NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59
The time spent meeting the student council president was surprisingly short, so I couldn’t use the excuse of not having time to exercise after school today.
Actually, I thought about making up an excuse, but by the time that idea crossed my mind, both Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah were already dragging my arms toward the gym.
…Today, I absolutely must not mess around trying to fight the ball.
Determined to at least think that way, I was dragged to the gym when I saw Shin So-hee juggling a soccer ball with her toes.
“Eh?”
She kicked the ball back up before it fell to the ground, then headed it upward again. When the ball fell behind her head, she kicked it with her heel, but maybe it didn’t hit her foot properly because the ball rolled away behind Shin So-hee.
“Ah, geez, it’s hard after such a long time.”
“Oh, not bad at all!”
The club president, who had been watching from nearby, remarked.
“Are you perhaps doing soccer club activities at school?”
“Why would I? I’m too busy going home after school.”
Shin So-hee said, slightly furrowing her brow. The president didn’t insist after hearing that. In fact, even though he liked soccer, he had no intention of making it his job.
Now that I think about it, that person doesn’t seem to be an external student. In that case, they probably don’t know much about the outside world of Hwayoung High School. Even if someone wants to play soccer, they might not be able to because they can’t get support at home or because their situation is so tough that they have to find a job quickly. They might not empathize with it at all.
No, it’s not that they can’t empathize; they probably can’t even fathom such thoughts. They must have lived in a wealthy family for their entire life.
Of course, Shin So-hee isn’t a character who desperately wants to play soccer or has dreams that were crushed either. Rather, she’s not someone who thinks she must do something; she’s a character who simply charges straight toward what she enjoys. Because of that refreshing personality, she also blows away Yoo Ha-neul’s worries effortlessly in the original story…
But wait.
“…So-hee?”
At my call, Shin So-hee, who had been talking with the president, suddenly turned her head towards me. The apathetic expression on her face instantly brightened.
And realizing that her expression had changed, she quickly cleared her throat and returned to her usual indifferent look.
What an excellent golden sun tsundere character.
“How did you get in here?”
As I approached Shin So-hee and asked, she shrugged nonchalantly, saying, “I jumped the fence.”
With that one sentence, the atmosphere around us froze.
“What…?”
As I asked again with a blank voice, she scratched her head with her index finger and said, “Well, I tried to enter through the main gate, but the staff stopped me.”
Of course, they would stop students from other schools trying to enter without permission.
This isn’t a typical high school, but a school for the children of the wealthy who stand out in the country.
“…So, you got stopped, so you just jumped the fence?”
“And?”
“…”
I felt like I should rebut something, but since she declared it so confidently, I found myself speechless instead.
“To where?”
“To the place you all always jump over.”
“…”
Once again, the area was enveloped in silence.
Oh, yeah. I do jump the fence almost every day.
“Didn’t anyone say anything when you got here?”
“I didn’t run into any school staff, and when the kids heard about you, they all avoided me.”
In fact, the school staff might have avoided her too if they had heard my name.
The reason the kids who didn’t talk to her didn’t suspect Shin So-hee was… because Shin So-hee was so confident that they probably thought she must have had permission to come in.
“Wait a minute.”
The president, who had been listening to the conversation, interrupted.
“So, you’re saying you’re trespassing in this school right now?”
“If you say ‘trespassing,’ then yeah, I guess so.”
Shin So-hee replied nonchalantly.
No, it’s still trespassing even if you don’t say it!
“Besides, our school doesn’t just block other school kids from coming in, right? In the morning, the early soccer club old men come in to play soccer. Isn’t it a bit too strict to block the main gate and have no one to receive them? It’s not an elementary school, after all.”
Of course, there are schools like that.
Thinking back, I think the high school I attended allowed old men to borrow and play soccer on weekends.
But that was because it was approved by the school!
“So… you don’t mind? Me being here? Should I leave?”
“Uh? N-No…”
If I told her to leave in this situation, wouldn’t that make me the bad guy?
“Do you two know each other?”
After rolling yesterday, the president looked back and forth between us and asked. It was like he was talking as if I were a member of the soccer club.
“We are—uh.”
“Someone who spent the night together.”
Before I could respond, Shin So-hee quickly replied while wrapping her arm around my neck.
Then, she dragged me over and pressed my face against her side!
Soft and warm, a bit damp. It had a fruity scent as if it was from some fabric softener or something she had sprayed on herself. It was a familiar fragrance that I couldn’t quite place.
“Right? Right?”
Then, with her other hand, she started ruffling my hair. Maybe it was because she had just been playing with the ball, but her body was really warm.
“Ugh, wait, let me talk.”
I tried to squirm, but it seemed that Shin So-hee had much better athletic skills and strength than Ye Sara.
As I tried to push myself away, she simply tightened her hold on my head with both hands.
…Ah, fine. Do as you please. Go ahead.
