WW | Chapter 19

Yul was lost in thought, slipping her arms into her gym jacket sleeves.

“Wow. Amazing.”

Jieun let out an exclamation, staring at Yul’s chest, who was only wearing her underwear. Just as Yul was about to ask what was up, Jieun casually reached out and poked Yul’s chest. Her soft flesh pressed in, and Jieun momentarily lost her words, stammering with her lips.

“What size is this? C? D?”

“Ah…”

“Lucky you. You won’t need surgery later.”

Jieun continued comparing her own chest with Yul’s, pouring out envy and admiration. Then, as if fascinated, she reached out towards Yul again.

“Jieun.”

Yul quickly slapped Jieun’s hand away, her face clearly displeased. Surprised, Jieun stared wide-eyed at her. Yul swiftly put on her gym jacket, covering her chest, and spoke with a firm expression.

“Sorry, but I don’t like that kind of touch.”

“Oh, come on. Why so serious?”

Jieun laughed awkwardly, seeming to gauge the situation after Yul’s firm attitude.

“And about my part-time job… I’d prefer if you didn’t casually mention it.”

While they were on the topic, Yul brought up Jieun’s earlier mention of her job. Yul didn’t intend to make things awkward, but she felt it was something she needed to address at least once. Of course, she was grateful to Jieun for looking out for her and sharing bits of information in this school where she didn’t know anyone. But Yul thought that even if it was something that friends might joke about, if it made someone uncomfortable, it was better left unsaid.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know, but it just makes me a bit uncomfortable.”

Yul softened her expression and gave a gentle smile. Seeing Jieun looking down, deflated, she wondered if maybe she’d gone too far. But no, she did the right thing. Without offering any more consolation or excuses, she closed her locker.

“Let’s go. We’re late.”

“Yeah.”

At Yul’s words, Jieun avoided eye contact and began walking. Unlike before, they walked side by side but without linking arms, the atmosphere somehow chilly. Was she upset? She didn’t seem to be acting awkward or embarrassed, but it wasn’t completely off the mark. As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Jieun stopped.

“You go ahead. I’ll catch up after the bathroom.”

Her voice, given so casually, held no warmth. Without waiting for Yul’s reply, she turned and walked the other way. Yul briefly considered following her but shook her head and headed towards the gym. She didn’t want to reverse her stance by going to comfort her. Jieun, with her easygoing personality, would probably shake it off and come around soon enough.

Ah, she thought, hoping this was the end of her bad luck after a rough night’s sleep.

“Alright, everyone, listen up.”

The P.E. teacher standing on the volleyball court blew his whistle, gathering the attention of two classes of students. The students who were chatting in the seats outside the court stopped talking and looked at him.

“Just like we practiced last time, split up by class, practice for ten minutes, and then we’ll have a class competition. Girls with girls, boys with boys. The losing team cleans up here before they leave. Got it?”

“Yes!”

The students responded enthusiastically. Soon, the kids on the court started practicing in their groups—serves, receives, passes, and tosses. The difference in skill between the boys and girls was noticeable. Most of the boys handled the techniques well, but the girls were struggling—missing serves, mishitting the ball during a receive, or accidentally hitting their wrists too hard.

Yul, not yet in turn, sat on the edge of the court watching the others practice. She couldn’t help but look toward the boys. The loud thwacks of the ball hitting hands felt almost like they were coming from a speaker, filling her with a strange satisfaction yet also a bit of fear. If a ball like that hit her, it felt like it could turn her face sideways.

One particularly impressive player was Kang Yoonjo. With his tall frame and powerful serves, he seemed like a volleyball pro. Most students couldn’t handle his serves and ended up deflecting the ball away. It was fascinating to see this usually sleepy kid so engaged in sports.

“Hey, Seomun Yul.”

Just as she was watching, something blocked her view. She looked up to find Choi Seohee and her friends standing over her. Seohee’s expression was unusually cold today.

“Come with me.”

