No One In This World Is Worth Trusting
I was in the middle of that gut-wrenching realization that there’s no one in this world you can trust when my saviors appeared.
“H-hey!”
It was Park Heena and senior Han Yuhyeon. What a coincidence. I immediately raised my hand and waved it like a madman.
“Baquibug, nice to see you. Where you headed?”
Normally she would’ve exploded at my words, but her reaction was weirdly off.
“O-oh! Yeah. Huni-huni Seokhun, hi there!”
Park Heena’s attitude was awkward and exaggerated, almost exactly like mine right now. I glanced sideways to figure out why and immediately spotted the cause of that unnatural behavior.
‘It’s because of senior Han Yuhyeon next to her.’
She kept forcing a smile while subtly trying to put distance between herself and him. Senior Han Yuhyeon also awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth.
“It’s been a while, Ajin, hasn’t it?”
“H-hello.”
“Were you heading to the east building? Let’s go together.”
He didn’t even spare me a single glance as he spoke only to Kang Ajin. What the hell? Treating the person right in front of him like he was invisible felt seriously insulting.
‘I heard rumors that this senior is a total womanizer. Guess they’re true.’
No wonder he kept sneaking glances at the girls during yesterday’s group project. I remembered now.
“Ah, who was next to you again? Choi Seokhun, right?”
“…Yes, senior. I’m Choi Seokhun, class of ’23.”
“You were heading to the east building too?”
“No. Honestly, I feel like I’m just butting in every time, so I’m planning to hold back for a while.”
“That makes sense. It did look pretty bad, some random guy who isn’t even in the theater club constantly hanging around.”
…Is that how it was? The other seniors had always welcomed me. I guess it was all just polite lip service. Looks like I really should keep my distance for now.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Good, good. Then you should head on your way. We’ll get going too.”
It was a blatant order to get lost. Right after, the senior gave Kang Ajin a meaningful look, sending her a silent signal.
Yep. This guy is completely obsessed with girls! What a massive weirdo, haha.
Still, since he was a senior, I decided to step back.
“Yes, senior. See you la—?”
Suddenly Park Heena shot me a pitiful, desperate look, begging for help. Those sad, watery eyes were impossible to ignore. She clearly needed me right now. I couldn’t blame her. Being stuck with the already uncomfortable senior Han Yuhyeon plus the awkward Kang Ajin must have been unbearable.
But what could I do? When a senior tells you to scram, you scram.
“Have a good one!”
I bowed at a perfect ninety degrees and walked off briskly. Even then, Park Heena’s eyes followed me, but I only quickened my pace.
‘Stop staring. What do you want me to do about it?’
I hurried my steps toward wherever her gaze couldn’t reach. Only after the distance between us had grown did I finally escape the sting of my guilty conscience.
‘Hang in there, Baquibug.’
Wishing her luck while she suffered was both a bonus and the last scrap of my conscience. I’d probably get cursed out next time we met, but I’d worry about that later. The present was what mattered.
“Heh heh. Time to head back to the dorm and crush some ranked games.”
Then, out of nowhere, I felt someone grab the back of my hoodie. My head turned automatically, and I came face to face with a certain woman.
“Yeri noona…?”
“Correct.”
“I… have to go with you, don’t I?”
“Also correct.”
“…”
I pleaded in a completely drained voice.
“Noona. Please.”
“Hehe! No can do!”
And so, about ten minutes later.
“Ohh, welcome back.”
“Seokhun again, huh.”
“Wow, man, your face looks like you’re about to drop dead. Yeri dragged you here again, didn’t she?”
I exchanged greetings with the club seniors who had basically become my neighbors now and stepped inside. Sigh… I really had ranked games to grind today.
“Noona. I’ll walk on my own two feet. Can you please let go of my hoodie?”
“I don’t trust you~ Just come along nicely~”
“…”
As I trudged forward like a defeated soldier, sympathetic words floated around me.
“You really are pitiful at this point.”
“For real. Of all people, why did it have to be Han Yeri?”
“Seniors, can you please stop her? I have no free time left.”
“Ahem, well…”
“I’ll… try. Anyway, hang in there, Seokhun.”
I only learned much later that every single one of those words was fake sympathy. They’d say stuff like “That’s so sad” or “Thanks for your hard work,” but in reality they were all snitches feeding Han Yeri my location.
……
There really isn’t a single trustworthy person in this world.
# Theater Club CNC.
The atmosphere was so bright and lively it felt completely alien to an outsider like me. Along with that cheerful vibe came the usual rumors about CNC. I’d heard them here and there.
They supposedly worked their asses off when it was time to work and partied even harder when it was time to play.
But.
‘Aren’t these people supposed to be club members?’
Instead of working hard, all I saw was them working hard at slacking off. Today too, the seniors and juniors had brought board games and were chatting away. Witnessing their true nature completely shattered the illusion I once held about the theater club. They always seemed to be playing around whenever I saw them—when exactly did they do any actual work?
