Drifting Apart
The evening before. When Lee Yu-ri got home, her heart was still hammering so hard she had to press both hands to her flushed cheeks just to calm down.
“I’m home…”
From the living room sofa, her older sister—who was sprawled out in nothing but her underwear watching TV—poked her head up at the sound of the front door.
Her brown-dyed hair was neatly styled in a layered perm. Like her little sister, she had long lashes, but instead of a mole beneath her eye, hers sat just beside her mouth. Her figure was a touch less voluptuous than Yu-ri’s, yet she was still an undeniable beauty who ranked well above average.
“You’re back? Coming home this late on the very first day of the semester? Damn, the student council president must actually be busy~”
“Huh? Uh… yeah.”
“Wait, what’s up with her?”
Lee Yu-min immediately sensed something was off with her little sister. She sat up and walked over.
“Why is your face so red? And your eyes look totally out of it.”
“What? N-no, nothing happened at all.”
“Bullshit. You’ve never made a face like that in your life. Hmm… With this big sister’s incredible sixth sense, I’d say… it’s a guy! Right!?”
Yu-ri flinched hard and shoved her sister away.
“What are you even talking about? It’s not like that! Go put some clothes on already!”
“Who is it? Who? That same guy you used to hang out with? What was his name again? Gong Bae-young?”
“It’s Gong Yeong-bae! And it’s not him! Hah…”
The moment the slip left her mouth, Yu-ri knew she’d screwed up. Yu-min’s eyes lit up like a cat that had spotted a fish, and she pressed in even closer.
“Oh my god, look at you! So there is another guy? Then what about Gong Yeong-bae? Is he just an enjoy? Our little sister’s learned how to manage a whole roster? You really are a grown woman now! So who’s the new one? Is he hot? What’s he like? Have you already done it with him?”
“I said it’s not like that! And ‘done it’? Who’s the older sister here?! I’m going to shower, so move!”
Yu-ri shoved her sister aside, stormed into her room, and slammed the door shut. Yu-min flopped back onto the sofa with a dramatic sigh.
“Ugh… Your big sister is about to get straight-up ghosted, but the little sister’s already running a whole damn harem. The world really is unfair. So unfair.”
……
After her shower and dinner, Lee Yu-ri couldn’t stop feeling the memory of Han Seong-jin’s broad, solid back against her cheek. It refused to leave her alone.
I’m losing it… I’ve never felt anything like that with Yeong-bae, not even once… and it was with the academy’s top delinquent, of all people… I really must be crazy…
No matter how hard she tried to erase the memory, the physical sensation lingered on her skin like it had been burned there. Then her thoughts drifted to the lunchbox she had made Han Seong-jin spill earlier.
Ah… he did say that was supposed to be his dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast…
It wasn’t much, but he had thrown away his own food to save her. No matter how much she hated delinquents like him, Yu-ri’s conscience wouldn’t let her pretend nothing had happened.
She squeezed her eyes shut, made up her mind, and stood up.
Fine. I’ll just pay back the debt, that’s all! If I don’t, who knows what excuse he’ll use to mess with me later? I’m just eliminating any future trouble!
She headed to the kitchen and began cooking, pouring every bit of her skill into it.
“You’re really putting on a whole performance, huh?” came her sister Yu-min’s grumbling from behind her.
#####
“So you really made this lunchbox with your own two hands?”
“Y-yeah! There’s absolutely no other meaning behind it, so don’t get any weird ideas! I just stuffed some leftovers from home, that’s all!”
I had been starving. I’d only eaten a single triangle kimbap that morning to save money and couldn’t afford a new lunchbox yet. So when Yu-ri’s lunchbox appeared in front of me, it felt like a rope from heaven.
When I lifted the lid, I found perfectly steamed white rice, vienna sausages drizzled with ketchup, well-fried anchovies, kimchi stir-fry, and even rolled omelette—literally everything you could want.
“Sniff sniff. Mmm~ That smell~ Our dear president must have poured her heart into this, because even the aroma is on another level.”
“W-who said anything about pouring my heart into it! It’s just repayment for the debt I owed you yesterday, okay!? And class is about to start soon—why are you opening it already?”
“It clearly took you a lot of effort. It’d be a shame to let it get cold. Besides, I only had one triangle kimbap this morning. I’m starving.”
