#3
I clutched my chest.
‘I’ve got goosebumps so bad my heart might fall out.’
I stared at the twins with a genuinely shocked expression before belatedly managing my face.
“My goodness, you’re so cute…”
The thoroughness of acting even when no one is watching—plus 100 points for you.
“Huff, huff.”
“?”
I jumped in surprise and stepped back. A boy beside me was dripping with sweat. The boy couldn’t keep his eyes still, then pointed at me and said:
“Sorry, but could I have some water…?”
He looked like he might collapse any moment if I gave it to him even a second late. His breathing was completely ragged, as if he’d just been running. I handed him the water I was holding and said:
“Are you okay?”
The boy who was gulping down water quickly swallowed and answered:
“I’m… fine.”
He seemed to choke a bit. He didn’t need to force himself to answer. I looked at him with concern as I took back the water bottle. After finishing the water, the boy awkwardly thanked me.
Once I’d rested, I didn’t feel like moving my body anymore, so I just plopped down. The kids who seemed to be playing soccer earlier were now in the middle of a basketball game.
Who would have thought Hee-ae had better stamina than me? Hee-ae was actively moving around in the middle of the court. He scored by smoothly putting the ball in the hoop. Just as I was focusing on Hee-ae, Han Yeo-wol slowly stood up.
“Could Han Yeo-wol nim really be…?”
“Is Han Yeo-wol nim going to join them?”
The students whispered.
“Wow~ I’m so excited.”
I also chimed in with the crowd.
“It’s a three-point shot…!”
I quietly clapped while watching the kids who were shouting like spectators.
“That’s Han Yeo-wol for you.”
I forgot to add “nim.” Though I doubt anyone heard, I nervously corrected myself.
“…Han Yeo-wol nim.”
The P.E. period ended with the uninspired bell sound.
The fact that I’d been at school for a week meant I was already used to situations like today. Even the crowds of people swarming around had become familiar. Since Hee-ae showed curiosity, I followed the crowd with him.
“Can you see?”
Hee-ae is slightly shorter than me. At his words, I tried to see too, but it was impossible with all the people blocking the view. I shook my head and stretched up as much as possible. Beyond the crowd, I caught a glimpse of a tall figure before it disappeared.
“I think it’s a public confession.”
“How romantic…”
“I wish I could receive one too!”
Though I couldn’t see anything in front, fortunately, the people around us provided live updates. I gave up on standing on my tiptoes and listened to what people were saying.
“A confession to Nam-hwi nim.”
“Our Nam-hwi nim has never accepted a confession before!”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Behind the murmuring of the crowd, I heard a high sobbing sound. The owner of the voice spoke rapidly with a completely red face. Their voice was unstable, as if they were half-crying.
“I’ve liked Nam-hwi nim for a long time. If it’s alright with you, would you… would you go out with me…?”
The latter part of the sentence gradually became quieter until I couldn’t hear it. Nam-hwi replied kindly in that baritone voice I had thought was nice before:
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to date anyone right now.”
Ah, a sigh-like sound spread through the crowd.
“That’s the seventh one since we started school.”
A classmate whose name I still hadn’t memorized said. I was surprised by how unnecessarily nice their voice was. Unusually, it was a student with narrowed eyes.
“You have a nice voice.”
The student just nodded vaguely. Beside me, Hee-ae whispered a question:
“Do you know each other?”
“It’s my first time seeing them.”
The crowd, whose mood had somewhat dampened after the rejection, cleared a path for the Five Great Kings. I pulled along Hee-ae, who seemed lost in thought and wasn’t moving, and made way. The Five Great Kings walked through the path with indifferent expressions.
Feeling a bit mischievous, I quickly shouted:
“Five Great Kings nim, please notice me too!”
As expected, the proud protagonists didn’t even glance my way. I clapped with a bitter but strangely relieved expression.
‘I’m actually glad they didn’t look.’
After the Five Great Kings disappeared, I started walking. Hee-ae, who had been dragged along by me, belatedly looked surprised.
***
“I’m home.”
My sister Dan-a, who had been ignoring me all this time, came running. I stepped back in surprise and asked:
“What?”
“I heard the Five Great Kings nim are at your school.”
It was sad that she didn’t even call me “oppa” anymore. And the conversation topic was, of course, the Five Great Kings. How about hearing about my new friend Nam Hee-ae?
“Yeah… they are, the Five Great Kings nim…”
“Why are you only telling me this now? Do you know how much I like them?”
“If you like the Five Great Kings so much, how did you not know which high school they attend?”
My sister immediately turned serious and said:
“No, I didn’t know which school YOU attend.”
