Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Sunday #1
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A four-day holiday that felt short in name but incredibly long in experience—its final morning dawned at last.
At first, I'd busied myself purely out of some impure motive to knock out all my backlog of promises in one go, but starting yesterday, I'd gone through a ton of emotional changes.
God, it was embarrassing—even I couldn't believe that at my age, I'd been acting like some rom-com protagonist.
But after my talk with Hong Yeonseo sparked that realization, and all the thinking I'd done since getting home, the evidence was circumstantial at best, but my conviction was one hundred percent. The heroines' affection wasn't directed at the protagonist—it was aimed at me.
And today, out on this outing, I stood here to drive that final nail into the coffin of my certainty.
The fickle weather had scattered a chill wind that made even the sunlight—which had felt so oppressively hot just yesterday—strangely welcome.
Too early for flower frost in May, though.
With all the clouds hanging heavy, the world felt twice as cold. The temperature had legitimately plummeted by half.
I huddled my neck into my collar to block the biting wind when, in the distance, I spotted a woman with blonde hair whipping in the breeze as she approached.
At the same time, she must've noticed me too—her pace quickened to almost a jog.
"You'll trip."
The blonde woman only slowed to a stop right in front of me, and of course, it was Seong Yurin.
"I didn't expect you'd be out here this early... Sorry. You must've been freezing."
"No need to apologize for that."
I shook my head and shoved the phone I'd been fiddling with into my pocket.
"But man, you really feel the cold, huh."
I said it after eyeing her outfit.
Seong Yurin was bundled up in a plush, luxurious fur coat that looked incredibly soft—way overdressed, even if it had gotten a bit nippy.
Especially with her Russian beauty vibe: golden blonde hair, blue eyes, porcelain skin.
She rubbed her hands together and replied.
"Yeah... Well, not really. ...I think I've caught a cold, though."
Looking at her face properly now, I noticed the flush that wasn't there usually.
Her nose looked a little sniffly too.
"You okay? You take your medicine?"
"Planning to after this."
Ugh.
"If you're sick, you should've texted. We could've rescheduled."
"No. It had to be today."
Seong Yurin's eyes turned serious.
Meeting that gaze, I had a rough idea of what she meant.
Still, best to set boundaries upfront.
"...Got it. I know what you mean. But let's hit the clinic first. Or at least grab some meds from a pharmacy before we talk."
She didn't put up a pointless fight at my words.
"It's not that bad... I just hate taking medicine...."
......
She trailed consciously a bit behind me, muttering under her breath.
She's such a kid. Hates meds so won't take 'em.
...Is high schooler age still considered a kid?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Seong Yurin followed me quietly at first, but when my steps veered toward the clinic, she started throwing a full tantrum, insisting on the pharmacy instead.
Having shed even her cool image, she was on the verge of flopping onto the sidewalk in protest against going to the clinic. I surrendered and guided her to the pharmacy next door.
She really hates hospitals that much.
Seriously a kid.
In the end, she emerged from the pharmacy with some basic cold medicine in hand.
"They said after food."
"...Alright. Let's go."
For some reason, the heavy air that had lingered between us dispersed, replaced by a lighthearted vibe.
Which made sense—I never expected to see Seong Yurin whining like that.
Anyway, following her lead, we arrived back near our original meetup spot at a restaurant.
It was a pretty ordinary Western-style joint.
Unexpected, maybe. Not some fancy high-end place with sky-high prices, which actually suited me fine—no pressure.
She probably picked it with that in mind.
Or realistically, booking a top-tier spot overnight would've been tough.
Hmm. That rings truer.
I helped Seong Yurin struggle out of her fur coat and we took our seats.
"You really okay?"
Maybe because we'd stepped into the warm interior, but her flushed cheeks stood out more than before.
Couldn't even shrug off a coat by herself—looked like she could barely hold it together.
"...I'm fine. I can head straight home and rest after."
She said it with a hint of regret.
Sensing that vibe faintly myself, I nodded.
"Yeah. We can hang out again later. Let's just wrap up the talk today and you get some real rest."
"Okay."
We ordered via the kiosk attached to the table.
Everything's kiosk orders these days.
"Bulgogi pilaf for me."
I tapped in a pilaf first.
Then glanced at Seong Yurin.
"You?"
She leaned on the table, pondering briefly before poking at the screen.
...Didn't want to notice, but even under that thick coat, her figure was getting squished against the table. I ignored it.
Seong Yurin added oil pasta, a steak plate, and a lemonade.
"That's a lot."
"It's... not that. The steak's for sharing."
Ah, got it.
"Oh. Sure, whatever."
I finished the order.
With that done, silence settled between us.
We'd both been dodging the topic consciously, but now the real reason for today resurfaced.
I eyed Seong Yurin's face and broached it carefully.
"...So. Can you tell me what happened?"
It was a loaded question, heavy with omissions, but Seong Yurin—who knew exactly what I meant—shuddered faintly.
She straightened up, steadied her breath, and spoke.
"Before I get into that, there's some backstory you need to know."
I had a feeling I knew what was coming from her.
"About Jiwoo and Sea's feelings, right?"
I cut in before she could continue.
Her half-lidded, weary eyes widened in surprise.
"You knew?"
"Wasn't sure. But your reaction confirms it."
I leaned back, arms crossed.
Gave her a moment to shake off the shock.
"Yeah, makes sense. It's right in your wheelhouse to figure out. You're not dumb."
Seong Yurin nodded, convinced.
"Just oblivious."
"......"
Pre-lunch yesterday, I'd have pushed back. Now? Nothing to say.
Ten mouths, a hundred—no defense.
"You're spot on. Jiwoo... likes Sea. And Sea... likes you."
Oh, and Sea said it's okay to tell you, so don't get the wrong idea—
Seong Yurin added.
Wonder how Lee Sea plans to face me now.
Today? Or starting tomorrow morning on the way to school...
No clue on the method, but oddly, I felt anticipation mixed with a twinge of worry.
Yoon Jiu would probably be there too.
I shook off the brief thought and listened as Seong Yurin went on.
"Sea’s birthday. Remember when I came to your room?"
"...Yeah. When you barged in and asked out of nowhere if I liked someone."
"Right. Hearing your answer that day made me think a lot about you three."
She paused, looking at me.
Maybe drawing courage from my calm expression, she continued.
"I'd appreciate if you understood, but I'm not forcing it. Feel free to call me sentimental. Still, I have to tell you this or you won't get why I did what I did. Let me start with my old story."
Her tale boiled down to a pretty dark—actually, very dark—slice of her school life.
High school first year? Nah, just half a year back in middle school.
Up through second year, she was the full package: pretty, charismatic, rich family—popular across the board.
That status shattered in third year over one incident.
She dumped a guy who was as popular as her. Word got out, and the jealousy from other girls hit critical mass.
Admiration and goodwill built on shallow grounds flip to malice with the slightest push.
Especially in kids whose personalities aren't mature yet—their cruelty can cut sharper than adults' sometimes.
No one touched her directly—everyone knew her family—but the ostracism and bullying were relentless.
The worst part, though?
"Friends... I really thought they were close for two years."
The ones leading the torment were the very kids she'd trusted as friends.
The saga ended with her finally leaning on family power...
But the betrayal and pain from that year? Lingered.
Her story wrapped; I scrambled for words.
Should I offer clumsy comfort? She caught my hesitation and shook her head gently.
All I could do was stay silent, nod, and let it sink in.