The Official Friend and the Discipline Committee Senior
I’ve officially(?) become friends with Lee Dohyun. I thought we were already friends before this, but it seems my attitude made it difficult for the other person to feel that way. Usually, people just let it slide without a word, but… anyway. Still, the idea of becoming "official" friends. That phrase left quite an impression on me. In all my life, I’ve never seen anyone make such a bold proposal. It wasn’t a confession, and it wasn’t an outburst of anger. It was just a request to be friends. And what even is an "official" friend, not just a regular one? It’s ridiculous, honestly. …But I like it. It sounds like he’s had plenty of complaints about me until now, but he’s willing to wipe the slate clean and be my friend. It almost sounds like he’s declaring he’ll stand on equal footing with me. And I’m so pretty, too….
. . . The truth is, at first… I grabbed him because I felt so wronged. I didn’t understand why I had to hear those things, and I was even bothered by what Seo Hyein had said. I couldn’t wrap my head around why I was suddenly being told such things. If we had just parted ways like that, I would have remained that "bad person" in Lee Dohyun’s eyes. I reached out to him because I wanted him to know, at the very least, that I didn’t have those kinds of intentions—that he had misunderstood me on his own. I felt aggrieved, a little angry, and somehow my pride was wounded. I just didn’t want to let it go like that. I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, and if we were going to cut ties later, I wanted it to be on my terms. There was definitely a bit of that petty spite in me.
But that phrase—"let’s become official friends"—and that action. My heart changed a little. I felt so pathetic for having grabbed him out of such selfish emotions. I felt so ashamed for clinging to my measly pride. How naive and kind can he be…? He was reaching out a hand to someone like me. He even insisted on that absurd setup that we could only be friends if we shook hands. He had just been complaining about me moments ago, yet he was being this innocent. Because of that, my heart shifted. A friend. Yeah… a friend. What kind of "official friend" is he talking about? I was curious. If I didn’t find out now, I might never know for the rest of my life. Looking back at myself, I’ve had many friends, but I don’t think I’ve ever had true friendship.
Lunchtime. Because of unavoidable circumstances, I hadn’t been able to sleep comfortably or for long, so I habitually sleep with my head down at school. But… not today. I was just resting my head, but I wasn’t asleep yet. For some reason, I couldn’t drift off. Should I just get up and take Lee Dohyun to go eat? We hadn’t had much of a chance to talk in the morning. Since I don’t order him around like I used to, I suppose it’s natural that we don’t have much to say to each other.
While I was thinking that with my head down, I heard, "Dohyun, want to go grab lunch?" Hearing that, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I don’t know why… my body just moved on its own.
"Huh? Just the two of us?"
"No, the three of us, once Hyein gets back from the restroom."
Oh…. No way. It can’t be. You’re friends with me, right? And you know Seo Hyein and I don’t get along, you idiot!
"I’ll go later on my own."
Phew. Thank goodness. He probably refused for my sake, right?
-*Rustle*-
I heard that sound from the seat in front of me. It’s about time… he should be asking. Does he really think I’m asleep? But before, he used to wake me up to ask even when I was sleeping.
-*Creak*-
I heard the sound of a chair sliding back. Is he going to eat now? If so, he’s going to ask me, right? He refused earlier with that intention in mind, after all.
-*Thump, thump*-
Huh? What? Is he walking?
I finally peeked through my eyelashes to check. Lee Dohyun was walking toward the back door. Look at him? Ah, geez. What am I doing, acting so unlike myself?
"Hey… where are you going?"
"What, you’re awake?"
I wasn’t even asleep in the first place, but… anyway.
"Are you going to eat?"
I asked that, and since I expected him to say yes, I immediately blurted out the answer based on my assumption: "Ah, I have somewhere else to go—"
"If you’re eating, I’m also…"
Huh? What did you say? You weren’t planning to eat with me…?
. . . You were the one who asked to be official friends first…. Why are you becoming even less interested than before?!?! Is, is this what an "official friend" is…?!
"Would you mind if I sat here?"
"Eek-?!"
In my excitement at finding the person I was looking for, I had approached and spoken to her before I knew it. A strange, high-pitched sound echoed. It was the first time I’d ever heard a human make a sound like that.
"Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you."
She looked quite shocked, so I apologized first and waited for her to calm down.
"U-um, but who are you…?"
She hunched her shoulders slightly and glanced up at me. Her voice and gestures felt like she was quite on guard.
"I’m Lee Dohyun from 1st-year Class C. And you are…?"
