Cross Her and You're Done
The day after I vowed to crush you, no matter who you were. I arrived at the lecture hall early in the morning, grumbling as I pushed open the door.
"Was her name Park Nahee or Park Heena?" The woman sitting nearby. The question pulled an old memory to the surface.
[Our virgin queen, Park Heena!!! Finally got a boyfriend?! Ahahaha!!!!]
Right, Park Heena. Thanks to some nameless prankster, that name was burned into my brain forever. Since we had some kind of connection, I might as well sit next to her. Better than parking myself beside a complete stranger. We were the same age too, so it should be comfortable for both of us.
—Thud. I walked straight over and dropped into the seat. Our eyes met right away.
"Oh, hi?" She recognized me first and gave a little wave.
I waved back briefly. "Mind if I sit here? I don't have any friends in this class."
"What? You sound way too proud saying that."
Heena smirked. Taking that as permission, I claimed the seat beside her.
"I heard about you from the seniors. What was your name again? Choi Seokhyun?"
"Choi Seokhun. Feels like we've met before. I'm hurt you forgot."
"Sorry—wait, no. You're not even in our club, so how would I know your name?"
She'd hit the mark, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I put on a more dejected tone to fish for sympathy.
"I remembered yours, though..."
"Huh? Really? Did we ever introduce ourselves?"
"I just happened to find out. Remember last time? All that stuff about Park Heena. It stuck in my head crystal clear."
She hummed thoughtfully, then her face flushed bright red as the memory clicked.
"Y-you crazy bastard! Hey, you! Forget that right now!"
"Pfft—why are you cursing at me, Miss Heena? Heh."
"D-don't say my name! It's seriously creepy!"
"Then how about Miss Roach?"
"That's even worse!"
"Okay, fine. Let's compromise on Cockroach."
"Are you actually insane?!"
"Hello, I'm Insane. Nice to meet you, Cockroach—ack!"
Damn, she hit hard. One punch to the stomach and my heart nearly stopped. Han Yeri noona was the same. Was brute strength the number one requirement for joining the club? Suddenly I felt nervous.
"It's Park Heena, you idiot! Who calls a girl a cockroach?! Huh? That's a huge insult!"
"W-wait, let me breathe..."
"...Hmph. From now on, call me that. Say 'cockroach' one more time and next time it's the solar plexus."
She shot me a guilty glance while I dramatically clutched my stomach and groaned. One punch and I was forgiven, huh? Felt like a terrible trade, though.
"Whew. Finally breathing again."
"Do guys really get that hurt from one hit? I didn't even swing that hard."
"You sure about that? You might be on the nine o'clock news soon."
"...Want another one?"
"Sorry."
Now I understood why Han Yeri noona loved tormenting me so much. There was something oddly satisfying about teasing this girl. I'd just have to unload all the stress I'd get from Yeri noona onto her for a while.
"By the way, you're taking this class too? I don't remember seeing you last semester."
"Yeah. I added it after the semester started. It looked weirdly interesting."
"Really? What's your major?"
"Web Creative Writing. In a way, this class is about cultural creation too, so it's not completely unrelated, right?"
This lecture was on planning and producing broadcasts, films, and dramas. I'd once dreamed of becoming a drama director, so the class had caught my interest. But why was she here? I thought she was an acting major. Maybe she was interested in filming too. Ambitious girl.
"Let's see each other often, Miss Heena."
"Sure, I don't mind. I didn't know anyone here either. Oh wait, there was one person."
"Suddenly feeling jealous. Who?"
"You know her too. Kang Ajin. We saw her a few times yesterday, scattered around."
......
What were the odds? At this point, it felt like divine intervention pushing me to revive The Novel I Discontinued Became a Masterpiece. Either way, I was all for it. I kept my expression calm despite the surprise and said, "Ah, yeah. The blonde."
"Ooh~ You remember Ajin's name too? You're surprisingly caring. A real loyal type."
"Haha. Not really. I've known Ajin for a long time."
"Oh right. You two are in the same department and same year. I didn't realize because you didn't seem close."
Yeah. Until recently, I didn't even know her name. But now I was going to try getting closer. To do that, I'd have to win over the people around her first.
"You two must be pretty close."
At my question, Heena fell into deep thought. After a moment, she gave an ambiguous answer.
"Umm~ Close, I guess...? How do I put it... Friends who can eat together?"
"What's with that lukewarm answer? Does that mean you eat together but get coffee separately?"
"No, we're just close!"
"Huh? Your voice keeps going up and down. Sounds like you're awkwardly trying to prove you're friends."
"Hey, you jerk!"
I stared at her intently, leaning forward. Closer. Closer. Closer.
