HRDH 12

Chapter 12

As soon as doubt began to bloom, my thoughts spiraled endlessly.

So my treatment was useless.

Was it actually making things worse?

If the plan to destroy the Association had been pushed forward…

Then my death would be pushed forward too.

I pulled the blanket over my head and muttered quietly.

“How am I supposed to face Seojin oppa tonight…?”

For now, that was the biggest problem.

I avoided everything by taking a long nap.

When I woke up, I thought my head would feel clearer… yeah, right. It was even more confusing.

It was 12:30.

“They’re in fourth period right now. Wow. I’m sleeping like this and no one even wakes me up.”

I got out of bed and roughly fixed my messy hair.

Honestly, I wanted to keep lying around, but if I started slacking off on just the second day, it would become a habit.

“Excuse me.”

Click.

The classroom was in the middle of class.

As soon as I opened the back door, everyone’s eyes turned toward me.

‘So this is the kind of attention Yeon Jaehyun got earlier.’

I calmly walked to my seat and sat down.

“Se-yeon, I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you okay now?”

“Yes.”

I nodded lightly at the teacher’s overly kind tone. Yeon Jaehyun didn’t even glance at me.

‘Damn it.’

It didn’t matter. I wasn’t planning to talk to him for a while anyway.

I had done way too many crazy things today. I decided to keep a reasonable distance for at least a week.

Ding-dong.

I had barely zoned out when the lunch bell rang.

“Hey. Kim Se-yeon.”

“Wait. Let’s talk outside.”

Jung Sumin approached me as if he had been waiting. I raised a hand to stop him.

His face was full of complaints.

‘Seriously, what a kid.’

Ever since we were little, he’d make a big deal out of even the smallest secret I had.

So of course the Yeon Jaehyun situation must have been shocking for him.

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I stood up.

“Bread from the school store?”

“Deal.”

We were about to leave the classroom without bothering Yeon Jaehyun when—

“Se-yeon!!! What happened?! Yeon Jae-hyung? Do you know him?! What’s going on?!!”

Myung Ahjin came running over and planted herself in front of Yeon Jaehyun’s desk, leaning in to stare at his face.

“……”

“……”

Let me say this again—Myung Ahjin wasn’t a bad kid.

She could be a bit of a nuisance, but she was kind at heart.

Pressing my aching forehead, I gestured.

“Myung Ahjin. You come too. And stop bothering him.”

“Huh? Okay!!”

At least she wasn’t stubborn.

I sat Jung Sumin and Myung Ahjin down on the stairs leading to the off-limits rooftop and gave them a believable excuse.

There had been a kid named Yeon Jaehyun in my kindergarten. He was my first love. It wasn’t a common last name, and even the first name was the same, so I wondered if it was him—but it turned out to be someone else.

That was the gist of it.

Luckily, since it wasn’t a completely made-up story, Myung Ahjin accepted it quickly.

As for Jung Sumin… I wasn’t sure.

‘Why does he look like that?’

I thought he’d laugh at me, but he was strangely quiet.

“But why does he wear a mask?”

At Myung Ahjin’s question, I answered smoothly without a hint of panic. I had expected that one.

“He says he’s insecure about his face. I took it off to check. I get why.”

“What?! I thought he’d be good-looking. He’s tall and has good proportions. Even if he looks a bit like a loser.”

The good thing about Myung Ahjin was that there wasn’t a single ounce of malice in that comment.

Nom.

She took a big bite of her cream bun and kept talking while chewing.

“Mmm… maybe not as good-looking as Sumin, but at least decent?”

No. He beats Sumin.

Of course, opinions might differ. But since Jung Sumin wasn’t even an option for me romantically, he didn’t compare.

Just thinking about Yeon Jaehyun’s bare face made my heart beat faster again.

“Whoa, Se-yeon. Your face looks kind of red. Is he that ugly?”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah. So ugly I almost punched him.”

“That’s kind of harsh…”

Myung Ahjin looked hurt on his behalf, as if she had been personally offended.

Apparently, she didn’t remember calling him a loser a few minutes ago.

“Hey. Myung Ahjin. If you’re done eating, go.”

“Mmph, I’m not done yet!”

Her cheeks were stuffed full like a hamster with sunflower seeds.

I frowned at Jung Sumin’s uncharacteristic rudeness.

“Why are you telling her to leave? If you’re hungry, you eat too. Don’t take it out on her.”

“….”

I tore open the chocolate bread I hadn’t touched and handed it to Jung Sumin. Thankfully, he accepted it quietly.

Watching the two of them chew away, I felt oddly satisfied and popped a piece of mini roll cake into my mouth.

After finishing her cream bun, Myung Ahjin gulped down her strawberry milk.

“Ahh. By the way, Sumin.”

“What.”

“Is it a secret that you’re an Association trainee?”

“Not really?”

To become a trainee, you needed school permission anyway. Sooner or later, it would become public knowledge.

“Then can I spread it a bit?”

