A Visit for Precautions
I can have precognitive dreams. I can't dismiss them as mere dreams because I'm living a second life, and my senses from that life feel so vividly real. This latest dream wasn't of some distant future—it depicted events happening soon. If I want to prepare, I need to start now.
"Alright, everyone knows midterms are coming up, right? Once they're over, we'll dive into full club activities and the school festival, so let's push a little harder and aim for great scores."
Perfect timing with the midterms. It might be something I can use in this situation. With that thought, I glanced toward my seatmate.
There sat Yoo Soeun, staring down at the mock exam scores our homeroom teacher had handed out today. Around the classroom, classmates compared their results, reactions ranging from elation to despair.
"What the hell? My score dropped from last time we graded. And you're still slacking off?"
"Tch, it's just a mock exam—what's the big deal? Wait for the real midterms; I'll crush it then!"
"Hey, you didn't forget about bombing that last test, right? You're buying tteokbokki today."
"Fine. Damn, my allowance is totally wiped out."
"Anyone wanna form a study group for midterms? Hands up!"
"Can I join?"
"Me too, me too!"
A study group. Yeah, that would make the perfect excuse.
I approached Soeun, who was still looking at her scores, and asked smoothly, "Worried about your grades?"
She'd gotten only three questions wrong across all subjects. Impressive, sure, but compared to her perfect score on the entrance exam—unlike me, who'd missed one—it was serious. This could be the harbinger of her grades plummeting.
"......Yeah. Lately, I can't...... focus."
"Hmm, any reason why you can't concentrate?"
"......"
She stared at me silently. I understood what it meant right away.
Ah, this is because of me.
Come to think of it, her diary mentioned it: when she fixates on one thing, everything else fades from view.
"Soeun."
And right now, that fixation was on me—I knew it all too well.
"If you're free today, mind if I come over to your place?"
Using that as my in, I made the suggestion. Her eyes widened in surprise as she echoed, "My...... house?"
"Yeah. Midterms are coming up soon. Thought we could study to prepare...... You know, as fellow top students."
It was just a pretext, of course. My real goal was to avert her tragic future. It started with her mother meeting with misfortune, so I needed to make contact before that happened.
The key was whether she'd accept me without knowing the circumstances.
"......Would that be a problem?"
Maybe the sudden invite made her wary. As anxiety crept in, she nodded after a moment's thought.
"It's fine. We can...... study at my house."
Good, no issues so far.
I followed her home, confirming it matched the house from my precognitive dream exactly. The interior layout was identical too, proving it wasn't some illusion. Tension mounted as certainty grew, but Soeun led me to her room, opening the door.
"Here...... my room."
"Oh, right. So this is your room......"
It suited her—simple and modest. The pink bedding and stuffed animals added a girly touch. But despite the coziness, stepping inside made my head spin.
I knew too well what would happen here if I failed to prevent the future.
"What's...... wrong?"
"......Nothing."
Don't get scared. Not yet. It's not happened— I can stop it, depending on what I do.
"You mentioned you live with just your mom, right? Where is she?"
"Probably at work. Not sure when she'll be back."
Irregular hours, huh. All I could do was hope she'd return while I was here. For now, I unpacked my bag and set up for the studying I'd planned.
"Alright, let's get started on—"
-Rustle.
"......What are you doing?"
For some reason, Yoo Soeun was lying on the bed instead of the table. Staring blankly, not grasping her intent, she peeked at me, hid her blushing face with her hands, and mumbled shyly.
"Getting my...... mind ready."
"Mind ready for what?"
"......"
She glanced at me again without a word, then slowly spread her arms toward me.
"You can...... come."
"No, wait, what are you—"
"Not...... this?"
Her eyes widened as if her worldview had shattered. My head throbbed; sighing softly, I set up my textbook on the room's table.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I came purely to study with you today. Midterms are soon. Okay?"
"......Okay."
She climbed down from the bed with a reluctant tone, setting up her books listlessly. Her sullen expression screamed dissatisfaction, persisting even after we sat together, breaking my focus too.
"Can't concentrate? Or is there a problem you don't get?"
I had a purpose here, but until her mom arrived, I wanted to study.
"Can I...... kiss you?"
Ignoring my intentions, she voiced only her own desire. I had plenty to say, but knowing the catastrophe her feelings would unleash, I couldn't brush her off like before.
"......You want to?"
I asked gently, trying to gauge her heart.
"Yeah. Can I......?"
Her eyes sparkled with hope. I could only refuse awkwardly.
"No. Not yet......"
"Not yet?"
"Well, we're not dating."
I knew I couldn't cling to past wounds forever, but I couldn't just accept someone else's feelings on the spot. Even if I did eventually, it'd require careful thought. With urgent matters at hand, I needed to focus—no distractions.
"Dating now...... too hard?"
Maybe my not-total rejection sparked hope? She leaned in, slumping over the table. I felt oddly intimidated and asked cautiously.
"......You want to date me?"
Really, truly. After barely a month, was this genuine?
"Yeah."
She answered without hesitation, blushing shyly as she shared her wish.
"If we date, we can do...... more things than now."
"More things like what? Give me an example."
"Lie on the bed...... together."
Ah, that's why she lay down earlier.
"And hold hands, kiss......"
More bold wishes followed, shifting my view of her rapidly. I'd seen her as prim and quiet, but straight-up asking for a kiss...... She really dives headfirst when obsessed.
"Sorry. Not yet......"
I knew it was sincere, but I couldn't accept now. Not with things to do first. After that, I'd seriously consider our relationship.
"No."
Her firm denial caught me off guard.
"What?"
"Don't wanna wait. Wanna do it now."
"Wait a sec— Ugh!?"
She lunged, shoving me down and straddling me atop my fallen body. Even knowing her forwardness, this exceeded expectations.
"W-Wait! Calm down, Soeun! Th-This is too soon!"
I tried stopping her from tugging my clothes, but she soon loosened her grip, asking in a melancholic voice.
"Do you...... hate me?"
Hate her? Is that why I kept rejecting her?
"You...... hate me?"
"......I don't hate you."
As I answered honestly, strength returned to her hands on my clothes.
"If you don't hate me...... then it's okay, right?"
"No, I mean, this should come after we properly date......"
"Do it first. Date after."
"That's not how it works!"
Our back-and-forth dragged on until, frustrated at not getting her way, she puffed her cheeks like a chipmunk.
She can make that face too? But maybe I shouldn't have provoked her.
"If you don't want...... push me away."
Still atop me, she gazed at our clasped hands and asked tentatively.
"Will you...... push?"
I felt her grip loosening. The desperation in her voice weighed on my chest, making it harder to shove her off.
No, I couldn't push anymore. She was already lost in me; rejecting her might break her. That breakdown had sealed the tragedy before, strengthening my resolve to accept her feelings.
"I......"
If in that future I'd accepted her confession, become her support, maybe I'd have stopped her extreme choice. I couldn't shake that thought.
"Oh my."
A sudden voice interrupted. Realizing the door was open, I hurriedly pushed Soeun off and turned toward the entrant.
A woman resembling Soeun but radiating mature allure stood there.
"Oh my oh my~ What's this? Our little Soeun brought a boy to her room~"
Her "our little Soeun" confirmed it. The obvious question popped into my head.
"Um...... are you Soeun's mother?"
"Yessiree~ I'm Soeun's mama~♬"
Hard to imagine as the mother of such a timid girl—her cheer was infectious.