Chapter 8: Left on Read
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8: Left on Read
“One Vanilla Mousse and one Dad is an Alien, ready.”
I took the ice cream from the employee and handed one to her.
Mine was Vanilla Mousse. Shin A-young’s was Dad is an Alien.
“You actually bought it.”
Shin A-young looked genuinely surprised.
“...You’re the one who asked for it.”
“That was obviously a joke. A joke!”
“......”
I wasn't so sure about that. For a joke, she had looked pretty damn serious until halfway through.
But whatever.
“You gave up your PC café time for me, so let’s call it even.”
“I’ll enjoy it, then.”
Shin A-young took a large scoop of ice cream and popped it into her mouth. I could see her facial muscles relax instantly.
“As expected, ice cream tastes extra special after a hard carry.”
Excuse me?
“What are you talking about? I’m the one who carried.”
“Didn’t you see me taking down the whole enemy team earlier?”
“And who do you think set up that entire play?”
As we bickered and walked down the street, we eventually reached the main road.
“......”
The air grew slightly awkward. Well, should we head our separate ways now? Just as I was about to check her reaction and suggest leaving—
“Shin A-young?”
I heard someone call her name.
“It really is you! Oh, what a coincidence, meeting you here.”
A tall guy was standing there. Judging by his school uniform, he was from our school. The blue name tag meant he was a senior, a third-year.
“...Senior?”
Shin A-young’s eyes widened. It seemed they knew each other.
— “...Why do I have to run into him here?”
Seeing her Mini-Me wipe its face in frustration, it didn't seem like they were very close. If anything, she looked like she was desperately trying to avoid him.
“Hey, don’t call me ‘Senior.’ I told you you can be more comfortable with me. Call me ‘Oppa’ or whatever.”
The guy she called ‘Senior’ approached us with a friendly smile.
“Oh, I couldn't possibly do that~”
Shin A-young laughed, covering her mouth and waving her hand dismissively. It was a clear tactic to hide her true expression.
— “Oppa, my ass.”
Inside, her Mini-Me's face was already twisted in a grimace.
“Is the guy next to you a friend?”
After talking to her for a while, his gaze finally shifted toward me.
“He’s a classmate.”
“Hello. I’m Lee Seung-ho.”
I bowed my head slightly at Shin A-young’s introduction.
“Ah, right. I’m Jung Jae-hoon, A-young’s senior from the drama club.”
Jung Jae-hoon offered a smooth smile and extended his hand. I took it and gave it a light shake.
“If you’re ever curious about school life, feel free to ask. Since you’re A-young’s friend, you’re like a junior to me too.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I gave a standard, polite response. On the surface, he seemed like a perfectly nice senior.
— “Who’s this guy? Is he seeing A-young?”
Jung Jae-hoon’s Mini-Me scanned me from head to toe with a wary, defensive glare. He’d been like this for a while now. The cause was obviously Shin A-young standing next to me.
Then, Jung Jae-hoon’s Mini-Me shook its head slightly.
— “...No, that’s probably not it.”
Hey, why are you jumping to conclusions on your own? It could be possible, you know.
“......”
This is why it’s so hard to get along with people. Since I can see right through everyone, I can never truly feel at ease.
“Are you two out having fun?”
Jung Jae-hoon’s attention returned to Shin A-young. I had long since faded from his interest.
“But seriously, I can’t believe I ran into you here. This is pretty far from your house.”
— “Fuck.”
“I know, right?”
...Pfft.
I almost burst out laughing. Jung Jae-hoon, oblivious to her inner thoughts, was just smiling happily.
“I was just on my way to grab dinner with some friends. You haven't eaten yet, right? Since we ran into each other, let’s go eat together.”
Jung Jae-hoon pointed behind him. I could see a group of people waiting for him.
“Ah, well...”
“If you’re short on cash, I’ll treat you today.”
Jung Jae-hoon didn't seem like he was going to back down easily.
— “Maybe I should jump in and sabotage them a bit. I don’t know if they’re just friends, but he looks like a total loser. If I crush his spirit a little, he’ll probably back off on his own.”
“......”
Look at this guy. He’s crossing the line. I don’t care if he likes Shin A-young or not, but he shouldn't be insulting someone who’s just standing there.
Of course, he probably thinks he’s just thinking it to himself. But I’m forced to hear it.
— “Sigh... I’m stuck. How do I get out of this?”
It looked like Shin A-young was struggling too. Since things had turned out this way, I figured it wouldn't hurt to help her out a bit.
“Excuse me, sorry.”
When I interjected, both of their gazes snapped to me. How should I turn him down? Insulting him to his face would be a bit much, so it was better to come up with a decent excuse.
“We still have a group project to finish. We were planning to do it at her place, so I don’t think we have time right now.”
It was a total lie, of course. The project was finished yesterday. And I had no intention of going to her house.
“...Oh, really?”
— “Who does this brat think he’s fooling?”
Jung Jae-hoon didn't seem entirely convinced.
“Must be a lot of work?”
He turned his gaze back to Shin A-young, asking her if what I said was true. The baton had been passed to her.
“Yeah, can you believe they’re giving us so much since the start of the new semester?”
However, Shin A-young wasn't the type to let an opportunity like this slip away.
“Sorry, Senior. It’s a bit of an urgent project.”
Without batting an eye, she boldly backed up the non-existent project.
“No, don’t be sorry. We can just eat some other time when you’re free.”
