Culture Festival (10)
I was chatting with Eunbi over drinks at the canteen when the break ended.
“Alright, go on ahead.”
“Okay. See you after school, oppa~”
She seemed in a good mood, having someone to talk to, and waved brightly with a big smile before heading back into the school grounds first.
I needed to get to the field without being late, too. Just as I turned to go—
“Taeyang.”
“Yeah?”
The creepy voice from behind nearly made me stumble. I steadied myself and turned around.
“Yuyeong?”
What’s she doing here instead of going to the field?
It was already too late to stop by the canteen anyway. But that thought didn’t last long.
“Taeyang.”
“…Yuyeong. Did something happen?”
“Hehe, no. What would’ve happened?”
Lee Yuyeong shook her head. No way—why were her eyes all clouded if nothing was wrong? I instinctively took a step back.
“Huh? Taeyang, are you avoiding me?”
Now she was tilting her head at me with those clouded eyes and a stiff smile. It was straight out of a horror flick.
“…No, not avoiding you, but class has started anyway, so we gotta get to the field quick.”
“Yeah, gotta go to the field. Gotta go first.”
She repeated it mechanically, expression unchanging as she brushed past me. For a second, I wondered if she was even human. Robot?
“More importantly, didn’t you have something to say to me?”
She pops out of nowhere—who knows how long she’d been there—flips on the yandere eyes, but then says nothing? Wait a sec. How long had she been there?
As the puzzle pieces clicked together, a chill ran down my spine. I didn’t want to believe my conclusion.
“Yuyeong?”
“Oh, Taeyang. Just checking, in case.”
Our eyes met as she looked up slightly. I swear I thought I’d seen a ghost.
“You’re not hiding anything from me, right?”
“………Huh?”
Why the hell was I feeling the anxiety of a guy caught cheating by his girlfriend? It was ridiculous, but yeah, there was one thing I was hiding from Yuyeong. And her acting like this meant she knew something. She must’ve overheard our conversation.
“You heard me talking with Eunbi?”
“Hmm… Taeyang’s such a liar~”
She ignored my question and jumped to her own conclusion.
“Hey, you two! What’re you doing? Get to assembly already!!”
That cut our chat short. After class, I didn’t get another chance to talk with Yuyeong anyway.
Next period. I glanced at Yuyeong in the seat next to me. For once, she wasn’t gossiping with her friends. Just sitting there, spacing out.
“Ugh, what? You told me to talk.”
“Taeyang hides so much from me, but wants me to spill?”
Sigh~ She was sulking again.
Part of me wanted to blow it off—whether Yuyeong pouted or not was none of my business. We wouldn’t see each other forever, and once high school started, she’d have to get over it herself.
But now that she’d overheard everything, leaving her like this might make her pull some stunt. Ha Eunju was one thing, but Kang Eunbi was fragile, scared of people, easily hurt. She couldn’t handle a stare-down with Yuyeong.
Still, I’d let it slide for now. More important stuff to deal with.
“You heard me talking with Eunbi, right?”
“Hmm~ You two looked real close. Linking arms and all.”
If she saw that far, she heard it all.
“No, don’t get jealous over some little underclassman.”
“So Taeyang likes little kids?”
“Hey! Someone hears that wrong, they’ll misunderstand.”
I quickly scanned around. Sure enough, Yuyeong’s posse hurriedly looked away. They’d been eavesdropping from afar, thrilled.
Hope no weird rumors spread.
“Hng~ Must be nice, having a cute kouhai all ‘oppa~ oppa~’ and clingy.”
“Yuyeong, you were super into Eunbi when you met her before.”
“Yeah, I didn’t know she was a fox seducing you with that cuteness.”
“Hey, don’t turn a nice girl into some vixen!”
“Hmm… She’s got you enchanted~ Enchanted~”
No reasoning with her. I let out a deep sigh and decided to drop it. Yeah, I couldn’t just drop it—she might do something weird to Eunbi. But for now.
“Forget Eunbi. This is about high school, right?”
“Oh, yeah, that too.”
Her reaction was anticlimactic, like she’d just remembered.
What? So Eunbi’s the bigger issue?
“But don’t worry. You won’t make a dumb choice, Taeyang.”
“……”
What’s that supposed to mean? I was about to snap, ‘I’m going to the school I want, period,’ when she cut in like it was inevitable.
“Hayan unnie, Gahee unnie, Iri unnie—they’re all watching your choice with interest~ Yeah, siscon Taeyang wouldn’t pick something stupid.”
For a moment, Yuyeong scared me. Had she read the flow of this whole game? That’s why I was scared of the heroines liking me—they might scheme behind the scenes. The first two were resolved, but Iri noona was still pending.
