Since the time spent meeting the student council president was shorter than I expected, I couldn’t use the excuse of being too busy after school to avoid exercising.
Actually, I thought about making an excuse, but by the time the idea crossed my mind, Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah had already grabbed my arms and were dragging me toward the gym.
…I should definitely avoid messing around and trying to fight with the ball today.
With that resolve in mind, I was dragged into the gym.
Shin So-hee was kicking a soccer ball into the air with her foot.
“Huh?”
Before the ball hit the ground, she kicked it up again, and as the ball soared higher, she used her forehead to bounce it back up.
As the ball fell behind her, she tried to kick it with her heel, but the ball must not have hit her foot properly because it rolled behind her.
“Ah, darn, I haven’t done this in a while, so it’s not going well.”
“Whoa, you’re pretty good!”
The soccer club captain, who had been watching closely, said.
“Do you play in the school soccer club or something?”
“Why would I? I’m too busy going home after school.”
Shin So-hee furrowed her brows slightly and answered.
The captain, seeing that, said,
“Really? That’s too bad.”
But the captain didn’t push further.
After all, even though he liked soccer, he wasn’t someone who planned to make it his profession.
Come to think of it, he doesn’t seem like an external recruit either.
That means he probably doesn’t know much about things outside of Hwayoung High School.
Even if Shin So-hee really wanted to play soccer but couldn’t because her family couldn’t support it, or if she needed to find a job soon due to financial difficulties, he wouldn’t fully understand.
No, rather than not understanding, he probably couldn’t even imagine such thoughts.
He’s lived his whole life in a wealthy household.
Of course, Shin So-hee wasn’t the kind of character who desperately wanted to play soccer or had a dream that was crushed.
She wasn’t the type to have a specific goal in mind.
She was just someone who pursued what she liked right in front of her.
That refreshing personality was what made her the character who would blow away Yoo Ha-neul’s worries in the original story…
Wait, but…
“So-hee?”
When I called her name, Shin So-hee, who had been talking with the captain, quickly turned her head toward me.
Her usually disinterested expression instantly brightened.
Realizing her change in expression, she quickly coughed and adjusted her face back to her usual indifferent look.
Truly a perfect tsundere character like Gold Sunshine.
“How did you get in here?”
As I approached Shin So-hee and asked, she shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“I jumped over the wall.”
The atmosphere froze instantly at those words.
“What…?”
When I asked in a dumbfounded voice, Shin So-hee scratched the side of her head with her index finger and said,
“Well, I tried to come in through the main gate, but the staff stopped me.”
Well, of course, they would stop someone from another school trying to enter without permission.
Especially at this school, where only the children of the wealthiest families attend.
“…So when they blocked me, I just climbed over the wall.”
“And?”
“…”
I felt like I should say something in response, but since she declared it so confidently, I didn’t know what to say.
“Where exactly?”
“The place you guys always jump over.”
“…”
The area fell silent again.
Oh, right.
I do jump over the wall every day.
“No one said anything while you were coming in?”
“I didn’t meet any school staff, and the students all avoided me when I mentioned your name.”
Actually, even the school staff might have avoided her if they heard my name.
The reason the students didn’t suspect Shin So-hee… was probably because she acted so confidently that they might have thought she had permission to be here.
“No, wait.”
The captain, who had been listening nearby, interjected.
“So, you’re saying you trespassed into this school?”
“Well, if you call it trespassing, then I guess it is.”
Shin So-hee answered indifferently.
No, even if you don’t call it trespassing, it’s definitely trespassing.
“To be fair, our school doesn’t block outsiders from coming in. Even early in the morning, old men from the local soccer club come and play here. It’s a bit strict to block off the front gate and not let anyone in. It’s not like we’re an elementary school.”
Well, of course, there are schools like that.
Now that I think about it, even at the high school I attended, local men used to borrow the field for soccer on the weekends.
But that was because the school allowed it!
“So, do you not want me here? Should I leave?”
“Huh? No, that’s not…”
If I told her to leave now, I’d just be the bad guy.
“You two know each other?”
Since yesterday, the captain seemed to have let go of something, and he asked while glancing between me and Shin So-hee.
His tone was as if I were a member of the soccer club.
“We are—”
“We spent the night together.”
Before I could respond, Shin So-hee quickly answered and wrapped her arm around my neck.
Then she pulled me close, pressing my face against her side.
Soft, warm, and a little damp.
It smelled sweet, like a fruity scent.
Whether it was fabric softener or her personal fragrance, it was familiar somehow.
I had smelled it somewhere before, though I couldn’t recall exactly where.
“Huh? Right? Right?”
And with her other hand, she ruffled my hair.
Maybe because she had been playing with the ball earlier, her body felt unusually warm.
“Ugh, wait, let me speak.”
I tried to wriggle free, but it seemed like Shin So-hee was much stronger and more athletic than Ye Sara.
When I tried to push her away with my hands, she firmly hugged my head with both arms.