"W-what are you looking at?!"
"Your ugly face."
"Oh my god, I seriously want to punch you! Can I just hit you once? Please?"
"...Hng."
I leaned back again. Well, she'd said they were close herself, so they must have some level of friendship. Perfect timing. I made my request boldly.
"If you're close, can you help me out? I want to get closer to Ajin too."
"Huh? S-suddenly?"
"That's how friendships work, right? They happen suddenly, one way or another. Just like how you just beat me up like a punching bag."
"W-well... that's true, but..."
"Why not? I really want to be friends with her."
"..."
What was this? Was there something between her and Ajin? Unlike her earlier enthusiasm, she just mumbled and hesitated. Her eyes kept darting sideways, like she was signaling something. What was over there?
Following her gaze, I spotted someone sleeping in the next seat over, wearing a gray hoodie pulled up.
...No way.
"Sorry I'm late."
While I was feeling uneasy, the professor walked in. Nah, it couldn't be.
"Let's do attendance quickly. Kim Shinwoo, Kim Suho, Kang Ajin."
......
"Student Kang Ajin? Is Kang Ajin not here?"
At the professor's repeated question, the gray hoodie lifted its head. Ajin. It was her, of course. Damn it.
She raised her hand without looking up, her face flushed.
"Ah, there you are. Next time, check attendance before you sleep, haha."
"Y-yes..."
Hmm! At least she was just sleeping, so that was a relief. I shot Ajin a pleading look, hoping she'd stay that way, and she must have felt my gaze because she looked over.
"!"
At that brief eye contact, Ajin flinched like she'd been shocked and whipped her head away. I knew exactly what that overreaction meant.
'Shit... I'm screwed...'
How do you tame a stray cat that's scared of people? You respect their boundaries and slowly imprint on them. Show them you won't hurt them. Human relationships are the same. Push too hard and they get overwhelmed. Build too high a wall and nothing changes. You have to walk that tightrope to form a real connection. Just like now.
Whoosh! Every time our eyes met, Ajin quickly looked away. If she was going to do that, she shouldn't have looked in the first place—but whenever I looked elsewhere, she'd steal another glance.
'Haha. At this rate, I might get reported as a stalker.'
Glance, look away, glance, look away. It went on endlessly until the lecture finally ended and her gaze stopped.
"......"
Unable to bear the awkwardness, I tried to slip away quickly.
"W-wait a second!"
Ajin called out and stopped me. At first, I thought I'd imagined it. Ajin, initiating conversation with me? That alone would've been shocking enough, but what she did next left me even more stunned.
"D-do you want this?"
She held out her hand. Trembling, it contained none other than—
'MyChew?'
What was this adorable gesture?
"D-do you not like MyChew?"
What the hell. What was this ridiculously cute creature?
I swallowed my surprise with a cough and answered. "...No. I like it."
"O-oh. G-good. Enjoy it. Th-then, bye-bye."
After handing me the candy, she waved and hurried off. I stood there staring blankly at her retreating back.
"Haha... hahahaha."
I really needed to get closer to her, didn't I...?
#
After a short while, I spotted Ajin in the hallway outside the lecture hall. She was talking to one of the major professors.
Hmm. Since she'd greeted me first earlier, it was my turn now. I'd say hi once their conversation ended.
While I waited, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
"Do you think this makes any sense? Huh?"
"?"
Something was off. The professor's tone, Ajin's hunched shoulders—nothing about it felt good. It almost seemed like she was being scolded...
"How can the plots be this identical? The backgrounds, even the sentence structures—everything's the same. Did you think changing a few words would hide it? That makes it even worse!"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Haah. At this level of similarity, it's basically fanfiction. Anyway, this won't be overlooked. Understood?"
"Yes..."
Listening quietly, I pieced together what they were talking about. It sounded like they were discussing an assignment from before. The problem was that Ajin had done something wrong. And that wrong thing was—
"You should at least plagiarize properly. Goodness. You can go now."
...What? Plagiarism? What kind of bullshit was this? Ajin, of all people, accused of copying someone else's work? I let out a disbelieving laugh.
'This is ridiculous. Plagiarism, my ass.'
It had to be a false accusation. Having read the novel she'd submitted as an assignment, I was certain of it. Ajin would never steal someone else's work. No matter the circumstances, she just wasn't that kind of person.
So this was... the original author and the plagiarist had switched places.
'Hah.'
I glanced at Ajin's back. Her shoulders slumped, her steps heavy and dejected. Watching her made something in my chest ache. At the same time, anger surged to the top of my head.
'Haha. Whoever you are...'
I didn't know who it was, but you—at least—you, I'll crush.
Biting my lip, I made that vow.