“Yu Shi-dan is watching that? Is he finally realizing and trying to reflect?”
“Some kid I don’t know came and gave it to me.”
“You just accept things like that?”
Cho-yeon asked with a furrowed brow. A popular student in the school was being questioned about why he just accepts things from extra 1 passing by, but nobody felt anything odd about it. Rather, the kids defended him saying he was friendly. You guys are too lenient with Cho-yeon.
“Where did you leave Kim In-sae and Nam Hee-ae?”
“They went out saying they needed to talk for a bit.”
“I need to hand these out, but when are they coming back?”
Seon-yoon grumbled. Yeah, when will they come? What are Hee-ae and In-sae talking about? The two were still talking in the hallway.
I stuck my head out the classroom door. The two were talking quietly when Hee-ae spoke just loud enough to be heard.
“We like the same person.”
What? Were you two caught up in a love triangle?
In-sae’s expression, which I discovered just as I was coming out the door, changed subtly. In-sae seemed quite flustered too. Hee-ae, startled along with him, quickly turned around and our eyes met.
“Hey you two, why are you talking about that in the hallway? Go over there to the corner.”
I said strange things in my confusion. Two people like the same person? What a coincidence, you have it rough. But wait, isn’t it a really difficult situation when you like the same person as your friend? I timidly clenched my fist and shouted.
“So, I’ll cheer for you. Both of you, hang in there.”
“Did you just hear what we said?”
“Yeah, I heard.”
For a moment, none of us said anything. Now that I think about it, In-sae said the person he likes is in our class. There was someone in our class going around charming all my friends.
If one of them succeeds, they’ll be dating. The three of them hang out together every day, so if someone’s missing because they’re playing with their lover, it’ll probably feel a bit lonely.
“Guess who that person is.”
In-sae, who had returned to a calm attitude, issued a quiz show challenge. Guess who the person is that In-sae and Hee-ae like. Answer! Friends of Aseon High, I’m sorry. I thought about it enough but I have no idea at all.
“I’ll come back to answer after a million years.”
I hope that person in Class 1-1 that my friends like hurries up and turns themselves in.
Later, when Cho-yeon heard about this, he bit his lip and said,
“You think it’s just a love triangle? I told you before it wasn’t.”
What did you say before, was it something about a three-legged race or whatever? Cho-yeon lowered his eyes and finished speaking.
“It’s a square relationship.”
“A square relationship? There’s one more person?”
“Who do you think? Do I really have to say it with my own mouth? You’re just oblivious.”
I sat up from lying down at Cho-yeon’s words. I hit the floor with my hand and asked.
“You like that person too?”
“Do you really need to ask to know? What kind of strange questions are you asking, making a fuss?”
Wow, what kind of person are you to be enchanting all my friends? I feel kind of lost.
I thought about the three of them. All three of them have only been tagging along after me lately, I’ve barely seen them talking to anyone else.
‘They only hang out with me but like someone else.’
I stopped the hand that was twirling my hair. For a moment I wondered if that person might be me. Yu Shi-dan, don’t count your chickens before they hatch! Even I think it’s ridiculous. Really, I’m making a fuss grasping at straws by myself. Bored, I called out to Cho-yeon.
“Cho-yeon.”
“Yeah, what?”
I closed my mouth for a moment and made eye contact with Cho-yeon. Cho-yeon, showing signs of wavering, had anxiously trembling eyes. Why are you reacting like this when I’m just looking at you first?
Then Cho-yeon suddenly reached out his hand and I dodged to the side. Wasn’t that angle just now the angle for grabbing my collar? I shouted in surprise.
“Don’t try to grab my collar.”
“Who do you think was trying to grab your collar? Just…”
“Just?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Cho-yeon quickly pulled back and covered his mouth with his hand. If it wasn’t my collar, what, were you trying to cup the back of my neck or something? That’s the only thing I can think of. Why such a suspicious reaction?
Cho-yeon, who had been making an angry expression alone, made a sunken face.
“Just, don’t avoid me. You keep avoiding me.”
Is it a double meaning? For a comment about being upset that I just avoided his touch, it’s excessively bitter. Cho-yeon hesitated.
“Never mind.”
Saying that, Cho-yeon leaned his body against me as if collapsing.
“Yu Shi-dan, I really hate you. Just accepting things from anywhere, it’s annoying.”
He threw a tantrum like a child. Cho-yeon says he hates me. Is this a red light?
“No. I’m not annoyed, so just do whatever you want. Just keep accepting anything and live like that.”
You seem plenty annoyed though.
***
“About the Five Fake Kings. They caught all of them except one.”
I hope that remaining one holds out just a little longer. Without all five of them, it’s not cringeworthy and I’ve been going to school comfortably.
I followed behind the kids in my class. The kids came out to the playground for some reason.
“But why are we going out to the playground?”
“I followed Seo Lee Seung going to the playground.”
