𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | 𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐣𝐮𝐧

𝟏𝟏.

"Show me the confession letter! Show it! Hey!"

Seojun sighed irritably. He walked away while his friends continued chanting, 'read it!'. Ignoring their pleas, he pondered why he had allowed them to believe it was a confession letter. Perhaps, if only briefly, he could pretend everything was normal.

⋯

After avoiding Seojun for the remainder of the day, Jangmi entered school the next morning, hoping that her streak of luck would continue. Sooa's suggestion of the handwritten letter had proven spot-on, and Jangmi felt a strong urge to embrace her best friend in gratitude. She tried to envision Seojun reading the note, offering an understanding smile, and casually discarding it—allowing the vexation over his missing helmet to be momentarily set aside.

The dark-haired girl was content that the day was progressing smoothly, but she couldn't help but notice Jugyeong's peculiar behavior. Jugyeong had been bustling around all day, seemingly preoccupied with Suho. Although curiosity gnawed at Jangmi's thoughts, the lunch bell interrupted her musings, shifting her focus to the immediate need for food. However, Jugyeong happened to dash away again as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"Oh!" Jangmi exclaimed suddenly. "Not to be the second person to run off, but I just realized I left my wallet in our classroom. I'll catch up with you guys in the cafeteria, okay?"

Sooa nodded anxiously. "Sure. If you come across Jugyeong, please check if she's still planning to join us for lunch?"

"Of course!" Jangmi nodded, turning on her heels to run down the same hallway Jugyeong did. As she prepared to turn toward the staircase, her body collided with Han Seojun's.

"Hey, helmet," he said immediately, gently pushing her away.

"I told you to be patient with me!" she inadvertently snapped.

He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Jangmi initially considered ignoring him and continuing up the stairs but quickly recognized the potential repercussions of her tone. She couldn't afford to jeopardize the success of the handwritten letter so soon. With widened eyes, she halted, retracing her steps down the stairs to confront Seojun. "I apologize. I didn't mean for my words to come off like that," she bowed her head. "I promise you'll be getting it back soon."

Receiving no response from the boy, Jangmi sighed and resumed her ascent up the stairs, unaware that this marked the second confrontation witnessed by Soojin.

⋯

Soojin harbored a deep resentment towards Seojun for the pain he had inflicted on her best friend, intensifying her fury. Witnessing him make a fuss over a helmet only fueled her disdain. She had vowed to intervene if Seojun confronted Jangmi more than once, and now he found himself in hot water without a paddle. The girl in second place was more than prepared to give him a hard time.

Locating Seojun and his friends lounging outside, she approached them without fear or hesitation. "Hey, Han Seojun, are you a gangster?" she bellowed, causing one of the guys to tumble over. Unfazed, she continued, "During the first semester, you always made the class atmosphere so brutal. Now you're trying to extort a girl who never did anything wrong to you. You walk around with these minions, trying to act like bullies, but they look insignificant to me—just like anchovy poop. If I see you guys trying to bother others again, I'm reporting you guys to the school, and you'll be embarrassed to show your face here again. Do you understand, you anchovy poop-like people?" With that, she spun on her heels and walked away.

"A-Anchovy?" one of the guys questioned.

"I'm bulking up right now!" declared another.

"What did she say?" Seojun inquired.