The Invitation
The day after the midterms, the classroom buzzed with chatter.
"I totally bombed this test."
"That's what happens when you cram at the last minute, you idiot."
"Once you get a taste of that last-minute thrill, you can't stop cramming."
"Idiot."
While groups of friends were busy talking among themselves, every gaze suddenly shifted toward the front door.
Click—
The door slid open, and Jeong Hayeon walked in.
"Whoa. Hayeon's seriously pretty today."
"Yeah. She looks even better than before, doesn't she?"
The boys stared at her in a daze.
"Her expression's definitely brighter."
"Right? Just a few days ago she looked so gloomy. Did something good happen?"
"Maybe she's dating someone?"
"Hayeon doesn't do stuff like dating, you moron."
Jeong Hayeon shook her head at them.
"Hayeon!"
Someone stuck right to her side. She turned to look.
"Oh. It's you, Minseo."
Jeong Hayeon smiled brightly.
"Let's go to the school store! Hayeon."
"Yeah, sure."
Kim Minseo and Jeong Hayeon started walking toward the store.
"Hayeon."
"Hm?"
"Your face looks really bright today. Is it because that stalker kid can't get into our school?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"Nam Doyun really did a huge favor. Thanks to him, Kane can't transfer here."
"....Nam Doyun.. Nam Doyun.."
Jeong Hayeon kept murmuring the name.
"Hayeon!"
"Huh? Yeah?"
"Why are you suddenly muttering Nam Doyun's name?"
"Ah.. It's nothing."
"Hmm.. Okay?"
Kim Minseo narrowed her eyes at Jeong Hayeon.
"By the way, Hayeon."
"Yeah?"
"I heard you went home with Nam Doyun the other day. Is that true?"
"..N-no? We didn't go home together."
Kim Minseo kept staring at her with narrowed eyes.
"There's even a photo of you and Nam Doyun walking together after school."
She showed Jeong Hayeon the picture on her phone.
"...Haha. You're right. I must've forgotten for a second."
"Hayeon."
"Y-yeah?"
"That was the day I couldn't walk home with you because of work, right?"
"Yeah.. That's right."
"Hmm.. Something's off with you. You never walked home with guys before because you were worried they'd misunderstand your relationship."
Jeong Hayeon stared at Kim Minseo. Then she let out a sigh.
"...Originally, I didn't want to walk home with him either."
"Then why did you?"
"..There was no choice at the time."
"Well, that's true. With a stalker openly wandering around looking for you, walking home alone would've been pretty scary. But Hayeon."
"Yeah?"
"Who suggested walking together? You or Nam Doyun?"
"...Do I really have to answer that?"
"Yeah. It's really important."
"..Nam Doyun."
"Really? Why would he suddenly do that?"
"...He overheard us talking during lunch that day."
"Ah… So that's why he offered to go with you. Wait, hold on."
Kim Minseo stopped walking.
"What? Not going?"
Jeong Hayeon looked at her.
"Just a second. Why would he offer to go with you? You two don't have any kind of relationship."
"....Let's just go, Minseo."
Kim Minseo stood still, resting her chin on her hand in deep thought. Then she clapped her hands.
"Ah! Nam Doyun likes you, Hayeon."
"...Huh?.. Huh?"
"He offered because he likes you. Otherwise it doesn't make sense, right? Honestly, why would he care if some girl he has no interest in is being stalked or not."
"...Does it really look that way to you?"
Jeong Hayeon's cheeks flushed red.
"Of course! If he didn't like you, why would he go out of his way to walk with you? He wanted to protect the girl he likes."
"...Actually, I met with Kane."
"Huh? Why on earth?"
Kim Minseo's face twisted in shock.
"Nam Doyun kept saying that the more you avoid trauma, the bigger the fear grows. He said you can only overcome it by facing it head-on."
"So you met with Kane?"
"..Yeah."
"..That's way too dangerous. Meeting a stalker? What if something bad had happened?"
"...I never planned to meet him either, but Nam Doyun insisted he'd stay by my side and told me I had to face him."
"...So you met with Kane?"
"Yeah. Just in case it might help with the trauma a little."
"And did it help?"
"Yeah.. When I actually met him, he wasn't that big of a deal. I definitely feel a bit better than before."
Still, Jeong Hayeon's hands trembled slightly. She hadn't completely overcome the trauma yet.
