Episode 04
As soon as she got home, Jae-i collapsed face-down onto her bed.
She hadn’t even changed out of her school uniform yet. She knew she should at least put on something comfortable—but she didn’t have the strength to get back up. Right now, she just wanted to lie here forever.
I’m exhausted.
Bzzz.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she didn’t have the energy to check it. After it buzzed a few more times and finally went quiet, Jae-i slowly moved her hand.
She deleted a series of meaningless advertisement messages—then froze when she noticed a new name in her friends list.
Seo Eun-ho.
“I really want to be friends with you, Jae-i.
Would that be… not okay?”
She had sworn she wouldn’t get involved with the main characters.
She’d avoided them diligently—yet all that effort had been for nothing. In the end, Jae-i had agreed to become Seo Eun-ho’s friend.
But how was she supposed to say no when he leaned in so close and asked her like that?
I’m such a hopeless face-blind idiot.
Then again, Seo Eun-ho wasn’t much better—being drawn to her because she resembled his dog and all.
Well… maybe they were a little similar in that sense.
He’d invited her to come over next time to see Cotton Ball, but she postponed it. Eating together was one thing—getting any closer than that was something she wanted to be careful about.
What do I do now…
Her biggest concern, as expected, was Han Lee-hyun.
The one small comfort was that his full descent into madness didn’t begin until adulthood.
If I distance myself before then… maybe it’ll be okay.
Jae-i set the expiration date of this relationship at graduation. If she could grow distant even sooner, that would be ideal.
For example, classes might reshuffle in third year and naturally create distance. Or she could use the college entrance exam as an excuse.
A perfect excuse.
Besides, after graduation, we won’t meet anyway.
Having finished that dangerously optimistic thought, Jae-i slowly closed her blinking eyes.
She hadn’t even taken off her uniform yet, but sleep washed over her.
It had been a tiring day.
***
“Jae-i.”
The next day, just as promised, Seo Eun-ho came to find her at lunchtime.
As she finished tidying her desk and stood up awkwardly, Seo Eun-ho beamed and stuck close to her side.
For day one of friendship, the distance was far too close.
Feeling pressured, Jae-i drew her shoulders inward. Quick to notice, Seo Eun-ho stepped back slightly.
Only after seeing the small gap—about an arm’s length—did Jae-i finally relax.
“Shall we go?”
Tilting his head slightly, Seo Eun-ho smiled prettily.
Dazzled despite herself, Jae-i nodded obediently.
“I heard they’re serving spaghetti today.”
“Oh—really?”
“Do you like spaghetti, Jae-i?”
“I’m… okay with it—”
The moment they stepped out of the classroom, they ran into Han Lee-hyun.
He raised his hand to greet Seo Eun-ho—then froze when he noticed Jae-i beside him. His expression turned ice-cold in an instant.
His sharp gaze pierced into her, like he was looking at an obstacle he wanted gone immediately.
Jae-i had braced herself, but it was still terrifying.
He’s not already thinking about getting rid of me… right?
Please let that not be the case.
Anyone could see it—this was the look of someone panicking after spilling water they couldn’t clean up.
Still… what could she do?
She was the one who’d fallen for Seo Eun-ho’s face.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah, but who’s—”
“Jae-i’s going to eat with us from now on.”
Judging by Han Lee-hyun’s expression, this was not something he’d agreed to beforehand.
Trying to be polite, Jae-i mustered the courage to greet him first.
“H-Hi.”
“……”
Han Lee-hyun didn’t respond.
Not even a flicker of acknowledgment.
Frightened by his cold stare, Jae-i slowly lowered the hand she’d lifted to greet him.
It was clear—he had no intention of getting along with her.
Not even a little.
“Hey, you’re scaring Jae-i.”
Seo Eun-ho playfully smacked Han Lee-hyun’s shoulder.
Only then did Han Lee-hyun soften his expression, claiming he hadn’t done anything, and lightly kicked Seo Eun-ho’s leg.
“Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Seo Eun-ho gestured with his chin and moved to Jae-i’s side.
