There was a photo that seemed to have been taken secretly, with slightly poor quality. Though it was hard to see clearly since it was a dark place, a girl with dark, long curly hair and a guy with somewhat lighter hair had their faces close together.
According to this ‘Bluedale Saver’s comment, those two people must be…… Natalia Newton and David Evans. While my head was dazed with confusion—ding!—a sound effect only I could hear rang out.
NEW!
Romance Index increased by 5%!
NEW!
Rotten Pineapple score increased by 1%!
【Rotten Pineapple】
Current [47]%
◈ High-Teen: 100%
◈ Romance: 18%
◈ Queer: 13%
NEW!
Quest achieved!
<The Start of Heart-Fluttering Romance!>
You’ve raised the Romance Index for the first time! It’s your turn to work a little harder for the full-fledged development!
Please raise the Romance Index by 10%!
Romance Index 10% increase [10/10]
【※ Reward: You can now see Affection levels! ※】
NEW!
‘David Evans’s new nickname ‘Bluedale Heartbreaker’ has been added!
“……”
Amid the notifications popping up frantically, I quietly stared at Dave’s character status window.
<Character Status Window>
◈ Name: David Evans
◈ Age: 16 (11th grade)
◈ Popularity: 97%
◈ Affection: 14♥
◈ Nicknames: Dave, The only quarterback, Bluedale’s Sweetheart, Bluedale’s Everyone’s Lover, Bluedale’s Hot Guy, Bluedale Heartbreaker
◈ Special Notes: Quarterback of Bluedale High School’s football team The Savers, protagonist of the drama ‘Pizza Saver’
“If I could kiss David even just once, you can take everything I have!”
- That was all the affection Dave had for me. I briefly held hope that it might be a fairly high number. It was a foolish thought. I looked around at the surrounding kids. 12, 9, 6, 15, 18, 21…… I could see the affection levels other kids had for me.
David Evans thought of me as a 14, which was lower than the 21 affection level held by a kid who had only exchanged words and greetings with me once. A single greeting raised affection more than several kisses. It was so absurd I felt like laughing. Of course, I didn’t actually laugh.
“July, why do you look like that? I don’t have much time right now.”
Dave tilted his head, puzzled by me staring at him with my mouth closed. In the meantime, he was so radiantly handsome that my head went even more blank. He showed off that splendid appearance as he leaned toward me and looked into my phone screen, which was still on.
Dave alternated looking at himself in the photo and me, then looked around as if he’d finally noticed the stares. Everyone in the hallway was looking at Dave. Dave lightly scratched the back of his head, pulled up the corners of his mouth in a grin, and shrugged his shoulders.
“Oops. Got caught. You don’t look like you want to go take care of ‘business’ anymore.”
“……”
“Can’t be helped. Still, it was fun. Thanks to you, I learned about the effectiveness of a tongue piercing.”
Dave took two steps back with a smiling face, then turned around. And he put his arm around his football team teammate who came toward him with open arms.
“Dave, is this real?”
“Then would it be fake? Who the hell is this stalker? It’s creepy.”
Wahahahaha! The laughter of the two big guys echoed deafeningly.
“……”
Right, there’s no way anyone would like me. Especially not a male protagonist like David Evans. ……Anyway, I’d regretted the resolve to try liking him. The Romance Index went up, the quest succeeded, I received the reward…… Everything was fine. What wouldn’t be fine?
“Ha, haha……”
I found myself ridiculous for believing, even briefly, that Dave liked me. I burst into a small laugh while holding my forehead. How absurd, Baek Woogeon. Joel Gomez’s words were really right—I must be stupid. When we first met, Dave had said:
‘I was curious what it would be like to kiss kids with tongue piercings.’
When I asked if he liked me:
‘July, when I kiss you, it’s very ecstatic. It feels good.’
He said kissing felt good.
David Evans simply wanted to try kissing a kid with a tongue piercing. Being asexual, being gay, whatever—the coming out was all fake too. Without knowing that, I even agonized while feeling guilty…… I even seriously asked my hyung about it, and also…… I earnestly worried about my own identity too. In the end, I’d been played by a sixteen-year-old kid.
THUD! I banged my head on the locker door. Fool, idiot, moron. From the moment I realized I liked the same sex, I knew no one would like me anyway. That’s why I didn’t even try to acknowledge I was gay.
“Idiot, what are you doing to make yourself even more stupid?”
