The Changes Begin
Break time.
Nam Yu-ri stared intently at the two people sitting diagonally in front of her.
Seon Woo-hyun and Han Si-ah. The two of them were chatting away as if they were having the time of their lives.
"So, did you listen to that song I recommended?"
"Oh man, that was insane. It was really good. I don't even like idol songs that much, but the one you recommended was solid."
"Right? Eyes is totally different. Even an old fogey's playlist like yours needs at least one current hit."
"That was the best one. Like U?"
"Crazy, crazy. That's my favorite track. You've got real music-taste vibes, Seon Woo-hyun. I never would have guessed. You've got some style?"
"Hey, hey. Just because I don't listen to the latest stuff much doesn't mean I've got tin ears~"
It felt like their bickering had evolved past mere squabbling into a proper back-and-forth banter lately.
The distance between them had clearly shrunk, and while they still fought plenty, it no longer felt the same as before.
The emotion Nam Yu-ri felt watching them was envy.
...I want to talk about the novel with Woo-hyun too.
The contents of the novel she'd read yesterday still lingered vividly in her mind.
She wanted to discuss it with him before the emotion faded, but finding the courage to insert herself between those two in a situation like this was no easy feat for Nam Yu-ri.
If only I sat next to Woo-hyun.
Then she could chat with him as comfortably as Si-ah did.
She couldn't help thinking that.
Moreover, since Woo-hyun and Si-ah were known around the class as "that kind of pair," Nam Yu-ri—who was overly conscious of others' gazes—found it even harder to approach him.
She was a girl too, after all.
If she carelessly threw out bait like "Nam Yu-ri has joined the competition," it would only make things more awkward for the two of them.
...But waiting until Cluster felt far too long.
And of all days, today wasn't a Cluster day.
That was the best time for just the two of them, yet not being able to say what she wanted when she wanted to was frustrating.
Besides, Cluster was only twice a week. The thought that her conversation time with Woo-hyun would be locked to only those sessions made her a little sad.
...Am I overthinking this? It's just chatting with a friend a bit.
Desire.
She had been taught that it was something she ought to suppress.
But just as Nam Yu-ri would go over and chat with Han Si-ah whenever she felt like talking, approaching Woo-hyun and striking up a conversation wasn't that strange, was it?
Unless it interfered with her studies, or disrupted her daily life or the things she had to do.
It seemed odd that even something as simple as talking to a classmate at school wasn't permitted for her.
Right. Just going over and saying a few words—what's the big deal.
Maintaining good peer relationships could also be seen as something that helped her parents.
Most of the kids in class liked Yu-ri, but that was closer to looking up to her abilities or beauty. Having one or two close friends would help cultivate her social skills, wouldn't it?
She had never forced herself to make friends under the excuse of being busy until now, but it was clearly something necessary.
When Si-ah leaves her seat, I'll go over first and start talking.
Having finished her self-justification, Nam Yu-ri stared intently at the two of them again.
Then the girl next to her asked,
"Yu-ri, what are you staring at so hard? Is there something on the teacher's desk?"
"Huh? No, no. Nothing."
Since the teacher's desk sat in front of Han Si-ah and Seon Woo-hyun, her desk partner seemed to think Yu-ri was looking at the desk.
Was my gaze that intense just now?
If the person next to her had noticed, she probably needed to be careful. The people involved might notice too.
She turned her head and snuck glances that way.
But Nam Yu-ri didn't realize...
...that deep down, she was wishing for Han Si-ah to disappear from Seon Woo-hyun's side as soon as possible.
And that this was a desire she would have unconditionally given up on if it were her usual self.
That she was unconsciously rationalizing and pursuing it simply because it involved him.
Yet she simply thought she was looking that way out of a pure desire to talk with him.
Second-period break.
After washing her hands in the bathroom and fixing her hair, Han Si-ah wore a smile on her lips.
She wanted to get back to class quickly.
Hanging out with Seon Woo-hyun lately has been fun. We click really well.
At first, the fact that she'd become his desk partner had been awful.
Was it after the badminton last time? Or after they ate together?