This must be an act to invite misunderstandings from others.
In the end, I completely gave up trying to escape and let my arms hang limply until Shin So-hee finally loosened her grip.
“Phew.”
Once released, I took a deep breath and looked around again.
Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah were staring at Shin So-hee with bright red faces. Even though Shin So-hee’s face was flushed, her expression was overflowing with satisfaction.
“…”
The president gazed at us, mouth agape, with a blank expression.
The soccer club members watching us from afar had turned red as well.
“…Impressive.”
Nam Da-un, who had been quietly observing us, remarked in admiration.
“Hey, newbie.”
The president poked me on the shoulder with his finger, calling me over.
“Yes?”
The president leaned in a bit and asked in a slightly awkward tone.
“So, are you four… in that kind of relationship?”
“…Um…”
Watching Shin So-hee and Yoo Ha-neul bickering fiercely while Lee Soo-ah floundered helplessly next to them, I thought for a moment before answering.
“That’s, right?”
Since they were acting so overtly like that, it should be fine to answer like this, right?
“Pretty good, huh, newbie!”
The president suddenly patted my back, causing me to stumble forward for a moment.
“W-What? Can you teach me how to be popular?”
The president asked, and Nam Da-un looked at him with a slightly disapproving expression from the back.
Uh…
How to be popular, huh.
I have no idea.
I just quietly stared at Shin So-hee and Yoo Ha-neul glaring at each other.
I mean, I really have no clue. I’ve only said a few words, but other than that, it’s more like I’m being pulled into their world.
Could it be that… reincarnating as a villainess is the way to go?
…Nah, no way.
*
Yang Hye-in had been feeling significant discomfort lately.
Why had the young lady suddenly developed such a bright personality?
Why had she started making friends like that?
How had she learned to reject and fight against those who pressured her?
…Of course, none of that was bad.
It wasn’t bad, but it was strange.
In the three years Yang Hye-in had been by Ye Sara’s side, there had never been a singular incident that could be considered a ‘trigger.’
Ye Sara had always just been quietly staying to herself.
If anything could be considered an incident, it would have been the time she suddenly ended up in the hospital. That day, seeing the wound presumed to be self-harm.
But even that was a bit lacking to be called a ‘trigger.’ There had never been a case like that before. There must have been a reason that led to the ‘incident’ occurring, whether it was self-harm or being hospitalized.
“…”
Thus, Yang Hye-in began to think of one thing.
It’s good that the young lady has become active. It’s good that she has friends and is able to smile. It’s certainly good that she speaks to me.
Perhaps the fact that those friends are liking the young lady in a slightly different sense—assuming they don’t cross the line—might even be a good thing… though I would need to know a bit more about that.
However, I can’t quite understand why I started thinking that way.
Why something happened that might make someone fall for the chairwoman.
If I don’t understand that, it’s clear that I can’t fully help the young lady.
…Yang Hye-in had so far remained merely as an aggressor, like the other maids.
Her change of heart had been no more than a month ago. But probably because of the incidents that happened in this less than a month, Yang Hye-in would no longer be able to be by Ye Sara’s side in the future.
In the place where Yang Hye-in disappeared, a blank-faced, well-trained professional maid would come in.
And that maid would likely be on the chairwoman’s side, just like Yang Hye-in had been for the past three years.
Although she thought she would have about a month, the chairwoman’s change of heart made that awkward. She probably wouldn’t last the week without being fired.
“…”
Yang Hye-in placed her fingerprint on the door lock beside Ye Sara’s room.
beep, beep, beep, beep A sound echoed as the number inputted automatically.
The lock clicked open, and she stepped into the lady’s room.
The only one who had the authority to organize Ye Sara’s room was the exclusive maid, Yang Hye-in. Of course, even Yang Hye-in could only clean and organize; she didn’t have the right to rummage through the lady’s belongings.
But this time, she thought about slightly overstepping her authority.
She had no intention of making the excuse that it was for the lady’s sake. She was acting on personal desire rather than the intent to help.
However—
Yang Hye-in closed the door again. The clicking sound of the locking mechanism turning came from the door lock.
She turned her body and quietly scanned the spacious room.
If there was a place where the lady would put personal belongings, there was only one.
The closet was something Yang Hye-in opened whenever the seasons changed or when laundry came in. The pantry in the bathroom and shower was also Yang Hye-in’s territory. Naturally, the only place the lady would use strictly for personal purposes was the desk drawer.
Without hesitation, Yang Hye-in made her way to the desk.
She kneeled in front of the desk.
Opening the first drawer, she found some writing utensils like pencils and a pen rolling around.
Opening the second drawer, there were a few cheap trinkets that she didn’t know when they’d been bought.
“…”
Finally, she opened the last drawer.
Inside, there was a thick notebook, a torn envelope, and a pill bottle.
“…”
Yang Hye-in briefly glanced at those items and slowly reached out to take them out.