SRW | Chapter 27

“Go Hyeju. I’ll let you go, so don’t scream.”

At Seo Yul’s words, Go Hyeju nodded. When the hand covering her mouth was slowly removed, she turned her head away with a pout.

“Sorry, Sun Eunsoo. We’ll apologize on Hyeju’s behalf.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Honestly, I was more pissed about losing the guns Seo Yul was holding, the compound bow strapped to Go Hyeju’s back, and the stash of food and survival supplies hidden in the empty clubroom than about the deaths of a few people I wasn’t even close with… After securing so many weapons, ending up with just a short sword in my hands was bitter.

Then, the door opened, and Kim Jaeyoung walked in. The guy, carrying a bundle of luggage I’d sent him to fetch, glanced at the three girls sitting on the sofa before locking eyes with me. His expression seemed to ask, Who are they? I shot up and rushed over to Kim Jaeyoung, taking the luggage from him. Before he could get any weird ideas, I rapid-fire explained the situation.

“They’re from the clubroom. They came to say thank you.”

“…Ah.”

Kim Jaeyoung’s lips twitched slightly. His face twisted like something didn’t sit right with him. I set the luggage down and grabbed his wrist, dragging him along.

“Uh, this is the kid who almost died from asthma back then. Guess she Awakened too. Lucky, huh?”

“H-Hi…”

Jeon Yeseul bowed her head in greeting, but Kim Jaeyoung clamped his mouth shut and said nothing. The atmosphere instantly turned icy. Seems he assumed Seo Yul’s group was responsible for the life-or-death situation I’d been in.

“Wow, it’s my first time seeing Kim Jaeyoung-sunbaenim up close. He’s crazy handsome.”

Go Hyeju’s jaw dropped as she stared at Kim Jaeyoung. All that effort feeding him had paid off. He’d filled out nicely, his face even more striking than before. The cream-colored turtleneck made him look almost innocent. Hm, let’s ignore the blood splatter on his forearm from someone.

“Go Hyeju! What’s wrong with you?”

“What? Sunbaenim, you said a few days ago that Kim Jaeyoung-sunbaenim looked even hotter in person!”

“You’re really… Sorry, I’ll rein her in.”

“Sunbaenim, do you have a girlfriend?”

Ignoring Seo Yul, Go Hyeju leaned in close to Kim Jaeyoung. He furrowed his brows and pulled back, but she just giggled and launched into a full-blown confession. “If you don’t have one, how about me?”

I was the one panicking here. At this point, she must’ve lost her damn mind. I slapped a hand over her forehead to stop her from lunging at Kim Jaeyoung.

“Hey, back off. Are you insane?”

“What’s it to you, sticking your nose into our business?”

“Our? Since when are you and Kim Jaeyoung an ‘us’?”

“Since just now.”

Go Hyeju strained forward, and I shoved her back, creating a bizarre standoff where I was physically holding her at bay. Should I just hang a sign around Kim Jaeyoung’s neck saying “Warning: Dating me ruins lives”? His unrealistically pretty face was nothing but trouble.

“Move. Oppa doesn’t seem to dislike me. What’s your problem?”

“Oppa?! Since when did your relationship upgrade in 0.5 seconds?!”

“We’ll be calling each other honey and babe soon.”

“You’re insane!”

I thought Hwang Sooyeon was the craziest, but nope. At least she had her moments of sanity!

“Oppa, how about getting dangerously entangled with me?”

“Get lost!”

“You get lost!”

I had to block Go Hyeju’s bullheaded charge like a raging ox, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. Literally anything.

“H-He’s mine, so back off!”

Silence.

Go Hyeju froze mid-lunge, her eyes darting between me and Kim Jaeyoung. Behind her, Seo Yul and Jeon Yeseul gasped, mouths hanging open.

…What the hell did I just say?

“…Oh. That’s how it is? Hmm… Fair. I’ll back off.”

Go Hyeju casually stepped back. Just like that?! Weren’t you calling him babe two seconds ago?! Since when is love this fickle?! I stood there, stiff as a board.

“Haha.”

Kim Jaeyoung laughed, satisfied. Whether he planned this or not, the way he looked at me now was dripping with honey, like a man hopelessly in love.

