END OF THE MONTH BONUS CHAPTERS!
“Close the door first.”
“Why bother? They said they swept all the monsters remaining on the first floor.”
“Then just turn around and get lost.”
“Huh, you won’t even let me ask anything.”
The woman, letting out an absurd laugh as if dumbfounded, turned her steps.
Soon the infirmary door closed. Only after verification with Cha Jeoh’s sharp eye was complete did I remove his palm and gently opened my eyes.
My slowly moving vision stopped at a female student standing right in front of the infirmary door.
She showed a grin, wearing only a school uniform shirt without a vest or tie on top, and layered gym pants under a black skirt on the bottom. Her cheerful smile revealing neat teeth displayed her natural personality and disposition as they were.
Moreover, even excluding all other parts, there was one particularly noticeable point.
‘She’s… really tall.’
Though shorter than the twins, it was a height that clearly far exceeded mine. Considering that even though I was thin and small, my height itself was in the male student average, her height was clearly much taller than girls her age.
While I was examining her, she approached right in front of me and suddenly held out her right hand.
“I’m Jeong Yubin. Flowing ‘yu’ and waterside ‘bin.'”
I looked up at her with hazy eyes. I didn’t know if our school was a lenient place that allowed hair dyeing, but her hair tied up in a ponytail was dyed a deep purple close to red.
Since I was just staring, Jeong, Jeong Yu… Ponytail waved her hand and arm as if it was difficult. When I inevitably reached out and clasped it, this time my hand also shook up and down wildly together.
“What’s your name?”
“…Kim Hayoung.”
Just Kim Hayoung, without any Chinese characters or inner meanings. I didn’t bother adding such useless information.
When my hand felt sore from shaking for a while, Cha Jeoh stepped forward and separated Ponytail’s hand from me. Ponytail, who clicked her tongue softly—tsk—glanced at Cha Jeoh and turned her gaze to me.
“By the way, the twins actually have something called friends. That’s interesting… What grade and class were you in?”
The friendliness of digging into information that had become unimportant since the world became like this was unfamiliar. Since that was closer to ‘annoying’ rather than unpleasant, I answered her slowly.
“Third year, class 1.”
“Huh? Really? I was also in third year, class 1?”
Ponytail’s eyes widened.
“But why… did you perhaps transfer in the middle of the semester?”
“Hayoung attended Hanul High for three full years.”
Cha Jeoh, who shamelessly intercepted the question directed at me, gave a confident answer. When Ponytail’s gaze, which had briefly turned to him, belatedly reached me, I nodded calmly.
Ponytail, even more filled with puzzlement, gently frowned and fiddled with her mouth.
“That doesn’t make sense. You said Kim Hayoung, right? I’m seeing you for the first time today.”
“I’m also seeing you for the first time today.”
Not only Ponytail but also the faces of everyone in third year class 1, even the appearance and name of the homeroom teacher, were information I didn’t remember. It was natural since I hadn’t tried to memorize them.
Cha Jeoh, who had been silently listening to our conversation that seemed to be properly exchanged yet subtly misaligned, interrupted.
“It’s because our Hayoung has such a weak presence.”
“…….”
“Hayoung is always quiet as a mouse, anytime, anywhere. As if even the seat he’s sitting in isn’t his own.”
When I stared intently up at Cha Jeoh, he, feeling my gaze, met my eyes and bloomed a bright smile.
“Right? Isn’t that right?”
“…It’s not wrong.”
“Well, I get it. There are occasionally people who are so unusually inconspicuous that I didn’t even know they were there.”
Ponytail shrugged her shoulders and stepped back. Then she naturally took a seat on the opposite bed and crossed her legs.
“That aside, why are you in the infirmary? There’s no way Cha Jeoh is hurt, so Kim Hayoung, are you sick somewhere? This place was cleaned out long ago, so if you want medicine, you’ll have to go to the auditorium.”
“Because the infirmary is the only place with a bed.”
“A bed? Why?”
“In case Hayoung gets tired…….”
Cha Jeoh awkwardly trailed off and suddenly scrunched up his face. Soon a hand that had become bolder than before blocked my vision.
And then knock knock, urgent knocking sounds continued, and soon the infirmary door opened roughly.
“Hayoung-ah!”
It was a rarely familiar voice. So it was obvious who the owner was without even looking.
Lee Gojun, who had hastily finished locking the door, quickened his steps. When Cha Jeoh’s hand covering my eyes disappeared, I could see Lee Gojun approaching as if ready to cling to me. Fortunately, thanks to Cha Jeoh grabbing the back of his neck at an appropriate distance, Lee Gojun stopped awkwardly without being able to hug my legs or arms.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Should I heal you?”
