Chapter 327

She

started watching the moment her senior told Maru that she was interested in him.

She

didn’t do so on purpose.

She

went to the bathroom because of the strange atmosphere, but in that short moment, the two were already talking.

She

had to step out at that moment.

She

should have shown up right at that moment with a clueless smile on

her

face.

However,

she

wasn’t able to do so. Her senior’s words stopped

her

. It was like a confession.

She

flinched and collapsed on top of the platform.

She

saw the two people through the flower garden behind the platform.

Her senior changed her words. She didn’t just express her interest, but outright expressed that she liked him. At that moment,

she

felt dizzy.

She

didn’t know that her senior would reveal her feelings so quickly. Although

she

calmly conversed with her before,

she

was feeling very complex on the inside. Her senior was a very famous idol. On top of that, she was pretty. Everyone

she

met evaluated her in a good way. Such a person was saying that she liked Maru, so there was no way

she

was comfortable with that.

Honestly,

she

didn’t have the confidence. Maru told

her

that he liked her, but she didn’t think that that would last forever. They were both just high school students. There was no way love gained at that time would last forever. They would have to separate one day, and

she

thought that she would just treat it as one of the good memories of her student days.

She

thought that it was only a matter of fact that he would move on to a better girl if one appeared.

She

consoled herself that way.

They would have to become strangers or friends one day.

She

thought that she would be just a little disappointed if they broke up now, and that she would be able to deal with it soon.

However, that wasn’t the case.

Her

chest ached. It ached so much that

she

couldn’t breathe. It felt like there was a huge stone pressing down on

her

lungs. That stone even blocked out

her

cries.

She

could neither breathe nor cry. The only thing

she

could do was to watch the two people continue their conversation.

She

couldn’t hear any of Maru’s words.

She

only heard her senior boldly confessing her feelings towards him. Every time her words passed through

her

ears, serious dizziness overwhelmed

her

.

Why? How? Was this something to be so shocked about? It was strange. Maru wasn’t an object one could own. He was free to love anyone. He might like

her

, but he might as well not like her as well. Everything was up to him after all.

She

was supposed to be able to accept that even if he told her that they should break up, and she was supposed to be able to just accept the fact after getting angry once, but her heart just raced like it was broken, and now it was powerlessly slowing down.

Her

brain was whispering to her that it wasn’t anything much and that she should just laugh it over once those two decided to date, but her feelings were the opposite.

She

tried consoling herself by telling herself that the pain wouldn’t last a long time, but it was no good.

Maru looked around.

She

flinched back and hid behind a large plant. Now,

she

couldn’t leave either.

Right now,

she

had some scary thoughts. Even if the two affirmed their feelings towards each other and started dating, wouldn’t

she

be able to continue her relationship with Maru if she pretended she didn’t know anything? Wouldn’t it be okay even if Maru went to meet her senior in secret as long as he acted the same way in front of

her

?

She

was startled out of her wits and shook her head. That was no good. That wasn’t good at all.

She

was already preparing herself for tragedy.

She

was already preparing for the worst.

She

was already drawing a picture where she sustained herself with the little bit of affection that Maru would give her without seriously having any feelings for her.

‘Like a pet.’

She

clasped her hands.

She

tensed her toes as well. Then,

she

perked her ears. Now,

she

could hear Maru’s voice. The voice

she

consciously tried to block out could be heard again.

She

resolved to herself. If the two became lovers right now, then

she

would immediately rush out to them, slap both of them in the face, and smirk at her senior. Then,

she

would go home and start crying. Everything would be okay after crying a little.

That was how normal people would react.

She

didn’t want to become a tragic heroine. If it was going to be a tragedy anyway,

she

wanted to have her revenge.

She

didn’t want to be the Juliet that drank poison and followed Romeo to death.

Despite how

she

felt though, her arms and legs were trembling endlessly.

She

was feeling just how big Maru’s presence was in her heart. It was just one year. He had recklessly come to

her

house and confessed recklessly. He was a selfish man who only knew himself. Yet, right now, his presence filled

her

heart.

At that moment, Maru approached her senior and grabbed her senior’s shoulders. Their two faces slowly closed in on each other.

She

wanted to turn her head away.

She

wanted to pretend that she hadn’t seen anything. It would be much better for

her

heart if she just stayed ignorant. The two pairs of lips were about to touch each other.

She

felt as though the floor had disappeared. It felt like both her body and soul were falling into the abyss.

She

tried to stand up with a groan, but she couldn’t put any power into her body.

