Chapter 129: Chapter 129
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Afterward, I heard quick footsteps coming toward me. Yi Ruda soon hugged me in her arms then pushed me to the whiteboard. Her hand was touching the top of my head. The crowds roared again.
Yi Ruda’s blue eyes that were directed at me could never be so profound and severe. A moment later, she opened her lips to utter a few words.
“You… Do you want to be mine?”
I turned my head to the side then responded to him.
“Heart pound.”
Our play was total bulls.h.i.+t.
After a while, Yi Ruda, who went to the hospital, grabbed my hands before whispering, “I love you,” while lying on a desk.
I replied, halfheartedly, “So do I.”
Regardless of the overall situation, Yi Ruda kept on her blue lines.
“The moment I first saw you… I knew that you would be the last owner of my heart.”
“Yes, I’m your last love. I’ll be with you forever.”
After speaking that line, I raised my eyes to scan the audience that was gazing at us. Ban Yeo Ryung, who stood between the kids in Cla.s.s 1-1, could easily be seen among the endless sea of people. There I saw demonic auras flowing around her shoulders. Those who had a distressed look painted on their faces similar to that of Ban Yeo Ryung were none other than the Four Heavenly Kings. ‘You guys are already the main roles of a crazy novel, but why can’t I be one too… on a crazy play?’ I felt a bit wronged.
Meanwhile, our play was heading toward the climax. Yi Ruda whispered to me again in a sorrowful voice.
“To tell the truth, I’m… terminally ill. I only have two days left before I die.”
“Oh, no!”
“But my test result came out the day before yesterday, so I’m gonna die.”
I blinked my eyes nonchalantly and responded to his sudden revelation.
“Goodbye, my last love.”
“Yeah, farewell. Argh!!!”
Yi Ruda then pa.s.sed away while writhing in the throes of death.
In the next scene, I stood alone in front of Yi Ruda’s grave while folding my hands behind my back. Then, someone who had a hoodie covering his face came toward me and spoke in a low voice.
“Excuse me, I’ve seen you for a while. Don’t you want to go out with me?”
I turned my head to look at him then spoke in a cold flat voice.
“I can’t love someone anymore because I only have one person in my heart. I already gave my heart to Yi Ruda a long time ago, and now, I don’t have anything left to give.”
As I spoke in a tone similar to that of a weather forecaster, the others, again, burst out laughing. The guy then stretched out his pale hand and pulled his hoodie back. Under the lights, there stood a boyish girl with dazzling blond hair.
Looking at him doing that, I couldn’t help myself but laugh. ‘Oh, no! My concept is to read my lines like a book…’ with that thought in mind, I trembled hard with my lips clasped tightly. She spoke to me with a smile.
“It’s me. Your only heart.”
“Ruda!!”
I shouted her name out loud before jumping into her arms. That was the end of our stage play.
Yoon Jung In then spoke on the mic, which rang through the speaker.
“And that was the end of the stage play of Cla.s.s 1-8! Thank you!’
A moment of silence went through. Soon, roars of laughter and waves of booing were delivered against us. Standing on the stage, we flinched but couldn’t hide our giggles at the same time. As I sank my head on my chest for a while, someone shouted to us.
“Hey, what a crazy script! Who wrote that?!”
“It’s not me, though!”
Yoon Jung In returned his words to the attacker, which made the crowd burst their sides upon hearing his joke. I looked at him with a smile then recognized that I still didn’t leave Yi Ruda’s arms.
The lower part of the auditorium was so hot and humid, but above felt chilly, surrounded by cold air. I smelled a gra.s.sy and refres.h.i.+ng scent combined with the damp air. ‘Maybe this fresh green scent is from Yi Ruda…’ I lifted my head with that thought in mind.
I wasn’t sure if she also noticed me coincidentally or was already looking at me from quite a while ago, but our eyes met. They were such serene and blue river-like eyes. Feeling embarra.s.sed, I grinned and twisted myself a little to withdraw from her arms. That was when it happened.
She bent her head, then put her lips on my cheek.
Then, all the noise in the world ceased to exist. The boisterous laughter throughout the s.p.a.ce and Yoon Jung In talking about something on the mic… they were all pushed far away by some invisible waves. Only the empty silence hung between us.
That was all. I couldn’t think about anything else since my head was so dizzy. The feeling of her lips on my cheek seemed a bit chilly. I wasn’t sure if I felt like that because my cheeks burned with heat. Contrary to my belief that her lips would be soft and smooth, it seemed that it was a little chapped instead.
