Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Episode 14 The Vice President of the Yuri Game Is Cold.
“Yangyang, aren’t you hiding something from me?”
“There are lots of things I hide. We’re not dating, so why should I tell you everything?”
“Ugh! Don’t even say something disgusting like that. Even hearing those rumors makes me want to puke.”
Today, while spending lunch with my damned evil friend for the first time in a while, he suddenly threw out a weird question, so I fired back a slightly evil joke like I was landing a body blow.
The effect was spectacular.
Honestly, I completely agreed that those rumors were disgusting enough to make me sick too.
“Don’t try changing the subject like this. You’re hiding something from me. Hurry up and tell me already~”
“I don’t like your face, so no.”
“What’s wrong with my face!?”
If I told him he looked exactly like a third-rate manga villain plotting something shady right now, he’d probably explode.
“You’ve got the face of some third-rate villain plotting evil schemes in a comic.”
“Hey!”
“You look unpopular with girls.”
“Gyaaaaaah!”
He collapsed with a thud.
Looks like I landed the finishing blow.
“That’s too cruel! It’s not like I chose to be born with this face!”
“Your face aged terribly.”
“Hey!”
Ignoring Baek Daeji’s ear-splitting screams with one ear while letting them pass through the other, I continued eating my lunch.
‘The egg’s a little disappointing.’
Inspired by the rolled omelet In Yuna gave me last time, I’d tried making a new ham-and-egg toast, but the flavor lacked the richness I expected.
Not that it tasted bad.
It just felt like something was missing compared to what I imagined.
“Is it about a girl? If you found another new girl again, tell me too.”
“Your wording’s weird. You’re trying to make people misunderstand if they overhear us!”
“Tch.”
This bastard seriously clicked his tongue!
“You know perfectly well I’m not some lust-crazed pervert who likes any girl. I’m already anxious enough because of those rumors. Are you really having that much fun watching me suffer?”
“Yep!”
“You bastard.”
Honestly, wasn’t I incredibly generous for still staying friends with someone like this?
“If you’re not interested, at least hand over your meeting opportunities to me. I seriously want a girlfriend.”
“What happened to that girl from Class 3 you were chasing last time? Ah, you got rejected.”
“Don’t ask when you already know!”
He clutched his chest dramatically like he was in agony, but seeing that didn’t stir even the slightest guilt or sympathy inside me.
Just moments ago I’d questioned whether Baek Daeji even counted as a friend after he openly wished for my unhappiness, yet the moment he suffered, I found myself entertained by it too.
Humans really were selfish creatures.
“I want a girlfriend~”
Baek Daeji’s whining sounded completely drained of energy, and I couldn’t tell whether he was genuinely suffering or just waiting for my reaction.
Staring up at the cloudy sky outside the window, his exhausted voice sounded limp like a balloon that had lost all its air.
“When exactly am I gonna get a girlfriend?”
“How about looking forward to your next life?”
“That’s too harsh! Is getting a girlfriend really that hard for me!? Is wanting romance a crime!?”
“Yeah. It’s a crime.”
“Heeey!”
By the time Baek Daeji slammed his hands on the desk and stood up, I’d already finished my lunchbox, packed everything away, and escaped far ahead of him.
Ignoring his loud yelling behind me, I left immediately.
After safely surviving lunch break and finishing all my classes, I headed straight toward home after leaving the classroom.
On the way, my eyes briefly met In Yuna’s.
Neither of us openly acknowledged each other, but In Yuna’s eyes trembled slightly as she gave a subtle greeting.
It was only a tiny gesture that nobody but the two of us would notice, but it clearly conveyed that she wasn’t ignoring me.
Somehow, it made my heart race slightly, like we shared a secret nobody else knew.
‘It’s not like we’re secretly dating or anything.’
Why was I getting excited like some couple in a novel hiding a dangerous secret romance?
Even I thought it was pathetic.
