Han Tae-ryeong glanced at the patch of clovers in front of me, silently waiting for me to answer.
“What’s so special about clovers?”
I parted my lips slightly, then closed them again and turned my head away. My gaze fell on the thick cluster of green leaves.
“Aren’t they cute?”
No answer came from beside me, but I did not mind. I had not expected one in the first place.
Looking past the clovers, I turned my eyes toward the sports field. Students from every year were gathered in groups, playing all kinds of games and sports.
They looked happy.
They laughed even as they sweated, splashed water at one another, and burst into giggles. When they accidentally disturbed students from another grade, they flinched for a moment, only to bounce back with bright energy a second later.
In short, they looked as if they were enjoying a perfectly happy school life.
It was a scene that matched the clover’s meaning exactly.
Happiness.
But for someone like me, someone who could not fit into that picture, sitting so close to a patch of clovers felt almost contradictory. Happiness was not something that suited me.
Neither their meaning nor their appearance had anything to do with me. I could not compare myself to a clover.
It had always been that way.
A life without happiness was simply my reality.
“Min Yu-un.”
Even after returning to high school, nothing had changed for me.
“Min Yu-un?”
Unable to fit in with anyone, trapped inside a novel where everyone met me with hostility.
“Min Yu-un.”
“Ah!”
His voice came right beside my ear, soft enough that I felt the faint warmth of his breath. Startled, I clapped my hands over my ears and whipped my head to the side.
Before I knew it, Han Tae-ryeong had crouched beside me. His red eyes were fixed steadily on mine, pinning me in place.
“W-what are you doing?”
Shock tangled my tongue, and the words came out in a stammer. Han Tae-ryeong only stared at me in silence. His sheer brazenness was baffling. I tried to turn my head away again, but his chilling voice stopped me cold.
“What were you thinking about that you didn’t hear me calling your name?”
Maybe it was because he was so close, but his presence felt sharper than usual. A prickling sensation ran across my cheek, as if it were being jabbed with needles. Han Tae-ryeong rested his chin on one knee and tilted his head.
“Planning to pull another reckless stunt?”
[What? Reckless stunt?]
Min Yu-un’s indignant voice rang inside my head, but I ignored him and inched away from Han Tae-ryeong.
“I told you already. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. If only I could believe that.”
“I’ll kneel and apologize right now if that’s what you want. Just say the word.”
“Hah.”
At my offer, Han Tae-ryeong let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
“For someone who makes such grand offers, why do you keep avoiding my eyes?”
I frowned, not understanding what he meant.
Then, with a deliberate smile, Han Tae-ryeong leaned in, closing the distance between us.
“Like someone with a guilty conscience.”
Only a sliver of space remained between our faces, barely enough for a sheet of paper. Startled by the sudden closeness, my eyes widened, my lashes trembling.
Han Tae-ryeong only leaned in closer.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Fooling Yoo Si-eon and messing with him like this.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“He believed your apology. Even if it was only a little.”
His low murmur was cold and sharp, like a hand closing around my throat.
“I didn’t.”
Thump.
A dull sound rang out as our foreheads collided.
The sudden pain made me flinch, and I recoiled on instinct. Years of avoiding touch had turned it into a reflex. I pulled away from even the slightest contact.
The problem was, I lost my balance.
With nothing to catch me, I was about to fall backward onto the dirt.
‘I feel like something like this happened not long ago.’
Just as I squeezed my eyes shut, a dizzying sensation swept through my entire body.
“Min Yu-un!”
At that moment, a warm hand roughly caught the back of my head, and a heavy weight came down over me.
My body hit the uneven ground hard. Sharp pain spread from my back down to my waist, and my whole body ached from the sudden impact.
“Ha, damn it. Seriously, this bastard, Min Yu-un.”
A muttered curse reached my ears, and I slowly opened my eyes.
Han Tae-ryeong’s face came into view, his expression twisted with too many emotions to name. With the sun behind him, his features were buried in deep shadow.
His eyes burned with anger as he stared down at me, but he said nothing.
Only then did I notice the warmth cradling the back of my head.
He had lunged forward and shielded it with his hand. Thanks to him, I had avoided a serious injury.
I was grateful, but…
Why?
I did not realize my eyes were trembling.
“…Sorry.”
Out of habit, I murmured the word I always carried with me.
“…Tsk.”
Han Tae-ryeong clicked his tongue, clearly displeased with the apology. His sharp, fierce eyes narrowed.
“Min Yu-un, you…”
Propping himself up on his left arm, he lifted his right hand. His fingers brushed the corner of my eye, light and careful. I frowned, but stayed still, unsure what he intended to do.
