After getting ready for school, I glanced toward the corner of my vision, where the quest window had been fixed in place.
Even though I had cleared the second quest, the next one still hadn’t appeared. It didn’t feel as if I had finished all the quests, either. Maybe the system was simply stunned by what I had done. Min Yu-un had certainly seemed surprised that I had somehow managed to become friends with Lee Soo-hyeon.
I guess he never expected me to make friends in such a ridiculous way.
Fair enough. Even looking back on it now, it was absurd.
[So, you’re friends with Lee Soo-hyeon now, right?]
Min Yu-un, who had kept silent since yesterday, finally spoke up.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
[Do you go to school together?]
Caught off guard by the random question, I gave a faint shake of my head.
“No.”
[But friends usually go to school together.]
“Min Yu-un, are you seriously asking because you don’t know?”
Only then did he seem to understand, because he fell silent again.
The reason Lee Soo-hyeon had agreed to be my friend was obvious. A little pity. That was probably all it was. In other words, it was nothing more than a superficial friendship in name only.
And that was exactly the kind of relationship I wanted.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder, opened the front door, glanced around for no reason, and let out a sigh. Maybe it was because of what Min Yu-un had said, but without realizing it, I had been clinging to a sliver of hope.
What was I expecting?
As if one conversation yesterday would suddenly lead to us walking to school together.
The thought itself was laughably foolish.
Scolding myself, I forced my heavy feet forward.
*****
I feel so stiff.
After sitting through classes with nothing to do, my whole body felt locked up. I rubbed my shoulder and stood, thinking I would take a short walk down the hallway.
I could feel eyes flicking toward me from several directions, but they soon lost interest. I leaned against the windowsill and stretched. A cool breeze brushed the back of my neck.
Enjoying the pleasant chill, I let my gaze drift toward one end of the hallway.
Han Tae-ryeong was walking there.
Fortunately, he did not seem to notice me, so I turned away. I intended to return to the classroom before we crossed paths. After all, this was not Yoo Si-eon or Lee Soo-hyeon.
It was Han Tae-ryeong.
The same Han Tae-ryeong who had stomped on the cream bun I had given him.
I did not hold any personal grudge against him. Min Yu-un had done something wrong, so punishment had been deserved. But that did not mean I could easily ignore how awkward things were. Now that everything had finally quieted down, I had no desire to stir up more trouble.
But before I could leave, someone suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Min Yu-un.”
It was Yoo Si-eon, looking at me with a slight frown.
“Let’s talk for a bit.”
“…You and me?”
I asked before I could stop myself.
I thought everything had already been settled. What more was there to say?
[He already got your apology, so why can’t he just leave?!]
As usual, Min Yu-un’s voice rang sharply through my head, loud enough to give me a headache. The piercing sound made my temples throb, and I pressed my fingers against them.
“…Does your head hurt?”
Realizing my mistake, I quickly lowered my hand.
“No, I’m fine.”
Yoo Si-eon stared at me with an unreadable expression. The atmosphere felt heavy enough that I had to choose my words carefully.
“Then let’s talk. Or would you rather wait until lunch?”
“No. Let’s go now. There’s an empty classroom we can—”
“Yoo Si-eon.”
A familiar voice cut through the air.
Harsh, rough, and cold.
“And Min Yu-un.”
Yoo Si-eon and I both turned toward the same place.
Han Tae-ryeong stood there, his eyes sharp as ice. With the three of us gathered together, the pressure radiating from him felt even heavier, amplified by his towering height.
“So yesterday’s apology was just an act, huh? Seeing you approach Yoo Si-eon again like this.”
I shut my mouth.
Whether he misunderstood or not, I did not feel any need to explain. I had already apologized. What difference would it make now?
But someone else spoke in my defense.
“Min Yu-un apologized sincerely. I’m the one who asked him to talk this time.”
“…Yoo Si-eon, are you really that stupid?”
Han Tae-ryeong’s murderous gaze swept over me.
“Stupid enough to defend this piece of trash?”
“Han Tae-ryeong, watch your damn mouth—”
“Min Yu-un.”
Ignoring Yoo Si-eon, Han Tae-ryeong took a step toward me.
“Let me make this clear. Don’t try any pathetic tricks. I’m not someone you can fool.”
[…Why is it always me?]
Min Yu-un’s voice sounded close to tears.
Chaos on both sides, huh?
Suppressing a sigh, I let my eyes drift slightly, keeping my usual expressionless face.
“…I’m sorry.”
In the end, another apology was the only thing I could offer.
Han Tae-ryeong scoffed, one corner of his mouth twisting into a sneer.
“Since when did you become a parrot that only knows how to say sorry?”
