NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
And I intensely regretted my actions.
The manager was way more serious about soccer than I expected.
Since it had come to this, he decided to give me some time to “get close to the ball.”
Unfortunately, Ye Sara’s athletic abilities seemed to be nonexistent, even after a day of hard running. Or maybe my past life, where I avoided sports like the plague, was causing a ripple effect?
But one thing was certain: Ye Sara should steer clear of any sports-related careers.
Me too, for that matter.
“So I told you, that person is really serious about soccer,” Da-un said, observing my shaking legs as I approached the wall.
“…….”
I couldn’t retort because I regretted the attention I had drawn.
Honestly, I thought I could just kick the ball a few times and be done with it. It seemed I underestimated that guy’s seriousness.
“Well, it’s impressive in a way. He’s managing to draw in people who swore they’d never speak to him one by one.”
“Not quite there yet.”
Yeah, not quite.
I had hardly spoken with five people, counting Sohee. And including Sohee, it was still five. Of course, since Sohee was from outside school, it didn’t really count, but still.
“…….”
After hearing my reply, Da-un squinted and looked down at me for a moment before saying,
“Could it be that the girls you’re sandwiched between are part of your objective?”
“…….”
Surely, the only reason I was able to remain upright despite staggering was because of Ha Neul and Lee Soo-ah supporting me on either side.
They seemed a little more clingy than just support, though.
“This is a part of the process,” Ha Neul replied.
“Nothing draws people’s attention quite like this,” said Lee Soo-ah.
“…….”
Upon hearing the two of them, Da-un sighed as if finding it absurd.
“Well… I shouldn’t meddle in what you’re thinking, but… didn’t you have a fiancé?”
“……Oh.”
Right, I totally forgot.
Now that I think about it, things have been too quiet. The engagement was never really affectionate, but someone who sees articles like this would surely have steam coming out of their ears. In the original story, he hated having his things taken from him and would drag Yu Ha-neul around if he even saw her with another guy.
Of course, back then, he was somewhat tsundere, but… I’m sure Ye Sara thinks of it as “hers.” To be blunt, it was an engagement made for the sake of assets. If Ye Sara wasn’t fully his, the fortune wouldn’t be either. Wouldn’t it make him at least a bit uneasy to hear stories about a full-blown romance and see them all over each other in class?
Well, if he gives up entirely, I wouldn’t complain.
“If it bothers him, he’ll come and ask,” I said, brushing it off.
Yeah, he’d handle it himself. If it were the old Ye Sara who couldn’t even say a word in front of Da-ho, maybe she wouldn’t know any better, but Da-ho had seen her personality completely flip. He wouldn’t think I’d easily roll over if he suddenly showed up making a scene.
“No, it feels like you’re letting it slide too easily… but, then again, it’s your business, you know best,” Da-un shrugged casually.
Amid our conversation, we arrived at a place that might as well have been a legendary barrier, or maybe it had only been a few days since we crossed it.
“I think it’s best to just go out the front today,” Da-un said, probably seeing my trembling legs.
“If we go out the front, I’ll get kidnapped.”
“Normally, getting into your own vehicle isn’t called kidnapping, right?”
Da-un said this while helping me over the wall.
After all, I had been running every day during the weekdays. Even if I moved a bit more today, there was no way a drop from this height would trip me up—
“Then I’ll let go.”
Da-un said that and released his grip.
And just like that, I fell from the wall,
“Ugh!”
And as soon as my feet touched the ground, I went tumbling forward.
—I’m falling.
Alright, from here on out, I’ll settle for just running. I’ll be satisfied if I just mix in a few words here and there. I just don’t seem to have a good chemistry with the soccer ball.
As I fell forward, I stretched my hands out to prevent my face from hitting the ground, flailing wildly, when squish,
I made contact with something soft, warm, and pleasantly squishy.
“…….”
“…….”
Then came a brief silence.
Slowly lifting my head, I found Sohee looking down at me with an incredulous expression.
“Uh, ah, sorry!”
As I said that, trying to rise, my weakened legs couldn’t support me, and I nearly fell back… but didn’t, because Sohee had caught my shoulders with both hands.
