Chapter 145: Winter (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: Winter (4)
A weekday morning, just before homeroom started.
Even though the teacher was due to arrive any second, the seat next to mine was still empty.
It was Ji Nuri’s seat.
“Where’s Nuri? Is she not here yet?” Shin A-young whispered to me from behind.
“Her bag is here, but…”
The presence of her bag meant she’d at least made it to school, but there was no sign of the owner returning from wherever she had vanished to.
Just before the teacher stepped in, Ji Nuri finally slipped into the room.
“Is everyone feeling okay today?”
Since the teacher immediately started homeroom, I didn't get a chance to say anything to her.
Something was definitely strange. For some reason, I barely ran into Ji Nuri at all today. During breaks, she would disappear, claiming she was going to the restroom, and never come back. During elective classes, we were in different departments, so our paths rarely crossed.
Lunchtime was no different.
Rattle!
As soon as the bell rang, Ji Nuri bolted from her seat.
“Hey, where are you going? Let’s grab lunch.”
When I called out to her, she hurried out of the classroom even faster than before, calling back over her shoulder, “You guys go ahead and eat! I’m supposed to eat with Seo-rim later!”
And that was it.
Seriously, what is up with her? I narrowed my eyes as I watched her go.
This bizarre evasion continued right through the after-school hours.
“Where’s Ji Nuri?” I asked.
“She told us to go to the club room first. She said a teacher called her, so she has to stop by the faculty office for a bit,” Shin A-young replied.
“…Really?” I tilted my head. I had expected as much, but we really weren't crossing paths at all.
“…….”
When I arrived at the club room, I saw a shadow lingering there.
— “…Is no one inside?”
A yellow crown of a head was peeking through the gap in the door. It was Ha Seo-rim’s Mini-Me.
I called out to her softly from behind. “You’re here early.”
Flinch!
Perhaps the sudden voice startled her, as Ha Seo-rim’s shoulders gave a violent jerk.
— “…Wh-what a surprise.”
The Mini-Me clutched its heart. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she gave me a sharp, piercing glare.
“Hi, Seo-rim—”
“…Hello,” Shin A-young and Lee Sol greeted her.
“Hello,” she replied with a small, polite bow.
“Come on in for now.”
I’d heard the news from Ji Nuri.
“…Excuse me.” Ha Seo-rim stepped cautiously into the club room.
I opened the fridge and asked, “Do you want something to drink? Coke or cider. Pick one.”
Ha Seo-rim had a subtle reaction to my question.
“…Soda again? You said you were going to stop, and yet you drink so much of it at the shop…”
“You drink it too,” I shot back, feeling a bit defensive.
“I don’t drink that much.”
“…….”
Well… that was true. She really didn’t drink it often, so I had nothing to say. She only had one maybe once or twice a week.
“Instead of that, have this.”
Ha Seo-rim fumbled around inside her bag and pulled something out. She placed a glass jar wrapped in a towel onto the desk.
“What’s this?”
“I felt bad coming empty-handed. I brought some plum extract.”
It was the same stuff I’d had before, but there was quite a lot of it this time.
— “Oh.”
— “Gulp…”
Seeing the jar, the mouths of the other two Mini-Mes began to water. Ha Seo-rim picked up the jar and moved toward the counter.
“Everyone wants it warm, right? I’ll borrow the kettle.”
“I can do it.”
“It’s fine. Just stay seated. It won’t take long.”
Just as she said, it was finished in no time. Before long, Ha Seo-rim brought over the plum tea in paper cups.
“It’s hot, so make sure to blow on it.”
Slurp.
The sweet, tangy flavor enveloped my mouth with warmth. The heat traveling down my esophagus warmed my entire body. This was really good.
— “…Do they really not sell this? I want to stock up on it at home…”
Even Shin A-young, who was usually a harsh critic, was thinking that.
“Shall we get started?”
We began studying for the exams. Only the scratching of pencils filled the club room as everyone focused on their work. As I was looking over Lee Sol’s problems as usual…
— “…What is this? This answer is definitely right, but…”
Ha Seo-rim’s muttering reached my ears.
“…….”
The tip of her pencil was tapping against her workbook. She had been agonizing over it by herself for quite a while.
“Is there something you don’t understand?”
“Well…” Ha Seo-rim hesitated for a moment before pointing to a problem. “This… even after looking at the answer key, I don’t understand it.”
I looked down at the problem. Ah, this one. I remembered solving a similar type before. It wasn't so much difficult as it was tricky.
“Look closely at the question. They made it confusing on purpose. Look here.”
I began writing out the solution process in a notebook, making sure to write as neatly as possible so it would be easy to follow.
— “…Ah.”
Ha Seo-rim’s Mini-Me let out a small sound.
“If you do it this way, the answer is…”
“Number 3.”
“Exactly.”
She was a quick learner.
— “…….”
