More Than Her
“Lee Suhyun.”
Yoon Hana murmured his full name in a low voice. “...You really got a confession?”
Her tone suggested she could hardly believe it. But in truth, Hana simply couldn’t accept what Juyeon had just said.
“I don’t know if you’d call it a confession… No. It wasn’t like she asked me out or anything…”
“Then what was it? What happened?”
Lee Seoeun stared at Suhyun with sparkling eyes. She knew full well that Hana liked him, but this was pure entertainment for her—an absolute delight.
“She just said… after watching our performance… that she thought she might’ve liked me for a while…”
“Kyaaaa!”
A flush of excitement bloomed across Seoeun’s face. Meanwhile, dark clouds of displeasure gathered over Hana’s.
“Who is she? That girl.”
“She’s a girl from our department.”
“I’m asking who exactly.”
Her tone had grown somewhat aggressive, but Hana didn’t stop there.
“Her name’s… Kim Nayong…”
“Does she have Instagram?”
Suhyun’s Instagram account had been made for him by Hana herself. If he’d been using it to flirt and giggle with other girls, she would have been furious.
“I’m not sure? I haven’t touched my Instagram at all since we used it to promote the performance.”
At least that seemed to ease some of Hana’s irritation.
“Then you don’t have her profile picture or anything?”
“...Do I really have to show it?”
It had been fine when Juyeon brought it up. After all, Nayong had said it in a completely public setting, not through any private messages. But Suhyun wasn’t sure he needed to expose Nayong’s personal information to Hana and the rest of the members.
“Hey. Lee Suhyun.”
The lightweight. Yoon Hana. Even a single can of beer was enough to give her courage.
“If I told you I got a confession from some guy, wouldn’t you be curious what he looks like?”
“But you said you get so many you can’t even count them.”
“Ugh! That’s not the point! Are you curious or not? Tell meee.”
Role reversal clearly wasn’t working. Why didn’t Suhyun understand how she felt?
“I… guess I would be curious…”
Seoeun burst into giggles and reached over to pat Hana’s head.
“Suhyun, don’t be like that. Just show us~ It’s not like we’re gonna trash her appearance or illegally share her personal info or anything.”
It was nice that Seoeun was helping, but Hana didn’t like the way she’d phrased it. Of course we’re going to judge her looks. We’re definitely going to call her an ugly bitch for daring to step up. Raw, vicious criticism bubbled up from deep inside Hana’s chest.
Suhyun opened his messenger app and scrolled down. Nayong’s last name was Kim. It didn’t take long to find her. Still unsure, he turned the screen toward them. Seoeun and Hana, who had scooted right up beside him, snatched the phone away.
“Oh…”
A short gasp of admiration slipped from Seoeun’s lips. In contrast, Hana, who now held the phone, couldn’t hide her displeasure.
The girl named Kim Nayong who had confessed to Suhyun was prettier than expected. Thanks to advances in technology, it was impossible to judge skin texture from a photo, but her facial features were undeniably attractive. She didn’t have a slender figure like Hana, but her body type was the kind that tended to be popular with guys. At a glance, she had that softly pretty look that swept up confessions left and right. She wasn’t some ridiculous nobody—she was the real deal. Hana felt her irritation flare even hotter.
“So this girl confessed to you?”
Suhyun had been about to correct the word “confession,” but he simply nodded.
“...Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why does she like you?”
Hana was confident. If Suhyun ever asked her why she liked him, she could list more than ten reasons without hesitation. That was how sincerely she felt about him.
“I didn’t ask, so I don’t know?”
“That’s because… it was right before class started…”
Juyeon chimed in from the side like a commentator.
“Hey. Go ask her. Ask why she likes you.”
“But… do I really have to ask that?”
Suhyun scratched his head.
“You’re not even curious about that?”
Frustrated, Hana chugged her beer. Seriously, what was this guy curious about? Was he asexual? Did he have zero interest in romance? Was that why he acted this way with her too?
“Yeah. Not really.”
“Why! Why aren’t you curious?!”
Hana was on the verge of exploding from sheer annoyance.
“Because I have no intention of accepting.”
It was the moment Hana’s game of twenty questions came to a halt. The frustration from moments ago vanished, replaced by a strange sense of relief. The sharp look in her eyes softened, and the corners of her mouth twitched upward.
“Mmm~ Yeah… Ah… If that’s the case, then I get it. I’ve gotten tons of confessions too, so I know. If you’re not planning to accept, it doesn’t really stir any feelings. Right? Right?”
Seoeun was dying trying to hold back her laughter beside them. Aaaah… These kids are too cute… As expected of Spirit… They’re the best… This is thrilling… I love them. How had the president managed to gather only pure, airheaded kids like this? She was already planning to call her boyfriend later and gush about their adorable story.
