Yikes, I began to get cold sweats. ‘Is he aware that I’ve had a crush on him in the past?’ While I became wordless from having a sore conscience, only Yeo Ryung increased her voice.

  “Oppa, since when did you start having another thought at…! Although it’s you, I can’t forgive you, oppa!”


  If Yeo Ryung spoke that way, I thought Yeo Dan oppa’s mind would wander, at least, a little bit; however, he looked, unexpectedly, firm and determined like a rock.

  “Well, that’s what it is.”


  Yeo Ryung’s eyes wavered for a second at Yeo Dan oppa’s nonchalant response. Once I saw her grabbing the pencil again, I shrieked, “Geez, Yeo Ryung, please… please stop holding those dangerous things when you’re talking!”


  ‘Do you think we’re inside the game GTA?!’ I added the next sentence only in my thoughts. Yeo Ryung replied loudly, “You guys should be thankful for Korea banning guns! Though you’re my oppa… I… boohoo…”


  “Oh lord, what should I do with her? Gosh…”


  Our endless, preposterous quarrel got over, at last, when Yeo Ryung’s mother finally stepped into the room. Watching her mother scolding Yeo Ryung for speaking rudely to her brother, I heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.

  Yeo Ryung didn’t respond to her parents at all. Well, expecting our parents’ reactions once they learned about Yeo Dan oppa and my new relationship, I couldn’t help but tremble in fear in silence. Regarding how close our family and the Bans had been so far, I was sure that they would throw a huge block party to celebrate all of us becoming in-laws. Even they put up a banner in front of the apartment complex, it wouldn’t even feel strange.

  ‘Hold on… then we, who’re just pretending to be a couple, would later get married and… Eh? That sounds cool?!’


  That was when I tried to become lost in thought while rubbing my chin. As soon as Yeo Ryung’s mother left the room and closed the door, Yeo Ryung raised her head and struck a retort dismally to her brother.

  “Oppa, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to keep it a secret. I didn’t tell her because you guys are gonna break up shortly.”


  What a terrible curse, Ban Yeo Ryung… I heaved a sigh, wondering if this would really be okay. If a person, whom we first revealed that we were now together, already reacted this way, I couldn’t help but get so concerned about the days ahead to come.

  Article 28. Glasses Will Make Even Nationwide Number 1 Look Like a Model Student!

  The next day, which was Sunday, I was so busy studying what I had postponed from the day before; therefore, I wasn’t able to get in touch with anyone. Checking my phone once in a while, there weren’t any special messages from my friends as if the news about Yeo Dan oppa and my new relationship wasn’t spread out yet. However, there was a message from an unknown number.

  [Sent by: 010-88xx-xxxx

  Anyway, I was sorry the other day]

  I never saw the number before, but there was only one person who did something wrong to me recently. Laughing sardonically, I blocked the number and paid attention to my workbook again.

  Spending the entire day studying, I naturally got to forget about the Saturday incident. Perhaps drinking some alcohol also worked on it too.

  On the new, returning Monday morning, I halted my steps in surprise when I flung the door open and found someone very unexpected standing in front of my house.

  “Eh?”


  I let out my astonishment. With his hand on the banister, the person, standing beside Yeo Ryung while looking down at the apartment complex, turned his head to look in my direction. Who would that be? It was, of course, Yeo Dan oppa.

  “Oppa, what about school?” I asked in perplexity.

  “I’ll drop you off at your school first. I still won’t be running late to my school.”


  Ban Yeo Ryung and I were going to school quite earlier than other people, so if Yeo Dan oppa were on time with us, he would walk us to our school and still not be late to his school.

  However… I was aware that Yeo Dan oppa went to school almost right before being late since he also hated others’ attention just like Yeo Ryung. Wondering for a moment, I reached an unexpected conclusion. ‘Is he doing this because of me?’


  Maybe that was true. Yeo Ryung, a morning person, looked unusually irritated in the morning.

  “Oppa, don’t intervene between us. The road is too narrow.”


  “It isn’t as narrow as three people can’t walk together.”


  “Urgh! Come on, what does my Donnie lack to go out with you!” Yeo Ryung shouted while turning her head abruptly.

  Shouldn’t those words usually go better with Yeo Dan oppa, not me? Thinking calmly about what she just said, I soon blinked swiftly when Yeo Dan oppa stretched out his hand to me. His hand, which I often grabbed when I was young, was now twinkling in the morning sunlight.

  There was a time when I felt safe and could avoid all the dangerous things in the world while holding that hand.

  Narrowing my eyes for a moment, I slowly grabbed his hand. As soon as I took that action, Yeo Ryung also held the other side of my hand.

  Letting out a small giggle in the end, I led the two and bent my steps.

  I believed that our fake romance wouldn’t affect the people around us that much. That was because there were other high schools in our neighborhood, and many couples already existed in our grade. Especially, those who went to the same cram school dated secretly and got caught afterward.

  There were even a few couples, who had been dating since middle school and now became official couples in our school. Didn’t Kim Hye Hill in our class and Lee Jihan from Class 1-4 also belong to that case of couples? However, we didn’t really bring Kim Hye Hill’s boyfriend to our conversation topic and often forgot that she had a boyfriend. Thus, I also thought my fake romance would be ignored that way.

  “Come tell us what’s going on ASAP!”


  How would I know that I would draw attention from everyone in our class this way? I murmured to myself with a pale face. Lee Mina and Yoon Jung In spoke to me one after another as if they became one mind.

  “Hey, let us hear the story. How can you disappear during the weekend and show up with a boyfriend out of the blue? How can that happen?”


  Yoon Jung In tapped the desk in a hurry. Beside him, Lee Mina raised her voice while wrapping her cheeks with both hands, “Yeah, I got a feeling ever since that oppa left the café with you! Still, how can you two do that in front of the school today…!”


  I was startled at her remark and cut her off. Other kids might misunderstand us that we did something crazy in front of the school!

  “Come on, he just dropped me off at the school entrance and bid farewell with a smile. That’s all!”


  “That smile wasn’t just a smile! That’s what matters. I heard every girl around you guys collapsed at him.”


  Since Lee Mina wasn’t exaggerating at all, I swallowed my saliva for a second.

  Yeah, I also didn’t know that Yeo Dan oppa would act so perfectly like a real boyfriend… I touched my forehead. Even I, who was used to his gorgeousness while living next-doors, was shocked this much, so other girls would be enthralled by his breathtaking smile.

  Ahn Ji Young and Moon Sarah, who also joined the group hangout with me, grumbled, “Lucky you. We also had a good time, but honestly, once you left the café, the other boys acted a little weird too.”


  “Exactly. Kim Sun Woo? If that oppa didn’t join us later, things would have turned even more boring, but Sun Woo oppa was so funny.”


  Oh, indeed since he was Yeo Dan oppa’s friend… Nodding my head, I pouted my lips when I received Yoon Jung In and Lee Mina’s fierce glances. If I kept withstanding their questions, they seemed to just open my head and take out my memories by themselves.

  Well, although romance stories were the most interesting to hear, especially for high school students like us, weren’t you guys behaving too impetuous? That was when I tried to make them calm down a bit.

  “Hey! Something’s happening in Class 1-1!!”


  Whenever there was a fight or something going on, a special correspondent appeared and ran all over the hallway to share the news.