The hallway was too narrow for the three of them to walk side by side, so Han Lee-hyun had no choice but to follow behind.
Seo Eun-ho frequently turned back to chat with Han Lee-hyun.
Jae-i, meanwhile, kept her eyes forward.
The murderous glare drilling into the back of her head was too intense.
Is this really okay?
If she kept eating with Seo Eun-ho, she’d inevitably keep running into Han Lee-hyun.
He hadn’t crossed the line yet—but a rotten personality didn’t just disappear.
“Seo Eun-ho! Han Lee-hyun!”
Someone shouted their names from down the hallway.
Seo Eun-ho brightened instantly, but Han Lee-hyun let out an annoyed sigh.
A figure came running toward them, wearing his gym uniform top like a cape over his shoulders.
He leaped high into the air—so high it looked like he might hit the ceiling.
Whoa…
The jump alone was impressive enough to draw admiration.
“Hyah.”
With his own sound effect, the boy landed lightly and spread his shoulders wide.
Unlike Jae-i, who was startled by the sudden appearance, the other two looked completely used to it.
“What’s up, Jung Da-um? Not going to play soccer?”
“I’ll go later.”
Grinning, Jung Da-um slung an arm over Han Lee-hyun’s shoulder.
Ignoring Han Lee-hyun’s visible disgust, he leaned into him—then finally noticed Jae-i.
“Who’s this?”
“She’s in my class. She’s going to eat with us from now on.”
At Seo Eun-ho’s introduction, Jung Da-um stared at Jae-i.
“Hi,” she said awkwardly.
His serious expression instantly melted into a bright, sunshine-like smile.
Though his vibe was different from Seo Eun-ho or Han Lee-hyun, Jung Da-um was undeniably handsome too.
It almost felt like they only befriended people based on looks.
“I’m Jung Da-um. Nice to meet you.”
“I-I’m Yoo Jae-i. Nice to meet you too.”
“Jae-i—pretty name.”
Letting go of Han Lee-hyun, Jung Da-um moved beside Jae-i.
All the way to the cafeteria, he bombarded her with questions.
What did she like?
Was she interested in soccer?
What did she do after school?
What was her number?
Did she use Star-Star?
None of them were difficult to answer, so she replied one by one—but by the time they arrived, Jae-i felt completely drained.
“Do you play games?”
“A-A little…”
“Then next time, before my rank-up, we can—”
“If you’re going to the PC café, I’m coming too.”
Seo Eun-ho cut in abruptly, finally stopping the waterfall of questions.
As the two bickered, Jae-i stepped back and exhaled in relief.
Just as she was catching her breath—
Thud.
The back of her head bumped into something solid.
Thinking it was a wall, she turned around—only to find Han Lee-hyun’s chest.
“S-Sorry.”
She apologized quickly, but his hardened expression didn’t soften.
Jae-i shrank back, trembling with fear.
“Hey.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Are you close with Seo Eun-ho?”
After hesitating, Jae-i shook her head.
They’d just become friends. They were still getting to know each other.
What did you call a relationship like that again?
“S-Situationship?”
“…What?”
The word slipped out before she could stop it.
She’d lost her mind. This wasn’t the time to say that.
She had to correct the misunderstanding before Han Lee-hyun jumped to conclusions.
“N-No, that was a mistake, I meant—”
“Shit.”
Han Lee-hyun muttered the curse lowly.
That wasn’t what she’d meant at all.
But Jae-i swallowed her protest.
If she said anything more, he’d hate her even more—and his glare was already terrifying enough.
“Don’t get cocky just because Seo Eun-ho looks after you.”
“I-I never did…”
She protested weakly.
She’d never asked Seo Eun-ho to take care of her. She’d never bragged about it either.
She’d tried to keep her distance.
Seo Eun-ho was the one who kept approaching her.
And yet—Han Lee-hyun spoke as if she’d clung to him first.
I kept rejecting him…
“Got it?”
Faced with the brutal warning, Jae-i had no choice but to nod.
