Chapter 461

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Tilting her head, Kim Hye Hill spoke in a flat tone, “You guys aren’t seeing each other every day. Besides, ever since you entered high school, you all have never been in the same class, but it looked like you guys have always been classmates. That’s why it feels quite interesting.” She added, “Is that what we call the years of experience shared among the middle school classmates?”

I asked, “But didn’t you guys and Yoon Jung In also go to the same middle school?”

“We did, but during that time, we seldom spoke to each other. Both of us were in the gifted class, so we had separate classes most of the time. Didn’t I tell you this before?” replied Kim Hye Hill.

“Ah, right. I heard that.”

“Well, aside from that, there’s a war-like relationship even if we have seen each other for a long time.”

Speaking that way, Kim Hye Hill pointed at somewhere in the classroom.

Indeed, there was Yoon Jung In, who was fiercely greeting Shin Suh Hyun. It was just an hour to take classes in different classrooms, but Yoon Jung In acted as if he didn’t see Shin Suh Hyun for a year. At the same time, Shin Suh Hyun was screaming like hell toward Yoon Jung In. Watching that sight, I showed an enigmatic look on my face.

While I turned my head back to Kim Hye Hill, she uttered, “Looking at you guys, I’ve thought that such relationship can exist among people who aren’t even family members or relatives. You guys don’t get awkward even if you’re seeing each other after a long time.”

“…”

I just scratched my nape wordlessly. As if she also didn’t expect any particular response to her remark, Kim Hye Hill cast down her eyes with a quiet smile then began to look for something in her backpack.

Staring at her side face blankly, I suddenly came up with something. ‘Did she hear the conversations I had with the Four Heavenly Kings during the break, and therefore, is she trying to comfort me?’ I wondered, “However, she sat too far away to listen to our words…”

I slowly dwelled on Kim Hye Hill’s expression about us.

‘Such relationship among people, who aren’t even family members or relatives, can exist which doesn’t get awkward even when it’s a long time no see…’

At that moment, the cold, lonesome, and suffocating air, which surged into me while I recalled the cram school classroom in wintertime, completely cleared out from my surroundings.

Suddenly lifting my head, I looked outside the window. Now I had come to think of it, spring was here before I even knew. As if I were a person who realized for the first time in my life that spring had come, I stared at the blue sky and fluttering petals as I had never seen such things before.

Then suddenly, I felt like everything’s gonna be fine. Although it wasn’t that good right now, things would all become okay. Such a thought flashed through my head.

It was such a relaxed and calm emotion, which even seemed irresponsible, that I felt for the first time over a few months.

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Getting my phone back after school, I turned the power on and checked if there are any unread messages. Since all of us in our school had to give our phone to the teacher before the class started, there weren’t any unread messages except just one, which was from Yeo Dan oppa.

‘Do I have time in the evening today?’ I said to myself then glanced outside the classroom for a second. After packing their bags, the Four Heavenly Kings and Ban Yeo Ryung would be probably waiting for me in the hallway.

I carefully typed in my response. ‘I’m seeing someone else today.’ Though I wrote that way, something seemed quite treacherous, which made me heave a sigh.

Last time, Yeo Dan oppa had a schedule; this time, it was me. We weren’t able to see each other for these things. On the weekend, both of us had an after-school self-studying session, so we just quickly saw each other’s faces in the hallway. That was it.

In other words, it had been almost three days that we didn’t properly spend time together. Thus, would it be really okay if we didn’t see each other even today? However, if that was the case, I didn’t hang out with the Four Heavenly Kings over a longer period.

In the end, I just sent him my message and came outside. As soon as I greeted the kids, who were waiting for me in the hallway as I expected, the phone inside my pocket rang.

[Sent by: Yeo Dan oppa

Okay. Don’t come home late like last time.

If you finish after ten, let me know.

I’ll go pick you up.]

He would also feel tired after the self-studying session, but he told me that he would come pick me up. It was such a smooth and seamless response; however, something felt quite uncomfortable to me.

‘Why, again?’ Hitting my chest with my fist, I suddenly realized something. ‘He also didn’t ask me this time who I am hanging out with!’

