* Please note that this article is a fabrication based on a creative work. *
"Kim Min-gyu."
"Wow, are you the lady of the house?"
It looks a little different, I guess.
Seeing Kim Min-gyu react so flustered.
"I did what you said. How was it?"
" .. pretty.
"Haha, let's go quickly!"
I took Kim Min-gyu's arm and walked ahead. What was this trembling feeling I had on the way to school? I was also looking forward to Su-ah's reaction.
As I neared school, everyone stared at me. Some even whispered, "I seem like a new student," that I might be a transfer student. But when they saw me walking with Kim Min-gyu, they seemed to realize I was Lim Yeo-ju, and their expressions turned astonished.
"Oh my, isn't that Lim Yeo-ju?"
"Crazy... You look so pretty when you do that."
"But how can you suddenly change like that? You completely changed your character."
"I heard yesterday that she's dating Seungcheol."
"Ah~ That arm comrade from yesterday! That's right-."
"You don't think she changed like that because she started dating your senior, right?"
I ignored what anyone said and headed to class with my hands in my hoodie pockets. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but I tried to ignore them, not even flashing that familiar smile.
"Im Yeo-ju! Are you crazy?"
" why. "
"This guy is really..."
As I entered the classroom, Sua ran toward me. Before I could even get all the way in, she dragged me to a corner of the hallway. She cornered me, grabbed my cheeks, and stared intently at me.
"What are you doing..?"
" .. It's pretty, but it's so pretty. What is this? Even the makeup has changed."
"Suah. I've changed now."
" ... ... "
"This older sister is going to be a tough character."
"...you're being a jerk. No matter how scary your expressionless face is, you're just my friend to me?! "
"Of course we're friends, but we're different."
Sua sighed at my words, and I quickly walked ahead, telling her to head to her class. I'd always wanted to live like this, and it didn't seem so bad, and I felt secretly good about it.
As I entered the classroom, all the kids stared at me. I tried to ignore them and sat down. I took off my bag, hung it on the chair, and looked around, stroking my hair. Everyone quickly averted their eyes, and I sighed and took out my phone.
At that moment, the front door opened noisily and Seungcheol and his friends came towards me.
"Hey, you're different today. I like it."
"It's not like I changed because I like you, senior."
"..Your personality has changed too."
"Hi, I'm Yoon Jeong-han. My friend Choi Seung-cheol."
"I'm Hong Ji-soo."
" ... ... "
Senior Seungcheol sat down next to me, and the other seniors sat across the desks, greeting me. I'd seen their faces yesterday, so they felt familiar, but I didn't have much to say, so I just answered. Their expressions didn't look particularly pleasant.
"Shouldn't there be a way out when you come?"
"You all know who I am anyway."
"Haha, I like it. Choi Seung-cheol's girlfriend."
"You two have fun together."
"See you later, Choi Seung-cheol's girlfriend."
I frowned slightly at their words, and the seniors left, leaving only Seungcheol at my side. The friends around us stared at us with surprised expressions, and Sua kept calling me on my phone.
"What did you do over the weekend? I tried to hang out with you, but you didn't respond to my KakaoTalk messages."
"Oh, I have something to do."
"Really? You must be busy."
"...Senior, let's talk after work is done today."
"Talk? Yeah."
Honestly, I wasn't entirely without the urge to confront my senior, so I decided to talk to him privately after school today. He readily agreed, but he patted my head and left the class, saying he was leaving now. It felt strangely different to have him pat my head every time I left, and today, I patted him on the head and left a few words.
"You look pretty with a haircut. Short hair is my style too."
The class didn't really register, and it was the first time I'd ever worn makeup to school, so I felt quite frustrated. Still, I liked how I looked a little prettier, and I waited for break time, thinking I'd just look in the mirror.
At that moment, my phone alarm rang and I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Seungcheol sending me a KakaoTalk message.
If others were to see the KakaoTalk messages we'd been sharing since the weekend, I'd wonder if they could really be considered a conversation between a couple. It seemed like one person was pushing forward and the other was backing down, but it was clear they were a couple.
I deliberately ignored the last KakaoTalk message from Seungcheol, turned off the phone, and looked up again. Looking at the clock, I saw that break time wasn't far away, and my eyes slowly closed.
"Im Yeo-ju~ Do you want to go to the store?"
"What should we eat for lunch next time?"
"Okay.. Then let's go next time."
It was break time, and while I was brushing my hair and looking in the mirror, Sua grabbed my purse and suggested we go to the store. I was hungry, but since lunch was just another hour away, I decided to hold out. Sua pouted and sat down at her seat.
My gaze, staring at myself instead of the reflection in the mirror, still hasn't changed.
Lunchtime arrived, and in an instant, the kids in my class rushed to the cafeteria. Since I'm usually lazy and sweaty, I preferred to walk slowly to the cafeteria with Sua.
Today, as usual, I was walking to the cafeteria while talking with Sua, when someone put their arm around my shoulder and walked with me.
"I told you to eat together, so you're going first."
" .. Even if I go first, you will find it on your own."
"Of course-. Let's go quickly, I'm hungry."
"Hey, heroine. What do you like about Choi Seung-cheol that makes you want to date him?"
"I don't like it."
"But why are you buying it?"
"Because I like the female lead."
"Wow - there are cases where you only like one person but end up dating them."
As we all sat together eating, the seniors chatted a lot. They asked me questions and occasionally even spoke to Su-a. Su-a seemed to be relaxing and at ease, and I was secretly relieved.
"But why doesn't the female lead like Choi Seung-cheol? He's popular."
"Not really."
"Then what about me?"
"This bird,"
" great. "
"The taste..."
Among them, Jeonghan, the most talkative, asked me all sorts of questions, and when I asked him how he was doing, he simply replied, "Yes." I spoke up and then hesitated for a moment, but honestly, I was better than Seungcheol, so I said nothing. Seungcheol, who was next to me, trailed off, and Jeonghan was the only one among us who smiled.
"I'll get up first. Let's go."
" huh. "
The taciturn atmosphere was stifling, so I quickly ate my meal and left the cafeteria with Su-ah. I could feel the eyes on me from everyone around me, but I tried to ignore them. I stopped by the store Su-ah had told me she wanted to go to, bought a few things, and then returned to my class.
"Is it true that you like senior Jeonghan?"
"Huh? You just said something?"
"Ah, me too.. Seungcheol's expression back then was really scary. I thought he was going to hit me?! "
I burst out laughing at Sua, who was expressing with her whole body how scared she was. Her hands were dirty from all the snacks and other things she'd been eating, so she headed to the bathroom to wash them. Just as I was about to wash my hands and leave the bathroom, someone blocked my path. When I looked ahead, I saw three girls staring at me, clearly glaring at me.
"You? The girl who's dating Choi Seung-cheol."
" however? "
"But? Hey, I'm a second year student."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Okay, follow me."
Since they were the same height as me, I assumed they were the same age. The three of them stared at me for a long time before telling me to follow them and taking the lead. I blinked briefly before following them up the stairs.