n

n

n.

nShe then grabbed my sleeve and spoke further in a heavy voice.

n“You didn’t respond to it, so I thought you don’t like me at all… but why are you saying these to me now?”

n“Huh?”

n“That’s unfair.”

nWith that said, she murmured with her head down, “It’s too unfair.”

nRolling my eyes in hesitation, I lowered my head toward her. That was when she lifted her head and put it close to mine.

nAs I happened to stare right in front of Yi Ruda’s face like a flash, I soon held my breath. She then blinked swiftly and tried to say something, at last, with a determined look.

nAt that very moment, a loud ringtone penetrated between us.

n“AHHH!”

nStrangely, Yi Ruda got more surprised than me.

nLike a vampire who heard a hymn, she was frightened into fits and quickly got off from me. Yi Ruda then grabbed her pounding chest.

nWatching her reactions, I quietly opened my flip phone.

n“Hello?”

nWhere you at?

nOh, it was Eun Jiho.

nI had wondered why he was not calling me. Scratching the back of my head, I replied, ‘Um, I’m here in…’

n“The hallway…”

nJesus, are you lost again?

nHe asked it so naturally that I just frowned.

n‘No, I am not…’ however, unlike my thought, I glanced around and answered back, “Yeah… haha, again, I have no idea where this place is.”

nLaughing delightedly, I waited for his answer.

nSee? I knew it. Do you see the room numbers on the plate? Where are you now?

n“Um, hold on.”

nGlancing around, I soon put my phone down when Yi Ruda beckoned at me.

nShe then whispered, “I’ll take you back to your room.”

n“Oh, okay.”

nI continued with a nod, “Oh, it’s fine. I know where I am. I’ll be there by myself.”

nHuh?

nEun Jiho replied while revealing a sign of suspicion through his voice. A moment after, he finished his response.

nWell, I can hardly trust that but okay. If you’re lost again, don’t wander. Just call me or ask other people.

n“Yes, sir. See you soon.”

nAfter the reply, I hung up the phone and pouted my lips for a second.

n‘I can hardly trust that??’ repeating to myself what he just said, I murmured, ‘Well, I think so too.’

nWhen I turned my head to the front and flaunted a grin, Yi Ruda smiled after. Gesturing at me to follow her, she then turned around and moved her steps along the hallway.

n* * *

n“Eh? You came here because of me?”

nYi Ruda nodded briskly at my question. She then pushed my forehead with a slightly naughty face.

n“Yes, young lady. What the hell have you been doing to get a weirdo around you?” she asked.

nYi Ruda then talked further about finding me at the library and the beverage can that I refused to take.

nWhen I asked her if she had mistaken someone, Yi Ruda showed an enigmatic look on her face then replied, “Do you think I can get confused about Eun Jiho and Yoo Chun Young?”

n“Oh…”

n“And their reactions were such a spectacle.”

nAfter her remark, I came up with how the two boys reacted simultaneously to the guy who handed me the can of beverage.

n‘What a bad timing…’ I thought. Both declared, at the same time, that they were my boyfriend. If others saw that scene, they would think of me as a heroine of a daytime soap opera.

nI pulled off a sentimental look while staring into space. Yi Ruda then murmured, “I was there too.”

n“Yeah, you said that earlier,” I replied.

nYi Ruda then shook her head with a frown as if it was wrong. She lifted her head out of the blue and continued to speak.

n“Uh, anyway, it made me think that something strange was happening around you. That’s why I’ve dressed up like this to come here and check if you’re okay.”

n“What? Then you aren’t here to meet someone else, but…”

n“Whom will I meet with this outfit? In fact, I was gonna stay unnoticed to you, at first.”

nYi Ruda then suddenly turned gloomy and shook her head.

nShe murmured, “Oh, damn it! I totally screwed up.”

n“Oh, um… sorry…”

nWas this the timing to say that I was sorry to notice her? With a vague smile, I patted her slender back.

