Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Sudden Shower - 3
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Like the saying that people who claim you can't buy happiness with money probably just didn't have enough of it.
When I heard somewhere that girls who deliberately act cute aren't all that appealing, I thought, "Hmm, yeah, doing it on purpose is a bit much."
But looking back now, maybe that person just wasn't cute enough?
I mean, every time Yerim pulled out that occasional cuteness, I completely lost it. I'd probably nod along frantically to whatever she asked without even hearing it.
Ha. She was seriously so cute.
That night, replaying the way Yerim had acted cute in my mind, my lips curved up again without me realizing.
Tsk, was this her plan all along?
Yerim was cute enough just breathing on a normal day, but pulling out that aegyo only occasionally made its effect downright destructive.
Afterward, I was honest with her.
I told her she could be as jealous and clingy as she wanted—just don't hide it like she had been.
For me, it made clearing up misunderstandings easier, and every time I saw her being possessive toward me... well.
It was embarrassing to admit, but it made me feel a little proud, like it proved just how much she liked me.
I said it straight out. Both of us blushed—me saying it, her hearing it.
Soon enough, she nodded like she got it.
"Oppa... you really mean it's okay...? You can't complain later that it's too much or cringy and get annoyed...?"
Her slightly sulky tone made me wonder if I should tell her to knock it off right now.
But it was Yerim.
I smiled and told her to go for it. She grinned back at me, like she was saying, brace yourself.
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A few days later.
My head was killing me.
"...Hey, Han Woojin."
"...What."
"Did something happen with Lee Yuri?"
"You think?"
Tsk. Right? But why's she acting like that?"
"...You can see it too?"
"Even a blind guy could see it."
A sigh escaped me automatically.
That day, Yuri acted exactly like she'd said she would—like she hadn't heard those two at all.
Or more precisely, like those two didn't exist.
To everyone else, it probably just looked like they weren't close. But knowing the situation, I could tell.
—That's not how you treat a person.
Even when she had to say something, it was the bare minimum response, never meeting their eyes. It was that cold-shoulder treatment I'd seen somewhere before.
Is this the world of girls...?
Scary. Terrifying.
If it were guys, they'd just duke it out once and be done with it. But silently erasing someone from existence like this? Brutal.
My situation was the opposite.
I wondered if I should try reconciling with those two, but they were starting to avoid me too.
I didn't have the ability or desire to befriend everyone anyway, so I figured it was regrettable but unavoidable and tried to move on.
But as those two drifted further away, Yuri was drawing closer.
Or rather, she was unilaterally closing in.
If I was hanging out with Yoon Do-hyun and the others, she'd come over and sit next to me, jumping into the conversation.
If I headed out for lunch, she'd bring her group over and suggest we all eat together.
If I was at my desk, she'd plop down on it and start talking.
And this wasn't just any girl—the prettiest one in class suddenly acting like that? Everyone's attention was glued.
Especially since the guy in question had a girlfriend and a reputation for being obsessed with her.
"It's driving me nuts. Why's she suddenly like this?"
"I thought you'd finally lost it and were cheating or something."
"Wanna die? Cut the bullshit."
"If you cheat, you'll die before I do."
How does this jerk see Yerim?
The sincerity on Yoon Do-hyun's face as he said it made it even more ridiculous.
"...Won't happen."
"Yeah, right. I can see it—your future, handcuffed in a room with one on each arm."
"You psycho. I mean I have no reason to cheat."
"Oh, that? My bad."
I clenched my fist, itching to deck his smirking, smartass face, but held back with superhuman patience.
"Ha... I've tried treating her cold like other girls, not starting conversations, everything—and she just smiles like it's fun and keeps coming. No idea what to do."
"It's kinda genius. Normally, girls back off if you act like that, calling it annoying."
"...Exactly. Never seen anything like it."
If she'd been obvious about liking me, it'd be one thing.
But treating me casually like a close friend made it hard to snap at her seriously.
"What if it's that? 'You're the first guy who's ever been cold to me' or some drama? Or a muscle fetish? Anything but that doesn't add up."
"...What doesn't add up? Could be my face, asshole."
"She thinks she's got Seo Jinhyuk-level looks or something? Snap out of it. Just 'cause Seo Jinhyuk's gone doesn't mean you fill his shoes."
"...Isn't comparing to Seo Jinhyuk a bit much?"
"For a girl like Lee Yuri to chase a guy with a girlfriend, he'd need Seo Jinhyuk looks."
...Fuck.
Everything Yoon Do-hyun said was annoying, but spot-on, so I couldn't even argue back. That made it worse.
"Ha..."
I knew it.
Yuri didn't have a crush on me. She genuinely saw me as a comfy guy friend—platonic.
And I didn't dislike her as a friend either.
Her personality was straightforward, and chatting with her was fun.
I even imagined that if Yerim were in Korea, I might've introduced them, hoping they'd get along.
But.
Yerim, the one who could rein me in, wasn't here.
Foolish me had no idea where the line was.
So I had no choice but to let only Yerim in and push everyone else out.
"Hey. Do-hyun."
"What, dude."
"...Do you think guys and girls can just be friends?"
"If they could, I'd have ten girlfriends by now, moron."
"...Kekeke, fucker. Proof's ironclad."
He said it like it was obvious. We both thought it was impossible.
