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"W-what are you talking about?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
"…"
"It might just be my imagination, but I was wondering if maybe you like Woo-hyun, Si-ah."
At Nam Yu-ri's words, Han Si-ah felt her heart plummet straight into her stomach.
As if she'd been caught red-handed committing some crime.
Her chest hammered violently.
Calm down. Calm down, Han Si-ah.
Why am I shaking like this all of a sudden?
Startled by the strange reaction her own body was having, she took a few short breaths to settle her nerves.
…There's no way.
Me, liking Seon Woo-hyun?
She had no idea where Yu-ri had gotten that idea, but she didn't want to leave the misunderstanding hanging. She shook her head.
"What is this? Are you teasing me like Yoon Tae-jun does?"
"No. I'm asking seriously."
Yu-ri's expression was far too earnest for it to be a joke. Si-ah realized she couldn't brush it off as banter and pressed her.
"What made you think that?"
"Hmm. Just a bunch of little things? The way the two of you hang out together all the time… and what happened in the cafeteria today, too."
…Ugh.
So it was that after all.
Yu-ri's words pulled Si-ah back to the cafeteria. Honestly, even she couldn't fully explain a few of the things she'd done.
Like offering to switch seats right at the start.
Or handing him the food she actually liked.
I don't even need to start dieting yet. I've lost more weight than last month.
Aside from school lunch, every meal Si-ah ate was strictly controlled. She was getting thinner by the day. A few pieces of candied sweet potatoes wouldn't have hurt anything.
But when Yu-ri offered her matang to Woo-hyun and he accepted it with pure happiness written all over his face, Si-ah had suddenly wanted to give him hers too.
Even though it was food she genuinely liked.
Why?
…It was the same when we first sat down.
She had simply looked at Woo-hyun sitting next to Yu-ri and felt the urge to switch places with him. He always sat with Tae-jun, after all.
Her body had moved before her mind could catch up. Some vague discomfort had wrapped around her, and she'd reacted on pure reflex.
Even she didn't know why she'd done those things.
But the situation had already happened. Si-ah could admit that any girl with half-decent intuition might easily jump to the conclusion that she liked Woo-hyun.
From a certain angle, it could even look like she was trying to keep Woo-hyun from getting too close to Yu-ri.
…But that's ridiculous.
If she really liked Seon Woo-hyun, that would mean her first love was that dense, clueless idiot.
Si-ah was certain she could never fall for a guy like that.
If anything, Yoon Tae-jun was the more likely candidate. He was overwhelmingly handsome, and they'd been friends for years.
She'd only known Woo-hyun for about a year of high school, and they still barely knew each other.
Sure, I've had a lot of reasons to be grateful to him lately.
But she didn't believe she was the type to fall in love over something that small.
So Si-ah dug through her own head until she found a reason for her behavior. It came to her surprisingly easily.
"Yu-ri."
"Yeah?"
"I get why you'd think that. The situation was easy to misread. But it's really not like that."
"…Really?"
"I offered to switch seats because I just wanted to sit next to you. You know how much I like you."
"…Yeah."
"And the matang? I just wasn't craving it today. You gave him yours, so I followed along. No deeper meaning."
Yes. That had to be all of it.
She couldn't imagine any other motive. It definitely wasn't jealousy or some dark, petty feeling. She simply liked Yu-ri, and the matang just hadn't appealed to her today.
She convinced herself of that explanation. Her personality had always had a fickle streak; nothing about this felt strange now.
"I hang out with Seon Woo-hyun because we're friends. That's all. You're the same way with him, right?"
"Mm. Yeah, that's true."
A faintly complicated look flickered across Yu-ri's face and vanished. Si-ah didn't know what it meant and let it pass without comment.
"He's a good guy, Seon Woo-hyun. But I don't like him like that. You get what I mean?"
"…Yeah. Okay. I guess I was just overthinking it on my own."
"…"
"I was worried I might have made you uncomfortable. I was going to tell you I don't have any feelings for Woo-hyun at all…"
"Ah."
"But there was no need. Ehehe. I feel kind of dumb."
Yu-ri smiled bashfully, looking apologetic. The awkward tension that had been coiling inside Si-ah melted away at once. Even another girl had to admit that smile was adorable; warmth rose unbidden in her chest.
"No, I would've jumped to the same conclusion. Girls like us get those kinds of misunderstandings all the time anyway."
