Chapter 32: The Return
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: The Return
*
The school trip came to an end, and Monday morning rolled around.
Once classes were over, I headed toward the club room with Lee Sol.
“We’re here.”
I pushed the door open lightly, revealing two people inside.
It was the Club President and the Vice President.
“Ahhh~”
Senior Min-ji was perched on the President’s lap, trying to feed him a piece of chocolate.
The moment that saccharine voice hit my ears—
Click—
I slid the door shut immediately.
“…”
I really didn’t need to see that first thing on a Monday.
“!?”
Thud, rattle.
A frantic commotion erupted from inside.
…That should be enough time.
“…”
After a brief wait, I opened the door again. The two of them were standing there, faces flushed with embarrassment.
“No, I mean, it’s not what it looks like…!”
“Ahem, cough…!”
On the surface, they were both scrambling for excuses.
— “I’m sure I locked it?!”
However, Senior Min-ji’s Mini-Me was busy reflecting on her own blunder. She didn’t look repentant at all; her expression was one of deep contemplation, wondering how to do a better job of hiding it next time.
“…”
I briefly examined the door handle.
Aha.
It was broken.
The locking mechanism was rusty and loose. There was no way it would have stayed shut properly. Senior Min-ji had been acting all lovey-dovey without even checking the door.
I tapped on the handle.
“I think this is broken.”
“Oh.”
A short, hollow response came back.
— “…”
Senior Min-ji’s Mini-Me glared at the handle as if it had personally wronged her, even though the fault was entirely her own.
I spoke firmly to the two of them.
“I know there aren’t any teachers or other students around right now, but please try to restrain the public displays of affection.”
“Hey, it’s fine to do that much when no one’s around…! You can use the room like this too when you’re a senior…!” Senior Min-ji retorted, beads of sweat forming on her brow.
Good grief. What an absurd thing to say.
“…”
But then again. It didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
“Don’t go taking those words back later.”
“Huh? Do you have someone you’re seeing?”
Senior Min-ji covered her mouth with both hands, jumping to a massive misunderstanding.
— “…?!”
Lee Sol’s Mini-Me also looked startled, her hands fidgeting nervously. I knew what she was worried about, but…
“…No. I’m just saying it might happen eventually.”
It wasn’t the case yet. I just thought it would be nice to have a space I could use when no one was around, even if it wasn’t for anything romantic.
“Ah… what, how boring.”
The sparkle in Senior Min-ji’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a look of total disinterest. It was a reaction that left me feeling a bit strange.
Is this person actually addicted to dopamine?
And so, the brief commotion settled into a lull.
The President slunk back to his seat and began working on some paperwork. It looked like he was writing a report, perhaps for a counseling session that had taken place while we were away on the trip.
“…”
Having suddenly run out of things to do, Senior Min-ji slumped into her chair. Her eyes darted around before settling on my bag with subtle intensity.
“Hmm…”
— “Did he… bring anything back?”
The senior’s Mini-Me sat in her chair, kicking her feet back and forth. She was clearly waiting for a gift.
Of course, I had bought something. I had received souvenirs from the two of them last year, after all. Though what just happened made me suddenly want to withhold them…
Since I’d already bought them, I might as well hand them over.
I pulled two boxes of chocolate from my bag—the Pavé chocolates that everyone buys when they travel to Japan.
“Here are some souvenirs.”
I handed one to each of them. Their faces lit up as they snatched the boxes away. It seemed they really had been looking forward to this.
“I’ll enjoy these.”
“Ahem. You didn’t really have to buy anything.”
The President took his box calmly, while the Vice President took hers with a shameless grin.
— “Slurp…”
Contrary to her composed verbal response, Senior Min-ji’s Mini-Me was practically drooling. The Mini-Me, who had been pouting just a moment ago, was now beaming with a silly grin.
She really was an easy person to read.
Meanwhile—
“Haaa—”
Lee Sol was sprawled out flat on the sofa.
This was the original Lee Sol. Now that she was back at school, she had returned to her usual lazy state. Judging by her expression, she was filled to the brim with lethargy. Maybe she had a case of the Monday blues.
I sat on the opposite sofa and leaned back. Just then, the President shot me a puzzled look.
“By the way, where are the other two?”
Right. I had intended to tell them as soon as I arrived, but I’d forgotten because I’d witnessed something so shocking.
“Nuri said she couldn’t make it today because she needs to practice.”
She mentioned something about renting a school practice room since she hadn’t been able to play the guitar lately. I handed the paper I was holding to the President.
“Here’s her excuse form.”
“Oh.”
