A Fresh Start (1)
Before long, the quick-witted students had all cleared out, leaving only three of us in the classroom. Baek Seolah and Seo Ahyeon locked eyes, neither willing to back down, and launched into a heated exchange.
“……How amusing. A girl who already has a boyfriend of her own? That’s rich coming from you, Ahyeon.”
Baek Seolah fired the first shot, her voice laced with sarcasm as she pointed out the contradiction.
“What’s it to you if he belongs to someone else? What about you, Ahyeon? What are you going to do about Kim Minjun? Planning to break up with him or something?”
Seo Ahyeon crossed her arms with deliberate calm, shooting Baek Seolah a chilling glare. Even though that icy look wasn’t directed at me, a shiver ran down my spine and I had to physically shake it off.
After spending the past year in a near-constant state of mutual hostility with Baek Seolah, even I had never seen this level of bone-chilling frost radiate from her. The emotion flickering in her golden eyes as she stared down Seo Ahyeon was clearly different from the contempt she used to direct at me.
Her words were sharper, too—blunt and direct in a way that didn’t suit her usual style. Baek Seolah was clearly more emotionally charged than normal as she went after Seo Ahyeon.
“Yeah. I’m going to break up with him.”
“……!?”
Baek Seolah clearly hadn’t expected that answer. She had no idea just how much Seo Ahyeon had pulled herself together over the weekend—how she’d sought comfort from me, let new feelings take root, and spent time tangled up in bed before finally deciding her own path forward.
Who could have guessed she would declare her breakup with Kim Minjun without a single moment of hesitation?
Baek Seolah’s eyes widened in shock, her body freezing for a split second.
“I’ve already made up my mind. Unlike you, Seolah, who keeps hovering around Han Taeyang even though you’re dating Lee Hyeonseong.”
“……Made up your mind?”
That brief moment of stiffness was a fatal opening. In a battle of words between women, hesitation like that was deadly. Seo Ahyeon seized the chance without mercy, tilting her chin up and openly mocking Baek Seolah as her pupils trembled.
“From now on, instead of a man who constantly looks down on me, I’m choosing the one who genuinely cares about me—even if his relationships with other women are a bit messy.”
“……”
“What about you, Seolah? How does that compare?”
“What……?”
Seo Ahyeon didn’t stop there. She pressed the attack relentlessly.
“I still haven’t heard it from Han Taeyang himself. Why you’ve been hanging around him so much lately.”
“……That’s……”
Of course Baek Seolah had no choice but to fall silent, her face twisting with discomfort. How could she possibly explain it out loud? That her boyfriend had some bizarre NTS fetish and was pushing her into this?
‘……She might actually understand if she heard the truth.’
From my perspective—knowing every sordid detail on both sides—I couldn’t help but think that even if Baek Seolah laid everything out, Seo Ahyeon would probably accept it without much trouble. After all, she herself had escaped after receiving similar instructions from Kim Minjun. Strictly speaking, Lee Hyeonseong’s Netorase kink and Kim Minjun’s orders were different in intent, purpose, and depth of affection, but there were still obvious similarities.
‘Either way, the resemblance is clear enough.’
While I was lost in these pointless thoughts, staring off into the distance, Seo Ahyeon suddenly pulled my head into her chest with surprising gentleness.
“It’s not like I don’t know what kind of person you are, Seolah…… but just in case, I’ll ask.”
“W-What?”
Baek Seolah averted her gaze, her expression hazy, as if the words had struck deep. Seo Ahyeon continued, her eyes filled with suspicion and wariness that were probably born from her feelings for me.
“Are you keeping him on a leash?”
“……Huh?!”
Seo Ahyeon’s sharp words landed like a slap, and Baek Seolah’s voice shot up twice as loud in panic. I was just as stunned. Sitting between them like a statue, I whipped my head toward Seo Ahyeon with wide eyes.
But Seo Ahyeon’s face was deadly serious, as if this was the only explanation that made sense.
“I mean, think about it. Why else would a girl who already has a boyfriend keep sticking so close to another guy that rumors start flying? Even if it’s not cheating, if you’re trying to string him along……”
“N-No, it’s not like that!”
Baek Seolah cut her off, her face a mask of indignation. She waved her hands frantically, clearly unwilling to let even her friend Seo Ahyeon misunderstand her that badly.
