Chapter 23: Same day

“No, I’m saying it’s not weird…”

I needed to explain myself to Jihyun, who was looking at me with suspicion. It wasn’t something to broadcast, but it wasn’t wrong.

“If it’s not weird, then come with me.”

I nodded miserably. Even though I knew Jihyun wasn’t a bad person, she was terrifying in this situation.

I cautiously stood, watching Jihyun. My phone was a bigger concern. My dropped phone lay on the floor, face down.

Surely not…? I tried to deny it, but I couldn’t be certain without seeing the screen.

I looked at Jihyun pleadingly; she reluctantly gestured for me to pick up my phone. It was my fault for browsing the gallery at school…but anyone would be startled by someone calling their name from behind.

I glared slightly; she seemed to say something like, “Whatever.” Does intimidation justify everything? It seemed so. I swallowed my anger and bent down carefully.

I hesitated to pick up my phone. I hadn’t mentally prepared myself. Thankfully, the visible part of the screen seemed undamaged; I sighed in relief.

Then, self-loathing crept in. If it was actually broken, there’d be no point in this. My actions seemed pointless.

“Hup…”

After a deep breath, I picked up my phone. Jihyun, who’d been watching, seemed puzzled, but this was important to me.

I’m not sure Jihyun actually cared; she might not have been paying attention. It was just speculation.

My thoughts swirled; I flipped the phone over. The screen looked undamaged; I didn’t see any scratches. A wave of disappointment washed over me.

But it was far better than a broken screen. If it were broken, I’d have started the day horribly. Seeing it was intact cheered me up.

“Hehe…”

Chuckling, I put the phone in my shirt pocket and stood up. My calves ached from crouching. It wasn’t overly painful, so I didn’t show it and turned around.

I felt guilty for taking so long. I hadn’t paid attention to Jihyun. She’d probably been silently observing me.

…Whatcha doin’?

But the words “What are you doing?” escaped before I could stop myself. It was pure curiosity, not malice. It was certainly not what I expected.

Jihyun avoided eye contact, covering her mouth with one hand. Her cheeks seemed slightly red. Her actions were difficult to interpret.

“…..You.”

“Yeah?”

“You… really…”

Wait, am I in the wrong? I blinked, looking at Jihyun, who was glancing at me. I hadn’t done anything wrong…

Jihyun seemed to be trying to say something, but her words were broken and difficult to understand. I leaned closer to hear better.

“You’re so careless!”

Oof! Why are you shouting? I stared at Jihyun, who shouted again, exasperated.

“Wearing a skirt and…”

What’s wrong with my skirt? I had no idea what she was trying to say. Jihyun seemed to give up.

“So… sorry…?”

“No… come with me.”

“…Okay!”

I replied cheerfully, my face crinkling in a grimace. I felt guilty and decided to follow her.

I followed Jihyun out of class, lost in thought. Looking up at her back, she seemed troubled.

Is it my imagination…? It was inappropriate to judge emotions based on the back of someone’s head.

If she’d stopped herself, it wasn’t important. I was curious, but ignorance was bliss.

I quietly followed her. I’d find out later, right? That’s what I thought.

But I overlooked one crucial detail: my uniform skirt was a tight skirt.

I hadn’t altered the length, but tight skirts naturally reveal the body’s shape.

And crouching made my figure more prominent; my thighs were visible. Jihyun had a clear view.

But I hadn’t noticed as a recent female. I’d unintentionally, yet subtly, seduced her.

So I had no way of knowing Jihyun was having impure thoughts. I would eventually find out, but not now.

I thought, ‘Jihyun is taller than I thought…’, and followed her absentmindedly.

***

Jihyun’s request was difficult to refuse. I agreed to think about it, but it was a complicated request.

Using the teacher’s lecturing as background noise, I recalled the morning. She’d asked me to eat lunch together.

It was strange. I knew Jihyun had a group of friends, and I’d seen her eat with them.

If she was having conflict with her friends and had to eat alone, I’d understand. But during break after the first class, that wasn’t the case.

Even if that were true, I’d already agreed to lunch with Yejin and Eunji. We each had our groups; eating together wouldn’t work.

I wanted to refuse, but I couldn’t be assertive, and Jihyun’s gaze was too intimidating. I postponed it.

I didn’t know how I’d handle it later… but I’d be eating with Yejin and Eunji today. That was enough for now.

I’ll deal with it later! I closed my eyes, thinking nonchalantly. My plans with my friends were more important.

I’d been slightly uneasy about the lack of specific time, but Eunji arrived after the first class, suggesting lunch. Yejin nodded.

They had unusually flexible schedules. But I’d already agreed, so it was fine.

I stared at Eunji and Yejin. I think Jihyun, who’d been talking with her group earlier, had glared at us. It was probably my imagination.

I dismissed the bad feeling and closed my eyes; lunch arrived quickly. At least I didn’t secretly use my phone.

I followed Yejin to Eunji’s class; Eunji went downstairs to check the menu. I was alone with Yejin.

“Jia.”

“Huh?”

Yejin broke the silence, calling my name. I looked at her questioningly.

“What kind of movies do you like?”

“Movies…?”

I hadn’t thought about it. Hesitating, I struggled to answer when Yejin said lightly,

“If you don’t know, it’s okay!”

“Uh… sorry.”

I looked at Yejin and smiled subtly. But I genuinely didn’t know. Seeing my sincerity, she asked again.

“What kind of movies don’t you like?”

“I hate horror movies.”

Horror is the first genre that comes to mind. I really dislike horror; it’s not that I’m cowardly.

“Pfft…!”

“What? Why are you laughing?”

I frowned, seeing her chuckle. Was she teasing me? I looked at her suspiciously.

“You’re cute.”

I knew what she was doing. I was clearly being teased. I was slightly angry.

“It’s not because I’m scared!”

“Yeah, yeah. I know you’re not scared.”

Her amused response annoyed me. I blurted out,

“W…want to bet?”

I would regret this within a week.