.

The cold air still prevailed in the damp hallway, but I didn’t sense any semblance of frostiness in the air at all. I just patted Ban Yeo Ryung’s head again. As if she had felt utterly released, at last, she buried her face onto my shoulders without tension.

I never saw Ban Yeo Ryung wailing like that. She didn’t even cry that harshly when she got involved in a fake rumor that caused a girl’s sunbae to yank her hair. It was, however, quite relieving to see her crying in sorrow for me. ‘She believes in me as a friend. Such a stupid rumor can’t turn her away from me, of course.’ Though I trusted her the whole time, that doubt still lingered within me.

Suddenly, I realized something new. After having a head-smashing shock, I opened my mouth slowly, which made Yeo Ryung call me in wonder.

“Donnie??

I shook my head quietly, but my cheeks would have turned pale now. I couldn’t look at her in the face but just dropped my gaze at the floor.

‘I see… whenever people gossiped about some false rumors concerning her, she might have feared that I would turn away from her…’

Even in those brief moments when we were walking back home from school, I grew anxious about the unbearable and disturbing imaginations popping in my head. I slowly closed my eyes. This was the first time I had gone through such a thing; however, Ban Yeo Ryung experienced this kind of situation numerously.

Perhaps she always feared that I would leave her side whenever such a rumor pops up and think, ‘What if Donnie had grown to detest me? What should I do if Donnie trusts the rumors and hates me afterward…’ She would always… always have such thoughts.

Feeling muzzy, I couldn’t do anything at all for a while but soon patted her head softly with a sigh.

“You were really… really not fine at all…”

‘You would have never felt fine,’ I muttered to myself as Ban Yeo Ryung stared at me in wonder.

She barely stopped weeping and, at last, turned back. We then bid farewell with smiles as I grabbed our doorknobs. Through the open door, Ban Yeo Ryung stuck her head out to watch me go inside my house, which looked cute and funny.

As I took my shoes off and stepped through the doorway, there was no indication of people being around. ‘Lights are all off, no one’s home yet,’ with that thought in mind, I was just about to go inside my room when my phone then vibrated.

It was a message from Ban Yeo Ryung. ‘Girl, you should have just said this to me earlier,’ I thought while opening my flip phone with a dumbfounded look. Then, at the next moment, when I checked her text, I grimaced.

Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

Donnie, if you were a girl and I was a boy, I would have definitely confessed my love to you

Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

Even if I were a girl and you were a boy, I would confess my love to you

‘What the hell is she talking about?” I thought while taking off my cardigan. As I took off my clothes, the phone vibrated again. It was yet another text from Ban Yeo Yeong. ‘What again, this time?’ I thought.

Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

If I were a human and you were a tree, I would grow you forever

“…”

Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

If I were an anteater and you were an ant!

I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I typed a response.

To: Ban Yeo Ryung

Stop

Of course, she wouldn’t stop at this moment. Instead, she replied severely.

Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

Donnie, be my friend forever

To: Ban Yeo Ryung

Aight

I wondered if I looked too brusque? Being concerned a little, I finally pressed the send button. ‘Well, she wouldn’t get me wrong though,’ while I tried to move on with that thought, her message arrived immediately. ‘What again?’ I opened my phone.

Sent by: Ban Yeo Ryung

Be my friend in our next lives

I was, at last, finally rendered speechless. As the phone then vibrated, I looked at the screen and realized that Eun Hyung was calling me. ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ When I opened my phone immediately, the first thing I got was him speaking in a perplexed voice over the phone.

“Oh, you answered quickly.”

“Yup!”

When I replied firmly, I realized that Eun Hyung stopped talking for a while. I thought, ‘What’s wrong?’ That was when I had a realization. ‘Oh, the kids in Class 1-1 would have probably gossiped in secrets about how I cried earlier… Besides, Eun Hyung had a wide circle of acquaintances, just like Jooin.’

With a hesitant tone, he finally flung a question.

“Donnie, I heard… that something happened. Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m totally fine.”

“Are you sure?”

His voice still sounded bitter. They saw Ban Yeo Ryung pretending to be fine for a long time, after all. Perhaps they were suspicious that I was just acting weird out of anger.

Well, some folks acted more cheerfully once their anger got the best of them. From what I knew, Eun Jiho belonged to that category. He would smirk and behave naughtily, which annoyed other people more. I was, however, truly fine.

“For real! I am so fine!” I responded.

“Really?”

“Uh-huh, because Yeo Ryung said she’ll grow me, feed me, and be my friend in our next lives. I feel such a huge weight on my shoulders now.”

“…”

As if he felt preposterous, Eun Hyung was at a loss of words for a while. A burst of his refreshing laughter then came over from the phone.

Since this was the first time I heard him laugh so freely, which he only did whenever he was with Yoo Chun Young, I just remained silent for a moment in perplexity. I then laughed out loud in the end. ‘Geez, Ban Yeo Ryung,’ while thinking about her, I couldn’t help myself from laughing. Eun Hyung then asked me while barely holding back his laughter.

“Donnie. Yoo Chun Young’s with me, and he says…”

“Huh?”

‘Are you with Chun Young right now?’ I thought for a second. Well, both boys were living in the same place but in different buildings. That’s just how absurdly big Yoo Chun Young’s house was.

With that thought in mind, I just waited for Eun Hyung to continue.

“Chun Young also wants to… Ahhh!”

“Eun Hyung?”

Holding the phone with my both hands politely, I carefully called his name, but I heard no answer. Suddenly, a fuss went on over the phone as if something fell. With a thud, I heard something collapsing, so I was wondering if I should contact the cops or something.

However, I just hung up while thinking, ‘Eh. He’s gonna be fine.’

Hmm… I dropped my gaze at my phone while scratching my head. Woo Jooin and Eun Jiho were still not texting, let alone allowing their presence to be felt. ‘Weird,’ I thought. As far as I knew, they would have reached me out already.

Eun Hyung didn’t seem to have trusted the rumor; therefore, I was reasonably sure that both of them would have sent their regards as well. Still, I didn’t feel anxious about how they weren’t contacting me until now. I was a bit nervous for a different reason.

Eun Jiho was very active, and Jooin was bright enough to bury someone if they so desired. Their silence concerned me and got me thinking, ‘Come on, they couldn’t do that. They’re just high school kids…’ I changed my clothes before shoving my face quietly onto my pillow.

* * *

“Did you clear your head?”

He still sounded awfully naïve. ‘Especially when it comes to thinking about what laid within his voice…’ Yi Ruda murmured. He, however, couldn’t pour out his thoughts right now. Regardless of the animosity that they bore among one another and their shared desire, they still needed to cooperate.

With that thought in mind, Yi Ruda furrowed his brows. His temple ached while thinking about Ham Donnie crying.

Yi Ruda didn’t like it when people sobbed. Instead of weeping in sorrow, it was better to find a realistic solution. ‘Then, am I being annoyed?’ No, it was a different feeling.

Yi Ruda wanted to see Ham Donnie walking alone while rubbing her eyes continuously. It did happen quite quickly. Perhaps he could snatch Ham Donnie from the Four Heavenly Kings and from Ban Yeo Ryung now.

Still, why? Why was his anger rising inside him despite getting this long-awaited situation?

‘I have no idea,’ Yi Ruda thought with a sigh. He dropped his gaze onto the ground. The overall situation was what he surely wanted; however, he didn’t want to live in a world where a person like Choi Yuri, who made Ham Donnie cry, breathe peacefully. That thought somehow came across his mind.