We didn’t exchange a single word after that, and the silence hung heavy between us. Sooho, thankfully, offered to drop us off at the bus stand. Sieun made it clear he wasn’t sitting next to me, choosing to stand instead. I considered offering him the seat when I noticed, but he turned away before I could say anything.
As if things couldn’t get more awkward, the rain started to pour down heavily. By the time we reached our lane, it had become a full-blown downpour. We both took off running, but the rain only got worse. Without warning, Sieun grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a nearby convenience store. As soon as we were inside, he let go quickly, almost like touching me burned him.
He walked away, grabbing an umbrella as I silently followed him like a lost puppy. He stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on something—or someone. I followed his line of sight and noticed a girl standing nearby, biting the tip off her lipstick before spitting it into her bag. She waved at Sieun, but before I could process what was happening, he quickly pulled me along with him, not giving me a chance to react.
His hands remained firmly on my wrist as I watched him pay for the umbrella. I felt like a sulking child, disappointed that I had upset Sieun over something so trivial. Standing beside him, I couldn’t help but mimic a pouting kid who didn’t get her candy, my brows furrowing slightly. I could see the annoyance etched on his face.
I felt a sting of hurt and a pang of jealousy as I stood there, watching the scene unfold. Sieun turned to glance back at me, but before I could process his expression, he was pulled out of the store by the girl. Of course he has a girlfriend. My embarrassment deepened, making the whole situation feel even more awkward.
With a sigh, I walked over and grabbed another umbrella, paying for it quietly, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling settling in my stomach. I didn’t want to dwell on it, but it was hard to ignore the knot forming in my chest.
I stepped out of the store, the chime of the bell ringing in my ears as I spotted Sieun and that girl huddled under the umbrella ahead. She clung to him like a leech, and a wave of irritation surged through me. The moment the bell chimed, Sieun turned to look at me, his eyes widening in surprise.
He quickly abandoned the girl, rushing towards me as if he were escaping a trap, standing beside me like a scared puppy.
“Let’s go home,” he said, his voice steady as he grabbed the umbrella from my hand. He placed his other hand on my school bag, gently pulling me along with him.
I don’t know how I ended up here, sitting across from the purple-haired troll, watching as she devoured her tteokbokki with an exaggerated enthusiasm. Sieun sat beside me, his disinterest palpable.
“Can I leave?” he asked, his tone bordering on exasperation.
“No! I can’t eat alone!” she replied, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I watched as she leaned over, snatching his phone from the table. With a smirk, she saved her number under the name “Jerk,” adding a note that read something like, “You’re a jerk, but just my type.” My heart sank as jealousy bubbled within me, a stupid schoolgirl feeling I couldn’t shake off.
Finally, she left, and it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. We walked to Sieun’s house, the familiar path a mix of relief and lingering tension.
As soon as we opened the door, we were immediately greeted by Sieun's dad. "Oh, Sieun—wait, Eunji? It's been so long! How are you doing?" he said with a wide grin, clearly excited to see me after all this time. After exchanging a few formal greetings and awkward small talk, I couldn’t help but notice how Sieun’s dad quickly returned to his loud business meeting, his booming voice echoing through the hallway.
Sieun glanced at me, then at his dad who was now deep in conversation on his call.
Feeling a bit awkward in the loud atmosphere, I turned to Sieun and asked, "Do you want to study at my place?"
I watched as Sieun opened his books on my dining table. It was relatively small, just big enough for one person, since I usually sat and ate alone. I grabbed my books from my room and began setting them on the table when I caught him staring at me. Oh Lord, the way he looked at me so innocently made me want to squeeze his cheeks.
“Am I a jerk?” he asked, frowning ever so slightly.
“You’re not a jerk, just a little oblivious sometimes,” I teased gently, wanting to lighten the mood.
“Is that why you were avoiding me?” he asked, looking up at me expectantly. Sighing, I knew there was no escape from this question. I sat down, attempting to look straight into his eyes—at least I tried.
“Sieun, you did nothing wrong,” I started, but he looked at me more confused.
“Then why are you ignoring me?”
“Listen, I’ll be honest. What happened last night—what I did was embarrassing, and I didn’t have the heart to face you. That’s why I avoided you.” The color rose to my cheeks as I admitted this, feeling the heat of my embarrassment radiate through me.
"About yesterday? But what's there to be embarrassed about?" I looked at him, puzzled. I thought he was smart. Was he playing with me? "Never mind, leave it," I said, flipping through my pages to avoid his gaze.
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a smirk. “Well, now you’ve got me curious. What exactly was so embarrassing?”
“Ugh, Sieun!” I groaned, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement. “Can we just focus on studying?”
I saw him let out a sound that was almost a laugh. "I appreciate what you did for me yesterday, so don't be embarrassed about it." I looked up at him, my lips curling into a slight smile at his sincerity.
“And don’t ever avoid me,” he said, this time whispering but with a tone that was both demanding and playful, sending butterflies rumbling in my stomach
