Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Study Group #1
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Before stepping into the classroom, Lee Sea finished wrestling with her worries and called out to Seong Yurin.
"Yurin."
Seong Yurin's voice trembled at Lee Sea's solemn demeanor.
"Y-Yeah...?"
"I'll talk to Jiu first. Just wait for now."
Seong Yurin met Lee Sea's eyes and gave a small nod.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We couldn't shake our anxiety until lunchtime ended.
Hong Yeonseo's leg jiggling like crazy was proof enough.
And surprisingly, that girl only ate two bowls of rice today.
"I hope nothing's wrong."
"Yeah. What could be making her act like that?"
Everyone was racking their brains.
In the midst of it all, I spotted Yoon Jiu with an unusually serious expression.
"Hey. Yoon Jiu."
"......Yeah?"
"Something up with you? What's with the face."
"Oh.... No. Nothing."
His evasive attitude was so unlike him, it was weird.
I debated whether to press him, but...
With Lee Sea and Seong Yurin's issues already giving me a headache, I didn't want to worry about Yoon Jiu too.
"Ughhh. I was so looking forward to study group today, and now this since morning?"
Hong Yeonseo scratched her head furiously.
Lee Soyun nodded beside her with a sullen look.
They were innocently caught in the crossfire without knowing a thing, so it was understandable.
"Still, I hope they make up..."
Right, Soyun. I hope so too.
We all sighed in unison, cleared our lunches, and headed back to class.
The two hadn't returned yet.
As we awkwardly waited in silence, Lee Sea and Seong Yurin came back together.
......
Their expressions didn't look that bad.
We stole glances at them, gauging the mood.
Tap, tap.
I noticed everyone staring at me while they checked each other out, so I took one for the team.
I cautiously spoke to Lee Sea as she sat at her desk.
"....Um, Lee Sea?"
"Yeah."
"So, how'd it go? You two make up?"
"......Yeah. Sorry for making you worry. We worked it out with Yurin."
Me, Yoon Jiu, and Lee Soyun all breathed sighs of relief.
Over there, Hong Yeonseo and Seong Yurin were chatting too, seeming fine.
"Good. Don't fight, stay friends. But... can I ask what happened...?"
"That."
Lee Sea cut me off, took a deep breath, and continued.
"I'll tell you later...."
I nodded slowly at her words, sensing she needed time to prepare.
"......And, Jia?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. Wanna talk for a sec?"
What now? My turn?
This wasn't some military chain of command.
As I stood and followed Lee Sea out, I saw the others behind me with question marks practically over their heads.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Lee Sea finally stopped in a secluded corner away from people and turned around.
I met her gaze and just watched quietly.
"Yesterday."
"Yeah."
"......You saw me with Jiu, right?"
"Yep."
"It wasn't, like, a date or anything."
Seeing my puzzled look, Lee Sea bowed her head slightly and went on.
"I just didn't want you to misunderstand."
"......Misunderstand?"
"Like, that I'm dating Jiu or something."
"...Huh?"
"That's why.... I never went out without you since middle school. Sigh.... I let my guard down yesterday. I only went out because the class kids invited me."
Seeing her blame herself was hard to watch, so I quickly tried to ease her mind.
"Oh. Got it. You don't like me jumping to conclusions, right?"
"......Whew. Yeah. Exactly."
Lee Sea sighed in relief and grabbed my hand.
Her soft, warm palm pressed against mine.
"So, no weird thoughts, okay?"
I wasn't sure what "weird thoughts" she meant, but I nodded anyway.
Her tension melted away, and she smiled again.
"Good. That's settled."
"So, to sum up.... You and Seong Yurin made up, and you and Jiu aren't... like that?"
"Won't be in the future either."
Huh? What did that mean?
"Uh.... Not in the future?"
"Never."
"Never?"
"Yeah."
Huh.
I hadn't expected her to declare so firmly that she'd never date Yoon Jiu.
