WW | Chapter 34

The sound grew softer, then suddenly louder as several motorcycles stopped right in front of the convenience store. Their headlights flashed against the glass door, almost as if aiming threateningly. At that moment, a chill ran down Yul’s spine as she realized who it must be.

Park Geonju. It had to be him.

Ding. The door chimed as four young men entered. They were all dressed in dark colors, and two of them, clearly not students, stood out with heavily dyed hair. They looked like trouble. Leading the group, just as Yul expected, was Park Geonju. He had been absent from school for a few days after Yoonjo punched him for trying to hit her in the audiovisual room. It seemed he had finally recovered from the injuries.

“Hey, Moon Yul-ah.”

Geonju gripped the corner of the counter with both hands, his lips curling up into a twisted smile. He might’ve been smiling, but his eyes were filled with malice. Unable to stand up to Yoonjo, he was clearly here to take out his anger on her.

“…Oh. Hi.”

“Could you give me one of those?”

Geonju pointed to a pack of foreign cigarettes.

“Sorry, but I can’t sell cigarettes to students.”

“Bullshit. Then sell it to my friend, not me.”

“I really can’t.”

Despite the tension, Yul met Geonju’s gaze and spoke firmly. Giving him the cigarettes could land her boss in trouble, not just her. She knew all too well how even the slightest mistake could spiral out of control. Besides, she could tell that Geonju hadn’t come here just for cigarettes.

“Tch, damn. What a stupid law. Do you know how many high schoolers in this country smoke?”

Geonju glared at her with a menacing look. Despite the tense atmosphere, Yul was distracted by one of his friends, who had casually grabbed a snack from the shelf and was eating it without paying. She thought about how they should pay first.

“Acting all innocent while talking behind people’s backs, huh? How fake.”

“What?”

“You said you weren’t interested in dating, but now you’re out here in a relationship?”

Finally, Geonju revealed his true intentions for coming. Already humiliated by Yoonjo, he must have lost it when he found out she was dating him. Yul, doing her best to stay calm, asked in a steady voice.

“And what does that have to do with you?”

“It has everything to do with me. I marked you first. I treated you nice, and this is how you repay me? So, how far did you go with Kang Yoonjo? Did you sleep with him?”

Geonju sneered, asking a vulgar question. Anger surged through her, but she kept it in check, responding in a quiet voice.

“We’re not like that.”

“What kind of ‘not like that’ is that? So you didn’t sleep together?”

“……”

“Wow, so you’re not even really dating. You’re not official until you’ve sealed the deal, right?”

He looked back at his friend as if seeking agreement. Listening to them made Yul feel disgusted. How could someone be so shallow, viewing relationships purely through the lens of sex? She was revolted to realize she had someone so crude right in front of her.

“Totally. It’s not a real score unless the goal goes in.”

The friend who had been munching on snacks laughed, and Geonju, seeming suddenly in a better mood, snatched his friend’s snack and tossed it onto the counter for Yul to scan. He pulled out his wallet, throwing it open. Yul scanned the barcode in silence, and as she did, Geonju leaned over the counter, drawing close.

“You get off at 10, right?”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? I want to talk.”

“Let’s talk at school tomorrow. I need to go home right after I finish here.”

“Then I’ll walk you home. It’s dangerous for a pretty girl like you to walk alone at night.”

“I said no, thanks.”

Yul had been struggling to keep her composure, but Geonju’s persistent attitude finally broke her patience. From the moment he asked when she got off, her heart had been racing with anxiety. Meeting Geonju outside at night was dangerous enough, and letting him know where she lived was unthinkable. Doing so would be the beginning of another nightmare.

“Moon Yul. If you piss me off, it won’t be good for you. Don’t play hard to get.”

Clearly angered by her resistance, Geonju glared at her with an intimidating look.

“If you’re gone when I come back, know I’ll mess up that pretty face of yours.”

After delivering his threat, Geonju turned and left the convenience store. His friends followed, shooting her lewd smiles as they went. Only after the loud roar of their engines faded did Yul collapse against the counter. What should she do? She was in a situation where she couldn’t see any clear solution.

