Play as Hard as You Study (1)
Yeongcheong had a habit of turning down every invitation to hang out.
School, home, and occasionally the mart — that was the full extent of her current range of activity.
Spending most of her time at school was one thing, but the fear of the unknown — of not knowing what she'd even do once she got there — played its part too. With excuses like these lined up one after another, Yeongcheong couldn't hold out for much longer than two months.
"So Yeongcheong's coming?"
Suyeon, who was on the phone with Seoha, asked Hasol. Hasol nodded.
The news of Yeongcheong's participation was relayed straight to Seoha as well. It was an instinctive judgment on Suyeon's part — if Yeongcheong was going, surely Seoha wouldn't stay away.
With their bags set down, the two of them waited for Suyeon's call with Seoha to end.
"Really? Got it. Don't worry. I'll hold onto her no matter what it takes."
Color suddenly bloomed across Suyeon's face. Things seemed to be going well, but something about her words didn't sound right.
Once the call ended, Suyeon delivered the happy news.
"She's coming!"
"Seoha is? Seriously?"
Hasol's amber eyes went wide — apparently this result surprised her too.
"She asked if it was okay to join a little late, after she finishes student council work."
"A little late is no problem at all."
"That's what I told her."
Having wrapped up the conversation on their own, Hasol and Suyeon turned to look at Yeongcheong in unison. Under the sudden weight of their stares, Yeongcheong flinched.
"You've got plenty of time until evening, right?"
Yeongcheong thought today was going to be a long day.
Yeongcheong and Suyeon waited briefly in front of the school while Hasol tidied up the classroom, stopped by the teachers' office, and rejoined them.
"Where do we go first?"
"Where to?"
When Yeongcheong echoed the question back at them, the two started rattling off places — karaoke, the photo booth, a café, a clothing store — venues Yeongcheong had next to no connection with.
"I'll do you the favor of letting you choose."
Hasol rested a hand on her hip as if she'd just granted some great mercy. Yeongcheong could only feel sour about it. For a former all-boys school student whose idea of a post-exam celebration was a PC bang, none of these options held any appeal.
"I don't really care, but... what would we even do at a clothing store?"
That was the one destination Yeongcheong couldn't wrap her head around.
"Just going to look at pretty stuff."
"We're not even buying anything?"
"If something really catches your eye, you might."
With Hasol and Suyeon saying the same thing from either side of her, Yeongcheong let it slide. Huh. I guess that makes sense.
"By the way — Yeongcheong, it's really okay if we decide everything?"
At Hasol's question, Yeongcheong gave a light nod.
"I don't know anything about this stuff anyway. I'll just follow wherever you go."
With that confirmed, Suyeon and Hasol drifted into a private conversation of their own.
"Hasol, where should we start?"
"Seoha's joining us later, right? Then wouldn't the photo booth or karaoke be more fun together?"
"I knew you'd think the same thing."
Suyeon nodded in agreement.
It was Yeongcheong's first time going out to hang out with them — and Seoha was coming along too. For the two of them, this was a momentous occasion.
Their determination to make the most of it turned into a long, drawn-out conspiracy between Hasol and Suyeon.
Will I... survive between these two?
Yeongcheong watched the pair with anxious eyes.
Contrary to her worries, the place Hasol and Suyeon dragged Yeongcheong to was a perfectly ordinary franchise café.
"Oh, it's just a café?"
Yeongcheong, who'd been bracing herself for wherever they might take her, let out a small breath of relief.
"Seoha said she'd finish up as fast as she could. So we figured we'd just wait here for a bit."
Suyeon explained after checking a follow-up message. Yeongcheong nodded.
The café was quiet on a weekday afternoon. Every now and then, students from other schools — midterms around the same time as Hwaryeong High — could be spotted among the tables.
As the two of them set their ordered drinks down and launched into talk of the midterms, Yeongcheong fidgeted, glancing self-consciously around.
Even within her extremely limited range of movement, she'd only ever worn her uniform between school and home. No wonder the eyes of strangers weighed on her nerves.
"Yeongcheong?"
"Hm?"
At the sound of Hasol's voice, her attention snapped back to the two of them.
