WW | Chapter 17

“Hah, what a nasty girl. Does she think being a celebrity makes her special?”

“Celebrity? She’s just an aspiring one.”

“She’s probably acting that way because of Kang Yoonjo. Pretending to be his girlfriend or something.”

The last comment from Seohee’s group struck a nerve. A girlfriend for Yoonjo, who sleeps all four seasons away? It was something she had never considered. Now that she thought about it, she remembered a girl who confessed to him had mentioned someone named Kahi. Didn’t she hear they weren’t dating? But maybe they actually were? In that case, wouldn’t that girl, Kahi, know all the rumors surrounding Yoonjo? And if she did, how could she just act like nothing mattered?

“Hey, what do you want to eat?”

Seohee, who had already chosen the menu, tapped Yul’s shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. She quickly turned her head. Why was she even so concerned if Kang Yoonjo had a girlfriend or not? Maybe it was because her impression of him and her own silent assumptions didn’t quite fit with his current image. Focus on your own business, she thought. After all, she was the one getting slapped around by Seohee’s hand.

Yul allowed herself to be swept along with Seohee’s group, getting caught up in their banter, temporarily pushing them out of her mind. But just as they left the convenience store, she happened to see Yoonjo smiling. The way his sharp gaze softened into a gentler expression was strangely captivating.

“Hey, they just posted the transfer guidelines for Han Seong Arts High.”

Kahi spoke to Yoonjo, who was sitting across from her. As usual, he showed no particular interest. Leaning back in his chair with his straw firmly stuck in a carton of milk, he continued drinking. Not that he particularly liked milk. It wasn’t like he had any favorite drinks, either. He’d accept whatever she bought him, as if trying them out without complaint. Kahi liked that side of him—one that she felt only she could see.

“My dad says I should start getting ready to transfer. What do you think?”

“Weren’t you planning to transfer anyway?”

Only then did Yoonjo respond, albeit with little enthusiasm, still sucking on the straw as he gazed over her shoulder. His response was technically correct, but Kahi was a bit disappointed; it wasn’t the reaction she had hoped for. She had returned to Korea after studying in the U.S., but since there was no room at the arts high school, she was temporarily enrolled here. Her father had advised against it, but she’d insisted. She and Yoonjo had grown up in similar environments and had been friends since they were young. It was only temporary, so if she had to stay somewhere, she’d rather be at the same school as Yoonjo.

“I mean, do I even need to attend high school? I barely go to class anyway.”

“Then just drop out.”

Yoonjo’s reply was as half-hearted as ever. Kahi glared at him briefly, then sighed in resignation. Why had she expected anything different? It was silly of her. Still, she found comfort in knowing that she was the only one who knew how he had been before he changed and the only one who knew why he had changed. She was also the only person he interacted with.

“Wouldn’t you miss me if I left?”

“What?”

“You don’t have any other friends, so if I left, you’d have no one to talk to. Your tongue might go numb.”

“Hah!”

Yoonjo scoffed, as if she’d said something absurd.

“If you tell me not to go, I’ll stay.”

“Why?”

“Just…because…”

As Kahi trailed off, she noticed that Yoonjo’s gaze hadn’t returned to her. She thought he was just being distracted, as he often showed no interest in their conversations, but this time his eyes were fixed somewhere. She turned to see what he was looking at.

A group of students appeared to be teasing a girl, laughing among themselves as if they were close friends, but it was clear they were picking on her. Kahi recognized them—they were the same students she’d run into earlier. The target was that striking girl she had asked if she was okay, only to be coldly dismissed. She normally hated getting involved in other people’s business, but she’d felt an inexplicable urge to step in when their eyes met. The girl had this hidden boldness, an unusual aura.

“Pathetic. Bullying a weaker kid as a group,” Kahi muttered in disgust. She turned back to Yoonjo, assuming he was watching the general scene rather than anyone specific. But the moment she saw his focused gaze, a chill ran through her.

“Yoonjo.”

“…”

“Kang Yoonjo!”

It took two calls for him to finally look at her.

“You! You weren’t watching them, were you?”