I looked at my sister with an incredulous expression. She sat proudly in the middle of the living room with a victorious look.
“Then you must have seen the Five Great Kings a lot, right? I’ve only seen them once from afar.”
“I’ve only seen them in passing a few times, that’s all.”
I gave a vague answer, thinking it would be troublesome if she knew we were in the same class. Dan-a flipped through the TV channels with a disinterested attitude and said:
“They’re really handsome. I really like Ban Eun-gyeol nim.”
Then she looked at me and clicked her tongue.
“On the other hand.”
I closed my door and said:
“What do you want me to do about it? Look at your own face first. There’s even a convenient mirror right here.”
The door closed, leaving my sister shouting loudly behind it. Soon, the male protagonist of this novel will arrive.
***
[Nam Hee-ae][8:19 AM] Are you up? I’m at school.
[Yu Shi-dan][8:27 AM] I’m abuut to die
[Yu Shi-dan][8:28 AM] On my way
I had overslept. I hurriedly went out while zipping up my coat. If I go now, I think I might just barely avoid being late. It was fortunate that my home was close to school.
As soon as the traffic light changed from red to green, I ran across the crosswalk in a hurry. I ran to the school gate, gasping for breath.
Ding-
The monotonous bell rang just as I sat in my seat. Hee-ae asked if I was okay, but I didn’t even have the energy to answer. To be this out of breath after just a little running—I should work on my stamina.
After the morning assembly, Hee-ae asked me worriedly:
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine now. I’m just out of breath because I ran too much.”
Hee-ae continued to examine me, then clapped his hands together and said:
“Oh right, I’m going to join the fan club.”
“Good thinking.”
The fan club president I saw last time said with a pleased smile. Hee-ae smiled so widely that his golden eyes were barely visible. Does his face match his name? He looks quite delicate. Hee-ae gently pushed me with his finger.
“You should join too.”
If I say I won’t join the fan club here, I’ll definitely stand out. Plus, Hee-ae was looking at me so pitifully. And so I lost again. With slumped shoulders, I said:
“Alright. I’ll join too.”
“Great! We’ll take the test during lunch break today. Wish you luck!”
The kind male student who even gave words of encouragement turned around and disappeared. Hee-ae smiled freshly. But wasn’t Nam-hwi, one of the Five Great Kings, sitting behind us? Glancing back, I saw Nam-hwi casually organizing his earphones.
‘They’re talking about joining a fan club with the person himself right behind us…’
If someone talked about my fan club right in front of me, I’d be too embarrassed and run away. Looking at this, the Five Great Kings must have incredible endurance against such things.
***
Class time started again. As expected, Hee-ae was good at studying. He led the class by answering the teacher’s questions without hesitation. When the teacher looked at him with proud eyes, Hee-ae’s ears turned red.
I drew a star shape on a problem I couldn’t solve. Hee-ae was looking at the teacher with proper posture. I called Hee-ae softly.
“Explain this problem to me later.”
Hee-ae briefly turned his gaze and nodded. I tried to concentrate on the lesson, opening my eyes wide. I must have been tired lately since I overslept today. Because of that, I was only just starting to wake up now.
The teacher saw my drowsy eyes and shouted:
“Pay attention! No sleeping in class.”
Teacher, the Five Great Kings have been sleeping since earlier, and you didn’t say anything. I made a pitiful expression.
“…”
The teacher made eye contact with me but just turned away. I tried to hold out as much as possible, but I ended up half-asleep anyway. Strangely, I get sleepy easily at school. The teacher must have seen me dozing, but this time, they didn’t say anything.
As lunch time started, the students left in small groups. Hee-ae quietly closed his book and sighed.
“I’m too nervous to eat…”
“I think I’ll skip eating too.”
I cleanly gave up on school lunch since I didn’t particularly want to eat. Hee-ae thought for a moment and asked:
“For the test, what do you think they’ll ask?”
“I heard it’s just a simple Q&A about who the Five Great Kings are and what they like?”
I’ve long since memorized everything about the Five Great Kings to avoid getting involved since transmigrating into this novel. I think I’ll pass the fan club entrance test without difficulty.
“You know a lot. I don’t know anything.”
When Hee-ae said this with admiration, I shook my head and smiled, saying it wasn’t true.
“I just looked it up when I heard there was a fan club.”
“If the test is like that, I think I’ll be fine too.”
That’s definitely true. Hee-ae knew a lot about the Five Great Kings. Especially about Nam-hwi—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he knew absolutely everything.
“Are you going to join Nam-hwi nim’s separate fan club too?”
“Yes. But a bit later.”
I propped my chin on my hand and said:
“When did you first see Nam-hwi… nim?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
