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CHAPTER EIGHT

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-- Flashback -- 3 years ago, summer, Ji Jon Middle School --

"Haha, what? Fruit skin and detergent?"

"Yes, it's quite effective," Eunhyung confirmed kindly with a smile, unaware that in that instant, Minhyun's eyes saw him as a 14-year-old merchant for some reason.

"Ah, and if you don't want the bugs to come in, you can pour cinnamon powder in water..." the red-haired boy continued speaking, his voice getting lower as he went on, thinking he sounded weird.

Reading the situation, Han Mihyun, who had honestly been interested in the tips, smiled and said, "I have to try that. If what you say works, I won't have to worry about the mosquitoes that threaten me every night in the dark."

Mihyun wasn't just being kind, as it was more than true that if she heard one of those flying bugs, she couldn't sleep until she found and eliminated it.

Her words elicited a laugh from Kwon Eunhyung, who was regaining confidence with his blushing ears.

Suddenly, Jooin called out demanding with his cute face, "Noona~ Give me pats too!"

Turning to look at him, Minhyun found him receiving affection from, ¡from her red panda!

Lucky guy... she thought, forcing a wry smile, "Woo Jooin~ stop calling me that ~ I feel old."

"What? No! You're my noona. It can't be changed."

Shaking his cheeks, Minhyun smiled in surrender.

He was cute now, but he certainly didn't waste time whenever she failed to initiate her friendship with Ham Dan-i. "Spoiled kid..."

"Woo Jooin. Stop bothering." Ji-Ho scolded his friend who kept acting cute.

At his demand, Jooin stuck out his tongue. "Never! If you're envious, ask for pats too."

Ignoring the pair, Han Minhyun took a glance at Yoo Chun Young, who had stood up.

"Hey. Where are you going?" she asked without really feeling curious, to which the blue-eyed boy responded with triviality.

"For ice cream."

Suddenly seized by the itch to have one too, the blonde girl stood up from her chair and decided to accompany him without asking. "Let's go. I think I'm also going to die of heat."

-- A Few Days Later --

"Oh my... it's so hot... where's the human air-conditioning?"

"Oh my God... it's so hot... where's the human air conditioning?"

Beside her, Kwon Eunhyung, who was becoming always cheerful around her without even realizing it, chuckled a bit at the nickname she gave to his best friend; before explaining that Yoo Chun Young had left quite a while ago.

With that, Minhyun let it be and turned her attention back to the ice creams.

In these days, she had tried various flavors, but none of them convinced her completely. Scowling at the lemon ones, she watched as her companion grabbed one.

Indifferent, the blonde followed his hand before looking into the olive-green eyes. "Are you kidding me?"

Eunhyung shrugged, being partial, but then realizing, he end up laughing low. For a second, he had forgotten that she had an issue with that flavor.

"They're not bad."

"Yeah, right. Bitter things are great." She mocked herself while picking a pineapple popsicle.

"Have you decided?"

Behind them, Eun Ji-Ho called them with his purchase made.

*

As they were entering their classroom to meet Ham Dan-i, Minhyun stopped, preventing her friends from going behind her.

Oh. It was today. She thought as she observed how her two friends were sitting across from each other, engrossed in their musical conversation.

"What's going on?" Yeo-Ryeong asked.

Curious, Ji-Ho also leaned in to see what had stopped Han Mihyun in her tracks.

He felt a heaviness when he noticed that the blonde girl's gaze once again fell on Yoo Chun Young.

Not wanting to continue with that feeling, he nudged her shoulder to get her attention.

"What? Jealous?" Teased her.

With complete seriousness, Han Minhyun spoke without hesitation, "Isn't it obvious?"

Though it was only for a second, the honesty with which Han Mihyun responded to his joke overwhelmed him.

"O-obvious?"

"Of course! That jerk is flirting with my future wife," she pointed out angrily before entering. "Hey, Yoo Chun Young! There no more place into the love triangle!"

After a brief silence, Eun Ji-Ho slapped himself, leaving his friends in shock.

And as if nothing had happened, he also entered the classroom.

God... sometimes I want to strangle you, Han Mihyun. The boy thought as he regained his breath.

*

-- Later That Day --

"About the picnic schedule..."

"Oh, sure. Mihyun, can you tell me if the account book covers it?"

With a poker face, I looked at Ban Yeo-Ryeong before responding, "Yeah... give me a second."

Anyway, here comes the exploitation, I mean explanation. For some reason, I became the treasurer of my class. This must be a joke. Do I now also manage my class's finances? What? Is this a premonition that I'll become an accountant? I don't want it.

Such a role wasn't even necessary, but here I was. Is it because my character didn't exist in the original novel either?

Checking the numbers to see if the picnic could proceed without issues, while "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi played in my headphones-a song I loved but couldn't even sing here.

