Chapter 4: Sniff sniff

Behind the school, there was an old storage room.

It was a cluttered space filled with outdated sports equipment and trash-like items.

“Gihoon, did you see the picture posted in the bamboo forest today?”

“What picture?”

Choi Gihoon leaned against the corner of the storage room, a cigarette dangling from his lips, as he looked at his phone.

“That girl you drooled over during the entrance ceremony? She has a boyfriend.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? I asked her friend about it.”

“Really? But the photo’s up. Look at this.”

Choi Gihoon stubbed his cigarette on the floor, giving a bitter laugh.

“What’s this guy’s name?”

“Kim Dohyun.”

“He looks like a pampered pretty boy, and his name’s just as annoying.”

“You gonna let it slide?”

“For now? They could just be friends.”

Gihoon lit another cigarette, unconcerned.

***

Unable to endure the boredom of class, I fell into a deep sleep.

Before I knew it, lunchtime had arrived.

I wasn’t hungry, thanks to a hearty breakfast.

I grabbed some bread and milk for a simple meal and returned to the classroom.

As I opened the packaging, loud voices came from the desk next to mine.

“Hey, Kim Dohyun! What’s your League rank?”

The boys surrounded me, excitedly talking about the game.

I could sense I was getting closer to my classmates today.

With bread in my mouth, I answered indifferently, “Master.”

“Really? I’m Bronze. Carry me sometime, will you?”

“Sure.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Who knows.”

I brushed them off lightly and kept chewing my bread.

Then came the girls.

“Kim Dohyun, do you use Instagram?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie. Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“What about other platforms?”

I gulped down my milk and shook my head with a tired look.

“I don’t. It’s all too bothersome.”

The girls whispered among themselves, amused.

“He’s like an old man.”

“But doesn’t that make him more charming?”

“That’s just because you’re into looks.”

Annoyed by their giggly chatter, I buried my head on the desk.

“So much for the youthful vibe. What a joke.”

This kind of thing just didn’t suit me.

It was all too cheesy and embarrassing.

“Hey, Kim Dohyun, want to play soccer?”

Without lifting my head, I waved my hand in refusal.

***

The fifth period was P.E.

The boys had already started kicking the ball around on the field during lunch.

The girls sat in the shade under the stands, chatting away.

I watched the scene through the classroom window.

A jasmine fragrance floated gently on the breeze.

My eyes wandered to the desk next to mine, where a neatly folded school uniform lay.

‘Hmm….’

Before I realized it, my hand reached toward the pristine uniform.

I was alone in the classroom.

A primal instinct stirred within me.

‘No, stop it, you idiot. There are plenty of weirdos in the world—guys like me.’

I thought about how naive people needed lessons about how harsh the world could be.

I picked up the hem of the uniform gently.

Sniff sniff—

A subtle fragrance lingered on the fabric.

‘Do I have this kind of fetish?’

It was a revelation I wasn’t prepared for today.

“What are you doing?”

Startled, I turned around to face the unexpected voice.

In my shock, my toe hit the desk frame.

At the back door stood Seo Yuna, staring at me in horror.

‘This wasn’t part of the game’s script, was it? Curiosity may kill the cat, but right now, it looked like it might take me too.’

My heart sank.

‘Even in a tiger’s den, you survive if you stay calm.’

I scrambled for an excuse that sounded somewhat plausible.

“There was dust on it, so I was brushing it off.”

“Don’t lie.”

Yuna snatched the blouse from my hands and waved it in front of my face.

“I saw everything the moment I walked in! You were sniffing it like a total creep!”

‘Of all times… why now?’

I felt a little wronged.

Denying it now would only make me look guiltier.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Embarrassed because I caught you?”

‘Why even ask? Of course, I was.’

Girls tend to act much stronger when they have the upper hand.

That meant I was utterly screwed.

Then, a quote I once read from a French emperor popped into my head:

‘Shameless boldness can sometimes be the strongest weapon.’

I decided to put that into practice.

“Yeah, I sniffed it. So what?”

“What?”

Yuna’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“It smelled nice, so I smelled it. Is there a problem?”

I replied nonchalantly, carefully watching her reaction.

Her face turned red with anger, and she glared at me.

“A problem? Yeah, there’s a huge problem, you pervert!”

“Think about it again.”

“Think about what? I saw it with my own eyes.”

“When you pass by a flower on the street and want to smell it, do you ask the landowner for permission?”

“What does that even mean…?”

“When you like the smell of skewers at a street stall, do you ask the vendor for permission to take a deep breath? No, you just smell it.”

Yuna’s face grew redder as she fumed.

“You’re seriously calling that an excuse?”

I sighed deeply.

“Try to counter it.”

“What?”

Yuna momentarily lost her words and bit her lip.

“This is so ridiculous. What kind of guy even does this?”

I shrugged and got up from my seat.

“So, what do you want me to do about it?”

“What if I spread the word about this? What are you going to do then?”

Yuna’s voice grew louder.

I crumpled the bread wrapper and tossed it into the trash can as if it was no big deal.

“Do whatever you want.”

“What?”

“Spread it or don’t. It’s your choice.”

