Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Seong Yurin #4
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After pouring out her emotions in a torrent of tears, Seong Yurin was now so mortified she thought she might die.
Just moments ago, self-recrimination had filled her heart, but a far stronger new feeling had taken over, compelling her to keep stealing glances at Seo Ijin sitting beside her.
Why was this emotion suddenly creeping up on her like this?
Was it even reasonable to develop feelings for a guy just because he'd comforted her once while she was crying? Seong Yurin endlessly doubted her own heart.
You don't deserve that. You're a bad girl.
She kept scolding herself inwardly.
Yeah. It had to be that so-called suspension bridge effect or something.
She'd been at her weakest, and Seo Ijin had been the one to soothe her.
So Seong Yurin locked her heart away again with a padlock.
She stubbornly ignored the feelings trying to surface.
It was easy, something she'd done her whole life.
Steeling herself once more, Seong Yurin let out a deep sigh.
'How do I make up with Sea... And what do I say to apologize to Yoon Jiu?'
Her head was already starting to ache at the thought.
She'd realized that her foolish choice stemmed from past events.
No, that was just an excuse.
Seong Yurin cleared her mind of all stray thoughts.
Please. She could only pray they'd forgive her.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Meanwhile, back in the theater and settled into her seat, Lee Sea stared blankly at the screen.
'To outsiders, did it look like I was waffling between Jiu and Ijin?'
Her head throbbed painfully.
For her, they were both precious childhood friends she'd grown up with. It was just that her romantic feelings had settled on Seo Ijin.
Unfortunately, the one who had feelings for her was Yoon Jiu, not Seo Ijin.
'Should I have made it clear to Ijin back there?'
She hadn't expected to run into those two at all, so she'd been too flustered to speak up, worried it might cause a misunderstanding with Seo Ijin.
She'd been afraid that blurting something out in her panic would come off like a lame excuse.
She glanced at the empty seats beside her. Seo Ijin and Seong Yurin showed no sign of returning.
Should she just leave Yoon Jiu here and chase after Seo Ijin like this?
While fidgeting with her phone in her pocket and stealing glances at Yoon Jiu, Lee Sea hesitated but ultimately decided to clear up all the misunderstandings tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
At lunchtime.
She resolved to confront Seong Yurin and demand to know why she'd pulled that stunt.
At the same time, it made her reflect on how she'd let their ambiguous relationships drag on this long.
With her mind made up, determination returned to Lee Sea's eyes, shining brightly once more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "You okay now?"
"...Yeah."
I scratched my head as I looked at Seong Yurin, who had suddenly grown so downcast.
"Hmm. I'm really curious what happened between you and Lee Sea."
She flinched.
Seong Yurin ducked her head even lower at my words.
"...I won't pry. But I hope you two work it out."
"...Yeah."
"...Should we head home for today?"
"Yeah."
Seong Yurin trudged along, utterly drained, looking so pitiful that she made the onlooker worry more.
I walked her to the front of the theater and put her in a taxi home.
I'd offered to go with her, but she'd shaken her head and refused.
"If anything comes up, call me. And if things with Lee Sea get serious, you can call me for help too."
"Thanks."
After seeing Seong Yurin off, I let out a heavy sigh.
I pulled out my phone, agonizing dozens of times over whether to text Lee Sea, before finally shoving it back in my pocket.
It'd be nice if I could just light up a smoke right now.
Being stuck in a high schooler's body meant I couldn't even enjoy a single cigarette freely, which pissed me off.
I didn't want Seong Yurin and Lee Sea to end up in a bad place for whatever reason.
This moment, piled high with worries I knew nothing about, felt suffocating.
The fact that all I could do was trust them and wait only made it worse.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day, Seong Yurin didn't show up for morning exercise.
"Yurin's not here today?"
"Yeah... Hmm."
"What? You know something?"
Hong Yeonseo sidled up to me, picking up on my suspicious vibe, and voiced her doubts.
"...I don't know the details. But yesterday, it seemed like something went down between Seong Yurin and Lee Sea."
"Huh?"
Seeing Hong Yeonseo with question marks practically floating over her head eased my complicated feelings a bit, drawing out a smirk.
This innocent girl really knows nothing, I thought.
And it seemed like she'd never have reason to hide anything from me in the future either.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ On the way to school that morning, Lee Sea greeted me with an awkward expression.
"Hey."
"Hey..."
She hesitated for a moment, nodded once, then shifted to stand beside me.
Normally, it was Yoon Jiu, then Lee Sea, then me, then Lee Soyun.