Kahi’s voice held a peculiar coolness. He hadn’t been looking at the bullies, but rather at the girl they were harassing. She was one of the prettiest girls he’d seen at this school, someone who drew attention. Though she didn’t surpass Kahi in beauty, it was undeniable that she had a captivating quality. The fact that Yoonjo, who usually showed no interest in anyone, was fixated on her made Kahi uneasy.

“Who is she?” Kahi asked, trying to pry.

“I don’t know.”

Still gazing at the girl, Yoonjo answered indifferently.

“Then why are you looking at her?”

“Because I can see her.”

“You know that answer doesn’t make sense, right?”

Kahi forced a laugh, but she couldn’t accept his response. With his personality, Yoonjo wouldn’t have focused on anyone simply because they were visible. Something about that girl had definitely caught his attention.

“She’s interesting.”

Since Kahi said his answer didn’t make sense, Yoonjo gave his best attempt at a reason. She was an interesting and unusual girl—enough to make him notice.

Her unusually tall frame, bending to accommodate her shorter friends, the boldness she’d shown that first day when she’d turned her back and marched away from the school gates…how she’d nervously asked him not to tell anyone why she transferred, only to act sour when he showed no interest. Her peculiar personality was evident in her actions, like her restraint and the way she managed herself even in challenging situations. Even though she seemed to avoid her desk partner, she’d gone out of her way to block the sunlight for him.

She was…a strange girl.

“Do you like her?”

“No.”

Of course not. But…

“She just keeps me awake.”

“What? And with me?”

Kahi’s face fell as she tried to hide her worry. Knowing that the perpetually sleepy Kang Yoonjo couldn’t sleep around that girl hinted that she had somehow infiltrated his thoughts.

Without replying, Yoonjo turned his gaze to Kahi. After a moment, he let out a huge yawn.

“Hey!”

Kahi crumpled a tissue from the table and threw it at him, annoyed as he stifled a chuckle and continued sipping on the now-empty milk carton.

Crash. A small aquarium hit the floor, shattering into pieces. Water spilled everywhere, and two little guppies flopped desperately. Yul felt like she was watching herself and her grandmother in those helpless fish.

“Why are you doing this?” Yul demanded, clenching her fists. These were the thugs who forced her father to accept subcontract deals and used muscle to pressure him. They’d secretly stolen steel, watered down concrete, and ultimately caused buildings to collapse. When her father couldn’t pay, they forced him to turn to loan sharks, all of whom they ran. And now, these were the henchmen they sent after her.

Despite her family refusing the inheritance, they still came around demanding money, tormenting her and her grandmother as if they were stuck in hell.

“Why do you think, sweetheart?”

The thug, who looked around thirty, swaggered up to her. Twin snake tattoos on his neck forked, one head reaching his ear, the other dipping below his collar. They looked menacing, and the sight made her instinctively back away.

His sticky gaze swept over her, lingering on her chest. His eyes glinted with an unsettling, lustful gleam.

“It’s because your grandma won’t pay up, you see? I’m left with no choice,” he said.

“We have no obligation to pay.”

Yul shivered at the way his eyes roved over her, but she continued to glare back.

“That might be the law here, but in our company, the rules are different.”

“How are we supposed to pay if we have nothing?” she gritted out. They’d bled her grandmother dry, taking everything, even an old property they had, only to sell it off for a fortune during redevelopment. Despite this, they hadn’t given her a penny toward the debt. They claimed that she and her grandmother still owed a mountain of money.

“You want me to tell you how?”

“…”

“There are plenty of ways. For instance, you could quit school and come with me to make some big money.”

“Hey, you idiot. She’s underage,” his companion laughed, adding mockingly, even though his gaze wasn’t much less filthy.

“What’s the big deal? You like them fresh and young, don’t you?”

They openly leered at her, devoid of any sense of decency or morals. Trembling with fear and anger, Yul wished those snake tattoos on his neck would come to life and sink their fangs into him, filling him with poison.

Whack.

“Ouch! What the hell?”

The thug in front of Yul clutched his back, his face twisted in pain.