Yuna’s mouth opened in disbelief, then closed again.

‘Good. Got her reaction.’

She should have been angrier, but my unexpected response must have thrown her off.

I checked the time and glanced out the window.

Now was the perfect time to make my escape.

“Class is about to start.”

“Hey, you crazy idiot! Where are you going?!”

I heard her calling after me desperately, but I left the classroom without looking back.

The goodwill I had carefully built up was completely shattered.

‘Oh well, it’s her loss. It’s not like it’s irreversible.’

***

Yuna sat under the shade of the stands, arms crossed, watching the field.

She still had the blouse in her hand.

Leaving it on the desk earlier felt too unsettling.

‘That perverted jerk. I just went to get sunscreen, and he was doing that.’

The image of Dohyun sniffing her uniform popped back into her mind.

It was so ridiculous that she almost laughed out loud.

Instead, she unconsciously ran her fingers over the blouse.

‘Was the scent really that good?’

The more she thought about it, the stranger she felt.

Even though the situation was absurd, a subtle sense of superiority crept in.

‘Wasn’t his reaction at least honest?’

The noisy shouts from the field interrupted her thoughts.

“Hey! Pass it! Pass!”

The boys were sweating profusely as they played soccer.

‘Just standing still is enough to make you feel like dying in this heat. Idiots.’

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Kim Dohyun lingering awkwardly near the stands.

‘Tch. Acting all confident earlier, but now he’s clearly nervous.’

She smirked at the sight.

‘If he apologized sincerely, I might let it slide. After all, he did help me once.’

Yuna fiddled with the hem of the blouse absentmindedly.

***

In “Love is War,” there are countless events—main events that drive the storyline and sub-events that increase a heroine’s affection.

The one I was targeting was a sub-event that occurred during the first P.E. class.

The choices in the game were simple:

• Ignore it.
• Block the ball.

If you pick the first option, Yuna ducks on her own to avoid the ball, and the situation resolves without issue.

If you pick the second option, things change.

The protagonist dramatically blocks the ball with his face, resulting in a nosebleed.

The reward? Affection +1.

But the catch? The protagonist ends up with a mark on his face for several days, making the storyline harder to progress.

‘The mark made things more difficult later on.’

‘It was an event I could skip, but who knew how much Yuna’s affection had dropped from earlier?’

Judging by how quiet the other girls were, she hadn’t told anyone about what happened yet.

It was almost time for the sub-event to happen.

I had no intention of taking a soccer ball to the face.

I hovered near Yuna, waiting for the right moment.

The boys were enthusiastically kicking the ball around.

Then, one of them accidentally kicked it too hard.

The ball soared toward the stands at high speed.

“Hey, watch out!”

A panicked shout followed.

The ball was heading straight for Yuna.

“Ahhh!”

Yuna and the other girls screamed.

I dashed forward, reaching for the incoming ball.

Thud!

The ball slammed into my palm with unexpected force.

‘Argh!’

I screamed internally.

A sharp pain shot through my hand, but I forced a smile despite my distorted face.

The girls gasped in unison.

“Wow! Is he a prince on a white horse or something?!”

“That was insane!”

“This looks like something straight out of a drama!”

Yuna stared at me with wide eyes, clearly surprised.

I shrugged, pretending to be fine, though the pain was unbearable.

Men live and die for their pride.

And in front of girls, that pride multiplies tenfold.

“Are you okay?”

Yuna approached me with a worried expression.

“It’s nothing.”

Despite my words, sharp pain shot up my hand every time I moved it.

‘God, this hurts like hell. It’s probably fractured or at least a torn ligament.’

Grimacing, I approached the P.E. teacher.

“I think I injured my hand. I need to go to the infirmary.”

The teacher, having witnessed the incident, allowed me to leave without hesitation.

“Oww! This really hurts, teacher!”

The school nurse waved dismissively after examining my hand.

“It’s just a sprain. Put some ice on it, and it’ll heal.”

Embarrassed, I muttered under my breath.

‘No fracture? That’s ridiculous…’

***

After receiving treatment, I returned to the field and sat on an empty spot in the stands.

A moment later, someone tapped my shoulder.

“Hey, you looked like a total idiot back there.”

“I had sacrificed my hand to protect her, and this was the thanks I got?”

“Then again, maybe she felt I’d saved her against her will.”

I didn’t respond and just inspected my hand.

“Anyway… th-tha…”

Trailing off, Yuna fiddled with the edge of her shirt nervously.

Biting her lip slightly, she finally managed to speak.

“Thanks for blocking the ball earlier. I might’ve been hit if it weren’t for you.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

I meant it.

If left alone, she would’ve dodged the ball on her own.

Trying to clear the awkward atmosphere, Yuna suddenly giggled and whispered.

“I’ll keep your little secret about sniffing in the classroom.”

“Do whatever you want.”

“By the way, is that how you always talk?”

“What’s wrong with my tone?”

She pinched the sweat-dampened fabric of her shirt and grinned mischievously.

“Want to smell this as a reward?”

‘What the hell did I just hear?!’

Yuna burst into laughter at my stunned expression and stepped back.

“Kidding!”