It was the absence form I’d brought on her behalf. Since club activities are mandatory at our school, everyone has to submit a form like this unless there’s an exam or a special circumstance. It’s a bit of a hassle to write, but they aren’t overly strict about it, so everyone just fills them out.
Senior Min-ji tilted her head to the side.
“Then, what about A-young?”
I looked at her with deadpan eyes. …What was she talking about?
“She’s not even in the Counseling Club to begin with.”
“…Ah.”
Senior Min-ji’s mouth hung open slightly. “That’s right, isn’t it?”
She let out a few embarrassed coughs. I guess A-young visited so often that Min-ji had subconsciously started considering her a member.
“Nom.”
Senior Min-ji popped one of the Pavé chocolates into her mouth.
Munch, munch—
“Speaking of A-young, that reminds me. You know Actor Shin Jin-seop?”
I paused mid-motion. Feeling a sense of dissonance at Senior Min-ji’s words, I turned my head.
“…What’s with the ‘Actor’ title?”
Unless it’s a formal setting, don’t people usually just call celebrities by their names?
Senior Min-ji tucked her chin in slightly. She narrowed her eyes, wearing a mysterious expression.
“…He’s the parent of someone I know, so it feels a bit wrong to just call him by his name.”
Well, that was true. It was a point I hadn’t considered. I thought for a moment about what I should call him.
“Let’s just call him A-young’s father.”
“Ah, should we?”
Ahem.
Senior Min-ji cleared her throat softly and continued.
“Anyway, you know A-young’s father? I heard he’s releasing a new project soon.”
“A new project? Is it a drama?”
“Yeah, it’s already a hot topic. I’m really looking forward to it.”
With a flushed face, Senior Min-ji tapped away on her phone.
“Should I ask A-young to get me an autograph later?”
Even though only the teaser had been released, the public’s attention was already significant.
“Shin A-young… it’s going to be tough for her too,” I muttered quietly to myself.
I could easily foresee the aftermath.
“Huh? What is?”
Senior Min-ji looked like she had no idea what I meant.
“Pardon? Oh, well…”
I stopped mid-sentence. Now that I thought about it, I was the only one who knew she spent her entire life acting. Because her inner and outer selves had become almost identical lately in the club room, I had forgotten that fact for a moment.
I subtly changed the subject.
“…I just thought it might be burdensome if everyone’s eyes are on her at school.”
“Hmm? Wasn’t A-young the type to actually enjoy that kind of thing?”
Well…
I stood up from my seat. “Probably not as much as you’d think.”
She was a girl who cared immensely about how others perceived her. From Shin A-young’s perspective, this probably wasn’t a very welcome development.
“…”
I rummaged through the snack shelf. I felt like having some Korean snacks for the first time in a while. I had spent almost the entire weekend sleeping like the dead, so I hadn't had a chance to eat anything like this.
“Give me a bite.”
Lee Sol, who had been face-down on the sofa, lifted her head.
— “I wonder if he’ll give me a bite…?”
Her Mini-Me was sending me an expectant, wide-eyed look.
Rustle…
Lee Sol pushed herself up from the sofa and reached out a small hand.
…Is she too lazy to even stand up?
I sat down in the naturally created empty space and handed a snack to Lee Sol beside me.
“Mmm.”
— “— — —Yes.”
The Mini-Me’s voice came through with a bit of static. She munched on the snack happily, her lips curling up in satisfaction. I figured she was probably saying something like, “This is good.”
“…”
Senior Min-ji, who had been watching the scene in silence, murmured softly.
“You two got really close after the school trip, didn’t you?”
At those words, Lee Sol stopped chewing and let out a sharp intake of breath.
“…We were already close,” she retorted as calmly as possible.
“No, it didn’t feel like this before you went.”
It didn’t feel like this? Now I was curious too.
“What did it feel like before?”
“Just friends?”
“And now?”
“Really close friends. I can see how comfortable you’ve become with each other.”
“…”
How should I put it? It was a bit different from what Senior Min-ji was thinking. But I figured it could look that way to an outsider. What people see is a different story, after all.
“…Is that so?”
As if relieved by those words, Lee Sol’s tense shoulders dropped slightly. Her reaction said she was glad her true feelings hadn’t been discovered.
— “I shouldn’t have made that bet last time…!”
Lee Sol’s Mini-Me wore a woeful expression.
…Come to think of it, we did make a bet like that. Was it for a wish coupon?
The two Mini-Mes were buzzing and chatting away.
“…”
They looked like they were getting along.
— “I’m glad the members have become so close. I really won’t have to worry about next year.”
— “…I must never, ever let Sister Min-ji find out.”
Of course. Even if they were thinking completely different things.