Chapter 3
chapter 3
The Secret of the Popular Kid in the New Semester (3)
They say a person’s true nature is revealed in moments of crisis.
If that’s the case, then the face Shin Ayoung is showing right now must be her real one.
“……”
Her sharp eyes, and the ever-bright expression she usually wore, were now layered with a sense of confusion.
Various emotions mixed across Shin Ayoung’s face.
Is this her true face?
Of course, it only lasted for a moment.
‘She’s back to her usual expression.’
As if nothing had happened, Shin Ayoung’s face returned to calm. It’s honestly fascinating every time I see it.
Of course, she’s still human, so she couldn’t hide the cold sweat forming on her skin.
She fidgeted with her lips before carefully bringing up the topic.
“…How much did you hear?”
So that’s what she’s worried about.
For now, I should apologize first.
No matter what, it’s true that I ended up secretly witnessing her confession scene.
“I didn’t mean to listen… but it ended up like I was eavesdropping, so sorry.”
“O-oh, no, it’s okay. It was an accident.”
— “Ah…! No, seriously… everything’s been exposed…!”
Shin Ayoung’s mini-me grabbed its head and shouted.
Is this what it looks like when someone turns pale?
— “If it gets out that I cursed after rejecting him…”
This feels like seeing another side of her.
‘She’s softer than I expected.’
Even though she curses harshly inside, she still worries about small things.
Cursing once isn’t that big of a deal anyway.
“But… what were you doing here?”
“Huh?”
At that question, I couldn’t help but hesitate.
“…Well, that is.”
I mean, it’s embarrassing to admit I was eating alone.
— “Was he watching on purpose?”
Her mini-me narrowed its eyes sharply.
No, idiot.
Getting misunderstood like that over eating alone would be worse. I had no choice but to tell the truth.
“…I was eating.”
Man, this is seriously embarrassing.
Shin Ayoung looked puzzled. Her gaze swept around.
“Eating? Here?”
“Yeah, I bought something from the store.”
I showed her the hamburger in my hand.
The burger that was once steaming had already gone cold and limp.
“……”
Only then did the suspicion in her eyes fade.
“…Seungho. Lee Seungho, right?”
“Yeah.”
Even though this is our first conversation, she somehow remembers my name.
There’s no name tag on me right now, so it means she’s already memorized our classmates’ names.
“…Um.”
Shin Ayoung fidgeted with her fingers. She looked hesitant, as if struggling to say something.
Then she lowered her head.
“…It’s a favor, but could you pretend you didn’t see what happened today? If you do, I’ll repay you—”
“Yeah, sure.”
I thought it would be something big.
That’s easy enough. It’s not difficult at all.
Honestly, it wasn’t even something worth asking for. I had no intention of telling anyone anyway.
…Besides, I didn’t want to get involved with her if I could help it.
“…Huh?”
Shin Ayoung’s eyes widened. She looked like she didn’t expect it to be resolved so easily.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
What, was there supposed to be a fake answer?
Ding-dong—
Right then, the school bell rang. Lunchtime ended in an instant.
“Ah.”
Right.
I never finished my burger.
“Class is starting. Let’s go.”
I quickly stuffed the remaining burger into my mouth and headed back to the classroom.
‘At first I thought it might get complicated.’
But I think it went over pretty well, right?
…No. It didn’t go over well at all.
‘Is it just my imagination?’
It started during fifth period, music class.
I began to feel someone’s gaze from somewhere.
‘Something feels off…’
During the break after fifth period, Shin Ayoung kept appearing in my sight.
‘It feels like she’s following me.’
Sixth period.
This is no longer something I can dismiss as my imagination.
‘Her stare has been piercing me for a while now.’
When I glanced back, I could see Shin Ayoung staring straight at me the whole time.
This is exactly why I didn’t want to get involved.
People like her are completely unpredictable.
Regardless, class began.
“Sorry for assigning work from the very first class, but since you’re second-years now, I plan to go harder this year, so keep that in mind. For now, classes will be done through group assignments.”
At the mention of an assignment on the first day, the class groaned.
I wasn’t any different.
“Instead, you can form teams with whoever you want, so make your groups freely.”
“Ah…”
It got even worse.
Group assignments are bad enough, but now we have to form our own teams too.
Looking around, everyone was already grouping up with people they knew.
In that case, there’s only one option.
‘I’ll just join whoever’s left over.’
I gave up on finding a group and leaned back in my chair.
