Chapter 126
“Phew.”
Ji Nuri walked outside after changing clothes.
“So, what do you think?”
She placed her hands on her hips.
It was an outfit in bright, cheerful colors unlike her usual clothes.
“…Oh.”
It was an unexpected choice, so I was surprised. Didn’t Ji Nuri prefer hip street fashion?
The others reacted similarly.
“It feels different from usual. Nuri, you look great in feminine clothes too.”
Shin Ayoung covered her mouth as she looked at her. It was the kind of over-the-top fussing girls did.
“Right? It’s nice, isn’t it?”
Ji Nuri quickly grew smug and shrugged her shoulders.
Lee Sol put a stop to that.
“…It’s nice. But you look like you’ve gained weight.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Shin Ayoung agreed and continued.
“Maybe it’s because the shirt underneath is loose-fitting, but it does make you look a little bulky.”
Perhaps because of her chest, she looked fuller than she really was.
“…Hmm.”
Ji Nuri looked down at herself, then pulled the fabric around her abdomen taut.
The T-shirt ended up clinging tightly to her stomach.
She showed no restraint even though I was right in front of her.
“……”
Then she made eye contact with me and let go.
Only then did she realize.
Ji Nuri cleared her throat, then turned around.
— “Should I buy one that fits a little tighter…? I do want to wear something different since I wear only clothes like that every day.”
She sounded deliberately regretful.
What a privileged complaint.
Just look over there.
— “……”
Lee Sol’s minimi stared at Ji Nuri’s chest.
Its eyes narrowed into slits.
— “…Tsk.”
The minimi turned its head and clicked its tongue.
Lee Sol rarely showed strong emotions, but this time she wore one of the most vicious expressions I had ever seen on her.
“……”
I turned my head and pretended not to see it.
Sometimes it was better to stay quiet.
After all, people were bound to get jealous of things they didn’t have.
“Seungho, Seungho.”
Shin Ayoung poked my shoulder with her index finger.
She held out a clothes hanger.
“Try this on.”
“Okay.”
I took the hanger she held out.
It was a fairly ordinary outfit, as if she had considered my taste.
I quickly changed in the fitting room and came back out.
“Oh….”
Shin Ayoung looked satisfied with my appearance.
“A turtleneck suits you, too. And with this coat—”
“…This coat looks better with it.”
Lee Sol cut in.
“Huh? They had a color like that?”
“…Yeah, it was over there.”
“Really?”
Shin Ayoung picked up the hanger with the coat and held it against my body.
She nodded along with a small hum.
“You’re right. This one’s better.”
— “…Sol’s developed an eye for this. When did she get so good at it…?”
Shin Ayoung’s minimi let out a groan.
It seemed surprised by Lee Sol’s growth.
She had been like that until recently, after all.
She had needed help because she couldn’t pick out clothes by herself.
— “…What Mom made me do helped.”
Lee Sol’s minimi clenched its fists.
I didn’t know what kind of instruction she had received, but apparently she really had been studying.
‘……That’s true, but.’
How long was this supposed to go on?
I slowly pressed my tired eyes.
I had already changed through several outfits.
I put them on and took them off.
I repeated that several times.
I silently changed into the clothes the two of them picked out, feeling like a mannequin. But I was starting to get physically exhausted.
“Maybe we should….”
I was about to suggest that we buy the clothes and head to the movie theater—
“Which of these colors do you like better?”
“…Yeah, they’re both nice.”
“Then after that, let’s put you in this one.”
Before I knew it, Shin Ayoung and Lee Sol had joined forces.
At some point, these two had started having fun.
“Hmm, I think this one?”
Ji Nuri joined them as well, and they were absorbed in picking out my clothes.
……No, maybe it was a little different.
I think she just found the situation entertaining.
“Here, hurry up and put it on.”
Pushed forward by Ji Nuri’s hand on my back, I had no choice but to enter the fitting room once again.
And so the clothes-changing session began again.
How long did it continue?
Just as I was starting to feel self-conscious under the employee’s gaze, three outfits had been narrowed down.
They were Shin Ayoung’s, Lee Sol’s, and the one I was wearing now, which Ji Nuri had chosen.
“So….”
Lee Sol raised her head.
“…Which one are you going to buy?”
The question was asked in a relaxed tone.
But the atmosphere she gave off was anything but relaxed.
For some reason, I felt pressured by the question.
It was because each of them had chosen completely different clothes.
Once I chose one, I would be in a no-win situation, having to worry about the person whose choice hadn’t been picked.
“……”
There was only one way.
I checked each price tag.
Yes, this seemed manageable.
“Let’s buy all three.”
I came to that conclusion.
We had gone through all this trouble. It didn’t feel right to buy just one outfit, and I didn’t have any winter clothes to wear at home anyway.
I had to buy them in advance.
“We can just leave them on, right? I’ll pay right away.”
Changing back was a hassle, anyway.
“Of course~”
The employee kindly showed us the way.
I immediately swiped my card through the card reader.
