I Decided to Stop Being Her Fake Boyfriend (5)
The alarm piercing my ear woke me up.
"......"
Half-asleep, I reached my arm out from under the blanket and fumbled for the phone on the desk.
─Beep.
I silenced the alarm and was about to close my eyes again when last night's conversation resurfaced in my mind.
"I'll come by tomorrow."
"......ah."
Sleep vanished in an instant.
I slowly sat up and checked the phone screen.
30 minutes earlier than usual.
It was an alarm I set on purpose to avoid facing Yuna.
'This should be enough time to avoid her.'
I woke up 30 minutes earlier than usual, but she shouldn't be waiting in front of our house yet.
I got out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom.
I washed my face with cold water, finished getting ready, and checked the time one more time.
[7:15 AM]
If I followed my usual routine, by now Yuna would have sent me a message asking if she was awake, and if no reply, she'd nag again, and if still no, she'd call.
"......"
I stopped my hand from reaching for the phone out of habit.
No need for that anymore.
'Why wake her up.'
I put the phone back in my pocket.
When I came out to the living room, the house was quiet.
My sister was probably still sleeping.
I opened the fridge but didn't feel like eating anything specific, so I decided to stop by a convenience store on the way to school and headed to the front door.
─Click.
I opened the front door after finishing preparation.
"......"
And I froze right there.
Someone was standing in front of the door.
Familiar school uniform.
Familiar long black hair.
Han Yuna was standing in front of our house.
"Jun-ah."
"......"
I said nothing and took out my phone first.
'Did I misread the time?'
But the screen clearly showed 30 minutes earlier than usual.
"When did you get here?"
"Just a little while ago."
"A little while ago when?"
"Just... not long ago."
Yuna answered as if it was nothing, but no matter how you looked at it, her face didn't look like it was just a little while ago.
Perhaps because the morning air was quite cold, the tips of her ears were slightly red, and in her hand was a warm canned coffee that looked like it was bought from a convenience store.
I let out a short sigh.
"I told you not to come."
"...I still came."
"Is that supposed to be a brag?"
Yuna closed her mouth.
If it were before, seeing that expression might have made me say something harsher, but now the feeling of tiredness came first over that thought.
I passed Yuna and headed to the stairs.
"Move. I have to go to school."
"Go together."
"I don't want to."
"After all, we're going to the same school."
"So why not go separately."
We descended the stairs.
─Tap, tap.
Before long, footsteps followed from behind.
"Jun-ah."
I ignored Yuna's call and tried to walk ahead, but she kept following.
"Lee Jun."
"Why."
"Just a moment."
"Let's talk for a bit."
"I already said I have nothing to say."
"I said I have something to say."
Since this situation wouldn't end like this, I eventually stopped.
'Haa....'
I sighed inwardly and opened my mouth.
"Then say it now."
Yuna, who had been following, also stopped a few steps ahead.
When given the chance to speak, Yuna couldn't easily open her mouth.
After fiddling with the can in her hand for a while, a cautious voice came out.
"Shouldn't we just live like usual at our school?"
"......What?"
I thought I heard wrong for a moment.
"Everyone at school still thinks we're dating."
"So?"
"If we suddenly break up, it would be weird."
I looked at Yuna without saying anything.
"After following each other around for years, suddenly doing that, the kids would ask what happened."
"If they ask, I'll say we broke up."
"......"
Yuna's face hardened for a moment.
"Why."
"Don't say that."
"What?"
"Say we broke up."
I frowned.
"Then what should I say."
"Just say we fought."
"Why should I do that?"
"...Jun-ah."
"I ended it."
Strength left Yuna's hand.
The fingers gripping the can turned white.
"If you say you ended it alone, that's the end?"
"Then?"
"We've been like this for years."
"You’ve already told me everything about what you did during those years yesterday."
"......"
"And I heard your answer too."
The moment I spoke, the voice from the rooftop yesterday flashed through my mind.
'We were just a contract, right?'
It wasn't as heavy as I thought.
Until yesterday, just recalling it made my chest tight, but now it was just a slight calming of my mood.
"So, it ended at school too."
"I don't like it."
"What?"
Yuna looked up.
"Even at school, suddenly acting like we're not dating."
"Who says we're acting like that?"
"That's what it is."
"No."
I cut her off firmly.
"Being friends and pretending to be a boyfriend are different."
"......"
"You said that yesterday too."
I looked at Yuna.
"We were originally a contract."
Yuna's lips pressed tightly shut.
"Since that contract is over, now we can just live as friends."
"I can't do that."
"Why."
Yuna didn't answer right away.
After her lips moved a few times, she said softly.
"It would be weird if we suddenly do that."
"Again with that talk."
"Actually, that's how it is. Everyone would ask, and weird rumors would spread."
"If you don't like that, just say we broke up?"
"Don't say that!"
Yuna's voice suddenly rose.
I looked at Yuna for a moment.
