SAV Chapter 17

“Ah.”

 

Kim Juyoung cradled his arm, which had been hit by the ball, and let out a low groan.

 

He then stared at Choi Jeha with a baffled expression, as if he hadn’t expected an attack from him. As Kim Juyoung brushed past Choi Jeha to return to the outfield, he smirked.

 

“Wow… Take it easy. I thought my arm was going to break.”

 

“It didn’t break, though.”

 

Though their exchange was brief, the sudden chill in Kim Juyoung’s expression suggested it wasn’t friendly.

 

As soon as Kim Juyoung walked away, the ball flew toward Choi Jeha’s team. Choi Jeha caught the ball that had bounced off a teammate and eliminated the last remaining infielder.

 

It was a complete victory for Class 2.

 

And Choi Jeha became the “traitor” of Class 2.

 

After the game, Kim Juyoung ran up to Choi Jeha as he returned to the stands. Bending down to eye level, Kim Juyoung said something, to which Choi Jeha only shrugged in response. Kim Juyoung then slung an arm around Choi Jeha’s neck in a headlock.

 

Having just witnessed Kim Juyoung’s icy glare, I wondered if he was the type to let go of anger quickly.

 

Separately…

 

Maybe they look good together because they’re the main characters.

 

The two seemed so perfectly matched that there was no room for me to interfere.

 

Kim Juyoung had been the first to reach out to Choi Jeha whenever he was bullied or upset throughout their school years. Even if Choi Jeha hadn’t yet realized his own feelings, he must have held a special place in his heart for Kim Juyoung. That’s why I couldn’t understand why he’d attacked Kim Juyoung with such force during the game.

 

Was he… jealous?

 

Jealous of Kim Juyoung walking to the field with me instead of him.

 

According to the story’s setup, Choi Jeha was the type to burn himself alive for love without realizing it. With a personality like that, how could he not feel jealousy? Even if he wasn’t conscious of his feelings yet, the synopsis confirmed he liked Kim Juyoung. Seeing me with Kim Juyoung might have sparked unconscious envy.

 

Maybe I should keep my distance from Kim Juyoung.

 

Kim Juyoung released the headlock and gestured for me to come over. This naturally drew Choi Jeha’s gaze toward me.

 

His eyes were sharp with hostility.

 

That’s a “stay away” glare, isn’t it?

 

Just as I was considering keeping my distance from Kim Juyoung, Choi Jeha’s piercing look convinced me to stay put. But despite my refusal, Kim Juyoung dragged Choi Jeha over to me, oblivious to the tension.

 

At this rate, Choi Jeha’s next ball might fly straight into my face.

 

From now on, I should either be on Choi Jeha’s team during PE or avoid ball games altogether. Lost in thought, I side-eyed Lee Gyusung, who was glaring at me while stuffing tissues up his bloody nose.

 

Then-

 

Out of nowhere, Choi Jeha, seated to my left, gripped my forearm and wrapped his other arm around my waist.

 

“What are you doing?!”

 

Somehow, Kim Juyoung ended up sitting next to me instead of Choi Jeha. Thinking Choi Jeha was trying to push me aside to take my spot, I tried to shove him away-

 

“Watch out, the ball’s bouncing!”

 

The class’s attention snapped toward me.

 

After the game, students had been tossing balls into storage bins, but one hit the edge of a bin and ricocheted toward the stands.

 

“It’s heading for the stands!”

 

“Kim Juyoung, move!”

 

Choi Jeha yanked me toward him abruptly. The force of the pull threw my balance to the left, and my head slammed into his chest.

 

It was an unavoidable situation.

 

But given that we weren’t on terms to hug each other warmly, I quickly tried to steady myself by flailing a hand to grab something.

 

Damn it.

 

The moment my fingers closed around solid muscle, I felt things getting messier.

 

Just then, a volleyball whizzed past between me and Kim Juyoung.

 

“An accident,” I muttered, flustered.

 

When I looked up, Choi Jeha’s eyes, visible through the gaps in his bangs, reflected my panicked face.

 

“If it’s an accident, let go faster.”

 

He slapped my hand off his thigh and stood up abruptly, his expression sour.

 

Something felt off.

 

Did he skip fabric softener this time?

 

The scent I usually associated with Choi Jeha was completely absent. Even this close, there was no trace of it.

 

His smell was so nice, though.

 

“Ugh, seriously.”

 

Kim Juyoung stared at the volleyball bouncing off the empty stands.

 

“You could’ve just swatted it away. No need to overdo it, you drama queen.”

 

His icy glare at Choi Jeha melted into a smile as he turned to me.

 

“Wasn’t that a bit much for one stray ball? People might think you’re his boyfriend.”

 

When Kim Juyoung reached to grip my shoulder, Choi Jeha blocked his hand with the back of his own. Kim Juyoung curled his rejected fingers and shot Choi Jeha a sharper look than before.

