.  The cursor was flickering at the end of the sentence.

  It was quite a long story to tell her this way; however, I had to, at least, notify her that I needed to get out of this place. The moment I tried to quickly take her phone and type in a response, Yeo Dan oppa opened his mouth all of a sudden.

  “Excuse me.”


  Those, who were talking to each other in twos and threes around the table, looked in this direction. Sohn Se Young and Chun Dong Ho, of course, turned incomparably stiffer than earlier.

  Lee Mina asked in wonder, “Yeah?”


  Yeo Dan oppa brought up his remark in the most commonsensical way that I had ever seen.

  “I wondered whether I should talk about this or not… Actually, I came here without being aware that this was a group hangout.”


  “Eh? Oh…”


  ‘That’s why you seemed reluctant to hang out with us,’ whispered Moon Sarah and Ahn Ji Young as they grasped his words immediately.

  Yeo Dan oppa continued, “I’m not good at talking to people I don’t know well. There are things I couldn’t say more because I was surprised. Sorry if you guys felt uncomfortable.”


  “Oh, no, not at all! Nothing was uncomfortable!” As Mina replied that way, Moon Sarah added her response after her, saying, “Very true. We had so much fun just looking at your face, oppa.” The two girls then hit each other’s arms with a smile while whispering, ‘Aren’t you being too honest?’ Anyway, thank goodness, they were such outgoing and humorous characters.

  Heaving a sigh of relief, I threw a glance at Chun Dong Ho and Sohn Se Young. Perhaps Yeo Dan oppa was holding down the fort until now while thinking that he would make those girls uncomfortable when he left the spot. However, he would now be willing to leave even if he felt sorry for the girls since he could no longer stay beside those bastards.

  He kept on speaking, “I told my friend, who deceived me to join this event, to come here ASAP. He says that he’s near around and will be here soon, so don’t worry about matching partners.”


  “Ah, then…”


  Nodding their heads meekly, the kids expressed words of gratitude one after another.

  “Oppa, we had fun.”


  “You might have felt so uncomfortable, but thanks for staying patient.”


  Meanwhile, Kim Jimin, who was looking at Yeo Dan oppa and the other two boys alternately as if he noticed something from the overall atmosphere, also bid farewell to him slowly.

  “Sunbae, see you again next time.”


  “Sure.”


  Watching the sight, I sincerely wondered if Kim Jimin was also the same type of guy like Sohn Se Young or Chun Dong Ho. Could I trust him? That was when the café door opened with the sound of a small bell.

  Once I realized that the person, who was just stepping in through the open door, looked familiar, I got a little surprised. Recalling a memory, I permitted myself a wry smile.

  ‘Yeo Dan, mommy can now die in peace!’ ‘No, don’t leave yet, mama!’ Having those silly conversations, he was one of the boys, who showed some excellent performances in front of the school entrance.

  ‘Anyway, I’m sure that this event would become more clamorous,’ murmuring to myself that way, I found the guy running toward us while waving his hand in the air from side to side as if he was a valet.

  As soon as he came closer to us, he slapped Yeo Dan oppa very hard on the back. Yeo Dan oppa, who was just getting up from his seat, moaned with a frown. Regardless of his reaction, Yeo Dan oppa’s friend uttered in excitement, “Dude, why are you being so shy like this? Huh? You can’t even speak in front of the girls without me.”


  “I did well, so shut up.”


  Ignoring Yeo Dan oppa’s response casually, he glanced around us.

  “My bad! I made him join this event on behalf of me since I had something going on, but I never thought that he would become this much shy. In less than an hour, he sent me a text message asking me to save him…”


  “I didn’t ask you to save me though.”


  “Haha, you guys didn’t have much fun because of this dude, right?”


  Watching them chatter, I murmured, ‘They have such different characters. How could the two become friends?’ That was when Yeo Dan oppa suddenly grabbed his friend by the collar. He then roared with a voice that I had never heard from him.

  “You deceived me to join this thing in the first place.”


  However, his friend didn’t look overwhelmed at all but just burst into a big laughter.

  ‘Indeed, only a person, who has that much guts, like him can be friends with Yeo Dan oppa, right?’


  While I exclaimed at the sight while having those thoughts in mind, Yeo Dan oppa and his friend changed their seats naturally. What his friend then said made me quickly pull myself together.

  “Now, we became four… four again.”


  Yikes, I missed the chance to get out of this situation.

  I glanced at Sohn Se Young and Chun Dong Ho, who was sitting across the table. Although they were now just exchanging eye contact wordlessly while being overwhelmed by Yeo Dan oppa’s great force, I wondered how they would treat me once Yeo Dan oppa left the spot.

  Would it be better to just stamp out of this place then? Being restless with thoughts, I heard Yeo Dan oppa’s voice.

  “Have fun, and you… we’re gonna catch up soon.”


  Leaving a final warning to his friend, he soon grabbed his friend by the collar once he heard him saying, ‘Do you like me that much?’ He then released his hand and turned around. Before he left the spot, Yeo Dan oppa glanced at the table and stopped his gaze at me for a second. However, as if it was his way to care about me, Yeo Dan oppa bowed politely then turned back to leave.

  That was it. He left the café without any hesitation and didn’t turn back to look in this direction even just once.

  I stared blankly at the view of his back disappearing over the glass wall alongside the faint sound of the bell. As soon as he stepped outside, he took out his phone and made a phone call to someone, probably to Yeo Ryung. He might be giving her the names of Chun Dong Ho and Sohn Se Young to let her stay away from these boys. Having been living next door to the Bans for years, my experience wouldn’t lie.

  I looked in front again. Yeo Dan oppa’s friend flung a question cheerfully while putting his hands on the table.

  “So, where were we?”


  Lee Mina replied, “Um, we were about to sit in partners, but now you’re here…”


  “Oh, really? Then let’s just take seats that way and begin.”


  We got up from our seats as he dropped those words without hesitation. However, I truly didn’t know where I should sit down, so I just stood still with downcast eyes.

  This place, which was just a regular café space, was now a minefield. I, first of all, stared at Kim Jimin. As if it was not a lie that he had a crush on Lee Mina, Kim Jimin was defending the seat beside Lee Mina desperately. Thus, I had only three choices left, but two of them were mines.

  Gosh… Heaving a sigh shortly, I threw a glance at Yeo Dan oppa’s friend. I wished he could save me, but since his eyes were fastened on Moon Sarah, he might have been captivated by her at first glance.

  As I expected, he sat down beside Moon Sarah. Being surrounded by enemies on every side in a flash, I touched my stinging forehead.

  Reading my countenance for a moment, Sohn Se Young stealthily moved next to Ahn Ji Young. He had been backbiting her so much in the bathroom not so long ago, but now he was greeting her with a bright smile. Since Ahn Ji Young also responded to him in delight, maybe they had been close to each other.

  ‘Come on, how could he say one thing and mean another…’ That was when I clicked my tongue inwardly. Feeling the seat beside me being sunken with someone’s weight, I turned aside with a frown. Just as I expected, it was Chun Dong Ho. His student ID gently swayed like a swing between his t-shirt and Adidas jersey.

  Putting his body close to mine, he lowered his voice and said, “Let’s have some talk.”


  “Would you please don’t sit close to me?” I spoke from the bottom of my heart. Even I thought that my voice sounded surprisingly cold.