Chapter 121
* * *
“…….”
Ji Nuri blinked blankly for a moment as she watched the scene.
Lee Seungho and Lee Sol stood side by side.
‘Did they come together?’
They had definitely gotten off the same bus.
The odds that they had happened to board it by chance were slim.
Which meant they had met up beforehand and come together.
‘Ah, they’ve separated.’
Lee Seungho’s hand, which had been holding Lee Sol, fell away.
Soon, the two of them walked side by side toward the main gate.
“…….”
Ji Nuri followed behind them at a leisurely pace.
Even so, her thoughts were racing.
The close distance between their shoulders caught her eye. She remembered the wrist he had held.
‘…Don’t people usually avoid doing that if they like someone?’
As far as she knew, that was the case.
Wouldn’t they generally keep their distance from another girl?
‘……Of course, Sol isn’t an ordinary girl, though.’
She was so cute, after all.
Any ordinary boy would easily fall for her.
It was easy to imagine that happening.
Even if he liked another girl, if Sol acted friendly toward him, he would probably grin foolishly.
‘……No way.’
Was Lee Seungho being seduced by Sol right now?
A reasonable suspicion came to mind.
There was nothing especially strange about it. Sol liked Lee Seungho, so what wouldn’t she do?
“Hmm….”
Ji Nuri’s expression became impossible to describe.
It was frightening.
If her plan was to use his meddlesome nature and the fact that he was weak in the mornings to grow closer to him,
it was an undeniably frightening, foxlike strategy.
Sol was unexpectedly scary.
* * *
“Grrrretch…!”
Lee Sol stretched out long.
Perhaps the nap on the bus had helped; she looked livelier than before.
Rattle—
When I opened the back door and entered the classroom, I saw Shin Ayoung already sitting at her desk.
“You’re here?”
Shin Ayoung greeted me when she saw me come in first.
Her gaze shifted to my left, toward where Sol was.
— “…Sol’s here, too? Did you run into her on the way?”
Shin Ayoung’s mini-me was puzzled, but she didn’t seem particularly concerned.
“Is it P.E. today?”
Shin Ayoung was wearing her gym clothes.
Wasn’t today supposed to be a day without P.E.?
“Yeah, they said the timetable changed. I heard the math teacher’s sick today.”
She nodded.
My expression hardened at the news.
“Ah… I didn’t bring my gym clothes….”
“It’s okay. Apparently, anyone who wants to study on their own can stay seated.”
“Really?”
That was at least fortunate.
— “Nice.”
Even Sol’s mini-me, who hated moving, clenched her fist.
“Are you going to exercise?”
“No, these clothes are more comfortable.”
Shin Ayoung shrugged.
She only had to wear gym clothes on days when there was P.E., so no one would complain.
It seemed she planned to stay in her gym clothes today.
Rattle—
While we were making that small talk, Ji Nuri walked in through the back door.
“You’re here?”
“…Yeah.”
It was a greeting with a subtly different reaction from usual.
Ji Nuri’s gaze swept over the floor for no apparent reason before she plopped down in her seat.
“…….”
I was briefly puzzled by that, but soon turned my attention elsewhere.
It wasn’t as if her acting strange was anything new. Maybe she had stayed up late watching anime or webtoons again.
However, what I heard was a little unexpected.
— “…Sol’s more calculating than I thought.”
Ji Nuri’s mini-me crossed her tiny arms and legs.
She gently shook her head at me.
— “She’s so carefree, not even realizing what she’s gotten herself into….”
“…….”
Her speech was clipped, with the context between her words abruptly cut away.
Just hearing that, I couldn’t tell what she was worrying about. Still, it didn’t seem necessary to listen further.
I figured her thoughts were probably flowing in some strange direction as usual.
* * *
It became the weekend.
Since I had work at my part-time job today, I arrived at the store early.
I changed clothes and continued cleaning the dining area.
“Oppa, is it really true that you’re only working for one more month?”
Part-timer Choi Suhyeon asked, widening her round eyes,
“Huh?”
I turned around while pressing my cap down.
Where had she heard that?
I hadn’t told the others working my section yet.
“Who did you hear it from?”
“The manager told me.”
As expected, it was an obvious source. Otherwise, there was no way she could have known.
There was no point hiding it anymore, so I nodded in confirmation.
“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”
At my answer, Choi Suhyeon’s eyebrows slanted into a frown.
“Wow… I’m really upset. How could you do this without saying a word?”
Her lips jutted forward.
I gently tried to placate her. I had intended to tell her.
“There’s still a month left. I was going to tell you when there were about two weeks left, too.”
There was still plenty of time. What was the point of telling them so early?
