Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Episode 13 The Hidden Character of the Yuri Game Keeps Approaching.
“Sunbae. Did something happen over the weekend?”
“Hm?”
A strange question suddenly came from the junior running beside me while breathing heavily.
Why was she suddenly asking that?
“No, not really. Do I look sick or something? Why ask all of a sudden?”
“Not exactly. But somehow… it feels like you’re thinking deeply about something.”
“So that’s how I looked.”
I hadn’t shown it outwardly, but apparently it still showed.
If I really thought about it, there definitely was something on my mind.
Still, it wasn’t serious enough that I wanted others worrying over it.
“It’s nothing important, so don’t worry. But thanks for being concerned.”
“Who said I was worried?”
Clicking her tongue with a huff, Misook sped ahead of me.
Brushing aside the casual conversation with the junior I happened to meet during my usual morning jog, I continued running at my normal pace when I spotted a familiar back ahead.
As I approached, the figure gradually became clearer, and just as I was about to pass by him, I slowed after seeing his face.
“Ah, you’re that guy from before.”
“Huff…?”
The sweating face running with slightly rough breathing was someone I immediately recognized from not long ago.
“You’re the kid who was running yourself to death before, right? I remember lending you my thermos.”
“…Thank you for that back then.”
“You’re working hard again today. Looks like you’re pacing yourself properly now.”
“Haa… haa… haa… yes. Because you gave me advice last time, Sunbae.”
So he really had listened to my advice.
Still, despite collapsing so badly last time, he came back out for another morning run.
Painful experiences tend to linger with people. Some use them as lessons, while others build walls and avoid repeating them entirely.
Especially this younger guy—probably younger—who’d gotten himself into such a miserable state last time that even his lips turned blue from overexertion, yet still came back.
“You’re really hardworking. I like seeing effort like that.”
“…But things that are difficult for me seem easy for you, Sunbae.”
“Sunbae?”
“Ah, sorry for introducing myself late. My name’s Seong Jihyuk. I’m a first-year at ○○ High School.”
“So you’re a freshman. But how did you know I was your senior?”
“Well… I heard a little about you, so.”
“……I see.”
Exactly how far had rumors about me spread?
Surely not every first-year already knew who I was.
I felt deeply uneasy, but in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to ask directly.
If I actually asked and the answer turned out to be yes, even I’d feel depressed.
“Yo, Yangyang. Have a good weekend?”
“Same as always. Worked my part-time job and lazed around at home.”
“Aww~ what’s that? Don’t you have any more interesting stories? It’s the first weekend since becoming second-years.”
My annoying friend kept pestering me for entertaining stories, so irritation made me shoot back a question.
“Then did anything special happen for you? Ah, right. You said you were going on a blind date trying to get a girlfriend. How’d it go? Though obviously you failed.”
“Don’t decide I failed on your own!”
“So you didn’t?”
“Guh! You wouldn’t understand! The sorrow of unpopular men!”
Watching Baek Daeji’s shoulders droop with visible depression honestly felt satisfying.
‘Though something special definitely did happen.’
Seriously, he was someone you couldn’t let your guard down around.
I didn’t know whether he’d only asked casually or if he instinctively sensed something.
But this weekend definitely had events unlike normal.
Slide.
“…….”
The cool beauty transfer student currently blending completely into the classroom background while reading a book.
I ran into In Yuna, the hidden character from the yuri game, on my way home after work, visited a café together with her, and she even came to my house.
If anyone found out, there was absolutely no way this would end as a minor commotion.
‘Absolutely cannot tell him.’
If this lunatic learned about it, he’d genuinely try strangling me to death.
Obviously I wanted to avoid such troublesome chaos.
‘The bigger problem is In Yuna.’
For some reason, In Yuna kept openly showing me affection and interest beyond a normal level.
What exactly made her display such obvious feelings toward me?
Did something happen between us that I didn’t know about?
Surely it wasn’t some ridiculous love-at-first-sight story.
Maybe there was some connection between us I simply didn’t remember.
‘Either way, I should keep acting normal.’
As long as I avoided creating excessive points of contact and maintained us as ordinary friends or acquaintances, everything should be fine.
The sound of a chair scraping echoed softly as In Yuna stood up from her seat after reading.
The noise was so faint nobody else noticed her, but—
I did because even while dealing with Baek Daeji, part of my attention had remained fixed on In Yuna the entire time.
‘Going to the bathroom maybe?’
There was still time before the teacher arrived, so it wasn’t strange timing.
But somehow “bathroom” and “In Yuna” didn’t fit together at all.
She carried such an elegant atmosphere that imagining her doing ordinary high school girl things somehow created a strange disconnect.
Not long after In Yuna left the classroom, my phone buzzed with a KakaoTalk notification.
“Who is it?”
“…….”
“Yangyang?”
“It’s nothing.”
I answered calmly, but inside my head everything had already become chaos.
「Let’s eat lunch together at that place again today. I prepared rolled omelet too.」
A polite message followed by a cute emoticon.
