The Joy of Seeing My Efforts Bear Fruit
It was truly wonderful to be able to see with my own eyes the results of my hard work.
The truth I had felt when I diligently did part-time jobs was especially strong today.
So why did I suddenly start thinking about this? Because the fruits of my efforts had finally ripened.
I had started taking actions to treat my addiction, and quite some time had passed. Whether my efforts were being watched or not, Yeon Byeori’s attitude had finally started to noticeably change.
There were many moments when I put my phone down. In the past, I would have spent more than half my awake hours staring at my phone, but now it seemed I was only looking at about half… no, even less than half of it.
And I never missed those opportunities.
As soon as I confirmed that Byeori was putting her phone down, I stood up from my seat.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Yeah. I’ve finished everything I had to do. Were you watching?”
“Just happened to be. Coincidence.”
I returned to the barracks and headed to Yeon Byeori’s seat at the time that had been arranged in advance.
Originally, I would have had to stick to my seat staring at my phone, but there was no such thing now.
The sight of her standing up from her seat as if brushing off the dust after just a little more effort made it seem like she was completely shaking off something.
“…The two of you seem pretty close.”
Kim Heejin asked in a casual tone, as if noticing our interaction.
“Harang, where are you going?”
Jeong Seung-ah added another shot.
There was nothing to hide. It wasn’t something embarrassing in front of others.
However, in this situation, it took priority to accommodate Byeori. Even if I didn’t know, Byeori might not want to reveal it, right?
“Harang really likes me. She asked me to do something together. I’m stepping away for a bit to do that.”
As if trying to prove that what I said was right, Byeori said it like that. Her speech was a way of subtly hiding the truth while revealing important parts.
“What are you talking about, Harang?”
Jeong Seung-ah looked at me.
Her usual eye smile was gone, replaced by a flat, gloomy expression. The scene that would make even sitting still cause one’s calves to cramp was created.
“…Whoa.”
The first one to react to that was an unexpected person.
“Hey, I warned you in advance that Seung-ah gets scary when she’s angry.”
Han Jihye looked back and forth between Jeong Seung-ah and me and offered advice.
Since it was a person who jumped in headfirst if something looked fun, my trust in her jumped even higher.
I looked at Jeong Seung-ah. Even though Han Jihye had spoken, she gave no glance toward that side. She only looked at me.
Those golden eyes… what were they thinking?
Wait, no? The black ratio seemed to be increasing. It was getting cloudy in real time.
“What are you talking about, Harang?”
The exact same sentence without a single word changed. It was clear she wanted a reply to what Byeori had said.
“Just that we promised to do something together. Like exercising with Kim Heejin Superhuman.”
Kim Heejin’s ears perked up as I paused and observed the situation. But before Kim Heejin could say anything, Jeong Seung-ah quickly interjected.
“What are you doing together? Can I join too?”
“I don’t mind… but I don’t know how Yeon Byeori Superhuman will feel. How about it?”
“Hmm, well? What do you want to do, Seung-ah?”
“I want to join. I want to do it together.”
Direct answer. Sincerity in her voice.
“Huh? Um… still, how do we do this? It’s really private.”
“It’s fine.”
“No no. It’s not about Harang, it’s private matters between me and her. It seems it won’t work, right?”
“Byeori. Why are you like this?”
Han Jihye called out to Yeon Byeori.
Normally, Byeori would say “Okay?” or “Do it yourself,” but the reason she was flatly denying it now was because of that.
“What did you mean?”
“Normally, I’d just not let things slide and reject it casually. Nothing serious in what I’m saying.”
“Is that so?”
“Originally, what would I say to someone who’s lived here for a long time? All I can say is about Seo Harang.”
Why!
Suddenly, a spark flew, and I felt like crying.
“So, what is it? You can tell at least that much, right?”
“Well… there’s something I do with Harang. It’s a private matter.”
“That’s the same thing as before. What are you helping with?”
“That’s a secret.”
“Really? That’s too much.”
Han Jihye, who said it was too much with words but didn’t feel like digging deeper, since her interest had faded, lay back down on her seat and started staring at her phone again.
But another senior wasn’t like that, so probably Kim Heejin had more she wanted to know.
“…Even if I say Jeong Seung-ah won’t allow it, am I okay?”
“Kim Heejin Superhuman’s words? No.”
“Why? What are the two of you doing?”
“That’s…”
“Except for Byeori, tell me, Harang.”
“Me?”
“Well, you. You know I don’t like it when unnie says something twice, right?”
Kim Heejin’s stern expression, seen after a long time. Maybe because I hadn’t seen it recently, it felt like my heart was shaking more than before.
While her unique shark-like teeth glistened in the distance, waiting desperately for me to open my mouth. But I…! I was in a position to protect the secret with Byeori…!
“Harang is making it difficult, Kim Heejin Superhuman.”
“Huh? What nonsense? If I tell you the whole thing, you’d just let it slide, right?”
“The expression on your face says you won’t just let it slide at all. Before I know it, my eyebrows will be completely straight lines, like your abs.”
At Yeon Byeori’s words, Kim Heejin touched her own forehead. After smoothing out the slightly wrinkled part with her fingers, she looked back at me again.
