Chapter 73
“G-Greed? It’s not like that! I just…!”
Shin Ha-yeon shouted in shock, but her voice trailed off.
Meeting Moon Ah-rin’s gaze made her feel guilty, as if she had done something wrong—even though she hadn’t.
Could she honestly swear that she had never once envied Yoon Seol’s talent?
That after seeing that brilliant light, she had never once thought, I wish I could reach that place too?
If someone asked her that, she wouldn’t be able to answer.
“See?”
Ah-rin giggled.
“You were jealous, weren’t you? No need to hide it. It’s only natural. I thought that way over and over again when I stood next to Seol too.”
Her lazy tone sounded like she was reminiscing about the past.
“I wished that talent was mine.”
“……”
“But thanks to that, I worked hard and became who I am now.”
Ah-rin smiled and pressed further.
“But you’ve only known her for about a month. Do you really think you’ve risen above that kind of greed? Even if you say so out loud, deep down, I doubt it.”
“I-I…”
“Think carefully. Aren’t you blocking Seol’s future?”
Ha-yeon bit her lip tightly.
Even if she denied it, Ah-rin wouldn’t believe her.
The truth was, Ha-yeon herself wasn’t completely confident that her heart was free of even the smallest speck of jealousy.
Maybe that’s why she couldn’t convince anyone.
“It’s not even the final version. Just letting him hear a draft briefly—what’s the problem? I’m not even listening to it. I’ll pass it to the CEO, and after he hears it once, I’ll delete it immediately.”
“……”
“I’m Seol’s friend too. Do you really think I’d do something that would hurt her? If you still can’t trust me after I’ve said this much, then maybe you just don’t want to.”
Ah-rin shrugged casually.
“So.”
Her eyes gleamed like a snake’s.
“What are you going to do?”
Her words sounded convincing.
After all, Seol wasn’t a professional composer yet. It was just a student piece.
Seol hadn’t said it directly, but she would probably submit it as a school assignment anyway. Was it really that wrong to let someone hear it?
Maybe… maybe Ah-rin was right.
Maybe quietly handing over the song was actually the best thing for Seol.
Ha-yeon closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she made her decision.
She looked straight at Ah-rin.
“Still no.”
“…Ha.”
“No matter what, I can’t give Seol’s song away without her permission.”
That was the correct answer.
Maybe her personal feelings were involved. But in Ha-yeon’s opinion, this was right.
Ah-rin frowned slightly.
“…Really? That’s too bad.”
She took a step back.
Ha-yeon was just beginning to feel relieved—
“Were you writing lyrics?”
“Huh?”
Ah-rin pointed at the notebook on the table.
“It looked like it. Do you want to be a lyricist? I thought creative writing majors usually aimed to be novelists or poets. That’s interesting.”
The sudden change of topic caught Ha-yeon off guard, but she answered kindly.
“I’m not planning it as a career. It’s my first time trying. It’s harder than I thought, so I’m struggling. It’s not good enough to show anyone yet.”
“Really? Wow, that’s amazing!”
Ah-rin looked at her with sparkling, innocent admiration.
Embarrassed, Ha-yeon smiled shyly.
“Can I take a look?”
“Huh?”
“Lyrics aren’t connected to the song file, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
After hesitating, Ha-yeon nodded.
There was nothing sensitive in the notebook. No sheet music copied down. Just messy scribbles of words only she could properly understand.
“So this is how you write lyrics. Interesting.”
Ah-rin acted genuinely curious. She looked carefully through the notebook and even asked questions.
At first, Ha-yeon was confused, but soon she became excited and started explaining eagerly.
“Yes! In this part, I wanted it to hit harder and rise more sharply, so I thought about—”
Smack!
Suddenly, Ah-rin accidentally knocked over the cup on the table.
“Oh my! What do I do?!”
Half of the remaining coffee spilled toward Ah-rin.
Her white blouse was stained brown, and coffee pooled slightly on her skirt.
If she moved carelessly, it would spill onto the floor and make a bigger mess.
Ha-yeon jumped to her feet.
Ah-rin looked flustered and panicked.
“Stay still! I’ll get napkins!”
Ha-yeon quickly moved to go ask the staff for something to clean it up.
But just as she stepped away, she froze.
Ah-rin was sitting right next to her laptop.
“If I leave like this… will it be okay?”
How long would it take to explain the situation and bring back napkins?
Probably enough time for someone to open the already powered-on laptop and copy the file.
“Sorry. I caused trouble. At least it wasn’t hot, right?”
Ah-rin smiled brightly, as if she had no idea what Ha-yeon was thinking.
Her clothes were getting more stained by the second.
But Ha-yeon’s feet wouldn’t move.
The moment felt endless.
“What should I do? Am I overthinking this? But the timing feels too perfect…”
Part of her thought it was just coincidence.
Another part suspected something.
And she felt guilty for even doubting Ah-rin when she looked so innocent.
Her thoughts tangled together.
Just then—
“What the hell, Moon Ah-rin? What happened to you?”
“……!”
A familiar voice approached.
Ha-yeon turned her head.
It was a tall male student she recognized.
She had seen him greeting Seol before.
Jo Yoon-jae.
“Seol’s friend!”
For a second, Ha-yeon almost thought she saw a halo behind him.
She quickly spoke first.
“E-Excuse me! You’re Seol’s friend, right? The situation is a bit complicated. Could you stay here for a moment? I’ll quickly grab some napkins!”
She had never spoken that fast before.
She looked up at him desperately.
Yoon-jae looked back and forth between Ha-yeon and Ah-rin, scratching the back of his head.
He didn’t fully understand the situation, but it wasn’t a difficult request.
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
Ha-yeon bowed deeply and ran off.
“So.”
Yoon-jae placed his bag on the clean side of the table and tilted his head.
“Why are you like this?”
Ah-rin smiled calmly.
“I spilled coffee. That’s why.”
“I mean, why are you chatting so comfortably with Seol’s friend?”
She smiled lightly.
“That’s a funny way to put it. I’m Seol’s friend too. Is it strange to get along with a friend’s friend?”
Yoon-jae frowned slightly.
Something smelled off.
“Don’t worry. We just ran into each other and talked for a bit. I accidentally spilled coffee, that’s all.”
“…Fine.”
He nodded, though he wasn’t fully convinced.
“She must’ve been pretty startled. I don’t think she’s talked to you before, yet she asked you for help. As you can see, it’s iced coffee, so I’m not hurt. Go ahead and do whatever you were doing.”
“No. She asked me to stay. I’ll stay until she comes back.”
He clearly had no intention of leaving.
Ah-rin stared at him with a carefully drawn smile.
“What?”
Yoon-jae smirked slightly.
“Or is there a reason I shouldn’t be here?”
His sharp gaze fixed on her.
“What are you talking about?”
Ah-rin tilted her head innocently.
“Why are you being scary?”
Anyone watching would think she was an innocent victim.
Even someone who knew her true nature might doubt themselves for a moment.
But Yoon-jae just let out a short laugh.
Then he lowered his voice and spoke coldly.
“I don’t think what happened to Noona Se-ah was just a coincidence.”
“……”
“So be careful. Don’t try anything stupid. I’m watching you.”
