Doing What's Right

Still… a person doesn't pretend not to see something they already know. I wasn't the kind of person who wished for Seoa's unhappiness to that extent.

I just… wanted things between the two of us to end. That was all. I never wanted her to be miserable.

Even now, the way Seoa looked at me almost felt like she was asking for help.

This was just doing the right thing.

Nari still didn't seem to have come out of the bathroom… If I just helped briefly, it would be fine. And it wasn't like I was doing this out of any special feelings—I was simply fulfilling my duty as a human being.

And so I walked over to the table where Seoa was sitting.

"Han Seoa… your mom called me. She says to come home right away. What are you doing? Get up."

"Ah… okay, Minjae."

Seoa looked up at me with somewhat uneasy eyes, then soon rose from her seat with a smile.

That was how I managed to take Seoa's hand and pull her out of that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pack of wolves.

Then I led her outside the shop for a moment.

"I… wasn't sticking my nose where it didn't belong, was I?"

"No, I was uncomfortable too… They kept saying we should hang out here and then go somewhere else…"

"Yeah, it looked that way. Go on, head home."

"What about you…? Aren't you going home, Minjae?"

"Nah. I just helped because you looked like you were in a tough spot. I'm heading back in, then."

With that, I was about to hurry back into the shop. Nari would probably be coming back from the bathroom around now.

But Seoa stopped my hurried steps. She caught my hand… and held me back from leaving.

"Thank you. For looking out for me. Looking after me… it feels like it's only ever been you, back then and now."

"…Yeah."

I didn't force her hand away, but Seoa gently let go first.

So I simply started walking again. And to my back, Seoa threw one more line.

"I'm sorry. For only realizing now that you've been looking after me like this…"

…I heard those words clearly, but I didn't turn around to reply. I just kept walking the way I was going.

Back inside the shop, I figured I should at least pretend I'd gone to the bathroom, so I quickly ducked in first. Nari probably hadn't seen me move.

After a brief stop in the bathroom, I was on my way out.

Seoa had gone home, but her friends were still at the bar. Because of that, I ran into one of Seoa's friends in the hallway to the bathroom.

"Hey."

I tried to just walk past, but Seoa's friend called out to me anyway. She was someone who had nothing to do with me in the first place…

So I just turned my head to look, my expression saying: if you've got something to say, spit it out.

"Just… take Seoa back already."

"…I'll handle it myself."

"You haven't seen her wrists, have you…? She's been weird lately, seriously. I think she's been cutting herself… I'm worried, that's all. I get that your feelings for her are gone… but just look after her a little until she comes back to her senses. At least pretend to take her back."

"That's not something you need to worry about. I'll handle it myself."

I might have come off a bit aggressive. But… I couldn't help it. Seoa's friend was someone who'd framed me and hurt me directly.

There was no way I could have a normal conversation with people like that at this point.

Still… was Seoa really doing that?

Seoa had high self-esteem, a strong sense of pride. And she was a bright person… There was no way she'd do something like that. She wasn't the type to do that because of me, either.

It was true… I'd thought Seoa had gotten a lot quieter lately. Could that mean she'd given up on everything?

I didn't know… Hearing something like this for no good reason just made my feelings more complicated.

"Where'd you go?"

"The—the bathroom."

"Yeah? Hmm…"

More unexpected variables had cropped up than I'd anticipated, so I'd been gone quite a while. Naturally, Nari asked me that.

Well, I'd said I went to the bathroom… she couldn't really argue with that. But Nari seemed unconvinced by my answer, glancing around as if looking for something.

Looking around wasn't going to produce an answer… and why couldn't she accept that I'd just gone to the bathroom in the first place?

Anyway, Nari was doing something whose meaning I couldn't grasp at all. Then she spoke again.

"Ah… I suddenly feel gross."

"Huh?"

What was that…? Nari muttered that under her breath all of a sudden, and in an instant the atmosphere completely shifted. I flinched a little without meaning to.

When she said something like that with a straight face… of course I'd get nervous.

But then Nari returned to her usual self. It really was just a fleeting moment. If I hadn't been paying close attention, I probably would have missed the change entirely.