The relationship between In Yuna and me was friendship.
And I had no intention of crossing beyond that line.
‘Why don’t you just try dating someone?’
Suddenly, the complaint from the senior at my part-time workplace over the weekend replayed in my head.
Aside from third-years, second year was basically the last period where high schoolers could truly enjoy their youth freely.
So as someone with more life experience, she advised me to enjoy myself fully without leaving regrets behind.
I definitely wanted a girlfriend.
But I didn’t want to date just anyone.
Since I wanted a relationship with someone I could genuinely open my heart to, even if I respected her advice, actually following it felt difficult.
Even if I wanted to make my once-in-a-lifetime second-year high school life shine brilliantly, I still didn’t know how to do it.
I’d already decided my long-term plans and future goals.
But when it came to short-term goals like this, I still hadn’t figured anything out.
‘Sometimes I get jealous of Baek Daeji.’
At times like this, I envied his ability to simply act on his desires without thinking.
Of course, living exactly like him would be a disaster, but I’d honestly considered asking him for advice on how to empty my mind once in a while.
As I walked down the quiet hallway, I spotted a girl approaching from the far end.
Feeling happy to see her, I raised my hand and greeted her once she got closer.
“Hey Eunseo.”
“……Don’t talk to me like we’re close. It makes it sound like we’re friends.”
“Heading to the student council room now? Being vice president really must be exhausting.”
“You’re ignoring my words while smiling like an idiot.”
Her cold glare disappeared behind closed eyelids, followed by a tired sigh.
I wondered why she always acted so cold, but considering how hard she constantly worked, maybe it couldn’t be helped.
“Stop acting friendly with me. Besides being classmates last year, we don’t even have any connection.”
“Why is Vice President-nim so angry? If there’s something lacking about me, could you tell me? I’ll try fixing it as much as possible.”
“The way you joke around annoys me. Smiling and pretending we’re close pisses me off, so please stop talking to me.”
Her tone was cold, but I didn’t really mind.
This was normal behavior for Park Eunseo by now, and I’d long since gotten used to it.
“Geum Taeyang. You know there are bad rumors spreading about you lately, right? Rumors saying you’re unhygienic and a womanizing scumbag unfit to be called human.”
“Those rumors reached the student council too?”
“Judging from your reaction, you already knew. Those rumors spread because you’re too friendly with everyone. You’re too affectionate even with the opposite sex, so naturally misunderstandings happen. Even if you don’t mean any harm, some first-years who don’t know your character seem to genuinely believe the rumors, so please restrain yourself a little.”
“Eh?”
Some freshmen seriously believed those rumors?
What kind of nonsense was that!?
I knew rumors were spreading, but hearing it directly from Park Eunseo, the student council vice president, gave it a completely different weight.
“Excuse me, but did it get brought up as a student council issue too?”
“Not to that extent yet.”
“That means it could become one soon…….”
Were things really that serious?
Even when I first heard about the rumors, I’d just assumed they were temporary gossip, but I never imagined they’d spread that far.
“When freshmen started coming to the student council seriously asking about it, I genuinely didn’t know what to do. Students your age and upperclassmen who know you don’t get swayed by those rumors, but newly enrolled freshmen are completely different. I ended up wasting time because of it.”
“……Did you personally defend me to every junior who came asking?”
“……Why would you think that? Don’t you think your self-awareness is way too excessive? Do you seriously think I’d run around personally persuading juniors for your sake? Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Sorry if I misunderstood.”
From the way she said my rumors caused her to waste time, I’d thought maybe Park Eunseo had defended me against those juniors spreading gossip.
But apparently she had no intention of admitting it.
Even when she acted sharp-tongued, our school’s vice president was actually incredibly kind and considerate deep down.
It wasn’t that I received special treatment.
If any other student suffered from malicious rumors like this, Park Eunseo would absolutely step in to help them too.
And whenever someone praised her for it, she’d immediately deny everything.