"How about you? How did the exams treat you?"
"...I worked hard."
At this answer — so different from before — the corners of Suyeon's mouth curved upward.
"Where'd all that confidence go, huh? Back when you were promising to at least score average?"
The teasing was unmistakable. A pair of blue eyes glared at Suyeon.
This midterm had taught Yeongcheong one thing, deeply and painfully.
Even with the same word — high school — the levels were worlds apart.
For the first time, she understood what it meant to feel completely out of her depth. She couldn't believe school exams were allowed to be this hard.
New goal: dodge the remedial classes.
Starting from day one of exams, Yeongcheong had quietly lowered her targets.
Knowing that anything she said would only become more ammunition for teasing, she chose silence. But Suyeon, entirely unbothered, kept prodding.
"So? How many subjects do you think you'll be taking remedial classes for?"
"It's not like it's that many."
Yeongcheong finally cracked. Hasol, a little curious herself, leaned into the conversation.
"So, like, one?"
"One... maybe three...?"
Yeongcheong stretched the word out, eyes darting away.
"Wait, so it wasn't zero in the first place?"
"Our school's exams are just uniquely hard, okay? You two overachievers could never understand me."
The subject of exams had plunged Yeongcheong into sudden gloom.
Her lips, fused with the straw, noisily sucked at her sweet drink. The sight of her cheeks stuffed full before one big swallow was honestly adorable — but this was no time to say so.
Nothing stings quite like being lectured about studying by people whose whole lives are studying. Even Suyeon thought she'd pushed a little too hard this time.
After a brief stretch of grumbled muttering, Suyeon cleared her throat and spoke up.
"W-well, you did say math went well, right? If you study the others ahead of time too, you'll be fine for finals."
"Hey, Baek Suyeon. You tease me like that and think one compliment is gonna fix everything?"
Straw still clamped between her lips, Yeongcheong glared at Suyeon again. This time, as if something had actually stung, the heterochromatic eyes looked away.
"Am I an idiot or something?"
Hasol and Suyeon held their silence. The lack of an answer was the answer.
That only hurt Yeongcheong more.
"Ah! You're supposed to say NO! If you're gonna comfort me, do it properly!"
These two had watched Yeongcheong whine and grind her way through her studying. They were honest friends — they simply couldn't bring themselves to lie.
While Hasol and Suyeon were busy soothing a thoroughly bristling Yeongcheong, a sleek black luxury sedan pulled to a stop outside the café.
Hasol and Suyeon glanced out the window.
"Oh, Seoha's here."
"Let's head out too."
Only Yeongcheong, unable to spot Seoha anywhere, looked around in confusion.
"Seoha? Where?"
"She's about to get out of the car."
"Out of the car?"
The driver stepped out and moved toward the rear door — but Seoha opened it herself and emerged.
"He does that every single time."
"Right? Word is she tells him not to, but it's a direct order from the boss, so he can't help it."
Catching fragments of their conversation, Yeongcheong muttered to herself.
A driver? And... the boss?
For a moment, her seatmate Seoha seemed a whole world farther away than usual.
Waving the driver off with a gesture, Seoha spotted the three inside the café. The three stepped out to join her.
"Sorry, were you waiting long?"
"Not at all. If you were coming, Seoha, we'd have waited however long it took."
"I appreciate you saying that."
With Seoha smiling quietly at her side, the four of them set off for the next destination.
There had been Suyeon prodding at her feelings and Hasol along for the ride, but Yeongcheong had gotten through the café without incident — compared to the destinations the two had floated earlier, anyway.
Unfortunately, what remained ahead of Yeongcheong now was exactly all that.
"Let's do this one first!"
The four of them, headed for karaoke, spotted an empty photo booth studio and ducked straight inside.
Hasol and Suyeon drifted naturally over to the racks of hats and mirrors, giggling as they tried on cartoon-character hats and animal-ear headbands.
Yeongcheong and Seoha, by contrast, watched the pair from a step behind. It was obvious to anyone that neither was used to places like this.
"Yeongcheong, Seoha. Come on, you two too."