"But now, even when I remember it, I don't fall into a panic like before. It really helped."
Kim Minseo nodded.
"But Hayeon."
"Yeah?"
"Why would Nam Doyun waste his time staying by your side while you met the stalker? He usually just holes up in the dorm after class."
"...That's because."
"Exactly. It's because Nam Doyun likes you."
Kim Minseo grinned.
Nam Doyun was walking down the hallway toward them. He stared straight at Jeong Hayeon as he approached.
"Hey. He's staring right at you while walking over."
"Huh?"
Jeong Hayeon looked at Nam Doyun. He really was staring straight at her as he walked.
She quickly averted her gaze.
Nam Doyun passed by Kim Minseo and Jeong Hayeon and entered the classroom.
"Whoa. No way. Did you see how he was staring at you just now?"
"...."
"Hayeon. You saw it too, right? Nam Doyun was totally staring at you."
"Huh? Y-yeah…"
Jeong Hayeon stammered. In truth, she hadn't even been able to meet his eyes properly.
Why did I avoid his gaze?
***
On my way to the classroom, I saw Kim Minseo and Jeong Hayeon standing in the hallway. When they noticed me, they stopped walking and started watching me.
What? Why are they acting like that?
Just as I was about to pass by, I noticed chocolate smudged on Jeong Hayeon's lips. I kept staring at it.
Should I tell her or not?
It was barely noticeable. If I said something, I'd probably sound like a pervert. But not saying anything felt weird too.
Just keep walking.
No matter how I thought about it, mentioning it would make me seem like a creep. As I passed them, I could hear them talking among themselves, but I couldn't make out the words. I just hoped they weren't badmouthing me.
***
"Hey, where are we going for the trip this time?"
"America, right?"
With exams over, the students' main topic was how to slack off and have fun. Then one student spoke up.
"Hey. Did you see the article that just came out?"
"What article?"
"Samhwa Bio, run by Cha Jiyun, is holding a new drug presentation."
"What? Really? Where?"
"It's on the Naver main page right now. Check it out."
"Whoa, it's real. Does holding a presentation mean they actually succeeded in developing a new drug? That's huge."
"What kind of amazing drug is it that they're even holding a presentation?"
As they spoke, the students glanced at Cha Jiyun. She maintained a blank expression, looking completely uninterested in their gossip.
"Ah, I wish I could go to that presentation."
"Why?"
"Think about it. The people invited to Samhwa Bio's new drug event would all be big shots in society. If you make a good impression there, life after graduation would be so much easier."
"But the age groups won't match. How would you even get close to them?"
"No, you idiot. You get close to their kids."
"Oh. Right. That's how it works."
"Anyway, Cha Jiyun only has two invitation tickets, right?"
"Yeah. The article says even the president of a bio company only gets three tickets."
"Then.. that invitation will obviously go to—"
The student's gaze turned toward the student with yellow hair.
"Obviously that guy will get it, right?"
"Yeah, probably."
"His dad's the prosecutor general, after all. No question. His name was Kim Minseong, right?"
Kim Minseong smirked at the comment. He stood up and walked over to where Cha Jiyun was sitting. He stopped right in front of her.
"...?"
Cha Jiyun sensed him and looked up.
"You haven't given me the invitation yet. When can I receive it?"
"...."
Cha Jiyun stared at him in silence.
"Ah. Has it not been printed yet? If so, I'll give you my address. You can send it here."
Kim Minseong started reciting his home address to Cha Jiyun.
"...Why are you suddenly giving me your address?"
Cha Jiyun looked puzzled.
"Because you need to send me the invitation, of course?"
"...I promised to give you an invitation?"
"No, you didn't, but I believe I'm the obvious choice among our classmates to attend."
All the students in the class nodded.
"His dad's the prosecutor general, so of course he'd get invited to a place like that. I'm jealous."
"I really wanted to go too, but if it's Kim Minseong, there's nothing we can do."
At that moment, the back door slid open with a click, and a man entered. Cha Jiyun looked at him and stood up.
"Do you have something to say to me?"
Kim Minseong asked.
"...."
Cha Jiyun ignored him and walked away. She stopped in front of the new arrival.
Then she took an invitation out of her pocket.
"...Would you attend our Samhwa Bio new drug presentation?"
Cha Jiyun asked.
"Yes?"
It was Nam Doyun.