(YEODAN ROOM)
Yeodan was sitting on the edge of his bed in his room, his body clad in casual sweatpants and other comfortable attire. His thoughts suddenly drifted to a memory from his past, specifically when he was still a child.
"Hey is there anything you like?" Haera, a younger version of herself, suddenly appeared before him in his memories. She said in an annoyed tone, "You just keep clinging to Yeoryeong like a puppy."
Yeo-Dan was baffled by her comment and responded, "What do you mean?". Young haera rolled her eyes because of his naive question
"Don't you have any hobbies or things that you like?" She continued, "Like sports or favorite foods, things like that."
Yeo-Dan replied innocently, "I like spacing out. I enjoy it when Yeoryeong calls me when I'm doing it."
Haera remained silent as she looked at him, expressing her disdain for his attachment to his sister. Finally, she said, "You're hopeless.... I guess you have a sister complex" She said as she sigh
The younger version of Yeodan watched her silently. The younger version of Haera seemed to have a harsh and impolite personality, as she only pursued reading books.
She was often calm and only interacted with Yeoryeong whenever the latter wanted to study. Yeoryeong didn't mind studying, but she enjoyed spending time with Haera since Haera preferred to read rather than play.
Yeoryeong desired to have friends, but Haera was reluctant. Even though she didn't require friendship to survive, she still chose to stay with Yeoryeong due to not wanting to devastate her.
She was content being in a trio, despite the members' contrasting personalities. Haera enjoyed reading books while Yeoryeong and Dan-I played around her. Surprisingly, she never expressed any jealousy or envy, and her emotional state seemed to remain muted.
As Yeodan observed Haera, he felt that she had a calm, cold, and unloving personality.
When Haera's mother insisted on her calling Yeodan "oppa" due to her being younger than Yeodan, she firmly refuse and replied,
"We're only one year apart in age, and we're barely even close, so it's unreasonable for me to refer to him as "oppa."
Her mother expressed regret over Haera's harsh response, but Yeodan himself remained indifferent. Despite everything, he still regarded her like his younger sister because she was friend with Yeoryeong.
Haera was irritated by people liking her because she was a friend of theirs, rather than her own individual. She disliked Yeodan as she felt he had no significant personality distinct from Yeoryeong's,
And he simply treated her as a young sister purely due to her relationship with Yeoryeong. She had no intention of growing closer to him.
Even though Haera did not desire to be close to Yeodan previously, he was still quite eager to become close to her. However, he believed that it would be a difficult task since she did not initially reciprocate his desire.
Once she entered middle school, she drastically changed.
"Yeodan, I want to call you Oppa," announced the 14-year-old Haera, whom Yeodan knew was different from the older one.
He accepted her request without hesitation and felt pleased by her gesture. He genuinely smiled upon witnessing her smile for the first time.
Yeodan witnessed her growing maturity.
On a rainy day, he was caught without an umbrella and loathed the rain. But when...
"Yeodan-oppa!" Haera called out to him with a smile as she knelt before the entrance of his school, shielding him from the precipitation with a large umbrella.
Haera asked, "Don't you have an umbrella Yeodan oppa?" As she handed the umbrella to him, he remained silent and observed her.
She smiled softly at him as she continued, "I guess the rain pours. I rather like it. Do you know why? Because rain will comfort you too when you cry, it'll also cry with you."
"What do you mean?" Yeodan asked
"When you cry, the rain will comfort you as well in return. This is so touching. It's almost as if the rain understands our sorrows and sympathises with us. No matter how sad we may be, the rain will always be there for us to embrace and shed tears of sorrow alongside us. That's why I like it...ah! I have to go now! Yeoryeong and Dan-I are waiting for me at the convenience store. Bye, oppa!" Haera uttered the farewell with ease and left.
This event inspired him to adore rain, which served as a reminder of Haera and her endearing words. Each drop of the rain, he associated with her and her warmth. He smiled at the thought.
///
" KANG HAERA I LIKE YOU PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!!!" The guy standing in front of Haera confessed his feelings for her, but before she could respond, Eun Jiho appeared and interrupted the conversation.
"Hey, why are you confessing to my girl friend?" he said, his facial expressions indicating an amused smirk.
"Girlfriend?!" The boy flinched, expressing his confusion, but Ji-Ho did not elaborate on his statement.
"Yeah, my girlfriend. She's taken. Sorry. Go away." The scared boy fled after Jiho's threat. Haera shot him a disgusted look, indicating her disinterest and discomfort.
"Girlfriend my ass." Haera snapped back at Jiho with disgust
Jiho became frustrated and stated, "Hey, you should be nice! I helped you!"
"Who said I needed your help?" Haera replied to Jiho in a dismissive manner.
