The Difference Between You and Me
The Thursday after-school exams for the social studies subjects finally brought the four-day April pop quiz period to a close.
"Han Seong-jin, how many points did you get? What, like forty? Thirty?"
"Beats me. I don't even remember what I wrote on the answer sheet, so guessing my score feels pointless. But why the hell are you already talking like you've won?"
"Pfft. Trying to drag it out because you don't want to get humiliated? Whatever. The results come out next week anyway. Go ahead and enjoy these last few days before your public execution. The day those scores drop is gonna be the day you drop out from sheer embarrassment."
Jeong Eun-ji let out a sneering laugh, utterly convinced of her victory. She grabbed her bag and gym clothes and walked off without another word. Even though the exams were over, she still had her real priority—track and field—to worry about. It looked like she was heading straight into afternoon practice.
A few minutes after Jeong Eun-ji left the classroom, Lee Yu-ri finished her own score-checking and walked over to me.
"How'd the test go?"
"Not bad. I actually studied pretty hard for once. So, what reward are you gonna give me?"
"You don't even know your score yet and that's the only thing you're interested in?"
"Nah. The only thing I'm interested in is you."
"Ugh... There you go again..."
"You don't like it?"
"......No."
Lee Yu-ri looked embarrassed, but she no longer hated or avoided it when I acted like this. Meanwhile, Gong Yeong-bae was fidgeting restlessly in the seat right in front of me, clearly bothered by something...
I wanted to sit her on my lap just to show off, but she was still too shy. She'd probably refuse if other people were around. Maybe I'd save that until after I'd completely marked her as mine.
Even as our classmates gradually packed up and headed home, Lee Yu-ri stayed right by my desk. She kept glancing at me like an anxious puppy that wanted something, shifting her weight from foot to foot. I couldn't help but grin.
"Why are you still hanging around like that?"
"Well... since the exams are over, today we should—"
"Sen~pai~♥ Are you still here? Oh, you are!"
But before Lee Yu-ri could finish, an intruder appeared. A girl with dyed blonde hair in a side ponytail, lightly tanned skin, and a pair of outrageously large breasts that bounced wildly with every step. Choi Su-yeon smiled brightly when she saw me, waving as she approached. In contrast, Lee Yu-ri's expression turned downright hostile.
Before Choi Su-yeon could reach me, however, Gong Yeong-bae shot up from his seat and hurried over to her first.
"Su-yeon, exams are done. Want to hang out for the first time in a while? Last time you got sick and we had to leave early, remember?"
His voice sounded strangely desperate. He'd clearly seen her clinging all over me, yet he still seemed to believe he had a chance. Pathetic. And shameless. If he knew how much we'd already groped each other and how deeply our tongues had tangled, wouldn't he just pass out?
...Lee Yu-ri would probably faint too.
When Gong Yeong-bae suddenly stepped in front of her, Choi Su-yeon paused for a second. Then she flashed him a bright smile.
"Sorry, sunbae. I think I already have plans today. Hehe."
......The phrase "I think I have plans" didn't make any sense. You either had plans or you didn't. Still, Choi Su-yeon used that ridiculous excuse to turn him down. By now, her heart already belonged to Han Seong-jin. Gong Yeong-bae no longer held any meaning for her.
In fact, she seemed even more done with him than Lee Yu-ri, who still refused to make eye contact or speak to him. The smile she gave Gong Yeong-bae wasn't forced, nor was it filled with malice meant to screw with him. Her feelings toward him had died so completely that she felt neither resentment, anger, nor hatred. She could treat him with casual indifference in a way even Lee Yu-ri couldn't manage anymore.
After lightly brushing off Gong Yeong-bae's invitation, Choi Su-yeon walked over to me and gave Lee Yu-ri a tiny mocking smirk. Then she leaned forward, pressing her chest against my desk, and looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Seong-jin sunbae, it's been a while since we've had any free time during the day. How about it? Want to go out and grab lunch together?"
"Hey, I was talking to you first," Lee Yu-ri cut in immediately.
Choi Su-yeon let out a small laugh and looked down at her with open contempt.
"You weren't saying anything, though? So I spoke up first. Is there a problem with that?"
"Ugh... Hah. Han Seong-jin! Let's... let's go eat together."
I watched the two of them for a moment, amused, then answered.
"You both want to have lunch with me, but if I only go with one of you, the other will get hurt. It's a tough choice. How about we all go together today? I finally got my paycheck. I've been mooching off you guys a lot, so lunch is on me."
Neither Lee Yu-ri nor Choi Su-yeon looked thrilled about the other's company, but it was still better than being left behind. They both nodded, accepting it as the lesser evil.
