one arm around mine.
"You're coming with us, you know."
I looked at her. "When did I ever say I would?"
Seolhyo met my eyes without hesitation. "Because I said so."
I chuckled helplessly.
She then turned to Suwon. "How about you? Want to come?"
"Me?" Suwon scratched his head. "I think I'll just study at home with Park Dong."
Seolhyo shrugged. "Suit yourself."
"HEY!!"
A voice suddenly shouted from behind us.
Seolhyo and I turned around.
The others did too.
Something flew toward us.
My eyes caught a gym uniform being thrown our way, and I quickly caughtit.
Looking down at it, I raised a brow. "Isn't this yours?"
Across the hallway stood Hong Aera, along with Ian and a friend.
Her eyes were red, tears threatening to fall.
She shouted, her voice trembling with anger.
"Thanks for the gym uniform… you sly little bitch…!"
Ian stood beside her, not even looking in our direction, as if he had been dragged here against his will.
All of us stared at her in disbelief.
…Huh?
I frowned. "What the hell did you just-"
Before I could finish, Mijin stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Seojin, one sec~?"
She walked straight toward Aera and stopped right in front of her.
Then she leaned forward, face inches away.
The veins on her neck and forehead bulged, her face turning red as it twitched with irritation.
"Did this bitch forget what happened?" she growled. "Did you forget you already got wrecked before? Who do you think you're messing with?"
Hong Aera flinched and took a small step back.
But instead of responding to Mijin, she shoved Mijin's head aside dismissively and stared straight at Seolhyo.
"Hey, you."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"Yeah, yeah~~ You already have a boyfriend, and you're still seducing other guys? How greedy can you be, you fucking bitch?!"
A vein twitched on Seolhyo's temple.
She stepped forward slightly, her expression hardening.
"Looks like you've got a lot to say," she said coldly. "What the hell are you even talking about? If you just want a fight, you could've said so from the start."
Hong Aera pressed a hand against her forehead, letting out a shaky laugh.
"Fuck… lol. Even I… don't know what I'm trying to say anymore."
From the side, Mijin snorted mockingly.
"Lol, seriously. Did she eat some crow shit or something?"
Hong Aera's voice erupted. "YOU'RE JUST SO... DAMN IRRITATING!!"
-
Park Dong sprinted toward the school exit with Irina hot on his heels.
As soon as he reached the gate, he cut sharply to the left and dashed out onto the street.
On the sidewalk across the school, Daegyu and Jisung were walking side by side.
"I'm buying soda and ramen. You're still not coming to the PC bang?" Jisung asked.
"Dude, I still gotta cram a little.. huh?" Daegyu paused.
Both of them turned their heads at the same time.
Park Dong came running past them like a man fleeing for his life, with Irina charging after him.
Daegyu burst out laughing. "PUHAHAHA!! What the hell are they doing?!"
Jisung's expression suddenly turned serious. "…Brings back memories. There was this one time someone I confessed to chased me like she was trying to kill me…"
Ahead of them, Park Dong turned the corner at full speed.
Irina, panting heavily, shouted after him. "YOU PUNK!!"
But Park Dong seemed to activate some kind of hidden dash skill, instantly widening the distance between them.
Irina eventually slowed to a stop, bending over with both hands on her knees as she struggled to breathe.
"HAH-ACK!! HA-AK!! Ugh…" she groaned, her face pale. "I feel like I'm gonna throw up…"
She straightened slightly, scanning the street.
"What if he keeps avoiding me… even until graduation?"
Her shoulders slumped.
"I can't even see him anymore…"
She staggered back toward the school wall and crouched down, leaning her back against it.
"Huff… even if I catch him, it's still gonna be a problem. First thing I'm doing is beating the shit out of him…"
Suddenly, her phone rang.
She pulled it out of her pocket, squinting at the screen.
A call?
What now…?
She answered and raised it to her ear.
"Irina, it's me Park Dong."
"I SAW THE CALLER ID, DUMBASS!!" she snapped immediately. "Where are you?!"
Park Dong's voice came through the phone, slightly breathless.
"Ah my ears… My indoor shoes are torn thanks to you… Just do me one favor."
"…What is it?"
"It's only the first day of exams. Didn't you say you were going to focus and study hard? If you keep chasing me around, it's gonna mess things up, right?"
"Then stop running away~!" Irina shot back.
"If you screw up, don't blame me. Just focus on the exam for now."
At that moment, Irina narrowed her eyes.
Up ahead, she spotted Park Dong standing far down the street, still holding his phone.
He continued speaking.
"This Friday, after the exams end… let's meet for a bit."
Irina slowly stood up.
"So you were hiding there, huh…?"
Park Dong kept talking through the phone.
"When the time comes… I won't run away."
Irina blinked, processing his words for a second.
"…You really mean it?"
"Yeah. I do. So until then-"
Park Dong suddenly pulled the phone away from his ear, cupping it with both hands in front of his mouth as he shouted at the top of his lungs, tears practically flying out.
"UNTIL THEN PLEASE STOP FOLLOWING ME, YOU FUCKER!! BECAUSE I'M GOING EVEN CRAZIER THAN YOU ARE!!!"
Irina jumped slightly, startled by the sudden outburst.
"…A-alright, jackass," she muttered. "Why are you yelling at me…?"
Back at school, Seolhyo walked a few steps forward, glaring straight at Hong Aera.
Suwon and I exchanged looks, both silently debating whether we should quietly back out.
Girls' fights were never safe territory.
"What did you say again?" Seolhyo asked coldly. "Sly bitch? Seducing someone? Where did you even hear that?"
Jinkyung slowly spread her fingers, her eyes turning red as her aura darkened.
"Actually… great timing," she muttered. "I was so hungry I felt like I needed to drink blood or something."
Sujeong glanced at her. "Calm down…"
Seolhyo stepped forward again until she was standing right in front of Hong Aera.
"Unbelievable. I lent you my gym clothes because I cared, and you can't even say thank you."
She narrowed her eyes.
"…And what the hell were you saying about me? What rumors did you hear?"
Hong Aera gritted her teeth.
"…!!"
In her mind, the words Choi Giryang said replayed.
"Because I… like her."
Her body started trembling as tears gathered in her eyes.
Seolhyo blinked, startled when Hong Aera suddenly began crying.
Hong Aera sniffed loudly before bursting out
"WUAAAAHHHH~!"
Seolhyo stared at her in horror.
"…Shouldn't she go to a hospital?"
Ian, who had been standing behind Hong Aera, quickly stepped forward and positioned herself in front of her.
"Hyo.. Hyorim, something bad happened to her, that's all. Don't mind her too much…"
Seolhyo frowned. "Could you ignore this if it were you?!"
Suwon leaned toward Ian and whispered quietly,
"You… should probably leave soon."
Ian blinked. "…Huh? Me?"
Suwon nodded slightly. "Rina will be back here soon. Will you be okay?"
Ian froze.
The memory of the flying kick Irina gave her flashed in her mind.
Of course not…