The Pure Joy of Freedom
The words slipped out of me. “That’s true.”
She lowered her head in embarrassment. Hesitation clouded her gaze as if she didn’t know where to look.
The hem of her dress in my right hand caught my eye. That innocent sight honestly wasn’t a lie—I found it adorable.
“Huh… I’m genuinely happy.”
“Huh?”
“I mean… I’ve never heard anyone say you’re pretty in this way before.”
“Eh? Don’t you get told that every day?”
“Yeah… but that’s just school talk, you know? The kids. I’ve never heard a real friend give me that kind of praise, so I don’t know how to react.”
She laughed awkwardly, yet spoke her true feelings without hesitation.
That was the first time I realized how unpracticed she was in social interactions.
When life weighs you down, friends can feel like a luxury.
I had felt the same.
Thinking about it, I had relied heavily on Hyeok-jin too.
By even sharing a little with that older brother figure, my skill in human relationships had grown a lot.
Maybe that was why her innocent side looked simply endearing to me.
…Only I was weak against compliments?
Especially Nam Yu-ri—I couldn’t blame her.
Her house was strict, and most people she met were adults.
She had never been praised easily by her parents or the adults around her.
The perfect student council president with flawless conduct grades and top honors in the entire school.
The expectations already piled so high that no one would give easy compliments.
People in society usually swept the good parts under the rug and only pointed out the mistakes aloud.
“…And honestly, I’ve barely worn this dress. When I leave the house I wear my uniform or, when I go to the academy, I don’t bother with cute outfits.”
“Right.”
No one dresses up to study.
Most people put on their best clothes only for private meetings—friends, lovers, family.
Since Nam Yu-ri had no place for those things in her life, there was little reason to dress up.
Of course she maintained a neat appearance for the sake of her image.
But that was far from the way she was currently adorning herself.
“So it feels a bit off. Like these sandals or a frilly dress. I feel like they don’t suit me.”
She turned the hem of her dress this way and that while speaking.
You could see it in her movements—she had rarely worn clothes like this.
At first glance it looked harmonious, yet it lacked natural flow.
She didn’t know how beautiful she was because she felt awkward.
Just as someone who had never worn glasses would look silly the first time they tried them.
“It’s fine. I’ll vouch for you. You look great in it.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. If you stand in the middle of a busy street, people would line up just to get your number.”
“Eh… that’s a bit exaggerated.”
“Totally true. I don’t say things I don’t mean. I’m judging with an objective eye.”
“… ”
“For example, I think Yoon Tae-jun is handsome. I know I shouldn’t say it out loud.”
Who would deny that?
The fact that handsome Yoon Tae-jun and pretty Nam Yu-ri in a dress was simply the world’s truth.
This wasn’t about taste; it belonged to the realm of truth.
Anyone would think the same.
“So stop overthinking and let’s go already. It’s getting pretty hot out here.”
“Ah… okay. Let’s go.”
The sunlight poured down without any shade. My eyes were a little stung.
I stepped forward first, and she obediently walked beside me.
Walking with her, I felt eyes on us from all sides.
Especially the men around us glancing at her as they passed.
…And she says she doesn’t look good in it.
No deception here.
If a girl said that to other girls, they’d probably slap her.
If she wasn’t pretty, who in the world could be?
“You see? People are staring at you.”
“Eh… really?”
“It’s because you’re pretty. Have some confidence, Yu-ri. Even a little humility would be a disease.”
“… ”
“If I were a girl, I’d probably hate you for saying that. You’re too blunt.”
Hearing my words, she glanced around.
She really felt the stares?
She soon looked a little embarrassed.
“I wasn’t trying to be blunt…”
“Anyway.”
“Yeah. I understand. I’ll have some confidence.”
She nodded and took a bigger stride than before.
…She listened well. She really is the model student.
I watched her and couldn’t stop smiling.
#
We walked through the bustling district.
Nam Yu-ri looked around the crowded street as if it were something strange.
“On weekends people come out like this a lot.”
She sounded as though she had never been to a place like this before.
Given her schedule and routine, that was only natural.
She probably hadn’t stepped out much beyond the academy or her neighborhood on weekends.
The envy mixed with the dazed look she gave me felt strangely familiar.
People got to do exactly this on weekends.
To rest as much as they wanted.
Envy toward those who could play around.
“So where are we going? Us?”
“I was thinking of doing the lessons in the library or a café… what about you, Woo-hyun?”
“A café sounds good. The library would be hard for you to explain to me.”
After all, I couldn’t raise my voice.
“Yeah. Then let’s go to a café.”
“Ah, wait. Before that, let’s stop by the bookstore, Yu-ri.”
“Bookstore? Why?”
“I want to buy some extra reference books and problem sets. I’m going to grab them while I’m here.”
