As I asked the question, I recalled the contents of the novel.
At this point in the story, Min Yu-un probably had not done anything unforgivably awful yet. But Yoo Si-eon’s reaction left me uneasy.
Just then, Min Yu-un’s irritated muttering echoed through my head.
[I already apologized. What’s his problem?]
“…”
[It’s not like I did anything that bad. Just send him away already.]
To be honest, I did want to send Yoo Si-eon away, exactly as Min Yu-un said.
I was exhausted. My whole body felt heavy.
But I could not simply throw out a guest after letting him inside. Besides, I had thought an apology would be enough. I had not expected Yoo Si-eon to react in such an ambiguous way, and that only made me more flustered.
I glanced discreetly at the system window floating in my field of vision.
Quest 1: Apologize to the main characters. 2/3
★ TIP: A sweet tip for you, who have never apologized before! ★
How about offering a cream bun as proof of your sincere desire to turn over a new leaf?
It still had not disappeared.
It would probably vanish once I apologized to the last remaining character.
“Haa.”
With a sigh, Yoo Si-eon roughly swept a hand through his hair. Despite the delicate, soft features typical of a main protagonist, the firm line of his neck was exposed.
Maybe that was why the subtle pressure he gave off felt so heavy.
“So, what I’m saying is…”
Ding-dong.
The cheerful chime of the doorbell cut him off.
Both of us turned our heads at the same time.
A guest?
Min Yu-un lived alone, and his family was overseas.
Just as confusion began to settle in, Min Yu-un’s voice slipped into my mind.
[It’s Lee Soo-hyeon.]
Lee Soo-hyeon.
The name of the character I had not yet met in this novel.
[I called him yesterday. I had something to talk to him about.]
And you’re only telling me this now?
My expression twisted slightly.
As if trying to excuse himself, Min Yu-un quickly added,
[I forgot! It wasn’t to mess with you! I just… I was going to apologize to him myself.]
Fine.
It must have been Min Yu-un’s attempt to muster his courage, even if I had arrived before he could follow through.
Once I understood the situation, I moved toward the door.
When I opened it, Lee Soo-hyeon was standing awkwardly outside.
The moment our eyes met, he gave me a lifeless smile.
He was the sort of character who never lost his smile, no matter who he was dealing with.
Even Min Yu-un.
“Lee Soo-hyeon?”
Behind me, I heard Yoo Si-eon call his name, his voice reluctant.
The moment Lee Soo-hyeon saw Yoo Si-eon, his face hardened with cold hostility.
Then, without hesitation, he turned that sharp glare on me.
“Min Yu-un. You promised you wouldn’t mess with Yoo Si-eon.”
His anger struck like a blade.
“You said if I came to your house, you’d leave him alone.”
A crooked sneer formed on Lee Soo-hyeon’s lips.
Hearing that, I silently scolded Min Yu-un.
You said you were going to apologize. What kind of threat was that?
Then again, maybe this was for the best.
Now I could take the opportunity to apologize to the supporting character as well.
“…I’m sorry.”
The apology I had grown far too used to saying slipped out without hesitation.
“I called you here to apologize. To you, and to Yoo Si-eon.”
Ding.
A notification rang in my ears, and my eyes instinctively darted toward the translucent system window.
Quest 1: Apologize to the main characters. 3/3
★ TIP: A sweet tip for you, who have never apologized before! ★
How about offering a cream bun as proof of your sincere desire to turn over a new leaf?
After flickering several times, the text changed.
Congratulations! Quest 1 has been cleared.
A new window appeared in its place.
Quest 2: Make a friend. (0/1)
★ TIP: A sweet tip for you, who have no friends! ★
Do you really need conditions for friendship? Just go for it with the person in front of you!
A friend?
While I stood there blankly, Yoo Si-eon stepped between Lee Soo-hyeon and me.
“Yeah. He really did call you here to apologize.”
“Yoo Si-eon.”
“He apologized to me too, the same way he apologized to you.”
Yoo Si-eon, who had been glaring at Lee Soo-hyeon’s twisted expression, turned to look at me.
“Right, Min Yu-un?”
But his question barely reached me.
My gaze remained fixed on the word friend.
The phrase a sweet tip for you, who have no friends was brutal. At the same time, it was not entirely wrong.
Neither I nor Min Yu-un had anyone we could truly call a friend.
Even if we had once had such a person, it had been so long ago that we could barely remember.
