CHAPTER ELEVEN

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-- Han Minhyun's Point of View --

Dan-i was talking to Lee Ru-Da again, giving him her full attention and forgetting about the rest of the world. Well, at least that's how I saw it. I didn't want to admit it, but I was starting to feel jealous because the only person who talked to me was the teacher when I had to participate in class. And that was really sad, man.

I want to chat too! I mentally exclaimed, frustrated by my current situation of being a stranded sailor on a deserted island.

Fed up with it, I got up from my seat and went straight to the back. If the author of this novel won't include my character, I would add myself to the script this time.

"Darlin'~" I murmured depressed as I cuddled her from behind. Dan-i seemed to jump in her place, but anyway I just hid my nose in the curve of her neck. Finally, I could feel warmth in this classroom.

"O-oh, it was you, Mihyun," she said, patting my head, which made me smile.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if rumors started one day that I was in love with this girl. Haha, at least I wouldn't mind. I care about her too much.

Regardless of who was watching or the fact that I might sound like a whiny baby, I glanced at her and complained, "Dan-ah... Why didn't you come to visit me earlier? You have no excuse with me; we're in the same class~"

"W-what? But we walked back from the teacher's office together in the previous class."

"That doesn't count."

As we continued our little debate, Lee Ru-Da, who had been talking to some girls who for some reason fell silent when they saw me, looked at Dan-i and then at me, a few times. That's when I realized I hadn't properly introduced myself. How embarrassing!

"Ah! H-hello, Lee Ru-Da, right?" I greeted before introducing myself as I moved away from Dan-i. "We met before... I'm Han Minhyun, but you can call me comfortably," I said, extending my hand. It didn't take long before he shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you. You can call me comfortably too, 'sorry' girl." he joked, thinking I wouldn't understand what he meant. With a slight twitch in my eye, I just smiled before returning the gesture.

"Got it... Mr. Monster."

Bursting into laughter at my comment, Ru-Da looked at Dan-i and said, "You were right, Dan-i. She's fun."

Confused, I looked at Dan-i with a raised eyebrow. However, she just avoided my gaze, which made me smile.

"So, you talked about me, huh? Did you say nice things? If you did, I'll forgive you." I teased her with warm whispers in her ear. Dan-i was one of the most bashful people I knew, which made it even more fun.

"Yeah, yeah, I did. Now let me breathe a bit, okay?"

Satisfied with that, I left her alone. I didn't know that by taking my eyes off Dan-i, I would be met with strange looks around me.

Wow, I lost track of my surroundings again because of this little red panda. I bit my lip with shameful guilt before starting a pleasant conversation with Lee Ru-Da, who also seemed excited about Dan-i's reactions.

Everything was going well until Dan-i stepped on a landmine by mentioning 'The Celestial Kings,' although I have to admit that Lee Ru-Da's response was quite clever. Even if it made me wonder how Dan-i managed to introduce me earlier without this cute guy being reluctant to meet me.

Well, he just said he doesn't like it when Dan-i talks about other men in front of him. So, I don't count. Poor little bear, she must be even more confused than in the original novel.

Seeing Dan-i uncomfortable, who took out her phone to pretend to play, I gave a warning look to Lee Ru-Da. As cool as he was, no one had the right to make Ham Dan-i uncomfortable in a bad way, especially not in my presence.

It was rather unfortunate that he didn't seem to pick up on my silent intimidation, but I didn't blame him entirely. Shifting my attention to the screen of the device my friend was holding, I almost burst into laughter when I read Jooin's message. I couldn't even continue reading the other messages. In the end, I made my excuses and left for the restroom. I wanted to maintain some of my usual reliable image, if it still existed after my childish complaints.

"I'll be back; I leave her in your care," I told Lee Ru-Da.

I wish I had left as smoothly as that sentence sounded. But instead, I almost ended up falling flat on my face as I passed by the twins. I had to thank the pale-skinned guy for saving me from my fateful fate before I left.

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-- Ham Dan-i's Point of View --

What the hell was going on? Their messages made me feel so conflicted that I read them repeatedly. Then I shook my head in defeat and looked at the next message.

Something must have happened in Ban Yeo Ryung's class. My face stiffened as I stared at my phone. Most importantly, it was probably related to the appearance of the new supporting character, Lee Ru-Da.

So far, all I knew was that Ban Yeo Ryung had gone crazy, just like the others.

How holding hands could be considered sexual harassment, and what's next? If Jooin had a new dad, would he kill him? I did my best to solve the puzzle, but the way these guys were talking wasn't straightforward enough to come to a logical conclusion about what was really happening. Come on, what happened? I wondered as I glanced at my seatmate.