Watching this, Lee Sol’s Mini-Me puffed out her cheeks.
“…Seung-ho, look at this problem for me too.”
She started piling up problems she didn't know as if she were afraid of losing her turn. I gave an awkward laugh and immediately started helping her.
Tick-tock.
As we studied, time flew by. It felt like at least an hour had passed.
“Let’s take a short break.”
As soon as those words were spoken, Lee Sol and her Mini-Me collapsed onto the desk.
— “…Studying is so hard.”
The Mini-Me whined. She had solved more problems than usual because she was conscious of Ha Seo-rim. Still, she was getting faster. I could see that her effort was paying off.
“…….”
Slide—
I stepped out of the club room for a moment to use the restroom.
“…Ji Nuri, when on earth is she coming?”
I glanced around the hallway, but there was no sign of her. It was a long time to be held up by a teacher.
‘It’s exam period, so attendance is optional, but still…’
Regardless, she was being hard to find. I had a strong feeling she had been avoiding me on purpose since this morning. I was almost certain of it.
“…….”
“…Shall we head out now?”
Club time was over. I stood up from my seat. Even then, Ji Nuri hadn't shown her face.
“Today… to-day…!” Shin A-young groaned as she struggled into her padded jacket, fighting with the zipper near her chest. “Phew…”
She finally got it on and continued, “Part-time job today too?”
“Yeah.”
At my nod, the corners of Shin A-young’s eyes drooped.
— “…That’s a shame.”
Her lips twitched as if she wanted to walk home together. It couldn't be helped; I couldn't skip work when I was already on the schedule.
Click. I picked up the keys and locked the club room door securely.
“I’ll return the key and then head out. You guys go on ahead.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow.”
“…Get home safely.”
The two of them waved and headed down the stairs together.
“…….”
Just then, I felt a presence behind me. When I turned my head, Ha Seo-rim was following me. I nodded and started walking toward the faculty office.
“…….”
Whish. I turned my head again.
“…What?”
Why was she following me? Was she waiting for me?
“Are we going together?”
“…Why?”
“No… just because.”
It felt a bit awkward because the distance between us had closed. I suppose I’d become much closer to Ha Seo-rim since the misunderstanding was cleared up. We’d become friends.
“I have to go to the shop anyway,” Ha Seo-rim said, looking down at her English vocab notebook.
— “…We even studied together, it would be weird to go separately now.”
Well, that was true.
I hung the club room key in the cabinet.
‘……She’s not here?’
Ji Nuri was nowhere to be seen in the faculty office.
‘Did we miss each other?’
Or, since it was late, she might have gone home already. Whatever. I’ll just ask her tomorrow when I see—
— “Phew—playing after such a long time really blows away the stress!”
A familiar Mini-Me was trotting down the hallway with a guitar case on its back. Behind it followed the silhouette of the person herself.
Our eyes met perfectly.
— “Gah!?”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me jumped back in surprise.
“…….”
Even though we’d already made eye contact, she pretended not to see me and stared intently out the window.
“Ahem, hum-hum…”
She hummed a tune and awkwardly turned her body.
Zip!
Then she bolted. She ran off in the opposite direction.
“Hey, Ji Nuri, wait a second…!”
She showed no sign of stopping despite my call. She was avoiding me again. She always ran away whenever things got awkward. It was getting to the point of being infuriating.
“Hey!”
I shouted after her and started running.
— “Why, why are you chasing me?!”
If she didn't want to be chased, she shouldn't have run away like someone with a guilty conscience.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Even if Ji Nuri was a good runner for her build, there was a fundamental physical difference between us. The distance closed in no time.
“!”
Realizing she couldn't outrun me, Ji Nuri suddenly veered toward the stairs.
“Ugh?!”
I saw her foot slip in the hallway, and her balance faltered. Ji Nuri’s upper body tilted sharply backward. I hurriedly reached out.
Grab!
A heavy weight pressed against my forearm. The sudden momentum threw my own balance off, but I managed to brace my legs and hold firm.
“…….”
“…….”
Ji Nuri froze, leaning against me. I held my breath as I slowly helped her stand back up.
“Phew…”
As the momentary chaos subsided, a sigh of relief escaped me. Did I chase her too hard? My temper getting the better of me is sometimes a problem.
— “----------”
Ji Nuri must have been incredibly startled, as her Mini-Me began emitting static noise. She was clutching her chest, trying to calm her breathing.
“Senior…!”
Ha Seo-rim caught up with us, walking quickly. “Are you okay?”
First, I checked on Ji Nuri. She had almost taken a nasty fall.
“I’m fi—”
Ji Nuri’s brow furrowed. “Ow…!”
She leaned over awkwardly. She must have sprained her ankle, as she braced herself against the wall with one hand.
I scratched my forehead as I watched her.
“…….”
Seriously, it’s always something with her.
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