Now I had come to think of it, it was me in the first place who didn’t tell him in the original message whom I was seeing today.

‘Did I do that on purpose? Perhaps, to test him?’ I wondered but soon shook my head then put my phone in the pocket.

Coming close to my side, Ban Yeo Ryung asked, “What’s wrong, Donnie? You’ve been hitting below your chest from earlier. Do you have an upset stomach?”

“Huh? Ah, no, it’s not what you’re thinking. I can eat a lot!” I replied. Grabbing her shoulders, I put herself to the front as if we were playing the train game. I asked, “Did you find many good restaurants?”

Showing a bright smile, Yeo Ryung nodded, “Uh-huh, a lot! Please look forward to them.”

“Cool, let’s go,” I uttered then stepped outside the school entrance while almost pulling her into my arms.

<hr />

Unlike Ban Yeo Ryung’s suggestion, saying, ‘Let’s visit all the newly searched restaurants,’ we were heading to our regular snack bar. Though it wasn’t that small inside, the place looked quite packed as the six of us stepped inside at once.

Since we weren’t able to find enough seats to sit around together, we had to pull a chair from the table beside us. Even that felt like the moments in our good old days; I just kept smiling.

As if I were easily tempted to laugh, I couldn’t stop giggling even at such trivial things. Eun Jiho, eventually, tossed me a question this way.

“Did something good happen after we left?”

“Huh?”

He said, “You looked quite out of your mind at school, but now you’re so excited.”

Scratching the back of my head, I laughed loudly, ‘Um, maybe?’ then uttered, “It’s just that… maybe I’m feeling so good to see you guys outside the school after quite a while…”

Shortly after, Eun Jiho’s brows met in the middle. He said, “Dude, it sounds like we didn’t let you hang out with us. Come on, don’t get others wrong.”

Haha… Showing an awkward smile, I just touched the cup of water and looked around.

“But it’s been such a while to come to this place,” I replied.

This snack bar was in a secluded alley, which was hard to find for someone who wasn’t a local here. From what I heard, this place was here since Ban Yeo Ryung and I were students in elementary school.

Ever since that time, Yeo Dan oppa brought us to this place while holding our hands from each side and bought us a cup of tteokbokki. That was what I heard, so to count the years of visiting this place, it had already been ten years.

However, as I grew older, I didn’t like eating these kinds of snacks, so I didn’t stop by here alone, but this was the most affordable spot to enjoy with friends.

Anyway, I never really expected to be here after a long time.

After ordering a few things, we were waiting for the food to be served. The old lady, who came out to give us some fishcake soup, then said to us, “Eh? Long time no see!”

“Hello, nice to see you again.”

“Hi, how are you?”

When Yeo Ryung and I greeted her with a bow, the lady showed a big smile. She replied, “Wow, you two didn’t even change a bit since a young age.” Picking up a few more deep-fried foods that we didn’t order, she put them beside us and said, “Here, help yourself.”

“Wow, thank you so much!” Yeo Ryung, who was always friendly to everyone she met, responded with a swiveling smile.

Although I wouldn’t look that delighted as Ban Yeo Ryung, I also expressed my gratitude from the bottom of my heart.

Enjoying the deep-fried snack, I scanned the scribblings on the wall. Those that I seemed to have seen two or three years ago were still there without getting faded out. While I kept smiling with my eyes fastened to them, Yoo Chun Young looked back and forth between the wall and me as if he felt odd.

The next place where we had our second round was the café that Yeo Ryung’s uncle owned. It was also where Ban Yeo Ryung did part-time in summer and refused about five guys a day confessing their crush to her.

Around that time, one of the Four Heavenly Kings always stayed here to keep an eye out for some strange guys doing anything strange to Ban Yeo Ryung. Once I finished studying at the library, I also stopped by at this place, waited for Ban Yeo Ryung, and returned home together.

‘Wow, this place also makes me indulge in reminiscence… It seems like we’re doing a big run of the good old memories all day today,’ I thought.

As soon I took a seat, which I had often sat down in summer, with that thought in mind, Yeo Ryung, who was gone to the counter for a second, returned and said, “My uncle says order everything you want.”