“Ughhh…”
“As the bell rang to mark the end of the final class, I let out a deep sigh that echoed through the empty classroom like a whisper from a cavern.”
The world within the dating sim, which originally allowed me to select only the key moments, has now become a reality, transforming into something akin to actual life. In other words, I had to go through a full eight-hour school day without missing a single part of the regular curriculum.
Usually, in the game, the scenes focusing on school lessons are quickly skimmed over, mostly to showcase the heroines’ personalities.
For example, Hong Seol, being the head of the discipline Committee and a model student character, was shown paying attention in class, while Park Ha-eun, who had other career paths and was somewhat clumsy, was depicted as dozing off or getting distracted.
Just one cutscene. And I remember they would just copy-paste the background and switch out the characters to quickly move on. No gamer would want to sit through an eight-hour school day in a dating sim, so it was a natural course of action.
However, regrettably for me, this place was a harsh reality. The torture that started in the morning continued until the sun was high in the sky, nearing the ridge, and it was a punishment too cruel for someone like me, who has always kept a distance from studying, whether in the past or now.
Wasn’t there something written about this before? Being punished for the crime of being a student, trapped in a prison called school, in a jail called a classroom…(the rest is omitted). This could be said to perfectly represent my feelings.
And the most frightening thing is, as far as I know, today is Monday. Meaning, I have to go through this ordeal four more times before the sweet weekend arrives.
Shivering with despair, I lay there unable to get up when someone playfully poked my side.
To think someone would dare poke the side of golden sun, struggling with the despair of being trapped in the prison called school for the crime of being a student…(the rest is omitted). Whoever it was, they would pay the price by touching Lee Ji-woon’s body.
“Kyaa, kyaaah…!?”
I rose like Superman, intending to set an example for the one who dared disturb the bad state of Golden Sun, but what met my eyes was Lee Yeji, who had fallen on her bottom in surprise, the woman ver. of golden sun.
As soon as I realized it was her, the anger that had flared up quickly died down. Hmm, it’s something Yeji would do. She was my one and only best friend, so I couldn’t let her leave Lee Ijoon’s side as well.
If she left, who would I talk to? Among the few who approached me, Yeji was the only one I could comfortably converse with—a precious lifeline that I absolutely couldn’t let go of.
“Ow… that hurts…”
“I didn’t mean to, sorry. Let me help you up, okay?”
“Forget it…! You’re just going to pretend to help and then let me fall again like last time!”
Indeed, one should never grab the hand that Golden Sun extends straightforwardly. I’ve seen it often in Hitomi. If you grab it once, a person’s life can change dramatically.
However, in this moment, I wasn’t Golden Sun; I was Lee Ye-ji’s irreplaceable friend (self-proclaimed). Such a friend had fallen, revealing a significant portion of her thigh. Shouldn’t I quickly help her up before others see?
Honestly, I wanted to watch her a little longer if it were just the two of us. Perhaps my preference was for tanned skin. With this, my range of coverable areas had expanded once again today. It was quite satisfying.
Putting those thoughts aside, I forcibly grabbed Ye-ji’s hand and pulled her up.
“Kyaaah…!?”
With a cry similar to when she fell, Ye-ji was swiftly lifted up. Perhaps due to not being fully accustomed to Ji-woon’s body, the strength was misjudged, and Ye-ji ended up leaning almost halfway against me.
“Are you crazy? Why are you so strong…!?”
“Well… because it’s Lee Jiwoon.”
I didn’t know this guy was this strong. Wasn’t Golden Sun usually just bluffing before getting beaten up like a power level meter? At this rate, I wonder who could actually take down this Lee Jiwoon.
As I was spouting nonsense indifferently, I could see a ‘What the heck is this guy?’ emotion starting to seep through Lee Ye-ji’s expression. The fact that the distance that had been so close was gradually widening was an added bonus.
It hurt a little. We’re best friends, right…? Please, tell me that’s right.
“Ah, Anyway! Wait for me in front of the classroom after you’re done! That’s what I came to tell you.”
“In front of the classroom? Why?”
“Why do you think? To go home together! Even if you’re okay now, who knows when the aftereffects of the car accident might hit? At least I should make sure you get home safely!”
Wow, is this what they call a tsundere? Despite the irritation in her voice, each word was carefully chosen, packed with consideration and kindness.
Is this what a best friend is in this world? Someone who takes you home after being discharged from the hospital, grumbles but deep down cares and supports you. Honestly, when playing as the protagonist, I thought she was just a delinquent mk.2, but in reality, Ye-ji was more genuine than anyone else.
No wonder there’s so much fan fiction about the protagonist. The creators made a mistake. If they had included Ye-ji in the official route, sales would have doubled.
So next time, try harder. Don’t just trap innocent people in a game. You bastards.
As I was thinking this, Ye-ji had already left the classroom. She seemed to be in a hurry, perhaps to keep the end-of-day routine.
Look at her. Even if she looks like Golden Sun (Women.ver) and acts cold, she’s a good kid. As long as she grows up well-behaved, it doesn’t matter if she dyes her hair blonde, tans, and acts like a delinquent. I won’t have any objections. I’ve decided to become Ye-ji’s best friend from today on.
“…Wow.”