"Yes, there won't be any probl-"

Without letting me finish, as always, someone interrupted by opening the classroom door.

The appearance of a girl heading straight to Yoo Chun Young didn't surprise me in the least. Stopping what I was doing, I watched the drama unfold, just like my friends.

Ah, darn. Could it be that bitch? I wondered, going on alert. Seeing that the sleeping beauty didn't wake up and Ham Dan-i was starting to contemplate what to do. I got up to prevent the newly arrived girl from laying a finger on my girl.

And like a true prince, I managed to stop her in time before she could react. Ugh... did I just call myself a prince? Did I already forget the trauma from kindergarten?

Setting that aside, I looked at the girl who had dared to try to hit Ham Dan-i's hand.

"Hey. Hands off. If you dare to try to touch her or look at her again, you're dead."

"W-what?"

As the temperatures continued to drop, some of the students started shivering.

Fortunately and ironically, the human air-conditioning woke up, and the temperature returned to normal.

"C-Chun Young. I have something to tell you..." the stranger girl said, nervous with a fucking forced sweet voice.

"...." Not very pleased, Chun Young got up from where he had been with Ham Dan-i, before saying, "Let's go outside."

Letting go to the girl this time, only because Ham Dan-i seemed to be getting uncomfortable, I stepped back a few paces.

But then, she looked at me with a glare, and I just raised an eyebrow, not understanding.

"No. Wait."

What? Are you talking to him or to me? Stop looking at me. Feeling uneasy now, I looked in another direction, not because I was intimidated or anything, just to get her to stop being so strange.

"I'll tell you right here."

Woah~ She's going to say it here. It's really like a second-rate K-drama.

Seeing how the girl finally looked at Yoo Chun Young, I let out a relieved sigh without anyone noticing.

".... I-.... I like you, Chun Young. Please go out with me!"

"I'm sorry."

Ouch, was that two seconds? You're a bit cruel, buddy. Haha, it was confusing even for me to feel sorry for a girl she was ready to strangle just a few minutes ago.

The silence is...

"Why... Why you don't like me? Huh??"

"..."

"Don't just stand there. Answer me!! You hate me so much that you'd reject me in front of everyone?!"

I take back what I said. I don't feel sorry for her. Not even a little bit.

"... I'm sorry."

*

After the girl Yoo Chun Young rejected ran off, crying, the guys in the classroom started teasing, joking about her friend's popularity. But Chun Young didn't seem okay.

So, brushing aside the pests, Han Minhyun took the boy and Ham Dan-i by the hands to take them outside. To get some fresh air.

Unaware that in that moment, to them her small back looked larger than ever, and her golden hair was like the guiding light.

Without even trying, Han Mihyun had interrupted their intrusive thoughts, guiding them like two lost children found in the dark.

*

Once outside, Mihyun deliberately left them sitting on a bench to let the events of the story unfold.

"I'll go buy some fresh chocolate smoothies, wait for me!~" She said as she walked away.

Even if she didn't want Ham Dan-i to have a hard time, she shouldn't prevent this. As it said, this stretch would serve the girl with light brown hair for her character development.

And also because she shouldn't alter the story too much. She wanted them to have the promised happy endings.

She wouldn't forgive herself if they didn't, all because of her.

Ou. I hope I'm not spending too much. Minhyun thought, praying to make it through the month without any issues, just like her class's budget.

*

-- 3 YEARS LATER -- THE PRESENT -- P.O.V HAM DAN-I --

It had only been a couple of hours since I had an emotional call with Eunhyung about my supernatural experiences.

So, I wasn't expecting to be ambushed by his sudden morning visit. And even less that he was accompanied by Chun Young.

But what left me completely astonished was that both of them agreed to stay for a barbecue dinner at my house tonight.

Haa... seeing them looking puzzled at my father, who was talking on the phone back and forth, I smiled and explained the situation to them.

But as soon as I started counting out loud and realized there were too many of us —twelve people, to be precise— Eunhyung also got worried and asked if there was any outdoor space around here for grilling.

Fortunately, I remembered there was a place at the large bench.

Eunhyung nodded, satisfied with my response. Then he wrote something on his phone. Before I could ask who he was calling, the answer came from his lips.

"Hello, Ji-Ho."

Once again, before I could ask why the hell he called him, a voice filled with anger sounded through the phone.

"Oh, oh! I was almost there, but that son of a bitch! What the hell did he do? There's not enough time to cool down! That ULT! Damn it!"

Eun Ji-Ho is going crazy... I thought to myself as I looked at the phone in Eunhyung's hand.

Eun Ji-ho's voice was loud enough to surprise not only Chun Young, who was sitting next to Eunhyung, but also my mother, who was lying on the couch watching TV. Even my dad looked over this way while talking on the phone; that's how loud Eun Ji-Ho was.