Actually,

she

had faith that Maru would keep looking her way; that he would firmly refuse her senior’s confession. However, his actions right now seem to indicate that he was about to kiss her senior, and her senior wanted to reject that. Was Maru that kind of boy? Was that all he amounted to?

She

felt complex in her head.

She

was angry at herself for still having faith in such a person. Even though

she

witnessed decisive evidence, her heart was open to Maru.

She

felt stupid.

She

felt pathetic. A person with free will, a person that wasn’t a toy would not find any excuses while looking at such a scene.

She

decided to rush out and ask him what he was up to. Then,

she

thought that she would apologize to her senior.

She

pushed against her knees and stood up halfway when Maru spoke.

She

put down her foot that she was about to lift. Instead,

she

just looked at Maru absent-mindedly.

Maru cleared up his relationship with her senior with a firm expression. Her senior became obstinate and spoke a few more lines, but Maru shook his head and drew the line and said that he would never become lovers with her. In fact, he even got angry and said that he was not comfortable with her actions.

Seeing that,

she

felt indescribably complex. First,

she

was happy.

She

was incredibly happy that Maru only thought about her. At the same time,

she

felt pathetic for reacting to every word of his. There was no need for

her

to hide, there was no need for her to feel anxious, but she fantasized about a non-existent future and pained herself.

Her

chest felt much better as though nothing had happened to it. The sweet air filled

her

body. At the same time,

she

started crying. Even though it was nothing to cry about,

she

still cried. If

she

didn’t hold herself back, she might have started bawling her eyes out.

She

covered her mouth and blocked any sound that came from her mouth. It would be embarrassing if

she

got found out right now. If

she

did get found out, she wouldn’t leave her room for a long while. Like, really.

At that moment,

she

heard Maru’s voice.

“To me,

she

is that very breath.”

She

was just regaining her vitality from almost becoming ash, and she heard those words.

She

didn’t know what to think, it just felt like Maru’s usual cheesy words. He said those words like it was nothing.

She

gained enough immunity to such words from hanging out with him a lot, but she felt very embarrassed right now. If it was just the two of them,

she

would have just giggled, but he was saying that seriously to her senior.

Despite that, those embarrassing words were adorable. The serious feelings in those words came to

her

. How could

she

help but not love Maru who said to anyone anywhere at any moment that he loved her? Of course, that didn’t mean that

she

wasn’t feeling embarrassed. Now,

she

felt like she would never be able to go up to those two.

She

felt that her face would redden up and burst the moment she stepped out.

At that moment, Maru looked straight into

her

eyes.

She

was startled. Maru looked like he knew

she

was here.

She

realized why Maru said all those things to her senior. He might have had some intentions to tease

her

, but it looked more like he was scolding her. Why are you hiding? Why can’t you be more bold about it? I’m bold when it comes to you.

Maru seemed to be saying those words.

“Anyway, once she comes back, tell her to finish the lunchbox. You have to.”

He looked at

her

again after saying ‘you have to’.

She

lowered her head. Maru walked up the platform.

She

hugged her knees and looked down at the ground.

Having walked up the platform, Maru stopped next to

her

for a moment.

“If you did nothing wrong, then don’t hide. No, even if you have done something wrong, don’t hide. If you have any worries, tell me at any moment. That’s why I exist. Don’t get pained all by yourself, and don’t fantasize about foolish things. Also, if you want to hide, then hide properly. What are you doing in the open? Covering your head with your hands won’t do any good.”

“...Sorry.”

“So, what are you going to do? It’ll be awkward if you go down right now.”

“But I will go down anyway.”

“Really? Then do what you want. Oh, don’t forget to finish your lunch.”

“Yeah.”

She

looked upwards. Maru patted

her

head twice before going towards the staff.

She

took a deep breath before looking towards her senior once. Her senior made a vain smile before kicking a can on the ground with an angry face. The empty can made a twang as it was flung across the sports field. Her senior looked at the can for a while before sighing and went to pick it up.

She

quietly walked down from the platform. Her senior looked at

her

once before looking down.

She

didn’t know what to say. It felt like consoling her was overstepping the line and smiling would make

her

look crazy.

She

had no choice but to sit down without a word and pick up her lunch. Maru’s words that told

her

to finish her lunch spread in her mind.

“I just told Maru that I liked him.”

Her

hands holding the chopsticks trembled.

She

didn’t think that her senior would mention it right away.

She

didn’t know what kind of expression to make.

She

couldn’t get angry nor could

she

look at her with pity.

“R-really?”