"…True. That does happen."
"It's exhausting. Girls are like that. I'm one myself and I still don't get it."
Si-ah shook her head with a weary little sway. Yu-ri nodded along in agreement.
That shared understanding was part of why the two of them had become close so easily. Both of them sat at the absolute top of the looks hierarchy, and that common ground created an easy empathy.
"Misunderstanding cleared? Then—gotcha!"
Hating the lingering awkwardness, Si-ah simply hooked her arm through Yu-ri's and pulled her close.
"Kyah! What's this all of a sudden~"
"Just because I like you?"
Giggling at the sudden affection, Yu-ri linked arms with her. The two of them walked down the hallway looking exactly like the inseparable best friends they always were.
But deep inside, Han Si-ah felt a strange, unexplainable relief blooming.
It probably wasn't because Yu-ri had said she didn't like Woo-hyun. That had nothing to do with her.
If it did, it would mean she herself liked him—and that wasn't the case.
She also failed to notice anything odd about the way Yu-ri's previously stiff expression had softened the moment Si-ah denied having feelings for him.
Homeroom.
The teacher's calm voice carried through the classroom with the day's announcements.
"As you all know, tomorrow is our school's anniversary."
"Since exams are next week anyway, most of you just self-study when you're here, right?"
A chorus of "Yes~" rose from the students. The teacher nodded.
"Then this works out perfectly. Instead of coming to school just to study, stay home and self-study comfortably."
"Don't treat it like a free day and just play around with exams next week. Understood?"
"That's all for homeroom. Class president, lead the greeting."
Nam Yu-ri's clear voice rang out, and the class answered in unison.
So next week really is it. Exams.
I'd felt like midterms were still a ways off, yet somehow they were right on top of us.
…Can I actually do well?
I trudged out of the classroom with a long sigh. Even with an adult mind, tests still made me nervous.
No—that wasn't quite it.
In my previous high-school life I'd never studied hard even once. Exam periods had just been long, luxurious nap times.
This time I'd been grinding alongside Nam Yu-ri, so of course the test felt intimidating.
I never thought I'd actually experience that saying about how people who study get more nervous.
I knew results weren't entirely under my control, but I'd worked hard and I wanted to do well. I didn't want to stain my mentor Nam Yu-ri's name either.
More than anything, I wanted her to look at my improved scores and feel proud and happy. She'd taught me so diligently, after all.
Tomorrow's a free day, so maybe I'll do a full review on my own.
Organize everything I'd learned, go back over the textbooks, maybe crack open some practice exams… I was sketching out a study plan when a soft voice called from behind me.
"Woo-hyun."
That familiar voice saying my name. The only person who ever called me in that gentle tone was my mentor, Nam Yu-ri.
I turned to look at her.
"Yeah? What's up?"
She seemed to have something she wanted to say. After a tense little sigh, she finally parted her hesitant lips.
"Do you have plans tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? Not really. I was just going to study at home."
"Well… tomorrow's the school anniversary, so we can't do Cluster, right?"
"Yeah. That's kind of a shame. Last session before the exams."
"Exactly. So I was thinking…"
"Hm?"
"Want to study for the exams with me tomorrow?"
"With you? What about your schedule?"
"Tomorrow school's off anyway, so my morning and afternoon are free. I only have to go in the evening."
Her careful question lit up my face. Honestly, studying alone had felt a little overwhelming. This was perfect.
Getting to sponge knowledge straight from the top student in the school? Nothing but upside for me.
Reading my positive reaction, Yu-ri brightened and kept going.
"I've already put together some review materials for class. Tomorrow we can do a full pre-exam review and work through problems together."
"If you're offering, I'm more than grateful. Seriously, thank you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I feel like I should be paying you tutoring fees at this point."
"Hehe. Okay then—where should we meet tomorrow? The café like last time?"
The café.
We had studied there before, but that was back when we weren't nearly this close. Cafés came with background noise and time limits; they weren't my preferred study spot.
"The café was pretty loud last time."
"It was, wasn't it? Then the library?"
"Like I said before, we can't really talk in the library."
"Then… what do we do? I can't think of a good place… hmm."
She was a girl, sure, but we'd gotten close enough that it should be fine. That was my thinking when I made the suggestion.
"If you're okay with it, want to come over to my place? Nobody's home during the day anyway."
At those words, Nam Yu-ri's eyes wavered ever so slightly.