# Chapter 84
Fresh or whatever—at the moment when the sky cleared as if showing mercy to me in my predicament, I tried to make a run for it. I didn’t have the confidence to face him normally after hearing such words.
Of course, considering how long I’d been with Ji Haecheon, nothing major had happened, but the moment I heard something like “you’re fresh,” it was mentally as if I’d faced the biggest crisis.
Anyway, moving past that, the problem was that my escape attempt had failed. Yes, I’m still with Ji Haecheon. Damn it.
Literally caught by the nape of my neck, I managed to turn my head and glared at Ji Haecheon. Even when meeting my gaze, he just snorted dismissively.
As I struggled, wondering how to escape from this devil’s clutches, I suddenly felt a wave of self-loathing. I felt incompetent, unable to properly resolve even this one thing.
“…Let’s just go our separate ways now.”
You can’t even use the rain as an excuse anymore! We’ve talked enough, with you saying nonsense like not having an umbrella!
Shouting these unspoken words in my heart, I struggled again. I couldn’t maintain this incredibly awkward standoff forever. With that feeling, I struggled as hard as I could, and Ji Haecheon pretended to give in, releasing his grip on my nape.
As I broke free from Ji Haecheon’s grasp, the reaction propelled my body forward. I naturally moved further away from Ji Haecheon. I felt relieved at the comfortable distance and exhaled.
“Lee Habin.”
At Ji Haecheon’s low call, I half-turned my upper body, and our eyes met. Why was he calling me? Full of wariness, I increased the distance between us even more, which made Ji Haecheon frown.
We hadn’t even been together for 30 minutes, but I feel like I’ve seen his expression twist more than ten times already. He’s going to get wrinkles at this rate. While I was having these completely useless thoughts, he spoke.
“Aren’t you curious about where Kwon Dojin went?”
His tone was quite meaningful. For a moment, I just blinked at his attitude, as if he had some big secret.
“I already know, though?”
“…What?”
“I said I know. He went to his family home. Kwon Dojin told me yesterday.”
He even told me that he might be difficult to reach. He said once he goes to the family home, he wouldn’t have the mental capacity to contact anyone, and I remembered how he held both my hands tightly and murmured dejectedly.
Ji Haecheon, who apparently hadn’t expected my answer, pushed his hair back and exhaled with a sigh.
“So he even told you that much?”
Ji Haecheon’s gaze changed as he looked at me. And the moment his arm moved, I reflexively backed away. If I got caught again and heard something like “you’re fresh,” I knew I wouldn’t be able to endure it this time and would definitely scream.
As I remained vigilant, not taking my eyes off Ji Haecheon, he smirked as if something was amusing. I didn’t like his relaxed attitude, but I didn’t have the courage to say anything.
“Kwon Dojin must consider you special, huh?”
“I don’t want to know about that…”
Do the characters in romance novels have no sense of embarrassment or shame? Cringeworthy words kept pouring out so naturally.
Others might view it positively as a sign of honesty, but from my perspective, it wasn’t good for my mental health in a different way. Maybe a letter full of insults would have less impact on my mental well-being.
“You know what?”
“What are you going to say this time?”
I’m seriously scared because I don’t know what he’s going to say.
I wasn’t afraid of Ji Haecheon in terms of physical harm since I’d never experienced that from him, but I was afraid because I’d suffered plenty of mental damage. Getting away from Ji Haecheon as quickly as possible would be best, but as long as he kept grabbing me, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Kwon Dojin hates talking about his family home. Like crazy.”
I looked glumly at Ji Haecheon, who was whispering as if revealing some great secret. So what am I supposed to do about that?
It’s true that Kwon Dojin had mentioned his family home to me, but he only said he was going there tomorrow. I mean, he never told me any details like what his home was like.
So why was he speaking as if it was something so special?
“He hates even mentioning when he’s going there.”
Ji Haecheon slightly bent his waist and leaned his face toward me. Since he showed no intention of maintaining distance, I backed away again.
“Ah, it’s cold-.”
As I moved, a drop of water fell on my cheek, making my shoulders flinch. Just as I was about to raise my arm to wipe away the remaining moisture, Ji Haecheon’s palm touched my wet cheek.
“Aren’t you curious about why he’s like that?”
“No. I’m not curious.”
Getting involved in other people’s business could quickly lead to my own downfall. Without even thinking, I shook my head right away, which made Ji Haecheon’s eyes narrow.
As if gauging whether I was being sincere, we just exchanged glances in silence for a moment. The palm still touching my cheek was bothersome, so I pulled back once more.
“Even if I’m curious, I’ll ask Kwon Dojin. It’s fine if you don’t tell me.”
“Is that so?”
I made sure to emphasize this point, just in case. Besides, what’s the big deal if a teenager dislikes their family home? All kids go through that as they grow up.
“Anyway, if you’ve said everything you wanted to say, I’m leaving.”
As I pretended to turn around, Ji Haecheon raised his arm. This was already the second time—no, more than that? Anyway, having been caught that many times was starting to irritate me.
Time was being wasted, and what little sociability I had for today was running out. Maybe that’s why I was rapidly becoming tired and wanted to go home right away.
“I’ve known Kwon Dojin since we were quite young.”
…Excuse me?
I was taken aback by this contextless statement. I couldn’t understand what his intention was. My feelings must have been evident on my face, but Ji Haecheon continued undisturbed.
“I’ve seen all the people who cling to Kwon Dojin.”
“Oh-, I see.”
