Chapter 58: The School Trip's Aftermath
Monday morning after the weekend rain finally let up, the weather had already turned muggy. Feeling the first hints of early summer, I headed out to school.
As I reached the crosswalk where I always parted ways with my sister in her white uniform, I spotted Min Iri noona, who lived in the same neighborhood.
"Morning, Iri."
"Hey."
"Yo! Hope you two are doing well!"
"What kinda talk is that? Seriously."
"Hahaha!"
Iri noona was full of energy even this early. "But aren't you on the track team? No morning practice?"
"Track doesn't do that stuff."
"For real? You're not skipping again?"
Thinking about it, I did run into her on the way to school pretty often. She couldn't be ditching that much. Unlike baseball or soccer, high school track teams apparently didn't force morning drills.
Iri noona approached me with a smile. I braced myself, figuring she'd put me in a headlock or cling to me like always... but on a hot day like this, I really wasn't in the mood. I subtly shifted my body to dodge, but nothing happened.
"You feeling okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good."
She nodded, didn't lay a finger on me, and just started chatting with Hayan noona like normal. I was puzzled for a second, but the crosswalk light changed to walk.
"Taeyang, see you later."
"Catch you next time."
Her voice was still bright and lively, but something felt off in her actions. Why was that? Her face looked as cheerful as ever, though, so I let it slide.
————
The moment I stepped into the classroom, I bumped into Lee Yuyeong.
"Oh, hey."
"Yeah, hey."
She awkwardly raised her hand for a greeting first. We exchanged a hollow 'hey' with no real feeling left and I turned to head to my seat.
"What, you two lovebirds sticking together since morning?"
A grating voice buzzed in my ear. I turned to see the guy already drumming up rumors at the crack of dawn.
"I keep telling you, we're not like that."
"What're you talking about? The whole school's buzzing about it."
"What?"
My head tilted involuntarily. Yuyeong next to me hung her head like she was mortified.
"You were glued together the whole school trip. And Yuyeong's pretty popular, y'know."
"Taeyang, this wasn't on purpose..."
She scrunched her face into a pitiful frown.
"Did you two fight or something?"
At my friend's question, I took a moment to gather my thoughts.
"Anyway, Yuyeong, this doesn't seem like your fault."
"R-really? Thanks for getting it."
"Haa~ Rumors like this die down quick enough."
Truth be told, I should've seen it coming when her friends and mine started hyping things up together. Plus, as soccer team manager, Yuyeong had connections all over the class whether she meant to or not. Even after her huge blowout with Ha Eunju—the school idol—Yuyeong's rep stayed intact because she had her solid fanbase.
Whatever, skipping the school caste drama. The problem was the fallout from walking around together on the trip had spawned this awkward rumor.
Up until morning, I'd thought the couple talk was just dumb jokes. Boy, was I wrong.
"Guys, I got the trip photos printed!"
"Ooh, for real?!"
"Lemme see!!"
Before morning homeroom, the kid who'd lugged around a pro camera snapping pics everywhere showed up. One mention of prints, and everyone swarmed.
"Yuyeong, Taeyang—your couple shots came out great."
Yuyeong was hanging back, but her friends dragged her over. She looked seriously uncomfortable. Made sense—staring at pics taken right after getting rejected would suck. And admitting publicly she'd been dumped? No way.
I was in the same boat, obviously.
"You two were always together, huh?"
"This is basically official now."
I hadn't expected our 'last chance' walk to bite us like this. Checking the photos, every single one of me and Yuyeong was just us two—no group shots, even when it looked like there should've been.
"Taeyang, these are such troll faces."
"Hilarious. He must've worked hard to make his girlfriend laugh."
"She's not my girlfriend."
I'd pulled those faces hoping she wouldn't get turned off by weird shots. But pics of me with goofy eyes or looking dumb while she laughed? Yeah, that screamed 'trying to impress her.'
"Man, I wanna date too."