As I said that, I slid my hips onto the edge of the bench. She immediately shifted her body sideways, using only her hips and thighs to inch away.
"1st year…?"
She repeated the words as if the term "1st year" had caught her attention.
"Yeah, why?"
"Ah, no. It’s nothing."
I never did find out why she was interested in the 1st years. She nodded to herself, looking as if she had satisfied her own curiosity. But what about her name?! Why wouldn’t she just tell me her name naturally!
"Right… I see."
With that, silence fell between us. I’d have to ask again later. Meanwhile, the high noon sun beat down on us. The sounds of enthusiastic boys playing soccer. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind. The laughter of a group of girls who seemed to have passed by us several times already. Only those sounds filled the space, and she didn’t seem particularly uncomfortable with the silence between us. She just stared blankly at the playground. She wasn’t on her phone, nor was she reading a book.
"Are you… looking at something?"
I carefully brought up the conversation again. I felt like if I left it like this, an endless silence would settle in. Beyond that, I wanted to talk to this person more. Yes, for some reason, I’m drawn to her. She feels familiar, and I feel like I know her. Even though we’re meeting for the first time, I feel a sense of welcome. Is it because I was always concerned about her in the original story? Even though the development has changed so much from the original, is it because she alone has kept her place just as it was back then? Does that mean the feelings I have for her now are my own, genuine feelings from this life? To think my feelings in this life could be this transparent….
"I was watching them play soccer…, ah, no, that’s not it. *Ahem*."
She seemed to have spoken unconsciously and then hurriedly corrected herself. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth again.
"I’m in the Discipline Committee, so I was monitoring the students."
Monitoring the students? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that? It looked like she was just watching the kids play soccer. And the Discipline Committee? Did such a thing exist? No, wait. Even if it did, if she’s in the Discipline Committee… there’s no way a 1st year would be doing that. And in the original story, no other grade besides the 1st years ever appeared. What is this?
"…What grade are you in?"
I asked cautiously. I finally realized why she had been interested in the "1st year" comment earlier. I felt like I might have already made a mistake.
"Huh? I’m a 2nd year…?"
As expected. I’d made a mistake. I’d naturally assumed she was a 1st year…. And why are you suddenly using honorifics with me?!
"Ah, I’m sorry. I never imagined you were a 2nd year."
I stood up from the bench and bowed my head in front of her.
"Eek? Ah, no-! It’s okay! It’s really okay, so please don’t do that…"
Perhaps my behavior was too burdensome for her. She hurriedly stood up and tried to stop me. Thanks to that, I ended up sitting back down quickly.
"But senior… why are you using honorifics with me? I’m the junior, so it’s natural for me to do it."
"Ah, I… no, I just did it without thinking. Haha."
The senior gave an awkward laugh. But seriously, is she really in the Discipline Committee…? She doesn’t look like it. Ah, of course, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this person… she absolutely doesn’t look like someone who would be in the Discipline Committee. She has a small, delicate frame and looks like she has the "frail" attribute. When she stood up earlier, her height was clearly in the mid-150s. Even her personality. I’d never even heard of a Discipline Committee in the original world. There was a Student Council, though….
And if she’s someone in the Discipline Committee, how could she have only appeared as "Person A" in the background without any significance in the original story? It doesn’t make sense. Even when the conflict between Hyein and Yuhwa escalated and a disciplinary committee was held, there was no mention of her at all… which makes me suspicious.
"By the way… is there any news from the Discipline Committee lately?"
I asked, just to see what she would say.
"News…? Ah! There is, but…"
She looked up at the sky, appearing to recall something, and then spoke.
"Really?"
"Yeah, some hot news…."
"What is it?"
"W-wait a minute. Are you… interested in the Discipline Committee?"
Hmm? That’s not really it, but….
"No, that’s not it."
I waved my hands to clarify that wasn’t the case. The Discipline Committee. I don’t have the luxury to be doing something like that….
"Ah, I see. I just wondered if you were interested…"
Then, as if to start the story again, she said, "It’s some hot news that came in today, but… Do Yuhwa from the 1st year?"
"……Yes?"
In the middle of our casual conversation, I was startled to hear that name. I wondered if I had heard her wrong.
"I don’t remember her name well…, but the kid who’s rumored all over the school to be incredibly pretty."
"Yes…."
If that’s the rumor, it’s definitely Do Yuhwa. But why is her name being mentioned in the Discipline Committee? Surely it’s not just because she’s pretty. For now, let’s just listen quietly.
"They say she seems to be involved in school bullying."