“Really, it’s not like that at all. I get why you’re suspicious, Ahyeon, but it’s not—”
“……Ahem. Yeah, Seo Ahyeon. I can’t explain the details either, but Baek Seolah’s right.”
I finally jumped in, trying to vouch for Baek Seolah’s innocence. Keeping someone on a leash? The entire academy knew Baek Seolah wasn’t that kind of person. Even if I couldn’t tell the full truth, I could at least correct a misunderstanding.
Baek Seolah shot me a grateful glance. I gave her a small nod in return.
“……Han Taeyang. Are you taking her side right now? Instead of mine?”
“……”
So much for perfect timing. The moment I tried to clear things up for one girl, the other one exploded. Seo Ahyeon glared at me with a frosty expression, and I shut my mouth, cold sweat pouring down my back.
“You even used a nickname for her…… You really……”
What nickname? ‘Baekselgi’?
I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even respond. I’d just said it out of habit, without any real thought behind it. How the hell was that a nickname? If anything, it was closer to an insult—at least from the recipient’s point of view.
‘Right……?’
I turned to Baek Seolah for agreement, only to be shocked once again. Lately, surprises just kept coming one after another.
Instead of getting angry like usual and declaring that the name was a serious insult, Baek Seolah actually looked pleased. She let out a little snort and shrugged her shoulders.
“Jealousy is ugly. Sorry, Ahyeon, but it looks like Han Taeyang is siding with me, not you.”
“Hey. When did I—”
I immediately called out Baek Seolah for pouring gasoline on the fire. I hadn’t taken anyone’s side in their argument. I’d only stepped in as a mediator to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings.
I turned to Seo Ahyeon with a desperate expression, hoping my sincere face would prove my innocence.
“Taeyang……”
“……”
It didn’t work. Seo Ahyeon’s face crumpled with genuine hurt, her eyes drooping like a rain-soaked black puppy. It was driving me insane.
By then, the momentum had swung back to Baek Seolah. She puffed out her chest and spoke to the sulking Seo Ahyeon.
“Well, this is what trust looks like. I don’t know what happened between you and Han Taeyang last weekend, but it’s not enough to shake the bond between us.”
“……Ugh.”
Baek Seolah had reduced Seo Ahyeon to the verge of tears. I wore a troubled expression as Seo Ahyeon clung to my neck, her grip tightening, but inside I was laughing.
‘Bond?’
Since when did Baek Seolah and I have something like that? It was news to me—I’d only just found out today.
In the end, the short but intense battle of nerves between the two girls ended with Baek Seolah narrowly claiming victory. Of course, they’d each landed a critical hit on the other, so it wasn’t exactly a meaningful win.
Anyway, I slipped out of Seo Ahyeon’s arms and gently patted her head as she buried her face against me again.
“Seo Ahyeon, your next class is in the afternoon, right? Go back to the dorm and rest until then. Wash your face too. You’re in no state to do anything right now.”
“Mm……”
“You didn’t forget the password, did you?”
“Mmm.”
Seo Ahyeon pressed her head harder into my palm, clearly wanting more petting. I chuckled and obliged.
Meanwhile, Baek Seolah’s expression had hardened at our casual exchange.
“……Password? Dorm? What are you talking about, Han Taeyang? Where exactly are you sending Ahyeon?”
“Uh……”
Her voice was stiff. Just as I was about to explain, Seo Ahyeon suddenly pulled away and peeked out.
“I’m living with him now. Forget bonds or whatever—I’m already treating his dorm like my own place.”
“……”
“If you get it, then stop clinging to my man, Baek Seolah. Bleh.”
Before anyone could stop her, Seo Ahyeon rattled everything off in one breath, planted a quick kiss on my cheek, and bolted—sticking her tongue out at Baek Seolah like a child on her way out.
‘……She really likes kissing, huh.’
I rubbed my cheek where the soft sensation had lingered, then turned to Baek Seolah with an awkward expression. She looked like her soul had left her body after Seo Ahyeon’s bombshell.
First she just stared blankly. Then, a beat late, realization hit and her eyes flashed with anger. Finally, she shot me a resentful glare.
It was the exact reaction of a jealous girlfriend. I scratched my cheek and asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
“Hey, Baek Seolah.”
I narrowed one eye and spoke bluntly.
“Do you like me?”
“……Hweh!?”
Even though I’d asked expecting a no, it was the only logical possibility that came to mind. At my question, Baek Seolah’s usually sharp face suddenly flushed bright red.