Chapter 109: The Bet (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: The Bet (1)
The night sky had deepened into a dark velvet.
Under the warm glow of a streetlight, he gave a casual wave.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
Lee Sol stood facing him and raised her hand slightly in return.
See you tomorrow—
It was a simple phrase, but the fact that they had exchanged those words made her heart flutter uncontrollably.
“…….”
In front of the entrance to her apartment complex, Lee Sol paused.
She watched his retreating figure as he walked further and further away. She watched, and watched…
Only after he had completely vanished from sight did she finally move her feet.
She passed through the common entrance and stood before the elevator, her mind a whirlwind.
“…Ahem.”
The events from earlier came rushing back to her. Her toes tapped restlessly against the elevator floor.
Beep-beep-beep-beep—
As she punched in the code and stepped inside her home, the cozy warmth of the heater greeted her.
“I’m home….” she mumbled under her breath.
“…You’re back? Was the walk home scary?”
As if she had been waiting, her mother’s voice drifted over immediately.
Lee Sol gave a small nod.
“It was fine. Seung-ho walked me all the way to the door, so…….”
It had just turned out that way. By the time she realized it, they were already in front of her building. What she thought was just a casual stroll had actually been the path to her home.
She had blinked in surprise when she finally noticed where they were.
“Seung-ho came all the way here? I feel bad for—”
Her mother’s sentence cut off abruptly.
“…….”
Her mother’s eyes rounded as she looked at her daughter, then she shifted her gaze back with a slow, deliberate movement. She turned her attention back to the TV as if pointedly looking away.
“……Right. Go wash up and get some rest.”
That was all she said.
“Okay.”
Lee Sol questioned that look for a moment, but since exhaustion was creeping up the back of her neck, she headed toward her room.
Just as she was about to trudge over and toss off her coat, she caught her reflection.
“…….”
Her face was mirrored clearly in the glass.
“……Ah.”
A faint sigh escaped her lips.
Well, how should she put it?
Her face was noticeably flushed.
To anyone else, it might have looked like her usual expressionless mask, but since it was her own face, she knew the difference.
‘So that’s why…….’
And her mother was the same. She had likely noticed this subtle change instantly. Recalling her mother’s reaction from a moment ago made her even more certain.
“Whew…….”
She took a shallow breath, and only then did her face seem to calm down and return to its original state. Lee Sol shook her head vigorously.
“……It’s no big deal. Yeah.”
Let’s not overthink it.
Anyone would say she was being overly sensitive. Getting all worked up over something like this felt childish. It wasn't like they had actually touched, after all.
“Ahem.”
Lee Sol cleared her throat and headed to the bathroom.
Let’s just wash up and sleep.
Tomorrow was Friday. She had to get to school early in the morning.
Shhhhhhh…….
The warm stream of water cascaded down her body.
“…….”
Then, her eyes happened to catch the mirror again.
She saw her own lips reflected in the glass.
She thought of the sweet ice cream she had bitten into with them.
And the pale pink swirl that had touched the top of it…….
Thump…!
Reflexively, Lee Sol raised her hand and slapped the wall repeatedly.
It’s nothing.
It wasn't like their lips had actually met.
“…….”
……But even so.
If she felt this way regardless of that fact...
“…… Sigh.”
Lee Sol leaned her body against the cool tile wall. She tapped her lips with her index finger as if tickling them.
Her throat tightened.
If they actually did the real thing...
What would it feel like then?
She couldn't help but feel a surge of intense curiosity.
*
Friday—the golden day that every student lives for.
While everyone else was sitting in the classroom with an atmosphere more electric than usual, Shin A-young’s gaze was downturned a fraction more than usual.
“…….”
Shin A-young rolled her eyes to look at the seat next to her.
She saw her partner, Lee Sol, sitting by the window. Her behavior was undeniably strange today.
“Hum~ hum-hum~”
She was humming softly while swiping through her phone. When A-young peeked to see what she was looking at, it was some kind of Short—one of those dance challenges trending lately.
“……Did something happen?”
She was doing things she never usually did.
“No?”
Lee Sol shook her head. She didn't look like she was going to give an answer easily.
‘Something definitely happened.’
Yesterday was Thursday. As far as she remembered, that was the day of the appointment between Lee Sol’s mother and Lee Seung-ho. Something definitely happened.
“Hwaaaaam—”
Lee Seung-ho walked into the classroom, letting out a massive yawn.
“You’re here?” Shin A-young welcomed him.
And Lee Sol, as usual—
“?”
A-young thought she would greet him normally, but she was strangely quiet. Lee Sol’s eyelashes lowered.
“……Morning.”
She offered a greeting in a voice that was barely audible. There was even a hint of shyness in her tone.
“Oh…. Hi.”
Lee Seung-ho responded just as awkwardly.
“…….”
Shin A-young narrowed her eyes, observing the strange tension flowing between the two. There was definitely something going on. She just didn't know what it was.
She found herself needlessly clenching her fingertips hidden under the desk.
“Hey, hey!”
