The Unspoken Understanding
(3) Actually, I didn't want to act so aggressively. Obviously. It’s not like I can just go around doing things like that to Do Yuhwa. But… I didn't have a choice.
“Mmph….” Yuhwa made a few muffled sounds, but she didn't resist much after that. Yeah, she was quieter than I expected. She didn't even struggle. If it were the Do Yuhwa I knew, I was sure she would have fought tooth and nail to make a scene.
“Senior… please wait just a moment!” I turned my head toward the senior and said that, then walked a little further with Yuhwa. Yuhwa followed my pace obediently.
“Haa… haa…” As I pulled my hand away from her mouth, Yuhwa gasped for air. My palm felt uncomfortably damp.
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. But… there was a reason for this.” I started by apologizing profusely. It was the natural order of things. Honestly, I wouldn't have had a single complaint even if she decided to punish me for this.
“…….” But for some reason, even though her mouth was free, Yuhwa’s lips remained pressed tightly together, showing no sign of opening. Because of that, I observed her for a moment. Something felt off.
Yuhwa’s gaze was restless, darting everywhere. It looked like her eyes weren't even focusing. Her face was pale, and cold sweat was trickling down her forehead.
“Hey… what’s wrong? Are you okay?” It was a reaction that made the question come out on its own. Yeah, I didn't know what it was, but I had a sinking feeling that something was definitely wrong.
“Hoo…. hoo….” Yuhwa continued to take deep breaths without saying a word. It was enough to make even me feel anxious. Was she suffocating? I had only covered her mouth, so there should have been room to breathe. No, wait—is now really the time to be analyzing that? Whatever the case… I was definitely in the wrong.
“I’m sorry, my actions were too extreme. Are you okay?”
“O-oh, no. I’m fine.” She looked cold, but it felt like she was trying hard to laugh it off.
“Yuhwa, is something…”
“I’m fine. I’ll go ahead.” Yuhwa, who had been breathing heavily, left me with nothing but a promise that she was okay and hurried away. I reached out to grab her, but she vanished before I could.
Her reaction had been so unsettling that I just stood there, blankly watching her back as she disappeared. I think I was quite flustered myself.
“Senior, I’m sorry.” I moved my feet and returned to Han Nabi.
“Oh, it’s fine. But… that girl earlier, was that Do Yuhwa?” the senior asked, looking up at me. Looking at her head-on, I realized once again just how short she was.
“Yes, that’s her.”
“Wow… she’s really pretty. Like a doll.” That was her impression. Yeah, she did have that kind of look. If only her personality matched even half of her appearance… Looking at her face alone, you’d never think she had that kind of temperament.
“She is, right? She looks like a total celebrity.”
“She really looks like a princess.”
“Haha…. Anyway, a girl who looks that refined wouldn't be involved in school bullying, right?”
“Hmm… I guess so—” I led Han Nabi to the school store. I figured it would be better to change the subject away from Yuhwa as quickly as possible.
***
I bought Han Nabi a Chocomong and some small chocolate snacks. She said she wanted them, so it seemed she liked chocolate. I just ate some bread. But for some reason, I had no appetite. It felt like things weren't going down my throat well. It wasn't that I was hungry; it was more like I was eating just because I had to.
While I was at it, I bought some jelly. This was for Do Yuhwa. This time, I had bought it of my own volition. Yeah, I planned to give this to her and apologize again for earlier. That girl… after showing me that look, I couldn't help but be worried.
I returned to the classroom. There were about 10 minutes left in lunch. Yuhwa was sitting at her desk, staring blankly out the window. I thought that in itself was a historical error. A person who slept with her face down every day… acting so out of character made my mind drift back to what happened earlier.
“Hey… are you okay?” I sat in the seat in front of her, carefully gauging her reaction. Then, I placed the jelly on her desk.
“Huh? What’s this jelly?” Yuhwa reacted quite normally, surprisingly. She looked at the jelly, then looked up at me.
“Earlier… I think I went too far.” When I said that, Yuhwa let out a small laugh. I couldn't be sure what that laugh meant, but I felt a strange sense of relief.
“Was that bothering you?”
“Isn't that obvious…? You suddenly turned pale.”
“You’re such a fool. I told you I’m fine.” Yuhwa said that in a slightly playful voice. She then started tearing open the jelly packaging with her hands. This girl… is she really okay? She was definitely different from the vibe she was giving off earlier. It was as if she had returned to her true self.
“Anyway, I’m really sorry about earlier.”
“…Tell me the reason. You said there was a reason for doing that earlier.” Yuhwa picked up a piece of jelly with her fingers and ate it.
