A Protective Pretense
I was currently walking down the street with Jeong Hayeon. Tap. At the sound of even the smallest footsteps behind her, she whipped around in alarm. Once she realized it wasn't Kane, she let out a sigh of relief. Phew. That was the tenth time she'd done that already. The moment she heard footsteps approaching from behind, she'd start trembling and glance back over her shoulder.
"..."
I looked at her. Right now, she was following along behind me, her fingers pinched tightly around the collar of my shirt. Her eyes darted around restlessly, scrutinizing every single person who passed by.
"Hey. Where's your house?"
"Huh? Huh?"
She looked startled, as if her mind had been somewhere else entirely.
"I asked where your house is."
"Just call me a taxi."
"Then wait here for a second."
"Oh. Okay."
"By the way, could you let go of that first?"
"What?"
I glanced down at my collar. Her fingers were still gripping the fabric.
"Ah... oh... I was holding on. Sorry."
"Anyway, just wait here."
"Then I'll go to the bathroom real quick."
"Sure."
Jeong Hayeon headed toward a nearby restroom. I stepped out to the curb and kept waving my hand, but no taxis stopped for me.
****
Jeong Hayeon washed her hands in the restroom and stepped outside. The moment she emerged, a man was standing there. The instant she saw him, her pupils began to tremble like an earthquake.
"You... what are you doing here?"
"Huh? Oh, it's you, Hayeon."
It was Kane.
"Did you... follow me?"
"What? Follow you? Why would I do that?"
He turned to the friends beside him.
"Right?"
"Yeah. We were just playing badminton here."
"See? Hayeon. It was really just a coincidence. We were playing badminton right here."
"...Don't lie. You don't even play badminton."
"Oh! How did you know I hate badminton, Hayeon?"
"...."
"Hayeon! I'm so happy right now. That means you're interested in me too, right? That's why you remember I don't play badminton."
"...You know this violates the restraining order, don't you?"
"What? I really just ran into you by chance."
"...."
Jeong Hayeon bit down hard on her lip.
"...You know how creepy this is, right?"
"Huh? Creepy? Ah! You mean my feelings for you are so strong that they give you the creeps?"
"...Please stop."
Jeong Hayeon clenched her fists as she spoke.
"Stop what, Hayeon? You like me too, don't you? Huh? Am I the only one chasing after you?"
"....I recorded all of this."
"What?"
"I'm going to submit it to the police. That'll make the existing restraining order much stricter."
"..."
"You know this is all stalking, right?"
"Come on, Hayeon. How is liking someone stalking?"
"...."
"When you were going to the academy, you let me walk you home. Not only that, even when I dropped hints that I liked you, you never looked like you hated it."
"..."
"I've been dropping hints this whole time. Don't you remember? I even gave you chocolate on Valentine's Day. And you accepted it."
"..."
"That's not all. When I confessed that I liked you, you didn't reject me either."
"...."
Jeong Hayeon chewed on her lip. This guy was completely insane.
"I regret not responding properly to your signals back then."
"Respond? Ah! You mean not telling me you liked me back? You must've been really embarrassed too, huh? I can understand that, Hayeon."
"No."
Jeong Hayeon forced herself to calm her trembling heart and spoke.
"Then what is it?"
"I regret not actively rejecting your advances back then."
"...Huh? What do you mean?"
"I feel terrible that I didn't reject you properly because I felt bad about turning you down."
"....Hayeon. Don't say weird things."
"I realized it then. If you don't reject someone outright, guys will think you're accepting their feelings."
"...."
"That's why, ever since I met you, the moment anyone shows even the slightest interest in me, I reject them immediately without giving them any room."
"...."
"It was all because of you. You made me..."
Jeong Hayeon wore a pained expression.
"...Anyway, I've said enough, haven't I? I've clearly rejected you."
Jeong Hayeon tried to steady her trembling hands. Just as she was about to turn around—
Grab.
Kane's hand seized her shoulder.
"....What do you think you're doing?"
Jeong Hayeon stared at his hand.
"Ah... sorry. It was an accident. Really."
"This is all on CCTV too. I'm going to ask the police to check it. The restraining order will probably get a lot stronger after this."
"...."
"So don't even think about coming near me again."
"...Oh, but Hayeon. Do you know what?"
Kane grinned.
"...I don't need to hear it."
Just as Jeong Hayeon tried to turn away—
"You know I'm taking the transfer exam at Elphon Academy this time, right?"
"...."
Jeong Hayeon's footsteps stopped.
"If I rank first, you and I will keep running into each other at Elphon Academy."
"....."
A chill ran down Jeong Hayeon's spine.