Jiho struggled to contain his anger and replied, "This little sh*t."
Haera giggled mischievously, teasing Jiho by saying, "That's why Dan-I didn't notice your feelings for her when you confessed. Your feelings got friend zoned as a result. Haha..."
"Hey i didn't friendzone?! Wait what How did you know that?" Jiho asked
"Secret, why would I tell you? I simply know you liked her since 8th grade." Haera stated, as she proceeded to descend the stairs. Jiho grabbed her hand, to which he replied, "I liked someone else when we were in 8th grade."
Haera looked confused as she continuing to poke fun at him. "Okay, what's your point? You still got friend zoned."
Jiho's temperament became increasingly agitated and out of control, was enraged by this point, "I did not friend zone you, you piece of sh*t!"
He shouted as Haera continued to chuckle while being internally anxious, unsure of which events and storyline will change. However, she remained courageous and confident, attempting to carry the flow and act naturally like a river that keeps flowing despite obstacles.
Suddenly, she thought about Yeodan.
"You changed." The words echo through her ears, and she knows it's the truth. She has indeed changed since her introduction in this new world, becoming an unfamiliar character called Haera.
despite that she still willing to maintain them until the end.
While walking she stares to Eun Jiho who's infront of her she wondered who that "someone else" was.
"I liked someone else when we were in 8th grade."
she pondered, "If it wasn't Dan-I, then who could it have been... "
///
(FEW DAYS LATER AFTER SCHOOL)
"Will you go out with me?" A second-year boy asked Yeoryeong in their classroom while they were alone. She coldly rejected him, leaving the boy utterly speechless.
I silently observed them from the window outside the room with Dan-I, Chunyoung, Jiho, Eunhyung
After Yeoryeong hastily denied the second-year boy's request, Jiho inquired curiously, "How many seconds did it take you to make up your mind?"
Dan-I replied swiftly, "I'd wager it was less than one second."
Then added "Should we provide them with some privacy?
I responded, "It would be unwise to leave them alone together since the boy is a senior. We should all keep a watchful eye on their interactions."
"Yeah, but she's rejected over a hundred boys already; it's quite a spectacular accomplishment," Dan-I concurred
Jiho observed Dan-I and sigh. "You two are birds of the same feather after all." He complained.
Without any hesitation, Dan-I replied "What are you saying Jiho? I get it if its Haera, but I'd need to actually to be asked out first before I can worry about refusing or not and no one ever confessed to me before" Dan-I replied which made me chuckled
"Puff puff Good point Dan-I" I said holding my laugh Jiho gave me a glare, clearly annoyed by me holding my laughter. He turned his attention back towards Dan-I and questioned, "Hey Dan-I, you've been asked before, though, haven't you?"
"When?" Dan-I inquired, his facial expression displaying confusion.
I tried my hardest not to burst out laughing as I saw Jiho's reaction. Dan-I is indeed too dense
"Ugh I don't wanna explain...just forget it." Jiho remarked.
But then Ju-In's sudden exclamation "Hey look!" instantly captured our attention.
We witnessed Yeoryeong's right hand being forcefully grasped by a senior student.
"Yeoryeong!" Dan-I shouted of shock s I hurriedly darted toward the scene as well. My expression dimmed I grabbed the senior's hand with a dark glare, firmly gripping it as I spoke fiercely.
"Don't you have any sense of decency when a girl rejects you? Can you learn to take 'no' you disrespectful senior?"
"Why are you jealous? Do you want me to confess my feelings to you?" He uttered, his glare becoming more hostile as he spoke.
I burst out laughing at the audacity and sheer stupidity of the senior student's remark. He is absolutely delusional.;
he seems to think he's in some kind of romance drama and he's the male lead that's a bullshit
"Stop being delusional senior; who would even choose to be with you? You're a filthy scumbag. Are you on some drugs, thinking that you're too attractive to pass up? Get off your high horse, don't underestimate me. You're not my type at all," I replied contemptuously, tearing into him without hesitation.
The senior student's pride was severely wounded by our taunts, and he reacted with rage and hostility. His expression was full of rage as he clenched his fists and screamed,
"Don't you dare speak to me like that. I'm not some loser that no one would date. Who would even date a nerd like you?" he said
A fire surged through my body when the senior student called me a nerd. Does he really believe I'm a puny nerd because of my glasses?
Then, suddenly, Yeoryeong intervened and confronted the senior student she pushed her hair back, stating, "You're a disgusting senior, and your words and behavior are unacceptable. Haera is extremely gorgeous, and you're too unattractive to appreciate her beauty so wake up. Therefore, I advise you to never face Haera and me ever again. Do you understand?" he said darkly
I was caught off guard by Yeoryeong's outburst as she defense me
"YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT SH*T JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE PRETTY? THERE ARE PLENTY OF PRETTIER GIRLS OUT THERE! YOU LITTLE B**CH PLAYING HARD TO GET!!" The senior yelled angrily towards us, which caused my blood to boil.