“I followed Choi Seon-yoon.”
“I followed Shi-dan and ended up here.”
What’s the conclusion exactly? We each followed a friend and ended up at the playground. I blocked the sunlight with my hand.
“Look how hot the sun is.”
“When the heck is autumn coming? It’s almost September and it’s still hot.”
Cho-yeon grumbled and stood in the shade of a tree. Because he grabbed my clothes, I was dragged under the tree shade too. The smell of leaves is strong. Even though Cho-yeon was annoyed about being hot, he didn’t let go of my clothes.
“It’s hot.”
Even Hee-ae jumped under the shade. Hee-ae also says it’s hot while holding onto my arm tightly. It’s strange, I smiled awkwardly. They have this much physical contact with me as a friend, so how much would they cling to the person they like?
“Want to go to the classroom?”
“Huh? Isn’t that one of the Five Fake Kings?”
As soon as I asked if we should go to the classroom, someone shouted. The kids got noisy and murmured. If he’s going to run away, why doesn’t he hide at his house instead of coming to hide at our school?
“It’s real! The last one was hiding here.”
Why would he come directly into the tiger’s den? The more I think about it, the more absurd it is. The kids chased the disappearing figure in a rush. Caught up in the crowd, I ended up joining the procession chasing the Five Fake Kings too.
“That’s a dead end.”
In-sae said, watching the Five Fake King running away down the back of the building.
“How do you know that?”
Just as In-sae was pausing, the Five Fake King who was standing facing the wall turned around. He hurriedly adjusted his mask and said,
“Hello. Wh-what’s up?”
‘Nam-hwi cosplay?’
The clumsily gentle voice imitation and the crudely printed Five Great Kings face mask shocked my fragile psyche.
“What’s with that mask? It’s childish.”
The kids murmured. Fake Hwi backed away looking pitiful. Watching him wear a mask and imitate Nam-hwi makes even me feel embarrassed.
“We’re 17 years old, did he mistake us for 7?”
“What the heck is he? He’s completely clueless.”
“Don’t you think he’s gonna jump over that wall and bounce?”
After even trespassing into another school, you’re trying to climb over the wall too? What a real delinquent student.
“Let’s pretend to go along and buy time.”
But why are you guys so serious about eradicating the Five Fake Kings? When I had that question, the kids said with a laugh,
“Ah, so you’re Nam-hwi-nim. How rude of us.”
Should I laugh haha hoho and join in on this scam too? I read the room. Do we really need to put this much heat and sincerity into catching the Five Fake Kings?
“Shi-dan, you don’t laugh.”
“Okay.”
I answered quickly. But the kids are acting too poorly. The honest pronunciation and tone are clearly acting to anyone watching.
“I’m a fan, so could you give me just one autograph? I really like Nam-hwi-nim.”
“That’s…, later… I’ll do it…”
If I were to transcribe those lines just now into text, there would probably be about three ‘…’ in there. It’s so frustrating to listen to. The kids who got into the fun of teasing him chattered.
“Nam-hwi-nim wouldn’t refuse a request like that, would he?”
“The, paper.”
“I have paper here and I have a pen too.”
Seon-yoon said brightly, even raising his hand kindly. Our kids are doing well, doing well. They’re serious about teasing one person.
“That’s what he says. You’ll do it, right? If it’s that Nam-hwi-nim, of course.”
“Actually my hand is injured…”
“Oh my, is that so? Then could you at least take one picture with me?”
“It came out so trendy and nice. You could use this as a funeral portrait photo.”
The Five Great Kings who appeared just then said in a cringeworthy tone,
“How dare you. What are you doing? Invading my territory, Aseon High School…”
“Kyaaaaa! Han Yeo-wol-nim, that person pretended to be Nam-hwi-nim and deceived us.”
I roughly screamed and clapped. The Five Great Kings started fighting with Fake Hwi, but I didn’t want to watch it at all so I just did something else. In-sae leaned in and asked,
“You said you like Nam-hwi-nim?”
What should I answer? I was at a loss for words for a moment.
“Would he like him? He’s hesitating to answer right now.”
Cho-yeon, who was mixed in among the fan club members without any sense of incongruity, answered. You’re really natural. I delicately placed both hands over my chest.
“No, my heart is sincere.”
I should just add some praise for the Five Great Kings to drive the point home. What method should I use to praise them? If I just add ‘I love you’ it seems to work.
“Shi-dan.”
A good idea came to mind. Should I try praising them mixing in English words?
Just as I was opening my mouth to praise them, In-sae called out to me, so I unconsciously turned around. Because of that, I ended up saying the praise I should have said to the Five Great Kings while making eye contact with In-sae.
“Yes, today too you’re so handsome, refined and refreshingly. Is this what they call a heart sniper? I’m about to fall in l— Wait, hold on.”
Because I said it while looking at In-sae, it ended up looking like I was praising In-sae.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
not a cliffhanger….