# Chapter 38
“Be careful, I’m telling you! It’s bad enough you should be avoiding trouble, and now you’re making plans for the weekend?”
I jumped in surprise when the kid who had been zoning out suddenly shouted.
Then I realized my sister had just casually planted a flag, and I slapped my forehead. It’s a universal rule in all novels that when you try to avoid something, you end up getting even more entangled.
I couldn’t help but sigh, thanks to my sister who seemed to be performing a ritual to ensure I would not only get entangled but completely tied up.
“Why are you suddenly hitting your forehead?”
“Never mind…”
Right, what would my sister know? I’m the only one who knows this world has gone crazy because of Inso.
Honestly, I wanted to flick her forehead, but knowing she was genuinely concerned, I held back. Instead, I lightly tapped the top of her head and walked toward my room, hearing her grumbling behind me.
Let’s just be grateful she only planted one flag. After changing my clothes and finishing drying my hair, I left my room again, and Lee Yumin, who was still watching TV, reacted.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“I get that you can’t avoid your plans, but don’t go to the arcade.”
“Why the arcade all of a sudden?”
Though I had no plans to go there anyway, her mention made me curious. I tilted my head questioningly, and Yumin clicked her tongue.
“There’s an arcade that people in the ranking often visit. So even if Dojin-nim suggests going there, absolutely don’t go.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
We were going to the movie theater anyway, and I planned to avoid arcades as much as possible since they’re common trouble spots in Inso.
As I checked my belongings one last time and put on my shoes, it occurred to me that our conversation might have been another flag. It might be an overreaction, but I had that feeling.
“It must be my imagination…”
I really hope it’s just my imagination. I let out a deep sigh and left the house. Even if something went wrong, Kwon Dojin would handle it, so it should be fine.
On my way to the bus stop to get to the movie theater where we agreed to meet, I spotted a familiar-looking back of someone’s head and tilted my head. The back figure looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place who it was.
Anyway, I’d find out once I got closer, so I continued walking. After checking the bus schedule and turning my head, there was someone I really hadn’t expected.
“You, you-“
“Uh…”
Should I greet him?
“Kwon Dojin’s bitch!”
“I’m not Kwon Dojin’s bitch.”
Contrary to my hesitation, I immediately frowned at his words. I didn’t understand why he called me that again. Seeing my reaction, he awkwardly lowered the finger he had been pointing at me.
“You’re not his bitch?”
“No, I’m not. We’re friends, friends.”
“Friends? Really friends?”
“Yes, and by the way, your name is…?”
Embarrassingly, despite the now familiar face, I couldn’t remember his name, so I asked awkwardly. After speaking, I wondered if I really needed to know, but I couldn’t take back the words.
“…Are you the type who has trouble remembering people’s names?”
“Y-yes.”
“Even someone who tried to hit you?”
“People tend to forget things surprisingly easily.”
I didn’t remember his name, but I did remember he was a senior. That’s why I was speaking formally. Though even this wasn’t a definite memory.
“Kang Jinwoo.”
He sighed deeply but clearly stated his name. It definitely sounded familiar, so I let out a sound of recognition, which made him touch his forehead.
“Why are you so calm? Aren’t you worried I might hit you?”
“Well, if you were going to hit me, wouldn’t you have done it already?”
“That’s true, but…”
The atmosphere wasn’t particularly hostile to begin with. It felt like we were having an everyday conversation, not one where he would suddenly throw a punch.
With about 10 minutes left until my bus arrived, I sat down next to Kang Jinwoo, who moved aside awkwardly to make room for me, though he seemed a bit puzzled.
Despite the not-so-bad atmosphere, we weren’t close enough to have a conversation, so a long silence followed. It was too awkward to just sit there, so I fidgeted with my phone until I heard Kang Jinwoo’s hesitant voice and looked up.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Are you talking to me?”
“Who else is here? No, that’s not what I-“
I was caught off guard by the sudden apology and responded a beat late, causing Kang Jinwoo to raise his voice in frustration before shaking his head.
“I’m sorry for trying to hit you before. And for scaring you, I’m sorry for that too.”
“Well, I wasn’t actually hit and I wasn’t that scared, so it’s fine… But why are you apologizing suddenly?”
When I asked with my head tilted, he moved his lips. As he hesitated, unable to say what he wanted properly, I waited patiently.
“I’m apologizing because I did something wrong.”
I blinked at his voice, which sounded like a sigh. Our first meeting had been terrible, so I had a rather negative impression of him, but he might not be as bad a person as I thought.
“I should have picked a fight with Kwon Dojin in the first place.”
“Y-yes, that’s true?”
Is not fighting not an option? I awkwardly responded to his naturally violent statement.
“If only that senior hadn’t said those strange things…”
“Which senior?”
His quiet mumbling piqued my interest. Which senior had said what to make him pick on me?
