Chapter 36.2

“Don’t worry. You think anyone will be able to mess with you? While I am around?”

“So cheesy……”

I gave a great eye-roll at sunbae’s wink, then handed something to her.

“Oh, I forgot to give you this.”

It was a dark blue hardcover notebook. I chose the best one at the store.

“Happy birthday.”

“I said not to! Ooh, but it’s so pretty. Thank you.”

She smiled broadly, touching the cover of the notebook.

“When did you even have the time to buy this?”

“I had some free time yesterday, so I went to get it.”

Although, if I had known [about her birthday] earlier, I would have prepared a better gift. I was a bit ashamed to have given her a notebook bought in a hurry at the stationery store next to the Academy as a present.

Sunbae must have received a lot of better presents, wouldn’t she?

“Hold on. Why isn’t anyone saying happy birthday to you? None of those sunbaes from earlier said anything.”

I tilted my head at the sudden thought.

“They have no interest in my birthday. They probably don’t even know it’s today.”

Although I didn’t tell them.

Gloria sunbae went on, the notebook cradled carefully in her arms.

“Basically, only you and Flora have given me birthday presents this year.”

“Ah……”

“Oh, come to think of it, why didn’t that punk give me anything?”

Gloria sunbae said abruptly in a grumbling voice.

“Yep, I should go demand a present from Noah.”

“I think you see him as a pushover.”

“Well, he is indeed rude. But he’s not a bad person, right?”

Is that so?

Soon, she inclined her head to the side.

What is she thinking now?

“You know what? Shall I help you?”

“Sorry?”

“You said you wanted to let go. I’ll help you.”

Gloria sunbae swept away her dishevelled hair and laughed brightly, her red lips curving upwards.

“……?”

“How peculiar. There has never been anyone who hasn’t fallen when I did this.”

Seeing that I stood still with no reaction, she said, taken aback. I covered my mouth and laughed.

“Sunbae, you are acting just like the male lead of one romance novel I read when I was 13.”

“Huh, a romance novel’s male lead? So you mean I’m cool?”

“Don’t just pick and choose what you want to hear.”

“Hey, that’s too much.”

Gloria sunbae grumbled at my admonishment, her lips pouted.

“So what are you going to do?”

“What am I going to do about what?”

“Flora said that people don’t think of anything when they are with me.”

And that’s a good thing?

I frowned doubtfully.

“Aren’t you just asking me to continue hanging out with you?”

“Oh, you caught me.”

Sunbae poked my cheeks as she laughed. It was such a bright, carefree smile.

“Okay, I’ll stay with you.”

“Yes!”

She chattered on, with her hand around my neck.

“Can I come to your class? Or shall we go to the cafeteria?”

“Yes, okay, but are you going to pay for me?”

As sunbae pulled me down the corridors, I saw Noah sunbae. The moment he saw me, sunbae’s face was coloured with joy. His golden eyes twinkled.

Ahhh.

He looked so radiant that my eyes narrowed.

“Hey! Hand over my present!”

“Hello to you.”

“…and my words have fallen on deaf ears.”

Gloria sunbae muttered with an angry face. I bowed slightly to greet Noah sunbae.

“Hmmm.”

Gloria sunbae in front of me hummed like she was pondering something. As I stood worrying if I had greeted Noah sunbae properly, and whether I should greet him again, that was when it happened.

Smooch.

Suddenly, cold lips touched my cheek.

“?!”

What, what was that!?

I hurriedly rubbed my cheek and looked back, only to see Gloria sunbae grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Ah, what the heck. Was she up to her pranks again?

Now that I was used to sunbae’s eccentricity, I wasn’t even surprised that she kissed me on my cheeks. She hugged my shoulders, and was smiling while looking somewhere. Her gaze was pointed at where Noah sunbae stood, looking confused.

“……!”

I made eye contact with Noah sunbae, who startled and turned around, only to hit a pillar as he walked away.

“Oh no.”

“Pffft.”

Unlike my worried expression, Gloria sunbae was holding on to her stomach as she laughed, almost tipping over. She had been snickering earlier, but now her voice had gone up an octave, her laughter loud and harsh. I could not understand what could possibly be that funny. What exactly was the point of her laughter?

“Serves him right.”

She murmured as she wiped the tears that had flowed down her face because of how hard she had laughed. Noah sunbae walked away, his steps staggered.

“Alright, don’t worry about that idiot. Let’s carry on.”

“What was that, sunbae? Why are you doing this?”

I looked back at Gloria sunbae, feeling confused. As always, she replied with a smile.

“Why don’t you call me unni instead? Until when are you going to carry on calling me sunbae?”

“Huh?”

What nonsense was she on now? I felt my face become contorted.

“Why are you suddenly changing the subject? That’s unnerving.”

“Huh? It’s nothing, the thought just came to me. Come on, just call me unni, okay? It’s my birthday afterall.”

I stared at the pillar Noah sunbae had hit and mumbled to myself.

“I wonder if he’s okay.”

Don’t worry. He won’t even be able to talk to you for a good while.”

Gloria sunbae smiled confidently at my mumbling.

“I’ve basically set up a do not disturb for you.” [2]

She played with my cheeks, showing a sly smile.

Wow…… how corny.

I pulled sunbae’s arm with a cold face as I walked forward.

“Yes, okay, shall we now head to the cafeteria, unni?”

“Unni? Unni!? Did you just call me unni!? Ah, my wishes have been fulfilled.”

I ignored the noise that came from behind me

Notes:

[2] Do not disturb: ; The word is of Buddhist origin, and it refers to an area where monks stay to meditate without unnecessary things (even food and clothing). Now the word has entered common parlance, and has come to mean a sort of shield that blocks things you don’t want. Gloria means that Noah will not come looking for Kate for the foreseeable future.