Club Activities I Want to Try (2)
Fear and mystery. Mention that a girl was into this kind of thing, and nine times out of ten it would raise an eyebrow.
But the current second- and third-years, who all knew about the school trespassing incident from last semester, understood Suyeon perfectly well.
Yeoncheong was the only one who didn't.
Never in her wildest imagination had she pictured this as the thing Suyeon wanted to do. Her mouth hung open, flapping wordlessly, while Suyeon just grinned and carried on with her story.
"They never used to give me permission because it's dangerous to go alone. But once you showed up, Yeoncheong, the teacher finally said yes."
"I... no, wait, hold on..."
Yeoncheong pressed a hand to her aching forehead. She looked like a person who simply couldn't shoulder the flood of new information.
Steadying her breath and sorting through her thoughts, she spoke again.
"So that's what you meant when you said you couldn't do it in any other club?"
"Yep."
Suyeon's head bobbed lightly up and down.
"And the teacher—the school—actually approved that?"
"Apparently it's fine since the security guard patrols the grounds at night anyway, and two people are safer than one."
Suyeon paused dramatically before adding:
"Oh, and I told them that if they said no this time too, I'd sneak into the school right before it closes for good."
"That's not permission, that's blackmail."
Suyeon stuck her tongue out playfully.
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
Yeoncheong squeezed her eyes shut as the room seemed to tilt around her.
There was one last question left, and it was the most important one. She lifted her gaze and fixed Suyeon with a glare.
"Hey, Baek Suyeon. You deliberately didn't mention any of this when I signed up, didn't you."
One look at the way Suyeon flinched told her she didn't need to hear the answer.
So that's why the club had only one member.
Only now did Yeoncheong understand why the club roster was so unusually thin compared to other years. Knowing Suyeon's outgoing personality—on par with Hasol's—she would surely have invited plenty of friends to join her.
And Yeoncheong was certain that some of those friends had run for the hills to escape the invitation.
In other words, Suyeon wasn't alone because of bad luck. She was alone because she'd earned it.
Suyeon, who had been warily watching Yeoncheong's face, fidgeted and finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry... I thought if I told you, you might not come."
"It's a whole semester-long club activity. It never occurred to you that hiding it was wrong?"
"I'm really, really sorry..."
Realizing logic wasn't going to get her anywhere, Suyeon switched tactics and appealed to emotion instead.
"B-but it's true that I was lonely being all by myself. You have to believe me. I was so happy when you joined, Yeoncheong."
Perhaps it was the tears welling up in her eyes. Those glistening mismatched irises—one red, one blue—made Yeoncheong flinch.
Suyeon was clearly the one at fault here, and yet Yeoncheong found it impossible to keep scolding her.
Trying to cool her temper, she drew in a long, deep breath, then let it out in an equally long sigh. Sensing her opening, Suyeon moved in to drive the wedge home.
Half-rising from her chair, Suyeon seized both of Yeoncheong's hands and leaned in until their faces were inches apart. Caught in her grip, Yeoncheong rolled her eyes every which way, desperately searching for an escape.
"Yeoncheong, please, just do this once with me. I'll give you plenty of time to go hang out in other clubs afterward, I promise. Okay?"
She was close enough that there was nowhere left to look. One little push from behind and they'd be touching. Suyeon's long hair spilled forward with her leaning body, tickling against Yeoncheong's hands.
Using her face like this is straight-up cheating...
No matter how much time she spent around Suyeon these days, Yeoncheong had never developed any tolerance for situations like this.
"F-fine. Fine, okay? Just get off me already."
"Really? You mean it?"
At the word of consent, Suyeon somehow closed the distance even further. With nowhere left to direct her gaze, Yeoncheong simply squeezed her eyes shut.
"Yes, I mean it."
Only then did Suyeon let go, and Yeoncheong soothed her burning cheeks with both palms. Thankfully, Suyeon was too drunk on her successful persuasion to notice a thing.
Once Suyeon had calmed down, Yeoncheong pressed for details. Did they need to bring anything? Suyeon shook her head—comfortable clothes to move around in would be enough.
"So when are we doing this?"
"Tomorrow. Exams are coming up soon, so I want to get it done as early as possible."
Yeoncheong questioned her own hearing all over again.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yep, tomorrow."
Suyeon beamed with pure anticipation. So Yeoncheong's ears were working just fine after all.
In Suyeon's room, Siyeon spun around irritably at her sister's humming.
"Hey, I don't have this room to myself, you know."
"Sorry, sorry."
For all her apologies, Suyeon kept right on humming. Siyeon gave up and shook her head.
Returning to her exam prep, she muttered under her breath.
"This one's lasting longer than usual."
"If anyone heard you, they'd think you pick up a new hobby every other week."
"That's because you do."
Suyeon had no comeback for Siyeon's icy tone. Her sister kept her eyes fixed on her textbook as the conversation continued.
"That transfer student is fascinating too, honestly. Most people would flat-out refuse because they'd be too scared."
"Ahem. Which just goes to show how close Yeoncheong and I have gotten."
Hands on her hips, Suyeon puffed up with pride. Siyeon had things she wanted to say, but decided against dragging the conversation out any longer than necessary.
"She did say she's fine with scary stuff. I'm looking forward to it."
Dreaming of tomorrow night, Suyeon turned her attention back to studying for exams.
"Haaah..."
Meanwhile, in her one-room apartment, a long sigh trailed on and on. It was Yeoncheong, slumped half-sideways in her chair.
With exams looming, she had managed to sit down at her desk at least, but studying refused to stick no matter how hard she tried.
"Big mouth. Why did I have to go and say that."
Yeoncheong replayed the afternoon in her head.