Yesterday they seemed to be having a good time together, so I'd assumed things were heading that way. This was totally out of left field.
I still had questions, but her resolute attitude rang true—no lies there.
'Something's really tangled up.'
Heroines fighting when they should be getting along, and one with no interest in building a bond with the protagonist.
The original story really fell apart early on.
I decided to wipe all thoughts of the original from my mind.
Actually, thinking back, I should've done that from the start. My very existence was meant to shatter the original.
......From now on, whatever story unfolds,
it won't be some predestined future.
It'll be the one we create ourselves.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Thanks to Lee Sea patching up their nearly broken relationship, we could return to normal.
......Though there were some changes.
First, Lee Sea was acting a bit off.
As if her words to me were sincere, not empty talk.
In the short time I'd observed since morning, she was minimizing even casual contact with Yoon Jiu.
Yoon Jiu seemed flustered by it too—that was a change.
Next, even though Lee Sea said they'd resolved it, Seong Yurin was still hesitant.
She tried to act normal but struggled to meet Lee Sea's eyes.
Lee Soyun was comforting her diligently, but it'd probably last a while.
"Junior."
Anyway, I had this gut feeling that Lee Sea fighting with Seong Yurin and pushing Yoon Jiu away were connected somehow.
Why did Lee Sea panic so much when she saw me yesterday?
Why did she pull me aside to say all that?
No way...
"Junior!"
"Gah. Yes?"
"What're you thinking about? I called you! I'm mad now!"
"Ah. Sorry."
The club president said that, but I could tell she was just pretending to be mad, puffing her cheeks playfully.
I snapped out of it and focused on her.
"Why'd you call?"
"The junior I introduced you to last time.... Well, from your perspective, she's a senior, right? I'll just use her name."
I nodded, and she continued.
"Suyeol's coming to the club next week. Just letting you know."
"Oh."
Suyeol—the senior with the pure white image from the photo the president showed me once.
"Does Senior Suyeol like subculture stuff too?"
"Hehe. She didn't at first. I got her into it!"
......
"Wh-Why're you looking at me like that?"
......
"Eek. Suyeol liked it too!"
"Ah. Okay."
After that, I got scolded for giving her a suspicious look.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "We cleaned, but ugh. Whatever. Come in."
I let out a deep sigh and opened the door.
We'd come this far; no turning back now.
"Whoaaa!"
Yoon Jiu, Lee Sea, and Lee Soyun had been here before, so they entered quietly, but Hong Yeonseo made a huge fuss.
Seong Yurin was still down but looked around curiously without showing it.
"What! It's super clean. Quit exaggerating."
Hong Yeonseo, who'd dashed ahead to the living room, unpacked the massive plastic bag in her hand while surveying the place.
That bag was snacks we'd bought at the mart on the way here.
We're here to study, kids.
On the way, Hong Yeonseo dragged us to the mart, forcing us to fill the cart with chips and bread.
......Actually, everyone except me seemed to enjoy it.
Whoever drops crumbs is in trouble.
"Alright then. Let the inaugural Dawn High School Friendship Study Group commence~"
"Who decided to number it..."
Ignoring me, the kids efficiently set up around the house.
They dumped bags in the corner and moved briskly.
Yoon Jiu hauled out the big low table I'd stored away after living alone.
Lee Sea and Lee Soyun wiped the dusty table with wet wipes.
Hong Yeonseo and Seong Yurin sorted snacks...
It was so coordinated, like they'd planned without me.
Whoa. By the time I blinked, the snack spread was ready.
"Huh."
Suddenly I was sitting in the living room, holding a cup and drinking juice Lee Soyun poured.
When did they grab it from the fridge?
"Ah. Thanks."
Yoon Jiu spoke to my dazed self.
"We'll study later."
Grinning, he tore into the snacks.
Aren't you the one who needs to study most?
......Fine, I'd enjoy it too.
There was no buzzkill like someone sulking amid the excitement.
"......Just don't drop crumbs."
Still, I had to say what needed saying.