Chapter 9: Reunion

I spaced out, and an hour flew by. Fortunately, the first class was mostly pointless chatter.

The teacher, seemingly our homeroom teacher, maintained the energetic mood from her entrance, pumping her fists in a “fighting!” gesture before leaving.

After the teacher left, students began chatting with their classmates, the classroom quickly filling with the murmur of conversations.

…Except for me.

I didn’t dare move, afraid of upsetting the delinquent, so I couldn’t see what she was doing. I was too scared to speak, so I was forced to sit still.

Please, let nothing happen and let time pass quickly, I silently prayed.

But God was not on my side.

“Hey.”

The delinquent speaking confirmed God’s death. No one else would inflict this torment.

Or perhaps, it’s karmic retribution for my miserable life as a man.

“Yeah… what?”

Despite my pessimistic thoughts, I responded quickly. Was she trying to intimidate or interrogate me?

“Han Jihyun.”

“..Huh?”

“My name. It’s Han Jihyun.”

She stared blankly at me after introducing herself. I couldn’t understand and remained silent, feeling the growing tension. I blurted out,

“My name is Jia… Kim Jia.”

Even though I’d said it, Jihyun’s expression remained unchanged. Intimidated, I fidgeted with my hands.

“So, Kim Jia. Why do you want to be friends with me?”

“..Huh?”

“Why do you want to be friends with me?”

Why? Because I’m terrified. My earlier statement was a desperate attempt to avoid confrontation. Perhaps Jihyun noticed my lie.

Tears welled up. Why was I so unlucky on my first day of school? But I’d already said something, so I trembled, preparing to face the consequences.

“Just…”

“What?”

“I just… wanted to be friends.”

“Huh?”

Jihyun chuckled in disbelief. I ignored her and continued.

“Even though we just met… even though you look really intimidating… I still want to be friends. You’re incredibly pretty, and you seem nice, so I wanted to get closer.”

I finally said it. Nervous, I’d unintentionally revealed my fear, and watched Jihyun’s reaction. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to focus on that part.

“I seem nice?”

“….Yes!”

“What if I’m not nice?”

She continued asking difficult questions. This felt like a pressure interview… I just wanted it to end.

“It’s okay if you’re not nice. I… I just want to be friends with you. I like you.”

I mumbled this, half-delirious. Was it over? I looked at Jihyun; her face was tomato-red.

“Uh… Jihyun?”

Was she sick? I placed my hand on her forehead, where she had her hair rollers. I then placed my hand on my own forehead and compared them. It was strange; she didn’t seem to have a fever…

As I murmured, I noticed her face growing even redder. And she seemed to have gotten closer. I gently touched her right cheek.

“Jihyun, are you okay…?”

“”

She silently slapped my hand away, stood up, and ran out the back door. I stared at my rejected hand before regaining my composure. Was I too rude…? Once I started panicking, I couldn’t stop talking. But she didn’t hit me hard…

I felt another presence approach. I looked up to see a girl with neat brown hair and bright eyes looking at me.

“You’re a pro!”

“…Huh?”

“Or… no… maybe you’re acting unconsciously? This is a nine-tailed fox level of charm. A nine-tailed kumiho.”

She spoke without caring if I understood. Honestly, I didn’t understand a single thing she said.

After rambling, she chuckled at my bewildered expression and changed the subject.

“My name is Do Yejin! I really like you.”

“I…”

“You’re Kim Jia, right? Right? I already know.”

“Yes… that’s right.”

“We just met, but I like you, Jia. Want to be friends?”

I looked at the girl who introduced herself as Yejin. She had a soft face and an outgoing personality, making people comfortable. I nodded, entranced.

“Then, Jia, give me your phone.”

“My phone… suddenly? Okay.”

I was curious why she wanted my phone, but I handed it over without comment. I had nothing to hide.

Yejin tapped my phone for a moment before returning it. Confused, I stared at her, and she smiled brightly.

“This is my number. To celebrate our new friendship!”

I was slightly stunned. Exchanging numbers… It felt unusual; a faint thrill ran through me.

My face flushed slightly as I nodded. Even after Yejin returned to her seat, I stared at the number saved as “Yejin”.

Jihyun returned, having gone to the bathroom. I looked at her; her expression flickered between happiness and anger.

What…? Did I do something wrong?

While I was flustered, Jihyun snatched my phone, frowning disapprovingly. She typed a few times and gave it back.

[Jihyun]

[Yejin]

A new number had been added to my contacts: Jihyun’s.

The heart next to Yejin’s name seemed to have disappeared. I’d been surprised by the heart at first but hadn’t said anything since I assumed girls did that.

Was it a glitch? I turned off my phone and looked at Jihyun; she was smiling contentedly.

Her smile softened her features. I smiled back.

School was more enjoyable than I’d anticipated. I already had two friends: one eccentric, one intimidating, but I was happy.

Jihyun glanced at me, then quickly looked away. That was a bit confusing. She was clearly avoiding my gaze.

…I’ll get used to it soon, right?

School ended early today, perhaps because the teachers were too lazy to serve lunch.

I was glad it ended early, though Jihyun clearly wasn’t. But her awkward wave made me feel better.

I also greeted Yejin, who was with a girl who looked her age. She was outgoing and extroverted, so having friends wasn’t surprising.

Walking home alone after parting ways with Yejin felt good. This is what having friends feels like. I haven’t felt like this in a long time.

Feeling happy, I hummed as I walked, when I heard someone calling my name. I stopped.

I heard “Jia,” but was it my imagination? As I was about to continue walking, I heard my name called again.

That voice sounded familiar… I followed the sound and was suddenly grabbed from behind in a blind spot, causing my vision to shift.

Blink, blink. I blinked, unable to process the situation. A woman with long orange hair, reaching her chest, was looking down at me.

Ah, it was that person, the one who’d introduced herself as the head mod. Annoying, yet I wondered why she was here.

My position resembled the “wall bang” pose I’d seen online. She had me cornered, but unlike before, she seemed subdued.

What’s happening? I glanced at her arm, which was positioned near my head. Before I could speak, she spoke first.

“I… I’m sorry…!”

The pressure lifted, followed by a thud. What? Looking down, I saw her kneeling.

The self-assured head mod, who’d made me want to punch her, was kneeling before me.