Prologue Story

A moment later, the children returned.

We enjoyed some snacks as we watched the sparring match to our hearts’ content.

From time to time, Senior Ji-hyun… no, oppa would step in to break up the fight, telling them not to go overboard.

I glanced around briefly.

Aside from us and the selected students from other schools, there were very few spectators for this friendly match.

Clearly, it seemed to be held in secret.

We ate lunch in the high school cafeteria and then returned to the gym.

Even though it was a holiday, many people remained in the dormitory, so the cafeteria was open.

Before, Senior… oppa had mentioned that high schoolers had to pay for cafeteria meals, but it seemed that elementary students could eat for free, no matter where they were.

We showed our student IDs and successfully got our meals for free.

After finishing lunch, In-ha and I returned to the spectator seats a little early.

There, unexpectedly, we spotted a familiar face.

“Oh, Eun-hee unnie?”

“Huh? Oh, Eun-ha and In-ha, right?”

Dressed casually unlike her usual self, Eun-hee unnie gave us a bright smile when she saw us.

We approached her.

“What brings you here, Eun-hee unnie?”

“Oh, just wanted a change of pace because I felt a bit stifled. What about you guys? This match is somewhat of a secret, isn’t it?”

“Ah, well…”

I hesitated for a moment, about to answer.

Come to think of it, I wondered what happened with Eun-hee unnie and Seonghu oppa.

With that thought, I found it difficult to speak.

However, In-ha, who had no idea of the situation, mentioned Ji-hyun oppa’s name without a care.

“Ji-hyun oppa invited us.”

Now that I think of it, In-ha was naturally calling Senior Ji-hyun ‘Oppa’.

Well, that’s probably normal for kids our age.

Am I the odd one for defaulting to ‘Senior’?

I guess, since we’re elementary schoolers…

At that name, Eun-hee unnie’s expression stiffened momentarily.

But she soon nodded as if nothing was wrong.

“Really? I see…”

Seeing that, I understood.

Ah, she’s thinking about it after all…

Well, of course she would.

I watched her, opening my mouth to say something, but in the end, I said something I’d always wanted to say to her, something I planned to mention whenever we met, completely separate from the emotions stirring within me.

“Unnie, I heard you ranked up to B-Rank? Congratulations.”

“Oh, congratulations!”

Upon hearing my words, In-ha also remembered and congratulated her.

Eun-hee unnie looked at us and smiled brightly.

“Yes, it’s still unofficial, but thank you.”

“Now you can achieve your dream.”

“Yes.”

Eun-hee unnie showed a truly happy expression at my words.

She smiled sweetly, her eyes curving.

“Thank you.”

Then, Eun-hee unnie’s expression suddenly froze as she lifted her head.

I turned around, sensing the situation due to the footsteps I heard behind us.

Behind us, Ji-hyun oppa stood with his friends before we knew it.

“…Hello.”

“Hello, Senior.”

Unlike the slightly hesitant Eun-hee unnie, Ji-hyun oppa’s expression remained as usual.

He smiled kindly at Eun-hee unnie.

…Ah.

Seeing that, I felt as if my breath stopped for a moment.

It was as if my heart had dropped.

I looked at Ji-hyun oppa in a daze.

Looking back, even though it felt like we’d met frequently, my relationships with the seniors were rather distant, so I rarely saw Eun-hee unnie and Ji-hyun oppa together.

In fact, I hardly ever met all the seniors together.

Once, I met them to deliver chocolates, but back then, everyone was focused on training.

Yes, that’s how it was.

I could count the times I had met Ji-hyun oppa.

Although I’d seen him from afar at events, we’d actually only met during school tours, sports day, festivals, training last time, and today.

Oh, yes, and once at Min-hee’s house.

Barely over five times.

And each time, Ji-hyun oppa was with Min-hee, or with Chunho Senior… or even with Seonghu oppa.

I’d never really looked at the three seniors tangled in this love triangle from an objective distance.

Or rather, I’d never done so at all.

If I had seen what kind of gaze Ji-hyun oppa directed at Eun-hee unnie, I would’ve noticed his feelings sooner.

I could have realized it even before I heard about it.

That gaze was familiar enough for me to think that way.

More than familiar.

In my previous life, the person I loved had looked at me with those eyes.

