BJ Villainess

“Don’t do this.” I glanced around and pushed Ozworld’s hand away.

“Why?”

“You heard them earlier. People will misunderstand.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Yes. Don’t do it. I’ve been dragged and interrogated in dark corners by girls who liked you more than five times in middle school. I don’t want to go through that again.” I said it lightly, thinking it was all in the past, but Ozworld’s expression hardened.

“If something like that happens again, tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. Why is he being so serious?

I avoided his gaze and tried to sound nonchalant. “It’s fine. They all transferred anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.”

Now that I think about it, why did they all transfer?

“Jiwoo.”

His call broke my brief reverie.

“I don’t like people who interfere with our relationship. So don’t decide things on your own. Talk to me.”

“Okay. Why are you getting so serious all of a sudden…”

“You discard me too easily.”

“When have I ever? …You’re not talking about when we were nine, are you?”

“That too.”

“There’s more?”

“Maybe.”

If he was going to bring it up, he should be clear.

Ozworld, seemingly unwilling to say more, laid his head on the desk. I felt an urge to smack his golden, gleaming head.

* * *

Returning home after school, the house felt unusually busy. It was the typical hustle and bustle before important guests arrived.

I tried to ignore it and went to my room, sighing as I saw the mess. All the closet doors were open, and clothes were scattered everywhere. Rummaging through the mess, I couldn’t find any of my few going-out clothes.

When I asked the housekeeper, I got the expected answer.

“Actually, Umi asked me to wash them all. I thought Jiwoo requested it.”

I had chosen this out-of-the-way room to stay quietly, but it was no longer a safe haven.

“What to do now?”

I had nothing suitable to wear for the guests tonight. All I had left were pajamas, stretched-out t-shirts, shorts with a torn side, and my school uniform. I tried to salvage something from the laundry room, but everything was in the drum washing machine, and I couldn’t open it.

Just then, the kitchen lady, noticing my distress, checked the washing machine and turned it off. “I’ll handwash something quickly and dry it. Why don’t you go out for a while?”

“No, it’s okay. You’re busy in the kitchen.”

Umi had done this to mess with me, and I didn’t want to trouble her further.

“I can borrow clothes from a friend,” I said and called Hamin as I went back to my room. “Hamin, are you busy?”

-Now? I’m in the car with my dad, going out to eat. Why?

“…No reason. Just wondering. Enjoy your meal. I should get ready for dinner too.”

-Thanks, you too!

The call ended and I scrolled through my contacts in frustration but only had numbers for family, Ozworld, and Hamin. Now, Ozworld was my only option.

I quickly went out the back door to the familiar entrance of the neighboring house. I knew the entry code, so I could just go in, but I hesitated.

In all the years since we moved here, except for the first time, I had never seen Ozworld’s parents. That made me even more reluctant.

“What should I do…”

Just as I pulled out my phone to call Ozworld, the door suddenly opened. That made me jump in surprise. Looking up, I saw Ozworld with wet hair, as if he had just showered.

“What are you doing? Come in.”

Dressed in a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, Ozworld looked relaxed.

I asked awkwardly, “Aren’t your parents home?”

“They went out for a bit.”

“Even so, it doesn’t feel right to just walk in.”

“Don’t be so formal.” Ozworld grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

It had been a while since I last visited Ozworld’s house, especially after starting high school.

Since Ozworld had grown much taller in high school, hanging out at his house had become a bit uncomfortable to me.

I tried to act nonchalant. “Can I borrow some clothes? Umi put all mine in the wash, and I have nothing to wear.”

Ozworld was heading to his room but stopped and looked back. “My clothes? I don’t think they will fit.”

“Just give me something. I can’t meet your parents in wet clothes.”

Ozworld agreed and headed to his dressing room. “Pick whatever you like.” Then he plopped down on the sofa in the dressing room.

“Aren’t you going out?”

“Why would I?”