Fortunately, even though my legs had lost strength, it seemed she had enough strength to hold me up. I didn’t collapse right then and there.
“What are you doing?” Sohee asked.
“W-well…”
I sneakily glanced at Sohee. She seemed tight in her shirt today, having undone three buttons as if her chest was stifling her. With a cardigan layered over, she wasn’t overly exposed, but it only made the cleavage more pronounced.
…And I had just buried my face into that.
“Sara!”
At that moment, Ha Neul jumped down from the wall anxiously. It seemed she had noticed me topple over the moment my feet hit the ground.
And then, she caught sight of Sohee holding onto my shoulders, mouth slightly agape.
Sohee shrank a bit at Ha Neul, like, ‘So, this is happening?’
…Way calmer than when she saw under my skirt. Maybe she knew it was an accident?
Ha Neul looked between me and Sohee and quickly came beside me, linking her arm with mine.
“……Huh?”
…And she pressed closer. Sohee was momentarily taken aback at the sight.
“Sara, what’s going on—”
Lee Soo-ah, who had just jumped down as well, saw us and seemed to get the situation immediately. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around my free arm.
“…….”
Sohee briefly hesitated before slowly letting go of my shoulders.
“Uh, so….”
“No way!”
I hurriedly denied it before Sohee could ask anything.
“Not so?”
Sohee asked back, her expression going blank for a moment before she furrowed her brows slightly.
“Absolutely not.”
When I said it firmly, Sohee’s eyes darted around.
She glanced at my face, then at Ha Neul beside me, then at the arms that Ha Neul had wrapped around mine. It was way too clingy for just support.
And on the other side, Lee Soo-ah was also pressed against my arm, her breasts slightly bumping against me.
“So, really, it’s not like that?”
Sohee asked with a serious expression after surveying the scene.
I suppressed an exasperated sigh.
*
“…So, to summarize.”
In a quiet café a little distance from school, hidden in a quiet alley.
I chose this café over the school nearby because I felt like students from our school might overhear us. It turned out to be a surprisingly nice atmosphere for an old building they had spruced up. Though ‘cheap’ meant ‘less expensive’ considering the prices in central Seoul.
After settling into a corner of the café, I began explaining today’s events at school to Sohee.
Naturally, I showed her the article with the photos of me and Ha Neul.
Sohee continued tapping on her smartphone, still displaying the article’s photo.
“So, you two happened to have your photo taken while meeting alone on the weekend, right?”
“Exactly.”
“But it seems that the article suggested you two are dating.”
“Yeah.”
“And now, you’re planning to use the misunderstanding to draw some attention at school?”
“Precisely.”
At my words, Sohee crossed her arms and tilted her head. The crease between her brows deepened.
Her heavy chest sat above her crossed arms, making that deep bow in her shirt even more prominent. I couldn’t help but glance at that, quickly looking away. I hadn’t really minded it before, but since my face had just graced that area, the sensation still lingered.
Had I really become so inexperienced with girls?
…To be fair, I had. Honestly, if it weren’t for the current situation, I could have enjoyed this moment considerably.
But I was just holding on tight, afraid of how the Chairwoman might deal with me if I let go.
“Why?”
After a long moment of contemplation, Sohee asked the question again.
“Huh?”
“I mean, you’re pretending to date to grab attention at school, right? Now you’ve got her in the mix, creating a love triangle or something, but why go through all that effort just for some attention? I honestly don’t understand.”
“……Oh.”
That’s when it hit me that Sohee didn’t really know my situation completely.
She probably guessed there was something off about my freedom to wander, or that I might have family issues, but still…
I unconsciously glanced at Ha Neul and Lee Soo-ah. Both were looking at me intently.
Seeing me hesitating, Sohee said, “Oh, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. If it’s too personal, I have no right to force you.”
It seemed she was genuinely pouting now.
“No, it’s not that.”
I shook my head.
“I’ll tell you since we’ve come this far. It’s not a secret around school anyway.”
“Oh, really?”
Sohee, who had been leaning back in her chair, perked up immediately at my response.
Well, it wasn’t a bad thing for her to be this straightforward. It was way better than just lying.
I thought that as I prepared to explain my situation to Sohee.