“Done? Now you’re willing to tell me?”
“That’s not something Yeon Byeori Superhuman—”
“Hey, am I higher rank or is she?”
If I were pressed by rank, I couldn’t do anything. I sent a sorry look toward Byeori.
“Kim Heejin Superhuman. Pressing by rank is cowardly.”
“Isn’t it cowardly to hide a secret from a senior while the two of you plot?”
“If you say it like that, I have nothing more to say. It can’t be helped. I wasn’t planning to hide it for long anyway. I’m just killing time for a bit.”
“Killing time? Where are you doing something?”
“Parents? Well… nothing special. There’s study time and…”
“Study? What study?”
“You know my ability, right? Finding weak spots or vulnerabilities related to gates and monsters. I was going to tell you a bit about that, but today I’m going to meditate instead.”
“…Meditation.”
Jeong Seung-ah muttered. Then, slowly turning her head, she looked at me.
Click, creak.
The chin that turned like a rusty machine, struggling. The cloudy eyes attached to it.
Those eyes were directly asking me. ‘Could it be that you’re talking about our secret place?’
I quickly shook my head. I had my own sense and sense of shame. There was no way I was going to think about encroaching on Jeong Seung-ah’s private space for mental clarification.
The place where I meditated with Byeori was a quiet place I had found on my own. Of course, it wasn’t as quiet as the place with Jeong Seung-ah.
Jeong Seung-ah, who had briefly regained stability because her territory hadn’t been invaded, but the conversation wasn’t over yet.
“Why suddenly meditation?”
“I’ve been getting too deep into it lately, haven’t I? With my phone and all that stuff?”
“Well… that’s true.”
“So, as thanks for Harang teaching me study, I’m receiving meditation training. It seems to be showing some effect.”
Tears of emotion welled up at Yeon Byeori’s words that there was an effect. I hadn’t been doing useless work!
“Huh? That’s great.”
“Thank you. Then, shall we slowly…”
“I’ll do it together too.”
“…Kim Heejin Superhuman’s words too?”
“Why, can’t I? I have a lot on my mind lately too?”
She probably had a lot on her mind about family-related matters.
“I didn’t say it’s not allowed.”
Yeon Byeori, who didn’t know the situation well, nodded her head and gave permission.
Since Yeon Byeori was the main subject of this schedule, if she approved, I would approve along with her.
“Then the three of us—”
“I can join too, right?”
“…Seung-ah, you too?”
“Ah, Jeong Seung-ah Superhuman joining would be much better. Originally, the one who taught me meditation was Jeong Seung-ah Superhuman.”
Yeon Byeori, who had received my endorsement, nodded her head. Like when I had said it to Kim Heejin earlier, she was nodding with a bit of reluctance.
It was probably because of her mood. Because Yeon Byeori was the type who bashed things on top of indifference.
We headed to the meditation place together with four people.
In reality, even if there were more people, the quiet atmosphere was the basics, so there was no pressure.
My thoughts matched exactly. With eyes closed, we created silence, and all surrounding noises disappeared, replaced by the sounds of nature.
…It should have been.
“Um…”
I opened my eyes.
None of the three were concentrating.
In this situation, whether I was strangely focusing with eyes closed or the three were focusing on me, they were all looking at me.
“Eh.”
“Um.”
They had already been caught, so Jeong Seung-ah and Kim Heejin quickly closed their eyes as if trying to hide with ‘ugh.’
Unlike the two of them, Byeori didn’t seem to care about hiding her own actions.
“Could there be something on my face?”
“No? Just.”
Just? What does that mean?
Just as I was about to ask for the reason, Yeon Byeori let it slip with a casual tone.
“Ah, I owe a debt. Because of gambling.”
“…What?”
Kim Heejin’s reaction of disbelief. It seemed she had been hiding it properly. The completely surprised reaction, as if hearing it for the first time.
“What nonsense?”
“I didn’t touch gambling?”
“Yeah. But you were restraining yourself, weren’t you?”
“No. I really messed it all up.”
“You were hiding it?”
“Yes. I hid it because I didn’t think I could get help.”
“Then why did you reveal it now?”
“Harang helped. Even though she said it was okay and not to touch it, it kept coming closer. In the end, I lost. She really had a big heart.”
“That’s true.”
Kim Heejin showed a face of agreement to that. I didn’t deny it either.
“So, what? You want help? To repay the debt?”
“Don’t think that. Originally, I only wanted to come with Harang.”
Kim Heejin pressed her forehead with her thumb.
“Fine, I’ll take that you didn’t tell. So? Have you stopped now?”
“I haven’t completely stopped. But it has decreased a lot.”
“Meditation helped?”
Yeon Byeori shook her head.
It wasn’t because of meditation? It was embarrassing to feel so pleased!
To erase the embarrassing feeling, I squinted my eyes. As my vision darkened, my hearing sharpened and caught Yeon Byeori’s voice.
“Besides that, I found something more meaningful.”
“What is it?”
“There’s such a thing.”
“Wow, just living alone in this world.”
Kim Heejin’s sigh mixed with the wind sound.
It was a day where I could clearly see that Yeon Byeori’s condition had improved.