A Sense of Crisis
Thanks to Seoha's advice, Yeoncheong had managed to secure a decent score on her PE assessment.
She kept practicing hard through the days that followed, figuring she could do better, but since she still couldn't control where the ball flew once it left her foot, there was only so much improvement she could make.
And so the soccer class that had shattered PE teacher Hayeong's athletic common sense finally came to an end.
It was an afternoon in mid-September. Seoha sat in the student council room, sunk deep in thought.
Isn't there something I can do?
Tapping the desk rhythmically with her index finger, Seoha pondered a matter of the utmost seriousness.
I barely get to spend any time with Yeoncheong...
Her crisis, and how to deal with it.
Near the end of the first semester, she had tracked down the runaway Yeoncheong and stolen an emotional kiss from her — but setting that incident aside, as far as their friends could tell, she had been restraining herself as much as reasonably possible.
There were a few reasons for that.
Yeoncheong needed time to understand that Seoha's feelings weren't some fleeting impulse. And Seoha herself was confident that, given enough time, she could make it so Yeoncheong wouldn't be able to refuse.
So she had been holding off on a direct confession, waiting for the perfect moment to extract a definitive yes — and then a problem appeared from a direction she never expected.
Suyeon...
The arrival of a rival she never saw coming.
Yeoncheong had always unknowingly charmed the people around her, but perhaps because the friends keeping her secret had grown comfortable, that careless charm had started slipping out more and more freely.
Eventually Suyeon realized her own feelings, and it had escalated to the point where she came and told Seoha about them.
I'd almost rather it had been Hasol or Nayun.
That thought crossing her mind was enough to show that Suyeon was no pushover, even for Seoha.
Both of them had built their bonds with Yeoncheong around the same time, but...
Seoha was the student council president; Suyeon was in the same club as Yeoncheong.
The difference in the hours they spent by her side was staggering.
Even at this very moment, while Seoha sat alone in the council room worrying, Suyeon was surely planning future club activities with Yeoncheong, just the two of them.
The finger that had been tapping the desk in steady rhythm stood suddenly upright.
Just the two of them.
Seoha lowered her head and gave a wry little laugh.
She'd applied for student council president thinking it would help with university admissions — the absurdity of regretting that choice over a single friend almost made her snort.
Suyeon said let's compete fair and square, but...
There was nothing fair about a contest when only one side got to have Yeoncheong all to herself.
Her thoughts tangled together, chased their own tails, and eventually circled back to where they'd started.
I need time with Yeoncheong too.
Their seats were already far apart in class. If their time together shrank any further, she'd be at a crippling disadvantage.
While Seoha sat there tapping her desk, lost in thought and utterly indifferent to the stares of the other students, one girl lifted her head and began sneaking glances at her.
Student council member and first-year vice president, Jeong Chaerin.
She had admired Seoha ever since first meeting her in middle school, prayed desperately to attend the same high school, and ultimately succeeded — enrolling at Hwaryeong High and taking a post at her idol's side as first-year vice president.
In other words, she was what you'd call a successful fan.
To Chaerin, who had watched her senior since middle school, Seoha had clearly been off lately.
The senior who solved everything at a stroke, whose deliberations never dragged even before major decisions, was now sighing so quietly no one was supposed to hear it, gazing off into the distance for ages, deep in thought.
Chaerin had no idea that her flawless senior might be agonizing over the fresh, tender worries of a girl in love.
Assuming it had to be something about council business, Chaerin wet her lips and spoke up.
"Seoha, is something bothering you?"
"Hm? Does it show?"
Seoha snapped back to attention and flashed a rarely awkward smile.
"It does. Really badly, actually."
The second-year vice president chimed in from the side.
"Don't worry about what the first-years think. If something's on your mind, just tell us."
She even shoved the papers she'd been reading off to the side and leaned toward Seoha. To her, too, this side of Seoha was unusual enough to spark her curiosity.
Seoha's eyes darted around in embarrassment until she could bear it no longer and opened her mouth.
"Could there be a good reason to summon the class officers from every class?"
Every student in the council room blinked at her.
What on earth is she talking about, out of nowhere?
It was the same reason she couldn't bring up Yeoncheong, and couldn't honestly admit she didn't have enough time to spend with a friend. This was the best she could do.
"Oh, come on~ if you don't want to say it, just say so. What's with the riddle?"
Just as the students, second-year vice president included, decided she was dodging the question, one person alone took Seoha's words seriously.
"Couldn't you call them to talk about the school festival?"
At Chaerin's suggestion, something new sparked in Seoha's red eyes.
"The school festival? That's still over a month away."
The second-year vice president voiced Seoha's objection for her.
With both the vice president and Seoha's eyes on her, Chaerin laid out her reasoning.
"The festival's at the end of October, so yeah, there's over a month left... but in between there's the midterms, and remedial classes, and the Chuseok holiday, too."
Seoha nodded slowly along.
Back when she was a first-year council officer, she remembered students who skipped meetings claiming it was exam season, or sent completely clueless friends in their place citing supplementary lessons.
Besides, this year's Chuseok holiday was an extra-long golden break compared to last year's.
"...I suppose there's no telling what might come up, so gathering everyone early to prepare wouldn't hurt."