A moment later, my mom smiled and said cautiously, "Um... I guess you have another friend named Ji-Ho, Eunhyung."

Eun Ji-Ho had been so polite with adults that my mother considered him a model student. For example, she thought of him as someone who would never use abusive language.

No, mom. That Ji-ho was the same Eun Ji-Ho you knew until now. I wanted to tell her the truth at that moment, but I had to stop because Eun Ji-Ho would refuse to see me for about 5 years if I did.

Eunhyung, on the other hand, tried to say something on the phone but replied with an awkward smile to my mother.

"Yeah, yeah... it's a different friend."

Woah... that's what I call "true friendship"...

"Sure it is. Ugh, Auntie was so surprised it was the same Eun Ji-Ho."

My mother let out a long sigh of relief and turned her head back to the TV. Eunhyung and I also exhaled briefly and laughed at each other.

But that didn't last long as we heard another voice openly cursing Eun Ji-Ho.

"Hey asshole. Get on your shit! Can't you see that son of a bitch is fucking our asses like we're the sluts of a fucking brothel?!!"

My blood froze upon hearing all those bad words from a voice I recognized perfectly.

I could bet my life that it was Mihyun's voice. But I was so surprised that I couldn't even ask because Eunhyung and Chun Young were in the same condition as me. I could even see an invisible fountains of blood coming out of Eunhyung's ears.

With total caution, I turned to watch my back to see my parents. Finding my mother coughing as she placed a glass on the coffee table.

And my father... my father had even dropped the phone from astonishment

"That... that can't be my little angel. Right?"

True. That's what my dad called Mihyun.

Ahg...

Not wanting to tarnish my dear friend's reputation, and also not to disappoint my dad, I managed to spit out a denial.

"Of course not, dad. Mihyun would never speak like that."

"S-sure. Of course. It can't be her. Little angels don't curse. Haha...ha...I'm going to go outside and get some fresh air."

I had to hold my breath not to burst out laughing as I watched my father leave the room, looking so pale he could pass for a ghost. Pff- and his legs were shaking like jelly.

Eunhyung got up from the seat and almost whispered on the phone while walking across the living room.

Chun Young, who was looking at his back, nodded as our eyes met. Even I felt that Eun Ji-Ho was now dangerous enough to continue the call around my parents. And we better not talk about Mihyun, Ji-ho had contaminated her. He needed a different place to speak with them through the phone.

In the meantime, the conversation of Eun Hyung, Ji-Ho and apparently also Mihyun, kept on quietly and, at the same time, pushfully.

"Yeah, chill. What. What is it?"

"We were about to get a pentakill! That ass!!!"

"What a bitch!!!"

While their insane voices turned into a horrible shriek, I took my ears off of their conversation and shrugged my shoulders with an apathetic expression. Then I tapped Chun Young’s shoulder while he was paying attention to Mihyun and Eun Ji-Ho’s abusive remarks.

When his head turned to my side, his blue-black hair gently scattered through the air. I lowered my voice and whispered to him.

"See, that’s how games affect people. Right now I don't even recognize Mihyun anymore. You should also stop playing too much."

Chun Young turned his head back without any words and pressed his eyes firmly as if he had finally felt the fatigue he was trying to conceal. The dark eye bags on his face caught my eyes. I knitted my brows.

Oh, for God’s sake. I asked, “Hey, did you pull an all-nighter yesterday playing games?”

"…"

"Geez, come on. Dude! You should not do that!"

"Whoa, look at her taking care of her man. Why don’t you do that to your father?"

Aargh! I lifted my head with surprise and quickly crawled back sitting on the floor as I found my dad’s face within 50 centimeters away from my face. After seeing his face, I jolted my head back away from him making the back of my head bash into the couch. As I crouched my head while groaning in pain, someone beside me rubbed the injured area.

Ugh, ouch. I had my face enveloped in a frown filled with utter pain and raised my head. There, I saw my dad ignoring his daughter’s pain and gently sitting on the couch. My rage grew thereafter.

I yelled, “Dad! Oh, come on. Why are you saying that!?”

"What? Oh, I’m sorry, is freedom of speech gone in this house now?"

"Her man? Honey, did you just say her man?"

Whether or not my eyes were filled with tears in pain, my mom looked excited after asking her question as if her interest were onto something else. She even spoke while slapping. Her attention on the TV seemed to have disappeared, ignoring the female character who was wailing as she carried her terminally ill lover in her arms.

I stopped pouting my lips and had my eyes on Yoo Chun Young, who was staring at the back of my head with an anxious look.

Just when I was about to warn them not to get the wrong idea, my dad spoke on my behalf.

"Oh, I saw them having eye contact. You should’ve seen the flames in their eyes."

"Oh my, oh lord, oh geez! How adorable!"

"Dad!!!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

✿ This is a gift 🎁