nNow that I came to think of it, I felt a little better somehow. Looking at her side face, I smiled brightly.

n‘At that moment, if I replied to Yoo Gun that I would end my friendship with Yi Ruda, I would have been very sorry for her. She’s such a fabulous friend who cares me so much like this…’

nHonestly, I thought Yi Ruda had come here for some critical event or episode taking place in this novel.

nWhile I showed a look of satisfaction at her, Yi Ruda, who suddenly glanced at my face, mumbled as if she felt dumbfounded.

n“Donnie, don’t just laugh but stay alert, or else why would I be here?” said Yi Ruda. With a grimace, she added, “This place is like Yi Jenny’s front yard.”

nMy eyes opened wide.

n‘Does Yi Jenny have some suspicious connection with Hanwool Group?’ When I tried to ask her about that, Yi Ruda opened her mouth first, so I just closed mine.

nThrowing her glance here and there in hesitation, she uttered, “Oh, um… Today, did you see Choi…”

n“Huh?”

nThat was when I raised my head and asked her back.

nYi Ruda paused her words then suddenly stood still. Pulling my arm, she made me stand closely against the wall and put her back on the wall too. While my eyes opened wider, Yi Ruda glanced across the corner.

nIn front of our destination, room 109, two familiar people were having a conversation. One was Eun Jiho, and the other was Yoo Gun, who bid farewell to us just now. For a moment, I was bewildered to see the unanticipated combination. Well, their families might have known each other since long ago, so it wouldn’t be a strange thing for Eun Jiho to exchange conversations with Yoo Chun Young’s brother, who returned to Korea after a long time.

nStaring at Yoo Gun, I thought, ‘He’s seemingly a quiet and decent man though…’ However, when I recalled Yoo Gun driving Yi Ruda mercilessly into a corner, I slightly trembled. Now that I realized the unrevealed strengths were more frightful than the obvious intensiveness, Yoo Gun turned out to be a stupendously horrifying character.

nWell, thankfully, Eun Jiho and Yoo Gun seemed to share a quite reposeful conversation.

n“… Although kids in elementary school usually change so rapidly, I’m very surprised upon my return after a long time. Everyone changed a lot than my expectations.”

nYoo Gun then slowly scanned Eun Jiho up and down. That was when Yoo Gun spoke, still, in a relaxed tone.

n“So are you. You also have changed a lot.”

nI saw Eun Jiho pulling his chin as if he felt nervous. His stiffly raised back neck and his inflexible posture came into view at last.

nOh my god… Now I was in awe than feeling scared about Yoo Gun. Not only Yi Ruda but even that Eun Jiho was afraid of Yoo Gun…

nSmiling aimlessly, Yoo Gun tapped Eun Jiho’s shoulder and continued his remark, which astonished me.

n“You said you were coming after me, but I guess we became more apart while not seeing each other. Have you given up on everything now?”

nSlightly lowering his head, Eun Jiho was, unusually, just scowling at the floor with a straight face. From his overall look, I just read something that remained unseen until now.

nIt was a feeling of inferiority.

nHis pride, natural gift, and severe efforts hidden under his splendid achievements… Eun Jiho was born to have those marvelous virtues; however, the person whom that Eun Jiho was chasing after was, none other than, Yoo Gun.

nLike a strangled person, Eun Jiho stood still at a loss of words with a pale face for quite a while. Yoo Gun’s way of speaking was that forceful regardless of his soft and slow tone.

nAnd that was when Yoo Gun tapped Eun Jiho’s shoulder, saying, “Then see you around.” Eun Jiho opened his mouth.

n“… Um, Gun hyeong.”

n“Huh?”

nYoo Gun’s voice, that was responding to Eun Jiho, sounded gentle and low unlike his earlier tone upon berating someone harshly.

nBiting his lips, Eun Jiho answered back.

n“I have something lately that seems difficult to understand. Do you mind if I ask you about that?”

n