Eighteen's Temperature (2)
Lee Seol's eyes fluttered as if she hadn't expected such a question from U Hana.
She pursed her lips for a moment, then averted her gaze awkwardly before answering.
"Huh? Uh... I did know, yeah."
U Hana stared quietly at Lee Seol's face.
Her eyes darted around不安定ly, wandering the air as if she had no idea where to fix her gaze.
...Had I said something unnecessary? A slight pang stabbed at one corner of my chest.
'But how can I help being curious?'
Lee Seol already knew I was working part-time at the cafe.
The fact that she knew something I didn't—and that she casually revealed it later like it was no big deal when I asked—stirred up needless turmoil in U Hana's heart.
Thinking about it, there was nothing strange at all. If he'd mentioned it to me in passing, he could have done the same to her.
Did I really need to ask and make things awkward like this?
Lee Seol even knew that U Hana had feelings for Lee Min-woo. That's why she was being so cautious.
I should have stopped myself before getting swept up in emotions.
...Too late for that now.
Still, I had to think it over.
Why was she feeling this sticky, cloying emotion?
'...I'm jealous.'
Of course it was jealousy.
But the real issue came after. Why feel jealousy in the first place?
They weren't dating. Obviously, and obviously again, she and Lee Min-woo weren't lovers. He wasn't hers, or her possession.
She knew Lee Seol had gotten somewhat close to him too.
Which was exactly why she didn't want to compete with Lee Seol. Just because she'd liked him first, did that mean all the other girls had to back off? ...It was absurd, an unsightly mess that defied common sense.
She wasn't foolish enough to not realize that.
But it was weird. Her head knew, but...
She really knew it all.
Yet the discomfort wouldn't fade.
It didn't hurt, just lingered like a faint pressure from fingertips... annoyingly persistent, impossible to ignore.
The image of Lee Min-woo sheltering her under his umbrella not long ago flashed in U Hana's mind.
'That kindness is against the rules.'
......Shaking up someone's heart for no reason.
Before that, she hadn't felt like this.
The comfort of being around Lee Min-woo. The light laughs during their chats. The peaceful vibe from those little moments.
The total opposite of her own situation...
So...
'It's just an illusion.'
Thinking it over, it wasn't anything special.
He'd just seen her looking down and reached out—talked a bit more, paid a little extra attention, offered some comfort. That's probably all it was to him.
At that moment, Lee Seol, who had been carefully choosing her words, finally spoke up slowly.
"Well, you see... I'm in the art club."
"Art club?"
"I figured from watching that Lee Min-woo's character is an art club student. So before finals, he asked me for help... and you know I messed up a lot with him already."
"Ah."
An explanation so reasonable there was nothing left to ask.
U Hana fell silent for a moment.
Lee Seol showed no sign of leaving any room for ambiguity.
She should have felt embarrassed knowing that... but oddly, a corner of her heart eased up.
The nagging sensation vanished.
'...Ah.'
This time, she was sure.
About the true nature of the emotion she'd felt until just now.
Anxiety.
Clinging to some self-made fantasy, anxious that someone might snatch it away.
'Crazy...'
Her heart sank.
The moment U Hana defined that emotion, she hid her expression. She shoved it deep down inside, pressing it firmly, hoping it would never resurface.
Because that fleeting glimpse had resembled her mother so much.
"Your acting is insane."
"Was Min-woo always this handsome? With makeup, he's on another level."
"We were blind to his value because of familiarity..."
"You're saying it so wistfully, lol."
The friends around them were already huddled over the video, chatting among themselves.
Lee Seol turned to the phone in her hand.
"Uh... should we watch it now? I only helped a little, so I'm curious too..."
"Yeah."
U Hana nodded, and unlike the others, they watched the video all the way through in a strangely subdued atmosphere.
Then they checked the comments. Her eyes went mostly to the ones about Lee Min-woo.
The comments were glowing.
By chance, the school friends gathered nearby had finished watching too, and talk about it was in full swing.
"Our school's getting a celebrity."
"Anyone could see he'd make it as one."
"Comments are solid though."
"Don't people only post good ones on YouTube?"
"YouTube's the real abyss—what are you on about."
"Ah, yep."
"Loved you all through high school. My first love, fuck..."
"You crazy bitch. You're not even close."
"So what? He's not hearing it."
"Wait... aren't they close to him?"
At those words, scattered gazes naturally converged in one spot.
Where Lee Seol and U Hana were sitting.
And people started crowding around them.
"But did you guys know?"
Lee Seol answered calmly.
"We didn't know either."
But no one seemed to buy it.
A friend next to her nudged the one who'd asked.
"Even if they did, would they go around announcing it?"
"But man... what would it feel like if your friend suddenly blew up?"
"Maybe Seol and Hana prepped it all in secret."
"You think?"
As Lee Seol and U Hana denied the rumors, the soccer game must have ended—the guys from the field swarmed over too.
Seo Jae-hyun and Ji Hyun-su were naturally among them.
"What? Web drama's out?"
"...They really didn't know."
Seo Jae-hyun's surprise wasn't the fake kind.
They belatedly crowded around the video their friends showed them.
Ji Hyun-su, who rarely reacted much to anything, spoke first.
"This is Min-woo, right? Totally different from his usual vibe."
"Means he's a great actor. Whoa, views—over a million already."
"Probably spreading on forums. Expect screenshots of Min-woo's face everywhere."
"Mega Min-woo."
Seo Jae-hyun and Ji Hyun-su's reactions weren't much different from the others, just mildly shocked.
"Not a little bummed?"
"Why? Everyone's doing their own thing."
Seo Jae-hyun brushed it off casually and headed over to Lee Seol and U Hana.
Then he flinched.
"No way... you two knew?"
"Didn't."
Lee Seol shook her head right away. Of course, she glanced at U Hana while saying it, but U Hana stayed quiet.
"Would've been hurt if you did."
As Seo Jae-hyun joked, Ji Hyun-su approached, checking his own phone belatedly.
He fixed on the screen and poked Seo Jae-hyun's arm.
"Check Min-woo's profile. Followers keep climbing."
Seo Jae-hyun leaned in to look. He chuckled briefly, then added,
"But with just that one photo, he's gonna freak."
"Facts."
They both cracked up.
Then Seo Jae-hyun's laughter cut off abruptly.
"Wait, that one photo... it's the one with all of us."
"Ah."
I woke up in bed and instinctively reached for my phone on the pillow like always—but stopped.
...Nah.
Didn't want to complicate my morning brain first thing.
I opened the door to the living room. Lee Da-kyung was brushing her teeth in front of the bathroom, face still sleepy.
She glanced over at the sound of me.
"Shooting again today?"
She mumbled around her toothbrush, but I caught it somehow.
I nodded, and out of nowhere, she thrust out her fist.
What the?
A bit puzzled, I bumped my fist against hers without thinking. Then her thumb popped up.
"...What're you doing."
I asked incredulously, and she replied matter-of-factly.
"Good job."
"Acting?"
"Yeah."
Lee Da-kyung said that and headed into the bathroom.
......Still half-asleep, huh.
She soon rinsed and came back out.
"What's next?"
"..."
She didn't mean today, since I'd just said I was shooting. It was about the future.
"Dunno. Didn't expect it to blow up this much."
"This is just the start. Views are still climbing. Shouldn't you get an agency first?"
"Was gonna shop around during summer break..."
"No need now."
Her eyes sparkled, sleep fully gone.
"Let's check it out together."
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(U Hana Illustration)
