.

Then I changed my mind after looking at Ban Yeo Ryung’s smiling face. People were fastening their gazes in this direction not because Ban Yeo Ryung looked like she had just escaped from the hospital, but since she was just damn gorgeous.

Wearing the loose patient gown, her slender neck, wrist, and ankle particularly stood out. Her rolled-up pants, which she seemed to wear that way since it was slightly longer for her, even looked very stylish. And to join the sports match, she was wearing sneakers, not flip flops, on her feet.

Hmm… I briefly imagined about Ban Yeo Ryung participating in the competition. She would definitely sweep over the whole games even with that hospital gown, right? I could estimate how weird it would look just by picturing the scenes in my head.

Then I suddenly uttered, “Yeo Ryung.”

“Huh?”

The Ban siblings turned their heads to look at me simultaneously.

“The t-shirt for Class 1-1, that’s a unisex outfit, right?”

Sometimes, boys didn’t wear a class outfit but instead had some soccer wear arranged for their class uniform. Just when Ban Yeo Ryung tried to reply with her eyes wide open, someone called us from behind. I turned around.

“Mama!”

Jooin was running toward this side while swaying his patient gown sleeves. His bright blond hair also swung along with his moves.

Directing my eyes behind his back thoughtlessly, I soon burst into laughter, “Pfft.” I flopped down on the ground as my legs turned like jelly. Ban Yeo Ryung and Yeo Dan oppa became surprised at the same time. While I tried to barely stand up holding Yeo Dan oppa’s hand, which was just stretched out to me, someone dropped a perverse question.

“Why are you laughing the minute you see me?”

‘Then why did you avoid me the minute you saw me?’ Those words welled up in my throat but flaunting a smile was first.

Looking at me still squatting on the ground with laughter, Eun Jiho said, “Dude, just get up first. Everyone’s looking at you.”

I replied desultorily while smiling, “Nah, it’s just… you… you look so awkward.” Lifting my head to check his overall appearance again, Eun Jiho surely looked like an elite agent, who stole a patient’s gown to sneak into a hospital. If he wandered around a hospital with that look, he would be kicked out immediately. That was how much he had been looking awful and weird with that outfit.

While Eun Jiho stared at me, who was laughing for quite a while, in annoyance, Yeo Dan oppa almost pulled me into his arms and raised me up. A moment of silence swept the space.

Pulling his backpack straps to adjust his posture, Yeo Dan oppa uttered, “See you later.”

“Okay,” I nodded. Gently tapping my head, Yeo Dan oppa turned around and headed toward Nam Gye High School. I could realize that we were going to different schools while watching him being swept along in the crowd of students. And at the same time, my heart was all aflutter in anticipation of today’s event, Sports Day. That was when I adjusted my hairband and put a small smile on my face.

“Are you gonna meet him after school again?”

“Huh?” Asking that way, I turned my head to look aside. Although he was the one who flung the question, Eun Jiho didn’t even look at me but was staring in the direction where Yeo Dan oppa just left. His gaze was somehow cold and persistent at the same time.

Being perplexed for a moment, I replied evasively, “Well, maybe… since we’ve been studying together. He’s a senior in high school.”

Since Yeo Ryung was beside us, I couldn’t tell him right now that Yeo Dan oppa and I were being a fake couple for the sake of getting rid of his stalker, and therefore, I was getting his free tutoring session in return for having this relationship.

Anyway, was I now being able to act like I knew him again? Rolling my eyes for a second, I carefully asked, “By the way, when do you have time?”

“Why?”

Being conscious of Ban Yeo Ryung, I replied as composedly as possible, “Because I have something to tell you.”

If Eun Jiho finally was inclined to talk to me, it was a fortunate thing. Beside Yi Ruda, I was gaining another person, whom I could confess my secret about Yeo Dan oppa and my relationship. A person who was trustful enough to share my secret…

However, Eun Jiho just frowned wordlessly. He then struck a retort, which made my jaw drop onto the ground.

“NO! Why would you take time out of your busy dating schedule to meet me?”

