005. Surely Not Baek Seol-ah?
Slipping the wireless earbuds Woo-jin had given me into my ears, I started walking, eyes fixed on the ground as a familiar tune streamed through them.
Every walk to school had always been with Baek Seol-ah at my side. Sure, this was our first time heading to high school, but even so, the fact that she wasn't walking next to me felt strangely unfamiliar.
It seemed like it was about time these unfamiliar things started feeling routine — but every time I did something ordinary, the only thing that grew sharper was the memory of doing it with her.
*Sigh.*
I couldn't spend the rest of my life moping around like some tragic drama character.
Shaking my head, I quickened my pace. Today was my first day of high school. A new environment and new friends would be waiting for me.
Or in other words, today was the day my first impression would be decided. With Seol-ah out of the picture now, I needed to make some friends and just live a normal high school life.
'Alright.'
I couldn't keep wallowing like this. Seol-ah would be moving forward, going through all sorts of events with the original protagonist — so it was time for me to walk my own path too.
'Let's do this.'
Letting out a deep breath, I gave a firm nod and strode forward with my head held high.
@
'...A new environment. New friends.'
And where exactly would those be?
"Lucky you."
Woo-jin was waving at me from the very back of the classroom like it had been reserved for him, and I exhaled slowly, shaking my head.
And it wasn't just Woo-jin. Tae-joon, Han-na — even Yo-han, who'd come with us to the PC room. All four of them were crowded together, greeting me warmly.
And at the front row of the classroom, I spotted a familiar pair of heads.
Hi.
Kim A-young, flashing me a bright smile as she mouthed her greeting... and Baek Seol-ah.
'We're in the same class again.'
Seven of us now, including me. I could understand Seol-ah and A-young being together — they'd been in the same class in the original novel too. But if Woo-jin's whole crew was also in this class...
This wasn't exactly a new environment with new friends, was it?
Scratching my head, I let out a sigh and shuffled over, plopping down in the seat next to Woo-jin.
"We're all in the same class?"
"...Huh? No, these guys are in a different class."
Thankfully, it turned out we weren't all together. Han-na and Tae-joon had been assigned elsewhere — they'd just dropped by, apparently feeling awkward since it was the start of the semester.
"You're lucky you got me in your class."
"That's the worst part, actually."
Replying flatly to Woo-jin's smug remark, I glanced around the room. Any familiar faces...? Not really, huh. Well, my social circle had never been that wide to begin with.
Come to think of it, maybe it was genuinely a blessing that I was at least in the same class as Woo-jin and Yo-han.
"Jihun, check this out. Yesterday's match history."
"...Oh. Wow, how'd you actually go on a win streak?"
"I carried the whole team, that's how."
As Tae-joon flashed a toothy grin, Han-na — who'd been showing me Rul's match record on her phone — scowled and glared daggers at him.
"What did you just say? You're the one who fed all game and made it miserable."
"...My bad."
Watching Tae-joon's tail tuck between his legs so quickly, I couldn't help but smile. Same old dynamic as always.
"Should I join the queue today too?"
"Sure, get in here."
Han-na looked me over with a smile, then gave a curt nod. I'd been hoping for something new, but...
'Honestly, this isn't so bad either.'
@
Baek Seol-ah. Seventeen years old.
Two weeks after losing both her boyfriend and a lifelong friend in one fell swoop, she sat staring blankly at the blackboard, chin propped in her hands.
A new high school. And new friends.
Right up until she'd graduated middle school and started here, Seol-ah had been giddy with excitement. But now, that giddiness had long since settled into a quiet heaviness.
'...Jihun.'
She'd been like this ever since breaking up with him — her boyfriend of two years, and her friend of far longer than that. And she had a vague sense why. It was probably because she'd failed to remain even friends with the person she'd treasured most, the one who'd been closest to her.
*Sneak glance.*
Despite herself, from the moment he'd walked into the classroom, her gaze kept drifting back to him. A-young had already told her they'd ended up in the same class, but actually seeing his face after two weeks stirred up feelings she couldn't quite name.
'He changed his hairstyle.'
It wasn't his usual neat, tidy cut — there was a wavy curl to it, like he'd gotten a perm. The parted perm, they called it. And on Jihun, it looked... well, pretty good. No, actually — really good.
'It suits him.'
If he'd told me, I would've gone with him.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Seol-ah hastily snapped her eyes back to the blackboard.
"Hm? Seol-ah, what's wrong?"
Unlike Seol-ah, Kim A-young radiated social-butterfly energy, and she'd already been chatting with the other kids seated behind them. She tilted her head as she looked at her friend.
"It's nothing..."
