Part 2 Prologue: "Taeyang, You Sly Devil."
"Taeyang, you sly devil." As we headed home after he broke his promise, Iri grumbled.
Honestly, I wasn't really mad. I was annoyed for a moment, but... that sly Taeyang, wagging his tail and acting like a cat that follows people without really committing—it was just too cute.
Cute enough to let it slide this once.
"Just you wait. Your big sis is gonna tame you."
Iri giggled, recalling how Taeyang had backed away in panic.
Mom knocked on Gahee's door and stepped inside, immediately spotting the photos Gahee hadn't managed to hide in time.
"Gahee, what are these pictures?"
"Oh, uh... that is..."
Mom sighed as she watched Gahee frantically trying to stash them away. Yeah, it was that age when you're obsessed with celebrities.
A celebrity I've never seen before... Wait, is it even a celebrity? Looks like just an ordinary kid.
The photos were meticulously decorated, like some kind of merch.
"Put them away and tidy up for now. Let's go out for a nice meal—it's been a while."
"Okay, I'll sort them out and come."
Choi Gahee hurriedly gathered the photos. It was true she'd disposed of Taeyang's pictures last time, but she couldn't bring herself to tear them up or throw them in the trash. So she'd vowed not to open them again and stored them away... but she couldn't resist.
It's fine, right? No one's seeing them. It's just me, enjoying Taeyang's photos on my own.
Of course, she absolutely couldn't let Taeyang find out. Another slip-up, and she doubted she'd get another chance.
Choi Gahee's eyes clouded over once more as she gazed at Taeyang's photos, lost in rationalizations.
"These are just photos for now, but someday... Taeyang himself..."
Yeah, they're friends now, but she'll definitely make Taeyang hers.
Reaffirming her resolve, Choi Gahee planted a kiss on one of Taeyang's photos.
Today, too, Yuli logged into her SNS chat.
She typed a few words, then deleted them again.
What if it's true? What if FridayAngel is really Hayan's little brother...?
In Yuli's mind, a boy flickered into view—a middle schooler with blonde hair and tanned skin.
Her friend's little brother, who didn't seem that bad once you got to know him, but... rumors of him cursing over the phone, smoking... he seemed problematic in all sorts of ways.
Could that boy really be FridayAngel?
If so, what should she do?
"Ughhh...!!! FridayAngel, please tell me I misheard!!"
But in the end, it was Yuli's fragile mentality that couldn't send the message.
Seonah knocked on her brother's door again today.
"Oppa. I brought food."
"……..."
"Oppa. Say something, at least."
But still, no response.
Seonah cautiously turned the doorknob, but of course, it was locked.
"D-don't come in!!"
"Oppa..."
Ever since summer break ended, her once kind and gentle oppa had changed.
"Oppa, why are you doing this? What's going on? Even Mom won't tell me..."
"Shut up!! Get out!!"
Bam—!! The door rattled with a thud.
Her handsome, kind oppa who adored his little sister... now turned violent. Seonah wiped away tears again today.
"Oppa..."
One day, he'd been called to the police station out of nowhere and got scolded by Mom and Dad. After that, he quit school and shut himself in his room.
Once he became a hikikomori, he stopped paying attention to Seonah. No—to anyone.
"Why... why did you change like this?"
"Don't come near... I did everything wrong. Just spare me..."
Trembling under the covers, Seonwoo recalled that day when his sister tried to open the door—the day he'd fought Kim Taeyang and nearly caused an accident by mistake.
After sorting things out with Kim Taeyang and Seong Juyeon, it wasn't long before Seonwoo was nabbed by the police.
Luckily, he was let off with leniency, but in the process, he got royally chewed out by Taeyang's guardian and his own parents. His image was shattered.
But that wasn't the end of it.
After the investigation wrapped up and his parents headed back to work, Seonwoo was sent home alone to behave.
There, in front of his house late at night, stood a woman.
"Kim Hayan."
"Seonwoo-ya."
It was Kim Hayan.
"I'm kinda tired today—can we talk later?"
Seonwoo knew he'd messed up. He'd felt it deep in his bones. But too much had happened that day. The fight, losing his childhood friend, police questioning, resignation letter tomorrow, and parental punishment looming. His head was a mess. No room to think about others.
"You're tired, huh."
"Yeah."
"You worked hard today. Rest up—you must be exhausted."
"Huh?... Yeah."
Kim Hayan nodded with a gentle smile. Seonwoo's nose tingled. All day, he'd heard nothing but blame, and this was the first encouragement.
"Hayan-ah."
Kim Hayan smiled dazzlingly, as always. Even though her brother went through that, she was worried about him?
"Thanks. For understanding. I'll come apologize properly next time."
Yeah, let's try again. Beg for forgiveness—even if things can't go back to how they were, ask for another chance. They're good kids; they'll accept him.
"Oh, come on~ Seonwoo-ya."
Was the apology already accepted? Seeing Kim Hayan wave it off, Seonwoo nearly teared up with gratitude.
"Next time where? You messed with my brother."
The voice that followed was far lower than her expression suggested.
"Huh? Ah..."
"Oh dear? Looks like you're misunderstanding~ I came to give you a warning."
Snapping to attention, Seonwoo looked at Kim Hayan again. Even to him, her thickly clouded, chilling eyes flashed unnaturally as she approached. On this sweltering night, she drew a kitchen knife from her thin cardigan.
"H-Hayan-ah, sorry!! I did it all wrong!! So please, put down the knife!!"
"Quiet. People will misunderstand. Or do you want me to stab you?"
Seonwoo shut his mouth. It wasn't like Choi Gahee's [Command] yandere effect. This was pure survival instinct.
Thud—!!
Kim Hayan slammed the kitchen knife into the brick wall of Seonwoo's house.
"Don't ever show your face in front of my brother or the others again."
She casually yanked the knife from the wall and tucked it back away.
"Got it? Otherwise, I don't know what I might do to myself."
"......Ah... y-yeah..."
"Come on~ Answer me. It's your friend's last request. What might happen to me, you say?"
"Got it!! I-I won't show up again!! Sp-spare me!!"
"Hehe. I figured a kind boy like you wouldn't do anything stupid and would honor my request."
It was pressure not to blab about what happened today. Seonwoo collapsed, trembling, and broke down sobbing.
"Hmm..."
Kim Hayan wondered if she'd gone too far, then spoke.
"Fine, I'll specially forgive you if I see you when you're submitting your resignation at school. Can't be helped."
After that, Seonwoo dropped out and became a hikikomori.
"Ah, my eyes feel dry."
On her way home, Kim Hayan blinked a few times. Gradually, her clouded eyes returned to normal.
"Even blinking feels tough like this. Well, seems effective enough."
Kim Hayan’s yandere trait ‘Conscious Yan Awakening’ deactivated.
Conscious Yan Awakening: Freely conceal or deploy yandere eyes toward the object of obsession or others, for warning purposes.
"Why did you change like this?"
Something definitely happened. There's a culprit who ruined her always warm, kind, perfect oppa.
Suspiciously, all his friends had cut contact with him. Even the reliable Seong Juyeon-unnie...
If you're childhood friends, shouldn't you check on him at least once?
"I can't forgive that."
Abandoning her oppa like trash. Ruining him like that. Her oppa... her oppa!!!!
Seonah's eyes in the mirror rapidly clouded over.
Yeah, I'll find out what happened. Soon... I'll be enrolling in his old school too.
Back in her room, Seonah stared at the Pulkkot High School uniform hanging there and steeled herself.
"Oppa couldn't have done anything bad. There must be people who bullied him. So I have to get revenge."