Rendezvous (15)
It was sudden, but Shin So-hye had no friends.
More than a month had already passed since enrollment, yet her phone held no contacts beyond her family. Her timid personality and gloomy appearance played their part, of course, but external factors were far from insignificant.
Even in Class 1-D, where she belonged, everyone clustered tightly under Yoon Seo-a. No matter how the classes reshuffled in higher years, they would remain her solid base of power—unless something extraordinary happened. And for Shin So-hye, who had once been marked by Yoon Seo-a in such a place, it was only natural that no one approached her.
Though the bullying had stopped for now, no one possessed a background good enough or a heart kind enough to go out of their way to befriend her. Shin So-hye herself was remarkably self-aware, so she felt no particular sadness over the lack of people approaching her. It was already a familiar state of affairs.
Of course, failing to grow close even to her roommate—another commoner like herself—was enough to leave even Shin So-hye a little deflated.
In any case, for those reasons, Shin So-hye was quietly spending her lunch break searching for a solitary space within the academy.
Having finished her meal, she sat on a bench in a deserted corner of the park, leisurely basking in the sunlight, when a sudden vibration from her pocket made her jump up in a flustered panic.
“Eek…?!”
It was a bizarre movement that anyone watching would have called unbefitting of a young lady, but fortunately for her, no eyes were upon her. After taking a moment to compose herself, Shin So-hye pulled out her phone with trembling hands. Ever since enrolling at Private Acacia Academy, the device never rang except for the occasional check-in call from her family.
She assumed it was another spam call as usual, but the starting digits looked far too ordinary for that. After a brief hesitation, Shin So-hye pressed the answer button and held it to her ear. If it turned out to be spam, she could simply hang up.
Yet the voice that came through was one she had never expected.
"Miss Shin So-hye, is that you?"
“This voice… C-could it be Miss Yoon Seo-a…?”
"You remember my voice. At least your memory seems intact."
Even the casual slight did not anger Shin So-hye. Instead, fear surged up—how had Yoon Seo-a learned her number, and why was she calling?
D-did she find out? About that time?
There was something that pricked her conscience, so Shin So-hye swallowed hard and asked carefully.
“W-what business do you have calling me…?”
"Hmm. Do I need permission to call Miss Shin So-hye as well?"
“N-no! It’s not that…!”
Honestly, they were not close enough to exchange calls like this. As Shin So-hye floundered, a soft laugh drifted from the other end before the voice continued.
"Well, I believe Miss Shin So-hye already knows the reason better than I do."
“M-me?”
"You were watching from the next stall, weren’t you?"
“Hhk!”
At those words Shin So-hye’s eyes flew wide and she swallowed her breath. Exactly as the other girl said, she had seen it. In the restroom, Yoon Seo-a and Yu Ha-eun sharing something that was not quite a secret tryst.
At first she had thought Yoon Seo-a was simply dragging Yu Ha-eun off to torment her again. So Shin So-hye had mustered her courage and filmed the scene herself, intending to keep it as evidence. She had thought it might prove useful someday.
But what she witnessed there was nothing like what she had imagined. Not at all.
The two of them colliding lips again and again, the ragged breathing. Yu Ha-eun’s face, flushed with rapture as she caught her breath in Yoon Seo-a’s arms.
Having overheard their earlier conversation, Shin So-hye knew Yu Ha-eun was not doing any of it willingly. She was merely enduring Yoon Seo-a’s coercion. Shin So-hye knew that.
She knew, and yet her feelings were strange. The person she had regarded as an idol was being toyed with by someone worse than anyone she had ever seen.
Her chest tightened; the world before her eyes swayed. At the same time, Yu Ha-eun’s flushed, panting face kept circling through her mind. Somehow she felt as though tears might come.
Perhaps it was a sense of loss. Because of it, she had been unable to answer properly when Yu Ha-eun spoke to her afterward. The scene kept flickering before her eyes—the memory of those lips meeting Yoon Seo-a’s only moments before.
When Shin So-hye remained silent, the voice on the phone continued.
"Come to the fifth floor. I don’t need to tell you which place I mean, do I?"
“…I-if you’re going to tell me to delete the video, I-I refuse.”
If Yoon Seo-a was summoning her to the empty fifth floor, there could only be one reason. Having recovered her wits, Shin So-hye mustered her courage and said so. Yoon Seo-a laughed.
"Why? Planning to blackmail me with it? That would not end with only me suffering, you know."
“I-I know. B-but rather than keep enduring that sort of thing from Miss Yoon Seo-a, leaving the academy might be better for Miss Yu Ha-eun…”
"Yes, yes. I’ve heard Miss Shin So-hye’s resolve loud and clear, so come to the fifth floor without delay. I have no intention of telling you to delete the video."
“What? Th-then why… H-hello?”
Shin So-hye called Yoon Seo-a’s name several times before lowering the phone to check. The call had already been cut. To say only what she wanted and hang up—how self-centered could one person be?
Yet she had no leisure to grumble about it. Shin So-hye rose, feeling too restless to remain seated, and spun in place.
Why did Yoon Seo-a tell me to come to the fifth floor? What is she planning to do there?
M-maybe she would have people bury me completely…! Even that wild leap of imagination crossed her mind, but even Yoon Seo-a would not dare such a thing inside the academy.