“Don’t you remember the senior we met at the ranking meeting?”
“Uh…”
“I figured you wouldn’t.”
Kang Jinwoo sighed and touched his forehead again. Apparently, I was the cause of his headache.
“Jeon Hae-in sunbae.”
“Ah! The one ranked 6th, right?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
I nodded in satisfaction, having recalled it quickly, but he sighed again. I’d lost count of how many times he’d sighed while talking to me. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I cleared my throat, and Kang Jinwoo glanced at me.
“Anyway, what did that senior say?”
“That he didn’t like you guys, something like that.”
I guess he meant the senior tried to turn them against each other? Kang Jinwoo seems to be either easily swayed or simple-minded.
“Does that senior do that often?”
“…He tends to.”
“And do you always get swayed by him?”
“That’s… yeah.”
“Then he doesn’t seem like a good person. You should set some boundaries.”
From what little I’d heard, I felt that Kang Jinwoo and Jeon Hae-in didn’t have a very good relationship. Moreover, if they were close, Jeon Hae-in would know that Kang Jinwoo was easily swayed, yet he maintained the same attitude, which made it even worse.
So when I suggested this in a light tone, Kang Jinwoo looked intrigued.
“You think so too?”
“Yes. I think that would be better?”
“I’ve actually been pondering over this for a while.”
He didn’t seem to be a complete pushover, so I let out a short exclamation, and Kang Jinwoo looked at me with narrowed eyes. I said it was nothing and smiled, to which he responded, “Is that so?” and moved on.
“I didn’t realize it before, but after being pushed down in rank, I came to my senses. Once I started having doubts, everything felt suspicious. I wondered if I was being overly sensitive, but-“
I was taken aback when Kang Jinwoo suddenly started lamenting, but I didn’t show it and just listened quietly. I felt sorry for him, thinking how few people he must have to talk to if he was confiding in me, someone he wasn’t even close with.
“Plus, the kids who used to be in my faction started following the senior’s orders more.”
“What? Isn’t that a pretty big deal?”
“That’s what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter much now since I’ve dropped in rank and lost my sphere of influence, but still.”
As I was listening to his lamentations, I saw the bus I needed to take and awkwardly stood up. Kang Jinwoo, who raised his gaze to follow me, had a much milder expression compared to his initially fierce first impression.
“Do you have to go?”
“I have an appointment. I need to take that bus.”
“You too?”
“…You too, sunbae?”
“Yeah. I’m supposed to meet someone at the arcade.”
The word “arcade” reminded me of what Yumin had mentioned. Since Kang Jinwoo was also in the ranking, it was probably the same arcade.
Anyway, that wasn’t important right now, so I boarded the bus that had arrived at the stop and sat in an empty seat. Kang Jinwoo, who followed me onto the bus, found a seat some distance away.
We weren’t close enough to sit together, so I was relieved when our conversation naturally ended, and I put on my earphones. Since it would take about 30 more minutes to reach the meeting place, I thought about resting a bit and leaned my head against the window.
[Are you coming?]
Feeling the vibration in my hand, I looked at the phone screen and found a message from Kwon Dojin, as expected. It felt awkward to exchange messages so frequently, something we hadn’t done before, but I couldn’t ignore it, so I moved my thumb to reply.
[I’m on my way.]
[Got it. Take your time.]
Despite what the message said, he also sent an emoticon that seemed to be urging me. It was clear which one reflected his true feelings, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little. I could clearly sense how excited he was, even from here.
“It’s just watching a movie.”
Since this was the first time I’d seen Dojin so excited, I suddenly wondered what kind of face he was making. I closed my eyes and tapped my foot to the music coming through my earphones, then faintly heard the name of the stop I needed to get off at and looked up.
Confirming I hadn’t misheard, I got up, and noticed that Kang Jinwoo, who had been sitting elsewhere, was also moving. I had an ominous feeling, and my eyes wavered, but I tried to compose my expression.
“Are you getting off here too?”
“Yes, I’m also getting off here…”
I got off the bus with Kang Jinwoo, who had a subtle expression in response to my answer. Thinking we would now go our separate ways, I headed towards my meeting place, but faintly saw that Kang Jinwoo was following in my footsteps.
We were both aware of each other’s presence but didn’t exchange words and just silently went our own way, until our paths completely overlapped, and I turned around to look at Kang Jinwoo.
“Why do our paths keep crossing?”
“Why are you going to the same place as me?”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise at his words, which had a different expression but the same meaning. Kang Jinwoo seemed shocked too, as his lips just moved without sound.
“Habin-ah?”
While we were standing there looking at each other without saying a word, a familiar voice called my name, and when I turned my head, Kwon Dojin was standing there.
The moment I saw him with a hardened expression rather than his usual faint smile, the word “doomed” floated through my mind.
Of course, not for me but for Kang Jinwoo.
