"Hey, you two are dating?"
At lunchtime, at a friend's sudden remark, the heroine stopped eating.
"What are you talking about?"
"No, haha, you're always glued together."
Wonhak, who was sitting across from them, also looked up.
"Ugh~ Do we look like we're dating?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Just because."
Wonhak laughed it off casually.
The friend beside them looked back and forth between the two, then said,
"But really, isn't one of you into the other?"
"Nope."
The heroine and Wonhak answered at the same time.
A brief silence fell.
Then the friend said teasingly,
"The one who likes first loses~"
Wonhak let out a snort of laughter.
"Then wanna make it a bet?"
"About what?"
"Who'll admit they like the other first."
The heroine stared at Wonhak in disbelief.
"Why would I like you."
"Exactly. I don't like you either."
"Then it's settled."
"ㅇㅇ."
The two linked their pinkies as if it were nothing.
The one who admitted it first that they liked the other would lose.
They thought it was just a harmless little game.
At least, until that day.
After school.
As the heroine was packing up her bag, Wonhak leaned beside her desk.
"Hey."
"What."
"Wanna walk home together?"
"No thanks."
"Why?"
"You're too noisy."
"What did I do?"
"You were noisy just now too."
Wonhak laughed in disbelief.
"Then go by yourself."
"Okay."
As the heroine left the classroom first, Wonhak came right after her.
"Hey, I said let's go together."
"Didn't you say you didn't want to?"
"When did I say that?"
"You just said to go alone."
"That was because you said you didn't like it."
"……"
The heroine stopped walking.
Wonhak smiled faintly beside her.
"Why? You don't like me following you?"
"No."
"Then it's settled."
Wonhak casually walked up beside the heroine.
The heroine turned her head away, feeling her heart beating a little faster for no reason.
And thought to herself,
This bet might be harder than I thought.