After an Eventful Holiday Break

At Yeoncheong's apartment.

The alarm clock, which had enjoyed a long rest over the holiday weekend, insisted it was time to get up. Her hand swiped at empty air beside the nightstand two, three times before finally landing on the snooze button, and Yeoncheong squirmed her way out from under the covers.

"Haaahm..."

It felt like only yesterday she'd been whining about how bored she was—and yet in the blink of an eye, the entire holiday break had come and gone.

Ugh. I don't want to go to school.

Now that the day of her return had actually arrived, she found herself missing the lazy, comfortable days she'd just lived through.

Out of bed, Yeoncheong unconsciously rubbed her arms, feeling the chill that had crept into the apartment. The long holiday weekend had made the change in weather unmistakable.

She was still loyal to her tracksuits, tank tops, and dolphin pants, but she couldn't very well keep up that outfit deep into the coming winter.

What drifted through her mind in that moment was the pajamas Suyeon had worn recently. They looked so warm... maybe I should buy a set like that too?

She remembered the cozy, soft feeling of the fabric when she'd hugged her friend. But then, naturally, the memory of Suyeon's scent—her shampoo—came flooding in right alongside it, and she slapped her own cheek hard.

Clap!

Don't think weird things.

She had to see the girl's face at school anyway. There was absolutely no reason to go dredging the memory back up now.

Having decided she'd think about pajamas later, when she got home, Yeoncheong headed into the bathroom and began getting ready for school.

As of October, Hwaryeong High School permitted a mix of summer and spring/fall uniforms, but many students were still wearing their summer ones.

The weather, however, had changed overnight once the holiday passed, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. As if on cue, students filed through the gates in long-sleeved blouses—Yeoncheong among them.

But.

Amid the newly chill air, she had completely forgotten that there were things far more important than shopping for warm pajamas or switching her uniform for the season.

The moment she opened the classroom's back door and stepped inside, Nayun, seated at the desk beside hers, waved cheerfully.

"Hey, Daengcheongi. Not late for once today?"

The recording file that had been shared to the group chat with her friends—the day she'd met Seoha—flashed through her mind. Since Suyeon and Hasol hadn't said a word about it when she'd seen them afterward, she'd forgotten all about it completely.

There was something she needed to do before getting angry at Nayun for stubbornly clinging to that nickname.

"...Daengcheongi?"

"A nickname?"

The friends who had been sharing yesterday's cookies and muffins all turned to look at her at once. Yeoncheong laughed it off, waving a hand at her curious classmates. It's nothing.

"You're insane!"

She'd taken her seat and glared at Nayun in a low hiss, and her friend tilted her head back and forth with a villain's cackle.

"Kheheh. So what on earth happened to make you say that out loud?"

"...Something that deserved it."

Slinging her bag onto her chair, Yeoncheong cleared her throat and shot a sideways glance toward where Seoha sat.

More than anything, she was curious what expression the culprit—who had recorded her without permission and spread it around—was wearing right now.

She'd expected the girl to be doing it again: the corners of her mouth curled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up slightly, those red eyes crescented in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠amusement, smiling straight at her.

Maybe because she'd spent so much time at the girl's side, her prediction was right on every count except one.

The one exception was the mischievous tongue Seoha stuck out at her, at odds with that serene smile.

As if asking, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠remember that day? Yeoncheong whipped her head away.

What happened on the first day of the holiday break. She'd thought she was over it by now, but judging by a friend so kindly jogging her memory, apparently not.

Part of her wanted to check whether Seoha was still doing it, but she hesitated—if she made eye contact, the memory of what happened at the movie theater would come rushing back.

Right. Let's not draw attention to it for no reason. Then it'll just blow over.

With that resolution, Yeoncheong gathered herself and turned toward the students munching on cookies.

Weaving into the crowd to ask how they tasted, she waited for the teacher who was running later than usual.

With the holiday break behind them, the only event left in October was the school festival.