Could you please stop staring at me with those persistent eyes, Park Ha-eun?
Ever since I helped Ye-ji up, you’ve been looking at me as if I were a unicorn, and it’s really uncomfortable. Please, Park Ha-eun, go find love with our protagonist, Yoon Dong-gun, your eternal sidekick. Please, just go!
Yes, there he is, coming your way. Your destined future. Our protagonist, who seems like the alpha male incarnate.
“Ha-eun, I might be late because I’m on duty today, so you go ahead.”
“Huh? Oh! Sure, whatever!”
Sigh, nothing ever goes my way.
* * *
“So, she was explaining to me why she fought with her boyfriend. But no matter how I look at it, it seems like it was her fault, yet she insists it wasn’t and keeps arguing. And the thing that happened between them was…”
On the way home from school. The school and Ji-woon’s house were not too far apart. It was just a normal commuting distance. Close enough that it felt too short to drive, but walking would take about twenty minutes—a somewhat awkward distance.
Having attended school classes for the first time in a while and walking home with a friend brought back old memories. Those days when I was happy over small things and imagined a bright future waiting for me.
That child grew up to be an ordinary office worker struggling with student loans, always longing for the past. I never knew I would indirectly experience that past through someone else’s body, but it wasn’t such a bad feeling. In fact, it was rather nice.
Of course, that was before I had to listen to Ye-ji’s non-stop chatter.
“So, Ji-woon, who do you think was in the wrong?”
“…Well.”
“No, no, listen! She said her boyfriend clearly told her he might contact her occasionally because he was hanging out with friends, but my friend got so upset over that and didn’t contact him at all for a whole day! Complaining about whether friends are more important than her and stuff!”
“Uh… Yeah. That’s too much, your friend…”
“Right, right!? See, I told you I was right. Sigh, even she has a boyfriend, what am I doing? If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t sulk over such trivial things or be annoying…”
Ye-ji was glancing at me as she spoke. Was she expecting some kind of answer from me? I didn’t have the confidence to shout out the correct answer, so I just watched the sunset, soaked in melancholy.
“…It’s really annoying, Ji-woon!!”
“Ah!”
I tried to deflect the conversation with the ‘man with a story’ concept, but failed spectacularly and got poked in the side. During that, Ye-ji seemed to notice the firmness of my side, flinching as she gripped her poking finger.
“It’s… firm…”
“Well, because it’s Ji-woon.”
“Are you some kind of doll that makes noise when poked? Always saying the same thing?”
Such a life wouldn’t be so bad. Without any worries, just repeating the same words whenever the master pokes. Right now, that’s how I want to live, Ye-ji. How many times can one respond? How is it possible to talk non-stop for the 20 minutes it takes to get home?
Although I encountered an unexpected strong opponent and struggled, I finally arrived home, and it was time to part ways with Ye-ji.
Surely, she wouldn’t come inside and keep talking…
“Hmm… It’s been a while since I’ve been here, should I stop by for a bit?”
What are you saying, Ye-ji… If you’re truly Ji-woon’s friend, you shouldn’t say such things for the sake of his auditory health.
And a grown man, moreover, the mighty golden sun, is suggesting stopping by his house. It seems Ye-ji desperately needs some audio-visual education from HitoMi. The moment she steps into golden sun’s house, she’ll face whatever happens there with wide-open eyes.
“I’m a bit tired today. Come by another time.”
“…Really? Well, can’t be helped then. But remember, next time I’ll definitely come, just like you said.”
Is this a declaration of war? I can feel a strong determination to conquer my ears no matter what.
Fortunately, Ye-ji started walking towards her own house. Clearly, her inner thoughts were warm and kind, but the unintended attacks had my semicircular canals spinning.
After a brief greeting, I returned home to be greeted by a familiar silence. The same damn silence I had become too accustomed to in my current life.
“Even after changing bodies, this part remains the same.”
I threw my empty crossbody bag on the floor and headed straight for the sofa. I turned on the TV and quietly closed my eyes. It was a fantasy collaboration created by Ji-woon’s memories and my original preferences.
[This is the news. Starting today, March 11th, the law has been officially amended to allow polygamy. Consequently, there has been a steady stream of citizens heading to the municipal office since this morning. It’s quite an unusual change by developed country standards, and we’re all watching to see what results this new law will bring…]
The voice of a neat and crisp-sounding announcer filled the room. Ah, so today is March 11th. Well, I just possessed this body yesterday, so I wouldn’t have a sense of the date.
The entrance ceremony was a week ago, so it must be early March. If I give it a little more time, it would be mid-March. There was no need to double-check the date the announcer mentioned.
But March 11th… Why does my heart ache as soon as I hear this date? It feels like something happened. Like it was the day of some significant event…
“Ah, what does it have to do with me, anyway.”
Shaking off the unease, I headed to the bathroom for a shower. Hopefully, the warm water would wash away this inexplicable discomfort.
As I threw my clothes on the floor and braced for the initial cold splash of water on my body.
“…Ah, that’s right. Fuck.”
A forgotten fragment of memory floated to the surface. The most crucial event in the story. And the night that changed the life of one heroine.
“Park Ha-eun.”
The main heroine, Park Ha-eun. Tonight, she will be involved in a very serious car accident.
Oof.
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