NOVEL WEB Chapter 201
A momentary silence divides the two. Jin Yeseo was able to regain some calmness just from that pause.
She opened her mouth and spoke in a slightly subdued voice.
“…Then what?”
“What?”
“If I really said I liked you… what would you do?”
Upon hearing Jin Yeseo’s question, the male student hesitated. It was a question laced with half-conviction, but it seemed he hadn’t expected her to take it this far.
He stood still, lost in thought. Jin Yeseo’s eyes, fixed on him, trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
After a long moment of contemplation, he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, but…”
“Phuh…”
However, a distant chuckle quickly shut his mouth again.
By now, Jin Yeseo had a playful expression on her face, desperately trying to stifle her laughter.
The male student, who was trying to respond seriously to her question, gazed at her in disbelief.
“Seriously, this is ridiculous. Wow, you’re taking this so seriously…”
Barely keeping her composure, Jin Yeseo burst into giggles while looking at the boy.
Tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes due to her suppressed laughter sparkled as they fell.
“I’ve never seen someone just outright ask such a thing. I was wondering what you were getting at…”
“…”
“Hey. Are you maybe mistaking something because of that incident at the social gathering? I told you, that was something we did because of our mom. I appreciate it, but if you misunderstand it that much, that’s a problem, okay?”
Jin Yeseo shook her head vigorously while continuing to mock him.
“This is why inexperienced kids think that if a girl is slightly kind to them, they must be liked…”
“Who are you calling inexperienced right now… enough.”
As if his pride had been wounded, the male student was about to retort but ultimately sighed in resignation.
“…Or I’m sorry. I’m ashamed, so just forget it.”
“How can I forget this… I’m going to think about it every time I see your face?”
“Hah…”
Amidst more teasing from Jin Yeseo, the male student sighed awkwardly. After some time of tittering, Jin Yeseo seemed to have calmed down a bit and changed the topic.
“Hmm. Anyway, congratulations. I kind of thought it would be like this. You and Yeon Minha, always growling at each other since the start of the semester, yet always sticking together. People like that end up dating later on.”
“…Thanks.”
He awkwardly accepted Jin Yeseo’s congratulations.
“I’m telling you this for the first time. I think of you as a trustworthy friend.”
‘Friend…’
Unbeknownst to her, Jin Yeseo couldn’t help but chew on that resonance.
It stung her deeply. For a moment, she almost fell into despair, but she quickly pulled herself together.
For some reason, she still didn’t feel like giving up on him at all.
“…Thanks for trusting me like that.”
Putting on a casual front, Jin Yeseo opened her mouth again.
“Anyway, I panicked earlier and shouted, and you should think about that opinion of yours again. You’re not planning to only hang out with guys just because you have a girlfriend, right?”
“…Is that not okay?”
“That, that’s not the situation…!”
“…Why?”
As the male student asked with a puzzled expression, Jin Yeseo continued her desperate but calm persuasion.
“Think about it. Six out of ten Yoram students are girls. Are you not going to interact with them at all? Do you really think that’s possible?”
“…”
Before she knew it, he was silently listening to what Jin Yeseo was saying. For now, that wasn’t a bad sign.
“You’ll end up cutting off connections later on. You hardly have any friends as it is. If you’re treating your best friend like this, what do you think others will think? Huh?”
“That’s a bit different…”
“That’s what I mean.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jin Yeseo pushed on.
“You saw it earlier, right? What happened with Seoyeon. I didn’t abandon you even in front of her. But just because you have a girlfriend, you treat me like this? Are you planning to cut ties with me entirely?”
“No… I didn’t mean it like that…”
He was visibly flustered now. Jin Yeseo felt like she was starting to understand how to handle the boy in front of her.
“And you’re the only one who can watch my practice. No one else can keep up with me. If you just go off on your own, then what about me…?”
Jin Yeseo said in a lonely whisper. She was almost impressed with her own acting skills.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
“And it would be good for you to have female friends, too. Think about it. You’re going to have your share of issues with your girlfriend in the future; you need someone around to give you advice, right? Someone who can see things from a woman’s perspective.”
“…”
Jin Yeseo paused for a moment and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. With the ongoing bombardment of her words, his conflict seemed to deepen.
“Or what? Are you worried that if you keep watching my practice, I might outdo you? Afraid I’ll get back at you for how you pummeled me before?”
She laughed with a scoff.
“Honestly, I didn’t see it that way, but it’s surprising how timid you are…”
“Hey, who’s calling me timid?”
He snapped back, clearly hurt, but when Jin Yeseo shrugged silently, he realized he’d been caught and promptly shut his mouth again.
“It’s just a joke. We can pretend I didn’t say that earlier. Is that okay?”
Jin Yeseo playfully patted his shoulder and gave him a light poke.
“Then we’ll spar again starting tomorrow? I’ve been practicing alone for a week, and I’m feeling pent up. Plus, I need to try out the new blade you gave me. Got it?”
“…Got it.”
The male student nodded reluctantly at Jin Yeseo’s words. Only then did Jin Yeseo breathe a sigh of relief inwardly.
Just then, several loud bells rang out from the clock tower, marking the hour.