It would only make them needlessly worry.
Though I hadn’t expected the manager to bring it up first.
“Still, I’m upset.”
— “It’s not even difficult. You could’ve told us in advance, couldn’t you…?”
Apparently, what upset her was hearing it from the manager instead of me directly.
“Hello.”
Just then, the back door opened, and Ha Seorim walked in.
“Seorim—”
Choi Suhyeon ran over to Ha Seorim, who had just arrived for work.
“Did you know about that, too?”
The rumor would spread quickly now.
I wouldn’t have to go around telling people that I was quitting.
All the better.
After hearing the whole story, Ha Seorim blinked at me.
“You’re quitting your part-time job, sunbae?”
“Yeah.”
“When?”
“I still have some time left. I agreed to work for another month. The manager asked me to stay a little longer because they didn’t have enough people.”
That was because all the third-years who had been working there had quit.
They had pleaded with me to stay until they could hire people, so I agreed.
“That’s true.”
Ha Seorim agreed.
And that was all.
Her expression didn’t change with surprise, disappointment, or happiness.
Ha Seorim put her bag in the locker and turned toward the changing room.
“Is anyone inside the changing room?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll use it.”
Ha Seorim went back to do what she had to without another word.
Choi Suhyeon’s lips fell open at the sight.
“Hey, Seorim, are you a T?”
“…Why? You said there’s still a month left.”
Ha Seorim replied calmly.
Her mini-me, however, showed a reaction of a different sort.
— “That’s nice. I want to quit, toooo….”
The mini-me smacked her lips and mouthed the words.
Rather than being happy that I was quitting, she seemed envious.
— “Work’s going to get a lot tougher in a month.”
On top of that, she groaned at the thought of the work that was coming.
Even I found it unexpected.
I had expected her to be the happiest, but her reaction was different from what I’d imagined.
I guess my impression of her had changed since our first meeting.
***
……It was time to clock out.
“Good work today…!”
At the same moment the clock hands pointed to four, Ha Seorim’s voice rang out.
She was exhausted, but I could tell she was still trying to sound as energetic as possible.
I changed out of my work uniform and came out.
“Manager, we’re heading out.”
“Yeah, it’s raining outside, so get home safely.”
“Yes.”
I walked toward the girls clustered by the back door.
“How is it outside?”
“Wow—It’s really coming down.”
Choi Suhyeon made a fuss as she watched the rain pouring outside the window.
Pitter-patter—
It wasn’t quite a torrential downpour, but it wasn’t weather you could walk through without getting soaked.
“Then, see you next week.”
Choi Suhyeon left work first, opening her umbrella.
No one seemed caught off guard.
The weather had been overcast since morning, so everyone seemed to have brought an umbrella.
“……?”
My eyes were drawn to one girl in particular, who was creating an unusually hectic atmosphere.
One by one, people were heading home, but Ha Seorim alone was still walking around the break room.
She darted her gaze left and right as she hurried around.
She seemed to be looking for something.
— “…Ah, seriously, I’m screwed.”
Then her mini-me smacked a hand against her forehead.
— “I’m sure I left it here…?”
The mini-me hopped up and down on top of the empty umbrella stand.
Had her umbrella disappeared?
In this country, umbrellas and bicycles were the things you had to guard most carefully, so it was obvious someone had stolen it.
— “Ah, damn… Who was it….”
Moisture filled the mini-me’s voice. She trembled. She looked utterly aggrieved, as if she were on the verge of tears.
“…….”
I took a folding umbrella from my bag and turned to Ha Seorim.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“The thing is….”
“You didn’t bring an umbrella?”
“…I did bring one… but it’s gone.”
I pointed behind her.
“Then… what about the umbrellas left in the back storage room for employees to use? Use one of those for now.”
“……Those, other people had already taken them.”
“……Oh, really?”
I guess she had already checked. I felt a little awkward.
Pitter-patter……!
The sound of rain outside grew heavier.
— “Would I be okay if I ran quickly….”
The mini-me reached out a hand to check the rain falling outside.
Even at a moment like this, she didn’t ask me for help.
It seemed she wasn’t so much opposed to asking me for help as she was simply accustomed to solving things on her own.
“Want me to help?”
I turned back, opening my umbrella.
“…….”
Ha Seorim started to lift her bag over her head, then stopped.
She seemed faintly surprised, as if she hadn’t expected the question.
“…….”
She hesitantly shuffled over beside me.
“……Thank you.”
“…….”
Without answering, I started walking to match her pace.
I didn’t need to take her all the way home; dropping her off at a convenience store should be enough.
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(There’s an illustration if you scroll down!)
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February cover: Nuri.