…Fine.
Do as you please.
Just do whatever you want.
I completely gave up on escaping her grip and let my arms hang limply, and only then did Shin So-hee let me go.
“Phew.”
Finally free, I took a deep breath and looked around.
Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah were glaring at Shin So-hee, their faces red.
Shin So-hee’s face was also flushed, but her expression was full of satisfaction.
“…”
The captain stood there with his mouth agape, staring at us blankly.
The soccer club members, who had been watching from afar, also had their faces bright red.
“…Impressive.”
Nam Da-un, who had been quietly watching us, spoke in admiration.
“Hey, newbie.”
The captain tapped me on the shoulder with his finger.
“Yes?”
The captain leaned in slightly and whispered in a low voice.
“You four… are you in that kind of relationship?”
“Uh…”
I glanced at Shin So-hee and Ha-neul, who were now bickering, with Lee Soo-ah awkwardly stuck between them, not knowing what to do.
After a moment of thought, I answered.
“I guess so?”
Since they were openly acting like that, it should be fine to answer like this, right?
“You’ve got some skills, newbie!”
The captain suddenly slapped my back, making me lurch forward.
“So, um, can you teach me how to be popular?”
Nam Da-un, watching from behind, gave the captain a slightly pitying look.
Uh…
How to be popular, huh.
I really have no idea.
I stared at Shin So-hee and Ha-neul, who were still glaring at each other.
Yeah, I truly don’t know.
I only said a few words here and there.
Other than that, I’ve mostly just been caught up in their antics.
Could it be…?
Do you just have to reincarnate as a villainess?
…Nah, no way.
*
Yang Hye-in had been feeling a deep sense of unease lately.
Why had the young lady suddenly developed such a bright personality?
How had she made friends like that?
How had she learned to reject and fight against those who oppressed her?
…Of course, none of these changes were bad.
They weren’t bad, but they were strange.
For the three years that Yang Hye-in had been by Ye Sara’s side, there had never been an event that seemed like a turning point.
Ye Sara had always just lived quietly.
If there was any incident worth mentioning, it was when she had suddenly been taken to the hospital.
That day, when she saw what seemed to be self-inflicted wounds.
But even that didn’t seem significant enough to be called a turning point.
There had never been anything like that before.
Whether it was self-harm or being rushed to the hospital, there must have been a reason for that ‘incident’ to happen.
“…”
So, Yang Hye-in had come to a conclusion.
It was good that the young lady had become more lively.
It was good that she had made friends and started to smile.
It was certainly a good thing that she had begun speaking to her.
It might even be a good thing—assuming they didn’t cross any lines—that those friends seemed to like the young lady in a different way… although she needed to investigate further.
But she had to understand why the young lady had started thinking that way.
Why had she come to be interested in the chairman?
If she couldn’t figure that out, she wouldn’t be able to fully support the young lady.
…Up until now, Yang Hye-in had remained among the oppressors, just like the other servants.
It hadn’t even been a month since she had changed her heart.
But because of the incidents that had occurred during that time, it was clear that Yang Hye-in wouldn’t be able to stay by Ye Sara’s side much longer.
In Yang Hye-in’s place, a well-trained professional maid without emotions would soon take over.
And that maid would likely be loyal to the chairwoman’s side, just as Yang Hye-in had been for the past three years.
She had thought she had at least a month left, but with the chairwoman’s recent decision, even that became uncertain.
She likely wouldn’t survive this week without being dismissed.
“…”
Yang Hye-in placed her fingerprint on the door lock next to Ye Sara’s room.
Beep beep beep beep.
The sound of the door’s automatic number pad entered by itself echoed.
The lock disengaged, and she opened the door and entered the young lady’s room.
Yang Hye-in was the only one authorized to tidy up Ye Sara’s room.
Of course, even Yang Hye-in was only allowed to clean and organize.
She had no right to rummage through the young lady’s belongings.
But this time, she intended to overstep that authority.
She wasn’t going to make excuses like it was for the young lady’s sake.
While she did want to help, her personal curiosity about the reason was what truly drove her actions.
However—
Yang Hye-in closed the door.
The sound of the lock turning back into place echoed.
She turned and quietly looked around the spacious room.
If the young lady were to hide something personal, there was only one place it could be.
The wardrobe was opened every time the season changed, and the laundry was always put away by Yang Hye-in.
The cabinets in the bathroom and shower were also her responsibility.
Naturally, the only place the young lady would use strictly for personal reasons would be her desk drawer.
Without hesitation, Yang Hye-in moved directly to the desk.
She knelt down in front of it.
She opened the first drawer.
There was a pencil case and a few pens and pencils rolling around.
She opened the second drawer.
There were some cheap accessories, the kind you’d buy on a whim, lying inside.
“…”
Then she opened the last drawer.
Inside, there was a thick notebook, a torn envelope, and a bottle of pills.
“…”
Yang Hye-in stared at the items for a moment before slowly reaching out to take them out.