NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
Chapter 27
I was lost in a serious dilemma.
Was it really a good idea to recruit Hong Yeonhwa as a club member?
“Hey. Are you ignoring me?”
“No, I just… didn’t hear you.”
“Yeah, right. So why were you staring at me?”
While I was still debating, Sophie jumped in.
“Hana wants to start a club with you.”
“…What? A club?”
Hong Yeonhwa raised her eyebrows as if she’d just heard the strangest thing, then smirked and ruffled my hair roughly.
“Oh, so that’s what you were fussing about?”
What was she even saying? Twisting things however she wanted. When was I ever fussing?
“So, are you in a club?”
“Why would I do something so annoying? Of course not.”
“…Then would you consider joining ours? With you, we can officially start the club.”
“Something you two munchkins came up with? You guys play well together, don’t you?”
She clearly had zero interest in joining. Why would she join a club with someone she enjoyed picking on, after all?
“What kind of club is it?”
“It’s a board game club.”
“Wow, you guys really try everything, huh.”
She frowned. What’s wrong with board games?
Then she reached out and lightly pinched my cheek.
“Oh, look at that face. Are you pouting at me? Mad at your big sis?”
She is not my big sister! I wanted to yell, but stirring up more trouble would only hurt me in the end. I wasn’t avoiding her out of fear—I was avoiding her because she was gross. Yep, definitely not afraid.
“Keep it up, and I’ll…”
“Hong Yeonhwa.”
Her words were abruptly cut off by a new voice.
“Si woo! I’m fine! It’s not what it looks like!”
I quickly tried to explain, but it was pointless. Si woo’s face was already tense with anger, and it was no surprise, considering we’d been having these confrontations often lately. But the timing was just terrible.
“Ha… Are you crazy, Kim Si woo?”
This time, even Hong Yeonhwa didn’t seem like she’d let it slide. Her already fierce gaze turned even darker.
“I warned you. Don’t mess with Hana.”
“What? Mess with her? Are you kidding me?”
Another tense standoff started, drawing the attention of everyone in class. Sophie looked between them, clearly unsure of what to do.
“Si woo, really, I’m fine. We were just talking.”
“No. I saw everything, Hana. Let me handle this.”
How exactly did he think he was handling this? He was only making things worse.
I bit my lower lip. This was not going well. I needed to end this quickly.
—
Yeonhwa brushed her bangs aside and tried to calm herself down, but it didn’t seem to be working.
“Stay away from Hana. This is your last warning.”
“Hey, who do you think you are, telling me what to do?”
“What?”
“That’s for Yoo Hana to decide, not you. Why are you acting like you get to make her choices?”
Si woo frowned. He knew Yeonhwa had no idea how much her actions hurt Hana, thinking it was all just harmless.
“It’s called friendship. Isn’t it normal to worry about a friend?”
“Then what about me?”
He didn’t understand her question at first, but the confusion was short-lived as Yeonhwa turned her gaze to me.
“Hey, aren’t I a friend?”
“Yes, of course. You’re a friend.”
“Then why does he keep picking fights with me? Seriously, what’s his deal?”
“You were forcing Hana to respond the way you wanted!”
Unable to hold back, Si woo raised his voice. Yeonhwa scoffed and shot back.
“No, the one forcing things here is you, idiot.”
“…Me? What are you talking about?”
“You’re the one insisting that Hana’s being bullied and forcing her to avoid me.”
He wanted to argue but found himself unable to say anything.
Was she right? Were his actions pressuring Hana instead? Had he been the one making things harder for her?
Yeonhwa noticed his hesitation and delivered her final blow with a smirk.
“If you ask me, it’s you who’s making Hana miserable.”
His mind flashed through various scenes like a haze.
Hana hiding her bandaged wrists when she met him.
Her buying rope and assuring him everything was fine.
Her sleeping in front of the science teacher.
The panic attacks she had during field practice.
If he backed down here, he’d see those scenes play out again. Hadn’t he already regretted it? He’d vowed to protect her from then on.
“You don’t understand anything.”
“Yeah? And you do?”
“Hana is struggling…!”
At that moment, someone grabbed his wrist. Hana looked up at him with pleading eyes.