Even though it came from an unknown number, somehow I instantly knew who sent it.
What exactly was going on here?
Still unable to process the situation, I blankly stared toward the classroom entrance just as In Yuna returned.
For only a split second—less than one second really—our eyes met in the middle.
Yet somehow, her gaze looked like a hunter flashing its eyes while targeting prey.
“Welcome.”
Nothing about this felt real.
My mind was still tangled in confusion, and although I tried forcing myself to process the situation logically, the sight of In Yuna welcoming me alone in the empty resting area only made my thoughts spin harder.
“I’m going crazy.”
“Does your head hurt?”
“Well, I’ve got a lot to think about.”
“I have headache medicine. Want some?”
“Why do you even carry headache medicine around? Don’t tell me you’re sick too, In Yuna. Do you have some chronic illness?”
Honestly, I asked because I was genuinely worried.
In Yuna’s inexplicable affection confused me, but that didn’t mean I disliked her.
“I’m healthy. But Mom told me to always carry some just in case.”
“Your mother sounds very careful and considerate.”
“Do you need it?”
“No, I’m fine, so don’t worry.”
Since her concern was sincere goodwill, I didn’t deliberately push her away here.
I made sure to clearly tell her I wasn’t sick.
Otherwise it seriously felt like she’d pull out medicine immediately.
Just like last week, In Yuna and I sat slightly apart on the bench and opened our lunchboxes.
“Sandwiches again today.”
“Yeah. But the ingredients are a little different this time. I changed the bread mix too, so the texture should feel different.”
“? The bread… Geum Taeyang made it himself at home?”
“I guess I never mentioned that part. It’s a hobby.”
Last time, I’d only said I made them myself.
I never mentioned I even mixed and baked the bread personally, so her surprise was understandable.
When I explained that I enjoyed baking and that we even had an oven at home so I often baked bread for my family, In Yuna’s transparent eyes trembled slightly.
“I’m jealous.”
“Of what?”
“……Eating homemade bread together with family. My dad works so much that he comes home late.”
“It’s not like my family always comes home early either. Dad tries to get home before dinner, but sometimes work keeps him late too.”
No matter how much Father loved his family and treasured family time, life didn’t always go according to plan.
Even if he wanted to leave work on time and come home quickly, there were days he only returned after we’d already gone to sleep.
Of course, whenever that happened, he acted even more lovey-dovey with Mom the next day, poisoning the eyes of their children.
But who could stop an eternal honeymoon couple?
“Still, I’m jealous. My dad is responsible and cool, but… sometimes he overworks himself too much.”
“In that regard, maybe my father should learn from yours a little. My dad’s the opposite. He relaxes too much and dumps extra work onto his subordinates, so people are bound to resent him.”
Even I would get headaches if someone like my father were my boss.
Not that he irresponsibly shoved all work onto others.
But within Father’s mind, the priority order of family above company and subordinates was absolutely fixed.
So naturally, his employees suffered.
“Want a bite again today?”
“Is that okay?”
“I like having more people taste my food.”
Should I call it taste testing?
If only I and my family ate it, I couldn’t gather enough feedback.
I wanted more people tasting my cooking and giving opinions.
“Thanks. Geum Taeyang, try this too.”
In Yuna picked up a rolled omelet with her chopsticks and placed it into my lunchbox.
I immediately realized she wanted to exchange lunches again like before.
“Thanks.”
Just as I lifted the omelet toward my mouth, realization suddenly hit me.
‘Ah, this isn’t good.’
I’d planned to maintain a moderate friendship distance, but somehow I was already getting swept along at her pace.
Still, I couldn’t reject something she’d already given me, so I quietly chewed the omelet and focused on the taste.
It was cooked perfectly with excellent texture, though I noticed something different this time.
“Cheese?”
“Yeah. I tried changing it a little today.”
“This is good too.”
Personally, I preferred plain rolled omelets more, but the cheese definitely deepened the flavor.
“It’s delicious.”
Meanwhile, after tasting my sandwich, the muscles around In Yuna’s face loosened slightly and the corners of her lips lifted upward.
The change was tiny, almost imperceptible.
But seeing her happy somehow filled my chest with warmth too.
‘This really isn’t good.’
The thought of maintaining a proper distance slowly melted away.
People really were impossible to measure with logic.
“It’s delicious again today. I like that this one’s a little spicier than last time.”
“So you like spicy food, In Yuna?”
“I don’t like things too spicy. But lightly spicy food is nice.”
“I see.”
Maybe I should make it like this again next time.
‘No, what am I thinking?’
I was already starting to think naturally about spending lunch with In Yuna.
Geum Taeyang, something’s seriously wrong with you.
“But how did you get my number, In Yuna? I was honestly shocked when I suddenly got a KakaoTalk message.”
“Mari gave it to me.”
“…….”
Little sister.
Why didn’t you tell your older brother about this?
I said I was trying to maintain an appropriate distance, and instead you sabotage me like this.