“Wow. This is the first time I've felt like this. Call me c.o.c.ky, but the only time when things didn’t go the way I wanted was when I was young. Ever since I became a trainee, everything went the way I wanted it to. I was able to control myself and my environment as I wished. Lots of people swore at me for that, but just as many, no, even more people than that liked me.”

Her senior sighed and put her chin on her hands.

“But recently, nothing goes the way I want to. Whether it’s acting, or the atmosphere within the group. Do you know? The group is in shambles right now. It might dissolve. We are at the peak of our popularity on the surface, but it’s like walking on thin ice once we go back to the residence. Honestly, it’s tiring.”

Hearing the sudden story,

she

held her breath and started listening. Her senior talked about everything as though she was confessing.

“You know? I take a lot of meds. Do you know what stomach cramps are? They hurt like hell. I feel like dying. But even if I go to the emergency, there’s no cure. The only thing I can do is take some sedatives and lie down for a moment. The doctor told me that you can only endure stomach cramps. He says stress is the problem. But man, a high school student is suffering from stomach cramps?”

“You must have had it hard.”

“It was hard. But it was still fine. There were still things that went as I wanted them to. But after they started disappearing one by one, I just couldn’t hold it anymore. What was left at the end was just the attention from the public, just that. Many people say things about how I’m putting on an act, right?”

“No! It’s not like that. My friends really like you.”

“Thanks for telling me that. Anyway, in such a situation, Maru helped me out. I was surrounded on all sides, but his criticisms made me clear my mind. I was angry, but I was more thankful than angry. That’s probably why I came to like him. I didn’t believe in Cinderella, but I think I know what it feels like to believe in it. I can see why the prince fell for the princess instantly.”

Her senior bit her lower lip before making a faint smile.

“Your boyfriend was amazing. Wow, I don’t know how he can say such an embarrassing thing in front of me. Do you wanna know what he said to me?”

“N-no, it’s fine.”

“No, you have to listen. He said that you were his breath. He said that he can’t live without you. Is this a drama or a movie? Geez, that was just absurd. But… at that moment, I became envious of you who could listen to him saying that. Also, I realized that I couldn’t like him. It would only end up with me being in pain if I liked him.”

Her senior turned around her head and looked at

her

. Her eyes looked resolute and didn’t contain any hesitation.

She

was going to avoid her eyes, but resolved herself and looked back at her resolutely.

“Do you want to slap me?”

“Wh-what?”

She

flinched back.

Her

eyes loosened as well.

“I said all that because I felt sorry. If you felt angry after listening to me, then you can hit me. Ah, I guess the face is bad. We still have some scenes to shoot. Do you want to rip my hair out or something?”

“No.”

“I won’t ask twice. Are you really not going to hit me?”

“No. I’m not going to.”

“Well, then, okay. There’s an idiom that says there’s no tree that’s unfellable, but looking at him, I feel like I know what an unfellable tree is. Did you two perhaps… sleep with each other?”

“S-seonbae!”

“I guess you didn’t. Sorry. I’m not sane right now. Haa.”

Her senior stood up.

“You can ignore me from now on. You can leave bad comments as well. You can talk bad about me if you want. I won’t say anything to you. I will not talk to him either. So don’t worry about me. In the first place, he was only looking at you.”

“....”

She

looked up towards her senior. Her senior looked relieved yet depressed.

She

saw her hands trembling on her legs. It looked like she was about to cry.

“I just feel really frustrated. It’s because of him, so you don’t need to worry about me. I just feel a little stuffy, so….”

She

looked at her senior who started talking all by herself before standing up and hugging her.

She

felt like

she

had to do that. Her senior was cornered. Maru appeared as someone who she could lean on in such a situation, so perhaps she became reliant on him. Yet, Maru decided to turn away from her. How would she feel? The group she debuted in was unstable, and her acting had hit a block. Although she was older than

her

, she was still a feeble high school student. She might be just as much of a crybaby as her.

She

patted her senior on the back. Her senior started crying.

* * *

“That world is really unpredictable.”

Maru sighed as he watched her and Chaerim walk hand in hand around the school. He didn’t know what happened between the two, but it looked like they made up. Just now, the two walked up to him and said some incomprehensible stuff before giggling and walking away. He felt confused.

“Hyung.”

“What?”

“Girls are really unpredictable creatures, aren’t they?”

“Uh, yeah. I’ve been single my whole life, but I heard that.”

Woojoo looked away as he spoke.

Maru fell silent.

“Well… I’ll probably get married some day,” Woojoo spoke bitterly.