Having each already picked out a favorite, the two of them grabbed one girl apiece. Yeongcheong dug in and held her ground.
"I'm not really... a photo person..."
"You don't like taking pictures?"
Yeongcheong's silence was answer enough. But Suyeon, once inside, showed no intention of giving up easily.
"We're just keeping them for ourselves. Come on, please?"
"Just... for us..."
After a moment's hesitation, Yeongcheong gave a small nod. Only then did she step up in front of the mirror.
Yeongcheong let Hasol's hands try various hats and headbands on her. When it came to this kind of thing, leaving it to someone competent was always the best move.
"There! Perfect."
"You're all set too, Yeongcheong."
Under their careful hands, the freshly adorned Yeongcheong and Seoha turned to face each other.
Seoha wore what looked like a wolf-ear headband, and Yeongcheong a pair of rabbit ears.
The vibes couldn't have been more different. It fits perfectly, Yeongcheong thought — yet somehow she still felt dissatisfied, and turned to Hasol.
"Hasol, why am I the rabbit?"
"Because it suits you best."
Put that way, there was nothing to say back.
"Okay, let's take the pictures quick and get to karaoke."
Suyeon slipped into the photo booth and operated the machine with practiced ease. Hasol positioned the stiff, frozen Yeongcheong and Seoha in place.
"Poses! Poses!"
Having finished the setup in a flash, Suyeon claimed the shutter button and wedged herself between them.
"Uh... what?"
"Just do whatever she tells you."
Was there a girl alive who didn't take photos seriously?
Though her sample size was small, Yeongcheong was certain the answer was no.
And it wasn't just her own poses — watching Suyeon direct her and Seoha behind her through the camera lens, Yeongcheong felt the crushing pressure of instruction from every direction.
All four together, then two by two — just as the chaotic barrage of photos under Suyeon and Hasol's commands was winding down, Suyeon spoke to Yeongcheong and Seoha.
"For the last one, you two shoot it however you want."
Freedom, granted out of nowhere. Yeongcheong's body, which had been moving obediently to their instructions until now, went rigid.
"Yeongcheong, hurry! The timer's almost out!"
As Yeongcheong stood there awkwardly shuffling, Seoha spoke up.
"Yeongcheong, do you mind if I take this one how I want?"
When Yeongcheong gave a small nod, Seoha moved. Stepping up onto the small platform behind them, she bent slightly at the waist to match Yeongcheong's height.
"What do I do?"
"Stay still."
Her gaze fixed on the camera, Seoha pressed her face in close and parted her lips slightly — like a wolf eyeing its prey.
Click.
Before Yeongcheong had a chance to react at all, the final shot was done.
"I think this one turned out pretty good?"
"I like the other one better, honestly."
Choosing the shots and decorating them — the whole process belonged to Suyeon and Hasol. To Yeongcheong, who understood none of it, she was nothing but in the way.
"Whoa, this one's insane."
"Yeah, let's go with that one last."
Once the prints came out, Suyeon handed one to each of them.
"Oh..."
A faint smile crossed Yeongcheong's face as she took her photo. Under Suyeon and Hasol's skilled hands, the chosen shots had come out better than expected.
Seeing that, Hasol sidled up closer.
"Well? Fun, right?"
Yeongcheong absently smoothed the photo in her hand. Looking at it, she remembered all the commotion from moments ago and a laugh slipped out before she knew it.
It had been exhausting — but it was a fact she couldn't bring herself to deny.
"...Yeah, I guess."
Yeongcheong tucked the photo carefully into the inside pocket of her uniform, making sure it wouldn't crease.
"But... this is just for us, right? You're not going to post it anywhere?"
"Of course not. I'll remind Suyeon and Seoha too."
"Thanks. Really."
Just like during the tennis club trial, Yeongcheong was oddly averse to having her picture out there.
"Actually..."
"Hm?"
A faint smile still lingered on Yeongcheong's face as she gazed at the sticker photos.
"No, it's nothing."
Realizing this wasn't the moment to ask, Hasol shook her head.
Suyeon, who'd been chuckling at the pictures, grabbed her bag and turned back to the other three.
"Alright, girls — karaoke time."