“Yeah, the truth is…” Just as I was about to start, Hyein entered through the back door with that bastard Junhyuk. Of course, they didn't come in alone… Jisu and several other friends were trailing behind them in a group. But in my eyes, only those two stood out. Regardless, I had to swallow the words I was about to say. It felt like something that needed to be discussed in a quiet place.
“What is it? Tell me quickly. If I hear it and it’s some pathetic excuse, I’m going to curse you out for real.” Yuhwa said that when I hesitated. Her parting words were a bit savage, but fortunately, the killing intent was lighter than before. For Do Yuhwa, this was decent enough.
“Shall we go outside for a second and talk?” I said, standing up from my seat first. Yuhwa looked at me with a bit of confusion, but she soon stood up as well. We walked toward the back door together, naturally crossing paths with the group Hyein had just entered with.
“Where are you two going? Lunch break is almost over!” And at that moment, Jisu took an interest in us.
“Oh, I have something to talk to Yuhwa about for a second.” I turned my head to look at Jisu and said that. Hyein just gave us a sidelong glance.
***
“Did we really have to come all the way outside?”
“Yeah, it’s actually a pretty important story.”
“……What is it? Was there really a reason? Then tell me quickly. The bell is going to ring soon.”
We left the classroom and walked to the corner of the hallway. Yuhwa leaned her back against the window frame, arms crossed.
“First of all, the person I was with earlier is a senior from the Discipline Committee.”
“Yeah.”
“I heard… you’ve become a bit of a person of interest.”
“Me? Why?” Yuhwa had a look that said she had absolutely no idea. It didn't seem like such an incomprehensible thing to hear, though.
“Well, obviously it’s because I’m pretty. Are the Discipline Committee seniors interested in me or something?”
Ugh. Forget it. Yeah, if that were the reason, I would have been happy too. I wouldn't have had to cover your mouth so roughly, either.
“It seems like there’s a rumor going around that you’re bullying me.” I listened to Yuhwa’s shameless narcissism for a moment before revealing the truth.
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you…”
“What I did at the store, the senior was right next to us… I did it because I didn't want your image to get any worse.” When I said that, Yuhwa seemed to be thinking to herself for a moment. Then, she seemed to realize the intention behind why I had acted that way.
“And you think that justifies putting your hands on my face!?!” Yuhwa snapped her head in the other direction. Did she only realize the intention but fail to understand the necessity?
“I told you, I didn't have a choice. I went through all the trouble of saying you weren't that kind of person… but then you came looking for me, huffing and puffing.”
“…….” Yuhwa kept her head turned away, her lips pressed shut.
“You said I wasn't that kind of person?” Now she was looking at the floor, her voice barely audible.
“Yeah, I never thought you were in the first place.”
“You said you hated me too, at one point. You even complained about me.” The words came out of Yuhwa’s mouth like that, but she didn't actually mean to say them. Yeah, I knew now. It was closer to a pout.
“…Hey. What are you talking about?”
“Whatever. It’s true that I was annoying to you.”
“I don't have any memory of that. When did you ever make me do anything? I don't know what you’re talking about.”
“…….” Yuhwa closed her mouth again. Her gaze remained fixed on the floor. I couldn't tell if she was wiggling her toes, but the white socks poking out from her slippers were twitching.
“Anyway, I’m sorry for acting like that without any prior agreement. It’s only natural that you were surprised.”
“Yeah…”
“And it seems like we’ll have to be a bit more careful for the time being.”
“Yeah…”
Why did this girl’s voice get so small? It sounded like I was the one nagging her. If anything, I was the one who wanted to apologize because I felt my actions earlier were too rude.
-Ding-a-ling♪ The bell signaling the end of lunch break rang.
“Shall we go in? I said everything I needed to say…”
“Yeah…” Just as we were about to head back to the classroom with the sound of the bell,
“Thank you. For saying that.” Yuhwa said in a low voice.
***
Returning to the classroom with Yuhwa, we each sat in our seats. I guess this was resolved well enough. By the way, what was the next class again…. As I was thinking that,
“Hey, Lee Dohyun. Give me your hand.” Yuhwa’s voice came from behind me. I didn't bother turning around, just reached my hand back.
“Here.” With that sound, I felt a small object land in my palm. I was a bit flustered by the sudden tactile sensation, but I brought my hand forward to check. It was the jelly I had bought earlier.
“Why are you giving this to me…”
“It’s just tasty. You should eat some too.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Do you want more?”
“I’m good.”
Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? She had never once shared anything with me like this before.