This High-Teen Mid-Series is Scheduled for Early Cancellation 13

“So while thinking about what to do with that spare time… I learned some foreign languages, you know? My mom’s Mexican, so of course I speak Spanish, and I studied some Korean too. It just happened that the first thing I watched was a Korean movie. What else did I do? Oh, I did some French and German, some Japanese, and some Chinese too. I know Chinese characters too. Not completely, but. They look like worms, so they were really hard, you know?”

“……”

Thud, thud, thud. My heart started beating faster.

“You know, right? When you learn a language, you learn swear words first. I know what ‘yangachi saekki’ means. Idiot.”

Click! Joel, who pressed the last button, grinned at me.

‘Yangachi saekki’ was definitely Korean. That damn Joel Gomez must be gifted not only with time but also with language abilities. For a moment, I thought a Korean person had spoken. The pronunciation was so clear and precise. How on earth… how can someone who looks like that speak Korean so well? How? It wouldn’t be possible with just one or two years… Do drug dealers need diversity these days?

“Stop making that stupid face and pick up the candy bars.”

“…Yes.”

I obediently picked up the chocolate bars, potato chips, and candies. I guess I really am an idiot in front of Joel Gomez. I… I only speak English, Korean, and a little Chinese and Japanese… Feeling utterly pathetic about being intellectually outmatched by a teenage drug dealer, I was sulking when Joel suddenly flinched and looked back.

“…Don’t you hear something?”

“What?”

“No. I hear it. Hey, idiot. Pick everything up, everything. Don’t miss a single one, everything. I remember everything you picked.”

Joel, who had made his threat, opened the nearest door and went inside. It was a cleaning supply closet. What’s with him? My hands were full, so I stuffed chocolate bars into my pockets and was getting up from my seat when—

“You! I told you not to come out! Hey!”

As I turned the corner into the hallway, I locked eyes with the fat teacher.

“N-no, it’s not like that…!”

“What do you mean it’s not like that! You… Right! Write a 10,000-word essay!”

“What? But it’s not like that…! Teacher, teacheeer…!”

Should I just let Joel Gomez die too and die myself? As I was being dragged away by the teacher, I glared at the blue door of the cleaning supply closet Joel had entered and thought.

* * *

All the snacks I got with my blood-like 10 dollars—candy bars, potato chips, candies, and everything—were confiscated. I didn’t finish the essay either. But the teacher also wanted to go home, so he said I could leave since I’d filled the time. I was writing while counting 1,021 words one by one…! I was a bit frustrated. I was so busy writing that I couldn’t get David and Natalia together either.

“July, are you on your bike again today?”

Today’s luck is the worst! The worst! Annoyed, I was walking toward my bike with heavy steps—thud, thud, thud—when Dave suddenly spoke to me. With his hands in his football team jacket pockets, walking backward playfully, Dave looked like a mischievous kid.

“Before you ride your bike, want to talk with me in the car for a bit?”

“Talk?”

“Yeah, I said I had something I wanted to talk about, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

Since it’s the protagonist’s worry, will it generate a quest or something? Or maybe he’s actually interested in Natalia but she’s too introverted so it’s hard to approach her? I did introduce Natalia to Dave at the party, after all.

I didn’t know what the worry was, but I thought whatever it was would be beneficial to me. After all, it meant I’d built up enough favorability with the protagonist for him to consult about his worries.

While Dave climbed into the driver’s seat, I sat in the passenger seat. Since I’d be getting out soon anyway, I didn’t put on my seatbelt and just looked at Dave.

“What’s your worry? I’ll really listen seriously.”

I asked with a bit of expectation. As if it was a somewhat serious worry, Dave hesitated for a moment, blinking while covering his mouth.

“Actually… I’ve never told anyone about this.”

“Yeah.”

He’s never told anyone? Jackpot!

“I…”

“Yeah, you.”

My anticipation swelled slightly. I stared intently at Dave’s slowly moving lips. And I blinked because I couldn’t believe what those lips pronounced out loud.

“…I think I’m asexual.”

“…What?”

“I’m not interested in girls. But I don’t think I’m attracted to guys either. So I looked it up on the internet, you know? I think I’m asexual.”

Dave pulled the corners of his mouth as if embarrassed. That smile really looked so good, but still…

“……”

At the sudden confession of the romance drama’s male protagonist, the status window responded without a moment’s delay.

