Fate (6)
“You’re still pretending to be the good guy till the end. Hey… do you really think Do Yu-hwa considers you a real friend? That’s a huge misunderstanding…”
After staring at me for a while, Hye-in finally spoke. Her words made something twist inside me. The thought that the person who had reported me to the disciplinary committee was Seo Hye-in suddenly felt all too real.
“Hey, don’t tell me… it was you?”
“What?”
“You’re the one who spread that rumor to the disciplinary committee.”
“How did you—”
Hye-in started to answer, then swallowed the rest. She looked at me with startled eyes. But that single slip was enough to turn my suspicion into certainty.
It was her.
“Why go that far?” I asked. I really wanted to know. What had I done wrong? And what had Do Yu-hwa done wrong?
“…I was just trying to help you because I felt sorry for you.”
Hye-in’s voice had gone strangely calm, as if she were doing me some kind of favor.
“What? What are you trying to say?”
“She doesn’t even think of you as a friend anyway… I just felt bad watching you cling to her without realizing it.”
“That’s what you thought. Don’t assume everyone else sees things the same way you do.”
The moment the words left my mouth, my chest felt like it was tearing open. Even though I was scolding her, it hurt. Maybe because I had finally admitted to myself that Hye-in really was that kind of person. Maybe because I had accepted something I had been trying to ignore.
“What…? What did you just say…?”
Hye-in’s voice trembled.
“Yu-hwa isn’t like that, so stop trying to tear her down.”
“Hey, what did you just say?”
“Haa…”
I let out a long sigh. There were plenty of things I wanted to say. These weren’t the original protagonist’s words—they were mine. But I held them back. The original Lee Do-hyun hadn’t wanted to hate Hye-in that much. So I swallowed the words like they were poison and pressed my lips shut. Then I turned back to the door lock and punched in the code again.
“This is so disgusting. I’m actually shocked. So that’s what you really thought of me? All that kindness was just an act, and deep down you saw me like that.”
The lock clicked open. I grabbed the handle and turned it.
“Whether my past actions were sincere or not, you know better than anyone. Think about it carefully.”
I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. The electronic chime sounded dull and depressing.
Leaning my back against the door, I slid down until I was crouched on the floor.
“Haa… fuck.”
I muttered under my breath and pressed a hand to my forehead. It wasn’t like the cruel words she’d thrown at my back hadn’t hurt. Of course they had. I wanted to turn around and argue every single point. And above all, the old memories that kept resurfacing were tearing me apart. The good times I’d shared with Hye-in were clawing at my reason, even though they weren’t even my memories to begin with.
“Was the girl you liked really that person?”
I asked myself quietly.
Let her go now.
I tried to convince myself. It would be easier this way.
***
The next day at school.
The atmosphere felt unusually lively. It was Friday, after all. But I couldn’t bring myself to feel cheerful. Friday meant tomorrow was Saturday, and our group had agreed to meet and do homework together.
“Hi…”
While I was sitting at my desk lost in thought, Yu-hwa slid into the seat behind me and greeted me in a tired voice. It stood out sharply against the excited classroom.
“Why do you look so drained?”
I turned around. She had already flopped face-down on her desk.
“Just… tired.”
“Sleep a bit and you’ll feel better. Wake me up when it’s time to eat. I need to eat too.”
Was she planning to sleep straight through until lunch? At least she still intended to eat.
“Yeah.”
She answered and stayed down. I watched her for a while. Not out of any strange intention—just a faint sense of guilt. It was ridiculous, but after hearing what Hye-in said yesterday, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Yu-hwa was being disliked because of me.
“Hi!! Hi, Do-hyun!! Hi, Hye-in!! Yu-hwa… already asleep?!”
Ji-su arrived at the seat next to mine, full of energy as usual.
“Everyone remembers we’re meeting at four tomorrow, right?!”
“Yeah.”
Hye-in answered flatly. I just nodded. Yu-hwa, obviously, was asleep.
“So where are we meeting?”
I asked. Now that I thought about it, we still hadn’t decided.
“Do-hyun, how about we meet at your place?”
What…? That was a ridiculous suggestion. There was no way that would work. I’d assumed we’d just go to a café or something.
“Uh… that’s a bit much.”
