Chapter 190
Chapter 190
"Oh, and..."
I added, turning to Son A-reum, who had taken the invitation.
"Since there'll probably be a lot of family members coming... if you need clothes, tell me. I'll lend you some."
"Clothes?"
Son A-reum didn't quite seem to grasp my meaning, so I let out a pointed sigh.
"You'll see when you look at it."
When I pointed at the invitation in Son A-reum's hand, her eyes followed my fingertip down.
"Honestly, I was planning to just invite a few friends like I normally would... but it got out of hand. A senior relative ended up hosting it personally, and those are the invitations that relative personally sent. Frankly, no matter how you look at it, they look like wedding invitations, not birthday-party invitations."
At my words, Son A-reum swallowed dryly. She seemed to be slowly starting to understand what I was saying.
"It's not confirmed yet... but odds are, it won't be the kind of birthday party we normally think of."
It'll be one of those lavish parties you only see in dramas.
And the protagonist of it will naturally be me.
...Because Sara would absolutely refuse to come out in this situation.
"So... there's no set dress code. But if you show up dressed in just anything, someone's bound to gossip about it."
"...Do we really have to go that far for a birthday party?"
Son A-reum spoke with a slight crease between her brows.
Tell me about it.
Honestly, I wasn't keen on it either. No matter how you look at it, it's like a party a nouveau riche would throw to flaunt their money.
But what can you do?
The fact that so many invitations were handed out means there are already people who received them. At the very least, all the relatives connected to the Yujin Group must have been invited. After all, the main purpose of this party was to "introduce me" to them.
Naturally, if I skipped the party, it would be a slap in that senior relative's face.
In the long run, attending is the right choice. If I acted just to dodge temporary embarrassment, I could end up being hassled for life.
"Well... if you don't want to come, you don't have to. Honestly, I'm not really in favor of it either. I just... I felt like I should give one to you, so I am."
"Uh... h-huh!?"
Son A-reum's face flushed red at my words.
"So, if you want to come but think you don't have clothes to wear, just tel—heek!?"
And as I was answering Son A-reum, I ended up making a weird sound like that.
Someone had poked me in the side. No, actually, saying "someone" was a bit misleading. Because they poked my right side.
When I turned my head to the right, Ha-neul was sitting there.
Without making it obvious that she'd done it, Ha-neul was focused on her meal. Her attitude seemed to say she hadn't had the slightest interest in the conversation Son A-reum and I were just having.
...But I definitely felt a poke from my right side.
"Hm? What, is something wrong?"
Ha-neul asked, as if she'd belatedly realized my gaze had turned toward her. A beaming smile was on her face.
....
But why is it scary?
No, it wasn't an angry expression at all. It was the kind of look I'd seen plenty of times from Ha-neul, who always wore all kinds of faces.
But, oddly enough, I felt something beyond that smile.
"Ah, uh, well... that..."
I cautiously spoke to Ha-neul, who somehow seemed a little angry.
"Did I... do something wrong?"
"Hm? No?"
Ha-neul tilted her head as if she really had no idea.
But that strange feeling didn't Sara at all.
"R-right...?"
So in the end, I resorted to the last measure: avoiding Ha-neul's eyes.
*
"So, Senior, you should take one too."
As I said that and handed over the invitation, Nam Da-un took it with a frown and unfolded it.
"What is this? A wedding invitation?"
"...It's a birthday-party invitation."
"Huh."
When I explained despite my embarrassment, Nam Da-un let out a sound that I couldn't tell was disbelief or pure admiration.
"Just how big is this party going to be that they made something like this? Were you always the type who liked this kind of thing?"
"Do I look like the type who'd like it?"
"No?"
"Then why ask?"
"To mess with you."
"......."
I raised my right hand and gently rubbed the back of my neck.
No matter how weak my body is, I don't have high blood pressure, you know?
Sara, who had recently started gaining weight, grumbled.
Hey!
