YDCF 24

Chapter – 24

Youngpung High School’s snack bar was famous for being convenience-store quality. Unlike other school stores that colluded with the school to jack up prices, this one even ran generous discounts.

Because of upperclassmen who came early to study, the snack bar was already open. The air conditioner blasted cool air—so refreshing it sent a chill through my skin.

I scanned the shelves of snacks with admiration.

So this is all welfare funded by the Seohae Foundation…

I didn’t know about Ryu Do-gyeong, but Chairman Ryu was the best!

Recalling the chairman I’d met not long ago, I gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up in my head.

What should I buy?

Now that I was actually here, there wasn’t anything I really wanted. Since I was filming, I’d been deliberately avoiding high-calorie food, which limited my options even more.

After some thought, I picked up a zero-calorie soda.

Na-rang-do Saida. I vaguely remembered hearing that it was the signature drink of the school snack bar…

I was about to head to the register when I hesitated.

What do guys like?

Since we were desk partners now, I didn’t want to be on bad terms with Woon Seong-ha. Wouldn’t things improve if I offered a small bribe?

Even something simple would do, but I had no idea what his tastes were.

I went to all-girls middle and high schools, okay…

I’d only know if I had people around me. If I really had to name someone, there were only Ryu Do-gyeong and Do Je-hyun. Byeon Seo-jun didn’t count—he wasn’t my age.

I couldn’t ask Ryu Do-gyeong, and Do Je-hyun was probably filming right now.

This might work…

What I picked up was banana milk. I’d hardly ever seen anyone who hated it, so Seong-ha probably wouldn’t throw it away.

After paying, I headed back to the classroom in high spirits.

“……Found you.”

From afar, Ryu Do-gyeong approached me with gleaming eyes. His gaze was sharp, like a predator that had spotted its prey.

In the end, I got caught by Ryu Do-gyeong and lectured.

Leaving him behind was one thing, but he told me not to go out alone early in the morning. If I had to, I should at least bring an escort.

He even tried to contact Chairman Joo—my grandfather—directly to ask, and I barely managed to stop him.

Just when I thought it was finally over, another problem surfaced.

“You keep not checking your messages.”

“I don’t really look at my phone.”

“But you read them right away when it’s something important.”

“Uh, well, that’s work…”

“Ah. Work.”

Of all things, Ryu Do-gyeong scolding me about 연락.

And maybe because my answer annoyed him, he repeated my words with a mocking smirk.

His face was already cold, but with that icy smile added on, it felt like we were standing in Siberia.

“Managing you is work for me too.”

“……”

“So your stuff is important, and you read it right away—but my stuff doesn’t matter?”

I couldn’t refute the logic of the Seohae Group’s heir. I really had been ignoring his messages.

But I still didn’t have the confidence to treat my first love—who knew all my embarrassing past—as if nothing had happened. Even now, things felt awkward and strained.

“Joo Sa-i. I know you don’t like me anymore.”

“……”

“I know. So just check your messages. I’m not asking for anything else. Really.”

Bringing up my past feelings out of nowhere made me instinctively step back.

He wanted nothing from me, huh.

It felt like being dumped without even confessing.

Of course, I didn’t want anything from Ryu Do-gyeong either. I had no intention of chasing after him again or confessing my feelings now.

In my previous life, my heart had fluttered seeing news articles about how well he’d grown up—but at least right now, I wasn’t in a position to like anyone.

My head turned away on its own. I was afraid that if I met his indifferent gaze, he’d see straight through me.

And only then did I realize—

…Everyone’s staring!

Students who’d come early were sneaking glances at Ryu Do-gyeong and me as they passed by.

They didn’t dare come closer or eavesdrop because of his presence, but all attention was clearly focused on us.

I know that look.

Who is she, standing alone with Ryu Do-gyeong?

Everyone already knew that he was Chairman Ryu’s grandson and the official successor of Seohae Group.