Of course, the option of simply not going did not exist. They would face each other in the classroom every day; skipping today would not erase tomorrow or the day after. If she held out to the end, the girl might simply use her followers to drag her there. That would make for a thoroughly ugly spectacle.
“I-in the end I have no choice but to go…”
The die was already cast. Repeating the famous saying to herself, Shin So-hye set off toward the academy building. That her retreating figure was hunched tightly in on itself was a fact that needed no further mention.
Arriving on the fifth floor, which radiated an eerie atmosphere, Shin So-hye carefully checked the nearest classroom first. She had been told to come to the fifth floor, but not precisely where, so she had to peer into each room one by one.
Where on earth is she…?
After confirming the third classroom was also empty and preparing to move on, it happened.
“Boo!”
“Kyaaah!”
The door flew open and Yoon Seo-a let out a loud shout. Completely unprepared for the entrance, Shin So-hye toppled backward and scrambled to put distance between them. Yoon Seo-a snorted with laughter.
“Aha, ‘kyaaah!’ What a strange scream. And crawling backward to escape, no less.”
“W-what is this! Scaring me out of nowhere!”
Belated shame rose, and Shin So-hye blurted the words, but Yoon Seo-a’s expression remained utterly unbothered.
“Late punishment. How long has it been since I called, and you’re only arriving now? Lunch break is almost over.”
“Th-that’s because you called late! And it only took ten minutes!”
“Hmm. So Miss Shin So-hye talks faster when she’s angry? Even in front of me.”
“Ugh…!”
Only then did Shin So-hye realize whom she was facing and hastily averted her gaze, but Yoon Seo-a chuckled and stepped into the classroom.
“Come in. We have things to discuss.”
Shin So-hye watched that retreating back, then rose, brushed off the dust, and carefully followed.
After sliding the door shut, she glanced around the empty classroom. Yoon Seo-a, seated in a chair she had somehow procured, crossed her legs and held out a hand.
“Hand it over. I’m curious how the video turned out.”
“Y-you said you wouldn’t delete it…”
“I said I wouldn’t delete it. I never said I wouldn’t look.”
“Ugh…”
“Come on, hurry.”
Shin So-hye wore a pained expression, but Yoon Seo-a showed no sign of backing down. In the end she had no choice but to pass over the phone with trembling hands.
“Hmm…”
Yoon Seo-a played the video. The wet sounds of lips meeting and ragged breathing rang out vividly, and Shin So-hye’s face flushed scarlet. Yoon Seo-a, however, watched to the end without the slightest change in expression, then switched off the screen and turned her head toward Shin So-hye.
“Take it.”
“Huh? Whoa…!”
She barely caught the phone that came flying with the words, then let out a breath of relief. Yoon Seo-a propped her chin on her hand and spoke.
“Seeing it from a third-party perspective is rather novel. Though the shaking is so bad it makes me dizzy.”
“U-uh…”
Shin So-hye let out a small sound. Anyone who had witnessed that scene would have trembled; she could not argue. Clutching the phone to her chest, she stayed silent until Yoon Seo-a, after a brief pause, continued.
“Do you want to do it too, Miss Shin So-hye?”
“W-want to do what…?”
“Kiss Miss Ha-eun. Or things beyond that.”
“W-wh-what are you saying!!!”
Her already flushed face turned an even deeper red, but Yoon Seo-a only smirked.
“You like her, don’t you? Miss Ha-eun.”
“O-of course I like Miss Yu Ha-eun, but that’s only as a friend…!”
“So, do you dislike the idea?”
Dislike it? Shin So-hye swallowed the words she had been about to spit and pressed her lips tightly shut.
Click, click. With unhurried steps that clicked against the floor, Yoon Seo-a approached and whispered into her ear.
“If Miss Shin So-hye wishes it, I can arrange the opportunity. Only if you listen to me very, very well, of course.”
It was temptation. The serpent’s invitation to take the forbidden fruit.
Shin So-hye asked herself. Do I like girls?
When it came to likes and dislikes, she had never interacted enough with either men or women to form a clear preference, so she could not be certain. Yet whenever she pictured the future, she had vaguely assumed she would date a man and marry.
But to declare outright that she liked men was still difficult for her.
Then she changed the question. Do I like Yu Ha-eun?
That was beyond doubt.
Yet half of it was admiration for the heroic figure who had saved her from bullying, and the other half was simply the desire to become friends. There had been nothing of viewing her as a romantic interest.
At least, not until yesterday.
Watching the two of them kiss in the restroom, Shin So-hye had felt a profound sense of loss. But she had felt an even greater emotion: jealousy.
Jealousy. It was a feeling that had never existed in Shin So-hye’s life. Whether she had been born that way or had grown into it, she herself did not know, but she had learned resignation and surrender long before jealousy.
That was why the jealousy that had once risen filled her heart without restraint. Yet because of her timid nature she could only suffer it in silence.
And now Yoon Seo-a was prodding that very thing. Telling her she no longer needed to endure it, that she was free to release it. Promising the reward she desired if only she obeyed faithfully.
Shin So-hye was accustomed to surrender and resignation, but that did not mean her patience was strong.
“What will you do, Miss Shin So-hye?”
At Yoon Seo-a’s question, Shin So-hye lowered her head. There was no answer, yet neither was there denial.
Silence was consent. A smile curved Yoon Seo-a’s lips.