“Yu Shi-dan, it’s all your fault. Take responsibility? What are you suddenly telling me to take responsibility for?”
“You think I wrote that kind of thing? Give it. Hurry up and give it?”
Cho-yeon whispered quickly. I thought for a moment then finished reading the last sentence.
“I’m a sucker for liking a kid like that. Oh…”
“Give it.”
I threw the paper I was holding at Cho-yeon. Cho-yeon muttered incomprehensible words. They don’t seem like very nice words.
I should have just thrown it away without reading it. I put on an indifferent expression and just looked at the textbook. Just then, the teacher turned around and scolded us.
“Not interesting? Seeing you chattering, you must have nothing to do. You two in the very front, come out.”
The two kids sitting in the very front immediately begged to be let off just once. The teacher swept a glance over us and cleared their throat. The teacher turned back around, and Cho-yeon kept calling me. I quickly apologized while looking at Cho-yeon.
“I’m sorry. There was a reason you told me not to look.”
“Just don’t worry about it. No, don’t completely forget it but just worry about it moderately.”
Cho-yeon rambled incoherently.
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
I answered with a slight smile, but my mind became complicated again. Because of that, I wrote the wrong answer in the textbook. I was rubbing hard with an eraser to erase the wrong answer when the gym teacher opened the door.
“Sorry to interrupt class.”
He pointed with his finger and warned,
“Strangely, the warehouse items’ positions keep changing lately. It seems like someone is sneaking in and out, so if caught, there will be severe punishment, so be careful.”
The gym teacher bowed lightly and closed the door. Class started again but the kids couldn’t concentrate properly until the end. When the bell rang, the kids immediately chattered.
“It’s not even a thief, how boring.”
“Our school’s security isn’t that good though.”
I agreed, remembering the incident with the Five Fake Kings last time. Several kids also seemed to agree, making bitter expressions. I closed my book and asked,
“But what is there to do by sneaking into the warehouse?”
“The sports festival is coming soon, so maybe they’re trying to interfere with it?”
“What were the sports festival events? Group figure-8 jump rope, relay race. And dodgeball which I don’t know why we do, I can’t remember more.”
“Shi-dan, you’re only doing group events, right? Then you’ll only do jump rope and dodgeball.”
Hee-ae, who had been lost in thought for a moment, answered. Hee-ae laid his head on the desk with a tired expression. I made a worried expression and pointed at Hee-ae.
“You look really tired.”
He answered while looking at the notebook he had been writing something in diligently.
“I’ll be honest. It was so boring I almost fell asleep during class earlier.”
“Right, today’s class was a bit boring.”
“I need to sleep as soon as I eat lunch today. I’m sleepy.”
Hee-ae yawned quietly.
***
After eating lunch and coming out to the playground, I felt the cool air. Cho-yeon, whom I happened to run into, stuck by my side. I looked at the playground and said,
“Are they practicing relay over there?”
“Relay practice? Really.”
Several kids who had eaten early and come out were running along the edge of the playground. By the way, we decided to choose our class relay representatives from among the Five Great Kings.
“There’s nothing to do so I should at least watch the kids practice.”
I settled in completely and watched the kids. Cho-yeon, who had been quietly looking at the playground, got up from his seat.
“You’re going to run too? If you run right after eating, your side will hurt.”
“I didn’t eat.”
“What? Why?”
At my question, Cho-yeon glanced at me briefly.
“Just because. You didn’t even know I wasn’t in the cafeteria?”
“I knew that but I thought you went to the school store.”
“What school store.”
No wonder he wasn’t in the cafeteria, I didn’t know Cho-yeon hadn’t eaten anything at all. Cho-yeon made a small laughing sound and got up.
“Where are you going? Are you really going to run?”
“Why would I? I’m not even in the relay, why would I run?”
“That’s true. Then why did you get up?”
“Just. I just want to walk a bit.”
Cho-yeon brushed off the dirt on his shoes and walked a few steps. The wind blew for a moment and both our hair fluttered. Cho-yeon pressed me.
“Are you going to let me go alone? You should at least say let’s go together.”
“I don’t usually go on walks?”
“What do you mean you don’t? Hurry up and get up.”
Cho-yeon urged with his back to the sun, frowning. After conflicting for a moment, I got up following Cho-yeon.
“But really. I was going to rest today.”
“Then sit back down. Why are you following?”
“Huh? Why are you going alone?”
Cho-yeon walked ahead with big strides first. In just a moment, Cho-yeon was already far away. I barely caught up with Cho-yeon then scolded him.
“Your steps are just fast.”
“What can I do about your slow steps? If you’re dissatisfied, try practicing walking fast.”