At this point, even Jung Jae-hoon couldn't push any further.
“Well then, we’ll be going now.”
“Sure~ See you tomorrow.”
Shin A-young and I turned around and hurried away. Once we were far enough that Jung Jae-hoon was out of sight, Shin A-young tugged on my sleeve.
“...How did you know?” she whispered, glancing around. She still seemed worried about Jung Jae-hoon.
“Know what?”
“I mean, about me wanting to turn him down. I don’t think I made it that obvious, so how did you know?”
Well, it’s because I can read your thoughts. Obviously, I couldn't give her that answer. So, I gave her my usual response—the same excuse I always used, as naturally as possible.
“I’m just quick on the uptake. It was pretty obvious just by looking at you.”
*
“I’m home.”
Shin A-young spoke to herself as she entered the house. Yes, she was talking to herself, because there was no one else home.
It was a familiar routine. Her parents were always busy.
“......”
As she opened the door and stepped inside, the dark house greeted her. Perhaps because she had just come from the noisy atmosphere of the PC café, the contrast of the silence felt even more pronounced.
The living room, the kitchen, the bedrooms. She turned on the light switches one by one and turned on the TV to break the silence.
“Whew.”
Now it felt like a place where people actually lived.
“...What should I eat?”
After that, Shin A-young ordered food through a delivery app. It was a natural flow, something she had done countless times before. Since the delivery would take some time, she decided to wash up in the meantime.
Shin A-young shed her school uniform and stepped into the shower.
“......”
Her reflection stared back at her from the bathroom mirror. Her eyes looked a bit sharper. It was her natural expression, the one she wore when she wasn't acting.
“Was it really that obvious...?”
Shin A-young pressed her fingertips against her facial muscles. She was sure she had been hiding it perfectly. But he had seen right through her.
“......”
Should I try again?
As she always did, Shin A-young began her daily performance—the one she showed to everyone. Her expression transformed in an instant. A smiling young woman. The act of a sweet, innocent girl who was kind to everyone.
Then, she applied that expression to the situation from earlier. She imagined the face of that pestering senior from the club.
“Fuck.”
A harsh curse escaped her lips. However, her face remained unchanged.
“...Hmm. It doesn't show.”
Not a single muscle twitched. She maintained her bright, fresh smile perfectly. It was, quite literally, a flawless performance. Wouldn't even her father, a professional actor, be impressed by this?
But then... why?
‘...How did he notice?’
Lee Seung-ho had seen right through her acting. It didn't seem like he was just "quick on the uptake."
‘I don’t know.’
She didn't think she’d find an answer no matter how much she thought about it.
“Phew...”
After finishing her shower, Shin A-young applied some lotion and sat on the sofa, flipping through TV channels. Lately, she had been enjoying NewTube.
On the main screen, LoL videos appeared in her algorithm. Since she’d been playing a lot lately, pro-gamer montages popped up frequently. Watching them...
“...I really want to play LoL.”
The urge suddenly reared its head. Not playing alone, but playing with someone else. The duo session she just had with Lee Seung-ho had fully awakened her to the fun of multiplayer.
‘Come to think of it, was that the first time I played a game with someone else?’
Personally, Shin A-young preferred solo play. Besides, Ji Nuri and Lee Sol didn't like games, so she had never played with them.
“......”
The first time their teamwork clicked. The moment they shared the thrill of victory. The events from earlier played out in her mind like a movie.
“...It was fun.”
It was definitely more exciting than playing alone.
‘Should I text the girls and see if they want to play?’
It would be slow on a laptop, but still, it was doable. Shin A-young lay down on the sofa and picked up her phone.
[Shin A-young, Ji Nuri, Lee Sol]
It was the group Instagram DM window for the three of them.
— Shin A-young: Is anyone free right now?
It didn't take long for a reply to come.
— Ji Nuri: Why?
— Shin A-young: Want to play LoL? I’ll teach you.
— Ji Nuri: I’m at a study cafe, so I can’t.
“Ah... she’s studying.”
In that case, she couldn't bother Ji Nuri any further.
— Shin A-young: What about you, Sol?
— Lee Sol: (Emoticon of a hamster falling asleep while lying down)
That was it. In short, it meant she couldn't be bothered.
“...Right, I didn't expect much anyway.”
As a result, there was only one person left she could think of.
“Should I message him?”
Lee Seung-ho. The guy who had gone straight home after walking her back. He should have arrived home by now. She hadn't properly thanked him for helping her earlier, either. She could use that as an excuse to ask him to play.
“......”
Since she didn't know Lee Seung-ho’s Instagram ID, she opened CocoaTalk instead. She’d have to ask him for it later.
Tap. Tap-tap.
Shin A-young lightly tapped the keyboard.
What are you doing?
“......No, this is a bit weird.”
Shin A-young deleted everything she had written. What should she send? It wasn't easy to be the one to text first.
‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never been the one to text first.’
It occurred to her that it was true. While she had received plenty of messages from male friends first, she had never been the one to initiate.
“......”
Maybe that was why it felt strangely awkward.
“Ah, whatever.”
Aren't we just friends? I’ll just send something casual. I mean, is there really a need to overthink it?
— Shin A-young: Do you have time right now?
After quickly sending the message, Shin A-young closed her phone. He’d probably reply soon.
......Two hours later.
“......Wait, what’s with this guy??”
Next to the message, the "1" had disappeared.
For the first time in her life, Shin A-young had been left on read.