Chapter 95: Duality (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: Duality (2)
A few more days passed.
When you're buried in the daily grind of school, club hours always seem to roll around in the blink of an eye.
Tap— tap-tap—
I hammered away at the keyboard. Pressing the Enter key with a light flourish, I turned around and asked, “Like this?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
The Club President patted my shoulder, telling me I’d done a good job.
“It’s not too hard, right?”
“It’s definitely manageable once I actually get my hands on it.”
They say seeing something once is better than hearing about it a hundred times, but hands-on experience is even better. I was currently learning the ropes of the club’s administrative duties from the President.
The President flipped through the files to show me.
“Just make sure to collect the reports properly. You submit them on the last Wednesday of every month.”
“Um, but...”
As I listened, I finally voiced the slight doubt I’d been harboring.
“...Why am I the one doing this?”
“Huh? Because you’re going to be the President.”
The President shook my shoulder as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“There’s no one else to do it anyway.”
The President scanned the club room. My gaze followed his.
There was Ji Nuri, snickering while reading a comic book, and Lee Sol, who was practically half-asleep.
“? What?”
Feeling our eyes on him, Ji Nuri stopped reading and looked up, puzzled.
“Nothing.”
“...”
Ji Nuri gave me a strange look.
— “Geez— if you wanted some, you could’ve just said so. Why are you so shy?”
His Mini-Me let out a huff of a laugh.
Soon after, he rummaged through a bag and held out a snack toward me.
“Want one?”
I readily accepted and ate it.
I hadn't intended to, but I managed to score a snack. It was actually pretty tasty.
“Oh, right.”
I remembered something I’d forgotten.
After swallowing the snack, I spoke to the President.
“About Shin A-young. She said she’s quitting the Drama Club and joining ours.”
Since Shin A-young wasn't in the club room yet, I was passing the message along. She was currently away, finishing up her final business with the Drama Club.
“Really?”
“She said she’ll submit the application sometime today.”
“Tell her she can take her time.”
The President’s reaction was calm, but...
“Wait, what? Seriously? She’s joining the Counseling Club?”
Ji Nuri, on the other hand, spun around in shock.
Judging by his reaction, this was news to him. He seemed to have had no idea.
“Didn’t she drop hints before?”
She’d expressed her dissatisfaction with the Drama Club whenever she visited our room. I’d figured she would quit eventually.
“I knew that, but I didn’t think she’d actually come here.”
Ji Nuri shrugged.
He’d left his own club to avoid a confession, yet he seemed to have forgotten that.
— “Well, at least we won’t have to worry about the club being disbanded next year, even if we don’t get any freshmen.”
His Mini-Me let out a pleasant hum, clearly thinking this was a good development.
— “I’ll have to ask her for a game of chess when she gets here.”
Ji Nuri welcomed Shin A-young joining, mostly because it meant another friend was coming in.
“...”
Lee Sol’s reaction was unexpectedly stoic.
She just sat there silently, showing no major response.
— “...What was bound to happen, happened.”
Her Mini-Me muttered softly.
That was the extent of her reaction. There was no sign of great distress; she simply accepted it calmly.
“Seung-ho.”
The President called out to me then.
“Yes?”
“We have to decide what to do for the Arts Festival and submit it to the teacher by next week, okay?”
Now that he mentioned it, the Arts Festival was coming up soon. It was an event scheduled for October.
I turned to the two sitting on the sofa and asked, “You heard that, right? What do you guys want to do?”
“Is it just going to be us?”
Ji Nuri shifted his posture.
“Yeah. The seniors won’t have time for that.”
The CSAT was just around the corner. On the day of the event, they’d probably be in their classrooms studying.
“But is there even anything we can do?”
Ji Nuri tilted his head. He let out a faint groan, seemingly unable to think of anything.
After all, we were the Counseling Club. The Band Club or the Drama Club could put on a performance, but we didn't have a set format. It wasn't like we could actually hold counseling sessions during the festival.
“What did the Counseling Club do last year?”
“We sold cotton candy.”
It had been surprisingly popular.
“Then, if we do that again this year—”
“We lost money on it.”
Renting the cotton candy machine had cost more than we made.
“We still have plenty of time, so let’s decide later...”
I looked up at the clock. It was almost time for the client to arrive.
I was talking about Jung Jae-hoon.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I looked at Lee Sol. She tilted her head in confusion.
“...About what?”
“The counseling session.”
“...”
Still no reaction. Lee Sol just blinked up at me blankly. It seemed she hadn't quite processed it yet.
“I told you that senior’s request for counseling was assigned to you. Don’t you remember?”
“Ah...”
Lee Sol parted her lips slightly.
“Right, that happened. I’ve been so forgetful lately.”
It felt more like she just hadn't cared enough to remember.
“You’re really okay with it?”
“I’m fine.”
Lee Sol gave a small nod. She spoke confidently, but I couldn't shake a lingering sense of unease. It felt like leaving a child by the river.
— “Besides, it’ll be dangerous if I don’t start doing some activities soon...”
Her Mini-Me was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Now that I thought about it, there was that issue too. Even if you belong to a club, you get a warning if you don't participate in any activities. It seemed that was Lee Sol’s primary reason for accepting.
‘She has been slacking off a lot lately.’