I exchanged puzzled eye contact with Yoon Jiu, who was suddenly on my left.
"Let's go! We're gonna be late."
Lee Sea, acting like nothing was wrong, urged us onward.
I noticed Lee Soyun poking insistently at Lee Sea's waist beside her.
"Um, hey. Sea?"
"Yeah? What?"
"No, it's... never mind."
Yoon Jiu, who'd been about to say something, clamped his mouth shut.
And so we spent a morning that was just a little different from the usual.
At school, the air between Lee Sea and Seong Yurin was icy.
Or more precisely, Lee Sea was glaring daggers at Seong Yurin, who was shrinking in place.
I had no idea what had happened, but Seong Yurin must have really screwed up big time.
We all picked up on the tension—Hong Yeonseo and Lee Soyun alternated worried glances between them.
Finally, as lunchtime arrived, with barely any conversation between them all morning, the two declared they had something to discuss privately and left the classroom hand in hand.
...You two can still hold hands, huh.
I breathed a sigh of relief, figuring there was still hope for reconciliation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Lee Sea and Seong Yurin sat across from each other at a table, maintaining a heavy silence.
As they both fidgeted with their lips, wondering how to break the ice, Seong Yurin spoke first.
"...I'm sorry."
"..."
"...I know it was a stupid thing to do."
Lee Sea, who'd been glaring at her, relaxed her eyes and cooled herself with a sip of cold water.
"...Haa. So why did you pull that stunt?"
"I'll tell you everything..."
Seong Yurin calmly laid out her thought process and the reasons behind her scheme.
Starting from when she'd realized Yoon Jiu's feelings for Lee Sea, she held nothing back.
Lee Sea listened to it all without a change in expression.
"...That's how it happened."
"You thought everyone would be happy with a scheme like that? You're an idiot."
Under Lee Sea's scolding, Seong Yurin couldn't lift her head.
"Sorry... I'm sorry. Forgive me just this once."
"...I get where you're coming from. And honestly, maybe I messed up too."
Seong Yurin looked up at Lee Sea's words.
Why was she suddenly pinning blame on herself? Seong Yurin wondered.
Meeting Seong Yurin’s eyes, Lee Sea continued.
"From now on, I'll be clear about my stance."
Seong Yurin let out an ah as realization dawned on why Lee Sea had said that.
"So, Yoon Jiu..."
"Why are you worrying about him? Do you like Yoon Jiu?"
"N-no, it's not like that. I just..."
Lee Sea sighed deeply at Seong Yurin’s stammering.
"I don't get why you're so obsessed with meddling in your friends' relationships. But manipulating things like that is wrong. Hmph. Is it because you're a rich girl used to bossing around the help?"
"Urgh..."
Even soft-hearted Lee Sea felt uneasy at Seong Yurin’s continued deference.
Finally, she moved to the seat beside her and nudged Seong Yurin.
This standoff wouldn't resolve itself.
In the end, for them to make up, Lee Sea had to accept Seong Yurin’s apology.
"I don't want to have a huge fight and drift apart like this. You don't either, right?"
"Yeah! Of course not!"
Seong Yurin looked at Lee Sea, latching onto that glimmer of hope.
"Then, since you did something bad yesterday, help me out starting today."
"H-help you?"
"You were taking Soyun's side, right? Cut that out now."
Seong Yurin hesitated for a split second before slowly nodding.
"O-okay."
"...Ugh. Feels like I'm blackmailing you with dirt on you. Hey, Yurin."
"W-what?"
"You don't have to grovel like that. Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is how you make up for them. If you keep moping like this, what will the others think of us?"
"Got it... I'll try."
"There really was something back then, huh..."
Lee Sea gripped Seong Yurin’s hand tightly and leaned back against the chair.
Now it was time to prove her choice through actions.
Not just Seong Yurin, but Lee Sea too.
After a short break, they ate lunch together and headed back to class, discussing how to act.
"Even so, acting all buddy-buddy right away might seem suspicious. Got it?"
"Yeah. Got it."
Both Lee Sea and Seong Yurin felt like they'd found a path to a better future.
They desperately hoped the journey to its end wouldn't repeat yesterday's mistakes.
"...Come to think of it, forget me—what are you gonna say to Jiu?"
"Hic...!"
Lee Sea looked at the terrified Seong Yurin with pity.
And yet, she bit her lip, wondering if she and Seong Yurin were really all that different in some ways.
She needed to have a talk with Seo Ijin.