Just then, Ji Nuri came sprinting into the classroom. He called out to Lee Seung-ho immediately.
“Let’s go to the snack shop right now.”
“…Now? Isn't homeroom about to start?”
When Lee Seung-ho gave him a look as if he were being absurd, Ji Nuri grabbed his shoulders with urgent hands and shook him.
“We can just go and come back real quick. I heard the kids in the next class talking—they said that came in this morning…!”
“What came in?”
Ji Nuri scanned the surroundings and covered his mouth.
“…Dutchukku.”
He whispered softly, as if afraid someone might overhear the secret.
“…Really? How?”
Lee Seung-ho turned his head, clearly interested. His voice lowered in tandem.
Dutchukku. Noted.
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t know for sure. I just overheard it while passing by. Someone said they saw them unloading it from a truck this morning.”
“Alright, let’s go check it out.”
Lee Seung-ho stood up. Lee Sol subtly followed behind him.
“Shin A-young, you’re coming too, right?”
“I’m okay.”
She shook her head. It would probably be a madhouse if she went now anyway, and she didn't want to compete with a crowd.
“Really?”
Lee Seung-ho nodded in understanding.
“Hey, what are you doing? Let’s go!” Ji Nuri shouted as he ran off ahead.
Lee Seung-ho paused as he was walking and suddenly asked, “…Is something wrong?”
“Huh?”
“No, you just looked like you were in a bad mood.”
Shin A-young blinked at Lee Seung-ho’s words. She cast her gaze downward slightly.
“…….”
Her reflection in the phone screen looked perfectly fine. She had a faint smile on her face. Nothing was particularly strange; it was her usual, everyday face.
‘……But. How on earth does he know?’
It wasn't just once or twice. He had already caught on to her mood several times. It wasn't just a matter of being quick-witted. It felt like her bare face was being exposed, which gave her a strange sense of embarrassment.
Shin A-young shook her head lightly.
“I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
It wasn't a lie; it was the truth.
Was it because of that small question? Strangely enough, her mood lightened up a bit.
*
Time passed.
Before I knew it, school was over for the day.
Tap, tap, tap——
I sat at the Counseling Club President’s desk and typed away on the keyboard.
“…….”
Does being the President mean I have to handle all of this paperwork alone? It’s not difficult, but it’s quite a chore.
“They’re really not coming…….”
Ji Nuri slumped onto the sofa with a gloomy expression. He was acting like that because Senior Min-ji and the Former Club President weren't showing up in the club room lately.
“It can’t be helped. There’s only a month left until the CSAT.”
I replied to his mumbling while clicking the mouse. In fact, it would be weirder for them to visit the club room at this point in their senior year.
“I know that, but…… sigh …….”
Ji Nuri let out a deep sigh. He seemed choked up by the fact that graduation was just around the corner after the CSAT. He had quite an emotional side to him.
“But….”
I turned my gaze toward Ji Nuri.
Just look at him.
Toy sunglasses over his eyes. A party cone hat. An outfit that didn't suit someone who was supposed to be depressed at all. It went beyond being ridiculous; it was downright absurd.
“…Why are you guys dressed like that?”
Pooooo—
Beside him, Lee Sol was even blowing a party horn. They looked ready to party for real.
“I mean, isn't it obvious?”
Ji Nuri looked up at me from his lying position and crossed his arms.
“…What is?”
“I was thinking about it, and we never had a welcoming party for our A-young.”
“A welcoming party?”
“We had one when I joined. Don’t you remember?”
“…No, it’s not that.”
It was a few months ago, but of course I remembered. Didn't we eat out and go to a claw machine arcade? That’s where I found out Ji Nuri was a total geek.
But….
“You’re doing it now?”
“Yeah.”
“After all this time?”
I felt like the timing was way off. It had been quite a while since Shin A-young joined the club. It felt like having a birthday party months late.
— “True, it is a bit late for this……”
Shin A-young’s Mini-Me muttered. It had the exact same sentiment as me.
However, the words coming out of her actual mouth were different.
“…Are we really not going to do it?”
Shin A-young gave me a look that suggested she was secretly disappointed.
“See? A-young says she wants to do it too.”
Ji Nuri gained strength from that and raised his voice.
“…….”
Shin A-young curled the corners of her mouth into a smile only I could see. A mischievous grin. She was doing this on purpose. It was the kind of smile that made me want to teach her a lesson.
“Are there any counseling requests that came in today?” I asked while flipping through the file folder.
I checked to see if there was any budget left for this year. There was some.
“None.”
The answer came immediately from Shin A-young.
“Hmm.”
The timing worked out well, then. I stood up from my seat and grabbed the club room key.
“Fine, let’s go out.”
I had been wondering how to handle this. Conveniently, there was a problem I had been pondering.
“Since we’re going out, we might as well decide next year’s Club President and Vice Club President.”
Bowling, ping-pong, PC cafe…….
If they didn't like those, anything else would do. Whatever it was, a bet seemed like a clean way to settle it.
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F Ji Nuri