I immediately picked up the spoon she had packed and started eating. Yu-ri’s homemade lunchbox tasted every bit as good as it looked—way better than anything from the convenience store.
Before first period even began, I was already digging into a lunchbox in the classroom, so naturally every student’s eyes snapped toward me. I didn’t care, but Yu-ri, who was leaning against the windowsill beside my desk, looked like she wanted to sink into the floor from all the stares. She kept her head down, completely flustered.
So, once again, I stepped in to save her.
“Hey. What the hell are you all staring at? Never seen someone eat before? You’re making it impossible for a guy to enjoy his meal.”
“Hiiik…!”
The moment I put a little force into my voice, the students all whipped back around and stared desperately at the front of the room.
After I’d terrorized the entire class and gone back to eating like nothing happened, Yu-ri muttered,
“Did you really have to scare them like that?”
“You were the one who looked uncomfortable with all those eyes on you.”
“T-that’s not the point! You could have said it more gently!”
“That doesn’t suit me.”
While Yu-ri let out a tiny sigh, I demolished the lunchbox like I was inhaling it. When she saw the empty container—not a single grain of rice left—her eyes widened.
“You ate all of it?”
“It was good, so it went down easy. And anyway, when someone makes you food, the polite thing to do is finish every bite out of respect for their effort.”
“I-is that so…? Ahem. Then give me the container back.”
“What, are you gonna keep it in your bag until school ends? It’ll smell and everything will dry up and stick. I’ll wash it properly and give it back later, so just leave it.”
“You’re… going to wash dishes?”
“What, you think I can’t?”
“No, it’s not about whether you can or can’t. It’s just… the image of you doing dishes is so unexpected I don’t even know what to say…”
Right then the classroom door opened and our homeroom teacher walked in for morning attendance.
“Alright, everyone here? Let’s take attendance—hm? Sniff sniff. Wait a second, what’s that smell? Who ate food in here?”
The teacher had caught the scent of the lunchbox I’d just finished. He wrinkled his nose.
“Who the hell eats lunch in the classroom first thing in the morning and makes the whole room stink? Who was it!”
“I did.”
My after-school cleaning duty got extended by three more days.
#####
Back in her seat, Lee Yu-ri couldn’t stop replaying Han Seong-jin’s words in her head. The way he had eaten every last grain of rice from the lunchbox she made him.
When someone makes you food, the polite thing to do is finish every bite out of respect for their effort.
Yeong-bae… never once finished any of the lunchboxes I made him…
Back in elementary and middle school, during field trips or festivals, she had packed lunch for Gong Yeong-bae several times. But he had never finished a single one. His reasons were always different—his appetite was small, he was already full, he didn’t want to gain weight, and so on.
She never said anything, but every time more than half the lunchbox came back untouched, it had quietly hurt her. Is my cooking not good? Did I do something pointless for Yeong-bae again?
But Han Seong-jin kept telling her how incredibly delicious her food was. He even said things that seemed completely out of character for him—like that it must have taken a lot of effort, or that finishing it was basic manners out of respect for the person who cooked. For the first time, Yu-ri saw someone truly enjoy her lunchbox.
Even though that someone was the hopeless delinquent Han Seong-jin, she couldn’t deny the satisfaction and joy blooming in her chest. And after he finished eating, he even offered to wash the container himself so she wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle.
Had Gong Yeong-bae ever shown her that kind of consideration even once?
Yu-ri stopped herself before the comparisons could go any further.
Stop thinking about pointless stuff. People are just different, that’s all. It’s not that he’s better, and it’s not that Yeong-bae is weird. Yeah.
But no matter what she told herself, she couldn’t stop her heart from racing.
Meanwhile, Gong Yeong-bae sat at his desk biting his nails, stealing glances at Yu-ri. In just a single day, her attitude toward Han Seong-jin had visibly softened. The same Yu-ri who used to find it disgusting to even breathe the same air as delinquents like him had personally made a lunchbox and brought it to that bastard.
Yuri… that lunchbox… you didn’t bring it for me? You’ve never made one for anyone else… Why would you do it for a delinquent piece of trash like him…?
Gong Yeong-bae refused to accept reality and clutched his head.
It must be… he must have something on her. There’s no way Yu-ri would do anything for a guy she hates that much otherwise. I’ll talk to her slowly later. Yeah.
He calmed himself down, deciding he would speak with her during lunch. He had no idea that doing so would only drive the two of them further apart.