In that brief instant, Nari had shown extreme displeasure.

"No, never mind. Just… let's drink."

"Ah, okay…"

After that, Nari went back to acting like her usual self, and the drinking continued without any major peculiarities.

When the drinking session ended… I naturally walked with Nari. As if it were a given that I'd walk her home.

I fully intended to walk her all the way to her place. It wasn't that late, and Nari wasn't so drunk she couldn't get home alone, but I just wanted to.

But after a few steps, Nari stopped.

"You go on ahead too. I can walk alone from here."

"Huh? I'll walk you home."

"It's fine—! Since when have you ever walked me all the way home? Just go."

I wanted to walk her home…

I had no choice but to leave Nari and start walking. When she put it that strongly, it wasn't something I should insist on.

It was a shame. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I didn't know why I felt that way, but I was disappointed to be heading home alone already.

Well, we could hang out again next time. Once the competition was over… we should throw a party to celebrate all the hard work. Even just successfully passing the first round of judging might be worth celebrating once.

Just wait a little longer. Just push a little harder.

And… if the competition wrapped up successfully, I'd make a firm decision about my feelings too. And I'd tell her how I felt.

I was tired of being someone who just sat around waiting. I wanted to try challenging something, even if it meant experiencing failure. Just sitting still… meeting failure without creating any possibility at all—that was the last thing I wanted.

With less than a week left until the competition's first-round submission deadline.

Fortunately, after that, Noona and Nari came to the club room as usual.

With the deadline right around the corner, I threw myself into making the game with Sebin noona with real passion. Noona matched my energy and worked hard too.

Still, one thing kept nagging at me… Seoa was on my mind a little. Even when I was deep in focused work… thoughts of Seoa would suddenly surface. After that night, when I ran into her at school, I'd even tried to check her wrists.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was always wearing long sleeves, so I couldn't. And this was the middle of a pretty hot summer, no less.

Even before, Seoa had never been someone who got hot easily… She'd worn thin outer layers even in the height of summer.

But was that still the reason now? I didn't know… So it bothered me a little.

And the other thing on my mind… was Nari.

"Nari, you need to send me all the art files at least three days before."

"Yeah… don't worry."

"What about now? Are you drawing okay right now? The main cover illustration for our submission, I mean."

"I don't know… I just can't focus at all."

Nari's condition was a bit off. Like someone who'd hit a slump… She hadn't been drawing much at all lately. Whether it wasn't coming to her hands… or she was just a little worn out.

Because of that, even while reviewing development with Noona, my attention kept being pulled toward Nari. The development side would pretty much be done for the first-round submission amount. Now we just needed the images to dress our game with, and the concept art to submit alongside the design document, and we'd be nearly finished.

But… with Nari in this state, I couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

It wasn't that I didn't trust Nari. As long as I was serving as this team's leader… it was a worry I naturally had to have. I was the one who had to take responsibility.

"It's okay. I was being too pushy, wasn't I? I'll wait. Take your time drawing."

"Yeah. I'll make the deadline."

Right, all I could do was trust her and wait. We still had a little breathing room. Once Nari got in the zone, she could draw several pieces in a single day.

I'd wait for her. Even if I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hounded her from the side, art didn't come easily. For now, I should focus on my own work.

Once… everything we needed to prepare together in the club room was finished, from three days before the deadline it would be my time alone.

Starting three days before submission, I'd have to apply everything—the designs Noona and I had planned, and Nari's art—into the game. I'd probably be sitting in front of the computer then, barely sleeping properly.

Even so, I was enjoying it. I didn't think of it as work at all.

Rather, I was glad I could throw myself into it like that. It felt a bit like finding my old self… No, that wasn't it—it felt like seeing a version of myself that had grown.

I was gathered with people whose hearts aligned with mine, running toward a single goal.

I couldn't think of this as bothersome or grueling work.

The thought of successfully finishing this opportunity that had come to me actually made me excited and thrilled.

And so… time flowed on to the point where only three days remained until the decisive day—the competition's first-round submission deadline.