“Hey, Han Tae-ryeong.”
“Yoo Si-eon, I don’t get you either. Do you really believe a word that bastard says?”
Yoo Si-eon’s lips tightened into a hard line, and Han Tae-ryeong gave a dry chuckle, as if to say, See? I knew it.
“You still don’t know how to deal with this? Should I teach you myself?”
“Cut it out. This is my problem, so stay out of it and get lost.”
“Get lost? Is that what you say to a friend of ten years?”
A friend of ten years?
That was unexpected.
So the main character and the main love interest were childhood friends? Well, the surprise was quickly buried under sheer annoyance. If I stayed here any longer, I would definitely get dragged into this mess, even after the bell rang.
“…Should I just kneel?”
I muttered it absentmindedly.
It was barely more than a whisper, but Yoo Si-eon and Han Tae-ryeong’s gazes snapped to me at once. After a moment, Han Tae-ryeong shoved his hands into his pockets with an arrogant shrug.
“Yeah. Go ahead. Kneel.”
“…”
[What kind of bullshit is that?!]
Min Yu-un’s furious shout echoed in my mind, but my knees had no value left anyway.
After all, I had already knelt hundreds of times before.
One more would not change anything.
As I slowly lowered myself, my gaze dropped toward the floor. Yoo Si-eon’s eyes widened in shock, and he opened his mouth.
“Min Yu-un!”
Just as my knee was about to touch the ground, someone grabbed my arm.
A rough grip yanked me upright in an instant, leaving me frozen for a moment. The dull ache in my wrist was nothing compared to the unsettlingly familiar presence now standing beside me.
“Is this your doing again, Yoo Si-eon?”
Bad premonitions never failed to come true.
I clenched my teeth as the urge to bolt surged through me. Standing there with an infuriatingly self-righteous expression was none other than Jin Ha-seong. I tried to hide how pale I had gone, but my tightly clenched fists trembled despite my efforts.
Right now, what I needed most was peace.
If I fought back and caused a scene, it could lead to the exact opposite of what Min Yu-un wanted. This whole ordeal could have ended quietly if I had just knelt and been done with it.
So why did Jin Ha-seong, of all people, have to interfere?
Dizziness blurred my vision.
I had gone through all that trouble apologizing to everyone and clearing Quest 2. I could not let all my hard work go to waste now. If I failed to deal with Jin Ha-seong here and now, he would only remain a thorn in my side. Worse, if things got too messy, the quest might reset, or I might have to go through the entire apology process all over again.
“…Yoo Si-eon.”
Jin Ha-seong’s voice grated against my ears, as if he were issuing a warning. His cold tone was probably meant to sound intimidating, but to me, it was laughable.
“Leave Min Yu-un alone already. How much longer are you going to bully him before you’re satisfied?”
My stomach dropped at the absurdity of his words.
“…What?”
Yoo Si-eon’s eyes visibly wavered as he repeated the word in disbelief.
Han Tae-ryeong’s clenched jaw twitched, veins standing out along his neck as if he were grinding his teeth hard enough to crack them.
This situation was driving me insane.
It was Han Tae-ryeong who had ordered me to kneel. Yoo Si-eon had actually been defending me. On top of that, I was the one who had offered to kneel first.
And yet that idiot Jin Ha-seong was venting his anger at Yoo Si-eon instead of Han Tae-ryeong.
Anyone with half a brain knew that Min Yu-un’s group had been tormenting Yoo Si-eon all this time. And yet Jin Ha-seong had the nerve to twist the facts so blatantly.
“Ha!”
Han Tae-ryeong’s scoff, thick with disbelief, made the absurdity of the moment even clearer.
It had probably always been like this.
Compared to the terrifying Han Tae-ryeong and Lee Soo-hyeon, Yoo Si-eon was the easier target. Someone they could harass under the pretense of “teaching him a lesson,” while keeping a convenient scapegoat ready in case things went wrong.
After all, what did it matter if Min Yu-un resented Yoo Si-eon?
To the followers, the only thing that mattered was asserting dominance through bullying and making sure someone else would take the blame if everything went south.
How could I have forgotten?
I had experienced that same cowardly, vicious culture firsthand in high school. Just thinking about how I had played along with Jin Ha-seong’s nonsense yesterday made me want to punch myself.
So the cream bun incident.
That had probably been Jin Ha-seong’s doing too.
I had not even ordered him to do it, yet he had taken it upon himself to swap the bun for the expired one. I could not tell whether he was being diligent or just presumptuous.
“Yoo Si-eon, the more you act like this, the more Min Yu-un will—!”
Without thinking, I slapped my hand over Jin Ha-seong’s mouth to stop him from saying another word.