Chapter 113: Autumn (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113: Autumn (2)
Ji Nuri crossed her arms, replaying her sister’s words over and over in her head.
That kind of atmosphere…
What did she mean by "that certain vibe"?
Was it in a romantic sense?
Given her tone, there wasn't really any other way to interpret it.
"……In a romantic way?" Ji Nuri asked again, needing to confirm she had heard correctly.
"Well, what else would it be?" Ji Hyori half-closed her eyes. She looked utterly exasperated, as if she couldn't believe Nuri hadn't noticed.
"No, but……" Ji Nuri tried to wrap her head around it, but the pieces wouldn't fit. "Them? Seriously?"
"That’s how it looks to me," Ji Hyori replied nonchalantly.
"……What exactly did you see that made you think that?"
Had there really been a sign between Lee Seung-ho and those two? Honestly, she had no idea. She tried to recall their interactions, but nothing specific came to mind.
"How should I put this…… isn't it just obvious?"
"No? I don't see it at all."
"The way they look at him is different. It's in their eyes."
"……."
Ji Nuri gave her an incredulous look. What was she talking about, "their eyes"? Eyes were just eyes; everyone looked at people the same way, didn't they?
"Are you sure you didn't just misinterpret it? You only just met them."
They had only crossed paths for a brief moment. How could she be so certain?
At that question, Ji Hyori shrugged. "That’s why I said I wasn't sure. It’s just a feeling. A hunch."
Ji Hyori continued talking while scrolling through her phone. The audio changed rapidly, suggesting she was watching Shorts.
"What the—don't scare me like that."
So it was just a wild guess after all. Ji Nuri’s expression softened slightly.
"Mmm…… but I’m telling you, I'm sure of it." Ji Hyori tilted her chin, munching on an apple.
"……."
Ji Nuri’s eyebrows knitted together.
Ji Hyori glanced at her and added, "Don't worry about it too much. It’s just a gut feeling."
"Right? Just a hunch, right?"
"Ah—but I’m telling you, I’m right. I’m almost never wrong about these things."
"……."
Ugh.
She was teasing her on purpose. Realizing this, Ji Nuri’s brow furrowed even deeper.
"……Fine, whatever."
Ji Nuri abruptly stood up. She wasn't going to ask anymore. Asking further would only lead to more pointless back-and-forth.
"Hey, Ji Nuri."
"……."
Ji Nuri didn't answer. Instead, she slightly turned her body away.
"If you really can't tell, watch which way their bodies are facing when they talk to him. Even without looking, I bet they’re angled right toward him."
"……."
Ji Nuri went into her room without a word.
Creeak—
The door closed slowly. Even though she was alone in her room, she showed no sign of uncrossing her arms.
"……."
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Her leg began to bounce restlessly, creating a rhythmic vibration.
"Sigh……."
It was bothering her. It was bothering her like crazy.
She couldn't help it. She wanted to see for herself if it was true. But tomorrow was the weekend, so there was no school. What a frustrating coincidence.
"……."
Ji Nuri picked up her phone. She saw their two numbers in her contacts and stared down at them for a moment.
"Eissssh."
She soon put the phone back down.
"It’s not like I can just ask them directly……."
No matter how she thought about it, asking point-blank was out of the question.
"Ugh, I don't know anymore—!"
Ji Nuri flopped onto her bed, tossing and turning against the soft fabric.
"……She just had to say that and get me all worked up."
This was all her sister’s fault.
"……."
……But. What if it was true?
Even if it was a one-in-a-million chance, if those two really did have feelings for Lee Seung-ho… what then?
"……What do I do?"
Most importantly, didn't Lee Seung-ho like her? That was the biggest problem. It would be a repeat of what happened before—the reason she had quit the Band Club. Back then, she had received a direct confession and ended up running away.
"……."
Leaving the Counseling Club wouldn't be an administrative issue. However…… honestly, she didn't want to do that. She was more than satisfied with her life in the Counseling Club. Spending time with the others was fun.
"Forget it, forget it."
Ji Nuri decided to stop thinking about it. It wasn't even a confirmed fact in the first place; it was just her sister’s speculation. She would find out if it was true when she met them next week.
"Yeah."
That was the right way to handle it. Ji Nuri nodded, validating her own decision.
"Mmm……."
……But. But, if by some reaaaally slim chance it was true—
And so, Ji Nuri’s endless cycle of worrying began.
Doo-roo-doo-pa-pa—! Doo-roo-doo—!
Saturday morning…. Actually, it was already 11 AM, so it was more like lunchtime. I turned off the blaring alarm and sat up in bed, looking half-dead.
"Uuuugh……!"
My body felt stiff. I wanted to sleep more, but I couldn't. I had my part-time job today. I opened my door and walked out into the living room.
It’s quiet.
Despite it being the weekend, the house was still. I went to the kitchen and gulped down some cold water. My throat, which had grown dry overnight, felt refreshed.
