Joining the Movie Club (Part 2)
The classroom buzzed with an overwhelming crowd of second-year students ten minutes after we entered the movie club room.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that almost everyone was here for the same reason.
After all, this place was the perfect way to kill time in class—whether you actually enjoyed watching movies or just wanted to catch up on sleep.
For couples, it was even better: you could sneak away together, enjoy a private moment, and still watch a movie for free.
That logic alone explained why so many people were flocking here.
One by one, students from other classes trickled in, filling the room until it was packed.
Some even tried to enter but turned around upon seeing the overflow, muttering that it was hopeless.
“Wow, whoa… It’s so full…”
Kim Naeun let out a soft sigh from beside me as she scanned the room.
She had joined the movie club hoping to avoid crowded places, but it seemed like a huge miscalculation.
The room spun a little from the noise, and I stood still, waiting.
A moment later, the door creaked open and the faculty advisor for the club walked in.
“Drreuk—!”
The teacher swept his eyes across the packed classroom and sighed.
“What is this? Why are there so many people here? The other classrooms were empty.”
I could only imagine how flustered he must have felt.
“You guys really think this through, don’t you?”
“Hey, it’s way too crowded. Anyone who showed up late should just go to another club and check it out.”
Of course no one could squeeze this many people into a single classroom.
At first we’d all been ready to trade awkward glances and hold our ground, but the moment someone new entered, every early arrival instinctively turned to see who it was.
By the end, the latecomers were slowly slipping away, leaving only the ones who had arrived first.
Even with all these stares watching me, I’m still staying… that takes guts.
Just imagining those eyes on me made me shiver.
My whole body broke out in goosebumps as I stood there frozen.
Then a finger tapped my arm lightly.
I looked over and saw Yeonhee watching me with a serious expression, clearly about to say something important.
“What?”
“Don’t you think there are a lot more couples here than before?”
…Come to think of it, she might be right.
When I glanced around, sure enough, pairs of students were everywhere.
Some looked fresh-faced, clearly still in the honeymoon phase of dating, while others seemed like old, battle-worn couples.
“So what? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well… I was just wondering if we also look like that to other people.”
“Look like what?”
Following the direction of her finger, I spotted a couple glued together so tightly it was almost like they were one person, laughing and chatting softly.
“…That’s not us.”
“…Yeah, right?”
No matter how hard I tried, there was no way we looked that close.
Still, I felt compelled to play along.
“Whatever… You’re just trying to ruin the mood.”
But just as the tension eased, a voice suddenly boomed from the front row.
“Oh? What’s this? Such a cute atmosphere~ What juicy gossip are you two spilling~?”
“Did we interrupt something important? Should we step aside~?”
Kim Naeun and Kang Hanbyeol launched into their coordinated teasing, and I felt my head spin again.
“Naeun-ah.”
- Startled
The air turned icy with the cold tone.
Kim Naeun’s head snapped around like a robot, her expression shifting from mild annoyance to a forced smile as she met Yeonhee’s gaze.
“Do you know what I’m thinking?”
She answered with a single sweet smile and turned back to her seat.
Kim Naeun could handle Yeonhee, but…
Hanbyeol, still snickering right in front of me, was a different story.
I really want to punch him right now…
I couldn’t be bothered coming up with excuses every single day, so I decided to be bold.
“Yeah, we were about to kiss.”
- Startled
Hanbyeol flinched beside me.
“A-Ah, really? Have fun!”
He quickly turned away, clearly flustered and out of place.
- Tap-tap
I turned to see what had happened again.
Yeonhee was staring at me with narrowed eyes and a bright red face, clearly trying to say something.
“Hey! Even if that’s true, that excuse is a little too…”
She did look embarrassed from her perspective, but
That’s exactly why Hanbyeol is such a pain…
If I needed to explain later, now wasn’t the time to do it.
***
After the commotion died down and the teacher finished explaining, we headed back to our regular classroom.
Since it was still our first day, the class was pretty normal.
He gave a quick rundown on how the club worked, explained the crowd, and finally asked us to vote on which movie to watch.
A few students voiced opposition, but since this was a democracy, the majority chose a horror film.
They insisted it was an unwritten rule of horror movies or something.
We didn’t mind—except for Yeonhee.
The moment the horror vote was announced, I saw her scrunch her face in disgust.
I knew exactly what she thought about horror movies.
Since the decision was already made, I didn’t say anything and we simply returned to class.
“Horror movie… Horror movie…”
Even after we got back, she kept muttering under her breath, the aftershocks still strong.
“If it’s that scary, you could just not watch it at all.”
I was the one who spoke up first, unable to bear it.
“W-Who said I’m scared!”
She denied it loudly, sounding strangely defensive.
She says that even though anyone can tell she’s scared…
I figured she was just embarrassed, so I ignored her and went back to my work.
Then suddenly she grabbed my sleeve.
“…?”
I looked at her blankly until she closed her mouth and finally confessed.
“I-It’s actually really scary…”
If it was that terrifying, why not just plug your ears and lie down?
I responded in my usual playful, teasing tone, expecting her to laugh it off.
“Then at least hold my hand?”
“…Only if you want to.”
“…What?”
I frowned, confused.
Was she being serious?
Or had I fallen for another one of her tricks?
I couldn’t figure out the real meaning of her words no matter how hard I thought.
Before I could ask, a soft voice cut in from behind.
“I-It’s just… really scary…”
Even if she was scared, why would she be embarrassed enough to make such a bold request?
I didn’t take it seriously at first, but apparently she thought differently.
“Sigh… We’re not even watching it right now. Maybe it’s not even a scary movie. Stop overthinking.”
“R-Really? Did I get too sensitive? Haha…”
She finally calmed down after I answered casually.
I automatically shook my head.
Seeing this rare, serious side of her after only watching her playful and cheerful side was new.
Maybe that was why I suddenly felt like teasing her again.
“Just in case, it could be a super scary movie.”
Instead of answering, she bit my arm hard.
“Aaaah! Aaaah!!”
Yeonhee clamped down on my arm with all her strength, and I cried out in surrender.
She finally let go.
When I lifted my sleeve, clear teeth marks were visible.
“Even if that’s true, you bit way too hard…”
“Hmph. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t bite harder.”
She wiped away tears with a pitiful expression.
The reply that came back was full of irritation.
“If it’s that scary, you could just not watch it…”
“If you’re not going to watch it, there’s no point in joining the club.”
Someone had told me horror movies were popular because they were scary.
p>I didn’t know what to say—after all, I had always loved scary movies.
“If the movie is that scary, the whole club is probably going to be horror movies anyway. What then?”
She looked like a kicked puppy, utterly dejected by my words.
It was a pitiful sight.
I reached out and gently stroked her hair without thinking.
“W-What are you doing…?”
“Ah.”
When I came to my senses, I realized what I’d done and quickly pulled back.
“…Dog-sitting?”
I immediately came up with the lamest excuse.
She didn’t get angry like I expected.
Instead she stayed quiet.
I looked down at her, confused.
Her eyes were wide, and she kept opening and closing her mouth like a fish.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Her face was flushed, and I waved my hand in front of her eyes.
“E… Are you okay…?”
It didn’t seem like she was in pain.
I had worried she might have caught something from yesterday’s visit, but luckily that wasn’t the case.
If I was the reason she was sick, I should at least visit her in the hospital.
But visiting someone else’s house was still too high a hurdle for me.
Since she said she was fine, I decided to stop worrying.
But after that, she stayed quiet for a long time.