The students—the stars of the show—chattered about it every spare moment, and every time they did, the teachers nagged them to focus on the lesson during class hours.

A faint undercurrent of anticipation ran through the whole school, and beneath it, you could feel daily life quietly settling back into place.

Lunchtime. A quiet corner of the second-year Class 1 classroom.

Yeoncheong, who would normally have been dragged half-against-her-will on a lap around the athletic field by Seoha and Suyeon, was resting in the classroom instead.

"Huh? Why are you here?"

Nayun, returning with her cup and toothbrush, cocked her head at the sight of her.

Yeoncheong flinched, mid-gaze out the window—but when she realized it was only Nayun, she let out a breath of relief.

"Hey, this is my seat, you know."

"That's not what I meant. Where'd you leave Seoha and Suyeon, that you're here alone?"

"I'm not some two-for-one set with those two... Can't I just be by myself sometimes?"

Nayun stowed her cup and toothbrush in her cubby and walked past Yeoncheong to stand by the window.

Adjusting her angle of view to match where her friend had been looking, she found her answer almost instantly.

"So you snuck off again today. Seeing as those two are still out there."

"It wasn't sneaking. I did go to the bathroom. It's not a total lie."

By the time an excuse stretched that long, it was practically a confession—but Nayun didn't much care.

She wasn't the one getting stood up, after all. If anything, she was more curious than anything else: what could possibly make Yeoncheong dodge them this relentlessly, when she got caught every single time and punished thoroughly for it?

"Well, whatever. If that's how it is with you, Daengcheongi, then fine."

"Again, seriously—"

Yeoncheong, still sneaking glances out the window between words, growled at the nickname.

"Call me Daengcheongi one more time and you die."

Her other friends—Suyeon, Hasol, the rest—hadn't been like this.

Only Nayun had latched onto it, refusing stubbornly to give up the Daengcheongi nickname.

Nayun, who thought the name suited her perfectly as things stood, wet her lips.

"Aw, why~? It's honestly kind of a cute nickname, don't you think?"

Yeoncheong paused for a beat.

She had to admit the sound of it wasn't actually bad. When Nayun kept cooing about how cute she was, it really did start to feel like an affectionate little pet name.

But at its root, it was just meongcheongi—dummy—with the first syllable swapped out. It literally meant she was an idiot.

"At least hold back in front of the other kids. People keep asking me why I'm called Daengcheongi."

Her friends' brainwashing wasn't strong enough for Yeoncheong to explain the nickname's full origin story on the spot.

Nayun, who'd fully expected to be told a flat no, froze for a moment too.

"...Fine. If that's the deal, I'll hear you out."

Worried that agreeing instantly would look weird, she let a beat pass before accepting the compromise.

And here I thought she'd ban it outright. With conditions like these, there's no reason to refuse.

As Nayun looked thoroughly pleased with her friend's soft, squishy offer, a crowd of students came pouring noisily into the room. Startled, Yeoncheong ducked down behind her desk.

Hasol, arriving from brushing her teeth with the others, spotted Yeoncheong without any trouble. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she asked:

"Yeoncheong, what are you doing alone? Where'd Seoha and Suyeon go?"

"Hasol, you too..."

As if it were some established law of nature, Hasol had also asked after the two of them without a second thought.

When Nayun snickered beside her, it dawned on Hasol that Yeoncheong had slipped away without telling them.

"Oh, you snuck off, didn't you."

"It wasn't sneaking!"

Same words, same defiant energy—and Nayun pounded the desk, howling with laughter.

"Haha! See? I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"Hasol, what's your reason for thinking that?"

Hasol, who'd just put away her own toothbrushing things, clasped her hands together.

"Sorry, but there's no way Seoha and Suyeon let you go that easily. Naturally, I assumed you ran off on your own."

Yeoncheong winced.

For all the apology, her friend delivered this common-sense verdict without the slightest hesitation.

Hasol kept wetting her lips at the friend still denying her escape.

