Jealousy... (3)
“Seonghwan, who were those girls you were just talking to?”
As soon as Seonghwan walked over to them, Yeonghwan fired off his question like he'd been waiting for it.
“Huh? Them?”
“Yeah, them.”
He'd thrown it back in plural form, but Yeonghwan's blunt reply came out singular. His eyes were tracking Lee Hyun's retreating figure, pinpointing her specifically.
“Oh, they're new freshmen in the Education Department this year.”
But Seonghwan lumped the whole group together without missing a beat.
“Huh? How'd you end up knowing Education Department freshmen?”
Seonghwan had hoped it'd slide by, but no—they kept prying. Feeling a bit uneasy, he had no choice but to drag Lee Hyun into it.
“Uh... one of them lives next door to me. We've known each other since we were kids, and since she got into Korea University this year, I've gotten acquainted with her friends through her.”
“Whoa... neighbors at the same university? You don't mean that girl in the black t-shirt and jeans, do you?”
A girl whose jeans fit perfectly. No, “perfectly” didn't even cover it—she had a body made for them. Long legs that made her silhouette stunning. There weren't many like that. Jeong Ji-a was wearing jeans too, but anyone could tell Yeonghwan meant Lee Hyun.
“Ah, yeah, that's her.”
Seonghwan answered with a half-hearted expression, but Yeonghwan wasn't even looking at him anymore—he was chatting with Han Jin.
“That's her, right?”
“The one In-ho was bragging about? The queenka who just joined the Education Department?”
“...?”
The nuance of their conversation didn't sound like they were just asking Seonghwan out of curiosity about Lee Hyun.
“Seniors, what are you talking about...?”
“Oh! You might not know. Our Arts department and Education get along pretty well, and one of the hotshots over there knows us. She's been bragging lately about this super pretty girl who just enrolled in their department.”
“They always have some lookers every year, but this time she was extra cocky about it. We used to have... ahem, Min Yu-ri was famous in our department too, right? But she kept saying this girl's on her level, so we were like, no way... but damn, fair enough.”
Yeonghwan and Han Jin kept chatting away even with Min Yu-ri right there listening. It wasn't a problem, really—it was just their roundabout way of saying how stunning Min Yu-ri was too. The issue was...
'Lee Hyun's already famous here too?'
Rumors spread like wildfire, sure, but Seonghwan knew Lee Hyun wasn't the type to put herself out there. It was pretty surprising.
“No wonder that guy's been strutting around talking about a mixer.”
“I figured he was just puffing up his chest like always, but maybe not.”
“You know his game. He was already hinting last time about introducing him to Yu-ri if she was still single.”
“Yeah, classic him.”
The conversation was veering off into the weeds. Even with Yu-ri right there as the topic.
She pretended not to care, but the sidelong glances she shot Seonghwan made him squirm.
'What the hell. This ain't a damn trade fair. As if girls give a shit about blind dates, let alone self-arranged ones.'
Seonghwan, who already had a deep thing going with Yu-ri, was dead certain she wouldn't be into that crap. And Lee Hyun even less so.
'Fuck, treating Hyun like some commodity? No way in hell.'
Seonghwan's face had hardened before he knew it.
“Hyun isn't the type to be into blind dates.”
“Huh?”
“Hyun?”
At Seonghwan's words, Han Jin and Yeonghwan turned to stare at him.
“The one in jeans from earlier. The girl next door. Her name's Lee Hyun. Single syllable.”
“Oh... really? But no interest in blind dates?”
“Yeah, definitely. She hates fake setups like that.”
“Whoa, you sound awfully sure.”
“Yeah, does she have a boyfriend or something?”
Seonghwan's firm tone only piqued their interest more, and they started grilling him.
“If she hates fake stuff, maybe she's got a thing going with someone in her major?”
“In-ho said there weren't any guys worth her time, though.”
“There was a guy with her group just now.”
“Eh, him? He looked kinda meh compared to the girls at first glance.”
“True.”
'Agreed.'
When Lee Hyo-seok came up, Seonghwan found himself nodding along with the seniors for the first time that day. But their probing eyes soon had him on edge again.
“So what's the deal? Seonghwan, you know something?”
“No, don't get the wrong idea. Just curious. 'Cause I hear those freshmen are already setting up mixers under some freshman bonding excuse. Gotta have some dirt to advise the first-years, right? You don't do department council stuff, but I'm tight with the president—gotta keep some senior cred.”
'Just admit you're nosy as hell.'
Regardless of grades, age, or gender, when young folks gossiped, every topic under the sun came up. Top of the list? Always affairs, scandals, cheating, love triangles—the juiciest romance drama.
And if the star was a knockout like Lee Hyun? Forget about it.
Seonghwan scowled through their interrogation until a wicked idea flashed in his head. A smirk crept onto his face.
'Heh heh heh. Rumors gonna rumor.'
Decision made, Seonghwan stared them down with steely eyes.
“She's not gonna go for normal meetups. Guys won't even get a look.”
“What? What the hell does that mean?”
“You can't treat her like a regular girl.”
“No, but... what're you—”
“Girl on girl!!”
“Huh?”
Like an emperor's decree booming across the land, Seonghwan bellowed his proclamation.
“Hyun's a lesbian!”
Shock. Total shock. Yeonghwan and Han Jin's jaws dropped as they gawked at each other.
“......Guh?”
“Ughk...?”
Savoring their stares, Seonghwan landed the killing blow.