At this moment, "THAT FUCKING---" Dan-I seemed ready to approach the senior student, but Yeoryeong covered her ears and muttered, "Don't listen."
Dan-I's eyes widened, seemingly taken aback by Yeoryeong's action.
Upon observing the increasingly behavior of the senior student, I clenched my fists in rage and considered eliminating him from the picture.
"Should I kill him off?" I questioned, seemingly half-joking and half- serious.
Jiho, however, looked at me with a worried expression on his face as his grip tightened on my arm. "Hey, we could get arrested for murder. We could eliminate him discreetly without anyone knowing."
"You really take it serious... " I muttered as he just smiled
But suddenly the senior run toward me as if he want to beat me, Jiho shielded me from the aggressive senior student. As he reacted swiftly by grabbing the senior shirt collar and glaring at him with a dark expression.
Jiho's eyes were filled with a murderous rage as he whispered, "Don't waste my patience..." His words were sharp and chilling.
"What, are you gonna hit me?" The senior antagonized, "You're going to hit a second-year student?"
My thoughts were quite rational, wondering "what does being a second year have to do with getting these hands sir?"
Eunhyung soon appeared, separating Jiho from the senior. "No violence, Jiho," Eunhyung said, as he gently removed Jiho's hand from the student's collar.
"Oh, how pathetic," the senior muttered under his breath as he adjusted his jacket. Eunhyung had put his hand on the senior's left shoulder in a friendly manner.
Eunhyung was extremely menacing as his gaze met that of the student. "Do you know how the Joella province locals swear?" He inquired, his tone ominous. "They regularly say things like 'I'll pluck your eyes out and use them for ping pong or rip your intestines out and use them as jump ropes.'"
The senior was taken aback by the ominous words of Eunhyung as he suddenly yanked his hand away and retreated.
He quickly grew furious, yelling angrily, "Oh, do you think that the school won't intervene if a bunch of first-year students initiate a fight? Look at you all gathered here since you can't handle it alone."
I wanted to punch him really he making my blood boils but then it stopped me when Chunyoung's sudden entrance left me taken aback. The calmness and coldness in his demeanor were eerie.
"I can handle you on my own," Chunyoung stated calmly but firmly as he slammed a chair to the ground. "You appear weak. Don't deceive yourself into thinking all of us have gathered here solely because of your presence." He continued forcefully.
The senior was left in disbelief. He had just been verbally assaulted by Chunyoung, who appeared unbothered by the senior's intimidating gestures and arrogant remarks.
" Fuck you'll pay for this!" He shouted as he fled the classroom in panic upon realizing Chunyoung's frightening appearance, I was left in stunned awe. The senior's sudden departure after his humiliating defeat brought me immense relief.
Dan-I sighed and said, "Finally, he's gone," as he appeared to be relieved.
"Hwang Siwoo is the biggest Second-Year Bully. I've heard plenty of rumors about him, but I never expected to encounter him here," Ju-In, explained with composure calm and stoic expression
"Things aren't going to end well here..." I mumbled in concern.
Ju-In suddenly grabbed my arm as if hugging me. "Don't worry, noona, I'll protect you," she said with youthful innocence, melting my heart.
"Thank you, Ju-In," I replied warmly. "This noona will also protect you" I said
Dan-I expressed genuine concern and asked, "Haera, are you okay? That senior insulted you relentlessly!" He clutched his fist, seemingly preparing to deliver a powerful blow.
"I'm fine; I insulted him as well," I replied with a chuckle.
"He deserve it i should have just kick him!" Dan-I insist as i laughed
Yeoryeong also expressed concern and inquired, "Haera, are you truly doing well? What about you, Yeoryeong?"
I had a wide, reassuring smile on my face. "Yeoryeong, yes, I'm okay. What about you?" I asked as she smiled brightly
"I'm fine; it doesn't bother me as long as you guys are here with me," Yeoryeong cheerfully replied, gripping my hand and Dan-I's hand.
"So, everyone, let's continue on! We're supposed to spend time with each other today!" She added, her lovely disposition lifting our moods. We all nodded amd leave the classroom as we start to have conversation together...
When I was young, I was continuously belittled and ridiculed due to my status as an adopted child. I constantly protected myself because I didn't possess companions who could shield me.
As I grew older, it was necessary for me to be courageous and strong. However, in this world, I'm experiencing a unique kind of connection - one where we're protecting one another. These are friendships that I feel I can genuinely cherish and desire.
'I'm hoping it will last long...'
To Be Continued