The Uninvited Guest
I arrived at the classroom. A little later than my usual time, as it happened to overlap with Hyein’s schedule. When I walked in, Hyein was already seated, as expected... and surprisingly, Yuhwa was also at her desk, staring at her phone. And then... wait. Who on earth is sitting in my seat?
Yes, someone had already claimed my spot. As I walked closer, the silhouette became clearer, and the identity was revealed. It was that guy who seemed particularly interested in Hyein. I didn't even know his name yet, but I had him filed away in my memory.
"Thanks to you, I wasn't late today. But I really didn't think you'd actually call!"
"Did you think I was lying? Why would I lie about something like that? Anyway, let me know if you need anything else."
The conversation between Hyein and that guy. Given the context, it seemed he was the one who had called her this morning. "Yeah, thanks, Junhyuk." Hyein said that in a gentle voice, calling his name with such affection. So, his name was Junhyuk.
...I wondered if she had ever called my name with that much warmth. Forget it. I didn't want to get lost in those kinds of thoughts. Besides, why was this guy sitting in my seat? Was he just sitting in a random empty chair and talking to Hyein? Surely... it wasn't like Hyein had intentionally told him to sit there, right?
Anyway, the owner of the seat had arrived, so it was time for him to clear out. With that thought, I strode toward my desk. I passed by Hyein and stood tall in front of my seat. Just as I was about to open my mouth to look down at the guy named Junhyuk,
"Hey, Dohyun's here, go to your own seat. Stop making so much noise in front of us."
Yuhwa spoke up first. Junhyuk glanced at Yuhwa, then turned his head toward me. "Ah, sorry. Didn't see you." With those words, Junhyuk quickly jumped up from the seat. He gave Hyein a light wave goodbye. In that moment, my eyes were only on Junhyuk; I didn't bother looking at Hyein. I didn't want to know what kind of expression she had while accepting his farewell or how they had been talking.
"Hi, you're a bit late?"
As I sat down, Yuhwa stared at me blankly and greeted me first. Seeing her like that, I felt a sense of relief deep down. She seemed to be her usual self. I didn't want to be the reason she lost her character traits. To me, it might be a 'character,' but to them, it was their actual identity. Who was I to mess with that? Regardless, I had been a little worried.
"Did you get home okay?" I asked, hanging up my bag and responding normally.
"Ah, yeah... I did."
Hm? I was sure I had responded normally, so why was her reaction so unnatural? I hadn't said anything weird, so why the meaningful tone and reaction? If it were the usual Yuhwa, wouldn't she have said something like, 'None of your business?'
"What's with that reaction? Did you have trouble getting in?"
"N-no..." Yuhwa denied it first, then continued, "Why are you asking something like that?! I got home just fine on my own!"
She was back to her original self. I couldn't tell if she had actually returned to normal or if she had just instinctively thrown out a line she thought she should say. What was this? Was she really having a 'character collapse' because of me?
Just as I was exchanging pleasantries with Yuhwa, a voice cut into our space. "Oh...! So that story was true?!" It was Jisu's voice. Yuhwa and I both turned our heads toward her at the same time. Hyein also looked over, seemingly interested in what Jisu was saying. Well, since she was sitting right behind Jisu, it was natural for her to be curious. But what story?
"What is it? / What?" Yuhwa and I asked Jisu almost simultaneously. Jisu twitched the corners of her mouth. "I heard you two went to eat tteokbokki together yesterday?"
What. How did you know that? When I racked my brain, I remembered the group of kids we had run into on the way. Did she hear it from them?
"Ah, yeah. That's true. She said she'd treat me." I answered calmly for now. It wasn't a lie, after all. The only thing that worried me was the twitching of her mouth and her eyebrows, which were trembling with uncontrollable excitement. Surely...
"Really? But you two meeting up privately to hang out... this is totally..."
Uh-oh. It's not like that. "It was just! A normal..." I was about to say that, thinking I should cut her off before she could make any unnecessary misunderstandings.
-*Scrape*
The sound of a chair being dragged harshly across the floor echoed. Not only I, but even Jisu, who was about to speak, turned her gaze toward the sound. It was Hyein's seat. Hyein had stood up abruptly and walked toward the back door. With quick, long strides.
"Whoa, you scared me..." Jisu said, watching Hyein leave. I felt the same. I hadn't expected her to bolt out like that.
"Anyway, yesterday, she just ended up wearing my clothes and left without thinking... so I went to get them back." I took the opportunity to nip the misunderstanding in the bud. Yoon Jisu had the look of someone who had found interesting prey; I had to block it early. This wasn't just for my sake; it was necessary for Yuhwa sitting next to me, too. There was no need for us to get tangled up in unnecessary rumors.
"Oh, really? I thought... you two had made plans and were on a date or something." Jisu said, sounding slightly disappointed. Why are you disappointed? This girl is a total dopamine addict.
"But what if it *was* a date?"