Not wanting to make a scene, Seohee glanced around before starting to walk away. What was her deal? Yul had a sinking feeling but couldn’t refuse. Ignoring Seohee might work for now, but it would definitely cause bigger problems later.

Since they couldn’t go outside, Seohee led her to a spot as out of sight as possible. She gestured with her eyes toward a bench, indicating for Yul to sit. This was definitely unusual. Seohee’s cold gaze, angry expression, and tightly pressed lips—all of it made Yul nervous.

When Yul reluctantly sat down, Seohee’s friends surrounded her. To others, it probably looked like they were just chatting, skipping out on practice.

“What’s up?”

“What’s up?”

When Yul asked, Seohee sneered, repeating her words back.

“Have you been badmouthing me?”

“What?”

“You’re really a piece of work, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Yul, confused, tried to stand, but Seohee’s friends pushed her back down. Not only that, but two of them linked arms with her, making sure she couldn’t get up again. Seohee pulled her phone out of her gym pants pocket and shoved it in Yul’s face. Yul, not knowing what was happening, stared blankly at it.

Click.

“Hey!”

Realizing her photo had been taken, Yul tried to get up, only to be pulled down again. Click, click. Seohee snapped several more photos in quick succession.

“What are you doing? Delete those!”

Yul glared at Seohee, shouting in frustration. She didn’t know what Seohee planned to do with the photos, but just the fact that they were taken made her anxious. There was no way this forced situation would end well.

“Why would I delete them?”

“It’s my picture!”

“Yeah, on my camera.”

“Do you think it’s okay to take someone’s photo without permission?”

“Who said I took it without care? I made sure it’s a good shot, you crazy bitch.”

Seohee retorted mockingly, then suddenly grabbed a handful of Yul’s hair.

“Hey, you think you can walk all over me because I go easy on you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone like you…”

Just as Seohee was shaking Yul’s head and speaking, a voice interrupted.

“What are you doing?”

Someone pushed through Seohee’s group to look at Yul. It was Park Geonju. Not that he was here to save her; in fact, it would probably just make things worse. He exaggeratedly furrowed his brow as he looked from Yul, her hair still held by Seohee, to Seohee herself.

“Why are you picking on poor Yul?”

“Get lost.”

“Seohee, don’t be so mean. You’ll go to hell if you bully people prettier than you.”

“What the hell are you saying? Idiot, you don’t even know her real name.”

“You think I’m just letting this slide?”

Geonju leaned forward, subtly threatening Seohee. She pursed her lips but didn’t respond, seemingly intimidated. With a smug look, he bent down to meet Yul’s gaze.

“Long time no see, Yul.”

“…”

Yul didn’t respond to his misplaced greeting. With her hair disheveled, she wasn’t exactly in the mood to smile and say, “Hey, it’s been a while.” Her heart was racing, but she tried hard to stay calm. Losing her cool wouldn’t improve this awful situation.

“Wow, you’re so touched you can’t even respond, huh?”

“Long time no see.”

“I was actually thinking about you while I was home. So, what are you up to today?”

“Working.”

Finally, Geonju’s true intentions came out. Yul answered in a tiny voice, uncertain how far she should go with him. She wasn’t sure how to appease him without provoking him. All her fragile peace was at risk of shattering in this storm.

“Where do you work?”

“A convenience store.”

“Which one?”

“My neighborhood.”

“Jeez, Yul. Why do you make people angry?”

“…”

Annoyed by her vague answers, Geonju’s expression hardened. But then, as if generously giving her another chance, he put on a fake smile and asked again.

“So, exactly what time and at which convenience store in which neighborhood, Yul?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Why? You’re really good at pissing people off.”

Clearly irritated by her response, Geonju shot her a fierce glare. Seohee and her friends scoffed and laughed at him. After silencing them with a curse, Geonju turned back to Yul, putting on a friendly smile.

“Don’t make me ask twice. Where is it?”

“Seoun-dong. Behind the CGV.”

In the end, Yul answered. Geonju showed no sign of backing off, and she was already too drained from the day before to keep resisting.