“Kim Gaeun, why did you go ahead!”

I grabbed Kim Gaeun’s arm, pulling her towards me.

The man who had been standing so close that one might mistake him for her father flinched and stepped back.

I deliberately avoided looking his way and put my phone to my ear. I pretended to be on a call, spewing words into the blank screen.

“Oh, uh, Dad. I found Gaeun. Ah, I don’t know~ I definitely told her to go with me, but she left first! Where are you, Dad? Ah, that convenience store? Okay~ I’m coming!”

“…”

“Kim Gaeun! My dad is right over there. He said there’s no place to park, so he told us to hurry. Let’s go! By the way, who is that man?”

I held onto Kim Gaeun’s arm and looked at the still-bewildered middle-aged man.

‘Mid-50s, early 170cm tall.’

Height, hairstyle, the general style and color of his clothes. I memorized his description in case I needed to report this to the police later, and asked Gaeun. In a voice that was a whisper but loud enough to be heard.

“Is that your dad, Gaeun?”

“…No.”

“A relative then?”

“…No.”

“What, then he’s nobody! Let’s go!”

Dad said if he gets a ticket, he’ll deduct it from my allowance. I kept mentioning my non-existent dad and stubbornly pulled Kim Gaeun’s arm.

To a bright place. Definitely a bright and crowded place.

Somehow, we ended up heading towards Gugugo High School, which was neither the direction Kim Gaeun was originally going nor the way to my house, but it didn’t matter. I chattered loudly about anything and everything as we walked.

“So the homeroom teacher wrote a 19+ fanfiction… and Jaegyeom got caught reading it in class… so as punishment, he had to read it out loud in front of everyone…”

Our seemingly casual footsteps gradually quickened.

By the time we reached the entrance of the bustling downtown area with Father’s Touch and Olive Young, we were both running.

“Huff, huff…”

I looked at the panting Kim Gaeun.

Her face, which always had a slight frown, was pale. At some point, without either of us initiating it, our hands were clasped together, clammy and sticky with sweat.

Our eyes met. I motioned to the shop next to us with my chin and asked.

“Want to get a Coke before we go?”

“…Actually, he’s not a complete stranger.”

I’m hungry, but if I eat now, I won’t be able to sleep well— and that will affect my studies tomorrow.

While I endured my hunger and drank water, Kim Gaeun, sitting across from me, hugged her bag and sipped her Coke.

It wasn’t until the Coke cup, filled with ice, made a gurgling sound that she finally spoke.

“I think he works at the moving company just ahead. I ran into him once at the convenience store during a break at the academy…”

That man was in line to pay first, and I was behind him.

I guess the drink he picked up was a 1+1 deal. The part-timer told him to get another one, but he didn’t understand and looked confused, so I just got it for him. I was running out of break time and wanted to pay quickly.

He thanked me and gave me the other one. It happened to be my favorite, so I took it.

The next day, I ran into him while eating ramen at the convenience store, and it felt weird to pretend I didn’t know him, so I said hi. He asked if a student was studying without having dinner and bought me a triangle kimbap… so I gave him one of the jellies I was eating.

But since that day, he’s been…

“Acting friendly, you mean?”

“…Yeah.”

He asked if I was a Gogogo High School student, if I went to Ibaji Academy, and since his daughter was about to start high school, he asked how the academy was, so I explained it in detail.

“…But one day, when I came out of the academy, he was standing in front. At first, I thought it was a coincidence…”

“It wasn’t.”

“No. …It feels like he’s waiting for me. He keeps following me… He says if I haven’t had dinner, he’ll buy me some, that the food at the bar up ahead is good and it’s okay to go with an adult. He said I’m like a daughter to him.”

“That’s a crazy pervert.”

I said it bluntly.

“Isn’t he a stalker? Why is he waiting for a female student he doesn’t know in front of her academy?”

He should be picking up his own daughter! Seriously! Agitated, I slammed my fist on the table. But Kim Gaeun looked unsure.

“You need to take action right away!”

“No, but…”

“But what!”

“What if it’s really a coincidence, and he’s just being kind because I’m like a daughter to him, and I’m misunderstanding and accusing an innocent person? What if I’m… to a good person…”

“Even if he’s a good person, uncomfortable is uncomfortable!”