The reason people touch the back of their neck when they're angry... I don't really know either, but anyway, high blood pressure or not, you just end up touching it. You touch it because you end up touching it; there's no particular reason.
Hmm, I don't even know what I'm saying myself.
Anyway, I rubbed the back of my neck and calmed my anger before speaking.
"So, are you coming or not?"
"Didn't you give it to me so I'd come?"
"I gave it to you as a courtesy."
When I said that in a deliberately stiff tone, Nam Da-un let out another "Huh..."
"Well, I'll come. Is there a dress code or something?"
Judging by the tone, it was probably meant as a joke, but honestly, the situation didn't seem like something to end with a joke, so I answered with a somewhat serious expression.
"There's no set dress code... but if possible, it'd be better to come a little dressed up."
"...You're joking, right?"
For the first time since receiving the invitation, Nam Da-un wore a genuinely flustered look.
Nam Da-un had been part of this world as a child... but childhood is just childhood. Even if they'd attended parties like this a few times, they wouldn't remember the details. Back then, their parents would have chosen the clothes.
"Because a lot of my family will probably come...."
As I trailed off, Nam Da-un let out a third "Huh..."
"Ah, if it's uncomfortable, you don't have to come."
Nam Da-un had a bad history with Choi Na-kyung. Of course, there was no way Choi Na-kyung would come, so they wouldn't run into each other directly, but it was the Yujin Group under Choi Na-kyung that had done those things, and knowing that Sara's clan ran that group, it wouldn't be strange if Nam Da-un held a grudge.
"Well, it'd be best to keep it a secret from my parents."
Nam Da-un stared at the invitation for a moment, then spoke.
"Well, I'll think about it. Even though there are only a few days left. Thanks, I guess?"
Nam Da-un said, waving the invitation.
Feeling awkward no matter how I replied, I just nodded.
*
And after that, the atmosphere at school changed.
Ever since I came to this world, I'd had the feeling that the world revolved around Sara, and it seemed I wasn't wrong.
Before, Sara and I had been getting attention little by little, but now we were being openly stared at.
With only two days left until my birthday, maybe that was the reason.
Considering the attention started after I brought up my birthday and publicly handed the invitation to Son A-reum... it's probably related to that "birthday party."
Even I'm not that clueless.
Almost all the kids who were now looking at me with desperate eyes were the ones who wanted an invitation.
I was well aware that wanting an invitation wasn't just about wanting to enjoy a fancy party in a beautifully decorated venue.
First, from the moment I handed them the invitation, the recipients would be people "completely forgiven" by me. It meant I had no reason to retaliate against them anymore, and maybe they could even stay as close friends.
Son A-reum was exactly that case.
She was a kid who had openly antagonized me at first, then later acknowledged her mistake, apologized, and became my friend.
Aside from Ha-neul, So-hee, and Su-a, who you could call my closest friends, she was also the first to receive an invitation.
And Nam Da-un was the same. Nam Da-un was already popular thanks to that appearance and athletic ability, but at the same time, they were someone who had treated me without any particular prejudice from the start. It wasn't strange for them to receive an invitation from me.
I hadn't given out the invitations with that intention, but anyway, that's how it turned out. This invitation had become a symbol of my trust.
And second, there's a high chance that key figures from the Yujin Group will attend this party.
To begin with, the party venue is a famous building under the Yujin Group. The host isn't written on it, but it's obviously the Yujin Group.
A sudden big party after the company's chairwoman Choi Na-kyung *Sara*ed. And the protagonist is Ye Sa-ra, who is the strong candidate for the next chairwoman.
It's a picture anyone could imagine at a glance.
Even if they couldn't become my closest friends, they could make a good impression on the Yujin Group executives at the party. If things went well, I might even introduce them. That's probably what they're thinking.
Of course, that's completely wrong-headed.
Because when it comes to the Yujin Group executives, I only know exactly one person. Just that middle-aged guy who made these invitations and gave them to me.
...Maybe the reason they put so many invitations in my hands was to test my eye for choosing people?