On the way home, just as they'd walked out the school gate, Suyeon had worried about her—asking whether she'd only agreed because she couldn't turn down a friend's request.
And Yeoncheong had answered her with total confidence.
"If you want to do it, then you should do it. Besides, that kind of stuff doesn't really scare me."
Now she cursed her past self for putting on a tough act for no reason.
"It'll be fine. She said the guards do patrols at night."
She repeated Suyeon's words to reassure herself, but in the end, worrying about tomorrow night won out. She didn't manage to read a single character.
One by one, students in the classroom had begun cracking open their books even in the morning. The midterm exams were creeping closer, and everyone could feel it. Seoha, swamped with student council work, was no exception.
"Yeoncheong, are you feeling sick? Your color looks off."
The one exception, of course, was Yeoncheong in the seat beside her. Faint shadows had settled under her eyes as she brought up the school exploration planned for that night.
"So Suyeon really is into that kind of thing, huh."
"You found out too? I'm the only one who didn't know."
Watching Yeoncheong sigh in lament, Seoha spoke up.
"Want me to get you transferred into a different club? There's an open spot on the student council."
The sincerity in Seoha's voice was unmistakable. Yeoncheong considered it for a moment, then shook her head.
"No, I appreciate the offer. But if I left her alone in there, I'd only end up worrying about her more."
Seoha gazed quietly at Yeoncheong as she laughed it off. Those red eyes swept slowly across her face, taking in every detail.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"No, I was just thinking you and Suyeon have gotten close awfully fast lately."
"Well, we are in the same club."
It was obvious when you thought about it. In a two-person club, Suyeon was the only person around to get close to.
"Maybe I'll come by and watch sometime."
"No. Absolutely not."
At Seoha's casual remark, Yeoncheong shook her head with force.
There was always the chance something embarrassing might happen. The fewer witnesses, the better.
Seoha studied Yeoncheong's pleading expression for a long moment, then finally nodded—a faint smile playing on her lips, satisfied by what she saw.
As soon as classes ended, Yeoncheong and Suyeon headed home early to prepare for their evening rendezvous. And on a dark night when the moon hid behind the clouds, Yeoncheong returned to school.
"Ha... I can't believe this is real..."
Since she lived close by, Yeoncheong arrived at the gate early and stood waiting for Suyeon.
The forecast had promised clouds, and for once it was dead accurate—the night was pitch black.
"Yeoncheong! Been waiting long?"
"Nope, I just got here myself."
Suyeon looked Yeoncheong's outfit up and down and managed an awkward smile.
"It's definitely comfy clothes and all... but isn't that a bit much?"
Yeoncheong was dressed in the long tracksuit she favored even for grocery runs. Suyeon, by contrast, wore simple casual gym clothes.
"It felt like a waste to just throw it out, so I still wear it."
"R-right. Well, I gave them a heads-up already, so let's head in."
Suyeon wrapped up the conversation and started toward the gate. Yeoncheong followed her inside.
With even the third-years, who studied late into the night, gone for the day, the school lay sunk in complete silence.
The guard—youngish for an "uncle," though still clearly one—opened the gate for them and turned back to his rounds. Suyeon called out to Yeoncheong, who'd been hiding behind her.
"Why were you hiding behind me? Did something happen with the guard?"
"It's just awkward being around him... come on, let's hurry."
Yeoncheong nudged Suyeon forward and headed into the school grounds.
Unlike Yeoncheong, who relied on her smartphone's flashlight, Suyeon pulled a professional-looking flashlight out of her backpack.
Yeoncheong let out a small, involuntary sound of wonder. She might be a girl now, but the former man in her couldn't help but light up at gear like this.
Delighted to have her taste recognized, Suyeon launched into an explanation of everything. Her adjustable-beam flashlight cut through the dark and lit up the buildings like a laser.
With this much light, there's nothing to be scared of.
Yeoncheong relaxed a little inside.
The essence of fear was the unknown. And nothing bred fear quite like what couldn't be seen.
In a brightly lit space, the dread of something suddenly jumping out at you simply melted away.
With a suddenly dependable-looking Suyeon taking point, Yeoncheong felt some of her swallowed-down anxiety ease at last.
"Suyeon, why do you even like this stuff?"
Her mind and body considerably soothed, she'd recovered enough for light small talk. Sweeping her flashlight into every corner as she walked, Suyeon answered.
"Isn't it fascinating, the idea that things we can't see might exist? And that tingly feeling you get moving through a space like this—I love it."
"Tingly...?"
Tilting her head, Yeoncheong resolved to respect other people's hobbies.
The school without a soul in it felt strangely novel.
Where, just hours ago under the sun, the voices and energy of countless students had filled every hall, now a gloomy, chilly air seemed to drift through the grounds.
That said, thanks to Suyeon's powerful flashlight, Yeoncheong barely had the chance to feel any of it.
"Honestly, it's not as scary as I thought..."
"Right?"
Suyeon looked back at her, visibly pleased to be understood.
"Then shall we move on to the next stage?"
"The next stage?"
Suyeon dimmed the flashlight beam that had been flooding the hallway with light. Yeoncheong hurriedly tried to stop her, but Suyeon didn't pause.
"Why are you turning it down?"
"Because if it's too bright, some things might not show up."
In an instant, the darkness closed in around them. Suyeon blinked, her eyes beginning to adjust, and Yeoncheong blinked along with her.
"Now that we're adjusted, let's get down to business: hunting the Ghost of the Library."
"The... Ghost of the Library?"
Yeoncheong parroted Suyeon's words like a bird, over and over. That was how far behind the conversation she was.
"Yep. That's the whole point of tonight's midnight school exploration."
Yeoncheong went pale. And she vowed, right then and there, never again to cave so easily just because a friend asked.