“Ahaha… Yeah…”
Just as Suhyun tried to let the topic slide, Choi Kang’s loud voice echoed from far away like a foghorn.
“Heeeey! Why are you guys sitting so far away?!”
He had returned his bike and walked a full twenty minutes to get here.
“Hey! Choi Kang! You rode your bike for over an hour!”
“I rode a little less than usual!”
“If you like cycling that much, just quit the band and join the cycling club instead.”
The alcohol and snacks were starting to run low. It looked like they’d need a refill for round two.
“Someone should probably run to the convenience store.”
Seoeun didn’t want to go. The more she drank, the more everything felt like a hassle. If possible, she wanted to subtly suggest someone else do it.
“Rock-paper-scissors?”
The fairest and simplest method. Since no one volunteered, they all took a moment to carefully consider what to throw.
“If you don’t play, you lose.”
“Rock-paper-scissors!”
Victory and defeat split unevenly.
“Lee Suhyun! You lose because you played scissors like a beta male!”
“Seoeun noona played rock too.”
“That just means noona’s a real man!”
“What are you even saying, Kang-ah.”
The two chosen were Hana and Suhyun. Suhyun opened his notes app and began writing down the order like a waiter.
“Fried chicken drumsticks. Heat them in the microwave for about twenty-five seconds!”
“Dude, where’s a microwave that only turns in five-second increments?”
Hana jumped in with a jab at Kang’s overly specific request.
“Just check the numbers on top and take it out when it’s done!”
“Shut up! If you’re that picky, you go yourself.”
Even so, Suhyun diligently wrote down “25 seconds.”
The walk to the convenience store took quite a while. The night sky had grown dark. A subway train—impossible to tell which line—passed over the illuminated Han River bridge. As Suhyun stared blankly at the scarlet lights, Hana’s voice came from beside him.
“Lee Suhyun.”
Hana, who had matched her pace to his, looked up at him. A faint pink hue, like she was wearing blush, colored her face.
“Yeah?”
“I’m pretty, right?”
Even she seemed to find her own words funny, because she immediately started giggling at herself. Suhyun’s mouth curved into a smile to match hers, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to answer right away. What was he supposed to say…? Should he tell her she was pretty? Objectively speaking, it was obviously true no matter who looked at her. Today’s outfit in particular was hitting all of Suhyun’s preferences harder than usual. He hadn’t even realized he had specific tastes until today. The white blouse. He couldn’t resist that. The faint outline of her underwear showing through was also seriously stirring his heart.
“Ugh. Why aren’t you answering? Am I not pretty?”
“...You are pretty.”
Suhyun finally forced the words out.
“Prettier than Kim Nayong?”
Now came the main topic. Everything until now had just been buildup.
“Why are you bringing her up all of a sudden?”
“What? Why aren’t you answering? Do you like her more than me?”
Suhyun resented how strong he was with alcohol. If he were as drunk as Hana, he probably could’ve answered without thinking.
“No. I like you more.”
“And in terms of looks?”
“You there too.”
It was practically a yes-man Q&A session, but Hana was completely satisfied. In a much better mood now, she slipped her arm through his.
“Hey.”
Suhyun flinched at the sudden skinship. Hana acted like she hadn’t noticed and changed the subject.
“Next time, should we come just the two of us?”
“J-just the two of us?”
“Yeah. Just us.”
...This was hard. How could she do all this and then tell him not to like her? This quest was way too high difficulty.
“Why?”
He asked out of genuine curiosity, his question pure and innocent.
“Dude! We’re friends! Can’t friends come to the Han River together?!”
Suhyun had asked with a fairly serious expression, but the drunk Hana didn’t quite register it. Instead, she laughed playfully and smacked his back a few times.
“So, are we going or not?”
If he refused, the situation would only get weirder. The arm currently linked with his was probably just friend privileges anyway.
“...I’ll go.”
“Hehe. Good!”
Now in an even better mood, Hana leaned her face heavily against his shoulder. I’m jealous. He was jealous of whoever would become Hana’s boyfriend. The guy who would get to see this side of her—maybe even cuter sides than this—made Suhyun burn with envy.
“Hana.”
“Hm?”
“Want to take a picture?”
It was the first time Suhyun had ever suggested taking a photo together with someone else.
“Whoa. What’s gotten into you? You’re even asking to take pictures now.”
“It’s just… the background looks pretty.”
“Really?”
Hana, still resting her head on his shoulder, stared at the phone screen.
“One. Two. Three.”
With a click, their two faces were captured. Maybe because it was night mode, the quality wasn’t that great. But even so, Hana’s smile sparkled beautifully.
“Ugh. I don’t look good. Hey, next time let’s come during the day.”
“...Yeah, let’s do that.”
Suhyun couldn’t tear his eyes away from the photo on the screen.