.  I put my hand down from the doorknob without a sigh. Chun Dong Ho and Sohn Se Young’s voices kept coming from the bathroom like background music.

  “Dude, that’s why you’ve been so nice to her. I thought you were out of your mind since it was my first time to see you not using any F-words.”


  “Ah, but I also tried to be nice to her since I felt sorry. She was so damn kind.”


  Unlike the way he spoke, his voice didn’t sound that sorry. Sohn Se Young agreed lightly.

  “Yeah, why is she so kind? I heard that she’s close to Lee Mina, so I thought a bossy type of girl would come out.”


  At that part, I slightly frowned. It didn’t mean that I hated to be described as a kind girl, but in this situation, the word ‘kind’ didn’t imply something so positive, which made me upset. It sounded like I was a person who would never get angry no matter what happened to me.

  Well, even though I had those thoughts in mind, I was becoming enervated, so what they said wouldn’t be wrong. I clicked my tongue. It was a waste of energy and time to lose my temper at them. It was also true that I didn’t want to cause a disturbance.

  I gently wiped out my sweaty hand on my skirt then turned to look at Yeo Dan oppa. Outside the bathroom, Chun Dong Ho continued to speak.

  “But I really felt sorry for her. Don’t you think it’s rather better to ask Ban Yeo Dan for providing a bridge between us and Ban Yeo Ryung?”


  “Dude, don’t you hear that? That hyeong is cherishing his sister very much. They told me don’t you ever bring up anything about his sister, not even a joke.”


  “Well, then there’s nothing I can do.”


  He accepted the reality so easily. Smiling aimlessly, I was about to ask Yeo Dan oppa to just leave the spot. That was when I saw the look on his face and tilted my head in wonder.

  He remained silent during the whole time, so I thought that he had been angry with those boys. Just as they said, I was aware that Yeo Dan oppa would vent his anger when it came to something about Yeo Ryung. I even wondered how weird he was since he didn’t kick the door open and jump into those boys immediately.

  However, he looked somewhat enigmatic to describe that he was just enraged since he was observing none other than my face. Once I realized that he was showing concerns than just a feeling of anger, I tilted my head again.

  Something then flashed through my head. Was he thinking about that?

  Leaning myself toward his side, I whispered, “Oh, I don’t fight with Yeo Ryung against those things, so no worries, oppa.”


  I came up with the happening that took place before I stepped out of her house. Yeo Ryung’s parents remembered that Yeo Ryung and I had a huge fight against something for some reason. Besides, since I had watched them for a long time, Yeo Ryung was closer to his brother than her busy parents. Thus, Yeo Dan oppa would also know the fight we had in the past. In this regard, he would definitely worry about me having a big fight with Yeo Ryung since I could turn upset from this incident.

  Thinking to that extent, I smiled bitterly. ‘But still, he knows nothing about me, doesn’t he?’ If I were about to end our friendship while being jealous of Ban Yeo Ryung for a thing like this, I would have done that a hundred times.

  Aside from that, it wasn’t Yeo Ryung’s fault from the very beginning; instead, I would rather become concerned about Yeo Ryung, who was receiving attention from those trashes.

  At that moment, Yeo Dan oppa opened his mouth with a slight grimace.

  “No, I’m not talking about that……”


  I shook my head while implying that he didn’t need to make an excuse. I repeatedly uttered, “Really, I’m fine. I ain’t mad at all…… Although I’m a little surprised, this isn’t my first time going through such a thing, so……”


  However, Yeo Dan oppa frowned even more instead of looking better.

  That was when Sohn Se Young’s voice intervened between the two of us. I turned my head again.

  “But that girl…… she’s close to Ban Yeo Ryung, but why doesn’t she know Yeo Dan sunbae? At first, I thought they knew each other, but no. Once she had eye contact with him, she just turned her head away.”


  “Aren’t she pretending to not know him?”