As the distance between them narrowed another notch, just the casual chatter with him became quite enjoyable.
He listened with genuine interest even to her practice stories that others would find boring. And even though he had no interest in idol songs, he always made sure to listen to the ones she recommended.
Plus, for some reason their musical codes and tastes matched well. The old songs he recommended suited her palate, and he liked the latest idol songs she recommended too.
I should hurry back and tell Seon Woo-hyun to listen to some other songs too.
Could just one friend make school life this enjoyable?
Feeling a sense of wonder, Han Si-ah returned to the classroom with quick steps.
And when she opened the back door and entered the class, Han Si-ah witnessed a surprising sight.
Nam Yu-ri was sitting right in her seat.
Yu-ri of all people? In my seat?
It wasn't strange for her to be surprised.
Nam Yu-ri, who hated imposing on others to an extreme degree, never casually sat in someone else's seat—even if it was a friend like Tae-jun or Han Si-ah's.
Of course, for student council or whatever, if there was something she had to discuss due to unavoidable work, she would politely apologize and take the liberty. But looking at the conversation the two were having now, it didn't seem like that.
Could it be about Cluster?
She thought that at first, but as she drew closer, she realized it was her misconception.
Their atmosphere was far too lively and cheerful for it to be study talk.
What were they talking about so enjoyably, those two?
She stealthily moved her feet and eavesdropped on their conversation.
"And then Yuzuki starts crying, and I start tearing up too. Ugh. I'm gonna cry again just thinking about it."
"That's one of the all-time great scenes. She can't even go back because of the contract with the reaper. Ha. A man is supposed to cry three times in his life, but I cried four times over that and ruined it."
"You cried too, Woo-hyun?"
"Is there anyone who wouldn't cry watching that? Unless you're a psychopathic cold-blooded type, you couldn't help but cry."
She couldn't catch the exact content, but from what she roughly heard, it sounded like novel talk.
Seeing the two of them chuckling and sharing how moved and sad they were by the story, she felt a strange sense of alienation.
When did those two get so close.
Before she knew it, a sticky bond she didn't know about had formed between the two, visible to the eye.
And since she didn't read novels or anything like that, that was purely their own world.
"Doesn't the scene where Haru falls over crack you up? The timing."
"Pfft. Agreed. I was drinking cola while reading and sprayed it all over the book. That time."
Haha, hoho.
A handsome guy and a beautiful girl, you could say. The way the two with their Korean good looks were talking suited them quite well.
The more she watched the two enjoying themselves, the more Han Si-ah's heart grew uncomfortable for some reason.
Why. Why am I feeling this way.
She tried hard to find the reason for this incomprehensible unpleasant emotion. Otherwise she would just become a weird person jealous of two close friends talking.
And soon she found the cause.
...Come to think of it, Yu-ri and I haven't had conversations that fun that many times.
They were best friends, but in truth their common ground wasn't that strong.
Their fields of interest were different, and they essentially lived in different worlds.
Everyday conversation with her was fun, but the moment they tried to go a little deeper, there were a lot of points where they diverged.
In the first place, their relationship had started from her own admiration for Nam Yu-ri in a way, so it might be inevitable.
Yeah. It's because it feels like Yu-ri is being taken away. Definitely.
How dare you, Seon Woo-hyun, get closer to Yu-ri faster than me?
She clearly couldn't accept that.
If not, there was no way she'd feel this uncomfortable watching the two enjoy themselves.
Now that she'd found the cause, all that remained was action.
Han Si-ah walked right up to Nam Yu-ri, linked arms with her, and said,
"Yu-ri~"
"Oh. Si-ah~ You're back? Sorry. Want me to move?"
"No. But what were you two talking about?"
"Ah~ Nothing much. Just that the novel Woo-hyun recommended was fun. That kind of talk."
"What is it? Tell me the name too. I wanna read it."
"Uh... what was it. The title was That Day's You, I think?"
"Yeah. That's it."
Woo-hyun nodded at Nam Yu-ri's words.
Before she knew it, Han Si-ah was pretending to be interested in a novel she didn't care about at all between the two of them.