Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: No, It's Not Like That!
In the empty mountains, Han Ji-su and Jeong Eun-seong stood facing each other, paintball guns in hand.
The vivid sunlight pouring down on their heads, the leaves rustling and swaying with the wind...
Rustle.
The sound of my boots crushing a twig.
The two of them turned at the noise.
Amusingly, for a split second, I thought this was a scene straight out of a drama.
The background, the characters, the situation... Even Jeong Eun-seong, frozen with wide eyes in shock at my appearance—right now, more annoying than ever.
And my own urge to smack the back of that Jeong Eun-seong's head with my palm instead of shooting him because a paintball would hurt...
Whoa. Total self-indulgence. Kang Da-hye, are you Jang Ji-won or something?
A drama. Have I lost my mind? Please keep this thought of mine a secret.
But then Jeong Eun-seong suddenly started running toward me.
"No!!!!!!!"
Yelling at the top of his lungs.
Dry leaves and twigs crackled under his feet as he charged up the ridge where I stood.
"It's not!!!!!!!"
As if we'd never even fought and stopped talking, he screamed at the top of his voice.
Jeong Eun-seong, helmet tossed aside under his arm so his words wouldn't be muffled, bounded toward me like a deer on those long legs of his.
And what he kept shouting was...
"This isn't a secret promise we made to meet here! We didn't exchange glances from the start and slip away together! It's not a rendezvous! Not dating! Not an intimate chat! Not affection! Not friendship! Not an alliance! Not any positive feelings! Not even anything similar! And it's not stalking either! Anyway, no! It's just, just! Nothing! We just happened to run into each other!"
Ugh, so loud.
"I get it, so calm down..."
I never imagined there were that many ways to deny it.
I'd just thought they were chatting since they seemed close.
I sighed and took a small step to the side. Jeong Eun-seong was barreling straight at me, and the spot I was standing was covered in leaves from the path up—slippery territory.
That's when I clearly saw Ji-su, smiling brightly, thrust her gun forward.
Thwack!
Jeong Eun-seong staggered, hit in the shoulder by Ji-su's paintball. Behind him, Ji-su tilted her head.
"My aim's not cooperating. I learned it earlier though."
Am I really that bad at this? she muttered just loud enough to hear, then raised her gun again at Jeong Eun-seong, who had turned to look at her.
"To hit the back... aim around here, right?"
This was the paintball gun the staff had warned us about—huge trouble if it hits the face; always wear your helmet and goggles. And now it was aimed squarely at helmetless Jeong Eun-seong's bare face.
I sensed it instinctively.
That's it.
The scar on Jeong Eun-seong's face.
No time to think—I acted.
Thwack!
"Ah!"
Thwack! Thwack!
My paintballs hit Ji-su's shoulder and hand. She dropped the gun from the recoil and plopped down, staring up at me in a daze.
By then, I had already grabbed the wrist of Jeong Eun-seong, who was almost upon me.
"Jeong Eun-seong!"
I yanked his thick wrist toward me. Our bodies collided, and at the same time, my foot slipped.
The pile of leaves I'd been standing on—the one mounded up for the flag battle—gave way with a crunch, sending Jeong Eun-seong and me tumbling down together.
"What the...!"
How is this game field management so bad!
"Your face!"
The moment he realized we were rolling, Jeong Eun-seong tried to hug me and shield me, but no way. I wrapped my legs around his waist and clutched his fluffy head to my chest.
"Your face!"
This guy's face can't get hurt!
And we rolled right to the ground.
Thud roll roll roll...
In reality, it was rougher than that, but anyway.
Thump.
"Huff."
"Heok."
"Crazy..."
When I came to, I was sprawled on top of Jeong Eun-seong, who lay on the ground. Still holding his head to my chest.
I pushed my arms out and lifted my upper body, revealing Jeong Eun-seong's face, buried in my embrace.
"Your face!"
No injuries?! I grabbed his soft, cream-like cheeks with both hands and twisted them side to side.
Forehead, eyes, nose, chin, and most importantly, both cheeks.
All fine.
"Haa..."
Thank goodness.
I flopped right back down onto Jeong Eun-seong.
Ugh. Hot. I tossed my helmet aside too. Haaa... I pressed my cheek to his twitching neck and collarbone area, exhaling in relief. Ughhhh, seriously.
In a weary voice, I scolded him.
"What if you take off your helmet! Don't you know paintballs are dangerous?!"
"I thought you wouldn't hear me otherwise..."
"I hear everything you say, no matter what!"
And!
"You're yelling so loud, how could I not hear?!"
You have no idea how loud your voice was!
Loud enough to pierce the roof of Jamsil Stadium without a mic!
Does it even have a roof?! Whatever!
"You scared the life out of me..."
Seriously... Phew. All the tension drained from my body. I let it go completely. The rough texture of his protective gear pressed against my cheek where it touched his body.
Just in case Ji-su followed us here, I glanced up without lifting my head.
No sign of her, so she must've left. We'd rolled quite a distance.
But seriously, how do you aim at someone's face...
And when someone tumbles down, at least check on them...
"..."
"...Kang Da-hye, are you crying?"
"No..."
Sniff... I sniffled.
"Looks like you are..."
"I'm not..."
Sniff sniff... I buried my nose into the hollow near his collarbone where my cheek rested.
"Sniff..."
"You're crying..."
"Be quiet..."
The bafflement at Ji-su's incomprehensible actions.
The hurt that our friendship meant so little to her that she'd cut it off just like that.
Disappointment toward Ji-su, who never apologized to the end.
The sinking feeling in my heart when I saw her friends glaring at me and whispering.
What were they saying about me exactly? What had Ji-su told them about me—
"I'm dying to know...!"
I want to know so bad! But I don't! But I do!
"Did you think I was the only one who saw us as friends?"
I thought you, Ji-su, were my closest friend—that even when my life hit rock bottom, you didn't forget me and kept in touch, so I was so grateful, and I just wanted you to change your mind somehow...
"Why do your friends hate me so much...?"
I buried my face in Jeong Eun-seong's stiffening chest and bawled.
The chirping birds over there went quiet, the announcement that game time was almost up played, and only then did I remember that Jeong Eun-seong was lying on the hard ground beneath me.
"Sniff."
Sorry... I whispered softly, trying to calm myself.
Up until then, Jeong Eun-seong had been awkwardly patting my shoulder with one arm raised, but he hesitated before speaking.
"Don't cry, why u-rong..."
"..."
"Don't cry-urong..."
"..."
"Ma-ca-rong..."
He squeezed his eyes shut, hating himself for that lame pun. But stubbornly added one more.
"Oolong cheese flavor..."
Couldn't stop him.
"Raspberry flavor... haa..."
Self-loathing, probably.
Now I had to comfort Jeong Eun-seong instead.
"It's fine. Better than granola."
"You really think so?"
"No."
Sniff. I slurped up snot and rested my cheek on his chest again.
Crying drained me; I felt languid. I just wanted to sleep like this... I closed my eyes.
That's when Jeong Eun-seong spoke.
"Kang Da-hye, you okay? No injuries?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"Me too."
"Good."
"Yeah."
"..."
"...So."
"So?"
"Could you get up...?"
"Oh."
I snapped my eyes open and looked at Jeong Eun-seong's face right in front of me. His ears were beet red.
He clenched then released the hand still on my back and grimaced.
"Why are you burying your face in someone else's chest like that..."
"Uh..."
It wasn't burying; if anything, it was more like smooshed...
"Kang Da-hye, I..."
Jeong Eun-seong squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled like a sigh.
"I'm dying here..."