ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ | ɪɴsᴏ's ʟᴀᴡ

024

Despite the slight gap in height, the girl preceding Lee Ru-da appears to be significantly shorter.

"Mimi." His intense gaze locked onto her, as if she were his sole focus. "Why didn't you tell your friends?"

Chomi's breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with him, matching his intense energy, "It's none of your business," she retorted.

When he told her not to tell her own friends about it, she understood what he meant. It was because she became involved in Ru-da's issue, even though she didn't want to, that she ended up getting hurt.

"Why—"

Ru-da's eyes widened in astonishment as she placed her palm on the top of his head, which caused him to be surprised. "I wouldn't want any of my friends to develop a hatred for you for no reason."

"Is that really all?"

She softly hummed and gently withdrew her hand. However, regardless of what she says, Ru-da remains skeptical of her words. Although she can't decipher Mimi's intentions easily, it's clear to him that she's being evasive.

However, the way she gazes at him, with genuine eyes, causes him to understand the reasons.

Her heart is filled with compassion.

She is an independent soul, relying solely on herself.

She holds it close, keeping it all to herself.

In solitude.

All alone.

She desired no sympathy, no concern, and no misinterpretation of the situations involving her friends. The reason she provided deeply moved him.

He had never truly known her, their connection was distant, but now he yearned to unravel the depths of her being.

She tried to get Ru-da's attention, "Hello?" Are you still there?

He abruptly shifted his attention and... "I'm sorry."

No matter how genuine the apologies were, she received a deluge of them. Still, she's in need of something—a solace, really—following the entire incident. Therefore, his regrets cause her to quiver and feel sentimental. She finally got what she deserved, after waiting for so long. An understated yet profound word, "Sorry."

Ru-da was met with an eerie silence, until his gaze was suddenly captivated by her presence.

Her face beamed with joy as she said, "It's okay."

On that day, and ever since then, Ru-da has discovered someone with whom he genuinely connects.

---

The Pocky that Ru-da had given her is being munched on by her. The lad was staring at her, as she glanced to her right. Breathing heavily, she says, "I know I'm like hot hot, but you're creeping me out."

"I'm curious..."

"Curious of what?"

"Of you." The purple-headed girl flushed as a result of Ru-da's direct words. "Doesn't it bother you how so-called friends are spamming your messages."

Then she gave him a deadpan expression, so that was it? Unfortunately, she had the impression that he would make a fine boyfriend. She gave her phone a quick check and saw the notification explode.

"Well, thanks to you, I am in fact bothered."

"Why does it feels like you're blaming me."

With a chuckle, she looked at the chair that the other person was sitting next to. She reached for her pillow. "I'm in fact bothered although don't call them like that because they're not just my 'so-called friends."

"You didn't answer my question."

A humming sound came from her as she responded, "I will leave it like a mystery." Besides that, would you like to join me in playing a game?

"Hm?"

"Enlighten us about ourselves." As she became increasingly bored and ignored the worrying messages, she proceeded to make a call on her phone.

Throughout the day, they kept asking each other about each other without getting into any intimate details. Because of the game, they became closer, but not very close; trust will never win Chomi's heart.

---

"You should just die." Suddenly, her eyes opened, and the light made contact with her face. She let out a groan and then retreated to her bed. Another terrifying nightmare, she pondered.

Indeed, it was not only another nightmare. It was a recollection.

She made contact with something that was vibrating with her hands. It was her phone. It was just her friends that received the messages, and she made the decision to read them all. The messages were full of apologies, and some of them were filled with worried expressions.

As the guilt began to pour over her, she began to respond.

[Goddess: I do apologize for the delayed response, guys! I am fine, I just finished catching up with someone I had been talking to the day before!]

She dropped her phone. Even though it was Saturday, she was too lethargic to get out of bed. In her mind, she had already forgiven them; nonetheless, she is unsure as to why it seems empty.

Loneliness.

Hollowness.

She just wanted to be happy.

---

"Huh?" She immediately displayed a look of bewilderment upon seeing them, which was the first thing that she did.

With her parents absent, she cautiously opened the door, hoping to find them returning from a long day of work. However, she was mistaken.

At that moment, she observed all of them with chocolates in their hands, holding a banner that read "sorry," and the females were crying, while the boys were making downfaces.

"WE'RE SORRYYYYYY MIMI!" Almost instantly, Yeoryeong extends a hug to her and begins to cry as if her life were in danger.

Chomi tentatively reaches out and gently embraces the girl, savoring the comforting warmth with closed eyes. She smiled gently, then glanced at the others while still embracing them. "I forgive you," she said.

She's an ordinary individual, and if God can forgive, so should she. However, she is always willing to forgive, but she never forgets.