“Thank you~ Please come again~”
We left the store with heavy shopping bags in our hands.
We had finally made it out.
I was completely drained even though all we had done was shop.
……I’m not shopping again next time.
“……”
Now it was time to go to the movie theater.
Since the theater was upstairs, I pressed the elevator button and asked,
“What movie are we going to see? Is there anything good out these days?”
“Hmm… To be honest, there isn’t much to watch these days.”
Shin Ayoung turned her gaze to the side and continued.
“But wasn’t there something you wanted to see, Nuri?”
“…No? I just thought of a movie, so I suggested we come see it.”
Ji Nuri shook her head.
— “That movie that came out recently… How do I recommend it naturally…?”
Ji Nuri’s minimi folded its arms and fell into serious thought.
Yeah, I had more or less figured that was the case.
— “Seungho…!”
The minimi shot me a pleading look. It clasped both hands as if trying to send me a telepathic message.
It seemed to want me to figure out what she wanted.
“……”
That was a trait I had grown accustomed to by now.
Should I help her with that or not?
* * *
……A little earlier, at school.
After the last subject ended, the first-year classroom was in chaos as everyone checked their answers against one another.
Ha Seorim was no exception.
Swish… swish….
A red circle was drawn around the final question.
It had been a question she was unsure about, but her answer was correct.
“Phew……”
Ha Seorim let out a sigh of relief.
If the results came out like this, she thought she could barely qualify for the scholarship.
Only after confirming that could she finally breathe easy.
An Boram, who had been waiting beside her, asked.
“Finished grading?”
“Yeah.”
“Looks like you did well?”
“…I guess so.”
Ha Seorim gave a hollow laugh.
Only then did An Boram start chattering.
“Where do you want to go after this? Karaoke for the first time in a while?”
“Umm….”
Ha Seorim’s expression became complicated.
At that reaction, An Boram narrowed her eyes as well.
“…Don’t tell me you have work today, too?”
“Yeah.”
“What? Why? Wasn’t today supposed to be your day off?”
“There haven’t been enough people lately, so I said I’d cover the shift.”
She didn’t have any major complaints, since she would be paid more for working more.
“What…? I thought we were going to hang out today….”
An Boram, on the other hand, looked crestfallen.
“But I’m free until six.”
Ha Seorim said it as if soothing her.
Her shift was in the evening, so she could hang out until then.
But An Boram didn’t look satisfied at all.
“Tsk… That’s too bad….”
“But we did get out early.”
If they started having fun now, they could spend three hours together.
Wasn’t that enough?
“Hmm….”
An Boram accepted that it couldn’t be helped, though she was disappointed. She returned to the earlier topic.
“Then where do you want to go? Should we ask Hyunwoo, too?”
“I don’t care. Anything’s fine.”
“You always say that. You really don’t care?”
“Yeah, it’s fin—”
Last time, she had said anything was fine and ended up sweating buckets at an escape room café.
“—as long as it’s not anything scary. I’m fine.”
Remembering that out of nowhere, Ha Seorim hurriedly added the condition.
An Boram’s eyes turned disappointed.
So she really had been planning to go.
“……”
That was when they were deciding where to go hang out.
Ding—
[The exam ended today, right? Did you do well?]
Along with a short vibration, a text appeared on the phone screen.
“……”
The sender was Yoo Haneul.
Ha Seorim calmly checked the text.
It wasn’t anything particularly surprising. Lately, they had been texting back and forth fairly often.
[So-so.]
Ha Seorim sent an appropriate reply.
After waiting a little, another text came from Yoo Haneul.
[You must have done well, considering how worried you were?]
[(Cat emoji clenching both paws)]
“Hmm….”
It was hard to call it doing well.
It had been close. This time, it was more accurate to say she had somehow scraped by.
Still, she had gotten through it, after all.
[(*,,ÒㅅÓ,,)و]
Feeling proud, Ha Seorim drew and sent that emoticon.
[Then, do you want to meet up and hang out to celebrate finishing our exams?]
“Hmm….”
Ha Seorim rested her chin on the desk.
If it wasn’t today, she didn’t mind.
She also had something she wanted to ask in person….
[How about tomorrow?]
It was a shame, but tomorrow wouldn’t work.
[I have work.]
[Then Friday?]
[Then, too.]
[(Cat emoji poking its face into view)]
That reaction came after her repeated refusals.
But she really did have work. Ha Seorim quickly sent a reply.
[This Saturday works.]
[Really?]
[Yeah.]
[Great. See you this weekend.]
Just as Ha Seorim was about to close her phone, it vibrated once more.
[Should I come to the store?]
“……”
Ha Seorim sucked in a sharp breath.
Saturday was the day she worked with Lee Seungho.
She hurriedly sent a text.
[It’s okay.]
[I’ll contact you when I’m done.]
“……”
Ding—
[Okay.]
“Phew……”
Ha Seorim could finally relax after seeing that reply.
“……”
Yes, this was right.
This was better than having the two of them meet for no reason.
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(There’s an illustration if you scroll down!)
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Tsk.