Swoosh—
While waiting for everyone else to finish forming teams, a shadow fell over me.
“?”
When I looked up, Shin Ayoung was standing there.
Why is she here.
“Do you want to team up with me?”
“Huh?”
Her sudden question left me blank.
“Ah, are you already teaming up with someone else?”
“…No, not really.”
“Then let’s team up. I’ve already gathered the other members, so you just need to join.”
I thought about refusing, but it felt like rejecting her goodwill might lead to something worse.
It was that kind of look in her eyes.
As if she intended to keep watching me.
“…Alright.”
Let’s just see how this goes.
I stood up and followed behind her.
Meanwhile, I caught a glimpse of Park Jinsu’s wronged expression as I passed by.
“……”
— “Why him?”
He clearly couldn’t understand why Shin Ayoung approached me first.
…Come to think of it, this is all your fault, you know.
“……”
The group she led me to consisted of people she usually hangs out with.
“So this was the last member.”
Jinu Ri, who had been vice class president in class 2 with Shin Ayoung last year.
“Oh, hi~”
And Lee Sol, who was already known for her modeling work.
Fortunately, their reactions were generally friendly.
The atmosphere wasn’t bad so far.
Once all the groups were formed, the teacher spoke again.
“Since it’s the first day, some teams might still feel awkward, right? Talk lightly among yourselves and start by dividing roles.”
That’s us, teacher.
“……”
Jinu Ri looked back and forth between me and Shin Ayoung before asking,
“…Were you two already acquainted?”
“You could say that?”
The answer came from Shin Ayoung, not me.
Since when were we close.
I had a lot to say, but I decided to let it slide for now.
Things might get complicated otherwise.
“Let’s start by dividing roles. Does anyone have something they want to do?”
Jinu Ri naturally took the lead.
She seemed used to this kind of role.
“I’m fine with anything, so you guys go first.”
— “I’m fine with anything as long as it’s not PPT.”
Lee Sol rested her chin lazily on her hand.
“I’m fine with anything.”
— “Honestly, research is the easiest, but… I’ll read the room first.”
“I’m okay with anything too.”
Even Shin Ayoung passed on choosing, causing Jinu Ri to tap her pen on the desk in mild frustration.
“…Come on, say what you want. It just makes it harder to decide.”
She let out a short sigh and looked at me.
“What about you, Lee Seungho?”
At that moment.
— “Maybe----so----inside----”
A crackling noise hit my ears.
‘Ugh.’
What was that all of a sudden.
It was noise coming from Shin Ayoung’s mini-me. Her words were distorted.
This usually happens when strong emotions leak out.
And that was happening to her right now.
This kind of harsh noise is usually tied to negative emotions.
‘…Is she anxious? About what?’
Honestly, it’s a bit confusing.
Would someone react this strongly just because they were caught cursing once?
It almost feels like an obsession.
“……”
…For now, I should deal with the group assignment first.
“I’ll do the PPT. Does anyone want to handle research? If not, we can decide with rock-paper-scissors.”
“Me! Me!”
Lee Sol immediately raised her hand enthusiastically.
Looking at the others, the remaining two didn’t seem to mind either way.
“Alright. Lee Sol, you do the research… and between you two, who wants to present?”
Jinu Ri glanced at Shin Ayoung before raising her hand lightly.
“I’ll do it.”
“Then only the report is left. Shin Ayoung, is it okay if you handle that?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
— “How----should----”
The noise was still there.
Shin Ayoung’s gaze was also still fixed on me.
“Let’s end class here for today. The group assignment is due next week, so prepare well.”
As soon as class ended, I stood up.
“……”
This is seriously overwhelming.
Voices kept echoing faintly in my head.
— “I think this is the first time I’ve seen Shin Ayoung sticking with a guy.”
— “What was his name again? Lee… Lee… Lee Seunghun?”
“……”
It’s Seungho.
On the surface, it looks like no one is paying attention.
But I’m the only one who knows.
They don’t show it outwardly, but I can’t help but hear it.
Honestly, the attention caused by Shin Ayoung is incredibly burdensome.
— “——————”
On top of that, the constant noise was giving me a headache.
If this keeps up, I might collapse first.
“Haah…”
I turned toward her, who had been quietly following me, pretending not to notice.
Shin Ayoung stopped right in front of me, looking confused.
“Hm? What is it? Do you have something to say to me?”
You’re the one who should have something to say.
“Can we talk for a moment?”