“…I’ll head out first today. I need to stop by the dormitory before going out for a bit.”
The male student turned to Jin Yeseo to say.
“Really? Got it.”
Jin Yeseo nodded with a casual demeanor.
Soon, the male student left the training room behind. Jin Yeseo waved him off indifferently.
And a heavy silence descended on the now-empty training room.
“…A girlfriend, huh.”
Jin Yeseo muttered as she gazed at the space where the male student had just been.
For a moment, she felt as if she were about to fall into a deep pit of despair, but fortunately, she considered herself a very positive person.
And fitting that self-assessment, she intended to find an answer this time as well.
Just like how she had rescued her beloved older sister, Baek Seoyeon, from the clutches of evil.
“…Well, what’s the big deal if we break up, right?”
Jin Yeseo murmured in an incredibly calm tone.
As if she had completely forgotten about how she had persuaded Baek Seoyeon earlier.
*
After parting from Jin Yeseo, I followed the back road toward the Beech Tree Dormitory.
Thoughts of my conversation with Jin Yeseo flitted through my mind, making my face feel a bit hot.
Why did I suddenly ask her such a question? Perhaps I was a bit on edge. So maybe something that hadn’t bothered me before was getting under my skin now.
“…”
Next, the face of someone who had looked at me with distorted eyes while tearing up came to mind.
But she had already moved on to someone else. Right after she had abandoned me like that.
What could I even say now, apologizing belatedly?
“Hah…”
Yet still, my mind was restless. Maybe if I had seen her getting all chummy with that fiancé of hers even once, I would feel better.
“…No way.”
But I quickly shook my head.
I knew better than anyone that it would have only made me feel worse.
One undeniable truth was that it was time to accept that all of this was in the past. She had moved on, and now I had as well.
My foolish mind seemed unable to fully grasp this yet… but ultimately, time would heal everything, right?
With those thoughts, I found my way back to the dormitory. There were signs of life, but I couldn’t see Yeon Minha anywhere.
I came here to discuss something important, so what could it possibly be?
“Senior?”
I spotted Yeon Minha in the bedroom on the second floor. She was scribbling something on a document with the door wide open.
“Senior, what are you doing?”
“…”
Yeon Minha was deep in thought, her lips pursed with a pen stuck in her mouth, not even responding to me.
As I watched in wonder, she suddenly turned to me and asked bluntly.
“Do you prefer having a son or a daughter?”
“…What?”
The question was so absurd I couldn’t even answer properly.
As I approached, I finally noticed the words at the top of the document Yeon Minha was writing.
-Child Planning Document
“…”
Just looking at that word made my head spin. Why was Yeon Minha seriously working on such a document?
“…Senior. I think some explanation is needed. A child planning document…?”
“Did I not mention it? It’s one of the documents needed for the fiancé approval process. It includes when you want to have your first child, how many you want, and what gender you prefer for the kids.”
As I stood there dazed, Yeon Minha stared at me with an odd expression, as if I was the strange one.
“Are you telling me this is what we were going to discuss?”
“This is one of the most important factors the review committee looks at, so it needs to be filled out carefully. So hurry up and answer, will you?”
Yeon Minha urged while adding, “…I think I prefer a son over a daughter.”
“Senior, we are still students. And we just started dating, that’s too…”
“Oh please, did you not know? Dating as Yoram students is basically the same as being engaged.”
“…If that happens, wouldn’t it become a family matter? I don’t think it’s something we should decide on our own.”
“By the way, my mom and dad already gave their permission.”
“…”
That’s fast. When did she even…?
I felt overwhelmed by how quickly things were turning, and Yeon Minha seemed to have something else bothering her.
She abruptly stood up from her chair and shot me a glare with a sulky expression.
“What now?”
“…I’m just a bit frustrated.”
Yeon Minha wrapped her arm around my neck. As she took a step back, I found my back against the wall.
“Who starts sticking their tongue in right after asking to date? How tacky.”
Her critique stung more than it should have. It was a fact that couldn’t be denied. I wouldn’t even need to make excuses about being out of my mind.
That said, it wasn’t as if I had nothing to say about it.
“Seems like you enjoyed it more than that, though.”
“I know. That’s why I’m feeling bitter.”
Yeon Minha casually shot back, standing on her tiptoes again. I naturally lowered my upper body to accommodate her height.
So she could do whatever she wanted with me.
“You teasing me like this is annoying…chu…”
And before I knew it, I felt the warm and damp sensation of her lips against mine.
“Huh… but I feel pathetic and foolish for not being able to resist… so… huff…”
The sound of sticky saliva mixing, the breathiness growing heavier.
“Why is it that the more you act like this… the more I like you… huff… chu…”
Amid the sweet noises she made, there were expressions of affection disguised as complaints.
“Ugh… it’s all because of you… It’s all your fault that I became a fool and this shameless girl… chu…”
“…”
“Hah… I love it… get even closer… more…”
Now no more words could be heard. We had descended into the act itself.
‘Hyun, you have to marry me…! It’s a promise, right…?’
That voice, fleeting in my ear, belonged to someone whose words could have become reality someday.