“What? Hey, what the heck is wrong with you…?” I raised my voice.

Jooin and Yeo Ryung, who were chitchatting loudly beside me, turned their heads to look at us at the same time. As if Yeo Ryung wasn’t paying attention to us, she tilted her head in wonder. Jooin, on the other hand, seemed to have heard our conversation while pretending like he wasn’t doing that.

Heaving a sigh, Jooin pulled Eun Jiho and asked, “Hey, why are you talking that way?”

“Ah, I know. This isn’t what I’m trying to do…”

Eun Jiho suddenly disheveled his hair as if he was all jammed up inside. I stared at him in surprise. Meanwhile, he put his hand down and murmured, “That’s why I’ve tried not to talk with you…”

“What does that even mean…?” I slurred the end of my sentence then closed my mouth. As I breathed out twice in silence, the three all looked anxious. Amid the situation, I opened my mouth while trying to speak as nonchalantly as possible.

“Now I realized that I looked like a person, who would become neglectful to you guys while dating someone.” However, I couldn’t help my voice slightly trembling. Eun Jiho replied as if he became bewildered, “Uh, that’s not what I meant… Gosh…”

Eun Jiho disheveled his hair again as if he was feeling frustrated. Watching him behaving that way with a cold stare, I turned on my heel. Pulling Yeo Ryung’s arm closer to me, I added, “Never mind. I should not have any time to talk to you guys when I have a boyfriend, huh?”

“Dude, listen to me for a sec…”

“No, why should I? Just as you said, I’m too busy to talk to you, right?”

Adding that way with a dry, flat voice, I pulled Ban Yeo Ryung and left the spot. Eun Jiho and Jooin, who were standing in front of the school entrance, were getting increasingly distanced from me.

On her way to the classroom, Yeo Ryung kept glancing behind her back as if she was feeling on edge. She then carefully opened her lips at last.

“Donnie.”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Um… It’s not that Eun Jiho didn’t think of you. When we happened to gather in the schoolyard, he was always staring at you.”

I was aware of that too. As Sports Day was closely approaching, a lot of classes came outside the schoolyard to practice; therefore, our class were at the schoolyard together with Class 1-1 more often. Whenever that happened, I could grasp the pouring gaze on my profile face.

But… but… hesitating for a moment, I barely blurted out, “Whether he glanced at me out of my sight or thought about me before I even knew…”

“Uh-huh,” replied Yeo Ryung in a small voice with a nod. Heaving a sigh, I concluded my words with a low voice.

“… I’m upset that he’s talking and behaving that way in front of me regardless.”

“Donnie.”

Yeo Ryung grabbed my hand with a flustered look on her face. She whispered, “Right, what you said is correct. It’s very upsetting.”

Biting my lips for a second, I continued, “He asked me to do his favor while bringing out the thing that happened three years ago, so I tried to understand him. However, how long do I have to stay like this without any promised timeframe?”

“Donnie…”

“Since he initiated a conversation after a while, I thought that he was now being okay, but he’s reacting that away again when I asked him to spare some time for me to talk about something.”

My voice was becoming enraged, so I turned my head away from Yeo Ryung. It might look like I was losing my temper at her; besides, too many people were walking past us. So many things had taken place between us, and therefore, I really didn’t want any bad rumors like we had a fight spreading out.

Throwing my glance outside the window, I uttered, “No, I’m just… I’m just wondering….”

“Uh-huh.”

“What did I do… wrong…? Is it only me who doesn’t know what it is?”

Raising my hand, I firmly pressed my warm eyelid with my palm, or else, I wouldn’t be able to hide the look on my face. I kept on speaking with difficulty.

“He told me, whenever something happens, just tell him at any time. He said he would blame me if I didn’t let him know anything that was in need of his help; however, when I actually tried to tell him something, he’s…”

Ban Yeo Ryung spoke yet in an anxious face, “Donnie, no. There’s really nothing you’ve done wrong.”

“Then did he just get tired of me?”

“You know that doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s what I’ve thought too,” I replied determinedly.