Shared Interests
I spotted Jun-hyeok among the group smoking cigarettes. It reminded me of what Ji-su had said at lunch. So Hye-in really was hanging around with the delinquent crowd. Just look at that Jun-hyeok guy doing the exact same thing. Seeing it, honestly… I thought it was for the best. For a fleeting moment, I felt relieved that the person circling around Hye-in was such a lowlife thug. At the same time, a small worry flickered through me—would it really be okay for Hye-in to be mixed up with kids like that? But the thought lasted only a second. A very brief second. It brushed past and vanished, and soon I was laughing it off. As I laughed, every thought I’d just had disappeared with it. The shabby, self-serving idea that it was “for the best” scattered away, and so did the presumptuous concern. They all drifted into the air like smoke. There wasn’t the slightest emotional disturbance.
Yes. There was no need to care anymore. I could finally stop caring. Instead, the person I should be paying attention to right now was… the one standing in front of me—Hana Bi sunbae.
“Sunbae, it looks like they’ve all finished smoking… Should we head back?”
I spoke first and started walking toward the bench. Hana Bi sunbae quickly followed after me.
“But earlier you definitely said it was for student supervision, didn’t you?”
Sitting on the bench and gazing out at the playground together, I casually brought it up.
“Ah—! That’s right?! When kids play soccer, fights and arguments happen all the time!”
She hurriedly put back on the persona she’d momentarily forgotten. Well, it didn’t mean much anymore.
“You said you like soccer. I’m a Manchester Red fan.”
“Huh…?!”
Hana Bi sunbae instantly shifted her gaze from the field to me. She looked up with sparkling eyes. A complex mix of emotions seemed to pour out from them. Which could only mean… no way.
“For real? Seriously? You’re not joking?!”
“No… I’m serious.”
“Me too!! I’m the same!!!”
She naturally reached out with both hands, gesturing for a high-five. Thinking that’s what she wanted, I moved to lightly clap her palms—only for her to suddenly grab both my hands tightly.
“This is amazing!! Who’s your favorite player? What do you think of the current manager? Who do you consider the greatest of all time??!! How did you become a fan? Or rather, since when?!”
She shook our clasped hands back and forth, her excitement on full display. There were so many questions that I wasn’t even sure where to begin or whether I had to answer every single one. Of course the barrage itself was dizzying, but what completely occupied my nerves right then was… these intertwined hands. The skinship felt far too natural.
“Well… my father was a fan, so I watched matches with him from a young age and it just stuck.”
I started with that. And it was actually true about my father. Not the father of this world, but my original one. The rest of the questions were difficult to answer. I had no idea what Manchester Red represented here—what era it was, which players were on the team. Since I didn’t know, I couldn’t risk answering recklessly.
“That’s so cool. So you watch every match without missing any?”
“Yes… pretty much.”
“Kyaaa—!! You’re a true fan!”
Suddenly she let out a high-pitched dolphin squeal of delight. Then she naturally released my hands and clapped on her own, expressing her joy.
“Do you like games too?! Most guys are into gaming, right?”
She continued by asking about games as well. Since I liked soccer and even supported the same team, it seemed she’d asked with a hopeful “maybe?” from her perspective. Of course I like games. I didn’t know what Hana Bi sunbae played, but I could handle just about anything. If I hadn’t been such a hardcore gamer, I wouldn’t have been possessed here in the first place.
“Of course! I like all kinds of games!”
“Whoa… RPG? FPS? MOBA? Or do you buy games on Steam and play offline too?”
“Yeah, I’m the type who tries pretty much everything.”
“……!!!”
Once again, a brilliant light shone in her eyes. At this rate I might actually go blind. On another note, I was more surprised by the depth of her gaming knowledge. To think she was such a hardcore gamer girl. She likes soccer and games. Honestly, it made me wonder if there wasn’t a current male high school student inside Hana Bi sunbae’s body.
“This is incredible. It feels like I’ve found another me!”
“Huh…? Is it really that big a deal?”
She showed her joy without holding anything back. Thanks to that, the distance between us seemed to shrink dramatically in an instant. When hobbies and interests overlap this much, it apparently carries that kind of power.
“Wanna go to a PC bang together?! It’s Friday today! What do you usually do after school? Want to go right after class? Ah! Or are you the type who only games at home? In that case, should we play Miscode?!”
C-calm down a little…!
“Then, shall we go to the PC bang together after school today?”
I answered as calmly as possible. Her reaction had been so heated.
Whew… good thing I brought it up. What would I have done if I hadn’t?
“Perfect. Then… I’ll come find you after I’m done. You’re in Class C, right?”
“Yes, but you’re coming to find me yourself?”
“Yep! It’s on the way down the stairs anyway, so it’s natural.”
Carrying with me the suddenly much narrower distance with Hana Bi sunbae, I ended lunch break feeling satisfied.
“Hey, I-do.”
Before the teacher for the next class came in, amid the noisy classroom, Do Yu-hwa’s voice reached me from behind.