“The noonas respect my choice!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s my freedom wherever I go.”
“……Haa~”
Yuyeong suddenly sighed deeply and looked around. Like before, her posse faked innocence. Her gaze swept back to me. Weirdly, her eyes… the cloudiness was gone, bright again.
“Taeyang, you free later?”
“Yeah.”
Yandere vibes off, so a quick chat was fine. But for some reason, she started looking at me with pity.
————
“That’s it for today. Don’t stay out too late prepping for the festival, everyone.”
“Yes~!”
After homeroom, I got ready to head to the festival committee support team like usual.
“Taeyang.”
“Yeah.”
At Yuyeong’s call, we left the classroom together, feeling the stares. She glared down her posse trying to follow, and we found a spot to talk alone.
“Hoo~ Taeyang.”
“Yeah.”
She sighed deeply and looked at me, eyes full of sympathy.
“Taeyang, I know why you’re going to Elmae High instead of Pulkkot High.”
Ugh, here we go again. Yuyeong’s “I know” bits were usually bullshit when she pretended to worry or understand me. Some might’ve been right, but… nothing came to mind now. I waited quietly for whatever nonsense this time.
And she spoke.
“It’s because of Hayan unnie, right?”
Bzzt! Wrong.
I didn’t know what my face looked like, but Yuyeong kept pushing her logic, staring at me.
“Must’ve been tough. Loving your own blood sister—how confusing and painful. Scary, with the world watching.”
I’d forgotten, but she still bought into the siscon rumors.
“You’re trying to sort your feelings, get away from Hayan unnie. So you’re cutting all ties, picking a school far from home on purpose?”
“No. Not at all.”
“No need to lie.”
“I’m not lying!”
“No way!! That’s why you’re using Eunbi as a substitute!”
Her eyes clouded and cleared, over and over. What, broken TV?
“Trying to forget Hayan unnie, forcing your tastes to change. From older to younger—you’re pushing too hard.”
She shook her head. Eyes fully clouded now. I was too stunned to speak. Just dry laughter.
Yuyeong muttered like she was the serious adult.
“Taeyang. That’s not love. Wrong path. You’ll just hurt Eunbi. You don’t want regrets, right?”
“No regrets, nothing like that.”
“Ung~ You’re clueless, Taeyang. Oh, got it. How about switching tastes to a classmate?”
“So that’s your angle!!”
What a buildup. All to mix weird fallacies into begging me to like her instead of Eunbi!
“Yeah. I’ll guide you right, Taeyang. Teach you real love. Only I can.”
“Yuyeong, you’re crazy. Cut the bullshit.”
Harsh words, but they didn’t seem to reach her.
“Yeah, you’ll deny it at first. Everyone fears facing buried feelings. It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”
“Shut up! Don’t pull weird shit! Eunbi and I are…”
“Oppa!!”
“Oppa” from behind. The dangerous girl’s voice. I turned, dreading—and there was Kang Eunbi.
“I came looking ‘cause you weren’t coming.”
“Ah… yeah, let’s go.”
I glanced at Yuyeong. Sure enough, she glared at Eunbi like a beast eyeing prey.
“Uh… Yuyeong unnie… H-hi…”
Eunbi’s voice quavered in greeting, but Yuyeong ignored it.
“Um… sorry. You two talk. I’ll go.”
Eunbi panicked and tried to flee.
“Yuyeong, don’t scare her for no reason. We’re really nothing.”
“Huh? Nothing… at all?”
Soothing Yuyeong, but Eunbi poured fuel on the fire.
“Huh? Eunbi?”
You say that, and it sounds wrong!
But Eunbi cleared it up quick.
“We’re… nothing, right? Then… I guess we’re…”
“Friends! Eunbi and I are friends! Best buds, yeah?”
“Eh?”
“Yuyeong’s misunderstanding weirdly. Sorry.”
I shot Yuyeong a glare.
“Got it?”
She sighed again.
“……Don’t hide your feelings forever!!!”
She yelled that and bolted first.
“Oppa, what’s up with unnie?”
“Haa~ She does that a lot. Ignore it.”
Yuyeong was gone. Time for committee work.
Still, I’d flipped some weird switch in her. Sigh~ What now? I figured distance this semester, sneak to another high school, and she’d back off. But this gave her an excuse to cling.
Head killing me, when Eunbi asked from the side.
“Oppa…”
“Yeah?”
“Are we… friends?”
Straight-faced, but happy to be called friends, she asked again.
“Yeah, friends. Let’s keep hanging out.”
Eunbi just nodded slightly.
Haa~ Yuyeong, just don’t do anything weird again.
————
That evening, Yuyeong immediately texted her unnies.