Cho-yeon seemed to be sarcastic but slowed down his steps. I looked at Cho-yeon’s slowed footsteps.
“Ah, now you’re walking slowly.”
“…Don’t look at that, look at that guy, his hair color is fluorescent green.”
“Really? That’s unique.”
When I immediately lifted my head and looked around, Cho-yeon clicked his tongue. I smiled awkwardly. We slowly strolled through the schoolyard.
In the meantime, a fan club member passed by and waved. Cho-yeon, who I thought would ignore them, roughly returned the greeting. I looked at Cho-yeon and said admiringly,
“Cho-yeon, you’ve been getting along well with the kids lately.”
“Are you picking a fight right now?”
Cho-yeon asked with a subtle expression. I immediately smiled and denied it.
“No way. In the past you always cursed the Five Great Kings and went around frowning, but you don’t do that lately.”
“Someone keeps nagging me to use proper words, relax my face. What can I do?”
“First of all, I never did that.”
“Your share is 70%. Don’t even think about backing out.”
I made a gesture that I didn’t know. Cho-yeon frowned as if annoyed. I looked around and continued,
“Anyway, you just returned the kids’ greetings. In the past, you made a scary face and ignored them.”
“This is picking a fight.”
“Hey, why would I pick a fight with you? I was just saying you adapted well.”
Cho-yeon kicked a stone in his path with a face that said he couldn’t believe it. He lifted his head up arrogantly and said,
“Yeah, well. It’s been several months already, so isn’t it natural for me to adapt too?”
“That’s right, that’s right. You’re correct.”
At my light answer, Cho-yeon lightly tapped my forehead with his finger.
“In the past, everyone except you and me seemed like characters. Finally went crazy, I don’t really know these days.”
I stopped breathing at Cho-yeon’s words. I almost forgot. Cho-yeon was the protagonist in the novel I possessed into.
I forgot the fact that Cho-yeon was also a character. No, I forgot that my friends might also be one of the extras. Actually, it was closer to not wanting to acknowledge it.
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. Cho-yeon doesn’t know that I possessed into a web novel. Because I inadvertently lied that day and never properly told him until the end. Cho-yeon added,
“That’s the past.”
“Right.”
I tried to answer cheerfully. It might be better not to remember again. It seems like it would be harder if I feel discomfort now. I smiled, trying to bury my anxiety.
“You think I went crazy too? Seeing you smile.”
“No. I wasn’t smiling because of that.”
“Then why are you smiling? Well, you’re someone who always goes around grinning for no reason anyway.”
“Isn’t that better than someone who always frowns for no reason? I’m sorry.”
When Cho-yeon tried to hit my forehead again, I immediately apologized. I didn’t say anything for a moment, then grabbed Cho-yeon.
“Let’s go to the school store. You said you didn’t eat anything, I can’t just leave you like that.”
“Suddenly?”
“If you’re Korean, you have to eat and go around.”
I grabbed Cho-yeon and led him toward the school store. As we headed to the school store, my heart calmed down a bit. Cho-yeon surprisingly followed obediently without saying anything. Instead, he made a very awkward expression.
***
Because homeroom ended late today, the third floor hallway was completely empty. The classroom and playground are also empty, so it feels somehow empty. I said while holding the school newsletter,
“I searched for so long and didn’t know it was stuck between textbooks. Really ridiculous.”
“We’re 30 minutes later than the usual dismissal time.”
“Because homeroom ended much later than usual.”
I answered In-sae’s words and briefly ran through the empty hallway.
“It’s fascinating because there’s no one on our floor. No, it’s not that there’s no one.”
“Shi-dan, if you run around in the hallway, you might fall.”
I immediately started walking slowly. Then I lightly hit In-sae and retorted,
“In-sae, who’s always playing tag with Lee Seung, do you know who?”
“Yeah, that’s me. But I don’t fall.”
“What kind of logic is that?”
It’s nonsense. I laughed emptily and looked toward the classroom. There was a place in the middle where the classroom door was wide open.
“Why didn’t they lock the classroom door? This is why the kids don’t trust our school’s security.”
I stopped on my way and closed the classroom door. After chatting for a moment in the hallway, it was when we were about to go down the stairs.
“Shi-dan, there’s a sound from below.”
“What sound from below?”
“Voices.”
In-sae answered and grabbed my arm as I was about to go down the stairs. Just as In-sae said, a small sound came from below. It was a rough voice.
I looked down anxiously. The voices gradually got louder and various colored hair started to become visible. I pointed at them and said,
“Don’t they look like they’re not students from our school no matter how you look at it?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
