Jin Ha-seong’s eyes widened, but he swallowed the rest of his words.
The annoyance I had barely managed to suppress surged back in full force. After making sure Jin Ha-seong had gone quiet, I turned toward the other two.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”
I forced the words out quickly, then took a moment to steady my breathing.
If I simply said what I needed to say and ran off, it might create unnecessary misunderstandings. It might look as if I were apologizing only to get it over with, or as if I had plotted something with Jin Ha-seong. The frantic pounding of my heart slowly began to calm.
“I have nothing to do with him. He acted on his own. And I really am reflecting on everything I did.”
“Ha! Reflecting?”
Han Tae-ryeong let out a sharp laugh.
“You think anyone here is stupid enough to forget how you and that bastard used to torment Yoo Si-eon?”
I swallowed hard, unable to refute him.
Letting go of Jin Ha-seong’s mouth, I took a step back and kept my expression composed.
“We’re not anything anymore. We cut ties, didn’t we, Jin Ha-seong?”
“W-what?”
“Right?”
I tilted my head slightly, locking eyes with him in a gaze as sharp as a blade.
Jin Ha-seong stammered, but in the end, he nodded.
“Y-Yeah! We’re done!”
Watching him made me want to smack my own forehead.
We were telling the truth, so why did he have to make it sound like we were putting on a terrible play?
“Well, we weren’t even friends to begin with, so what ties were there to cut?”
I muttered it under my breath.
You could only cut ties with someone if there had been a bond in the first place. But there had never been anything like that between us. Just power, money, and nothing more.
Jin Ha-seong might have worshiped Min Yu-un, but Min Yu-un had never truly opened his heart to him.
I felt a prickling gaze on me.
When I turned my head slightly, I met Yoo Si-eon’s eyes. His expression was difficult to read. The moment our gazes locked, he quickly looked away and spoke.
“Han Tae-ryeong, just drop it and go.”
“Yoo Si-eon…”
“What, are you trying to act like some petty tyrant? Demanding someone kneel and beg for forgiveness?”
At that, Han Tae-ryeong’s lips twisted into a cold smile.
“Then sure. I’ll be a tyrant. So until he kneels, I’m not letting him go.”
Yoo Si-eon’s brow furrowed into a deep scowl. Even Jin Ha-seong, who had been silent until now, looked ready to jump in.
This argument did not seem like it would end anytime soon.
The tension pressing down on us was starting to wear me out.
At this point, I was simply tired of everything. I had no idea how else I was supposed to explain myself. What did I have to do, slap Jin Ha-seong across the face?
My eyelids felt unbearably heavy.
“Maybe I should just kneel… ugh.”
As I started to lower myself, a faint gasp slipped from my lips.
“Why are you kneeling?”
Yoo Si-eon’s hand clamped around my wrist to stop me. The pain that shot through me at his touch was sharp and immediate, a leftover from Jin Ha-seong’s rough grip earlier.
“That hurts, Yoo Si-eon.”
I spoke as carefully as I could.
Yoo Si-eon flinched and quickly let go, guilt flashing across his face.
“Ah, sorry.”
I rubbed my wrist, which still throbbed faintly.
“It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize.”
For some reason, my words made something flicker in his eyes.
As we stared at each other, the bell rang.
Without hesitation, Yoo Si-eon grabbed my arm again, gentler this time, and pulled me into the classroom.
Han Tae-ryeong did not try to stop me anymore. Jin Ha-seong had already disappeared, probably having bolted back to his own class the second the bell rang.
Yoo Si-eon lightly pushed me toward my seat.
“Let’s talk at lunch.”
There goes my chance to get some sleep.
I sighed softly as I watched him head back to his seat.
*****
The moment the lunch bell rang, I shot to my feet, determined to escape before Yoo Si-eon could catch me.
I needed a break.
Just a moment to breathe and sort out my thoughts.
But my resolve did not last long.
“Min Yu-un.”
I froze, then slowly turned my head.
Lee Soo-hyeon was standing there.
Without hesitation, he closed the distance between us. His breathing was slightly uneven, as if he had hurried to catch me. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.