That wasn’t because her personality was twisted.
She was just extremely shy.
“Thanks. I’m always indebted to you.”
“Don’t suddenly thank me and get weird ideas. I’ve never once acted for your sake.”
“I know, I know. You’re always working hard for the school and students, Vice President-nim.”
“What’s with that tone? Are you making fun of me?”
Seriously, she embarrassed way too easily.
Sometimes people misunderstood her because of that, but once you realized all her actions came from embarrassment, every little thing she did started looking adorable.
The president definitely knew that too and deliberately teased Park Eunseo because she enjoyed it.
“Even after President Sunbae graduates, I guess there’s nothing to worry about. With our vice president here, succession problems won’t exist.”
“……You’re the one saying that?”
“You don’t need to worry about me. If you care too much about others, even things that should work out won’t. You’re different from both me and the president.”
“……You say that like you’re above us.”
One of the reasons Park Eunseo disliked me was probably because she knew the president was secretly considering me as her successor.
Park Eunseo genuinely admired President Sunbae and became vice president to stay beside her.
So naturally, she couldn’t feel good toward someone the president highly evaluated.
And honestly, who could blame her?
If you compared it to the Joseon Dynasty, it was like someone with the most legitimate right to inherit the throne suddenly being told a random illegitimate child would inherit it instead.
No matter how much Park Eunseo admired the president, that situation could never feel pleasant.
And in reality, it hadn’t.
“Why is it you!? Why you!?”
“What do I lack!? I’ve chased after the president—after Arin Unni—this whole time! I kept following her because I wanted her acknowledgment! So why are you the one she recognizes!?”
“……If only you didn’t exist, then maybe I could’ve too…… ngh…!”
Even now, I could vividly remember the desperate sobbing of the girl soaked by rain beneath a sky filled with heavy clouds.
“Cheer up, Vice President.”
“If you were trying to mock me, it worked perfectly. A man like you could never possibly play around with women.”
“So you’ll explain things properly to the juniors later? Thanks.”
“Get out of my sight already.”
Oof. Scary.
Guess I should leave then.
“Do you really have to do that? We finally had a good atmosphere, and yet you deliberately picked the dialogue option that lowers affection points.”
“President Sunbae. You were here?”
“I happened to see the two of you together. I got curious what kind of secret meeting you were having, so I listened in.”
“Aren’t you being way too shameless about eavesdropping?”
“I feel absolutely no guilt, so naturally I’m shameless.”
Even while standing, she carried the dignity of someone sitting upon a throne.
Calling her queen-like wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.
At that level of confidence, it was hard to even get angry.
“Thank you, Geum Taeyang. Eunseo has really grown a lot. She used to carry too much responsibility alone and overwork herself constantly, which worried me. But now she’s slowly learning to rely on others instead of trying to solve everything herself.”
“Why are you thanking me for that?”
“Because from what I’ve seen, Eunseo started changing after meeting a certain someone.”
“…….”
With a mysterious smile, President Sunbae stared directly into my eyes.
I returned her gaze without backing down.
Neither of us intended to look away as we quietly stared at each other like we were trying to peer into the other’s heart.
But no matter how long we maintained eye contact, understanding the president’s true thoughts remained impossible for me.
Instead, it felt like I alone had become completely exposed before her.
“Would the current Park Eunseo finally satisfy the successor you want, President?”
“It’s definitely difficult.”
“Why difficult?”
“Because there’s an even more outstanding talent standing right in front of me. If possible, I want both. Even knowing chasing two rabbits is dangerous, I’m greedy.”
“I respectfully decline.”
Only after hearing my answer did the president finally look away and pass by me.
As she brushed past, a faint scent lingered behind her—whether perfume or simply her natural scent, I couldn’t tell—but I gritted my teeth and refused to pay attention to it.
“If you ever change your mind, come anytime.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Even as I said that, I had absolutely no intention of joining the student council.