.  Averting his eyes from me, who was wondering why he was acting that way, Ruda murmured in a low voice, “Come on, let’s go. We’re gonna miss the kids.”


  “Uh…… yeah.”


  Since this town was a very familiar area for the students of our school, there wouldn’t be any problem if we missed them; besides, I even brought my phone.

  I stared at Ruda, who was bending his steps in a fluster, then another thought entered my head. ‘Oh, is he being considerate since he’s aware that Yeo Dan oppa and I are having an official relationship?’ Wondering about his unusual behavior in that way, I quickly walked after him.

  “Wait for me.”


  We were now on our way to buy the supplies for Sports Day while using the Saturday class meeting time. The highlight of Sports Day would come from the results of the games; however, we couldn’t miss the fancy parade of classes during the opening ceremony, cheerleading performance of each class during lunch break, and the audience cheering, so that was why we came outside to look at some cheer supplies and costumes.

  ‘I think we just went through Sports Day quite roughly in middle school, but wow…… the kids in this high school are taking this event seriously than I thought.’ With that thought in mind, I slightly emitted a whoop.

  After hitting the costume supply store, we were holding a lot of bags in our hands. Now we had to cross the street, stop by at E-mart, and return to school.

  In front of E-mart, we had a short discussion. The other two kids, who came out together with me and Ruda, suggested, “Bringing these bags all around the place seems too much since we have to explain what these are at the cashier. So, why don’t just one person stand outside and take a break while taking charge of these bags?”


  “Okay, cool. Rock, paper, scissors.”


  Without thinking, my hand went out first. Three people used papers while I was gesturing scissors. Tapping my shoulders, the two kids walked past me first.

  “Take some rest in the shade. We’ll call you on our way out.” I nodded my head as they dropped the remark while shaking their phones. Ruda, who was the last to turn around, asked me, “Would you be okay to stay here alone?”


  I shrugged my shoulders with a grin, “Of course. This place isn’t dangerous. It’s in the middle of Seoul.”


  Ruda replied, narrowing his eyes, “You find dangerous things in the midst of it.”


  “Eek.”


  I tried to deny what he just said, but since I got kidnapped from a hotel in the heart of Seoul, and Ruda rescued me from that incident, I had nothing to say at all. Once I closed my mouth with a slight stagger, Ruda flaunted a grin and walked past me while waving his hand.

  Being left alone, I began to pile up the bags on the bench. When those kinds of stuff took half of the seats, I shoved myself into the small empty space and heaved a long sigh. Looking up at the clear blue autumn sky, I murmured depressingly, “Where should I find these two friends……?”


  I actually had other friends other than the Four Heavenly Kings, but the problem was that most of them didn’t know Yeo Dan oppa. I wanted to tell my secret, at least, to those who were aware of Yeo Dan oppa and my usual relationship.

  While I was lost in thought, the cars ran busily in front of me. The road was crowded with vehicles from early in the morning maybe because it was the weekend. Amid the busy traffic, a car suddenly came glidingly toward the side of the road. I wasn’t paying attention to that direction while being absorbed in thought, but when the car made a honking noise, I raised my head eventually.

  As the window went down, a face came into view, which made my jaw drop.

  “Eh?”


  The person had a neatly tied black ponytail and pale face like a plaster figure. Under her black sunglasses, which was covering most of her face, her expressionlessly closed lips came into my sight. Jerking the car door open, the lady walked confidently toward my side.

  Once she halted her steps right in front of me, she, surprisingly, showed a smile, which looked incomparably affable than before.

  “Hi, I didn’t expect to see you here.”


  That was when I pulled myself together and quickly got up from the seat while adjusting myself from sitting loosely on the bench. Lowering my head, I greeted her politely, “Ah, hi, nice to see you again.”


  One of the most awkward moments on the weekend that I could think of just took place, which was coming across my friend’s parents.

  Lifting my head again, I disheveled the back of my hair in embarrassment. Yi Jenny pulled the edge of her sunglasses upward and asked me, “Don’t you have class today? Ruda also went to school early in the morning.”


  “Ah, it is that…… we’re outside to get some supplies for Sports Day. Ruda is also together.”


  “Oh, really?”


  After I dropped that response, I became surprised that we were having a normal conversation. Although Yi Jenny and I got acquainted by a strange coincidence, our relationship couldn’t be described as something very positive at the same time.

  Barely loosening up my strained shoulders, I flung a question as nonchalantly as possible.

  “Now I come to think of it, how’s Lucas? Is he doing well?”


  “Oh, you mean our NEW first son,” replied Yi Jenny somewhat apathetically. She suddenly asked, “Isn’t he keeping in touch with you?”


  “Huh? Ah, no.”


  Shaking my head, I felt something lingering in my mind. ‘Even if Lucas wasn’t also a good fateful connection for me, he could have, at least, reached out to me once he sorted out all the things. Well, he might be very busy taking the successor training, so it could be rather strange that I’m expecting something from him. I mean, there was nothing going on between us in the first place too.’


  However, Yi Jenny showed a smile after my response. Her following words startled me.

  “Good. If he did, I was about to go back and teach him a lesson.”


  “Excuse me?”


  “That kid is alone in the jungle right now. Ah, of course, no mobile or communication devices are allowed.”


  “.……”


  ‘That means, if I replied, ‘Yes, sometimes,’ just now, Lucas might have been dead…… Is that what she’s talking about……? Geez, this family has this warlike atmosphere as always.’ Having that thought in my head, I wished good luck to Lucas, who was thrown into the wildest jungle as soon as he took back the successor position.

  I tilted my head again, thinking, ‘Anyway, our conversation goes very well than I thought?’ I never even imagined this situation happening in real life, but now I was having quite a normal dialog with Yi Jenny just like I would have it with my friend’s mother.

  That was when I finally realized that things around Yi Ruda had been all solved. The moment I gently smiled, Yi Jenny, who was browsing her bag all of a sudden, called me, “Ah, I have something for you.”


  “Excuse me?”


  “Here.”


  My eyes widened at the white envelope she suddenly handed out to me.

  ‘Aren’t we having a normal conversation just now that usually takes place between a friend’s mother and son’s friend? What’s going on right now out of the blue?’


  “Take it.”


  With a straight face, Yi Jenny urged me, who was staring blankly at the envelope. At that moment, someone shouted in our direction with urgent footsteps.

  “Mom! What the heck are you doing?”


  Running anxiously toward our backs, Ruda intervened between us and snatched the envelope with a loud noise. While all eyes around us fell in this direction, Ruda pulled Yi Jenny’s wrist and whispered, “I mean, what is this envelope all of a sudden? What are you trying to do in the middle of the street?”


  He might be talking that way while regarding that I wouldn’t be able to hear his remark, but unfortunately, his words were very clear. ‘Ruda, aren’t you looking down on people’s hearing too much?’ While I looked in that direction enigmatically with that thought in mind, Yi Jenny’s response returned.

  “In TV dramas, they tend to manage things with an envelope of money. They use it when separating a couple, so why not using it when putting two together again?”


  “Mom, how can you learn Korea from soap operas?”


  Even I, who was listening to her remark, wondered, ‘Using an envelope of money at the end and the beginning of a relationship…… The influence of Korean drama, are we okay where we are right now?’