25

When I got my sense back, I already found myself inside of an unknown almost-empty classroom.

Ah—why did I feel like need to hide after seeing Hyosung and Yongguk talked?

Why?

I took out my phone from my bag, locking it inside of palms while hoping that it wouldn’t vibrate.

Never, never, never vibrate.

But I was wrong.

The screen lighted up, followed by the vibrate and my heartbeat that went a little bit slower.

I flipped my phone a little to read the incoming caller’s name and got no surprise at all.

“Hello?” I muttered.

“Ah—Jieun-ah,” I heard Yongguk’s voice. “Where are you?”

“I still at my class. Mr. Jang asks me to do some chores,” I lied. “Are you waiting for me?”

He took a few seconds to reply me. With hesitant, and carefully prepared words.

“I was. But I have to replace my friend in other school’s competition. He got injured in the middle of the game. I’m really sorry.”

Replace a friend?

“Uh,” I paused for a moment, trying to didn’t show up my disappointment. “It’s okay. I don’t know when I will finish this work as well.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated again.

And no matter how heartfelt he sounds—it still couldn’t cover up the truth.

“It’s okay,” I chuckled. “I’m sorry too.”

“Tomorrow, okay?” he made another promise.

I tried to smile. “Yeah. Tomorrow. Bye.”

I ended the call and let out a heavy sigh.

Slowly, I walked out of the class, only to make sure myself that he wasn’t going to replace his friend.

He was walking away with Hyosung.

Farther, and farther.

Leaving me alone in the back.

More than anything—why did he have to lie?

Hyosung didn’t look at me after that day.

She just normally talked with her friends, laughed, doing her nails and hair, and sometimes sneakily eating during classes. Her sudden changes was confusing, but little did I know why she become like that.

Was it because she feel like winning against me?

“I’m sorry for yesterday,” Yongguk said as soon as we met after school. “It’s a sudden thing.”

“It’s okay,” I smiled. “How’s the competition?”

“It’s actually an exhibition game,” he replied.

I nodded. Forcing myself to didn’t interrogate any further.

He must had a reason behind it.

“I heard you’re on the same class with Hyosung,” he brought up another topic.

I looked at him. “She told you?”

“Kind of,” he smiled.

“Yeah, we are.” I nodded.

“How is she?” he asked.

I frowned. “What?”

“What do you think about her?” he corrected his question a little.

What did I think about her?

“She’s nice,” I muttered.

“Really?” he proudly grinned. “It’s good. I hope you can get along with her.”

It was finally summer when I realized both of Yongguk and I slowly becoming busy with our own life.

I could say nothing really came across my mind because he still called me, no matter what.

Yet I did feel like the three classes away distance looked three times farther now.

It was the class dismissal, where I was still copying the notebook since I was really determined to have a better score. Yongguk was busy with his club activity as well since it was his last year participation and I found no reason to be sad alone. I’d rather to put myself on something useful.

“Song Jieun,”

I looked up in front of my table, and found Hyosung was standing there, looking at me with cold expression.

“How are you?” she faked a smile.

I pressed my lips together, didn’t know what to say.

“Tell me—don’t you love Yongguk?” she whispered.

I didn’t understand what was she going to say.

I thought she knew it already.

“If you do,” she stooped a little, resting her weight on her hands that both placed by my table. “You’d better leave him now.”

Leave him?

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you will always put him on a hard position,” she straightforwardly replied.

“What do you mean?” I frowned.

“You know that he always think of everybody’s feelings, right?” she sighed. “When he’s with my father, he thinks of his dead father. When he’s with his mother, he thinks of me. When he’s with me, he thinks of you. He never let his feelings step over his responsibility.”

What did she mean?

“You know,” she tilted her head to the side, “he wants to protect you as much as he wants to protect me.”

“I may not have enough courage yet. But somehow I really want to protect you.”

“However—you will always end up hurted.”

“I’m the only one that should give safety to them.”

“Because he will always choose me. Over anything.”