"……."
I saw Lee Seung-ah lying on the sofa, scratching her stomach.
"Hehe…."
She was giggling while watching TV. As I walked over, I saw an animation playing on the screen. What was that again? I remembered Ji Nuri recommending it to me, but I couldn't recall the title.
"……."
She always came out to the living room to watch whenever our parents weren't home. She said she liked it better because the screen was bigger.
"Hey."
I stood right in front of the sofa.
"……What? Move." Lee Seung-ah’s eyebrows lowered as she pressed a button on the remote to pause the screen.
"Where are Mom and Dad?"
"They went out for a bit."
"Really?"
No wonder I didn't see them. Maybe they went on a date for the first time in a while.
"Then what are you doing for lunch?"
If they weren't back yet, they probably weren't coming back for lunch.
"They told me to figure it out myself." As she said that, she pulled some cash out of her pocket and waved it. She had already received her meal money.
"Want to order something? Pizza? Chicken?" Lee Seung-ah looked excited at the prospect of delivery food. She asked with a triumphant look in her eyes, as if she were the one treating me.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the time.
"Eat by yourself."
"Huh? Are you going somewhere?" Lee Seung-ah blinked. She looked at me curiously as I moved around busily.
"Part-time job."
"Aha."
Lee Seung-ah immediately lost interest and turned her gaze back to the TV.
I quickly finished getting ready to leave. After washing up and changing my clothes, I stood at the shoe rack.
"I’m leaving."
Ah, right. I stopped in my tracks and raised my voice toward the girl lying in the living room.
"Make sure you show up at the gym before dinner."
"……."
"Answer me."
"……Ugh. Fine, I get it, so just go already."
Her tone was full of complaint. If I hadn't said anything, she definitely would have skipped. It was more of a certainty than a guess. But since I told her, she’d probably show up.
I headed toward the shop.
…Ah, I almost forgot.
I need to tell the manager that I’m quitting. Since I decided to help Lee Sol with her SNS shoots, there was no reason to keep the part-time job. The real work would probably start after I quit this job.
I should ask her about it soon.
We also need to discuss what kind of videos to film for her SNS. Lost in thought, I arrived at the shop before I knew it.
Ding-ling—
"Hello."
I entered the shop through the back door. The part-timers who were busy working and those preparing for the shift change were overlapping. Since it was Saturday lunchtime, it looked even more chaotic than usual.
After changing into my uniform in the changing room, I saw the others sitting in the breakroom.
"…Hello."
Among them, Ha Seo-rim gave me a small nod. There was a certain distance in her manner. She was usually like that, but just when I thought she was softening up lately, she had returned to that awkward atmosphere.
"Oh, hey."
I gave a casual greeting and took an empty seat.
"Are you on this shift too?"
"…Yes, for the time being."
Come to think of it, I was too. Most of the seniors had quit their part-time jobs long ago. They said they were trying to hire more people, but it seemed they weren't having much luck.
"Hnngh."
Since the shift change was coming up, I did some light stretching. I wouldn't have time once we started.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
It was time to head out. I left the breakroom for the shift change.
…….
3:00 PM.
After moving around frantically, it was already that time. The customers gradually thinned out, and a bit of breathing room finally arrived.
……Did they say the kiosk was coming in tomorrow?
I hoped it would arrive soon. It was much harder when the orders piled up and had to be taken manually.
"Whew……."
As I let out a tired sigh…
— "According to. ~에 따르면"
I heard a random English word. I turned my head toward the sound.
Mumble, mumble.
I saw Ha Seo-rim humming something while holding a small notebook in one hand.
Is she studying? She’s working hard.
I peeked over and saw her memorizing English vocabulary. Midterm exams were coming up, so it was definitely the season for studying.
"……."
A quiet silence followed. I shifted my weight back and forth, then glanced toward the kitchen. I saw Kim Bo-young, who was a year younger than me, and Ahn Hyun-su, who was the same age as her, organizing ingredients.
It felt a bit awkward to talk to Ha Seo-rim. Maybe I should go over and chat with them for a bit. Choi Su-hyeon was also on the floor besides Ha Seo-rim, so it should be fine. I’ll just go help them out with their work—
"Senior."
"Oh. Yeah?"
Just as I was about to step away, Ha Seo-rim called me.
"If you don't have anything to do, come help me organize the inventory in the warehouse."
— "Good grief."
Ha Seo-rim’s Mini-Me sat down on top of my head. When did this one get up there?
— "…The moment you look away, he tries to go flirt with other girls."
The Mini-Me shook its head.
That was a bit unfair. Kim Bo-young was a girl, sure, but Ahn Hyun-su was a guy. But since I couldn't exactly argue with a Mini-Me…
"Sure."
I nodded.
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(!Signboard!)
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Part-timer Ha Seo-rim