“Those people usually have one thing in common.”
Is this possibly that thing? The Ji Haecheon version of ‘I’m the closest to him!’?
A strange certainty settled in Ji Haecheon’s eyes as he arrogantly lifted his chin. An incredibly arrogant certainty, as if he couldn’t be wrong.
“They all fall away when I tease them a little. For instance-, right. Even what I did to you today is too much for them. After just a few such pranks, they go from acting like his closest friend to turning their backs on him like a complete stranger.”
Ji Haecheon reached out and lightly grasped a strand of my hair. I could feel it slipping softly through his fingers with a rustling sound. I could see his darkened eyes flickering.
“I wonder how you’ll be?”
Elation. Yes, that’s elation.
It was worth racking my brains to decipher that incomprehensible emotion. As a side effect, I missed most of what Ji Haecheon said, but if it was important, wouldn’t he repeat it?
Still, I didn’t completely miss it. Based on words like “common trait” and “turning their backs,” if I think about it—
“I wouldn’t know.”
People can fight even after being incredibly close if something doesn’t match up, or naturally grow apart if they end up in different classes. Or if someone transfers schools, contact might be cut off. Though transferring is an unlikely event.
Anyway, most of the human relationships I’d experienced so far were like that. It wasn’t strange; rather, I thought it was natural.
So it’s entirely possible that things might become awkward with Kwon Dojin. If that happens, I’d be sad and might try to maintain our relationship as it was before, but I’ll know when the time comes.
“Have you always been like this?”
“Like what?”
“I mean, have you always acted this way whenever Kwon Dojin makes a close friend?”
Ji Haecheon’s eyebrow twitched at my question. There must be something he didn’t like. Instead of answering right away, he looked me over as if observing me.
“…Yes, I have.”
Ji Haecheon, who readily affirmed it, curved the corners of his eyes and smiled. Since it was the first time I’d seen him smile rather than smirk, I gasped slightly in surprise.
Seeing him smile like this, he might actually be quite handsome.
“I absolutely hate seeing Kwon Dojin smile.”
Of course, unlike his pretty smile, his twisted words immediately extinguished that thought.
“I’m actually grateful to you.”
“Huh?”
“Maybe it’s because he’s been betrayed so often. Kwon Dojin hasn’t made any close friends for years.”
And then you showed up this year.
Thanks to Ji Haecheon, who was smiling as if this was truly a pleasant topic, I barely managed to prevent my expression from twisting. What made this kid’s personality so warped?
“Your personality is awful.”
I tried to hold back, but it wasn’t easy. On one hand, it was absurd, and on the other, I felt sorry for Kwon Dojin who was suffering unnecessarily after getting involved with such a person.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
I clenched my fist, annoyed at Ji Haecheon for throwing my words right back at me. If it were possible, I’d really want to hit him just once. While I was trembling, Ji Haecheon burst into cheerful laughter.
“I’m glad Kwon Dojin seems to value you more than anyone else.”
“Value me more than anyone? There’s no way—”
“Who knows Kwon Dojin better, me or you?”
Ji Haecheon bent down to meet my eyes, cutting off my words and whispering in a subtle, provocative voice. Leaving him to his own devices as he regained his pace and acted confidently twisted my mood.
I wish that smile would break. Just once, yeah. Just once, let’s try to get under his skin. Based on Ji Haecheon’s attitude so far, I picked something he would likely hate.
“You know, if you want to get close to Kwon Dojin, wouldn’t it be better to talk to him directly instead of acting like this with me?”
“…What?”
“You’re doing this because you wish you were Kwon Dojin’s closest friend, right?”
Ji Haecheon’s intense eyes contorted. It was clearly a glare, so I gently waved my right hand to indicate I was joking. Of course, this too was intentional.
Because I know this kind of attitude irritates people.
“You think I’m doing this because I want to be close to that bastard?”
“If I’m mistaken—”
“With that scumbag who deserves to be torn to shreds? Me? After all the hell he’s put me through? You’ve got to be kidding—!”
“What the—?”
“Baek Han?”
Just as things were starting to feel dangerous and I was about to take a step back, a familiar figure blocked my path. I could only blink blankly at the completely unexpected appearance.
“What are you doing cornering one kid? Are you threatening him? Why are you shouting in the street?”
Tak, a sound like something being hit echoed. With Baek Han’s back blocking my view, I tilted my head trying to assess the situation when I noticed a somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar child at my feet.
“Baek Han, what right do you have to butt in?”
“Ah-ah. So I should have just walked by, is that it? You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve been up to things you don’t usually do these days—is that because your head has hardened like a rock?”
As our eyes met, the child approached as if it had been waiting, sniffing my hand with its moist nose before proceeding to lick my skin with its tongue.
“Let’s just go our separate ways, okay? It’s obvious that you, Ji Haecheon—”
“Kuhp! W-wait a moment—. It tickles, Poppo—”
“Woof!”
As if it perfectly understood its name, the dog barked in response as soon as I called it. At that, both Baek Han and Ji Haecheon’s gazes turned toward me.
“What are you doing?”
“Well… ask Poppo.”
Feeling guilty for interrupting the serious atmosphere, I avoided their gaze and shifted the responsibility to Poppo. Poppo, hearing its name called again, responded with another bark. Poppo’s innocent and bright demeanor, contrary to its imposing appearance, brightened the surroundings.
Regardless of the atmosphere, Poppo dominated the space, wagging its tail enthusiastically, happy that Baek Han had turned to look at it.