“Seokhun, what do you want to eat? Just say the word. This noona will make anything you want.”
Han Yeri spoke in a refreshingly sweet voice. Her tone alone could trick anyone into thinking she was an angel, but her true nature was pure demon.
“Garlic steak for me.”
“Mmm~ Okay! I’ll make you ramen that tastes like garlic steak.”
“Is that even possible?”
There was only ramen anyway, so why even ask? By the way, the glare from senior Han Yuhyeon sitting across from me was burning a hole through me. He looked visibly displeased, like he found my presence extremely annoying.
‘Yeah. Of course he would.’
He had literally just told me not to come, and yet here I was less than five minutes later. Anyone would be pissed.
‘Sorry, but I didn’t want to come either.’
Still, I put on a poker face, smiled, and gave senior Han Yuhyeon a small bow. He fixed his expression and smiled back. Of course, forcing a smile over a scowl only made it look unnatural and left me feeling even more uncomfortable.
‘Haha. Guess I’m on his bad side now.’
I wanted to protest and vent my frustration, but I decided to just accept it humbly. Not everyone in the world was going to like me. And getting hated didn’t mean I had to shrink away. Mm-hmm. I nodded in understanding.
“What the—! Hey, you! You said you weren’t coming!”
Park Heena suddenly appeared beside me and pointed an accusing finger, her voice laced with irritation. She must’ve been holding a grudge from earlier as she started scolding me.
“That was a lie?! You traitor! If you were coming anyway, you should’ve come with us!”
“What was I supposed to do? Senior Han Yuhyeon was right there. How was I supposed to butt in?”
“Ugh, that’s exactly why you should’ve butted in! That senior makes me uncomfortable.”
“Why? You don’t get along with him?”
My blunt question made her expression turn strange.
“I-it’s not that I hate him or anything. He’s just… uncomfortable. The way he clings is way too obvious.”
“Ooh? Really? Guess senior Yuhyeon likes you.”
“Ugh, right? I feel that way too. The rumor’s already going around among the others. But that just makes it more burdensome. How should I put it…?”
She paused, letting out a thoughtful hum before continuing carefully.
“He’s completely different on the inside. Like his smile is super fake?”
“Wow, Park Heena. I didn’t expect you to talk behind a senior’s back like that.”
“N-no, that’s not what I mean. Just… seriously, don’t tell him I said that.”
That was a bit surprising. Most good-looking guys tended to be nice too, but it seemed senior Han Yuhyeon wasn’t one of them.
“Anyway! Stop changing the subject! You said you were going to the east building, so why are you here?”
“Well. I got kidnapped by the demon known as Yeri noona. I was all set for ranked games too…”
Speak of the devil. Han Yeri was walking over with two cups of ramen in her hands. I stood up and took them from her.
“Thanks~”
“Ah, hello, unnie.”
“It’s Heena. Hi. Want some ramen too?”
“Yes, please. Oh, by the way, did you hear what this guy was saying about you behind your back? He called you a demonic kidnapper and everything.”
“Pffft. It’s true though.”
The fact that she didn’t even deny it meant she still had some conscience left.
“Eat mine first, Heena. I’ll just boil another one.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll boil mine. You eat that one, unnie.”
“It’s fine, really. I was actually craving buldak ramen anyway, so I was going to make a new one. You can have this.”
“I’m fine too! I feel bad taking it from a senior.”
Watching the two of them go back and forth in an endless exchange of politeness, I let out a deep sigh. They’d get it done faster if they just went and poured water into new cups. Growing impatient, I handed one of the ramen cups I was holding to Park Heena.
“Just eat mine. I already had ramen this morning, so I’m kinda sick of it.”
“Ooh~ Thanks. I’ll forgive you for ditching me earlier with this.”
“If you already ate ramen this morning, you should’ve said so. I would’ve made you jjajang ramen or something.”
“It’s okay. I’ll make it myself. You and Baquibug can enjoy your cozy little date.”
“Huh? Baquibug? Pffft! Is that what you call her because her name is Park Heena?”
Park Heena shot me a murderous glare. Sensing I might actually get hit if I stayed, I quickly made my escape.
“Ah, Seokhun! Bring some kimchi too! It’s in the fridge when you open the door!”
“Got it.”
I headed toward the storage room where the food was kept. Feeling a bit lonely just walking, I kept my eyes on my phone as I moved. Finally free from those two women, I could breathe again. This was healing. Pure healing.
‘Hmm. Looks like she’s working hard on her writing again today.’
Not too far away, I spotted Kang Ajin. As always, she was tucked away in a corner, typing away on her laptop. Seeing her work so diligently gave me a silent sense of expectation, but the pest next to her ruined the whole mood.
‘That senior is bothering her again.’
Senior Han Yuhyeon was chattering away beside her. Even from a distance I could faintly hear him talking about the group project. Actually, it was less of a conversation and more like him unilaterally announcing things. He was the only one getting excited and talking nonstop. Ugh, it was seriously annoying to watch.