“……”
When I rolled my forehead in a circle, the cold locker door surface touched my cheek, and I saw Joel standing crookedly. Ah, I don’t have the energy to deal with this bastard right now…….
“Why do you look like that?”
Joel raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.
“My expression?”
“Yeah, fucking stupid. More than usual.”
“……”
I suppose so. Since I’m an idiot. Thud, thud, thud. I banged my head on the locker again. I heard a voice saying “Are you really crazy……”
“Go……”
“What?”
“I said go. I’m tired.”
When I waved my hand dismissively, Joel raised one eyebrow.
“You usually barked like a Chihuahua who had its bone stolen, so why are you so……”
Joel’s eyes, which had been scanning me quietly, fixed on one spot. Joel grabbed my hand. I’m tired to death, so why is he like this? I frowned irritably, but Joel stared intently into my phone.
“You idiotic little fool. Did I warn you or not?”
Tsk, Joel clicked his tongue. Why is he like that…… Ah, my phone must still be on.
“Mind your own business.”
“Are you sad?”
“Why would I be?”
“……Stupid bastard. Seems you really liked him.”
Joel looked at me intently while pulling his upper body back slightly, as if looking at a hopeless, pathetic guy, then shook his head side to side. I irritably shoved my phone into my pocket.
“Blow here, like whoosh.”
“What?”
“Hurry. I don’t have time.”
Joel suddenly shook his fist in front of me. The tendons and veins bulging on the back of that hand looked menacing. But why would I suddenly blow on this when it’s not even a birthday cake?
“Won’t you blow? Huh? Hurry up. I don’t have time!”
Since he even shouted angrily, I just rounded my lips and obediently blew—whoosh! Then Joel pressed his fist firmly against my lips. Hard enough to make a thud! sound.
“Ugh! It hit my front teeth!”
The flesh inside my upper lip was pressed, and my teeth hit the bones on the back of Joel’s hand, making my skull ring with a ding. This bastard torments people from all angles when they’re having a hard time…… But where is he going?
“What?”
I rubbed my lips while watching Joel’s back as he walked through the hallway with long strides. The way he sauntered leisurely as if the hallway were a runway somehow seemed ominous. He even cracked his neck to both sides—crack, crack.
“Hey, David Evans.”
Joel blocked Dave’s way and jerked his chin.
“What business could you possibly have with me?”
Though I could only see his back, I could tell from Dave’s back alone in his football team jacket that he was in a comfortable state. Not knowing the disaster that was coming.
“Yeah, I do. Fucking much.”
Joel smiled the most sunny and bright smile I’d ever seen him make. A smile so clear and pleasant that I wondered if he could smile like that. And he swung his fist without warning.
THWAAACK!
“……”
“……”
“……Kyaaaaaaah!”
Perhaps not expecting the sudden attack, Dave couldn’t even scream and fell backward with his head thrown back. THUD! The sound of his head hitting the floor sounded quite painful just to hear. The violent action was so out of nowhere that the kids around him screamed and shook their hands frantically.
“Ah, that’s refreshing. I’ve always wanted to hit this bastard once. Finally got the chance, whew!”
The breath that burst from Joel’s mouth briefly lifted his bangs. Joel really looked refreshed. But wait…….
“……Is he dead?”
That must have been the thought that came to all the students looking at Dave lying on the floor with his eyes closed.
“You…… crazy bastard!”
If you commit murder, I can’t save you! What if you go to prison or something! That damnable bastard was kicking the soles of unconscious Dave’s shoes in the meantime—thud, thud.
“Why is a man making such a fuss?”
Perhaps still not satisfied, Joel, who had crouched down, started slapping Dave’s cheeks hard—smack, smack!
“You crazy bastard!”
At this rate, the male protagonist will die! I, who bore the heavy duty of saving this world, quickly ran toward them. Smack! Smack! Joel, who had been slapping Dave’s cheeks until they turned red, slowly stood up from his spot and met my eyes. Then he stepped over Dave and came forward.
“That bastard’s not dead, so stop making a fuss. It’s chaotic.”
He spoke while wrapping his arm around me as I was running toward him. Ugh! Since I’d been running with all my might, it stung a bit when my abdomen hit Joel’s hard arm.
“How can you hit someone like that!”
“Fuck, then when an opportunity comes, should I not take it! How long have I been waiting for a chance to beat that bastard!”
Joel’s palm pressed firmly on my chest, pushing me toward the locker. As if clearing a path. And not long after, the Principal with a thoroughly flushed face came waddling toward this place. It seemed someone had tattled.