“…Please don’t say anything.”
When Si woo fell silent, Yeonhwa sneered, seizing the opportunity.
“Looks like you’re the one who doesn’t understand. Quit the creepy obsession; it’s embarrassing to watch.”
“Hana is… going through a hard time. She’s struggling so much she’s having extreme thoughts!”
He hadn’t shouted, but the tension in his voice was enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Yeonhwa’s face froze, her mind instantly flashing back to the rope she’d seen hanging from the ceiling a few days ago.
“You little…”
But before she could finish her sentence, a soft, hollow voice interrupted.
“Why?”
Hana’s tone was empty.
“I asked you not to tell him.”
“I’m… sorry. But if I didn’t say anything, she’d just keep—”
“I asked you. I begged you! So why…?!”
Hana’s near-scream plunged Class A into a stunned silence. Everyone watched as she stood, her eyes brimming with tears.
Looking into his childhood friend’s tearful eyes, Si woo’s mind went blank. He realized his mistake, but it was too late.
Hana’s body began to tremble, not just from anger or hurt.
“I asked you… not to say anything…”
A stabbing headache signaled the start of her seizure. Her pain only seemed to make everything worse.
“Why? You could’ve just left me alone… Whether it’s bullying or whatever, I can handle it. I didn’t ask for that. Was it so hard to just stay quiet?”
Her breathing grew heavy. Si woo lowered his head, filled with regret, and apologized.
“I’m sorry, Hana. I really am…”
“Just… just… Ahh! Ahhhh…!”
In the end, Hana couldn’t hold back the pain. She clutched her head and collapsed onto her desk.
Sophie was the first to react, quickly reaching her side.
“Hana! We need to get her to the nurse’s office!”
“Aah! Aaah… Aaaaagh!”
Seeing his friend in such pain, Si woo’s eyes filled with tears—sorrow, guilt, and self-loathing. Their long-standing friendship was now beginning to splinter.
“I’ll take her.”
But their relationship hadn’t completely fallen apart yet. There was still a chance to mend things.
Si woo carried Hana as fast as he could to the nurse’s office.
—
“The painkiller should help ease things for now.”
“…Thank you.”
“You said it was a chronic condition, right? I don’t know exactly what it is, but if the symptoms are that severe, she’s been through a lot.”
The school nurse looked at the boy standing nearby. He looked so weary, as if he himself were unwell.
“You’re her friend, aren’t you?”
“…Probably.”
“Take good care of her. I feel like I’ve given you this advice before.”
“…Yes.”
“She’ll feel more secure if you stay by her side until she wakes up.”
“…Do you really think so?”
The nurse didn’t know exactly what had happened, but she could tell he was troubled, so she sighed and gave him a reassuring smile.
“If you made a mistake, just apologize. Everyone makes mistakes; no one’s perfect.”
“…What if she doesn’t accept my apology?”
“Well, you have two choices: either you give up or keep trying until she’s ready to forgive. Simple as that.”
The nurse’s words seemed to give him a glimmer of hope. His expression brightened, if only slightly.
“Thank you.”
“Alright. I’ll step out for a bit, so please keep an eye on her.”
“Yes.”
After the nurse left, only Si woo and the sleeping Hana remained in the infirmary. He reached out, his hand trembling as it stopped just short of her hair.
A memory from that day surfaced, unbidden: a man, brushing back Hana’s hair as she slept.
The resemblance made him clench his fist in anger. Was he really any better?
“Hana?”
Her voice was faint but unmistakable.
Si woo pulled his hand away, startled.
“Hana! How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I think I’m alright.”
“That’s… good.”
A pause. Silence settled between them.
Finally, Hana spoke.
“Si woo.”
“…Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
With a smile, she expressed her gratitude.
Prepared to hear words of resentment, Si woo could only open his mouth and close it, struggling to find words as emotions swelled up in him.
After a long pause, he finally managed to speak.
“I’m sorry. For everything…”
“No. You did it because you care, right? Thank you.”
“Hana… we’re still friends, right?”
Yoo Hana smiled warmly and replied.
“Of course. No matter what, we’ll always be friends.”
Even if one of us dies or becomes someone else.
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