At the same time, at Hyorim's house.
Seolhyo and Jinkyung were lying on their stomachs on a blanket spread across the floor, textbooks open in front of them.
Pens and notes were scattered everywhere.
Meanwhile, Irina was sprawled across Seolhyo's bed, arms spread out as she groaned lazily.
"Being full makes me sleepy," Irina muttered. "If your body wants something, you should go with it… so I'll sleep."
Seolhyo didn't even look up from her textbook.
"You didn't even study for thirty minutes."
Irina turned her head toward her.
"Then let me sleep at least thirty minutes."
Seolhyo rolled her eyes, tapping the back of her pen against the page before placing the pen lightly between her lips.
But her mind wasn't on the textbook at all.
It drifted back to earlier
The moment Seojin had grabbed her arm… and placed her hand against his abs.
Her face flushed instantly.
I should've touched longer…
On the bed, Irina lay quietly, staring at the ceiling.
Friday's just around the corner… but time is going so slow.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
What is he even going to say? Why am I so nervous?
On the floor, Jinkyung had drifted into her own thoughts too, her face slowly reddening.
Once exams are over… I can finally start training with Oh Inho…
She imagined the scene.
Oh Inho handing her a drink after practice.
Drink first, then go on.
Jinkyung suddenly covered her face with both hands.
"Kyyaaaah!! What do I do!!!"
At that exact moment
Seolhyo suddenly shot upright, her cheeks lightly tinted red.
Then she abruptly threw herself onto the bed, burying her face into the pillow and accidentally pushing Irina aside.
"HEY!"
Seolhyo screamed into the pillow.
"AAAAAH!! I can't focus! It's all Seojin's fault!!"
Irina and Jinkyung both stared at her in confusion.
Irina slowly sat up.
"…Did she finally lose it?"
Jinkyung raised her head and looked at her.
"What does Seojin have to do with your mental breakdown this time?"
Seolhyo suddenly sat up, eyes burning with determination.
"That bastard!"
She clenched her fists.
"I'll get back at him!"
Meanwhile, at Seojin's house.
Inside his home gym, Seojin hung from the pull-up bar, his muscles tensing as he pulled himself up when he suddenly felt a chill.
He paused for a moment, then shrugged it off and continued.
-
Days blurred by, and Friday finally arrived.
The hallways erupted as students cheered, some even throwing their test papers into the air.
"THE EXAMS ARE OVER!!"
"HAHA!"
"I'm totally screwed, for real."
Each student had a different reaction to the exams.
In Seolhyo's class, she sat quietly, wearing the red scarf they had bought together.
Irina and Jinkyung looked backed at her.
Irina tilted her head. "What are you thinking about? Aren't you going?"
Seolhyo replied calmly, "Seojin and I are going out. He's on his way here. You guys go ahead."
Soon, Seolhyo was the only one left in the room.
She pulled out her hand mirror and lightly retouched her makeup.
Then someone knocked on the open door.
She looked up and saw Seojin standing there wearing the same red scarf as hers.
Seojin rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I'm a bit late. The teacher got angry at some of our classmates and didn't let us leave."
Seolhyo picked up her bag and walked toward him.
As she got closer, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Why do you smell like girls' perfume then?"
Seojin raised a brow and sniffed himself.
"…I only smell my heavenly scent."
Seolhyo chuckled softly and walked out of the classroom, Seojin following beside her.
Their hands naturally found each other as they walked down the hallway.
At the same time, Choi Giryang was walking out of a school building.
He held his phone, staring at a photo on the screen a guy and a girl.
The girl was hugging the guy's arm, looking intimate.
A faint smirk formed on his lips as he sent the photo to a certain number.
"Now I wonder if the same will happen to him too~"
-
Year 2005.
On the rooftop of the school building, smoke curled into the air. Cigarette butts littered the ground as several students smoked.
Among them was Choi Giryang one year younger and looking completely different from how he would a year later.
His eyes were tightly shut, his height average.
He looked like a completely ordinary guy the opposite of how he looked after his eye surgery.
He stood there smoking with Park Gitae and Jang Jihoon.
The three of them were looking toward another group of students, where an above-average looking guy had his arm around a girl's shoulders, laughing.
Giryang looked shocked when he saw the girl in the guy's arms.
Park Gitae exhaled smoke. "What's going on? Looks like Yoo Hyeonji's dating that jerk."
Jihoon, a cigarette resting between his lips, shrugged. "Well, well… looks like it."
Park Gitae scoffed. "Wow, that girl's messed up too."
He then glanced at Giryang.
"Choi Giryang, weren't you doing well with her? The moment a slightly better-looking guy showed up, she just went for him."
Giryang didn't say a word.
He simply inhaled his cigarette in one long drag before speaking flatly.
He simply inhaled his cigarette in one long drag before walking away and heading downstairs.
In the bathroom, Choi Giryang stood in front of an open faucet, water flowing steadily.
In front of him was a mirror, and he stared at his own reflection.
Even back then…
I thought if I were her, I probably would've chosen him over me too.
He left the bathroom looking dejected.
Later that night, near the bus station, Giryang was with Jihoon and Seunghyun.
As they walked by, they noticed a super cute girl standing among the people waiting for the bus.
Looking closely, it was a year-younger Seol Hyorim.
Seunghyun nudged him. "Hey, that girl's super cute. Go get her number."
Giryang scoffed. "You're telling me to get her number out of nowhere? Lol."
Jihoon shrugged. "You're in a shitty mood anyway, so just give it a shot. If it doesn't work, whatever."
Giryang then started walking toward the bus station, raising a hand at them.
"Ayy, sure. If I get rejected, so be it. I'm going!"
The two of them chuckled, already convinced he'd get rejected immediately.
"HAHA."
"I bet 5000 won she won't even say a word."
Giryang approached the younger Seol Hyorim and asked for her number.
A few people at the bus station glanced at them.
Hyorim looked at the guy asking for her number and noticed someone behind him snickering probably his friends.
She sighed quietly.
She had already experienced this before if she didn't give her number, the guy might keep bothering her.
So she simply raised her phone toward him.
Giryang stood there stunned.
"…You're really giving me that?"
Hyorim nodded lightly while glancing at the people whispering nearby.
"Looks like he's getting her number lol."
"Kids these days are cute lol."
She had given it to him easily just to get rid of him.
From afar, Giryang's two friends stared in disbelief, clearly annoyed.
"…?"
"Damn it, I should've gone instead."
I felt like I could fly if I could date a pretty girl…
I thought maybe I could crush the pride of those two a bit.
But that wish…
never came true.
For various reasons.
-
Choi Giryang stood in front of his two noonas.
"The swelling's completely gone down, right?"
His oldest noona patted his shoulder. "It's settled in. What are we gonna do if you turn out better-looking than us? Haha."
His other noona crossed her arms, staring at his face with surprise and delight.
"My little brother's so handsome… and you're getting taller too. You're gonna have all the girls falling for you."
Giryang simply laughed, thinking his noonas were just praising him to make him feel better.
"HAHA."