"Ah. By the way, you know the restraining order doesn't apply to accidental encounters, right?"
"...."
"As you know, the academy's structure makes it impossible to avoid running into each other constantly."
"...Stop it. Just leave me alone."
"No, Hayeon. This is proof that we're bound by fate. If I get into Elphon Academy, I'll keep seeing you, right? If you keep seeing me, you'll start to develop feelings—"
"Please... stop! You're the only one who likes me!"
Jeong Hayeon screamed.
"No, Hayeon. That's not true. If you keep seeing me, you'll definitely start to like me too—"
As he spoke, Kane's gaze shifted toward a man. It was Nam Doyun. He had appeared beside Jeong Hayeon without either of them noticing.
"...Huh? You're the one who agreed to help me study for the exam, right? Thanks a lot."
Kane smiled and extended his hand for a handshake.
"...."
"Thanks to you agreeing, I'll get to keep seeing Hayeon."
Nam Doyun stared at the offered hand. When he didn't accept it, Kane awkwardly withdrew his arm.
"Well, anyway, thanks. Hayeon, we still have more to talk about, don't we?"
Nam Doyun looked at Jeong Hayeon. She was on the verge of a panic attack, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
Grab.
Nam Doyun seized her trembling shoulder.
"!!!"
Kane stared in horror. He wasn't the only one shocked—Jeong Hayeon also stared blankly at the hand on her shoulder.
"..Y-you crazy bastard."
Jeong Hayeon's face flushed bright red. She immediately tried to shake his hand off. In that moment, Nam Doyun whispered something into her ear. She stopped trying to push him away.
"You... what the hell? Why are you grabbing Hayeon's shoulder? Are you insane?"
"What's wrong with me touching my girlfriend's shoulder?"
"What?"
Kane's expression hardened.
"Why shouldn't I touch my own girlfriend?"
"...."
Kane gaped at the scene.
"R... right? Hayeon."
Nam Doyun looked at Jeong Hayeon. She stared at him like he was insane before biting her lip as if making a decision.
"R... right, honey."
Surprisingly, the words came out of Jeong Hayeon's mouth.
"Then let's go, honey."
"Yeah."
"I already called a taxi over there."
Nam Doyun wrapped his arm around Jeong Hayeon's shoulder and led her toward the street.
".....That fucking bastard."
A curse slipped from Kane's lips.
****
Thud.
Nam Doyun and Jeong Hayeon climbed into the taxi.
"You crazy bastard."
The moment they were inside, Jeong Hayeon smacked his hand away.
"...It was the best option."
"Best option, my ass."
"No, really. Guys like that back off once they hear you have a boyfriend."
"..Even so, calling yourself my boyfriend? That's ridiculous."
"You stayed still when I grabbed your shoulder because you knew there was no other way out of that situation, didn't you?"
"...."
Jeong Hayeon bit her lip.
"It was purely to get out of that situation. That's all."
"..Really?"
"Yeah. I swear."
"Th... then that's a relief."
Jeong Hayeon gave the taxi driver her home address. The car pulled away. A long silence stretched between us. It was only natural—our relationship wasn't exactly the talkative kind to begin with.
The silence continued until the taxi eventually stopped in front of her house. We both got out.
"Well, this is far enough. I'll be going now."
I turned to leave.
"...Hey."
Jeong Hayeon called out to me.
"What?"
".....Answer just one thing."
"What is it?"
"You heard about the ranking match with Kane."
"Yeah. What about it?"
"They said the conditions are heavily stacked against you. If you endure his illusions for ten minutes, you win. If you can't, you lose."
"Yeah. So?"
"..But why provoke him like that?"
"Why shouldn't I provoke a bastard like him?"
"Kane will definitely use some underhanded method. And since you claimed to be my boyfriend, he might even use lethal illusions."
"...."
I chuckled. It didn't matter. Illusions didn't work on me at all.
"What do you even gain from provoking him that much? He's definitely going to try to kill you with those illusions."
"...."
"The moment you said you were my boyfriend, he completely lost it. He might even use forbidden magic from his family."
I shook my head.
"Hey."
"..."
Jeong Hayeon looked at me.
"I'm not going to die. Hell, I'm not even going to lose."
"..."
"And that was caught on CCTV, right? Him grabbing your shoulder."
"Yeah."
"Make sure you submit that. It'll make the restraining order way stricter."
"...But if he gets into Elphon Academy, it'll be useless."
"Don't worry about that. I'm going to win no matter what. He won't set foot in Elphon Academy."
"..Where does all that confidence come from?"
"You'll see on the day of the match. I'm heading out."
I waved my hand and walked away.