"Here, Taeyang, Yuyeong—got two prints each for you."
The photographer handed them over with pure goodwill. No choice but to take 'em.
My crew would clear things up point by point, sure. But if the rumor spread school-wide as fact? No clue how to fix that.
"Oh, these came out nice."
"Teacher."
Our homeroom teacher had snuck up behind us, smiling at the pics.
"Everyone looks great. But save the photos for later—homeroom first."
"Yes!"
"And Taeyang, Yuyeong."
"Yes?"
"Dating's fine, but keep it healthy, okay?"
No way the teachers heard too? Nah, Yuyeong was popular, but just a student. Or so I thought—turns out the younger, chummier ones were in on it. During class, they'd call on her to present, then go, "Guess the dark knight's gotta step in~," pointing at me.
Haa~ it really spread everywhere.
Flat-out denying it seriously would just draw more stares. So I played nice, explaining the truth to my circle first. Yuyeong wasn't idle either—she quietly told her girl friends about confessing and getting rejected, earning some cold looks for a while. Oh, and the guys too. From their view, I'd turned down both Eunju and her.
"You gay or something?"
"Nah."
While the rumors faded, my rep took a hit in all directions.
"Haa~ I'm beat."
"Sorry..."
Yuyeong apologized from the side. Honestly, not her fault. I reassured her it was fine. She had to be the most messed up over it. Couldn't read her mind, but seeing her so down sat wrong with me.
————
'Public opinion play failed too, huh.' That was Yuyeong's inner thought.
Before the school trip, she'd thought Taeyang had rejected Eunju because he was into her. With his heart wavering now, it was her chance. She'd ride the momentum to create a situation where rejecting her outright would be awkward.
So she'd prepped the opinion campaign pre-trip. Posed it as her 'last shot,' set terms hard to refuse, and stuck to him the whole time. If he leaned her way, perfect. If not, everyone would start seeing them as a cute couple anyway.
She even asked friends to fan the flames. Once they piled on, guys around Taeyang joined in for laughs. Photos? Only ones of just them two. To drill in: Lee Yuyeong and Kim Taeyang stuck together all day.
Finally, the rumor caught on with the third-years. And the cookies from Taeyang? Clear sign his heart was tilting. No doubt. She let that leak to friends naturally too.
Seemed like success. With the whole school hyping them as a couple, they'd get forced together constantly. Maybe group psychology would tip his confused feelings her way. She hoped.
But texting Hayan noona all giddy? That backfired hard. He called right away and shut her down.
And her hopeful misread? His heart? He clarified it brutally. The 'someone on my mind' to Eunju, the cookies—none for her.
Rejected, pushing the opinion play felt off. Just tanked his rep instead, crushing her.
What do I do... She was genuinely worried.
If Taeyang's really a siscon... that means he likes his own sister.
Was he? The girl he'd made him reject even the school idol over was Kim Hayan, his actual sister. They were close—outings, photos, him trailing her. Her friends teased him about siscon, but she'd figured it was just sibling love.
That Seonwoo oppa guy? When Hayan noona hung with him, Taeyang would glance back anxiously, like he was checking. Normal sibling jealousy over partners, she'd thought.
But once doubt creeps in, it's hard to shake. She started questioning if he really was a siscon.
And...
What if Hayan noona likes him back?
She shoved the thought away. Nah, no way.
Hayan noona had encouraged her to go for Taeyang, given advice. Without the warning about him hating clinginess, her over-the-top act would've pushed him away.
Someone sharp like Hayan noona, who knows boundaries? She'd never go for it.
But memories of them always together, looking cozy, kept surfacing.
Hayan noona showed brocon vibes too. Teased him about siscon straight to his face...
Yuyeong's brain started spiraling again.
Maybe Hayan noona wants him to be a siscon?
Her solo yandere mode kicked back in. Time for precautions.
First, gotta probe their psyches. Binge some incest anime.