I was not, of course, the only person who saw Yi Ruda kissing my cheek. Although our entire cla.s.s was on the stage, the audience fixed their gaze precisely at us. My cheeks felt like it was stinging.
A moment after, Yi Ruda took her lips off my cheek. I could hardly guess how long she had her lips on my face, maybe a few seconds or a few minutes. That was when I rubbed my cheek blankly in surprise.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!!!”
“OMG!!!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!”
A sudden roar prevailed throughout the whole s.p.a.ce. ‘Jesus…’ I raised my eyes, feeling dazed and confused. Yi Ruda’s blue eyes that were directed at me were still showing a hint of a soft grin.
‘Hold on, this is…’ While I became completely befuddled, Yi Ruda took off her hands from my back. I, at last, managed to escape her arms, but I hardly could stand straight. As I touched my cheek at a loss of words, I found aggressively fastened gazes directed at us through the roaring waves of people’s reactions.
While everybody was hyped up with the heat of the moment, I noticed that they were glaring at us with pale, icy-cold faces like that of a statue. When I lifted my head to look at them, I froze as soon as I found out who they were.
‘Oh, no!’ I stretched my hand out to the side and pulled Yoon Jung In’s arm. He was shouting in excitement just now, but as our eyes met, he spoke quietly.
“Why?”
“Hey, are all the stage performances over? Can we go back to our rooms now?”
“Oh, it’s our break now. Right, then can I go to your room…”
“Hye Hill! Should we go back to our room?”
Leaving Yi Ruda’s arms, I asked Kim Hye Hill before turning back to look somewhere else.
There was still a cold air streaming around Cla.s.s 1-1. Not only Eun Jiho and Yoo Chun Young but also Kwon Eun Hyung, who rarely revealed his feelings on his face, looked frozen like ice. Moreover, Ban Yeo Ryung… she was about to run onto the stage. If Jooin and Kwon Eun Hyung didn’t grab her arms tight from both sides, she would have dashed towards us immediately.
‘Oh, gosh…’ I held Kim Hye Hill’s hand and said, “Sh… ould we, please leave?”
“Okay, let’s go. It’s too noisy in here.”
Kim Hye Hill then held my hand and jumped off the stage. She ran through the gathered crowd so quickly and easily. Fortunately, the kids were just having a naughty gaze at me but didn’t seem to ask me about our relations.h.i.+p.
Before I left the auditorium, I turned back to see the fuss going around. In the middle, there stood Yi Ruda, who was looking at me with a quiet grin on her pale face. When our eyes met, a cold and damp air touched my face. I raised my eyes.
When the talent show was over, darkness surrounded the whole place. The street lamps in front of the auditorium cast long shadows on the coa.r.s.e sands. I closed my eyes for a second to catch my breath. My head swam. I remembered her lips coming toward me… the warm heat I felt when it touched my cheek…
‘Was that supposed to be a greeting?’ I thought, ‘Wasn’t it too long for a h.e.l.lo? Also, isn’t it too awkward to provide further meaning to her cheek-kissing? If it wasn’t a way to greet, then what was the purpose behind it?’
“Do you want to hear what my prediction is?”
As I opened my eyes, Kim Hye Hill spoke while looking at the auditorium. ‘Prediction…?’ She then continued with a dry tone.
“Tonight, Yoon Jung In and other boys will definitely come to our room, in a group with Yi Ruda.”
“…”
“You’re gonna get in trouble when you’re in our room. Everyone will treat you two as a couple. Is there any room you can stay for a while?”
Rolling my eyeb.a.l.l.s, I fell into thought. Including me, there were only six people from Ji Jon Middle School present here right now; the other five were Ban Yeo Ryung and the Four Heavenly Kings.
Ban Yeo Ryung, who was about to dash onto the stage, came across my mind. The Four Heavenly Kings, who stopped her from attacking us, didn’t look that good, though.
The damp breeze across from the sea waved my hair as it blew away. After a moment, I quietly shook my head.
“None.”
“Then go inside the small room and pretend like you’re not there.”
Kim Hye Hill suggested while pulling me ahead. Her back look showed her trustworthy character. Sometimes, she would turn back to look at me on our way up the stairs. It seemed like she wanted to ask me about something. ‘Maybe it’s about Yi Ruda,’ I thought, but she didn’t ask me about anything at all.