The second-year vice president seemed to have reached much the same conclusion.
"Then let's start preparations a little early this time. I'll run it by the school."
There wasn't a trace of hesitation in Seoha's decision.
The council officers nodded along. There was no urgent council business at the moment, and nobody had a reason to say no to festival preparations.
"Chaerin, thank you. That really helped."
Receiving her beloved senior's thanks, Chaerin quietly clenched her fist beneath the desk and rejoiced in silence.
Seoha smiled faintly, picturing Yeoncheong in the annex club room.
Recommending her as class president hadn't been a calculated move with this in mind, but the result had served her well.
"Ahtchoo!"
Yeoncheong sneezed violently at the sudden chill that ran through her.
"Should I close the window?"
Suyeon looked up and gazed at the windows they'd opened wide, every last one.
"No, it's fine. Just a sneeze."
"Oh? Good, then."
Rubbing her nose for no particular reason, Yeoncheong asked, "So what are we doing, exactly?"
Just as Seoha had predicted, Yeoncheong was in the middle of planning the club's second-semester schedule with Suyeon.
More precisely, Suyeon was sharing a plan she'd already more or less drawn up with Yeoncheong.
"For next month, we've already arranged to volunteer at an orphanage. The month after, there's a zookeeper experience program, so I asked the teacher if we could do it. Besides that, nature exploration and tutoring elementary schoolers are also on the shortlist."
Yeoncheong's first reaction to this string of ambitious plans:
"Are you... sick or something?"
Genuine concern for her friend's health.
"What?"
Suyeon tilted her head, as if to say where did that come from?
"Usually when a person's about to die, they start doing things they never— ow!"
"I bend over backwards for you and this is what I get."
Suyeon blew on her hand and shook it out.
Yeoncheong, her sentence cut short by a smack on the back, glared at her.
"What? I'm not wrong, though. The girl who used to do nothing but hunt down scary stuff suddenly wants to do normal activities? How am I not supposed to worry?"
"You want another one?"
Suyeon's warning. Yeoncheong pushed her chair back to put distance between them.
"Come back here."
"..."
"Or should I come over there and hit you myself?"
Shhhk.
Yeoncheong dragged her chair back to Suyeon's side, and Suyeon picked up where she'd left off.
"You hate scary things so much, I gave it some thought."
"I'd have done it for you ages ago if I could..."
Suyeon pretended not to hear her friend's faint grumbling.
What was that? I definitely heard something...?
Yeoncheong stole a glance at the quietly waiting Suyeon and hesitated.
"Didn't hear you?"
"Hear what?"
"No — nothing, never mind."
Yeoncheong shook her head vigorously, blue hair whipping against her face, utterly indifferent to it.
Suyeon watched her and let out a soft laugh.
"So? Nothing to say to a friend who worked hard on this?"
Only then did Yeoncheong stop shaking her head and stare at Suyeon for a long moment.
"The scary stuff... if you really want to do it, one or two of those is fine..."
"Huh?"
Suyeon's eyes went wide. She had been expecting, naturally, an expression of thanks.
Apparently too embarrassed to repeat herself, Yeoncheong averted her gaze and wet her lips.
"If you left them all out because you were thinking of me... you can put one or two back in..."
"But you hate scary stuff."
"But you like it."
Having calmed down a little, maybe — Yeoncheong met her eyes again and went on.
"I know you weren't trying to mess with me. If it's something you love, I can go along with it."
"Say what now?"
Say what now.
Where did someone who couldn't even sit through a horror movie find this kind of confidence?
The thought escaped Suyeon's mouth before she could stop it, and she clapped a hand over it in a panic.
But a spoken word can't be taken back. Yeoncheong, having heard her, tilted her head.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
Her expression asked why anyone would question such an obvious fact. At those words, Suyeon lowered her head.
Again... it's happening again...
Yeoncheong had a habit of barging into people's hearts without warning.
She took kindness for granted and returned it doubled. And whenever you let your guard down at her occasional airheaded moments, she'd slip right in like this and counterattack before you knew it.
A friend who kept her company even in the things she hated, all because they were friends.
Suyeon couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if the relationship between the two of them weren't friendship but something more — and a happy smile bloomed across her face like something out of a painting.
Yeoncheong grew wary of her friend's strange behavior.
"What? Why are you grinning to yourself?"
"Huh?"
As a startled Suyeon fumbled for words, Yeoncheong snickered.
"You that happy I gave you permission? Then how about you compliment me for once."
Yeoncheong planted a hand on her hip and squared her shoulders despite having no idea where this was going.
And it was such an endearing sight.
Before she knew it, Suyeon had reached out and started stroking Yeoncheong's hair.
Perhaps she hadn't expected praise in this form — her blue eyes wavered wildly.
"Um... Suyeon?"
Only then did Suyeon come to her senses and ruffled Yeoncheong's hair into a mess.
"Ah! What was that for?"
Watching Yeoncheong hurriedly smooth her hair back down with her hands, Suyeon began to grow worried.
To beat Seoha, she needed to make Yeoncheong fall for her first.
But somehow, she had a feeling she'd be the one falling head over heels instead.