“Ugh, it’s so hot.”
As I thought I had definitely gotten far enough away after escaping the alley, I tore off the bread bag that had been wrapped around my head in one go.
The heat that had been contained within my disposable mask, now torn and turned into a bread bag, dispersed in all directions. It was a moment when I realized for the first time that steam could rise from a person’s body even in March.
“Well, I guess it’ll resolve itself now.”
With my anxiety now gone, I continued walking down the street without any urgency.
At the same time, I pulled out my smartphone and accessed the national reporting website. Even in this fictional world, there were likely security cameras, so catching the culprit should be straightforward.
Of course, having cameras didn’t guarantee that we’d catch the truck driver immediately, but given the nature of this story, the odds were in favor of the main characters. The criminal would be apprehended, and Park Ha-eun hadn’t recognized me (probably). All in all, things were working out well.
But seriously, how did my name come up so easily when we first met? If she had caught me in the act, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with any excuses. Maybe there was a heroine buff that improved intuition? I couldn’t forget the chills that ran down my spine when she said my name.
Still, it’s over anyway. I managed to preserve at least a shred of my humanity and didn’t get caught, so it’s two birds with one stone. Even though my wrist hurt a bit from hastily pulling up Park Haeun from below, it was a level of pain that could be healed by the natural healing power of the golden sun.
“But why have I been feeling these vibrations since earlier?”
Even as I vigorously shook off the bread crumbs, my smartphone occasionally vibrated. Initially, I ignored it, focusing on finding Park Ha-eun. But now, it was vibrating again.
I needed to check. Who else could be desperately trying to reach me? My parents? Or maybe it was related to another incident?
“Oh, there’s one more person.”
[Lee Ye-ji: Ji-woon, what are you doing?]
[Lee Ye-ji: I’m bored.]
[Lee Ye-ji: Should I come over to your place, or do you want to come to mine? No one’s home at my house today…]
[Lee Ye-ji: But seriously, why haven’t you been answering my calls?]
[Lee Ye-ji: You don’t even take naps during the day. How can you not answer my phone call?]
[Lee Ye-ji: Do you remember our promise from the hospital? We agreed to stay in touch. I brought you food so many times, and now you’re acting like this?]
[Lee Ye-ji: Wait a minute. Are you talking to that girl again? Kim Yeon-hee, that fox-like woman!? Did she tell you to ignore my messages? Is that it? Answer me!!]
[Lee Ye-ji: Hey, Ji-woon. Pick up the phone.]
“Ugh, damn it.”
Reading the escalating anger in the text messages made my head spin. Even if a truck were speeding toward me, my heart wouldn’t race as much as it did now. It seemed that Ji-woon was still oblivious to the urgency conveyed by Ye-ji’s Kakao messages.
Was I overreacting by myself? Was this guy always like this? Ultimately, Ji-woon was the root of the problem. His internal evaluation, which had been positive when he rescued Park Ha-eun, was now plummeting in an instant.
I dialed the number. Simultaneously, my legs started trembling. It seemed like a habit, this nervous shaking.
“Hello…”
[Hey!!! Where are you right now!!]
Lee Ye-ji had transformed from a cat into a Siberian tiger.
***
“Ah… I’m tired…”
Before I knew it, it was the next morning. I woke up feeling extremely tired due to the sudden physical exertion and the time spent clearing up Ye-ji’s misunderstanding.
As I sat there blankly, the events of last night began to replay in my head like a film. The scene where Ye-ji tried to barge into my house and I desperately tried to stop her.
Eventually, after a second inspection of my smartphone, Ye-ji, who had gone through all the conversations and SNS content, finally asked me what had happened. I had my own grievances and protested, but apparently, Ji-woon had a history of secretly meeting girls several times.
I don’t know why Ye-ji, who isn’t even my girlfriend, would interfere with other girls, but saying that might turn her from a tiger into a Tyrannosaurus, so I had to hold my tongue.
Reflecting on yesterday’s events, I wondered if this might have been the best thing I’ve done as Ji-woon. Ye-ji, not as a cat but as a tiger, was quite scary…
In the end, I managed to get away from her only after listening to her introduction to women’s studies for an hour and a half on a park bench that night. I thought that was the end, but she sneakily took me to a restaurant because she was hungry. I had to endure another hour of her lecture there. Save me, please.
Of course, the food was delicious, and since Ye-ji paid for it, I didn’t really have any complaints. She said since she brought me out, she should pay.
Once the food started going in, she seemed to be in a better mood and turned back into a purring cat. It was a day when I realized I needed to feed her regularly (※most important).
Anyway, after spending such a wild (?) night, I welcomed a new morning. As I prepared to go to school without much thought, I realized I was wearing piercings, and even Ji-woon’s trademark fluorescent jumper.
The moment Hong Seol’s face flashed before my eyes, I threw the jumper with all my might and removed all the metal pieces from my ears and shoved them into a drawer. No more mistakes… I must block any connection to Hong Seol, Ji-won Lee.
“Hello?”
“…Hello.”
“Why is your voice so soft? Did you skip breakfast?”
“Goodbye.”
“…You’re in such a hurry. It hurts my feelings.”
Despite my efforts, Hong Seol on the way to school did not spare her interest in me.
Why is it that someone who puts up walls with everyone else can’t help but talk to me? I checked my outfit several times just in case I violated even a minor school rule, but it was all for naught.
