The Applauding Extra 55

“Is it already this time? Time really flies.”

The kids poured out of the schoolyard like an ebbing tide. I walked slightly apart from Hee-ae. Hee-ae was about to run after the kids but looked at me and said.

“Yeah. It’s still really amazing.”

“Stop your footsteps right there.”

I said while looking at Hee-ae’s feet. Hee-ae, who had been approaching me, stopped walking and smiled playfully.

“I felt sad because I’ve been walking apart from you every day lately. Still, is this proof that you’re conscious of me?”

Hee-ae’s voice sounded like it was brushing past. I walked looking at the ground with a blank expression. Hee-ae pouted his lips.

“Still, walk close to me like before.”

“I’ll try.”

“Yeah, I want to be together like that.”

However, that’s only possible if I don’t waver to you guys. In the current situation, I don’t think I can be comfortably close. Hee-ae turned around again and ran to the classroom.

I was about to run with the kids too when I felt something deep in my jacket pocket. Was there something else I put in besides the bandage and phone? It must have been so deep that I didn’t know until now.

“Huh? It’s a paper airplane.”

The paper airplane that Cho-yeon flew before was still in my pocket. When I unfolded it, the content about loan limits and such written inside was still the same. I folded the paper and made an airplane again.

The sky was just high because it was autumn. I raised my head and looked at the sky. And I threw the airplane, almost letting it go.

The paper airplane that had been drifting here and there flew toward Cho-yeon. Cho-yeon caught the airplane flying toward him with one hand.

“Why are you flying this?”

“I didn’t know it would go to you. Want to read it?”

“Do I really have to read it?”

Cho-yeon grumbled but unfolded the paper and read it.

“Loan limit? This is what I flew to you last time.”

“The sender seemed to be written incorrectly. I sent it back.”

I smiled courteously and ran into the main building. Behind me, Cho-yeon snorted while looking at the airplane.

“Come to my house soon.”

“I’m not going.”

“The side dishes at home are about to rot. It’s better to go into your mouth than the trash can, so hurry up and come.”

Cho-yeon also ran next to me and said. I pretended to think and put my hand to my chin.

“I don’t think that’ll work after all. Isn’t it impolite to do that after receiving a confession?”

“You have such great courage to say that so confidently? Don’t care about that and come. What am I supposed to do alone?”

Cho-yeon said sarcastically. I clenched my fist vigorously and cheered.

“You should also learn how to play alone. I’ll cheer for you.”

“Okay, just try coming in later. I won’t let you off easy.”

“Don’t be so ominous.”

I rubbed my arms as if I had goosebumps. Cho-yeon scolded me not to overreact for no reason. I smiled at Cho-yeon and ran to the classroom.

“Don’t go.”

“What? I have to go to our classroom and have class, what do you mean don’t go.”

“Let’s go together. Don’t go, wait.”

Cho-yeon frowned and looked at me. This reminds me of the old days. When I was pretending not to know Cho-yeon at school, I would speak casually but then quickly leave in case we got caught.

It seems the habit from back then still remains. I stopped walking.

“Okay, let’s go together.”

***

“Shi-dan. Follow me.”

“Huh?”

It was on the way home from school. In-sae turned on his phone and headed to the back of the school.

“If it’s this direction, isn’t that the place? The place connected to the dog hole.”

“Right. Seo Lee Seung told us to keep watch over the dog hole.”

In-sae answered while moving his steps quickly. I followed behind In-sae with an unconvinced expression. Through In-sae’s turned-on phone, the wallpaper could be seen faintly.

“In-sae. Can you show me your phone?”

“I don’t think that’ll work.”

I frowned and tried to see the wallpaper in more detail. It seems like a familiar photo. Just as I was thinking I’d seen it somewhere before.

“Why is your wallpaper me?”

“I got caught.”

In-sae answered in a calm tone and smiled slightly. I don’t know why that damn photo taken at the beach keeps appearing whenever I’m about to forget it. I’m completely sick of that photo.

In-sae walked weakly as if it was a waste that he got caught. I asked while observing In-sae’s expression.

“Why are you so calm after getting caught?”

“I knew I’d get caught someday.”

In-sae said with relief. What kind of big secret is this that you’re confessing like that? In-sae pointed at me and suggested.

“While we’re at it, you change your wallpaper too.”

“The conclusion is kind of strange, isn’t it?”

I protested with wide eyes. Then at some point, I kept letting out a chuckle.