“I need to change.”

“There’s a changing room here.”

Stubborn as always.

Knowing I couldn’t win this argument, I picked a T-shirt and went into the changing room. A T-shirt and my school skirt should look fine, right?

When I came out, Ozworld evaluated me. “You look like you’re wearing stolen clothes.” Even checking me through the full-length mirror, his assessment was spot on.

It was impossible to pass this off as boyfriend-fit clothing.

“Don’t you have anything smaller?”

Ozworld got up and opened another set of wardrobe doors, revealing a bunch of women’s clothes.

“Are these your mother’s?”

“No. They’re for you.”

“What?”

“All these clothes are yours.”

I approached him, bewildered, and inspected the closet. It was full of t-shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, dresses, bags, jewelry, and shoes.

What would his parents think if they saw this?

The thought alone was dizzying.

“This is overboard. You’re going to make me misunderstand.”

I scolded Ozworld, waiting for him to say it was a joke. But he looked genuinely puzzled.

“Why would you misunderstand? What did I do to make you think that?”

“If you do this, I’ll think you like me.”

Ozworld laughed softly. “That’s correct. So how is there a misunderstanding, Jiwoo?”

“

…?”

With a mischievous, somewhat sly smile, he approached me. “If I confused you, I’ll make it clearer from now on.”

“Hey, w-why are you being like this…?” I backed away, ending up inside the open closet.

“Because I like you, Jiwoo.”

We were standing too close among the clothes he had prepared for me. He asked in a whispery voice. “What about you?”

“Me…?”

“Yes. What about you?”

A droplet of water from his hair fell on my eyelid. When I instinctively closed my eyes, I felt his wet hair against my skin. Opening my eyes quickly, I found Ozworld’s face inches from mine.

“I like you, Jiwoo.”

His lips, whispering that he liked me, were red and pretty.

“…

!”

I pushed Ozworld away, grabbed any clothes I could find, and fled home. By the time I got back to my room, I was out of breath.

“

”

Even though I ran away, I’d have to face him again at dinner.

I muttered, almost in tears. “This is driving me crazy, really.”

Why did that idiot Ozworld suddenly confess to me? Thinking about it, I realized I hadn’t checked Ozworld’s likeability level in a long time. In truth, I had been avoiding it, fearing our friendship might have turned into something else. But now that things had escalated, I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I opened the likeability meter screen buried under countless spam texts.

[Ozworld Holton]

Likeability: ❤️❤️❤️🤍🤍

“

!” Seeing the three red hearts on the screen, I screamed and quickly turned it off. “No, no, no. This must be a dream. Ozworld couldn’t have confessed to me. Why would he? What’s he lacking? This is a dream.”

[Sender: Fact Is Violence]

[Nope, it’s reality~]

[Sender: Empty Vessels Make the Most Noise]

[Wasn’t two red hearts for a best friend and three for a crush? Anyone who remembers?]

[Sender: Romance Pass]

[Something.]

I flipped my phone over and looked at the clothes I had grabbed. “…He’s really lost it. Why did he buy my clothes?” And such expensive ones, too?

The random piece I picked was a high-end brand dress that even I, with no fashion sense, recognized.

“How did he even know my size?”

Since hearing Ozworld’s confession, all my memories of him felt different. Even someone as oblivious to romantic matters as I am thought Ozworld’s actions were a bit peculiar. But I had always chalked it up to his foreign nature.

I thought he was just more open and clingy because we were close friends. But the reality was simpler. He was acting that way because he liked me.

Suddenly feeling hot, I fanned my T-shirt and then panicked. “Oh no, my school uniform.” I had left it in Ozworld’s dressing room.

“

!”

As expected, meeting him at night seemed like a bad idea.

“Jiwoo? Is everything okay?”

Hearing the concerned voice of the housekeeper, I quickly replied that everything was fine.

“Then hurry up and get ready. The Holtons are here.”