He had looked at me with the same gentle gaze, as if looking at something more precious than anything in the world.

Ji-hyun Senior’s gaze was so similar to his.

Truly… I didn’t know if it was fortunate or unfortunate to see such a tender gaze so late.

I just felt a bit sorry for Ji-hyun oppa.

“What brings you here?”

“Oh, I just came out for a bit of a change. It’s a kids’ match, so it’s nice to watch comfortably.”

“Hm, is that so.”

“Then what about you? Could it be… are you on guard duty as the Student Council President again?”

“Correct.”

“Seriously, what do they take the president for? No matter how capable, you’re still a student. Really…”

Eun-hee unnie grumbled, and Ji-hyun oppa watched her with a smile.

She looked at him briefly, then blinked her eyes.

She turned to us with a soft smile.

“By the way, have you kids had lunch?”

“Yes, we did! The cafeteria food was really good today. How about you, Eun-hee unnie?”

“I already ate. Are you enjoying the match? Is it fun?”

“Yes, it’s worthwhile, so it’s alright.”

“Ugh, I find it a bit boring, though~.”

At Hyun-ho’s words, some of the other kids seemed to agree slightly.

“Still, you’re all staying to watch till the end, right?”

“Yes.”

“Since Eun-ha here is so absorbed, I guess so.”

“Hehehe.”

I laughed with a goofy smile.

Eun-hee unnie looked at us warmly and asked.

“Really? Then, how about I buy you guys some drinks? What would you like?”

“Wow!”

“Awesome!”

The kids cheered and eagerly listed their favorite drinks.

Min-hee wanted cola, Hyun-ho wanted cider, In-ha asked for Pocari, Han-soo requested grape-flavored drink if possible.

As for me, I requested barley tea or corn tea.

“Okay, okay. Got it. Ji-hyun, let’s go.”

Eun-hee unnie called to Ji-hyun oppa.

Ji-hyun oppa looked at her in surprise.

“Huh? Why?”

“Why do you think? How can I carry everything by myself? I didn’t even bring a bag.”

“Oh, seriously, are you saving that magic for soup or something?”

Ji-hyun oppa said that, yet he looked pleased.

He stood beside Eun-hee unnie naturally and walked with her.

“Oppa! Come back soon!”

“Alright.”

I quietly watched the two of them walk away and then turned back toward the gym with a calm expression.

That wasn’t an offer to buy drinks for us.

It was just an excuse to have a private conversation with Ji-hyun oppa.

There was something they needed to talk about.

Probably… about their relationship issues.

‘Did she say she’d confess after reaching B-Rank? Has she already confessed? Or is she planning to after her rank is officially registered?’

Amid the kids’ excitement, I remained still and silent.

Just kept my mouth closed, looking down.

☆

Lee Eun-hee silently tapped her card against the vending machine and began selecting drinks.

Cider, cola, Pocari, grape juice, corn tea…

Each time she pressed a button, the vending machine clunked.

After a moment, Lee Eun-hee, who had been staring at the machine, turned to Joo Ji-hyun and asked.

“What do you want to drink?”

“…Then, coffee.”

Beep, clunk.

At the sound of his voice, she pressed the button.

Lee Eun-hee listened to the clunk of the falling drink and then put her card back into her wallet.

“…….”

A brief silence passed.

Joo Ji-hyun bent down and pulled all the drinks out of the vending machine.

Lee Eun-hee reached out to him.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? We should carry them together.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“It’s fine. Carry them with me.”

The two walked quietly, sharing the drinks.

Just as Joo Ji-hyun opened his mouth to say something to the figure of Lee Eun-hee walking ahead, she spoke first, as if it were nothing.

“I have someone I like.”

As soon as he heard that, Joo Ji-hyun thought, ‘Ah, the moment I was expecting has come.’

It was something he had sensed for quite some time.

But even so, he felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

“Did you already know?”

“…Yes.”

“So, you knew and still didn’t give up?”

“Yes…”

Lee Eun-hee looked at Joo Ji-hyun and frowned slightly.

Her expression seemed to be holding back her emotions calmly.

“I have so much to thank you for. And I have so much to apologize for.”

“…….”

“When you confessed to me the first time, I thought you were joking.”