Then, the very next moment, I made a suggestion no one saw coming.
"Hey, Gong Yeong-bae. You were just talking about hanging out with Su-yeon, right? You wanna come too? If you do, you're welcome to join. But you'll pay for yourself. How about it?"
"?!"
"Hey, Han Seong-jin!"
A startled Lee Yu-ri smacked my arm, but it was already too late.
"M-me... you're inviting me too?"
"Not forcing you. Only if you want to come."
Gong Yeong-bae agonized for a long moment before answering in a tiny, crawling voice.
"...I'll go."
This bastard really has no pride at all.
Lee Yu-ri pinched my arm with a terrifying expression. I gave her a light wink to calm her down. She whispered in a low voice.
"Hey, you know I fought with Gong Yeong-bae! Why are you doing this?!"
"I saw how he keeps clinging to you because he can't let go. Instead of letting him keep bothering you like this, I figured it'd be better to just give him one afternoon and make him stop annoying you. Sorry for deciding on my own."
Of course, I hadn't set this up for Gong Yeong-bae's sake. What I wanted was Lee Yu-ri.
From the way Choi Su-yeon and Lee Yu-ri treated Gong Yeong-bae, I could clearly see the difference between them. Even after everything that bastard had done, Choi Su-yeon still maintained a civil relationship with him. She didn't avoid him when he spoke to her and could hold normal conversations. It wasn't because she still liked him. It was the complete opposite.
But Lee Yu-ri couldn't hide her anger toward him. Whenever he came near, she blatantly turned her body away or avoided his gaze. Even though the walls around her heart had mostly crumbled and we'd grown quite intimate, that last tiny bit of lingering attachment hadn't disappeared yet.
Unlike Choi Su-yeon, whose affection had completely evaporated without a trace, Lee Yu-ri still had ten years of childhood friendship left in her heart. That's why her break from him wasn't as clean.
Today, I planned to completely shake off even that last handful of lingering feelings inside her. By showing her exactly who truly loved her, and who was the superior male.
......
We ate at a restaurant in the bustling area near the subway station, then moved on to the arcade.
"Wait... this place is full of delinquents..."
Gong Yeong-bae hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. He'd never been to a place like this before. But Lee Yu-ri, who'd already fallen far from grace, walked inside with a bright smile.
It was true that a lot of delinquents came here, but it wasn't as trashy as the neighborhood where I lived. Plenty of couples visited too.
I gave Gong Yeong-bae's back a firm slap and shoved him inside.
"Come on, man. What's the point of coming here if you're gonna hang back? Go have some fun."
"Here? What's fun about wasting time in a place like this..."
"Just try it, you idiot. Go over there."
I pushed him onto the DDR platform. Almost at the same time, Lee Yu-ri stepped up beside him. When she realized Gong Yeong-bae—not me—was standing next to her, she turned to me with a sour look.
"You're not playing?"
"I'll play after this round. You guys go first."
Before she could say anything else, I dropped the coins in. Music started playing and a flood of arrows poured down the screen.
Lee Yu-ri danced with her usual energy, hopping around happily. But Gong Yeong-bae...
"Huh? What is this? Why would anyone even find this fun..."
Full of prejudice against places like this and never having liked them in the first place, he half-heartedly stomped in place a few times before getting a game over. Even though Lee Yu-ri was dancing right beside him, he just stepped down.
"What? You're already dead?"
"Yeah. I don't know how to do it and it's not even fun... I don't get why people like this stuff."
Lee Yu-ri shot him a terrifying glare. Distracted, she missed an arrow and died too.
"Ah? Damn it..."
Annoyed by Gong Yeong-bae constantly killing the mood, and now that the game was over, she let out an irritated sigh and stepped off the platform.
Next up were me and Choi Su-yeon. We played DDR with real enthusiasm, stepping in perfect sync. In the background, I could hear Lee Yu-ri and Gong Yeong-bae talking.
"Yuri, let's talk properly now. I was wrong, so—"
"You don't understand people who like this kind of thing?"
Lee Yu-ri cut him off, her voice low.
"Huh? I mean, anyone who wastes their time in a place like this can't be normal, right?"
"Oh. Sorry about that."
"......?"
Couldn't you see how excited she looked while stepping on those arrows, you dense bastard? Yeong-bae. I can hear it. The sound of that last tiny bit of lingering attachment in Lee Yu-ri's heart being completely swept away.
And once it's all gone, she'll be lying underneath me.
From where I'm standing, that moment doesn't seem very far off at all.