Since Lee Sol hadn't conducted any counseling sessions for a while, it was about time people started talking.
“Call me immediately if anything happens.”
“...Okay.”
Lee Sol nodded slightly.
— “...It feels kind of nice having him worry about me.”
Her Mini-Me let out a silly little giggle.
Knock, knock!
Just then, a knock sounded from the door. It seemed the client had arrived.
“Yes, come in—”
“Please, make yourself comfortable.”
As Lee Sol said this, she leaned back in her chair inside the private counseling room. Being in here alone made her feel like she was someone important. It made her feel like an adult.
Ahem. She cleared her throat.
“Let’s see now...”
Lee Sol skimmed through the application form he had filled out.
“Uh...”
Lee Sol voiced her confusion.
“You didn’t write anything specific...?”
The form was empty. Aside from the fact that it was for love counseling, there was no other information.
“Oh, I didn't write the details because I wanted to talk about it in person.”
“Ah, I see.”
Thud.
Lee Sol promptly closed the folder.
“...”
Jung Jae-hoon’s expression became complicated. He looked like he was reconsidering whether it was a good idea to have come to her.
“Feel free to speak.”
Lee Sol waved her hand dismissively.
“...I’ll get straight to the point.”
He cleared his throat slightly and continued.
“The thing is... there’s a girl I like.”
“Mhm. Yes, and?”
Lee Sol nodded, giving an appropriate response. Since it was love counseling, the subject of his affection was bound to come up.
“It’s A-young.”
At the blunt mention of the name, Lee Sol took a short breath.
“...Hmm.”
She hadn't expected that. Even so, it wasn't a huge shock. Shin A-young was popular, after all.
“I don’t know why, but I heard A-young is leaving her club recently.”
That was true. She’d just heard that herself.
“And it seems like she’s gotten closer to that guy in the Counseling Club lately...”
“...”
By 'that guy,' did he mean Seung-ho? Given the context, that seemed to be the only logical conclusion. After all, the only males in the Counseling Club were Seung-ho and the President.
“So, I was wondering if you could help me confess to A-young?”
“Hmm... You’re planning to confess?”
“Graduation is coming up soon. I want to do it before it’s too late.”
On top of that, perhaps the news of her switching clubs had made him feel rushed. Jung Jae-hoon looked quite determined.
“...But why are you asking me?”
Lee Sol was curious about that. There were plenty of other people; why ask her of all people?
“You’re close with A-young, aren’t you?”
“...Well, yeah, I guess...?”
Lee Sol nodded with an ambiguous expression. They were close. If her relationship with Shin A-young couldn't be called a friendship, then there was no one else who could be called a friend. There was just one problem caught in the middle.
“...If that’s the case, couldn't you just talk to her instead of coming for counseling?”
“I didn't think she’d listen if I just called her out.”
“...”
Lee Sol understood. That was true. She didn't think A-young would just readily go out if this guy called her. She’d likely just ignore him.
“And...”
Jung Jae-hoon trailed off before asking point-blank.
“Don’t you like that guy?”
“...”
Lee Sol tilted her chin silently.
“...How did you know?”
“So it’s true.”
Jung Jae-hoon looked surprised. It wasn't a certainty; he’d just been testing the waters.
“I see you two around school here and there. I just got that feeling.”
“...”
Lee Sol lightly brushed her lips. She wasn't exactly trying to hide it, but it was embarrassing to realize that people were noticing. Didn't that mean other people could easily notice too?
‘Wait... if it keeps other girls from swarming around Seung-ho, isn’t that actually better...?’
If it served as a clear boundary for any 'foxes' who might try to approach Lee Seung-ho... thinking about it that way, maybe she should make it even more obvious.
“So, can you help me?”
As if he were certain she would agree, Jung Jae-hoon continued in a strangely confident tone.
“If things go well for me, it’ll be good for you too—”
“I don’t want to.”
“Huh?”
Jung Jae-hoon’s face was instantly washed with bewilderment.
“I said I don’t think I can.”
Lee Sol repeated herself, thinking he might not have heard her correctly.
“...Why?”
Why? Even if she did help him, she didn't think his confession would work. She didn't want to get involved in a hopeless, bothersome task.
Furthermore, as Lee Seung-ho had said before, her role was to provide counseling, not to be a fixer. But explaining all that from the beginning was too much effort.
“Just because.”
She condensed her reasons into a short phrase.
“All I can say is that I hope you try your best.”
With those words, Lee Sol stood up from her seat.
“...The session was short, but shall we end it here?”
Since that seemed to be all he wanted, anyway.
Jung Jae-hoon nodded silently, his expression somewhat stiff.
Click—
He opened the counseling room door first and walked out.
“...”
Lee Sol leaned back languidly in her chair for a moment.
...This person, that person. Why were there so many nosy people? Lee Sol was troubled by how many people were trying to interfere in her love life.
‘A-young must be really exhausted too.’
Lee Sol prided herself on being a fairly good judge of character. From that perspective, he was no good.
That guy was definitely not it. He was the type to be filled with useless self-esteem and subtly look down on others.
Therefore, she didn't need help from someone like Jung Jae-hoon. Lee Sol wasn't so insecure about her own romance that she needed his assistance.
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(!Signpost!)
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Lee Sol, who likes hoodies.