Yuna realized she had raised her voice and immediately closed her mouth.
"...Sorry."
"It's fine."
"Anyway."
Yuna let out a small sigh.
"Let's just live normally at school for a bit."
"I don't like it."
"Jun-ah."
"Haa... What's different about what you're saying now from yesterday."
Yuna's expression hardened.
"You don't like dating, but you want to keep being a boyfriend in front of others."
"That's not it..."
"What's not it."
"I just need some time."
"Some time."
"......"
No answer again.
I felt like talking more would just repeat the same thing, so I turned around.
"...This isn't getting through. I'm going first."
"Go together."
"Do as you like."
I didn't have the energy to say more, so I didn't forcibly pull away the person who was following the same path anyway.
I just didn't wait and walked ahead a bit faster than usual.
Yuna followed quietly a few steps behind.
"......"
If it were usual, she would be stuck to my side, saying something, sometimes grabbing my arm to walk together.
But today, only the footsteps from behind followed steadily.
It was a bit bothersome, but I didn't turn around anyway.
I walked ahead looking straight, heading to school.
─Tap.
─Tap.
Then, I stopped at the traffic light.
I was about to glance sideways unconsciously but stopped.
It was a natural action until yesterday.
'It's scary how habits are.'
I put my hand in my pocket unnecessarily.
At that moment, something was pushed towards me from the side.
It was the canned coffee Yuna had been holding earlier.
"Want to drink this?"
"I'm good."
"You woke up early today. Not sleepy?"
"I'm fine."
"But... you usually have a lot of morning sleep."
"I won't drink."
Yuna's hand that was offering it froze for a moment.
"...Okay."
In the end, Yuna pulled the canned coffee back to herself.
At that moment, the light changed.
I crossed the crosswalk as is.
As we got closer to school, more students started arriving.
If it were usual, Yuna would naturally stick to my side around here.
To prove it, Yuna actually looked around for a bit and then moved to my side.
And she tried to grab my arm familiarly.
But I reflexively pulled my arm away.
"......"
Yuna's hand stopped in mid-air.
"Don't."
"...It's in front of the school."
"So I'm telling you not to."
"The kids will think it's weird."
"Tell them that."
"...Jun-ah."
"I don't do this kind of thing anymore."
A few students passing by glanced at us.
Yuna felt the gaze and didn't try to grab my arm anymore, but her expression was noticeably hardened.
We passed the classroom door and entered the building, opening the classroom door.
Since it was earlier than usual, there were many empty seats.
"Oh."
Junho, who was sitting near my seat, spotted me and widened his eyes.
"You came to school at this time?"
"There are times when I wake up early."
"That's true, but..."
Junho's gaze naturally turned behind me.
A guy who entered the classroom late saw Yuna and tilted his head.
"What?"
"What?"
"Why did you two come separately today?"
"We came together."
Before I could answer, Yuna spoke first.
I put down my bag and glanced at Yuna.
Junho nodded without thinking at Yuna's words.
"Ah, I see?"
At that moment, Minseok, who was sleeping next to him, lifted his head.
"Shut up, I'm dying here."
"Wake up. It's morning."
"......"
Minseok rubbed his eyes and looked back and forth between me and Yuna.
"But why is the atmosphere weird between the two of you."
"What?"
"What did you fight about?"
Yuna's expression hardened just a little.
I didn't care and pulled out a chair, answering vaguely.
"Similar."
"Really?"
Junho turned with interest.
"Why did you fight?"
"It wasn't a big deal."
"Your face doesn't look like it wasn't a big deal."
"Stop being interested in someone else's romance."
I blurted it out and then froze for a moment.
'Romance?'
We never even dated in the first place.
Because we've been acting like lovers so naturally for years, I sometimes even mistake it.
I clicked my tongue and looked away.
Junho smiled mischievously.
"Hey, even if it's an old couple who fought, it's curious."
"We didn't fight."
Yuna said that first, and Junho's head turned.
"Huh?"
"Just had something to talk about."
Yuna placed her bag on her desk with an indifferent face.
'She still thinks it was just a little fight.'
She didn't accept that I said I ended it sincerely yesterday.
At that, Minseok laughed.
"That's what a fight is."
"No, I said."
"Why, did you break up?"
It was a light joke with no meaning.
"No, don't cross the line. We didn't break up."
Yuna answered immediately with a hardened face.
Too quick a response, and both Junho and Minseok looked at Yuna.
"Ah... s-sorry."
Junho smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
"Just a joke."
"......"
In that atmosphere, I pulled a chair and sat down, took out the textbook from the desk drawer and said.
"I ended it."
"......What?"
Junho's expression hardened as is.
Minseok, with his sleep completely gone, looked at me.
I opened the book and said again.
"So don't ask me anymore."
"......"
The classroom atmosphere became strangely quiet from the morning, so I looked down at the textbook.
I didn't need to lift my head; I could feel Yuna's gaze still on me.