Blinking, Lee Eun-hee remembered the day he first confessed to her.

It was the last night of the middle school third-year festival.

When the younger student who usually only bickered with her confessed his feelings like a man, she thought he was joking and laughed, until she noticed he was looking at her with those darkened eyes.

And she remembered exactly how she felt.

At that time, she didn’t have anyone she liked.

She was so flustered by his first confession that she rejected him.

The second time…?

Knowing that his feelings were serious, she thought about accepting it.

Besides, she thought that her junior, who was speaking of love with such sincerity, looked so cool that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

But in the end, she refused.

Because his feelings were too genuine.

It was obvious who would be hurt if only one side was sincere.

Even if they bickered and said harsh things, Joo Ji-hyun was ultimately a precious junior and younger brother to her.

And a little while after that, someone Lee Eun-hee liked appeared.

“Now I know that you truly confessed to me. I understand it well. But I… now have someone I like.”

Joo Ji-hyun struggled to steady his uneven breaths.

“Senior….”

“So please, give up on me. I’m sorry.”

Lee Eun-hee spoke firmly, almost coldly.

But Joo Ji-hyun noticed that her gaze and fingers were trembling slightly.

“I don’t even know if that person likes me. Maybe he only sees me as a friend, or maybe he likes someone else entirely. He’s so hard to read… I’ve thought about it a lot. And he’s an incredibly amazing guy…”

‘I know.’

Joo Ji-hyun clenched his fists as he listened.

He knew.

He knew exactly who her eyes were fixed on, and what kind of person he was.

‘I… know.’

He also knew that person considered Lee Eun-hee incredibly precious.

How that gaze held her with emotions anyone could notice whenever he looked at her.

“And… I… I also have other things I want to do. So, that’s why… I decided to confess once I reached B-Rank. Now I truly understand how you must have felt. So… so…”

Lee Eun-hee looked back at Joo Ji-hyun and smiled bitterly.

“I won’t give up, either. I’m sorry.”

With those final words, Lee Eun-hee walked forward.

She forced herself not to look back and kept walking.

Joo Ji-hyun stood still, lowering his head.

His lips moved slightly.

‘Ah, it’s really over.’

If he could have given up, he would have done so long ago.

From the moment he noticed the feelings between those two, he had known how it would end.

But even so, the heart doesn’t follow reason, and in the end, he couldn’t stop this feeling from bringing him this far.

“I… I can’t give up.”

Even if his mind accepted it, feelings don’t disappear so easily.

He would probably carry this pain with him for a while.

Maybe for a very long time…

“…….”

Small tears formed in his darkened eyes.

He slowly walked along the path Lee Eun-hee had taken.

☆

Eun-hee unnie only handed us the drinks and then left.

I instinctively sensed that something had just happened between the two of them.

Although both Ji-hyun oppa and Eun-hee unnie acted as if nothing was wrong, since I had already expected something to happen, I could pick up on the subtle tension between them.

And the two of them never made eye contact until the very end.

Eun-hee unnie never once looked back at Ji-hyun oppa as she walked away, and Ji-hyun oppa quietly watched her retreating figure with those dark eyes until she was completely out of sight.

I didn’t say anything to him.

I simply watched the match with the others, chatting as if I knew nothing at all.

But I was relieved to see that he smiled normally when he was with Min-hee.

After watching the entire friendly match, we returned home.

Two months passed in an instant after that.

Winter break ended, and before spring arrived, the official results of the rank exams were released.

From what I heard, Mom, Auntie Suna, Uncle Jungmin, and Teacher Joon-hwi didn’t rank up, while most of the seniors advanced at least one level.

Besides Eun-hee unnie, who officially reached B-Rank, Chunho oppa advanced two levels from CC+ to CCC, and the other seniors also moved up one or two levels each.

Among them, Ji-hyun Senior… rose two levels from B+ to BB-Rank…

“No way! Do you have any idea how hard it is to advance once you reach B-Rank?!”

Eun-hee unnie was so shocked that she even came to me to vent about it.

I just laughed at her words.

Later, after a bit more time had passed, I heard from Eun-hee unnie, who wore her school-issued guard uniform with a proud expression, that she had someone she was dating.

And her partner, of course, was Seonghu oppa.