But probably for different reasons.
Yoon Do-hyun probably saw girl friends as girlfriend candidates.
For me, girl friends were just that—girls who were friends. I was confident my feelings for Yerim wouldn't waver, no matter how many.
But since it'd hurt Yerim to have them around, I didn't make any. That's all.
And Yerim was the same.
Which is why agonizing over something I wouldn't normally dwell on...
Made me think maybe I'd grown a bit attached to Yuri in that short time. A shame.
If Yerim were here, could we have stayed friends?
Such hypotheticals were meaningless.
Being with Yuri pricked my conscience.
And from experience, anything that pricked my conscience...
Was best avoided.
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The endless classes finally wrapped up.
I said bye to Yoon Do-hyun, who was off to meet his girlfriend, and headed down. Rain was pouring again.
...Another downpour?
I personally liked the sound of rain, so I didn't hate it raining. Sudden showers were the exception.
They hit without warning and stopped just as abruptly. A pain.
As I rummaged for the umbrella tucked safely in my bag again.
"Ah, hey! Han Woojin~!"
The voice I'd grown used to these past few days called from behind.
Turning, Yuri was running over, waving enthusiastically like she was thrilled to see me.
"Perfect timing! I forgot my umbrella again!"
"Again? Maybe try remembering it sometime."
"Ahaha, I meant to last time but forgot... Share just this once!"
"You know what I'm gonna say."
"Aww, why~! We're closer now than back then! Just once, pleeease?"
"Don't you know one time turns into two?"
Laughing at her playfully poking me, insisting she didn't know that.
"Here."
"...Buy another one?"
I held out my umbrella, and she shot me a look of disgust.
This girl—makes me wanna take it back.
"Take it. I'll just get wet."
"Huh?"
Seeing her flustered made the next words hard to spit out.
It's easy getting hated by someone who hates you. Pushing away someone who doesn't hate you? Not so much.
My throat kept going dry.
"Why would you get wet?! Wait, I'll run and buy one ri—"
"No need. Consider it a gift. A final one."
Gift, umbrella, apology—call it what you want.
"Huh...?"
"No need to return it. So from tomorrow... let's go back to how it was at the start of the semester. When we only knew each other's names."
"...You didn't even know my name."
"...When we only knew each other's faces."
"......Why?"
Yuri asked like she truly couldn't comprehend.
"Why go this far? Did I do something wrong? Or was I too pushy? If so, I'm sorry. I'll apologize. But I didn't confess or anything. I just wanted to be friends..."
That's the problem.
I couldn't tell the hurt-looking Yuri that that was the issue.
"You didn't do anything wrong. It's just... my answer's always the same."
"...Because of your girlfriend?"
I nodded quietly.
"...She told you not to hang out with me?"
It sounded absurd, like a baseless accusation, but from her perspective, I could see why. A hollow laugh escaped.
"Nothing like that. Just... if it were me, I'd hate seeing my girlfriend close to another guy. No, I'd definitely dislike it. I'm not that magnanimous. Hell, I might not even say anything and just stew inside, worried it'd make me seem petty."
She swallowed, murmuring, Come on, then I continued.
"I don't want to do something I'd hate."
"...She might not even care."
"Maybe. But the possibility that it could hurt her—"
"Is enough?"
"Yeah. She's like that with me."
Silence fell between us.
Shwaaa—
Only the thick raindrops drumming the ground filled my ears.
"...Ridiculous."
Her voice, a bit annoyed, broke the quiet first.
"I didn't even confess, and I feel rejected."
"I rejected you. Clear off with a bang."
My joke to lighten the mood backfired.
She glared like shut up and clamped her mouth shut.
"And annoying. I really just wanted to be friends."
As I opened my mouth for an apology.
She looked up at me.
"And... I'm jealous. Of her, because you think of only her even when she's not here."
Her sincere words embarrassed me, and I scratched my jaw.
"A short separation's nothing. She treats me well normally, so here we are."
"...I think I know why she treats you well."
"Obviously because—"
"Not some cliché like love. It wasn't like that from the start."
Stepping closer, leaning in, she poked my chest with a slender finger.
Poke—
"Her heart's never gone unreturned by anyone. Not even once."
Not even once, she smirked confidently, like right?.
"...How would you know?"
"I can just tell by watching. So even though I'm pissed right now... I'm jealous of her."
Without waiting for my reply, she snatched the umbrella from my hand and turned.
"Ah— I wasn't gonna take the umbrella, but no choice. Confiscated!"
"...Okay."
"It's a downpour anyway; it'll stop soon. Stay here and reflect, jerk...!"
"...Will do."
"I'll spread rumors you're Han Woojin the heartbreaker...!"
That one's a miss.
Her sniffles were luckily drowned by the umbrella snapping open and the rain.
No "see you tomorrow" like our first day. She left my side with quick steps, just like she'd arrived.
Shwaaa—
All that remained: the rain pounding the ground and me standing there dumbly.
...Best I could do, right?
It had to be.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket and dialed.
"...Mm, Oppa...?"
"Sorry. Was I waking you?"
"Yeah, but it's fine... Did something happen, Oppa...?"
".........Just. Missed you."
Even sleepy from waking up, her happy laugh came through the receiver at my words.
As we chatted briefly with Yerim.
The rain stopped.