Chapter 131: Chapter 131
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Surprisingly, Ban Yeo Ryung’s room was at #301, located precisely on the opposite side of ours. Since we were at #318, our rooms were at both ends of the hallway.
Before she opened the door to her room, I started having quite hopeful and positive thoughts. ‘Well, Yoon Jung In or other kids will ask Yi Ruda about her feelings on me, so I’ll share that and be prepared for it.’ That was when I had those thoughts in mind with a chuckle. As the door opened, the figures I saw stiffened my smiling face.
Holding the round doork.n.o.b, the person who looked at me at the purple-tiled entryway was none other than Kwon Eun Hyung. His smiling green eyes seemed to be fixed on me. My cheeks started to sting.
‘What the…’ I glanced at Ban Yeo Ryung with wonder while asking, ‘Why are they here?’ Instead of Ban Yeo Ryung, the one who answered was Kwon Eun Hyung. He pulled my hand as I stood there, blanked out.
I asked, “Why are you here?”
“Hmm, just to hang out. Anyway, why don’t you go wash your face first?”
“Huh?”
Eun Hyung gave me a crisp new towel and cleansing foam while pointing at the bathroom. Before I could ask him about his reasonings, Eun Hyung replied with a soft gaze.
“Go wash your face. You got all kinds of viruses while you were outside.”
“Well, then you guys are still…”
They didn’t seem to find the need to wash their faces, too, though. Eun Hyung smiled at me. As soon as I saw that handsome grin under his red hair, surprisingly, an enlightening thought pa.s.sed through my head.
‘Oh, Eun Hyung isn’t smiling at all… If I don’t move my b.u.t.t to the bathroom and wash my face, then Eun Hyung will wash me instead,’ with that in mind, I dashed into the bathroom. I could barely hear Ban Yeo Ryung’s voice from afar.
“Nice job.”
“You’re welcome.”
Kwon Eun Hyung sounded warm and serene as usual. As if they were doing a high five, I heard the sound of palms. .h.i.tting each other. Filling both my cupped hands with running water, I started wetting my face and thought, ‘What the h.e.l.l is going on?’ I can’t even imagine what ridiculous thing would happen next.
When I wiped my face with a towel and went to the living room, I saw Jooin, who was still wearing the same jet-black dress pants that he wore earlier, was sitting there. His blushed face and tangled hair looked as if the aftermath of their dance performance hadn’t left his thoughts yet.
As I tried to smile at him in joy, Jooin, who grinned brightly at me, pulled my wrist to his side instead of giving me the usual, big bear hug. He then made me sit in front of him and took out a wet tissue. He then used that to rub my cheek gently but with a hint of force.
“Jooin…?”
When I asked him in wonder, he replied, “Mama, sit still,” with a cute smile, so I just sat there, not doing anything. Ban Yeo Ryung was not the only person in the world who could stun a person with just a simple smile.
How long did I stay like that? Eun Hyung told me that he would be cooking some instant noodles, so he stood at the sink in the corner of the living room. At that moment, Eun Jiho, who was leaning on the couch apathetically, opened his mouth.
“Eun Hyung, I want eggs.”
To be honest, I almost forgot that Eun Jiho was in the room until then. His eyes looked different than usual. They were so black that it started to appear like it was that of a dead fish. It also reminded me of the eyes that he had two years ago, which I saw in the home video at my house.
Our eyes met in the air. His hair glowed like silver glitters under the bright light of the living room.
After a few seconds, Eun Jiho was the first to avoid my gaze. Coincidentally, Eun Hyung looked at him and flung a question.
“Are you gonna have noodles too? Didn’t you say that you don’t want one?”
Ignoring me from afar, Eun Jiho responded as he fixed his gaze at the TV.
“Only the eggs.”
“I only have noodles.”
It was Yoo Chun Young who replied while leaning against the gla.s.s door of the terrace. Just like Eun Jiho, I also forgot that he was actually with us in the room; however, he didn’t seem to know that I was here too. He never even looked at me.
I heard Eun Hyung answering with a giggle.
“Why? It will be perfect if someone says he only wants soup.”
“Did you answer?”
Out of nowhere, a cold and low voice echoed after Eun Hyung’s joke. It sounded entirely out of place among the overall atmosphere.
My eyes fastened onto Jooin, who was busy wiping out my face like an artist, but now, I turned my head to look at Eun Jiho. As he came into my sight, I was dumbstruck. He threw that question to none other than me.
Woo Jooin also turned his head. Ban Yeo Ryung, who just finished removing her makeup, sat beside me; she stared at Eun Jiho with a fresh, babyface-like look.
Unmindful of their gazes, Eun Jiho opened his mouth again in the repressively silent air.
“Did you answer!?”
I frowned my brows a bit. It felt weird. His voice sounded too severe and unrelenting that I thought I was missing something critical hidden within his question.
I asked, “Answered what? To whom?”
“To Yi Ruda! Did you answer to his love confession?”
“…”
While I became at a loss of words, Eun Jiho twisted his head a little to face me. How long had I hesitated as I froze on the spot? Was it a few seconds or a few minutes? As I felt the scrutinizing gaze coming from another direction, I slowly lifted my eyes.
At a distance, Yoo Chun Young, who was leaning on the terrace door, stared at me with his blue eyes as if he knew that I was here from the beginning. I wavered for a moment then laughed.
I said, “What… You mean, Yi Ruda kissing me on the cheek at the end of our stage play? It wasn’t a confession or anything.”
“No?”
It was Woo Jooin who asked back this time. He knitted his brows a little, which he seldom did. I smiled before giving my reply.
“Our stage was over, and everybody was watching us. Ruda would have been just playing around to draw some attention. The kid is from abroad, so that’s like saying h.e.l.lo to someone among them…”
While I continued rambling, Eun Jiho cut my statement. Resting his chin in his hand, he spoke to me as he glued his eyes on me.
“Have you ever thought about the possibility that he might like you?”
I furrowed my brow. No one here would believe that Yi Ruda might definitely be the heiress of a mafia family. That was why she became a female crossdresser and would never like me as a girl. I just shook my head.
“No, you’re just misunderstanding it.”
“Are you convinced about that answer?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, then.”
Eun Jiho, who turned his head after the short response, showed a sign of outlandish satisfaction on his lips. It seemed like he was saying, ‘Yeah, that’s you,’ to me. He looked delightful somehow, but I could hardly figure out if it was a sneer or just one of his everyday smile. Sitting in front of Woo Jooin, I stared at Eun Jiho for quite a while before disheveling my hair. ‘Is it all over now then?’ I thought.
At that moment, Yoo Chun Young stood up and suddenly walked out to the terrace. Before I could ask him where he was going, the door closed. The breeze from outside was waving through my hair, but as the door closed, the breeze ceased with it.
‘Maybe he just wants some fresh air,’ with that thought in mind, I turned my head to look at Jooin.
“But why are you guys here?”
“Just to hang out. Well, other kids are inside the small room too.”
“A-ha.”
They were not the only ones who came here. Other girls would also be in the small room. As I understood the situation, I sat down again.
Eun Hyung placed the steaming pot on top of a dry towel. He then went to the terrace to call Yoo Chun Young.
“Chun Young, aren’t you gonna have some noodles?”
I, who was fixing my gaze at the soaked noodles with chopsticks in my hand, turned my head absent-mindedly to the terrace as I heard the familiar name.
The gla.s.s window reflected our images, which made Yoo Chun Young, who sunk in the darkness at the terrace, look like a hazy afterimage. It looked as though he had seen us, but he just stared outside while shaking his head.