Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: To Seol's High School Classmate with a Crush
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Ryu Seol's high school classmate, me—Kim Min-jun—liked her.
No, I loved her.
Ever since we ended up in the same class in our first year, there wasn't a single day I didn't think of her.
How could I not?
'God, she's so fucking pretty...'
The moment I first saw her face when she walked into class, all I could do was stare blankly, that thought looping in my head.
Her bob haircut brushing her shoulders, her petite frame, that cute yet beautiful face—compact and perfect.
She was always surrounded by friends, spreading bright smiles everywhere she went. Whenever I looked at her, I'd catch those gently curved eyes, the pleasantly upturned corners of her mouth, and those alluring pink lips that seemed to glow.
And even though her body was on the smaller side, her chest had this impressively full volume that must've grabbed the attention of every guy in school who crossed paths with her—not just me.
Seol was always surrounded by friends, and especially the good-looking guys—they all had crushes on her.
Unlike them, I wasn't handsome or anything special. So I just suffered in silence, nursing my one-sided love.
That is, until...
One day, when we met up for a pair project evaluation.
Our relationship, which had only been "same class" before, started to shift a little.
"Kim Min-jun, you listen to Naub too?! I love them so much!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. My sister’s into them, so I started listening because of her..."
"Their new song is so good, right? I listened to it all day last weekend!"
"Y-yeah. I’ve been alternating it with Christopher songs on my way to school lately..."
"Christopher?! No way, our music tastes are exactly the same? That’s insane! Who else do you listen to? I’m into ASR and LAMY too..."
Watching Seol bounce around excitedly listing her favorite songs, my heart pounded while I sat there stunned.
It was a huge coincidence. I only got into those songs because of my pop-loving sister, and they just happened to match her tastes perfectly.
'Fuck, sis, thank you so damn much!!'
For the first time, I felt genuine gratitude toward my sister, who I always fought with. I never dreamed I'd get to chat so happily with Seol like this.
And after that day, I could really feel it.
That I'd gotten a little closer to Seol.
"Min-joonie! Share your playlist with me!"
"My playlist’s premium, though? I found a new one digging through YouTube yesterday."
"Pfft, send it over Kakao! If I like it, I’ll treat you to a chocolate milk as a special reward!"
Seol was friendly with everyone, but she'd never gotten that close to any other guy.
I'd heard she turned down every confession, loved hanging out in groups but never went out alone with another boy.
And yet, with me, music became the bridge that brought her one step closer.
High school life became a daily joy, full of happiness because of it.
"Ugh, what’s with that pop crap. Sounds so lame."
Sometimes I'd hear jealous grumbles like that, but it only made me feel superior.
'Yeah~ Seol and I love this totally lame stuff~'
There were over ten guys in our class alone who were better-looking, athletic, or smarter than me. But none of them could chat and hang out with Seol every day like I did.
I was the closest to her out of all the guys—that was my pride.
It stayed that way through first year, into second, and all through third.
We kept hanging out as friends, but I never mustered the courage to confess.
I knew it deep down.
We got along great and talked happily, but she didn't have feelings for me.
Still, it was okay.
'Seol’s not interested in dating anyway.'
She might never be mine, but at least she wasn't anyone else's either.
That let me keep smiling through my crush. But I couldn't fully let go of those feelings.
Hell, I'd jerked off dozens of times watching her dance cover from the school festival.
Seol in that thin outfit, dancing sexy—it never got old, no matter how many times I watched.
'Fuck, her belly button’s so cute.'
Her snowy-white stomach, that tiny belly button like a perfect dot in the center, those plump thighs peeking from her hot pants—they always got me rock hard.
Staring at fan cams someone uploaded, I'd imagine one day getting to touch her body freely, fucking her, and I'd cum over and over.
On the surface, we were close friends. Behind the scenes, she was my jerk-off fantasy—imagining her tits and pussy that I'd never seen.
And as high school drew to a close...
I heard Seol had messed up her college entrance exam because she felt sick that day and decided to retake it the next year.
[Ryu Seol: Ugh my stomach hurts so bad I bombed it ㅠㅠ]
[Me: No way ; What now??]
[Ryu Seol: Gotta retake ㅠ Gonna work part-time at the convenience store near my house and study]
[Me: ㅠㅠ Fighting]
[Me: I’ll send you good songs whenever I find them]
[Ryu Seol: Thx ㅠ]
I felt bad for her, but part of me was glad. The other guys—potential rivals—had mostly lost interest after heading to college and diving into campus life.
The ones bold enough to confess had already been rejected and moved on, but honestly, that didn't matter.
What counted was that now, there weren't many guys who could casually drop by to see Seol anymore—except me.
Plus, our houses were pretty close, so even while attending college, I could visit her convenience store without much hassle.
Of course, not too often, or it'd seem creepy and burdensome—just occasionally.
And today.
Two weeks since my last visit.
'Fuck, it’s not weird if I go now, right?'
