Chapter 23: [22] – The Girls I Fell in Love With – (1)
On Monday morning, I woke up to Yuri Lee's talk alarm.
[Yuri Lee]: Are you awake? Come to my house by 7:30
"It's cute."
Yuri Lee really seemed to wake up early to prepare a lunch box for me.
All kinds of emotions were mixed, from gratitude to cuteness to feeling a little sorry.
After quickly washing up and getting dressed, I went to the front of Yuri's house and saw Yuri wearing a black skirt, a white shirt, a red tie, and a checkered skirt, holding a small bundle in her hand.
Lee Yu-ri, who spotted me, waved her hand, and we joined and walked to school together very naturally.
"Is that your lunch box for me? What's in it?"
"I put in roughly anything. Don't expect much… I just made it!"
"Heh, yes, I guess so."
"What, why are you smiling?"
"Because it's cute."
"Cute…! Ah, what are you talking about, really? It's annoying that you act so relaxed! Take it! I'm going!"
Yuri jumped up, lost her temper, and roughly pulled out her lunch box.
As soon as I received it, Yuri showed off her anger and walked ahead, but even in her anger and the way she walked ahead, leaving me behind, I could not sense her sincerity.
The proof is that even though I immediately followed him and walked next to him, he didn't speed up and just walked together.
"Are you upset?"
"No."
"Oh my~ You were so cute when you went home after drinking on Saturday, but now you're full of thorns."
Yu-ri Lee stopped at my words and looked at me with trembling eyes.
"My, my, what am I…? I don't remember anything…?"
"Oh, I thought so. It must have been hard to get that drunk after three glasses of soju. How did you do it?"
"I don't know! I don't know! I don't remember, so don't talk about it!"
In the end, Yuri didn't make eye contact with me even once the entire way to the academy.
…
Meanwhile, when Yu-ri Lee remembered her Saturday night, her face started to explode again.
– Because I like you.
Even though she was drunk, she still remembered everything clearly.
And of her own volition, she packed and prepared her lunch for the man she said she liked.
As Han Seong-jin puts it, it's like a newlywed…
'Oh, no!'
Yuri shook her head vigorously.
'I'm not taking care of him because I like him! That's because a guy who can't afford to pay tuition keeps insisting that he doesn't need a tuition support system, so as the student council president, I have to give the least consideration to the students in my class…'
However, as she began to become conscious again, she became afraid of looking at Han Seong-jin's face, and her heartbeat only became faster.
…
Because it was earlier than usual, there were still few people at the academy.
Before entering the classroom, we headed to the flower bed next to the playground and sat down on the bench there.
I forgot my packed lunch in the classroom last morning, and since the penalty period for cleaning up after school was extended, I decided to eat it here.
When I opened the lid, a menu with everything I needed was revealed, including steaming white rice, Vienna sausages, stir-fried anchovies, vegetables, and kimchi.
It was almost the same menu as the lunch box I made last time, but there was a slight difference…
"What is this?"
A ☆ shape is made with black beans on top of rice.
Even though it was still early spring, Yuri Yu-ri was sweating profusely and avoiding my gaze.
"Did you even put decorations like this just to give it to me? It's cute."
"No! I just had some beans left…"
"Then you can just roughly put it on. Why did you put so much effort into making a star shape?"
"That… Seems a little insincere, so…"
I smiled and stroked Yuri's head.
Normally, Lee Yu-ri would have made a fuss, but after seeing what she was doing, I thought it was okay.
"Hey, why are you doing this so fucking cute?"
"Huh! Why are you stroking my head and making a fuss?! And don't say things like that!"
"Did you not want to hear it?"
"…"
Seeing his silence when asked if he didn't want to hear it, it seemed like he didn't really like it.
It seems like we've come a long way now.
However, if I go any further here, my likeability may drop again, so I decided to stop here and quickly finished off Yuri Lee's homemade lunch box.
While I was eating, Yuri Lee stayed right next to me as I enjoyed the lunch box she made and looked at me quietly.
"Ah~ I ate well. I almost died of hunger, but thanks to you, I survived."
"Was it delicious?"
"Huh. I wish I could eat it all the time."
At the words, which could be interpreted in many ways, Lee Yu-ri's face turned red again, and she snatched up the empty lunch box.
This guy is really easy to understand if you just look at him.
"Who does it all the time?! Only until you get paid for your part-time job. After that, even if you ask me to do it, you won't do it!"
"Just give me the container. I'll wash it and then bring it to you like last time."
"I'll just do it. If you're done eating, let's go in."
After finishing our morning date, which was not a morning date with Yuri Lee, we went into the classroom together.
The kids in the class started going to school one by one, and of course Gong Young-bae soon showed up as well.
As soon as I saw Gong Young-bae, I was tempted to give that bastard a few hits, but I decided not to make a fuss because she would only end up in more trouble.
Instead, I decided to provoke Gong Young-bae as soon as he sat down.
