Why Do Bad Things Always Happen All at Once?
Why do unpleasant things always seem to pile up at once? Someone out there must be trying to screw me over. Eating the food I made with Jihwan, happily playing games together, and falling asleep after—that part was fine. I don't remember it clearly, but I think I even had a decent dream. After a day where everything felt perfect, I woke up to the absolute worst morning.
It started the moment I dropped the toothpaste I'd just squeezed out. On my way to school for the first time in a while, I stopped by the usual alley for a smoke. But of course the lighter had run out of fuel. I figured it was just bad luck, but it's not like skipping one cigarette would kill me, so I clicked my tongue and tried to leave.
That's when an idea struck me. If you don't have teeth, use your gums. I'd just ask Jihwan to light it for me...! Even if it was my own thought, it was actually a pretty solid plan. Jihwan was bound to walk past the alley, so if I waited a little, he'd show up.
While waiting, I ran through possible conversations in my head. Twenty minutes passed like that.
"...Why isn't he coming?"
No matter how long I waited, Jihwan never appeared. Maybe our paths had crossed, or maybe he was walking to school with that pink-haired girl again. It was possible.
"...."
...No. That can't be it. This is annoying. My chest felt tight, suffocating, so I stuck a cigarette between my lips—then remembered there was no fire and hurled it to the ground before storming out of the alley.
I arrived at school in that foul mood and spotted Jihwan the moment I entered the classroom. Sure enough, he was in his usual corner seat. ...With the pink-haired girl right beside him. They must have come to school together.
...My prediction was right. But it didn't make me feel any better.
Right then, Jihwan noticed my stare and our eyes met. He smiled brightly and waved.
...You rotten bastard.
I completely ignored his greeting and headed for my usual empty seat. But...
"...."
Of course today it wasn't empty. Compared to everything else that had gone wrong, this felt almost trivial.
...Annoying. Still, it pissed me off.
I swallowed down the irritation boiling inside me and dropped into the nearest open spot. Ironically, it gave me a perfect view of Jihwan. I wanted to move somewhere else out of sheer spite, but every seat was taken and class was about to start. I had no choice.
The lighter had no fuel, I'd waited for Jihwan for nothing, and now I'd lost my seat.... In the end, I was forced to sit there and watch Jihwan and the pink-haired girl flirt like idiots.
What was so damn funny? The way he kept whispering to her with that smiling face made my blood boil. Why were they chatting during class? Didn't they realize they were disturbing everyone else? They were the definition of disgusting.
"Now, this brown hairstreak butterfly..."
The more I watched, the more the pink-haired girl's actions grated on me. She'd been constantly tucking her hair behind her ear, flashing those pointless coy smiles... If her hair bothered her that much, why not just tie it up! Was the hair tie purely decorative? And why the hell was that bitch distracting Jihwan when he was trying to focus on studying?
Jihwan, smiling like a clueless idiot, was just as bad. Maybe I should sew that loose mouth of his shut so he'd stop grinning.
...How pathetic.
I was busy glaring at him and cursing him out in my head when the pink-haired girl pulled another stunt. She scribbled something in her notebook and slyly slid it over to him. That—that—!
I'd seen it clearly. The moment Jihwan took the note, that pink bitch smiled with pure cunning. As sly as a fox... No, she was a nine-tailed fox.
Watching her pull off every seductive trick I'd seen on the internet without hesitation, it was obvious she'd seduced her share of men. Yet Jihwan had no idea he was being played and was happily going along with it. This frustrating idiot, seriously...!
What should I do? Should I warn him? I couldn't just stand by and watch him walk into a trap. After all... I was his partner.
"...."
But nothing useful came to mind. Saying "She's a fox" outright would sound crazy... Actually, anything I said would probably make them look at me like I was the weird one.
...What do I do?
In the end, I couldn't come up with a decent plan through the entire morning. Jihwan and Pink spent the classes messing around instead of paying attention, and I was stuck watching their sickening display the whole time.
During every break Jihwan tried talking to me, but I knew only sharp words would come out, so I kept my mouth clamped shut. Lunch came and went, and finally it was time for combat practice.
"...Soyeon, you don't look well. Want to take a break?"
The clueless Jihwan spoke up. This was the moment I'd been waiting for, but seeing his stupid face only made me angrier.
...Annoying.
I shot him a glare and avoided answering.
*
...What the hell is going on? Min Soyeon's mood was clearly terrible. She kept ignoring me whenever I spoke, and now she was even glaring. Hadn't things been fine yesterday? We played games, I taught her some sword techniques, we made instant tteokbokki together, and shared ice cream. I'd thought it was the perfect weekend. I couldn't figure out why she was suddenly acting like this.
"...."
Suddenly, the fiercely glaring Min Soyeon quietly moved to a corner of the training ground and laid out her mat as if she wanted nothing to do with anything. At this rate, training was impossible.
I watched her carefully and quietly sat down beside her.
"...Soyeon, did something bad happen?"