Without even a moment to catch my breath, Yuhwa, who had been listening quietly from the back seat, dropped that bombshell. That didn't seem like the kind of thing you'd say with your chin in your hand and such an indifferent voice.
"What...?"
"Whoa! Really?! No way, no way!!" Jisu clapped her hands and reacted intensely. I quickly locked eyes with Yuhwa. What on earth was her intention? She wasn't planning on making fun of me, was she?
"I was just... asking. What if it had been a date. Not that it really was one. Why would I go on a date with him?" Yuhwa corrected the meaning of her words after a brief glance at me.
"Exactly." I added, nodding along with Yuhwa's statement.
"Aww, that's boring." The light in Jisu's eyes dimmed instantly. Then, Hyein, who had gone outside, returned to her seat. Right on cue, just as the conversation ended.
Lunchtime arrived. Fortunately, Yuhwa didn't order me around like she used to. Because of that, the number of times I had to stick around Yuhwa naturally decreased. Whether it was moving to a different classroom or during break times. Well... this wasn't anything special; it was probably just my original, normal daily life. I was only now enjoying what should have been taken for granted.
"Dohyun, want to go eat together?" In the midst of this, Jisu approached me alone and asked.
"Hm? Just the two of us?"
"No, the three of us, once Hyein gets back from the bathroom." Jisu said, glancing over at Yuhwa. Maybe she suggested the three of us because Yuhwa was sleeping with her head down. Well... naturally, the option of eating with Hyein didn't exist for me anyway. And in the first place, I hadn't planned on going to eat right away.
"No, I'll pass."
"Why? Let's eat together. I saw you eating alone before..." Jisu asked persistently. Well, she wouldn't know anything about the complicated history between Hyein and me. She was probably just asking because she genuinely thought it would be nice to eat together. I was grateful for the sentiment, but I had to decline. But I couldn't exactly tell her I couldn't eat with them because of some 'complicated history' with Hyein. Hm... how should I refuse?
I naturally shifted my gaze toward Yuhwa. Looking down at her as she slept on her desk, I opened my mouth. "I'll go later on my own."
At my words, Jisu seemed to vaguely grasp the meaning. At the same time, Hyein entered through the back door, wiping the water from her hands onto her skirt. "Let's go, Jisu."
"Ah! Okay!" Jisu hurriedly turned her body and walked toward Hyein. While doing so... "I tried to take Dohyun with us today, but it looks like he's waiting for Yuhwa."
What!! How long do you think that 'I don't know anything' excuse is going to work?! Pure evil is still evil. The real troublemaker isn't Yuhwa or Hyein... it's definitely that girl right there.
"..." Hyein, seemingly very flustered by Jisu's behavior, didn't say a word and hurried away.
"Hyein? Wait for me!!" Jisu chased after her urgently.
. . .
The classroom quickly became quiet, and I was left alone with Yuhwa in the back. Yuhwa was still sleeping in the same position. But come to think of it, why does this girl sleep so much? She seems to be sleeping with her head down every chance she gets. Well... she's probably staying up late on her phone. Anyway... she seems to be sleeping soundly, so I shouldn't wake her. I got an earful last time I tried. With that thought, I started walking to leave the classroom.
I wasn't going to the cafeteria. Today... there was a place I had to go during lunch. And in front of that door.
"Hey... where are you going?" The words flew at the back of my head. It seemed she had woken up. Well, it would be hard to stay in a deep sleep anyway.
"What, you're up?" I turned around and stared at Yuhwa. Yuhwa, now in my view, started stretching as if she were fully waking up. Stretching her arms high. The strange "Kyaaa-!" sound was a bonus. A sound that made the listener feel refreshed too.
"Are you going to eat?" she asked.
"Ah, I have somewhere else to go..."
"If you're going to eat, I'll..."
I opened my mouth to answer her question, and my voice overlapped with hers. "Hm? What was that?" I asked, as I had only heard up to 'If you're going to eat...'
"Ah, never mind. Can't you walk quietly? Stop waking people up!!" But for some reason, Yuhwa didn't repeat herself. Instead... she threw that complaint at me. Then, she immediately buried her head back on her desk. What was she trying to say?
...Well, it doesn't matter. I don't have time to linger here.
*
I headed straight for the playground. The third-years had already finished eating and were playing soccer. Soccer... I really loved soccer in my previous life. Both playing and watching. My skills were actually quite good, too. Around the heated playground, female students were walking in pairs along the perimeter. And I walked toward a bench in the corner.
The corner of the playground, where the pull-up bars were. If my memory was correct, that was the spot. I walked with a slightly fluttering, or perhaps excited, heart. And a familiar sight entered my vision. The scenery and the perspective I had in my head. Everything was exactly the same. And crucially, even the person in that scene.
Yes, that means... the person I was curious about was still existing in this world. "Would you mind if I sat next to you?"
"Eek-?!"