I smiled awkwardly and refused. Especially since Seo Hye-in lived right next door. Absolutely not.
“Really? That’s too bad… I wanted to see what it was like. Kind of like visiting a friend’s house.”
Ji-su sounded genuinely disappointed. I understood, but it couldn’t be helped. Sorry.
“Then what about Hye-in’s place? Can we go to Hye-in’s house?!”
“……Sorry, Ji-su.”
Hye-in refused too. Probably for the same reason.
“Yu… Yu-hwa probably won’t allow it either, right…?”
Ji-su’s voice had grown noticeably smaller. All the rejections seemed to have worn her down.
“How could I bring people over when I live alone as a girl?”
Yu-hwa, who I thought was asleep, suddenly cut in. She was still face-down, but she’d clearly been listening.
So… she was saying no because of me?
“Then what if we leave Do-hyun out?!”
Ji-su’s eyes lit up again instantly. But then it wouldn’t be a group project meeting anymore. She just wanted to hang out at a friend’s house.
“Sorry, still no.”
“Ugh… too bad.”
Yu-hwa didn’t explain why, but it was clear she wasn’t going to allow it.
“Let’s just meet at a café. We don’t have a choice.”
In the end, Ji-su gave up and chose the practical option. It was a little pitiful to watch, but there really was no other way.
***
Lunchtime finally arrived.
I felt a small spark of excitement at the thought of meeting Senior Nabi. It was the only place where I felt like I was truly living my own story after the possession. Maybe that was why I wanted to get closer to her. Maybe that was how my happy ending was supposed to happen.
Before that… should I wake Yu-hwa up?
“Hey, it’s lunch.”
“Yeah… just a second.”
She stirred but didn’t get up right away.
“You’re really something… sleeping all the way until lunch.”
“It’s fine. Beautiful girls are supposed to be sleepyheads.”
“……If you’re saying stuff like that, you must be awake now. Get up.”
“Mm.”
Yu-hwa finally lifted her head, rubbing her eyes with one hand. There was a faint mark on her cheek from the desk. She must have slept really well.
“I’m heading out now.”
Once she was up, I figured my job was done and started to leave.
“Huh? W-wait…”
Yu-hwa called out in a hurry.
“What?”
“Let’s eat together. I’m going to eat too.”
“What about your friends…?”
“Don’t know, don’t care. That’s their problem.”
She was already getting ready to stand, as if she really intended to eat with me. But that was a problem. Eating together used to be fine, but now I had to think twice. If Hye-in disliked Yu-hwa because of me… if she hated seeing us close… then getting too friendly with Yu-hwa felt risky.
After all, even the report to the disciplinary committee had happened. If things had gone differently, Yu-hwa might already be facing a disciplinary hearing. And if Hye-in was willing to go that far, her hatred was clearly genuine.
I didn’t want to drag an innocent person into our petty fight. I wasn’t that childish or selfish.
“Ah… I’m eating with someone else—”
Just as I was about to refuse—
“Who? Who else? Who’s there?”
Yu-hwa cut me off. And truthfully, there wasn’t anyone. I wasn’t close enough with Senior Nabi to eat together yet.
“Uh…”
While I was fumbling for an answer—
“You guys going to eat now?”
Ji-su walked over. I felt an odd sense of relief.
“Yeah. We were about to.”
Yu-hwa answered, glancing sideways at her. I just watched carefully.
“Perfect. Then let’s go together?”
“…All three of us?”
I asked. Ji-su nodded.
“Hye-in went to eat with some other kids earlier.”
Other kids? Hadn’t she been hanging out with Ji-su’s group? So she had even more friends now?
“Oh… really?”
“Yeah, Hye-in’s been busy lately with all the new people she’s hanging out with. But they seem kind of sketchy. I don’t like it. Haa— I was her first friend, too.”
“I see. Then let’s eat together.”
In the end, the three of us decided to go eat. It felt natural enough with Ji-su there. Still, something felt off. Hye-in suddenly having so many new friends—especially the “sketchy” kind. That used to be Do Yu-hwa’s position in the original story. But lately, I hadn’t seen Yu-hwa hanging out with other people at all. Even now.
It felt like something had shifted. Or maybe it was just my imagination.