The moment my butt hit the floor, she shot me a sideways glare. The emotion packed into that look actually startled me. She really was her mother's daughter....
"...Ahem...."
I cleared my throat awkwardly and tried again.
"...If something's bothering you, tell me. ...I'll think about it with you."
It must have been a bad line, because she let out a hollow laugh and turned away. The road ahead looked bleak.
"...Soyeon. What do you want for dinner tonight...?"
Still no answer.
"Oh, how about samgyeopsal? Meat sound good?"
No response again. Min Soyeon just kept shooting me occasional glares without saying a word.
"...."
Watching her, I suddenly remembered what my wife looked like when she was younger. The way she kept her mouth shut and just glared was exactly like Ju Yeonhee when she was upset. Back then, I'd coax her with sweet words and aegyo until her mood improved. When I once shouted that I wanted her to give Soyeon a little sister, I thought she'd dry up completely....
But those are just memories now. The person in front of me wasn't Ju Yeonhee—it was Min Soyeon. I couldn't use aegyo on her, so I needed a different approach.
...For now, maybe talk about the exam? She probably wouldn't cover her ears, so I'd throw out any topic....
Then one idea flashed through my mind.
Huh? This...
It wasn't some brilliant scheme, but it was interesting enough to catch her attention.
...This could work!
"...Soyeon. We have midterms coming up soon, right?"
No reaction, as expected.
"You're just going to let it slide?"
She gave me a look that said, What nonsense are you spouting now?
"We should make a bet."
"...What?"
I finally heard Min Soyeon's voice.
"What kind of bet would be good...? Do you have anything in mind?"
"...I never said I'd do it...."
I smiled slightly and cut her off.
"I have something I want."
She averted her eyes from my gaze and muttered.
"...W-what is it?"
"Let's go out and have fun together."
"...Huh?"
It was my version of asking her on a date. If I thought about it, ever since Soyeon was little, we'd always done everything as a family of three—me, my wife, and Soyeon. It was a harmonious household, so it wasn't bad. We had tons of photos and memories together....
But maybe the father-daughter bond had been a little lacking? A colleague once bragged to me that he went fishing and camping alone with his son. Honestly, I'd been a bit envious. I didn't go often, but I did take my family on trips. The problem was my wife was always there, so it inevitably became a full family outing.
I'd take care of them, play with them, make sure they could rest comfortably—and before I knew it, night would fall. And even then I couldn't relax. Once Soyeon was asleep, the real work of making a little sister for her would begin. So while family trips were good memories, they were also exhausting ones.
Now I couldn't go on family trips anymore, but a father-daughter trip was still possible. With Jeon Nando as a reliable sponsor, we could enjoy ourselves without worrying about money. We could fish by the sea, have real conversations... maybe even teach her how to drink a glass...!
There couldn't be a better chance.
"...Just the two of us?"
Min Soyeon narrowed her eyes, looking at me like she was checking if I was serious.
"Yeah!"
The thought of fulfilling that old wish made me a little excited.
"...Um, where do you want to go?"
Well, where would be good....
"The beach, a valley, or even a nearby amusement park."
Honestly, anywhere was fine. Then Soyeon slightly avoided my eyes and asked in a quiet voice.
"...Does it have to be a bet?"
Her voice wavered strangely. I answered casually.
"...You don't want to?"
She let out a heavy sigh, glanced at me, and said.
"...I'll at least hear what the bet is about."
Yes! She was halfway convinced. I explained the details of the midterm bet and added that I'd gotten help from Gong Haeseon.
But....
"...Who?"
Soyeon didn't seem to know who Gong Haeseon was. When I described her as the girl with pink hair, she gave me a strangely wary look.
"...You got help from her?"
"Yeah. She seems like a really nice kid. I told her to show you her notes too."
"...I see...."
She didn't show any strong reaction, so she probably didn't think much of Gong Haeseon. It would be good if Soyeon became friends with someone like her later.... I hoped she'd only make good friends. Especially ones who didn't smoke.
"Anyway, the person with the higher test score wins, and the loser has to grant one wish. Sound fair?"
"...Then let's start studying today."
"Shall we?"
It was a relief to see her show some motivation.
"...Let's buy groceries on the way home."
Huh? Did I hear that right? Buy groceries on the way...?
"...Don't want to?"
"No, I like it."
Fortunately, it looked like her mood had improved.
*
"There's ssamjang at home, so we just need to buy some wrap vegetables."
"...I'm fine without vegetables...."
Min Soyeon and Yu Jihwan sat close together in the corner, chatting softly. The natural way they talked about household matters showed just how close they really were.
Maybe I'd been staring too obviously, because my friends beside me spoke up.
"Yeah, it's obvious.... Sigh, I'm so jealous. I wish I was the Sword Queen's daughter too...."
"Give up on Jihwan, Haeseon...."
"Haeseon, are those two actually dating? What were they saying earlier?"
To my friends, it looked like Yu Jihwan and Min Soyeon were going out.
"...I'm not sure...."
Well, to me, it didn't look like love at all.