“Stick with me.”
“…Huh?”
I blinked, unable to understand what he meant.
Lee Soo-hyeon roughly ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.
“I heard something happened this morning. You don’t want any more trouble, right?”
“…”
“So stay with me during lunch.”
I could guess what he was trying to say.
Stop messing around. Don’t provoke Yoo Si-eon or Han Tae-ryeong. Just sit quietly somewhere I can keep an eye on you.
Honestly, I understood.
And if that was what it took to keep the peace, I was willing to comply.
I lifted my head and met Lee Soo-hyeon’s gaze. He seemed strangely uncertain, looking everywhere except directly at me.
The silence stretched on until I finally spoke.
“…Why? Is there something on my face?”
“No. It’s just… you’re not smiling.”
Lee Soo-hyeon faltered, as if I had caught him thinking something he should not have said.
It was not easy to guess what was going on.
Lee Soo-hyeon without a smile was almost inconceivable.
Lee Soo-hyeon was always smiling. In the moments I had seen myself, and in the novel, too. No matter how vile Min Yu-un’s actions had been, Lee Soo-hyeon had never lost that smile.
“Ah.”
Lee Soo-hyeon let out a soft sound.
Eventually, he managed to form a smile, but the corners of his lips trembled faintly.
I frowned.
It did not look right.
“Lee Soo-hyeon.”
Calling his name, I reached out.
My index finger touched the corner of his mouth and gently pressed down on the quivering curve.
“Don’t smile.”
“What?”
“I said, don’t smile. You don’t have to.”
Lee Soo-hyeon’s lips slowly relaxed.
His expression melted into dazed confusion.
“…Say that again.”
“You don’t have to smile. So stop forcing yourself.”
I quietly lowered my hand.
Lee Soo-hyeon’s gaze followed my fingers as they fell.
“Or just… don’t smile at me.”
Perhaps that was unexpected, because Lee Soo-hyeon stared at me as if trying to decipher the meaning behind my words.
“What… do you mean by that?”
“You know what I mean. I’m not someone who deserves anyone’s smile.”
This time, Lee Soo-hyeon was the one who frowned.
“What are you…”
“Oh, right. There was something I wanted to say.”
My eyes drifted slightly as I searched for the system window that still had not appeared.
And yet the previous quests had not vanished. They still existed.
And I had cleared them all.
“You don’t have to be my friend.”
[Wait a minute, Seong Yu-un. What are you doing?]
I tuned out Min Yu-un’s disgruntled voice echoing in my head.
I did not want to tie Lee Soo-hyeon to me.
The quest was over now, after all.
It would be better to make a clean break.
I had thought it through. Lee Soo-hyeon had helped me purely out of kindness, and I did not want his compassion to drive a wedge between him and Yoo Si-eon or Han Tae-ryeong.
More than that, I was afraid I might start expecting things from him again, just like I had that morning.
“I can’t do that.”
Lee Soo-hyeon clenched his fists tightly.
“A relationship can’t be one-sided. Not when it begins, and not when it ends.”
Well, every relationship I had ever had had been one-sided from beginning to end.
So I could not relate to his words.
Or rather, I could not believe them.
“So no. I won’t.”
“Lee Soo-hyeon.”
“I said no.”
“…”
I was in no position to argue.
I pressed my lips together, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
That was when the system window appeared without warning.
[Quest 3: Draw out a positive emotion from Han Tae-ryeong.]
[★ TIP: A sweet tip for the socially awkward you! ★]
[If you’re not sure what to say, why not talk about something you like?]
My brows furrowed slightly.
An absurd quest.
Of all people, it had to be Han Tae-ryeong?
Draw out a positive emotion from the person who loathed and despised me the most?
“Min Yu-un?”
Lost in thought, I did not register Lee Soo-hyeon calling my name.
Or perhaps, deep down, I had not wanted to respond.
After all, Min Yu-un was not my real name.
“…Yu-un.”
My head snapped up.
“What did you just call me?”
Lee Soo-hyeon only bit his lip, silent.