But… I-do? Was she calling me? It definitely sounded like she was addressing me.
“I-do. I-do. I-do.”
When I didn’t react to the uncertain call, Yu-hwa kept repeating it like a protest.
She really was calling me?!
“Are you calling me?”
I finally turned around.
“Then who else would I-do be here but you?”
“……Why am I I-do?”
“Lee Do-hyun is too long… and it doesn’t have any warmth. I-do just rolls off the tongue perfectly.”
She giggled to herself, seemingly satisfied with the nickname she’d created.
“That’s not just lacking sincerity, it’s completely devoid of it.”
“Haa? What could possibly be better than this?! Hurry up and say you like it.”
“Then…”
So that’s how it works. In that case.
“Do-yu. Then you’re Do-yu.”
“……Do-yu? Now that’s really half-hearted.”
“Why? I-do is fine, but Do-yu isn’t?”
“It doesn’t feel right in the mouth.”
Yu-hwa didn’t seem to mind the act of giving nicknames. She just didn’t like the one she’d received.
“It’s not bad though? Do-yu… Do-yu… I-do… I-do…”
While I was muttering to myself—
“The nicknames even have synergy. I-do-yu. I-do plus Do-yu. When calling both of us at the same time…”
Wait. What the hell did I just say? Why was I arbitrarily building nickname synergy with this girl?
Haa… I really shouldn’t keep getting tangled up with Yu-hwa like this. She didn’t hear that, did she?
“To come up with such a horrible nickname… it’s seriously the worst.”
Yu-hwa looked at me with a slightly contemptuous expression.
“Forget it, I was just kidding too.”
Saying that, I put a little distance between us and Yu-hwa again.
Now that I knew Yu-hwa was a good person… I didn’t want to cause her any harm because of me. This was less about caring for Hye-in and more about considering Yu-hwa. Still, explaining my current circumstances to her would be difficult. How should I put it… The moment I said it, it would feel like confessing my relationship with Hye-in. If she asked why Hye-in hated her because of that, I would have nothing to say. Without explaining the situation with Hye-in, it was impossible.
“I-do, so what were you doing earlier?”
Yu-hwa, unaware of my inner thoughts, didn’t end the conversation and asked the next question. It seemed this was what she had wanted to ask from the beginning.
“I… met Hana Bi sunbae earlier.”
I had no choice but to answer. Ignoring her now would feel even more unnatural. If I’d wanted to avoid it, I should have pretended not to hear from the start. Yes, this was my fault for letting the conversation get this far.
“Hana Bi sunbae? Who’s that?”
“The guidance committee sunbae from before.”
“Ah… I see?”
Yu-hwa made a slightly subtle expression.
“So the friend you were making is that sunbae?”
“Well… yeah?”
“And you got close with her?”
“Ah! Actually, we got really close earlier, you know?”
When Yu-hwa asked if I’d gotten close with Hana Bi sunbae, I unknowingly responded in an excited, slightly heightened voice. It might have been the highest energy I’d ever shown her. It was a reaction that slipped out without me realizing. It seemed I was quite happy about becoming closer to Hana Bi sunbae.
Perhaps because of that, Yu-hwa looked at me with somewhat awkward eyes.
“Uh… y-yeah. That’s good then.”
A rather lukewarm reaction. After that the teacher entered, and our conversation ended.
*
After all the classes had finished.
Honestly, from the afternoon lessons onward, my mind had been completely occupied with the upcoming PC bang plans with Hana Bi sunbae. When I came back to my senses, all the classes were already over.
Then… I should wait for sunbae.
I was sitting at my desk organizing my bag and waiting when—
“I-do! It’s Friday night—what are you doing?”
From the seat behind again came Yu-hwa’s voice…. Why was this girl seeking me out so persistently today of all days? Especially starting from today when I’d decided to create some distance from her.
The silver lining was that Hye-in had already left the classroom. She must have gone off to hang out with those thug guys again.
“If you’re free today, want to go to Olive Young with me? I need to buy some cosmetics.”
Yu-hwa added her own words without even waiting for my reply. Why on earth would she drag me along to buy her cosmetics? Well, I couldn’t go today anyway. I had plans.
“Ah, sorry. I have plans today.”
“Plans? With who?”
“I’m going to the PC bang with Hana Bi sunbae.”
“Stop lying. What PC bang? You’re not even that close.”
Look at her. Does this girl really think I can’t make any friends?
In the meantime, the person who could clearly prove whether it was a lie or not had arrived.
Hana Bi sunbae was leaning against the back door, only poking her head in to scan our classroom. She seemed to be looking for me. She could have just come inside. No one would have said anything, especially since she’s on the guidance committee.
“Hana Bi sunbae! I’m coming out now.”
I called out first, and our eyes met. She gave a bright eye-smile and lightly waved her hand.
“See? I told you it’s true. Anyway… I’m off. See you tomorrow. Ah! Right. Don’t forget we have our gathering tomorrow.”
I hurriedly said my goodbyes to Yu-hwa and walked over to sunbae.
“Ah…”