Should I jump over the wall to school like Ye-ji? Honestly, with Ji-woon’s athletic ability, I could easily hop over fences like parkour. Of course, it’s a method that only works at the beginning of the semester, but it’s the best way to turn off Hong Seol’s attention for now.
‘From tomorrow, I’ll be climbing over the fence to school.’
Even if they put electric barbed wire on the fence, I’ll make sure to jump over it.
***
“Ha-eun, hi~”
“Hi~”
As I waited for the morning assembly, Park Ha-eun walked into the classroom.
Surprisingly, she looked no different than usual. It was hard to believe she was the same person who almost had an accident the day before.
I thought she would take the day off to recover, but she arrived at school on time, seemingly unaffected by the shock of the near-accident. Was Park Ha-eun always this resilient? I didn’t think so.
Well, what good is good. There was no need to think deeply about something that had already ended. The incident that could have scarred Park Ha-eun’s body and mind had disappeared, and I had finished my task while keeping my identity hidden, so there should be no repercussions.
And right now, I was too overwhelmed to even listen to Ye-ji, who was chattering next to me. I had to respond from time to time, but if I showed too little interest, she might turn into a tiger again. Living as Ji-woon is not so easy…
“…Huh?”
However, suddenly, Ye-ji stopped talking and grabbed my wrist as if she had seen something.
At first, I thought it was some new prank among the kids, but judging by her expression, it seemed like it was something entirely different.
“Does it hurt? How did you get injured like this?”
Ye-ji’s expression was serious. If anyone saw her, they’d think my wrist had been completely severed, not just scratched.
Considering Lee Ji-woon's physical abilities and the teenage phase, this kind of injury should heal in a day or so, even though it looked bad.
“I almost tripped on the way. It’s nothing.”
“But still, leaving it like this? Look at the wound oozing blood… It’s not okay!”
The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was left untreated. Perhaps feeling sorry for it, Ye-ji rummaged through the first aid kit in our classroom, fetching antiseptic, ointment, bandages, and even a splint, which she placed on my desk.
Honestly, the bandage seemed a bit excessive. It was just a scratch on my wrist, not an amputation. Come on,
Ye-ji…
“It’s really not a big deal…”
“Shh! Stay still!”
Even in response to my words, Yeji remained resolute. Then, with unskilled hands, she began her makeshift treatment.
Dipping cotton in disinfectant alcohol, she gently dabbed it onto the wound. All the while, she observed my expression, assessing whether I felt any pain. Her face contorted as if it were her own injury.
“Ouch… Does it hurt?”
“No.”
“Ugh… How did you manage to get hurt like this? Be more careful…”
Although it had been several hours since the injury, I accepted the disinfection. After all, the likelihood was high that this treatment wouldn’t end until Yeji was satisfied.
Next came the ointment. After applying the cream that promotes healing of new tissue, she neatly covered the wound area with a splint.
Even in the midst of this, her lack of skill was evident. Yeji repeatedly removed and reattached the splint, until finally, seemingly satisfied, she shrugged her shoulders.
“Next is the bandage!”
“The bandage is a bit much…”
“Shh!”
“Do I look like a pet to you? Stop shushing me.”
Of course, since she said ‘shh,’ I stopped. Now that it’s come up, I’d like to be reborn as a large dog in a rich family in my next life, strolling through the garden without a care in the world. Since the qualification of a pet is to stop when you hear ‘shh,’ I guess I’m top dog.
“Ugh… Why isn’t this working?”
“Should I do it?”
“Wait! I’ll do it! It only matters if I do it! It has to be me!”
Whether it was stubbornness or misplaced pride, even wrapping the bandage was a challenge for Ye-ji. The bandage kept slipping or refusing to stay in place, as if mocking her efforts.
Finally, defeated Ye-ji declared, “Ugh! So annoying!”
“You don’t need to wrap the bandage. Just keep the splint…”
“Timeout! Let me rest for a bit, and next time, I’ll definitely succeed… Huh?”
That’s when it happened. Park Ha-eun silently approached and began wrapping the bandage around my wrist.
With the precision of a nurse, she flawlessly secured the bandage. I wondered how long she’d been watching us. Lost in Ye-ji’s treatment, I hadn’t noticed, but judging by her immediate intervention, she must have listened to our entire conversation.
“Keep doing this, and after you shower, apply ointment again and replace the splint. If you don’t know how to wrap the bandage, I can show you.”
“Um… Well…”
“Sorry. I unintentionally interrupted. Well then… I’ll be going.”
Park Ha-eun’s face was inexplicably filled with laughter. What was making her so happy? It was beyond my comprehension.
Just yesterday, we narrowly avoided a major incident, and now she had already forgotten everything. Maybe she had already told her parents? I shouldn’t worry about the heroine, Why did this girl make people worry so much?
Even as she turned away and returned to her seat, her gaze lingered on me. Her lips still curved upward, and her lightly amused expression was annoyingly pretty.
“That foxy girl… Park Ha-eun…!!!”
Ah, there really is someone here who is getting annoyed.
For the sake of peace in our school and class, I barely managed to prevent cute ye-ji from evolving into fierce ye-ji once again.
Oddly enough, stopping that process felt more challenging than yesterday, but that’s how it was.
***
“…Bread bag, it was you after all.”
Park Ha-eun murmured this without taking her eyes off her benefactor.
A precious old friend, and the man who saved her from an accident.
Looking Towards Ji-woon.
Tyrannosaurus lol the comedy kills me.
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