“…Your eyes… aren’t black?”
“Huh?”
I could not process what he was saying.
Before I could respond, Min Yu-un’s sharp voice echoed inside my head.
[Everyone knows my eyes are black. What the hell is he talking about? Has he seriously paid that little attention to me?]
As Min Yu-un’s suppressed anger rang through my mind, I recalled my reflection in the mirror every morning.
They were clearly black.
Pitch-black irises, just like any ordinary Korean.
What did he mean, they were not black?
‘My eyes aren’t black?’
Han Tae-ryeong seemed just as confused.
“No. They were definitely black. When we first met, they were definitely black.”
“What are you…”
At that moment, the faint rustle of footsteps through the grass reached my ears.
My gaze darted instinctively toward the sound, but whoever it was had already disappeared. Han Tae-ryeong must have heard it too, because he was glaring at the same spot.
He stood and roughly yanked me to my feet, his grip tight around my wrist.
“Get up. Don’t start any weird rumors.”
That was exactly what I wanted to say.
With everything already happening because of Yoo Si-eon, the last thing I needed was gossip involving Han Tae-ryeong. I swallowed the words and quietly stood, brushing the dirt from my clothes.
Han Tae-ryeong watched my movements as if observing an experiment.
Eventually, he spoke in a slower, more deliberate voice.
“Why did you do it?”
I blinked, unsure what he meant.
He clicked his tongue again, annoyed by my silence. This time, however, he rephrased the question more calmly.
“This morning. The milk. Why did you clean it up when you weren’t the one who spilled it?”
My hand, which had been adjusting my uniform, froze.
‘How did he know I cleaned up the milk?’
Had he seen it himself?
Even if he had, I had not expected him to confront me about it. But after thinking it over, maybe it was not that strange. Even someone like Lee Soo-hyeon or Han Tae-ryeong would not go out of their way to stop others from bullying Yoo Si-eon. At best, they would scold the bully or throw an insult their way, but nothing more.
Maybe that was part of the original novel’s setup, designed to ensure Yoo Si-eon had to bear the full brunt of the torment.
So from Han Tae-ryeong’s perspective, my actions must have looked strange.
After sorting through my thoughts, I answered calmly.
“Because it wasn’t me.”
Han Tae-ryeong let out a dry chuckle.
“Fine. Let’s say you didn’t do it. That still doesn’t mean you had to clean it up.”
“Still, I had a responsibility.”
Technically, it was Min Yu-un’s responsibility.
“I was the one who started it all, after all.”
*****
After that, neither of us said another word.
I quickly left the sports field and headed back toward the classroom. But as I was climbing the stairs, someone grabbed my arm.
“…Hey, Jin Ha-seong.”
I called his name, my voice thick with reluctance. Jin Ha-seong only smirked and puffed out his chest proudly.
“I couldn’t ask earlier because you were asleep, but you saw Yoo Si-eon’s desk, right? That was my handiwork!”
For a moment, I was speechless.
He had acted on his own assumptions, convinced himself he understood me, and made decisions without even asking.
And now he was bragging about it.
I tried to pull my arm free, but the more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. Pain crawled up my arm, and I could not help wincing.
“When did I ever tell you to do that? I told you I’m done messing with Yoo Si-eon!”
“You don’t have to pretend anymore. We’re not in the classroom. I checked. There’s no one around.”
“Let go, damn it!”
I tried to yank my arm away again, but Jin Ha-seong pulled me closer before I could break free.
His nails dug into my skin as his face came right up to mine. His foul, suffocating breath brushed my skin, and my eyes widened in shock.
At this distance, I could see it clearly.
A faint glint of madness flickered in his eyes.
But I could not tell what kind of madness it was, or what he wanted from me.
“Yu-un, what’s with you all of a sudden?”
His voice scraped against my ears like metal grinding against metal.
“You used to hate Yoo Si-eon, didn’t you? You said you’d make him suffer a fate worse than death for taking what was yours.”
A fate worse than death.
The words hit me like a blow to the chest.
[When did I ever say that?! I never went that far!]
Min Yu-un’s desperate protest echoed through my mind, but I could not focus on it.
“You’re not seriously thinking of giving up now, are you?”
“…”
“Come on, Min Yu-un. Get a grip. What’s gotten into—”
Suddenly, another hand shot between us and twisted Jin Ha-seong’s wrist.
The force of the grip broke his hold, and I stumbled back. I braced myself against the wall, trying to steady my pounding heart and trembling body.
Gasping for air, I looked up at the figure standing between us.
Lee Soo-hyeon had Jin Ha-seong by the wrist, his grip firm and unyielding.
His hand trembled slightly from the strain.