  Chun Dong Ho’s response, which hit the nail on the head, pricked at my conscience. Yeo Dan oppa and I turned our heads and exchanged eye contact. At that moment, Chun Dong Ho’s apathetic voice went on.

  “Ah, I don’t know. Maybe it is what it is. Honestly, I can’t even trust that Ham Donnie is close to Ban Yeo Ryung.”


  “Yeah, agreed.”


  “Why is she such a run-of-the-mill?”


  With a giggle, Sohn Se Young replied, “Yeah, who would even look at her if she’s together with Ban Yeo Ryung?”


  “Ha……” I heaved a sigh.

  If a word could have a physical form, I would have just gotten hurt. If that happened, Yeo Dan oppa, standing beside me, would notice it immediately.

  Thank goodness it didn’t. Looking down at my non-wounded hand, I tried to think about something positive.

  Well, how good it was to know about the truth anyway. I almost got to be friends with them without being aware of their intentions. If so, I would have encountered a moment of introducing Ban Yeo Ryung to those bastards as if I had done to Yoon Jung In in the party before.

  Thus, I felt so thankful to hear such things in here. I kept repeating to myself how fortunate I was. At least, I got to avoid the worst scenario.

  That was when I heard some snarling noise as if someone was clenching his teeth. I quickly turned my head aside. Facing Yeo Dan oppa’s radiant black eyes, I asked in surprise, “Yeo Dan oppa?”


  Before I could stop him, the bathroom door swung open with a loud thud. The quickly opened door was bumped against the opposite wall with noise then returned to the original spot. Between the gap, Sohn Se Young and Chun Dong Ho’s pale faces came into my sight.

  As soon as the door closed, I grabbed Yeo Dan oppa’s arm.

  “Oppa, what are you doing!” I shouted. Honestly, I felt cool in my inside, but this place was a café in our neighborhood, where we had been living in over a decade. Besides, the café was crowded with students from other schools since it was Saturday!

  If we made any troubles, the rumors would spread out in a flash; moreover, when people found out that Yeo Dan oppa was the one who caused tumult, things would turn out more hectically.

  I yelled in haste, “Oppa, please do it with your word! In words!”


  “But……”


  “I promise I would take care of Yeo Ryung.”


  Yeo Dan oppa, who tried to say something with a frown, shut his mouth once he heard my remark. He then asked me still with a grimace, “What did you just say?”


  “I’ll make sure not to let those bastards approach Yeo Ryung, so please don’t worry, oppa.”


  “No, that’s not what I’m talking about……”


  “You should resolve this after discussing it with your friends. Why are you trying to pick a fight right now? Anyway, it’s us who overheard their conversations, so if you lose your temper here, it would make us feel better right now, but there might be rumors later about Ban Yeo Dan listening in on other’s conversations. What are you gonna do then?”


  “I don’t care about that.”


  His determined response made me feel stuffy. ‘I don’t care about that? Come on, those boys look like they have many acquaintances.’


  Once bad rumor spread out, it was difficult to straighten out things. He might also be aware of that, but why was he acting that way? That was when I tried to dispute with him like that.

  Yeo Dan oppa suddenly blurted out something, which made my eyes wide open.

  “What about you?”


  “Huh?”


  “I’m talking about you, not Yeo Ryung.”


  I didn’t get what he was trying to say, so I tilted my head in wonder, thinking, ‘Me?’


  “Are you okay?”


  At that moment, for some reason, his voice, which echoed around the narrow hallway, sounded very unreal. I just blinked swiftly at his sudden question then replied bitterly, “Uh…… um…… I’m…… okay…… for real.”


  Even if I emphasized that I was fine, he tossed another question as if something truly mattered to him.

  “Aren’t you mad?”


  “No, I’m not mad. I’m really fine since I’m used to these things……”


  “Used to these things?”


  For some reason, Yeo Dan oppa repeated my words. Feeling like a kid getting scolded by her teacher for no reason, I just nodded my head. In my perspective, I had no idea why he was looking at me with that frightening look and urging none other than me.