And now, the system was telling me to just go for it with whoever happened to be standing in front of me?
What an absurd suggestion.
Besides, what exactly was a friend?
Saying let’s be friends did not automatically make it true.
“Min Yu-un?”
Yoo Si-eon called me again, pulling me out of my daze.
I lifted my head and looked at the two people standing before me.
Yoo Si-eon.
Lee Soo-hyeon.
I needed a friend, even if only in name.
And right now, two classmates were standing in front of me.
Just go for it, huh.
The quest had not specified any particular requirements.
It had not said we had to be close.
It had not even said the other person had to like me.
Even so, I could not choose Yoo Si-eon.
He already had Han Tae-ryeong and Lee Soo-hyeon firmly by his side.
Even a moment ago, the mere fact that Yoo Si-eon was in my house had nearly made Lee Soo-hyeon explode.
If that was the case, there was only one option left.
“Lee Soo-hyeon.”
When I called to Lee Soo-hyeon from behind Yoo Si-eon, Yoo Si-eon’s expression shifted into something difficult to read.
I turned to Lee Soo-hyeon.
He met my gaze with a smile tinged with wariness and resentment.
I looked at him in silence for a moment, then extended my right hand.
“Let’s be friends.”
Lee Soo-hyeon and Yoo Si-eon froze at the same time.
Their faces twisted as if they had seen a ghost.
“What are you suddenly…”
“Be friends with me. Please.”
Lee Soo-hyeon only stared at me without saying a word.
When I took one step closer, he visibly flinched, his fingertips trembling.
“…Don’t joke around, Min Yu-un.”
“I’m not joking. I mean it.”
As always, my voice was undeniably sincere.
*****
I woke to the warm spill of morning sunlight.
Maybe because I was already beginning to adjust after just one day, I moved smoothly toward the bathroom. After changing into my school uniform, I took a bite of the bread I had bought the day before.
As I chewed, the events of yesterday came back to me.
The abrupt request for friendship.
When Lee Soo-hyeon heard those words, he could not hide his shock.
First, he shoved Yoo Si-eon out the door, apparently unable to stand the thought of the two of us remaining in the same space.
Ignoring the loud knocking that followed, Lee Soo-hyeon fixed me with a chilling stare.
“Min Yu-un.”
I waited silently for him to continue.
“Sorry, but I’ll never forgive you. Not in this lifetime.”
I stared blankly at Lee Soo-hyeon.
His face was hard. Resolute.
For some reason, a faint smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
Their bond really is strong.
Lee Soo-hyeon and Han Tae-ryeong despised Min Yu-un for one reason only.
Because he had bullied Yoo Si-eon.
Of course, bullying someone was no trivial matter. It was a serious wrong, one that deserved an apology.
And yet the world shunned not only perpetrators, but victims as well.
Cornered and isolated, victims often sharpened themselves just to survive.
I knew that all too well.
Friends who had once sworn they would never leave me.
Kind neighbors.
Even the so-called father who had suddenly appeared and preached about family bonds.
They had all abandoned me.
Because I had been backed into a corner.
Because I had grown defensive.
Because I was no longer useful.
But those three were different.
They had managed to preserve their friendship until the very end.
I could not help envying that.
“Min Yu-un.”
Lee Soo-hyeon’s voice brought me back to the present.
“You…”
As he stepped closer, I instinctively took two steps back.
Since I knew how much he loathed Min Yu-un, it was my way of showing consideration.
“Don’t feel bad that you can’t forgive me.”
At my words, the faint smile that had briefly lingered at the corner of Lee Soo-hyeon’s mouth vanished as if it had never been there.
“Feeling guilty is my burden to bear. Apologizing is my responsibility.”
I continued calmly as I watched him.
“You guys can just forget about it. I’ll remember, and I’ll keep making amends.”
Though I had done nothing wrong, I brushed a hand over my face to hide my thoughts.
When I lowered it again, my expressionless face concealed my emotions once more.
“I’ve said everything I needed to say. So you can go now.”
“…Friends.”
After a long silence, Lee Soo-hyeon finally spoke again, each word slow.
“Why did you ask me to be your friend?”
I paused, unsure how to answer, before replying.
“Because I wanted to know what it feels like to have one.”
I shrugged nonchalantly.
In the end, it was only for the quest, so I had no intention of forcing the matter.
But to my surprise, Lee Soo-hyeon accepted my request that day.