After agonizing over it forever, I headed to see Seol. Early morning, hair styled, clothes picked out carefully.
I even stopped by my usual hair salon on the way—asked them to wax it up nice since it was important.
Only after getting ready did I feel a sliver of confidence.
"Welcome... Oh! Min-joonie, you’re back?"
"Hey. But seriously, why’s this store always so dead?"
"It’s totally failing~ But great for studying!"
Seeing her after two weeks, Seol looked even prettier than before. Her usual bright smile shone even brighter, her voice bubbling with joy.
Watching her, I couldn't shake the 'maybe' flickering in my mind.
'Is she this happy 'cause I came after so long?'
I knew it was ridiculous.
But...
That 'I wish' twisted into 'maybe she is.'
After four years of this crush, I’d always wanted to end it one way or another.
-Thump, thump
My heart raced wildly. Was it finally time to shoot my shot?
She was grinding through retakes and a part-time job—maybe confessing now, offering support, would land right.
'It’ll be fine. Feels like it could work...!'
But blurting it out right now would be lame. Better wait till her shift ended... treat her to food.
Walk her home, confess romantically at her door.
"Hey, what’re you up to after your shift today?"
My head was already spinning fantasies of success, kids even, as I tossed out the question gruffly.
I knew she’d probably study, but after so long, maybe I could coax her into grabbing a bite.
"What else~ Obviously studying at home..."
-Ding!
'Fuck, who the hell comes to a dump like this?'
The door chime cut her off. I cursed inwardly—she was working, so customers made chatting tough.
But then...
Something totally different from before.
No.
In the four years since I met her, a smile I'd never seen.
Seol was beaming it.
At the guy who just walked in.
"Oppa!!"
I couldn't believe the reality right in front of me.
Right there, in front of me, Seol was...
The picture of a girl head-over-heels in love.
A smile I'd never seen, directed at some average guy like me.
"Oppa, no library today?!"
"Taking a break today. Popped in quick... Who's this?"
"This guy's a high school friend! Min-jun, just a classmate!"
-Sting
'Friend' and 'just a classmate'—words she emphasized to avoid misunderstanding—hammered my heart mercilessly.
It ached so bad inside.
"Oh~ Hi. I'm Seol's boyfriend, Lee Sun-ha."
"......"
His words were the killing blow. I couldn't accept it, glanced sideways at Seol—she was twisting shyly, blushing.
Despair swallowed me.
I'd never imagined she'd have a boyfriend. No changes to her profile pic or status message.
'Fuck... what the fuck...! For real...?'
The bold, bright girl I'd always known, acting this cute in front of her boyfriend? Unthinkable.
Especially toward some other guy—not me.
I didn't want to imagine it.
"Uh, I'm... her high school friend... Kim Min-jun..."
I forced out the greeting in a trembling voice, ignoring the searing pain in my chest, the tightening breath, the tears threatening to well up.
"We bonded over Naub before—he's a huge fan too~ You like them, right, oppa?"
"Yeah. Lately I've been into girl group songs, though."
"What?! Why suddenly?!"
"You did that girl group dance. Reminded me, so I gave it a listen after ages—pretty good."
"Ah! I'll show you properly next time! Been practicing a bit again!"
"For real? Looking forward to it."
I couldn't watch them chat so warmly anymore. But bolting like a loser? No way. Couldn't let Seol see me like that.
So I stood there as Seol, flushed and animated in front of him, suddenly touched her face and blushed harder.
"Right, my makeup... Didn't expect you, oppa... O-oppa! Be right back, gotta hit the bathroom quick! If a customer comes, tell 'em to wait a sec!"
She dashed to the back.
Left behind, I stood dazed in the lingering ache. Her boyfriend barely glanced at me, fiddling with his phone.
Watching that ignited a fire in my gut.
'Why... why him of all people...!'
If he were ridiculously handsome, I could've swallowed the pain with 'Yeah, he’s on her level...'
But this guy? Thin eyes with droopy corners giving a kind vibe—that was it.
'He’s nothing special-looking either... fuck!'
Honestly, he was a bit better than me. But not by much. That only fueled the jealousy more.
I couldn't stop thinking, If I'd just been a little faster...
Jealousy toward him, a twinge of betrayal for not mentioning a boyfriend, sorrow over my crushed crush.
"Fuck... why with a loser like him..."
It all boiled over—I muttered it aloud. Shocked myself, but petty pride kept me from leaving or apologizing.
Part of me hoped he'd snap, get violent—maybe make Seol lose interest.
But Lee Sun-ha, Seol's boyfriend...
-Snicker
Laughed like it was pathetic. Stepped closer.
"Hey."
"...What."
I flinched but refused to show weakness.
Pride was all holding me there.
A false confidence born of jealousy straightened my back, hardened my glare.
To me, he said,
"You know this?"
Know what?
Staring at his smirking face, what came next made me doubt my ears.
"Seol's pussy grips like a fucking vice."
"……………What?"
What the hell did he just say?