“Um… This is embarrassing.”

It’s amazing you didn’t get caught until now. I tried to hide my surprised reaction. In-sae turned off his phone and said.

“You make your wallpaper me too. So you see me every time you turn on your phone.”

“Why are you really like this? Please give me the right to do what I want with my wallpaper.”

“It would be good if you did it.”

In-sae said in a calm voice. And we completely arrived at the back of the school.

The back road of the school was always quiet. But today it was noisy, which wasn’t usual. Looking slightly out of curiosity, someone was trying to enter the dog hole we had blocked before.

About three people, students in unfamiliar uniforms were kicking the dog hole and getting angry. The atmosphere was very threatening with them shouting loudly.

In-sae quietly took a picture and turned around. I came out holding my breath, scared of being caught. Only after coming out to the street where there were many people did I relax with relief.

“What were those kids just now? I guess they’re the ones who dug the dog hole.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

In-sae answered while nodding. He typed something on his phone and walked leisurely down the street. When I showed curiosity, In-sae explained on his own.

“I’m going to sell the picture I took earlier to the newspaper club.”

“To think of selling it off, that’s impressive?”

I admired and glanced at In-sae’s phone. I always feel this, but In-sae types fast. Just now he also typed in an instant and sent several messages.

“I won the bet.”

“What bet was it?”

“We bet on whether someone would come to the dog hole or not for 3 days.”

“You made that kind of bet too? Congratulations on winning.”

I burst out laughing and clapped my hands lightly. As we were walking through the shopping district, some lady grabbed my shoulder.

“Oh my, you’re Shi-dan, right? Yu Shi-dan.”

“Yes?”

“I’m so happy to meet you like this. Are you still in contact with my kid?”

I glanced at In-sae with anxious eyes. This was a complete stranger. It seems like someone I knew in middle school.

‘How am I supposed to know what I did in middle school here.’

Of course, when I investigated separately, I didn’t live causing trouble. But I don’t know these detailed connections well, so I don’t know what to do.

“Look at you. Did you already forget me? I’m a bit sad, hey.”

“No, no. I’ve been so busy lately that I didn’t recognize you for a moment.”

I still don’t know who this is, but for now I pretended to know and made a fuss greeting her. The lady patted my shoulder hard several times.

“It feels like yesterday when you always followed around saying ‘Mother, Mother.’ You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?”

“Maybe I’m the type that suddenly grows a lot in high school.”

“Right, my son also grew incredibly big after going to high school.”

The lady followed along affectionately. She had a few words of conversation with me and then stopped in front of a clothing store.

“Then auntie will go first. I was so happy to see you after a long time.”

“Yes, please go in.”

I greeted her acting friendly until the end. Middle school, elementary school. I haven’t seen a single person who knew me back then until now, but to suddenly meet here, it’s like a bolt from the blue. In-sae adjusted his bag and asked.

“Were you close with that lady’s son?”

“Whether I was close before or not, I already lost contact, so whatever.”

I said with complicated feelings while watching In-sae’s reaction. In-sae stared at me directly with an unreadable expressionless face.

“Yeah, since you lost contact.”

In-sae made a relieved expression for some reason. I wondered if he was jealous, thinking maybe I was still close with them. In-sae, as if bored, walked while only stepping on green sidewalk blocks.

“Shi-dan strangely doesn’t talk about middle school.”

“Because there’s really nothing to talk about.”

“I’m curious, so can you tell me what class you were in during third year of middle school?”

I hesitated for a moment. I memorized what class it was, but the memory is hazy. I barely answered while trying to revive the faint memory.

“Class 4?”

“I was in class 2. Was the school lunch there delicious?”

I didn’t even look that up. Who would expect someone to ask what the middle school lunch tasted like? I answered randomly.

“…Maybe?”

“That middle school is famous for having bad lunch. That’s interesting.”

“I have kind of cheap taste.”

I answered as if nothing was wrong. In-sae walked this time stepping only on red sidewalk blocks, then suddenly said as if he remembered something.

“But Han Cho-yeon does his signature strangely, and his personality changed too.”

“Really?”

“Before, he always went around smiling and picking fights. Different from now.”

“Really?”

If Cho-yeon hadn’t been possessed, the current Han Cho-yeon would have had that kind of personality. I can’t easily imagine it. In-sae stopped stepping only on one color of sidewalk blocks and walked normally again.

“It’s strange.”

“Maybe he suddenly reformed himself.”