“When are you going to apologize?”
“At lunch.”
“Ah. Got it.”
With a sly grin, Jin Ha-seong snatched one of the cream buns straight out of my hand. My eyes narrowed at once.
“Then I’ll put this one on Yoo Si-eon’s desk. Perfect timing for lunch.”
“What’s the point? We’re in the same class.”
“I’ll handle it. Don’t worry, Min Yu-un.”
My indifferent mask slipped for a second.
Don’t worry? That was exactly what I wanted to say to him.
I wished Jin Ha-seong would stop meddling and leave me alone. To make matters worse, walking down the hall side by side drew whispers from every direction. It was obvious what everyone was thinking. They assumed we were plotting some new way to torment Yoo Si-eon.
If I ran into Yoo Si-eon now, it would be a disaster. I had no intention of creating more misunderstandings. Just as I frowned and reached to snatch the bun back, the bell rang.
Jin Ha-seong shoved me toward the classroom without warning.
“Trust me! I’ve got this!”
He shouted it as he sprinted off toward his own classroom. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed his obnoxious voice had been swallowed by the noise.
*****
Maybe that prayer had been answered, because less than ten minutes into lunch, Yoo Si-eon came looking for me.
I had barely stepped out toward the field when his sharp gaze found me. If he had come to seek me out himself, it was probably because of that stupidly soft heart of his.
I drew a quiet breath to steady myself, then spoke as calmly as I could.
“I’m sorry.”
Yoo Si-eon flinched.
“What?”
“I’m sorry. For hitting you. For bullying you. For everything I said.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.”
At my even tone, something complicated passed across his face. I thought of Jin Ha-seong saying he would leave the cream bun on Yoo Si-eon’s desk before lunch. The idiot hadn’t looked like he was lying, so he had probably done exactly that.
“There’s a cream bun on your desk. I wanted to show you I’m sincere.”
Yoo Si-eon’s fingers trembled slightly.
“And you think I’m just supposed to accept that?”
That was about what I had expected. I looked at him without changing my expression.
“You don’t have to eat it.”
His gaze wavered.
“If you want, throw it away. I didn’t tamper with it, but I’m not going to force you to take it.”
I couldn’t tell what was flickering in his eyes, but his hands tightened into fists at his sides, trembling with whatever he was trying to hold back.
“Are you serious right now? Why... why all of a sudden...”
“Sorry.”
I cut him off, then turned away. Without looking back, I added one last thing.
“I won’t bother you anymore.”
I walked off without waiting for an answer. I could hear him calling after me, but I didn’t stop.
As I climbed the stairs back into the building, my reflection caught in the broad windowpane. The same blank face as always. Then Min Yu-un’s hesitant voice echoed faintly in my head.
[I-Is it really that easy?]
“Yeah. It is.”
Of course it wasn’t.
I had spent my whole life bowing my head and apologizing for things that weren’t my fault. I had swallowed unfairness without protest and begged until my knees ached. Compared to all that, this was nothing—just one apology. No kneeling. No punishment. Just a few words.
This couldn’t possibly be difficult.
Pushing down the vague unease stirring in my chest, I checked the system window.
Quest 1: Apologize to the main characters. 1/3
★ TIP: A sweet little tip for someone who’s never apologized before! ★
How about offering a cream bun as a token of your sincere desire to turn over a new leaf?
“Two more.”
Since this was labeled Quest 1, there were probably more tasks waiting after it. Still, at this rate, I’d finish quickly enough. I decided to find the other two before homeroom.
I had just started walking when I bumped into someone coming down the stairs.
“Ah.”
I staggered back in surprise. Instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the fall. But before I could lose my balance, a firm hand seized my wrist and yanked me forward.
“...Min Yu-un?”
The voice carried a trace of irritation. I opened my eyes and drew in a sharp breath as I looked up at the person standing in front of me.
His golden hair gleamed like trapped sunlight, and his eyes burned the color of live embers. He was stunning. Yoo Si-eon was beautiful too, of course, but this was a different kind of presence entirely. If Yoo Si-eon was a gentle deer, then the man in front of me was a wolf—beautiful, dangerous, and ready to bite.
And yet the first thought that crossed my mind was absurdly simple.
I guess a novel really is a novel.
It made sense for the lead bottom to be striking, but even the top had impossibly vivid hair and eyes. I had known what they looked like from reading the book, but seeing them in person was something else.
Well, he is one of the main characters.
The person glaring down at me now was none other than Han Tae-ryeong.
His grip on my wrist tightened with annoyance as he dragged me onto the second-floor landing. The moment I regained my footing, he let go and stepped back, wiping his hand against his uniform as though he had touched something filthy.
The gesture didn’t shock me. I was used to it. Used to people avoiding me, disgusted by me. But I didn’t have time to dwell on that.
“Apologize...”
I need to apologize...
“Apologize?”
Han Tae-ryeong repeated the word with a frown, echoing my mutter. For one ridiculous second, I had the urge to smooth the crease between his brows with my finger.
Swallowing the absurd thought, I flexed my fingers awkwardly.
“Apologize for what? Don’t tell me you’re planning to mess with Yoo Si-eon again.”
“Cream bun.”
The completely unrelated words made his face twist in confusion.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Sorry. I don’t have one right now.”
Ignoring the question entirely, I answered shortly. I needed a cream bun to apologize. The quest required it. Since I’d already used one for Yoo Si-eon, I couldn’t just offer words to anyone else.
“I’ll find you later.”
“What? What are you—”
I walked past him without answering, and to my surprise, he let me go.
*****
I walked down the hall carrying a cream bun nearly the size of my face.
I could feel the stares on me from every direction, but I ignored them. They were bound to be judgmental anyway.
After buying another bun and confirming that the one on Yoo Si-eon’s desk was still there, I had some time left before class. So I wandered the halls at my leisure, and before long, I spotted Han Tae-ryeong.
He was surrounded by a group of classmates. They seemed to be talking to him, though judging by his expression, it was mostly one-sided. Without a word, I walked straight over. The moment they heard my footsteps, the others glanced in my direction.
Their faces drained of color, and one by one, they hurriedly scattered.
Were they running because they were scared of me? Or because they thought I was filthy?
Their expressions made the answer obvious.
Not that it mattered. I was used to that too.
“Han Tae-ryeong.”
I called his name quietly and met his cold gaze. His eyes swept over me.
“What’s that?”
He jerked his chin toward the bun in my hands. I opened my mouth to answer—
“Expired? Or did you put something in it?”
—but he cut in first, sneering.
“What, cat got your tongue?”
“...”
“Did Yoo Si-eon turn you down, so now you’re crawling over to me?”
Han Tae-ryeong’s smirk reflected in my unblinking eyes.
That’s not it. I came to apologize. For everything. I’m sorry for bullying Yoo Si-eon. I’m sorry for dragging you into it too.
Which words was I supposed to use? Which would sound sincere enough to reach him?
Then again—
Would it matter?
The thought crossed my mind without warning. Would an apology from someone like me mean anything at all? Han Tae-ryeong had no intention of listening to Min Yu-un, and Min Yu-un himself didn’t truly want to apologize.
[Just apologize. Doesn’t have to be perfect.]
Min Yu-un’s voice rang in my head, sounding stung by Han Tae-ryeong’s mockery.
I blinked once, slowly, and held out the cream bun.
“Sorry.”
“Get lost.”
Before I could say anything more, Han Tae-ryeong slapped the bun out of my hand. It hit the floor with a dull thud, the plastic wrapper crackling harshly against the tile.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he ground it under his heel.