NEW!

Romance Index decreased by 1!

【Rotten Pineapple】

Current [40]%

◈ High-Teen: 100%

◈ Romance: 0%

Asexual, asexual, asexual…

I respect people’s preferences however they turn out. Honestly, what does it matter whether other people like women, like men, like aliens, or don’t like anyone at all? But, still…!

David Evans, you! You were born as the male protagonist of a high-teen romance drama! If you don’t like anyone, the story won’t progress! I worked so hard to raise the Romance Index! My small and precious Romance Index of 1! 1!

“No…! Well, of course that’s possible, but…! Don’t decide so soon! You’re only sixteen!”

“I-Is that so?”

I grabbed Dave’s shoulders tightly. Dave seemed flustered, but I didn’t have time to care about that. My head was spinning round and round.

“That’s right! You should have various experiences! Right, uh, go on dates, and go to parties to meet other girls or… of course, it’s fine to meet guys too! But still! Maybe it’s just a time when friendship is more precious than love!”

“Dates and parties?”

“Yeah!”

I nodded quickly at his docile answer. Dave gently removed my hands from his shoulders and returned them to me. At the same time, he leaned forward and whispered close to my face.

“Then I’ll do it with you, dates.”

“…Huh?”

What did I just hear?

“You’re telling me to do it, dates.”

“I didn’t mean do it with me…!”

Why is it going that way! There were many people who should date David Evans. Like Natalia Newton, or Natalia Newton, or Natalia Newton!

“Then who should I do it with?”

“W-Well…”

But I couldn’t just blurt out Natalia’s name. Their romance needed to progress naturally, or at least seem to. If I suddenly said “Natalia Newton, she’s cute. Meet her,” it could create resistance.

“I’m joking! Why would I date you!”

Pfft! Dave burst out laughing. Ah, was it a joke? Is that it…? Then that’s a relief, really a relief…

“Even saying you’re asexual… that wasn’t a joke, right?”

“Yeah, that was serious.”

“……”

Would you rather date me and be heterosexual? …That won’t work, right? How on earth should I raise the Romance Index of a romance drama whose protagonist is asexual… Choosing the correct answer on a test was really easy, but this was too difficult. Asexual, romance, David, Natalia, asexual, romance, Davi—

“But I don’t have time right now, so can we talk more tomorrow?”

David’s clear voice shattered my thoughts. He checked the time on his phone and frowned as if troubled. Right. I needed time to think too. So I’ll think hard during the night and tomorrow…

“…Tomorrow’s Sunday.”

“Yeah, it’s Sunday, right? There’s a party at a friend’s place I know. Let’s go together.”

Don’t they study? Always parties, parties… Right, if the drama protagonist only studies all the time, who would watch that drama? There need to be lots of parties… Who knows? Dave might meet a girl he likes at the party. But wait, what about Natalia? Should I invite Natalia to the party? Ugh, it’s difficult. Difficult…!

“Okay. See you tomorrow, tomorrow…”

For now, let’s get out of here. Maybe because I felt stifled, my head just wouldn’t work. Clatter, clatter! But maybe because I was out of it, the door wouldn’t open.

“How do I open this?”

“Like this.”

Dave leaned toward me, reached out his arm, and click, opened the passenger door. So easily.

“Take care.”

“…Bye.”

I waved my hand blankly, and only after Dave’s car had moved away did I slowly approach my bicycle. When Dave got close, there was a faint musk scent from him.

* * *

I stayed up all night with my eyes open, worrying. “Making an asexual person heterosexual.” It reminded me of conversion therapy. That treatment that supposedly turns homosexuals into heterosexuals. Mom, Dad, and hyung in Korea said, “Homosexuality isn’t exactly a mental illness, but it’s still not right, so it would be good if it could be treated.” I felt like I’d become them.

But… even if I wanted to respect Dave’s sexual orientation, he was the male protagonist of a romance drama. And if I don’t secure the broadcasting rights for Season 2 of this damn drama, I’ll die. It was really a matter of life and death. I have to survive somehow too.

Even trying to console myself, I was gloomy all along and couldn’t sleep. Was it because I stayed up all night? My heart was pounding. I wasn’t in good condition. Still, if I was going to the party today, I felt I needed to pull myself together, so I came out to the kitchen early in the morning and made coffee. I was pouring coffee from the coffee machine into a white mug when—bam! The front door opened.