Lee Ru-Da still had that lively face while talking to the boys and girls around her. They all blushed while talking to her. How could she attract people regardless of their gender? She was, indeed, a charmer! When my gaze turned into a sign of my amazement towards her, she raised her head as if sensing the way I was looking at her.

It seemed like the fact that I was constantly checking my phone without saying a word was bothering her.

Poor Lee Ru-Da, innocent girl sitting next to me, unaware of the darkness contained in the messages that were talking about her.

When I turned my head, I saw Shin Seohyeon, who had the same tough atmosphere as Chun Young, sitting a meter away from my row, leaning over to grab something from his bag. He looked up after pulling out a black-covered book.

Without realizing it, I muttered too loudly, "Higashino Ke*go..."

As soon as our eyes met, his expression turned to surprise.

"... You know him?"

"Ah, yeah! I like that author!"

That's how I started a conversation with Shin Seohyeon, also touching on the topic of the class presidency. Yoon Jeongin joined the conversation as well, although his participation didn't last long.

"Oh, it's Higashino Ke*go. Hey. The culprit in this book is that one. The contemporary art connoisseur."

After completely destroying the suspense of the book with such a spoiler, Shin Seohyeon lunged at Yoon Jeongin with clear murderous intent. He hit him several times with the book, and I applauded because he had also spoiled the ending of a book I hadn't even bought yet.

On the other hand, the twins sitting on my other side looked at each other without saying a word and shrugged. Then, Kim Hye Hill, who was sitting right behind Shin Seohyeon, gave a brief explanation of the relationship between the two friends who were fighting. She looked at me and moved her pale lips to ask me something.

"Did you say you're from Ji Jon Middle School?"

"Um, I was."

"I heard there's something like the Four Heavenly Kings there. Do you know anything about them?"

Kim Hye Hill then started laughing, furrowing her brow, perhaps to emphasize the ridiculousness of her question. Instead of the Four Heavenly Kings themselves, she seemed to scorn people who took that name seriously.

I tried to answer, but I simply looked at Kim Hye Woo, who was sitting next to Kim Hye Hill, absentmindedly gazing at his own hand. When he made eye contact with me, he shrugged and smiled.

"She wants to tell you that our school also had something like that, so we wondered who they are."

"What? Is there something like that at Suk Bong Middle School too?"

I was stunned. Two different groups of Four Heavenly Kings existing under the same sky; did that sound logical to you? It was Shin Seohyeon who responded.

He furrowed his dark brown eyebrows and then scratched his forehead with his index finger.

"Um... B-But they're not as amazing as Ji Jon Middle School's Four Heavenly Kings."

"Shin Seohyeon is one of the Four Heavenly Kings~ That surely makes sense, right, bro?"

Shin Seohyeon then paused and furrowed his brow at Kim Hye Woo, who responded by sitting up like a boss.

"Hey oppa, why don't you admit that you're one of 'the Four Heavenly Kings~' too and stop staring at your hand? You look weird. That girl won't show up no matter how much you do it."

"What? I'm not weird, I just-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now answer Ham Dan-i about your title. Don't act innocent."

"Hey, not me! Shin Seohyeon, Yoon Jeongin, and... who was that in Class 7? Anyway, it's one of those two."

"No way! Were Shin Seohyeon, Yoon Jeongin, oppa, and I? Stupid!"

"You're a girl! You want to join the group that badly?!"

"What? No! I got included because of you!"

The twins started growling at each other. I was surprised by how different they were compared to the friendly atmosphere they had when the class started.

As I laughed like a child, my phone started ringing in my pocket. The person who called, needless to say, was Ban Yeo-Ryeong.

After a moment of hesitation, I opened my flip phone and answered the call. I had to pull the phone away from my ear at the speed of light because Yeo-Ryeong's voice roared from the phone.

"Dan-i!! Who's that stupid blonde guy?!"

"Eh?"

"Why aren't you answering my text messages?! Dan-ah, listen. If he asks you out, deny it! Because, um... it's because... there's a logical reason. I mean, I saw that..."

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound through the call. It seemed like someone had snatched the phone away from her. The one who continued talking to me on the phone in an indifferent tone was Eun Ji-Ho.

"Hey, Ban Yeo-Ryeong's in critical condition."

"GIVE IT BACK!"

"So, I'll ask it... What the hell did you two do with that guy? I want to know who the hell he is."

"What?"

"Ah. And why isn't Han Mihyun answering her phone? Did she forget it in her bag again? Is she with you now-"

Before I could process what they were saying, the voice on the phone changed again. This time it was Woo Jooin. He shouted, cutting off the words he wanted to say.

