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Chapter 55
“Hi, Hansol~.”
When Hansol entered the classroom, Jiwoo waved at her.
Noeul also lifted her eyes from her laptop and looked at Hansol.
“Yeah, hi.”
Hansol greeted them and sat down next to Noeul.
Noeul felt that Hansol’s voice sounded different from usual. As if she had no energy… or like her voice had lost its tone completely.
Noeul looked at Hansol’s expression.
Hansol sat facing forward, her face calm and blank.
She looked normal. Well, Hansol was never the high-energy type anyway.
Noeul asked:
“Was your previous class psychology?”
“Mm.”
Hansol glanced at Noeul briefly as she answered, then looked straight ahead again.
“Is it hot outside?”
“…No. It’s cool.”
“Hmm. …Did you not sleep well last night?”
“…No? I slept fine.”
“Okay… You just seem kind of tired.”
“…Me? No. I’m fine.”
But Noeul knew this wasn’t tiredness.
Hansol was responding like a low-battery AI robot.
It didn’t feel like she was thinking and then responding. It was like she already had preset answers installed: ‘I slept fine’, ‘I’m fine’.
Regardless of whether that was true.
Jiwoo, who had been listening, leaned forward and looked at Hansol.
“Why? Hansol, are you tired?”
“Huh? No, no. I’m not… tired.”
Hansol’s voice trailed off.
What? Since when did Hansol ever trail off?
Jiwoo also tilted her head, sensing something was off.
“Did something happen?”
“No… nothing…”
Hansol shook her head weakly.
“Wow, Hansol is like the mild-flavor version today.”
For real. Jiwoo was right. If Hansol was usually spicy, today she was strangely mild.
Hansol just gave a tiny “h…” sound. Not even “heh.” Just h.
Even a hamster exhaling would be louder.
Where was the Hansol who once scolded Noeul for an hour on the phone over one small mistake?
Jiwoo looked at Hansol thoughtfully and then said:
“Your bracelet is pretty today, Hansol.”
All three looked at Hansol’s wrist.
Jiwoo probably said it to brighten the mood.
Hansol blankly stared at her bracelet for a moment… then suddenly took it off and held it out to Jiwoo.
“You want it…?”
“Huh? No, no! I didn’t mean it like that. It looks good on you.”
Hansol looked at her own bracelet as if she was seeing it for the first time.
“No… it’ll look prettier on you…”
And she placed it in Jiwoo’s hand.
Jiwoo looked flustered.
“No, I meant Hansol wearing the bracelet looks pretty.”
Jiwoo gently pulled Hansol’s wrist toward her and put the bracelet back on for her.
Hansol silently let her, like an old dog being calmly leashed before a walk.
Noeul sat between them thinking, What is happening right now.
At that moment, the professor walked into the classroom.
“Alright, today is the report deadline. Submit it now to the TA in the back. Right now! Don’t think about writing it during class. If you don’t submit now, I won’t take it later!”
Jiwoo, who was closest to the TA, held out her hand.
“Give it here, I’ll submit for us.”
Noeul handed hers to Jiwoo.
Hansol watched Noeul, then Jiwoo, then the busy students… and finally said:
“Oh… right.”
…?
What in the sloth-like reaction speed was that.
“You didn’t write your report?”
“…I think so.”
“If you didn’t write it, you didn’t write it. What do you mean you think so.”
“Yeah… I didn’t.”
“…?”
What is wrong with her today. Did her soul leave her body?
She didn’t even seem bothered by the idea of losing points. As if it didn’t concern her at all.
Jiwoo tried to lighten it again:
“Hansol’s acting like that old Chungcheong province gag. Like, ‘The stone~ is rollin’ away~.’ Hehe.”
But then she glanced around, clearly realizing the mood wasn’t right, and hurried off to submit the reports.
Noeul took the moment to ask:
“Hey. What’s wrong. What happened.”
“…What do you mean.”
“You’re totally spaced out.”
“…No. I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then why are you like this.”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“…….”
Noeul blinked at her.
Hansol stared straight ahead, as if she couldn’t feel Noeul’s eyes at all.
This wasn’t like her. Even when something bad happened, she always maintained her sharpness. She might swear, or be grumpy, or talk less—but she never turned into… this.
Like an empty-headed doll.
There had to be a reason. But she wouldn’t say.
Then Hansol finally spoke.
“But…”
Maybe she would finally talk.
Noeul nodded, urging her.
“Yeah?”
“…What do you think Jiwoo thinks of me?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Do you think… she thinks I’m pretty?”
“…….”
…She really had become an idiot.
Noeul answered quickly, worried that saying the wrong thing might be disastrous.
“Of course. Jiwoo talks about it all the time. She says you’re gorgeous. Like a goddess.”
“…Really…?”
“Yes.”
“Mm…”
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“…No reason…”
Hansol slowly turned back to face forward.