 

“What’s your problem?”

 

The tension between them thickened, uncomfortable and brittle.

 

Choi Jeha had likely acted out of concern for my injured shoulder-protecting me from the ball earlier and now shielding me from Kim Juyoung’s touch. But his stubborn silence kept breeding misunderstandings.

 

To defuse the mood, I spoke up instead.

 

“Are you worried about my injury? Thanks, Choi Jeha.”

 

Kim Juyoung immediately softened his glare and turned to me.

 

“You’re hurt? When? How?”

 

Since Choi Jeha hadn’t mentioned the near-traumatic incident himself, I saw no reason to bring it up. I downplayed it as a minor bruise.

 

“Oh…? That must’ve hurt.”

 

Kim Juyoung’s face twisted like he’d bitten into something bitter, clearly disappointed by my vague answer.

 

Watching Choi Jeha’s retreating figure as he headed back to the classroom, Kim Juyoung clicked his tongue and asked again.

 

“Since when did you two get so close? Did something happen while I was hospitalized?”

 

“Nothing happened.”

 

I said Choi Jeha was just too kind to ignore an injured classmate. Kim Juyoung didn’t argue.

 

“Getting hurt while I was gone? How upsetting.”

 

When Kim Juyoung tried to lift my shirt to check the injury, I gripped his wrist tightly, worried he’d pester me with questions if he saw how extensive it was. He stared at his trapped hand, startled.

 

I thought it was nothing unusual since Cha Eunseong did something he normally wouldn’t, but seeing Kim Juyoung’s face gradually harden made me feel something was wrong. Trying to ease the slowly sinking atmosphere, I quickly grabbed Kim Juyoung’s wrist and pulled him, saying we should head back to the classroom.

 

Have you ever gone back into the hellfire of reincarnation after already completing the cycle?

 

That was me. Maybe because my family had a lot of money, the number of academies Cha Eunseong attended was about twice as many as those I went to in real life.

 

On top of that, there were weekly private lessons and regular subscriptions to study cafes.

 

Moreover, since I entered Cha Eunseong’s body and ended up skipping classes unintentionally, the instructors and study cafe owners were so kind that they meticulously checked every time I missed and called my mom, which got me caught and transferred to even stricter academies and study cafes.

 

This time, the study cafe owner was even a close friend of my mom.

 

‘I’m doomed.’

 

As soon as school ended, I came home and gathered my academy textbooks, feeling utterly miserable.

 

‘How many years am I going to keep repeating high school education?’

 

There couldn’t be a more unfortunate high school student than me.

 

While grumbling about my fate, my mom called right away, making me flinch.

 

“I’m getting ready to go to the academy.”

 

→ After math, go straight to science. If I hear you skipped again, don’t expect any allowance.

 

“Yes, yes. I wouldn’t dare.”

 

Since this wasn’t the first time I skipped, I got a confirmation call every hour, which made it even more stressful.

 

After ending the call with my mom, I left the house and endured the academy until midnight. Maybe because I had taken this class in real life or because the academy’s quality was high, the lessons were easier to follow than before. Still, my stamina was worse than my original body’s, and I barely escaped the academy feeling like a zombie.

 

When I finally arrived at the sushi place I had bookmarked for being delicious, the “Closed” sign was lit.

 

‘Ah… nothing’s going right.’

 

Disappointed, I roughly shook the back of my head and turned away.

 

As I wandered the night streets debating whether to go home or buy something else, I suddenly looked up, startled, at a familiar street. The convenience store sign at the corner of the alley came into view.

 

It was a familiar convenience store.

 

I had only been there once, yet I unconsciously found myself coming here. Since my midlife depends on Choi Jeha’s hands, it was natural to be concerned about him, but still, it surprised me that I came looking for him without realizing it.

 

Was I feeling lonely being alone in an unfamiliar place?

 

Of course, I had no close friends in reality either, so loneliness was the same, but at least there I had precious family. Here…

 

Of course, there are people who look like family here too, but from my perspective, they are fictional characters.

 

I sighed deeply and shook my head.

 

‘Come to think of it, I’m a little hungry too…’

 

I had to follow my schedule without even having time to eat dinner. Deeply impressed by the determination of Korean high school seniors, I thought since I was already here, I might as well order some food. I pressed my face against the convenience store’s glass door, peeking inside to see if Choi Jeha was there.

 

I planned to enter only if it was quiet, since if there were many customers, they probably wouldn’t pay attention to me.

 

Since it was a convenience store inside an alley, it was quiet past midnight. Just as I was about to open the door, I was startled and quickly turned away. Then I hurried straight ahead.

 

Blinking repeatedly as if I had seen something I shouldn’t, I moved as far away from the convenience store as possible.

 

‘What was that? Did I really just see what I thought I saw?’

 

I hid myself behind the utility pole across the street, rubbed my eyes a couple of times, and then, from a distance, peeked back into the convenience store.