This guy's seat was two rows in front of my desk, so I didn't have to raise my voice that loudly.
"Hey, Yuri Lee. Come here for a moment."
"Oh, why again?"
I saw Gong Yeong-bae flinching at me naturally calling Yu-ri Lee, and Yuri Yoo-ri obediently coming when she asked me to come.
He didn't turn his head, so he couldn't see the two of us, but I was sure he was listening to the conversation.
You fucking bastard, fuck yourself for daring to make the person who would be my woman cry.
"Next time I go to an escape room café, shall I try a thriller?"
"What?! I'll never do that! Last time I was scared to death, but you're asking me to do something worse than that?"
"Well, it was really cute to look at. It wasn't like screaming, crying, hugging, or making a fuss."
While saying that, I glanced at Gong Young-bae from the corner of my eye and saw him shaking.
But what can you do if you flutter?
On the other hand, Yu-ri Lee blushed so brightly that steam came out and jumped up.
"My, when did I do that?!"
"Hmm? If you don't remember when that happened, if you go to the horror-themed escape room one more time-"
"Waaa! Waaaaa! Okay, I got it! That's it! That's why don't go for the horror theme!"
"Now I'm being honest. Then, I'll slowly look into escape rooms later… Then, how about DDR instead?"
"Oh! That's great! It's great exercise, and it's a lot of fun."
When I mentioned when her weekend date was the most exciting, she immediately smiled brightly and nodded like a child.
"But do you have money?"
"Hmm, actually, that's why, but for something as expensive as an escape room, it's going to be hard until I get paid… I guess I'll just have to make do with something like DDR in the meantime, right?"
"I like it. Oh, and air hockey looks fun, how about that? Coin karaoke too! It's cheap, so next time I go, I'll try that!"
"Are you already making plans for a date next weekend? Isn't our president so infatuated with me?"
"Ah, what are you saying again? Seriously, whenever you say something, you always fall into that direction! That's enough, if I've said everything I have to say, I'll go back!"
Yu-ri Lee pouted her mouth and walked away again.
Even though she must have seen Gong Young-bae just two rows ahead, Lee Yu-ri had no hesitation in mentioning my weekend date or talking about our next appointment.
As if Gong Young-bae is being treated as an invisible person.
They say that when a woman harbors resentment, frost falls even on May and New Year, and it was a little scary that she was so angry at Gong Yeong-bae that she treated him so openly.
But Gong Young-bae, isn't this all your karma for only getting girls' affection and not wanting to give them an answer?
After Yuri becomes completely my woman, I will introduce her to you too.
…
Gong Young-bae felt like her insides were burning as she listened to the conversation between Han Seong-jin and Yu-ri Lee.
Date, our president, escape room café, arcade, DDR, coin karaoke…
There was not a single word that did not pierce Gong Young-bae's eardrums.
Gong Young-bae was so impatient and anxious that he kept shaking his legs, but he kept his cool on the outside and kept repeating to himself without ever looking back.
'Yuri… Are you acting like you want me to listen to you just because we had a fight last week?'
My stomach was boiling.
Gong Young-bae still thought that what he said to Yu-ri Lee last week was sincere advice, and he believed that it was Yu-ri Lee's problem that he couldn't accept it.
'No, don't be upset. I'm the one who likes Yuri the most anyway. We've been together like that since a long time ago, but there's no way he would leave me and give his heart to someone else, especially a scum like Han Seong-jin.
Anyway, Yuri, you're in the palm of my hand. A guy like that is just physiologically unreasonable for you. If you don't take my advice and act petty like that, I will stay silent until you realize your mistake.'
He still didn't know that Yu-ri Lee's heart had already been stolen by Han Seong-jin.
___
Another part-time job is scheduled from today to Thursday.
You'll be very busy for the next four days, so make sure to sleep hard during class and build up your stamina…
"Han Seong-jin!"
The plan was broken as soon as morning assembly time started.
My homeroom teacher called my name with an angry expression, and soon all the students' eyes turned to me.
"You're skipping the entire afternoon class on Friday? It's not even been a month since the semester started, so what are you doing!"
"I'm sorry."
Yu-ri Lee, who was sitting in the front row in the middle of the classroom, looked at me with an angry expression.
Because she had no idea that I had cheated.
"Ha, I can't live, I can't live… Han Seong-jin, from today onwards, for two weeks, you will be in charge of cleaning up after school and doing weekly morning work."
"Huh?! Wait a minute, teacher! Right after that academy in the afternoon-"
"It's noisy. Then you shouldn't have left school early without notice. And Yuri, if you get a hospital diagnosis, you have to submit it too, right?"
"… That teacher."
When Lee Yu-ri heard that I was working part-time in the afternoon, she looked at me once and then at the teacher, then raised her hand.
Because Yuri Lee was such a model student, the teacher responded in a much gentler manner than when she scolded me.
"Yeah, why are you doing that?"
"… I… I don't have a medical certificate. Actually, I was just faking it. I'm sorry."