"Mom! I really don't need a dad. You don't have to consider having a new dad for the sake of our family's stability!"

"Um, uh... okay."

What came through the phone lastly was Eun Hyung's voice.

"Dan-i."

"Yeah?"

His voice was gentle as usual which eased my mind soon like a flash.

As I firmly grabbed the phone with a soft grin, the voice that came out from him sounded more like a sword from hell that pierced into my soul. I could feel him smiling as I heard him speak with a gentle tone.

"See you after school."

"Huh? Oh, of course."

"Yeah. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

"O...kay."

"And... don't even think about taking Mihyun with you this time. Today... I have to teach her a few things. Okay?"

"O-okay."

As I replied with a trembling voice, he whispered "good choice," which was too terrifying to consider as a compliment. Once again, Mihyun's and my own life seemed to be in danger.

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When the last class ended, Ham Dan-i said goodbye to the twins as she watched Han Mihyun approach her and also bid farewell to them with a friendly gesture, as they didn't really know each other.

"Shall we go, Dan-ah?"

"Sure..." the brown-haired girl began, not very convinced, before looking at Lee Ru-Da. More determined, Dan-i decided to help the girl escape from the clutches of Ban Yeo-Ryeong. "Hey, Lee Ru-Da..."

But before she could continue speaking, the blond boy got up from his seat and opened the window.

"See you tomorrow, girls!" He said enthusiastically with a smile.

Without further ado, Ru-Da jumped freefall out of the window. A moment later, he was running in the schoolyard.

"Wow! That was incredible!" exclaimed Mihyun with a face lit up with excitement. Dan-i, still perplexed, sweated a bit from her friend's admiration for Lee Ru-Da.

Then she paled and only smiled like a mother watching her daughter excited about a new toy. However, her expression changed to wide-eyed surprise when she saw Lee Ru-Da being chased by a group of men dressed in black.

Moreover, several black limousines blocked the school's entrance, and the men in black were running to catch their new friend.

Ham Dan-i couldn't believe this dangerous and surreal situation, while Han Mihyun was ecstatic because it was like watching an incredible chase. For the first time, she wished she could be pursued like a cool criminal. Quite a crazy thought.

After remaining motionless for a moment, Dan-i let out a long sigh and muttered the words.

"I really hate this..."

Mihyun, still entertained imagining the adrenaline Lee Ru-Da must be feeling, also sighed for not having such physical skills as jumping from a second floor.

Doing that without breaking your neck would be amazing. Thought the blonde girl.

When they left the classroom, Ban Yeo-Ryeong, with a furrowed brow and a devil expression, approached both girls.

Then she asked so calm, "Where is that yellow-haired boy?"

Pretending ignorance, Minhyun tilted her head like a puppy and replied, "Are you talking about Lee Ru-Da?"

"Don't say his name!" Yeo-Ryeong scolded her in a jealous tone.

In the end, it was Dan-i who gave an ambiguous response, "She jumped out of the window." However, Ban Yeo-Ryeong and the Four Heavenly Kings showed no change in their faces. Their response was brief, as she was feeling tired, but since no one responded, that reaction also troubled her.

Tiredly, Ham Dan-i asked them, "Um, don't you want to ask if the person is okay?"

"What? Who would get hurt jumping from the second floor?" Ban Yeo Ryung asked, surprised, making an arrow pierce through Han Minhyun's head.

Woo Jooin looked at Kwon Eunhyung with curiosity. He smiled and then said, "Come to think of it, Eunhyung, did you also jump from the 2nd floor sometimes?"

"Ah, that... I don't like fighting, but sometimes there would be people waiting for me at the entrance," Eunhyung replied timidly, and his ears turned as red as his hair.

Taking advantage of the fact that the others were focused on the conversation between the two friends, Eun Ji-Ho approached a devastated Mihyun and put his arm around her shoulders, which seemed to require quite an effort for the girl.

With a furrowed brow, Minhyun confronted Ji-Ho while still recovering from Yeo-Ryeong's words. "What do you want now?"

"It's just a simple question... Do you really-"

" 'Do you really have a phone?' " Mihyun finished the sentence. "The answer is simple: Yeah. But usually, I just use it to call Dan-i and annoy Yeo-Ryeong at 3 A.M., not specifically to answer you. Got it?" She clarified, somewhat annoyed by his closeness.

"And now, please, get off. Are you planning to kiss me or something?" she asked with boredom, causing Ji-Ho to lower his eyes for an imperceptible second to her mouth.

Almost instantly, he walked away in long strides, avoiding eye contact. The blonde girl looked at him strangely as he now went to bother Dan-i.

What's wrong with him?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

✿ We will have two new chapters this week!

✿ 1/2 ✔️