"If you didn't run off, then what brings you in here alone today?"

"...Nothing. Just... something happened over the break."

Yeoncheong's words dried up fast.

Unfortunately, she'd reined in her mouth but not her face at all. Her eyes smoldered with some private thought, and her fingers fiddled absently with a strand of hair that had slipped down over her shoulder.

Instantly scenting a good story, Nayun told her to hold on just a second and rummaged through her bag.

What emerged in her hand was popcorn. The very same popcorn she'd promised Hasol she'd keep stashed for later.

The two friends stared at her, equal parts speechless and exasperated, and shook their heads.

"What? It's my bag, I'll carry what I want. Got a problem with that?"

Nayun huffed and pressed for details—and just then:

"Yeoncheong~ We know you're in here. Come out while we're still asking nicely."

Suyeon and Seoha returned to the classroom from their lap around the athletic field.

Their eyes swept naturally to Yeoncheong's desk—and to Nayun and Hasol standing around it.

"Guys, have you seen Yeoncheong?"

"She was with us just now... was?"

Hasol, who'd been pointing at the very spot where Yeoncheong had been, tilted her head.

"Huh? Where'd she go?"

Nayun looked around too, searching for the friend who'd vanished like a magician's trick.

Suyeon and Seoha, scanning the classroom as they approached, claimed Yeoncheong's desk and chair for themselves.

"Yep. Looks like she ran off again, knowing we were coming."

"Right? It's not like we're going to eat her."

Hasol picked up the conversation with her new partners.

"So what happened over the break that Yeoncheong's dodging you two like this? Did you two do something you shouldn't have?"

For all that Yeoncheong unknowingly tempted her friends on the regular, this level of evasion was extreme even by those standards.

In a way, it was only natural for Hasol—who knew the two harbored feelings for her—to be suspicious.

At her question, Seoha and Suyeon locked eyes.

"Excuse us? Us?"

Their voices overlapped in perfect unison.

More than we're innocent, what they felt was closer to are you serious?

"Meet us in the club room later. We'll tell you exactly what happened."

Suyeon apparently didn't appreciate being doubted, and promised to deliver the truth.

Nayun, for her part, quietly tucked the popcorn back into her bag, saving it for the main event.

Time passed, and the end-of-day homeroom arrived.

Nothing to do...

The other classes buzzed noisily with festival preparations, but Yeoncheong's class was peaceful. Perhaps because they'd run their class meetings so thoroughly from the start—the costume team and props team both reported no problems, and the menu team Yeoncheong belonged to was running smoothly as well.

She looked around; neither Seoha nor Suyeon was anywhere in sight.

So Yeoncheong headed for the club room in the annex on autopilot, her feet following the familiar path.

But.

"What is this?"

Reading the paper stuck to the door, Yeoncheong couldn't hide her bewilderment.

She wondered, half-seriously, if they'd gotten fed up with her constantly running away.

Naturally assuming it was a prank, she opened the door—inside, all four of her friends were gathered.

"Guys, why would you put up something like that? Is it because I kept running off, so you—"

"Yeoncheong."

Suyeon lightly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠brushed past her question and smiled, pointing at the door.

"Did you see what's taped to the door?"

"...I did?"

"Then turn right around and go back out."

Yeoncheong edged closer, fidgeting with her fingers.

"A-are you mad? I'm... I'm sorry, okay? I just needed a little time to myself..."

"I'm not mad. We just have something we need to talk about among ourselves. Go play somewhere for an hour or so."

Yeoncheong pointed at herself with her index finger.

"W-without me? Just you four?"

The friends nodded in perfect unison. The atmosphere made it clear that arguing further would be pointless.

With a sulky face, Yeoncheong left her bag behind and stepped out of the club room.

Once her footsteps had faded into the distance, Suyeon exchanged looks with the others and wet her lips.

"So... about what happened over the break..."

And so began the tale of the holiday break—in which everyone present swore their own innocence.