Studying Seol-ah's oddly deflated expression for a moment, A-young quickly caught where her gaze had been pointing and broke into a sly little smile.
"Jihun's haircut looks great on him, doesn't it?"
"..."
Faced with A-young's mischievous, needling question, Seol-ah couldn't get a single word out. She just pressed her lips tightly shut.
And the answer to that question came instead from the girls A-young had been talking with.
"Is that his name? Jihun?"
"A-young, you know him well or something?"
Anyone could see it. The two girls were displaying a very obvious interest. They were trying to sound casual about it, but the moment A-young's connection to him came up, their eyes had locked onto her.
An Woo-jin, handsome enough to pass for an idol, and Han Jihun — tall, broad-shouldered, with a warm, easy-on-the-eyes face. The two of them had more than enough looks to captivate the girls their age.
And that fact made Seol-ah feel an odd, prickling discomfort.
'...Jihun is closer with me.'
Han Jihun was closest with her. No — had been closest with her. Now they were...
Seol-ah started to open her mouth to say something, then quietly closed it again and sank down onto her desk.
Now they couldn't even manage a greeting between them. Somehow, that fact left her feeling hurt. Bitter.
'Maybe.'
Maybe we shouldn't have dated.
The thought circled round and round in Seol-ah's head. If they hadn't started dating, none of this would have happened. If she'd just left things as they were — close, comfortable friends. Best friends.
Then she wouldn't have to feel any of this.
Slumped over her desk, Seol-ah sneaked another glance at Han Jihun, swallowed down the sigh rising in her chest, and rested her head against the wood for a long while.
@
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Kim Ji-hwan, and I'll be spending this year with you."
I propped my chin on my hand and stared blankly at the impeccably dressed middle-aged teacher. It wasn't my first time meeting him today — they'd introduced the staff at the entrance ceremony, after all. Then and now, though, he struck me as a strangely passionate sort of teacher.
"We hitting the PC room after school today?"
"...PC room?"
"Yeah, the guys were saying we should head into downtown together."
"I'm fine with that."
It wasn't like I had anything else to do after school. When I nodded along to Woo-jin's question, he tapped away at the phone under his desk and gave a confirming nod of his own.
"Yo-han, you're coming too, right?"
"Yeah."
Yo-han sat on Woo-jin's other side — the opposite end from me — and answered his question with a nod. Sung Yo-han hung out with our group and we got along fine, but he was a man of so few words that sometimes I forgot he was even there.
He always answered my questions and Woo-jin's conscientiously enough, though — it was mostly Tae-joon's he'd pointedly ignore.
"Nice. Five-man queue again today."
Woo-jin swayed his head side to side as he muttered it. Judging by the fact that my phone wasn't buzzing, he was probably trading messages with other people. The guy had a staggering number of friends, so it wasn't exactly surprising.
"Oh, right. You tried the earbuds yet?"
"Yeah. They're really good."
"Right? Those cost a pretty penny."
"...Wait, are you actually sure you're okay giving these to me?"
I'd figured they were expensive, but actually hearing him say it made me feel a little guilty.
"I told you, it's fine. They just sit in a drawer anyway — I never use them."
"...Don't say that to someone who gave you a gift."
"Tch, honestly I can't even remember who gave them to me. Anyway, you're welcome."
Truly the alpha male, An Woo-jin. He got so many gifts he couldn't even keep track of them.
Anyway — downtown, today, after school.
It felt like I was forgetting something.
Rolling that vague, nagging unease around in my head for a moment, I quickly realized what it was and let out a small breath.
First day of high school. Downtown, after classes.
This was the day the protagonist and Baek Seol-ah would come face to face for the first time.
'...Well.'
Whatever happens, happens.
I had no intention of interfering. Even if I suddenly stepped in to throw a wrench in things, everything would just flow back along the original story's path — I knew that much by now.
And above all, Seol-ah and I were nothing to each other anymore.
'We probably won't even run into each other.'
We'd be staying inside a stuffy little room all afternoon, and those two would be meeting up outside. Of course...
If I claimed it didn't bother me, I'd be lying. But worrying about it any more than this was simply beyond me. I hadn't expected us to end up in the same class, and just keeping my mind off her over there was already enough of a headache.
"Now then... who should be our temporary class president?"
The teacher swept a calm gaze across the room.
*Ugh, seriously, my head hurts.*
Why on earth did we all end up in the same class? 'I' never even appeared in the original story. Neither did An Woo-jin, for that matter.
That was exactly what I was grumbling about when —
"Ah, right. You there in the very back — the tall, good-looking one."
"...Me?"
"Yes, you. You're class president. And the pretty girl in the front row can be vice president. Settled."
Pretty girl?
It couldn't be.
Surely not Baek Seol-ah?