Should she leave early and go home? But who knew how Geonju might retaliate afterward? While Yoonjo was around at school, Geonju would definitely target her outside, where she was alone.

Call the police? But for what reason? That a classmate was scaring her, and she was afraid for her safety?

Every idea she came up with felt temporary. Biting her lip, she decided to grab her phone from her bag in the storage room. Her phone was still on from exchanging numbers with Yoonjo earlier. She stared at his saved number for a while, then, with a resolved sigh, clicked on it and typed a message.

“Hey.”

But what should she say next? Could she ask if he’d come over? Maybe ask if he had time? While she was still lost in thought, his reply came.

“What?”

As expected, his response was short and blunt. Seeing it, her intention to ask for help completely vanished. She’d already spent enough time tagging along with him at school, so calling him out here felt like too much. He had his own life, and she didn’t want to intrude.

Besides, Geonju’s vengeful expression still lingered in her mind. His gaze had been so cold that involving Yoonjo might lead to a serious incident. They already had a history of trading punches whenever they met.

“Never mind.”

Yul quickly typed her reply and sent it. She decided to leave work early before Geonju returned. She’d deal with the consequences later.

Yoonjo didn’t reply further. She knew he had a detached personality, but she had thought he might ask if something was wrong.

Suppressing her unsettled feelings, Yul stepped back out into the store. Calling her boss to say she needed to leave, she received a sour response in return. Life really sucked. Every time she cleared one hurdle, another seemed to loom right after. She wondered if she’d ever find any smooth ground in life.

“You know, I had a really important appointment, but I came because you begged me.”

Her boss, who usually liked her, now grumbled about having to arrive an hour early. In truth, he’d probably just been playing games at a back-alley PC room.

After repeatedly apologizing, Yul finally changed her clothes and left the convenience store. Exhausted, she paused and lowered her head, standing in silence when a pair of black boots came into her view. Raising her head, she saw a familiar face grinning at her.

“Where are you going?”

It was Park Geonju. She’d left an hour early to avoid him, yet here he was, already waiting for her. She hadn’t heard any motorcycle noise, so she hadn’t expected him. Realizing she was now alone with him outside, a chill ran down her spine.

“Why are you leaving so early? Don’t tell me you’re trying to run away from me?”

“No, I… I have something to take care of at home.”

Yul stammered, caught off guard.

“And how do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“What?”

“Come on, you got a phone, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.”

Caught off guard by his sharp question, Yul quickly shook her head. Eyeing her suspiciously, he smirked and changed his expression.

“Whatever. Let’s go. I’ll walk you home.”

“No, I’ll go by myself.”

Yul vowed not to go with him, not after what she’d seen from him before. She could already imagine what might happen if she agreed to let him walk her home.

“Are you kidding? I left behind some good loot for this.”

“Listen.”

Yul bit her lip, then forced herself to continue.

“The way you keep forcing yourself on me… It’s really uncomfortable. Besides, I have a boyfriend.”

She mustered all her courage, thinking that if she made it clear now, he might back off. Even if it meant provoking him, she was willing to risk it. She’d even braced herself for a few slaps.

“Oh, you’re really turning me into a piece of trash, huh? So you only cozied up to Kang Yoonjo because he’s got a nice face? I was going to tell you some things about him, but you’re making a big mistake.”

“I don’t need to know. It won’t change anything.”

“Ha! Did you know that guy killed someone with a knife?”

Yul froze, feeling a cold shiver as Geonju let out a shocking revelation. She didn’t want to believe it, but his words weren’t vague rumors—they were frighteningly specific. She’d wondered if there was any truth to the whispers, but she’d never imagined it would be something so severe. This wasn’t just some traffic accident but an incident that seemed to have involved a deliberate choice.

Why would Yoonjo have done something like that? Did he really have to?

In that brief moment, Yul recalled every fragment of what she knew about him. Though she hadn’t known him long, she couldn’t imagine him intentionally wielding a knife to kill someone.

“How can you even think about dating him? What if he does something like that to you, too?”