Thump.

Wait, why is my heart racing?! Flustered, I looked away, and my pulse steadied. Must’ve been cognitive dissonance from his stupidly pretty face. Get a grip. Kim Jaeyoung is a man. A dick-having man.

“So… you two are like that. Good luck!”

“C-Congrats…”

“Mmm~ You make a visually pleasing couple.”

Seo Yul and Jeon Yeseul offered awkward encouragement. Go Hyeju framed us with her fingers like a camera and nodded approvingly. It was freezing earlier, so why was it suddenly so hot? As I fanned myself furiously, Kim Jaeyoung plucked a notebook from the side and waved it near my face. The cool air helped, but the heat lingered.

“Since when did you two become a thing? Who confessed first?”

Judging by her sly grin, Go Hyeju’s brain was full of delusions. The others looked equally curious. Unable to take the embarrassment, I decided to kick them out of the lab.

“Why do you care? You’ve said your piece, right? Shoo, get out.”

“Kicking us out so you two can be alone?”

This girl was relentless. Why did this school only have people hell-bent on tormenting me? Sighing, I habitually leaned my head against Kim Jaeyoung. Jeon Yeseul squealed. What the hell is she imagining?!

“Sigh… We need to get out of this school soon.”

“Where to?”

When I muttered under my breath, Kim Jaeyoung pounced on the question. The grip on my shoulder tightened, separation anxiety acting up again. I patted his hand reassuringly.

“We’re leaving in a few days.”

“And me?”

“You’re coming, obviously. What kind of question is that?”

Satisfied, he loosened his grip. It’s not like I could go far without him anyway. Why was he so anxious?

“Guess this might be the last time we see each other.”

“You’re really leaving? Outside seems even more dangerous. That monster might still be out there.”

“You forget that thing failed to kill me?”

Seo Yul snorted at my bravado and stood from the sofa.

“…Never thought I’d feel sad over someone I wasn’t even close to. Guess it’s because there are so few survivors left. Sorry for being rude all this time, Sun Eunsoo.”

She apologized again, and Jeon Yeseul teared up.

“Will we ever get to repay you…? I hope we all survive and meet again.”

Go Hyeju, of course, had to have the last word.

“Treat Jaeyoung-oppa well. I did graciously step aside.”

“Oh, and remember when I said I saw Bae Yongpal next to you? Yeah, that was a lie. My bad~”

“Go Hyeju! Are you seriously still like this?!”

“I’ll apologize in the cafeteria too. God, you’re such a moral police.”

Unbelievable. How did someone with a trash personality like hers survive under Cha Yuhyeok’s rule? I hope she and Lee Hyunwoo beat each other half to death in the cafeteria. With that pleasant thought, I waved them off.

“……”

Once they were gone, being pressed against Kim Jaeyoung suddenly felt awkward. I peeled away as naturally as possible and rummaged through the giant bag he’d brought. The hiking backpack and blankets I’d asked for… Why did he pack so many tracksuits? There was one in every color.

“We can’t carry all this. Wear one set and pack just one spare.”

“Okay.”

“My family has a villa in Gangwon-do… Let’s go there.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yeah, just us.”

Kim Jaeyoung crouched beside me, pretending to help sort things but mostly just getting in the way. I was about to tell him to just sit there and look pretty when he cupped his hands under his chin and grinned.

Ugh. Whatever. How could I ever ditch this guy? Sure, there were still unanswered questions, but I’d grown attached. I might not like him the way he likes me, but if we slowly eased his separation anxiety, maybe he’d stop invading my mind so much.

“We’ll leave the day after tomorrow. Still need to prep more.”

“Okay.”

“Grab the wristwatch and multi-tool too, and—”

“Okay.”

The serious look on his face while still doing the “flower vase” pose made me laugh. I ruffled his hair, and he shyly lowered his eyes. Who are you trying to fool? I know you’re a scheming little shit. But somehow, even this side of him was endearing now.

‘Is this… what they call falling for someone?’

If so, that brief heart flutter earlier made sense.

‘I’m just a sucker for pretty faces. Phew, scared me for a sec. I thought I was turning gay!’