Caramel Popcorn

51

Caramel popcorn [Caramel popcorn]

51.

...

Peaceful.

For hours after arriving at school, no one stopped me, and even when I passed through the hallways, no one was openly whispering about me.

It was almost hard to believe that as recently as yesterday, the whole school had been ready to chew me up and swallow me whole.

Of course, there were a few who awkwardly looked away the moment our eyes met, or wore apologetic expressions...

It wasn’t like I particularly wanted to be apologized to one by one.

I just wanted this to end here.

At least, I...

여주 담임 선생님

"Ah, right."

The homeroom teacher, about to end class, closed the attendance book.

여주 담임 선생님

"Yeoju."

오여주 image

오여주

"Yes?"

여주 담임 선생님

"And Yeongseo too."

이영서 image

이영서

"...Yes."

From a little distance away, I heard Yeongseo’s voice.

Without realizing it, I turned my head that way.

여주 담임 선생님

"You both go eat lunch and then head to the club room. They said there’s a meeting because of the festival."

Me from the photo/video club and Yeongseo from the broadcasting/drama club, at the same time?

Glance-

Just as I was wondering, my eyes met Yeongseo’s.

오여주 image

오여주

"..."

For the first time since yesterday.

Yeongseo was properly looking at me.

But only for a moment...

Yeongseo looked away first as if nothing had happened.

'Well... I guess I’ll see when I get there.'

I lowered my gaze to my desk too.

...

After lunch, I headed to the club room.

I deliberately left class a little late to avoid the awkward situation of walking alone with Yeongseo, but...

I saw a familiar back ahead of me by the stairs.

It was Yeongseo.

Just as I was wondering whether I should slow down...

Yeongseo turned around first.

이영서 image

이영서

"...Yeoju."

My feet stopped where they were.

I bit my lip hard at the inexplicable tension, then slowly opened my mouth.

오여주 image

오여주

"Yeah."

Yeongseo looked at me and moved their lips.

Like someone who had something to say.

이영서 image

이영서

"...Never mind."

Then Yeongseo went down the stairs first.

'What was that... calling me over and then'

Even as I followed behind, Yeongseo’s expression from just now kept coming back to me.

It didn’t look like they were angry, and it didn’t look like they hated me either.

If anything...

It looked like they were a little hurt.

'Could they have been trying to apologize?'

Wait...

For just a moment, I had that thought.

'Don’t get ahead of yourself again.'

I’d decided not to jump to conclusions about anything I wasn’t sure of...

...

Rattle-

When I opened the club room door, more people were gathered than I’d expected.

김지우 image

김지우

"Yeoju! Here!"

Jiu shot a hand up high.

As I headed toward Jiu, Yewon, and Dongmin, I looked across the room and stopped walking.

Yeonjun, Jaehyeon, Seoyun, and even Yeongseo, who had arrived a little earlier.

The broadcasting/drama club kids were gathered on one side.

오여주 image

오여주

"What is this??"

As I sat down and quietly asked Yewon, Yewon slid the paper in front of her toward me.

[School Festival Promotional Video Production]

The photo/video team: filming and editing.

The broadcasting/drama team: script, directing, and acting.

It said the two clubs would work together to produce a festival promo video.

Just as I was starting to make sense of the situation, a voice came from the side.

동아리 담당 선생님

"All right, you’ve all read it, right?"

The teacher in charge stepped up in front of the blackboard.

동아리 담당 선생님

"Even if each of you has a separate role, the final result is one, so you all have to keep coordinating. When you’re writing the script, you also need to check whether it can actually be filmed, and once filming starts, the directing team has to move along with it too."

Joint.

In other words, it meant we’d have to keep facing each other until the festival was over.

Without realizing it, I looked toward the broadcasting/drama team.

Yeonjun was reading the proposal with a serious expression, and Jaehyeon was explaining something to a junior while pointing at the paper.

And next to them.

I met Yeongseo’s eyes again.

This time, Yeongseo didn’t look away.

After looking at me for a moment, Yeongseo slowly lowered their gaze.

'...Let’s not think about it.'

Nothing had happened yet.

동아리 담당 선생님

"Let’s start by settling the overall frame today. If anything comes to mind, feel free to say it."

Ideas started pouring out one after another, from suggesting we introduce the school building, to showing the booth preparation process, to adding scenes from rehearsal.

I also scribbled scenes that came to mind on the paper.

The front gate.

The playground.

A classroom preparing for the festival.

But if we just stitched these ideas together...

'Wouldn’t it be no different from a school introduction video?'

I tapped the paper with the tip of my pen.

Rather, if someone just walked around the school and naturally showed things...

최연준 image

최연준

"What about following one person?"

Jolt-

As if expressing my own thoughts, Yeonjun was the one saying it.

최연준 image

최연준

"Like having one student walk around the school and meet the people preparing for the festival."

오여주 image

오여주

"Yeah, right. I think the same way too"

Before I knew it, I was the first to speak.

Yeonjun looked over at me.

최연준 image

최연준

"Really?"

When I lightly held up the paper I’d been scribbling on, Yeonjun checked it and let out a small laugh.

It was no big conversation.

But all at once, the words I’d heard on the rooftop earlier came back to me.

'Then can I be with you now?'

Feeling oddly conscious of it, I lowered my gaze back to the paper.

Then.

Rattle-

The sound of a chair scraping back rang out loudly.

Yeongseo was getting up from their seat.

이영서 image

이영서

"Teacher, I’m going to the restroom for a bit."

동아리 담당 선생님

"Okay, Yeongseo."

Not long after Yeongseo left the club room, Seoyun also followed behind.

I stared quietly at the closed door.

Yeongseo’s face from the stairs just now.

And even the way they’d been sitting there without saying a word until now.

Suddenly, a strange thought occurred to me.

'Could it be...'

Were they really about to say something to me?

자까 image

자까

I like this story so much that I want to write it fast and show you guys the story ㅠㅠ I’ve rewritten almost 80 chapters while doing a full revision, haha. Please take care of me too

"Please take care of me"

"Please take care of me"

"Long time no see. Please take care of me"

"Don’t forget me!"

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