“Oh. Got it.”
“You recommend some. You’ve solved so many already, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll pick ones that match your level.”
There were still subjects without extra textbooks.
With the heavy workload, some problem sets were already finished.
Having someone who studies well by your side is the best method when that happens.
Someone who has done it a lot knows which online lectures and reference books are worth it.
She continued to scan her surroundings like before.
The area around the history district was quite developed.
Foreign-fusion restaurants, amusement areas that were hard to find elsewhere.
When she had nothing to say, I unconsciously followed her gaze.
Then Nam Yu-ri’s eyes stopped suddenly, as if pinned to a spot.
…Waffle.
A street stall waffle shop.
The visuals were striking, so my eyes were drawn despite myself.
Strawberries, chocolate, whipped cream, honey.
The ice cream on top and all the sauces and toppings dazzled the eyes.
Anyone who loved sweet desserts would want to try it.
Like this girl right in front of me.
It was a famous setting in novels that she loved sweets and desserts.
But gaining weight, tooth decay, and how bad it was for the body.
Nam Yu-ri followed her parents’ advice not to snack and barely ate these things.
…Actually, the jelly gift last time was because of that.
Since I knew what she liked, I gave it as a bribe.
A worm jelly from her favorite brand.
“Do you want some? Waffle?”
“Eh? No. I just saw the line of people waiting.”
Tasting my own words did nothing, but anyway.
Given her personality, she wouldn’t be pushed to eat something she didn’t want.
I had to ask her true feelings because of her background.
I passed the shop and headed into the bookstore.
I’d find a way to make her try it later.
“Welcome. Seonyeongmungo.”
The shop clerk greeted me as I stepped inside and headed to the section with reference books and problem sets.
A slight dizziness came over me from the endless rows of books.
“Why are there so many? They’re all the same subject.”
“Wait. Hmm. Blue Label looks too advanced for you… for math it’s this one… for Korean it’s this… for English…”
From the stacks of countless problem sets and references.
She dug through them like an archaeologist, pulling out the books that seemed right for each subject and handing them to me.
Watching her, I asked in wonder.
“Have you solved all of these?”
“Uh-uh. Not all. Just the famous ones. But I’ve probably solved almost everything else. Maybe.”
The long list of publishers and famous brands.
It seemed like she wasn’t lying about having solved nearly everything.
As expected of the top student.
“Thanks to you, I picked them so fast. Thanks, Yu-ri.”
“No, it’s not a big deal. They’re not hard.”
I thanked her, picked up the reference books, and was about to head out.
Suddenly the novel section caught my eye.
“Wait. Can I stop by there for a second?”
“Yeah. Are you buying more?”
“I want to read some novels.”
I already enjoyed web novels.
That was probably why I had little aversion to words on a page.
Of course, in the past I didn’t have the stamina to read much.
But when new works by my favorite authors came out, I looked for ordinary novels too.
“Oh. This one I wanted to see. It’s here.”
Since the authors in the real world existed in this reality too.
I browsed their latest releases and chose a book that interested me.
Nam Yu-ri, staring intently at my face from the side, asked curiously.
“Woo-hyun, do you read novels too?”
“When I’m bored? It’s secretly fun. Check this out.”
It gave a sense of culture, and nothing was better for killing time.
“You should try it too. It’s really fun. I’ll recommend one book.”
“Uh-uh. No, I’m good. I don’t have time to read…”
“… ”
“I mean, it doesn’t even show up on exams.”
Efficient.
Her answer so on-brand for Nam Yu-ri made me laugh out loud.
…She really was insufferable.
The sight made me feel like she was looking at past me.
There was a time when I said things like, “Why do something that doesn’t make money?”
When people got too absorbed in a goal, they became like this.
The state where everything outside the means to achieve it feels meaningless.
The more you lived that way, the narrower your life became.
Suddenly thinking about it, I wondered what all this was for, and my emotions dried up.
Life is long, and human emotions are far wider.
It was impossible for a person to use their entire life simply as a tool to achieve a goal.
The day I started badminton with Hyeok-jin following me.
That was the first time I felt how enjoyable something could be that wasn’t done for money.
“I can’t do this anymore, Yu-ri.”
“Huh? What?”
“I have to buy this book for you.”
I picked up the novel by my favorite author along with the reference books.
“Eh? No. I’m fine, really.”
“Uh-uh. No way. I’m buying it no matter what.”
She looked even more flustered.
I ignored her protest and headed to the checkout.
It might be meddlesome, but like that moment when I felt value in something other than money.
She wanted to do the same for me.
“Here, gift. Read it at home and write a book report. Otherwise, we’ll be estranged.”
“W-what?!”
Nam Yu-ri.
You really…
You need to taste the joy that exists in the world besides studying.
Human Relationship Skill: Level Up!