Became an Observer in Love Company

The rain had stopped.

Faint sunlight spread through the low-hanging clouds. But for some reason, the clearing sky felt unsettling.

When the rain stops, everything should go back to normal.

But I was still lost in the distorted flow of things.

I turned on my smartphone, resting my forehead on the desk. My fingers automatically swiped the screen.

At this point in the original story, where were they supposed to be?

I struggled to recall.

Around now, Lee Jian should be feeling awkward around Yoon Jihoo.

And later, after a string of coincidental encounters, emotions would blossom, leading to realizations, jealousy, pain…

And eventually, a tragic ending.

An ending that wasn’t a happy one, but a sad one for her.

But now?

So much has already changed from the original story.

“It must be because of my interference.”

I unconsciously clenched my hand.

The same scenes kept repeating in my mind.

The dark gymnasium. The silhouette moving on the stage.

The streaks of light drawn by her fingertips.

The moment she disappeared and reappeared under the umbrella.

It was… a scene I had never seen in the original story.

Whenever she moved, the stage lighting changed. In the original, she was part of the stage, but now, she was the one creating it.

What ending would these changes bring?

Could you be happy, unlike in the original?

My fingers abruptly stopped as I stared at the screen.

Message window:

– [Lee Jian] : Let’s go together.

My fingers trembled lightly.

“…”

Following the original storyline,

This was the time she was supposed to grow closer to Yoon Jihoo.

But.

Why did she message me “Let’s go together”?

“Maybe it was just a coincidence…”

I was searching for coincidences in a place where they couldn’t exist. How foolish.

I set my smartphone down again.

Pretending to be nonchalant.

But my gaze wouldn’t leave the screen, which until moments ago had been fixed on the rainy window.

“Should I reply…?”

My fingertips hesitated for a moment.

But ultimately, I turned off the screen.

“…”

With my bag slung over my shoulder, I quietly exited the classroom.

I walked quickly down the hallway without looking back,

As if I were running away to avoid meeting someone.

“Maybe I should’ve just said it aloud.”

I tapped my fingertips on the smartphone.

“Let’s go together.”

I had meant to say it.

In the classroom, by the door, or when he was packing up his bag.

There were plenty of chances.

Still, strangely, the words wouldn’t come out.

My throat tickled, and my mouth felt dry.

“It’s not a big deal. I should just casually say it.”

But in the end, I ended up sending a message.

Under normal circumstances, I would have simply said,

“Hey, let’s go together.”

But today,

My mouth wouldn’t cooperate for some reason.

“What’s wrong with me…?”

Even after sending the message, I felt a twinge of regret.

I habitually checked the screen again.

Read receipt.

I stared at my phone.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

…5 seconds.

No reply.

“…”

I clenched the phone tightly.

Ignoring a read message was the same as intentional neglect.

What was he so busy with?

I absently tapped on my desk.

“What’s going on?”

It annoyed me for no good reason.

Asking to go together wasn’t a big favor,

and I strangely felt rejected by Kim Dohyun.

I puffed out my cheeks and checked my phone again.

Still no reply.

“Such a jerk.”

Even though he usually walked home with me every day, lately, he’d been sneaking out,

and now, he’s blatantly leaving me behind?

Not like a cat or anything.

He’d casually sit next to me when I didn’t expect it,

but the moment I tried to get closer, he’d run away.

“Isn’t this a bit too much?”

I glared at the can in my hand with a pout.

Barley drink.

A beverage I didn’t even know existed until recently.

Now it had become so familiar that its absence felt weird.

How could he get me addicted and then just leave?

I squeezed the can with both hands.

“Only good at taking care of trivial things, huh?”

Even though he’d been subtly taking care of such things all this time,

now he’s just leaving me behind?

I threw the empty can into the trash, lips still pursed.

Clang.

The sound was sharp, but my mood was anything but.

I looked out the window.

After the rain, the sky.

And,

among it all, a particularly noticeable ash-gray head of hair.

Without hesitation, I grabbed my bag.

And quickly left the classroom.

The asphalt, soaked from the rain, glistened.

Although the rain had stopped, the skies remained dark due to the heavy clouds.

Reflections of the sky and the buildings in the puddles.

A familiar yet different scene.

Whoosh—A car sped by roughly.

The reflection in the puddle shattered. And the broken fragments rushed towards me.

“Ahhh.”