There was no need to invite rumors about knowing someone from the chaebol world.

The stares started to feel unbearable, so I tried to bolt toward my classroom, leaving Ryu Do-gyeong behind.

“Where do you think you’re going.”

Of course, his long legs blocked my escape.

“I don’t have a hobby of playing tag at school.”

“Neither do I, okay? People are staring, that’s all…!”

As if I’d somehow regressed to elementary school. What did he take me for?

When I snapped back in disbelief, Ryu Do-gyeong let out a short laugh. The corners of his mouth lifted easily.

I shot him an annoyed glare, and he poked my forehead with his index finger. He used to do that all the time when we were kids.

“So you can make that face.”

“I used to glare just fine back then too.”

“Oh, right. Guess I forgot for a moment.”

He pulled his hand away. After a brief silence, lost in thought, he spoke again.

“…I guess it’s because I only remember your crying face so vividly.”

What? Why is he looking at me like that…?

I took a cautious step back.

“Every time you cried, you wiped your tears—and your nose—on my sleeve. I ended up throwing one shirt away.”

“……”

“Do you know how much that shirt cost?”

Why are you bringing this up now?

I wasn’t listening. If I didn’t hear it, it didn’t count.

At his sudden excavation of my dark past, I covered my ears with my palms in protest.

As if he’d expected that reaction, Ryu Do-gyeong smiled in satisfaction. Then his gaze shifted to the banana milk in my hand.

“You like that?”

“Oh, this isn’t for me.”

“Then?”

“For a… fri—”

Friend?

Could I really call Woon Seong-ha a friend?

When I hesitated, Ryu Do-gyeong looked down at me again, eyes sharp and blazing. I shrank back instinctively under that tiger-like stare.

“Who’s the friend. A guy? Name.”

“Why would I—”

“You don’t have friends. I know that.”

Is he insane? Did he get heatstroke or something? Why is he being so snappy?

His bluntness left me completely flustered.

“I—I do now. His name was… Gyeongseo, I think…?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say Woon Seong-ha’s name. I was afraid Ryu Do-gyeong might say something unnecessary.

I know he’s not that kind of person, but…

Just like I’d changed, Ryu Do-gyeong had changed a lot too. For now, it was better to be careful.

Only after making up a random friend’s name was I finally able to get away from him. Maybe he let me go more easily because so many people were watching.

With banana milk in one hand and a soda can dripping condensation in the other, I headed toward the classroom.

By now, more than seventy percent of the students should’ve arrived.

Even from the window, I could see that the classroom was noticeably more crowded.

When I opened the door again—

“What are you staring at, you filthy thing.”

“Why don’t you go help your grandma instead?”

A group near my seat was hurling verbal abuse at someone.

As I stepped inside, puzzled, the atmosphere in the classroom instantly turned cold.

The chill caused by my entrance lasted only a moment. Sharp words soon resumed, all aimed at someone else. Judging by the voices, several people were involved.

Even to a transfer student like me, unfamiliar with the class dynamics, it was obviously a case of bullying. Yet no one tried to stop them.

I slowly walked toward my seat.

No matter how I look at it…

That should be Woon Seong-ha’s desk.

And I was right.

As I got closer, I saw Woon Seong-ha surrounded by students, who were tapping his shoulders and spitting insults at him.

And at the center of it all—

“Joo Su…yeon?”

My enemy.
My uncle’s daughter.

Joo Su-yeon stood there with her arms crossed, watching others provoke Woon Seong-ha—like some tyrant queen observing her subjects.

She smiled brightly, clearly enjoying the sight of him being bullied right in front of her.

Is she insane…?

How was I supposed to ignore this?

Before I could even tell them to stop, my body moved on its own. I set the soda down, pushed through the crowd, and grabbed Joo Su-yeon’s wrist.

Her arms fell apart from the force, and she stared at me in shock.

By the time her face filled my vision—

It was already too late.