“She said it herself the day before yesterday. No lies here. So spread the word—no, start the rumor—across our Arts department. Hell, the whole university.”
'This is big bro keeping the pests off you, so forgive me. Hyun-ah.'
Seonghwan decided not to worry about the fallout.
****
'What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?'
She picked up her chopsticks, pretending to be casual as she chewed her side dish, but she tasted nothing.
'Just let it go? No, can't. What now? How?'
Anger boiled inside, then twisted into agonizing conflict. She could ignore the challenger's hurt eyes. The face was pretty enough, but love wasn't one-way. She believed a girl with clear limits could never match her.
But then.
'Yumi? And her place?'
The glimpsed message content was no joke. That's when the flames started rising in her gut.
And 'Neighbor little sis... payday together?' An extraordinary look that drew every guy's gaze, a killer body. She prided herself on her own looks, second to none. But this girl pulled eyes even under her watch.
'Crunch.'
The metal chopsticks jarred her teeth, but she had no room to feel it. She stole a glance at the guy across from her, focused on his meal and chatting with others.
“I'm telling you, for real. How many times do I have to say it? I swear. She straight-up said she's a lesbian herself.”
“Whoa, fuck. World's changing, but in this school with its long history and prestige, a bold chick struts around proudly declaring she's a lesbian in my time.”
“You idiot. Even the Little Mermaid's got a Black lead now— you gonna get left behind yapping like that? Our school's history longer than the Little Mermaid's or what?”
“I ain't dissing her! Just wild. Face is gorgeous too—girls'll love her. What if coming-outs start popping up everywhere?”
“Fuck, yeah. Scary thinking guys might lose out to girls. But damn, she's got charm, right?”
“Charm? What charm?”
“You feel it too, Yeonghwan? A pretty girl being a lesbian's got this... tantalizing vibe. Makes her hit harder. Eyes keep going back.”
“No, what the fu— I mean, seniors, snap out of it. A guy crushing on a girl-lover's like an orc falling for an elf—cross-species love.”
“What bullshit is this?”
Even with her right there, he kept yapping about another girl.
'What? What? What? What? What? What? What? What? What?'
Lips bitten tight, she set down her chopsticks and stood with her tray.
“My stomach's off, so I'm heading out first.”
“Huh?”
The guys blinked in surprise, but she turned coldly. Her hands gripped the tray tight, making it tremble faintly.
'Can't wait anymore.'
She'd planned to chill through April. But the anxiety now clouding her mind felt like it was numbing her reason.
- Love sometimes knows how to wait. Your dad's just practicing that right now.
Her frustratingly patient dad, guarding his love calmly even watching Mom's fling.
'I'm not like Dad. I'm not an idiot.'
The girl who'd inherited her dad's brains but thought herself different. Mom, always primping her beauty, dressing sexy to hog the male gaze. She was Dad's daughter, but Mom's blood ran in her too.
'Make it certain...'
She returned her tray, eyes gleaming, and turned on her heel.
****
“You fucking psycho!!!”
Thwack!
“Ack?!”
Yawning his way to school, Seonghwan crumpled from the kick to his side and hit the dirt.
'What the—?'
Wincing at the sharp pain in his ribs, he looked up at the culprit. Ponytail swinging long down her back, jeans hugging her killer figure—but her face twisted ugly like a demon's, Lee Hyun stood fuming.
“You crazy bitch. What the fuck from morning? Give me one good swing today? You think Oppa won't—”
“You bastard. Fine, today I'll skin you alive.”
This was no joke. The kick had felt playful at first, but her face was dead serious—murderous, even.
'Gulp. What's her deal?'
“Hey... talk first. What the hell? Gotta know why before you beat my ass.”
“You... you fucking... psycho...”
Words failing her, she just huffed and raised her foot again.
Thwack!
“Grahk! You bitch, at least let me defend myself. Why?!”
“You asshole. Why? Why? Why? You spread around your department that I'm a fucking lesbian? Huh? Go on, explain. I'll decide if I kill you or leave you a vegetable after your fancy excuse.”
'Oh shit?'
Only then did Seonghwan piece it together.
'Those crazy bastards. Told 'em to keep it secret.'
He'd blabbed drunk-like without thinking, crossing the line hard. After lunch, he'd even grabbed film major Han Jin and begged him to keep quiet.
'Did they fill their mouths with helium? Light as fuck. Goddamn idiots...'
He pictured them thumbs-upping, promising secrecy.
“Those crazy fucks! How do you spread a rumor in less than a day?!”
Seonghwan yelled at the sky in rage, and flames shot up in Lee Hyun's eyes.
“Knew it was you, fucker. Finally confessing. Let's die today.”
“Wait, wait—I told my seniors it was a joke. I'll fix it somehow.”
“Too late, you psycho.”
She was already winding up another kick.
“No, too late how—”
“You know how many messages hit my phone last night, you moron?! Almost five!”
“Huh?”
That was the issue? Or the content? She got tons from guys usually—maybe pissed they decreased? As Seonghwan blinked in confusion, Lee Hyun wailed.
“All from girl seniors I barely know!!! Random chicks texting outta nowhere to grab food or a movie, you fucking idiot!! What the hell did you do? How am I supposed to face those seniors now? Aaaaagh!!”
“Gah?!”
Flies came in both genders. And now Lee Hyun, exploding in popularity with girls, flushed red and lashed out.
Thud!
“Kyaaak!”