Not only my pants, but the cuffs of my shirt were drenched.

I lifted one arm and saw water droplets dripping off.

Just then, laughter sounded from beside me.

“Hehe.”

And a click.

Turning my head, I saw Lee Jian standing there.

She was holding her phone, mocking me with amusement evident in her expression.

“I got one too. Must be my lucky day.”

With a completely unlucky tone, I glanced at the sky.

And pointed at me while saying,

“This is punishment, you know? For leaving me behind.”

I slowly straightened my wet collar before replying,

“Punishment from the skies? That’s a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

Lee Jian glared at me and said,

“You’ve been avoiding me lately, haven’t you?”

Lee Jian took a few steps forward, closing the distance.

“It’s me? Hmm, my memory’s a little…”

Under her intense gaze, I unconsciously took a step back.

But that thought faded—

“Whaat?!”

And with a splatter, I slipped in a puddle.

“You’re such a dummy. You didn’t step on a trap, yet you still fell.”

I reached out to pull her up.

But as she rose, our faces suddenly came very close.

Drops of water trickled from her soaked bangs in the humid air.

Her eyes gleamed with light.

For a moment, my heart sank.

She was too close.

Droplets fell on my palm from her wet hair.

And at that moment, I realized.

Wet.

Ah, I mean, she.

I turned my head hurriedly, feeling my face turning red.

“What? Why’s your face so red?”

“…Clothes!”

For a while, she didn’t say anything.

She opened her bag and pulled out a gym uniform.

“Here, put this on.”

“But won’t it get wet?”

“Is that a problem?”

Taking the gym uniform silently from my hands, she turned away before—

“…Thank you.”

At that moment, everything fell silent.

Her voice today was different from usual.

There was no mockery in the tone, nor her usual confident voice.

It hesitated momentarily, like a quiet breath.

A softer voice, slightly blurred at the end of the words,

wetter than usual, like the humid air after the rain.

It left a strange impression.

A clear voice like a droplet hanging, with trembling emotions interwoven.

Her familiar voice created an unfamiliar atmosphere.

The word lingered in the air like a dropped water droplet seeping into the ground.

I followed the word and looked up.

“Alright, you can look now.”

Her still-wet bangs, her lowered breath.

The damp air stuck strangely.

It was somewhat suffocating, but within it circled a warm current.

Her calm demeanor, different from usual, was vividly imprinted against the hazy sky.

“Why? You look dazed. Are you infatuated again all of a sudden?” she teased.

“Don’t say that. Someone might mistake it for affection.”

“Who’d make that mistake?”

“If you do that to others, they might think you like them.”

I heard her take in a sharp breath.

“…And you?”

“I don’t make mistakes.”

I said firmly.

Because I already know. You like someone else.

“Is that so?”

Her voice trembled slightly.

A small raindrop fell into a puddle. In that one droplet, all the scenery scattered.

“Ahchoo!”

Maybe she caught a cold? After all, the temperature dropped after the rain.

She was drenched, so it was only natural she’d be cold.

Looking closely, there was a small wound on her knee.

“Wait a moment. There’s my house nearby, so let’s stop by. You can dry off and treat your injury.”

“It’s fine. What are you saying?”

“Your place is pretty far too. Are you serious about going like this?”

There was no response.

I stopped walking, turned around.

Lee Jian stood there with her head bowed.

She fiddled with the edge of her wet collar.

Her face flushed, and she murmured softly.

“You’re such a cheat.”

She lifted her head slowly.

Droplets fell from her wet hair.

Plop. Plop. Landing on the wet asphalt. They seemed like tears.

At that moment, her damp lashes dropped.

There was a lonely look despite her smile.

“And you have no intuition.”

She smiled.

A hollow smile trying to act cheerful.

A smile tinged with a wistful air like the sky after the rain.

“Really… I don’t know what to do. I…”

Her quiet sigh mingled with her words.

At that moment, she lightly grabbed my sleeve.

Our eyes met in an instant, the distance very close.

“No. It’s fine.”

She released her grip.

Yet, the faint touch left on my skin didn’t fade.

As if she wanted to hold on a little longer.

That way, I led her home.

“Then, can I misunderstand this?”

The quiet murmur from Lee Jian.

Though I knew, I stayed silent.

Because I’m such a cheat.

Because I don’t know how to respond.

I just walked on, pretending not to hear.

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