.  It was such a fortunate thing for me. ‘Yi Ruda is a female crossdresser, so she and I can’t make it. Besides, Yi Ruda already has a guy for her life……’ How could I say such things like these to her?

  Walking along the empty hallway, we finally arrived at our room. As soon as we stepped inside, Kim Hye Hill pushed me into the small room. She then turned on the lights and went back to the living room.

  Sitting on the bed, I felt bored, so I took out my phone from the pocket and tried to check some messages. ‘But looking at the aggressive Ban Yeo Ryung and the Four Heavenly Kings in the auditorium……’ As their faces came across my mind, I furrowed my brows.

  I thought Ban Yeo Ryung would send me such messages like, ‘I told you not to make any boyfriends ??’ or call me right away. The Four Heavenly Kinds, those who were particularly sensitive about this kind of thing, especially Jooin would have sent me something like, ‘Mama, I don’t need a new daddy ??.’


  But no messages arrived. No missed phone calls too. I touched my phone. Of course, it was better to have no messages rather than receiving those texts. The unexpected tranquility, however, made me more anxious. Thinking about the word ‘lull before the storm,’ I stared at the wall quietly.

  The bags and personal stuff scattered in the living room were now all moved to the small room; therefore, I had no space to walk around. The whole space was dark and silent as I turned off the light to pretend no one’s here inside. My complicated head seemed to cool down. I raised my eyes to look at the wall.

  What was Yi Ruda thinking to kiss my cheek? Especially, when everybody was looking in front of the stage?

  Wondering about her unexpected act of intimacy, I disheveled my hair like crazy. The number of possible reasons was not that many.

  First, she lost her sexual identity from a prolonged female crossdressing.

  “.……”


  Second, she came here to find her fiancée but discovered my charms, so the Four Heavenly Kings were out of her sight!

  “.……”


  ‘Just die, Ham Donnie!’ I held up the pillow next to me and smashed my head. While hitting myself with the pillow, I giggled out of the crazy thoughts I had then repeated smashing myself again to gather my senses. Suddenly, there was a noise from the front door.

  ‘Holy cow!’ I quickly put down the pillow and pulled a comforter over my head. While doing like that for a moment, the first thing I heard through the comforter was no other than Yoon Jung In’s clear voice.

  “Hey, Kim Hye Hill! Where is Ham Donnie? You guys were together.”


  Kim Hye Hill then replied in a tranquil voice.

  “I evacuated her to a different room from your raid.”


  “Indeed, you’re a brain of IQ 140. What a foresight!”


  Another girl from the side, probably Lee Mina, asked in a surprised voice.

  “Hye Hill’s IQ is 140?”


  “Yeah, in our Sukbong Middle School, we had a special class called ‘Class for the Gifted.’ Those with only good GPAs could be there. Both Kim Hye Hill and Kim Hye Woo were from there, so although we were in the same class, I could hardly see them except for events or so. Isn’t it, Kim Hye Woo?”


  Kim Hye Woo, probably next to them, replied apathetically.

  “Why are you asking me? We aren’t identical but fraternal twins, so we have different genes. Maybe our IQ would be different too.”


  “Wow, he’s pretending to be not over 140.”


  “So, do you have a problem?”


  “Not only one but two! Bahaha!”


  “.……”


  In the dark, I curled up myself inside the comforter and listened to their conversations. Yoon Jung In’s joke almost made me laugh out loud. He was truly a psycho.

  Yoon Jung In’s laughter, ringing around the front door, soon paused as if it got disconnected. Maybe Shin Suh Hyun restrained him from his verbal diarrhea. ‘Without Shin Suh Hyun, Yoon Jung In would’ve been so hard to live in this world,’ as I had that thought in mind, Yi Ruda’s voice came into my ears.

  “Where’s Donnie?”


  “Why don’t you just come in? Are you gonna stand like that in the front door?”


  Kim Hye Hill asked back to change the topic smoothly. Unexpectedly, Kim Hye Hill and Yi Ruda didn’t share much time together, so they might have not felt each other so comfortable. Kim Hye Hill, however, had a great talent for doing small talk with everyone.

  Then I heard kids taking off their shoes and their footsteps to the living room. I fetched a sigh of relief. They would never imagine what Kim Hye Hill meant about a ‘different room’ was just next to the living room. Feeling nervous, I wriggled my toes. At that moment, something vibrated inside my pocket.

  When I took out my phone, the three letters, ‘Ban Yeo Ryung,’ flashed on the screen in the dark. I opened my flip phone.

  Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

  Babe~ Do u wanna Netflix & Chill in oppa’s rooooomm?

  “.……?”


  I checked the phone all over. There was no damages at all. This time, I rubbed my eyes vigorously; however, the name on the sender didn’t change. Ban Yeo Ryung, the three letters were still on it.

  Yeo Dan oppa would never send this kind of message to me. Then, did Ban Yeo Ryung pour bottles of soju inside her within a few minutes? While I wondered seriously, the next message arrived.

  Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

  Babe~ R u upset about oppa theeese dayz? Oppa wee b thurr soon~lol

  “What the heck is this……? Why are all the spellings wrong when she’s a perfect scorer in language tests?!’ It was then when I checked my phone again in wonder.

  Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from the front door. Someone must have pushed the door wide open. The door of this room then opened out of the blue.

  As I felt the bright light of the living room pouring into this space, the text message from Ban Yeo Ryung earlier came across my head. I trembled. ‘Oh, god……’ I carefully lifted the corner of the comforter.

  “.……”


  ‘Why are you here……?’ The girl, who leaned on the door while looking at me with folded arms and cold smile, was no other than Ban Yeo Ryung.

  It wasn’t that long after her performance, so she still wore her costume on stage: black shorts on the bottom and short-sleeved red wine blouse on top. Her ‘on fleek’ makeup was also there yet, which made her beautiful eyes look even more dazzling with silver glitters on.

  She bent her eyes more to send me her gorgeous smile. Someone from the living room then said while looking at this side.

  “Hey, isn’t she…… Ban Yeo Ryung?”


  “What? How can Ban Yeo Ryung…… it’s really her!”


  From the voices, I could tell that they were Yoon Jung In and another girl. Ban Yeo Ryung then stepped closer to me with a refreshing grin and grabbed my hand.

  She said, “Donnie, are you here like this because of Yi Ruda? I’ll save you!”


  “What?”


  ‘How can you save me……?’ Before I was about to ask like that, Ban Yeo Ryung pulled my hand and strode toward the living room.

  I encountered the pouring bright light and the kids sitting around in the living room. Ban Yeo Ryung sometimes got daunted by people getting her wrong but was used to others’ attention.

  She put a breathtakingly bright smile on her face and spoke to the kids.

  “Hi, guys! Let me kidnap Donnie!”


  “What?”


  “Bye! Have fun!”


  Ban Yeo Ryung bid farewell then strode toward the front door while dragging my hand. ‘What’s going on……’ though I had this thought in mind, I hurried to put on my shoes. Ban Yeo Ryung then looked me in the eyes with a grin.

  She said, “Donnie, let me serve you a bowl of noodles. I have instant noodles in our room.”


  “.……”


  I realized today that no one could deny her when she put that beautiful smile.

  As I walked alongside her, I heard a burst of laughter behind us. Yoon Jung In yelled as if he would die laughing.

  “Bahaha Yi Ruda, you lost Ham Donnie to Ban Yeo Ryung!”


  “Look how energetic and driven she is…… so cool!”


  A girl commented after Yoon Jung In. Suddenly, I felt dizzy again and my legs seemed to turn to jelly.