What are you talking about? I slammed the table again and again.

I reached across the table and grabbed Kim Gaeun’s hand. I made eye contact with the startled Kim Gaeun and said.

“If he’s a truly good person, he should understand that you might feel uncomfortable in this situation.”

Even if that wasn’t his intention, he should acknowledge that his very presence could be a source of anxiety for you and keep his distance.

“The moment he gets offended and says, ‘That wasn’t my intention, why are you twisting my words,’ he’s no longer a good person!”

The best kind of man is a man who leaves a woman alone!

“That man, who is so much older than you and made you uncomfortable, isn’t being considerate of you, so why are you the only one feeling guilty and being considerate of him? Are you that nice?”

That’s not being nice, that’s just being naive!

That measly 1+1 drink and a triangle kimbap?

Look at how far that man has crossed the line after giving you just a few of those!

“Wake up, in this harsh world!”

“…Okay.”

“Good.”

Phew.

“What about your parents? Have you told them?”

“…No.”

“Why?”

“Actually, something similar happened before… and my dad asked if it was because I wasn’t behaving myself, and said if it happened one more time, he would shave my head…”

“…”

So it wasn’t that she didn’t tell them, it was that she couldn’t.

“Your mother?”

“My mom… she said there are a lot of strange people in the world and if I’m not careful, something terrible could happen, so I should just keep my head down and endure it instead of making a fuss.”

“…”

This is the terrible thing, mother.

“Is there another adult?”

“I have a grandmother, but if I tell her, she’ll probably say, ‘Why is a girl going to an academy anyway?'”

“…”

Calm down.

“Can’t you quit the academy or transfer?”

“My grades have improved a lot since I started going to Ibaji. If I say I’m quitting for no reason, my dad will kill me.”

“How about we talk to the teachers at the academy?”

“It’s no use. I already told my homeroom teacher.”

“The academy homeroom teacher?”

“Yeah.”

“And then?”

“He asked if I was bragging about being pretty.”

“…”

I’m getting angry.

I can tell just by looking at Kim Gaeun’s face how much she’s been agonizing over this.

There’s a limit to the time and energy a person can use in a day.

How many kids in the world are there who have their energy drained by useless things like this and can’t focus on what they really need to do?

“So, what do you want to do, Kim Gaeun?”

I took the Coke cup from Kim Gaeun, who had been drinking it until her lips turned blue and was now sipping on ice water. I gave her my water instead and said.

“I can walk you home after the academy for about a month.”

“How can you do that? You’d be in danger too.”

“That’s true. And it’s not a fundamental solution.”

“…”

“There is a second way… but honestly, I don’t think it’ll work at all.”

Still, want to give it a try? I asked Gaeun.

Gaeun, who had been nodding her head, saying she would do anything as long as she didn’t have to tell her parents, suddenly asked.

“But do you have time for this? Aren’t you studying? You tremble over every single point.”

“How can I study when you’re making a long face right next to me?”

“…”

“Just kidding. I have a trauma about old men who block a female student’s path.”

“…”

“If you’re done, let’s get up. Let’s go.”

“…Yeah.”

“And I don’t tremble over every single point. I tremble over 0.1 points. Don’t underestimate me.”

The next day. School.

“Hey, of course you should report it!”

“That’s right, you have to report it!”

“Tell the police to do a stakeout and catch him!”

Sein and Sua shouted excitedly. Doyeon, from over the shoulders of the girls who were stomping their feet in disbelief, gave a curious look.

Kim Gaeun is between us, so she’s holding back because she’s being considerate.

‘I’ll have to solve this problem later too.’

“Let’s go report it after school today!”

I said sheepishly to Sein, who was clenching her fists.

“Actually.”

“Yeah?”

“We… already reported it yesterday…”

Because it’s better to report these kinds of incidents as soon as possible…

Reporting it immediately after it happens can be a kind of proof that I felt a strong sense of discomfort from this incident.

“You reported it?!”

“What happened?!”

“…Well.”

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair.

To those who are expecting a satisfying resolution.

I apologize in advance for not being able to give you what you want.

All I have right now are sweet potatoes, would you like some of those?

(fumbling)