“…?”

Both Jung Sumin and I looked at her in confusion.

Thinking she was being misunderstood, Myung Ahjin waved her hands quickly.

“No, you see, to secure the ‘school information hub’ position, you have to drop a big scoop at the start of the semester.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If I do that, everyone will think I’ve got inside info. Then naturally, all the school gossip gathers to me… Heh. I’m only telling you two this.”

Myung Ahjin was unusually obsessed with that information hub title.

The original novel explained why—something about being bullied in elementary school. I couldn’t remember the details.

Still, to me, it felt a little excessive.

‘What does being bullied have to do with that?’

But the information she gathered in the story had definitely helped the protagonist a lot.

So excessive or not, knowledge was power.

‘She’s still better than me, who knows nothing about whether Seojin oppa really leaked classified info or why Yeon Jaehyun enrolled instead of transferring.’

Maybe Myung Ahjin should’ve been the one to reincarnate as Kim Se-yeon, not me.

After a brief moment of self-blame, I spoke before Jung Sumin could answer.

“Fine. But you share whatever information you get with me too.”

“Yes!! Deal!”

“Hey, I’m the one being used. Why are you the one giving permission?”

“You and me, same difference.”

“What? Ha! You’ve got to be kidding…”

Even while grumbling, Jung Sumin never actually said no. What an easy guy.

I stared at the black sedan parked in front of the school gate.

Today had been the worst.

I met the protagonist without preparation and committed a massive act of rudeness.

‘I wanted to make a good impression…’

Was all my struggling meaningless?

Was I actually speeding up Seojin oppa’s plan instead?

My head felt like it would split open, but there was nothing I could fix.

I had spent the whole afternoon hyper-aware sitting next to Yeon Jaehyun. Now I had to endure the hell of sitting next to Seojin oppa.

“You’re not getting in?”

“I am…”

After pushing Jung Sumin away when he looked at me suspiciously, I climbed into the car with a miserable face.

As usual, Seojin oppa greeted me with a calm smile.

“Good work today.”

“Ah… yeah.”

Click.

The door shut, and the driver smoothly started the car. No shaking. Always a nice drive.

But my stomach churned.

“I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you better now?”

“…?”

Had I told him I went to the infirmary?

For a split second, my pupils trembled. Even I couldn’t control that.

Noticing my reaction, Seojin oppa smirked.

“The teachers told me. Maybe because I’m Se-yeon’s older brother.”

“Ah…”

As if. It just meant he had this whole school under his control.

I realized something.

No matter what I did, it would all reach Seojin oppa’s ears.

‘Corrupt private school.’

Thinking about that man making shady statements with such a kind face made my teeth grind.

“You must’ve had a hard day. Want oppa to keep you company tonight?”

“Huh?”

I wanted to be alone today. If I had to be with someone, I definitely didn’t want it to be Seojin oppa.

But I couldn’t answer easily.

His expression hadn’t changed much, but I knew this wasn’t just a simple suggestion.

‘It feels like I shouldn’t refuse…’

But agreeing so easily made my insides boil.

“H-how are you going to keep me company?”

“Hmm… since you’re tired, maybe we’ll do something different from usual.”

I blinked at the unexpected answer.

‘Not kangaroo play?’

I didn’t dare ask what he meant with the driver sitting in front.

For now, I nodded.

‘It can’t be worse than hugging, right?’

It was worse.

“Are you insane?”

“Hm? I said it because you looked tired… You don’t like it?”

Right now, I was in the last place in the world I wanted to be.

Seojin oppa’s room.

He told me to come in, so I did. Then he told me to lie on the bed.

So I lay down.

Then he lay down next to me.

And now—

“Hey, this… this isn’t okay.”

“What isn’t?”

He widened his eyes innocently. It was disgusting.

What eighteen-year-old high school boy doesn’t know what it means for a guy and a girl to lie on the same bed?

That close together?

‘Absolutely not!’

This was clearly a setup to mess with me.

I shot upright. He sat up too.

“No matter what, even if we’re innocent, if Mom or Uncle sees this… don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

“Just like last time, Se-yeon, you worry about strange things.”

What?

“If we’re innocent, why would it matter if they see? Or… are you doing something with me that you can’t let them see?”

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak.

When I stammered, he pressed further.

“It’s fine, Se-yeon. Just think of it as oppa helping you nap.”

“No—”

“We’ve done kangaroo play plenty of times. The only thing that changed is the location. I don’t see what the problem is.”

…If the location is a bed, that changes things. A lot.

My head spun.

It felt like the common sense I knew was crumbling.

“Anyway, kangaroo play was uncomfortable sitting or standing. This works better.”

“……”

If I wasn’t careful, I might actually fall for that calm smile.

When I shut my mouth completely, Seojin oppa chuckled and lay back down on the bed.

Then he stretched one arm out beside him and tapped the mattress with the back of his hand.

“Lie down. Use my arm as a pillow.”