While I silently blinked and scanned Lee Gojun’s expression, I brought up what I’d been curious about all along instead of answering.
“Did you save them?”
“Huh?”
“You went out to save your friends. Did it turn out the way you wanted?”
The corners of Lee Gojun’s mouth, which hadn’t hidden his delight toward me, momentarily fell apart. But that was only for an instant. His smile that quickly rose to his lips again had become firmer than before.
“I was just about to tell you, Hayoung.”
“Tell me what?”
“You know, I’m going to create a religious order.”
Religious order. While I was mulling over that word that was only unfamiliar, completely unrelated to the topic we were sharing, Lee Gojun continued peacefully.
“The Church of Hayoung.”
“…What?”
It seemed like what Cha Jeoh had said earlier was neither more nor less but exactly accurate. Literally, Lee Gojun seemed to have gone crazy.
I wasn’t the only one surprised by Lee Gojun’s bombshell statement. Before Cha Jeoh, who had frozen coldly, Ponytail burst into laughter she couldn’t hold back.
“What, what? Church of Hayoung? You’re joking, right now?”
Ponytail’s voice was quite mixed with mischievous playfulness. It seemed she thought what Lee Gojun had blurted out was just some joke, or perhaps fourth-dimensional humor.
If only that had really been just a joke, I would have at least pretended to laugh emptily with an expressionless face.
A quiet atmosphere without response continued. Detecting something strange in it, Ponytail’s laughter gradually subsided.
“What? …It’s not a joke?”
Whether Ponytail, belatedly flustered, broke the silent stillness or not, Lee Gojun’s sticky gaze remained only on me. I absolutely didn’t want to look into the deep, deep emotions churning in those black pupils.
As I slightly turned my head to avoid Lee Gojun, I made eye contact with Cha Jeoh, who was raising sharp killing intent. Whether he was displeased that I was about to become the deity of a pseudo-religious group without escape, or whether he was dissatisfied with Lee Gojun who had lost his reason after being saved. He was glaring at Lee Gojun without even attempting to calm his anger.
I could see Cha Jeoh grinding his innocent lips before glancing at Lee Gojun, whose neck was still caught in his grip. At the expression that seemed to ask, ‘Should I kill him?’, I was honestly tempted.
“…Lee Gojun.”
But it was none other than me who had asked the twins to save Lee Gojun. I didn’t want to futilely throw away what I’d put that much effort into now.
I stared at Lee Gojun again and continued speaking.
“Say it again. So… what are you going to do?”
“Yeah. Founding the Church of Hayoung.”
As expected, there was no way I’d heard wrong.
‘Why is the subject me of all people?’
I was absolutely not the kind of person who would be revered as a perfect being like a god, even if I’d be cursed at. I had excluded others from myself, and while that action itself wasn’t bad, it inevitably appeared unpleasant to others. Because of that, most of those who had any connection with me harbored unfavorable feelings toward me.
Even if the twins were an exception because I couldn’t push them away that much thanks to their handsome looks, that story didn’t apply to Lee Gojun. Even before the incident broke out and he came down to the fourth floor, I’d inwardly thought Lee Gojun wouldn’t welcome me deep down. After being kicked out of Kang Jekyung’s group, his life was practically dependent on me, so I believed without doubt that he only acted so favorably in front of me.
But now it seemed I should have doubted. This was too…
‘Excessive.’
Discovering my brow subtly furrowing, Lee Gojun’s face loosely fell apart. It was when he was about to bring out carefully chosen words from beyond his hesitantly smacking lips.
“Wait, wait a minute. What did you say that pseudo-religious friend’s name was?”
Ponytail, who had gotten up from the opposite bed at some point, was closely approaching our side. Her widely opened eyes scanned Lee Gojun’s face with quite an earnest light.
Lee Gojun, who had been pouring all his concentration only on me, flinched at the unexpected approach of someone he hadn’t been paying attention to until now. However, Ponytail, not caring about Lee Gojun’s reaction, approached him even more.
Ponytail’s persistent gaze closely examined Lee Gojun’s various places. Accordingly, her body also gradually leaned toward Lee Gojun.
“Lee Gojun? You’re Lee Gojun?”
“Uh, huh?”
“Lee Gojun is your name, right? You’re Lee Gojun himself, right?”
Lee Gojun’s waist gradually bent backward. The motion of trying to avoid Ponytail while leaving his feet as if nailed to the ground was desperate.
Cha Jeoh, clicking his tongue softly, removed his hand from the back of Lee Gojun’s neck. Lee Gojun, who had been swaying from that recoil, had both his arms caught by Ponytail’s hands.
“Your younger brother! Lee Geonwoo!”
The movement of Lee Gojun, who had been desperately glancing at me as if hoping for salvation, stopped abruptly.
