Chapter 11 : Test Betting

Ding.

A notification rang, and I looked at my phone.

[Lee Jian]

→ What are you doing?

After finishing uploading my observation report, I replied.

[Kim Dohyun]
→ Messaging.

There was no reply for a long time.

[Lee Jian]

→Who are you talking to?

Was she dozing off?

There were a lot of typos.

[Lee Jian]
→I’m not interrupting you, right?

[Kim Dohyun]

→I’m literally messaging you right now.

[Lee Jian]
→ ?
→  Hey, you #$@%(duck angrily flapping its wings emoji)

Of course, teasing her is fun.

That emoji—she must really like it.

‘She’s been using it nonstop ever since I showed it to her that time.’

[Kim Dohyun]

→Are you an idiot?

[Lee Jian]

→….Why am I the idiot?

You’re the one who tricked me.

The one calling someone an idiot is usually the bigger idiot.

Judging by how much she was talking, she must be getting frustrated.

[Kim Dohyun]

→I’m not on the same level as you.

[Lee Jian]

→What are you even saying?

→Should we bet on the midterms?

→Whoever loses has to grant the winner a wish.

[Kim Dohyun]

→….. Can you handle it?

[Lee Jian]

→ ….It’s not me who has to handle it, it’s you.

“This is ridiculous.”

I let out a dry chuckle.

In the original story, Lee Jian barely managed to avoid failing her exams.

The academy had a strict failing system.

Even though it strongly encouraged club activities and was well known for them, it also made sure academics weren’t neglected.

Failing didn’t mean you got held back a year, but it did mean you had to temporarily stop club activities and participate in mandatory supplementary classes.

“No matter what, I’m still better than you.”

The school had already quieted down, and the outside air had grown even chillier.

Since it was the last day of exams, only a handful of students remained.

I sat at my desk, checking my answers.

And then, someone approached me.

Lee Jian.

“You didn’t forget our bet for this exam, did you?”

She looked confident, yet her eyes avoided mine ever so slightly.

Was she excited?

Or nervous?

“The bet?”

I asked indifferently.

“What?

You better not say you forgot.”

She looked up at me with a dissatisfied expression.

“Oh, that?

Are you seriously an idiot?

Why do you think I’m staying behind to check my answers?”

She was the one who brought it up first.

“I was just confirming, okay?!

I’ll crush you.”

“Then I won’t be able to wear my glasses…”

Lee Jian burst into laughter.

I wasn’t even trying to be funny.

“Don’t make me laugh!

I’m being serious here.”

“What?

You’re the one who laughed first.”

“4, 2, 3, 4, 1.”

She called out her answers while the sound of pencil scratching paper filled the quiet classroom.

Once she finished grading, she shoved the marked test sheets in front of me.

“Look at this!”

“Oh, your score improved a lot.”

I thought she’d barely pass, but she managed to clear the failing mark with ease.

She must’ve worked hard.

“Amazing, right?

Huh?

Wait a second…”

“What now?”

“How do you even know my scores improved?”

I flinched at her words but answered nonchalantly.

“……I can just tell by the way you’re acting.”

Lee Jian stared at me silently.

“You keep looking down on me.

How well did you do?”

As I calculated my final score, she kept talking beside me.

“Don’t forget the deal!

A wish!

You still have time to back out.”

I handed over my graded test.

Her expression slowly hardened.

I was already in the top ranks, so the competition was never fair to begin with.

“Well?

Want to back out now?”

I asked casually as I packed my bag.

Lee Jian hesitated for a moment, then coughed and looked away.

“Back out…?”

“No, I was just asking.”

She looked at me with an expression full of betrayal.

“The world of competition is a cold one.”

“Don’t you think you’re being too cold?”

She grumbled and kicked a stray pebble on the sidewalk.

“What even is our relationship?”

“…Just… friends, I guess.”

Her voice sounded uncharacteristically subdued.

Was she really that disappointed about losing?

I patted her lightly on the shoulder.

“You lost, but you put up a good fight.”

“What?”

“A little consolation.”

“Instead of that, can’t you just let me off the hook?”

“Nope.”

She lightly smacked my arm.

It wasn’t hard, but it was filled with frustration.

I didn’t bother dodging and just looked at her.

“Anyway, since you lost, my wish still stands.”

“If you don’t keep your word, that’d be fraud.”

Lee Jian pursed her lips.

“…Can I ask you something instead?”

“A wish is a wish.”

“Then as a consolation, just one question.”

“What is it?”

She hesitated for a moment, her lips opening and closing repeatedly.

What kind of question was making her so hesitant?

“…Do you like someone?”

At that moment, my footsteps stopped.

Lee Jian, who had been walking ahead, turned around.

Click.

A crisp sound echoed in my ears, like the snap of a soda can being opened.

Our eyes met.

A face flashed through my mind and disappeared.

“…No one.”

“Really?”

And with that, our conversation came to an end.

The light from the practice room pierced through the darkness.

At that moment, light spilled out through the half-open door.

There were signs of movement inside.

“…Someone’s in there at this hour?”

[Observer Mode Activated. The perspective is fixed.]

Yoon Jihoo was holding a martial arts stance.

To be precise, Park Nayul was adjusting his stance.

“Lower your arm angle a bit more.”

Park Nayul lightly grasped his arm and corrected his posture.

Her fingertips slid down his forearm.

Without any particular reaction, Yoon Jihoo adjusted his stance as she guided him.

It was smooth.

Natural.

The close distance between them.

Beside me, Lee Jian suddenly fell silent.

I naturally turned to look at her.

Her gaze was locked onto the scene inside the practice room.

Her eyes followed the two of them—watching, for a long time.

She had a look as if she was thinking about something.

Or trying not to.

I quietly took a step back.

The observer’s position.

As always, I watched from a step away.

The time she spent staring at Park Nayul and Yoon Jihoo grew longer.

As I observed that, a thought crossed my mind before I even realized it.

‘She doesn’t look happy.’

Probably.

Because it was too natural.

The sight of Park Nayul and Yoon Jihoo together.

Standing close, hands touching.

Lee Jian’s expression wavered slightly.

And I came to a simple conclusion once again.

‘Of course.’

Considering the flow of the original story, this was an expected emotion.

Lee Jian cared about Yoon Jihoo.

So, this reaction was natural.

Maybe I had been hoping for something different, expecting an anomaly.

Maybe I had been looking for a possibility where Lee Jian and Yoon Jihoo wouldn’t end up together.

But in the end, it was just a futile hope.

A love with a predetermined ending.

Lee Jian kept watching the practice room.

I wanted to approach her and say something comforting.

But I couldn’t.

As long as Observer Mode was active, I couldn’t move. I was just a camera, a narrator.

I couldn’t interfere.

So, I took another step back.

And then—

A hand grabbed my wrist.

“Where are you going?”

Lee Jian held onto me, meeting my eyes.

“Are you okay?”

The one who needed comfort was looking at me and asking if I was okay.

Her expression didn’t look entirely fine.

[Observer Mode Deactivated.]

A system message popped up just in time.

I let out a small sigh and answered.

“I’m fine.

There’s nothing to feel bad about, right?”

She looked at me suspiciously.

“You’re not…?”

For a second, my heart sank.

No way.

Did she somehow figure out that I had possessed this body?

That thought flashed through my mind.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Somewhere deep inside, I had wanted someone to notice.

Maybe I was secretly hoping for it.

I needed to change the subject.

“Oh, right. I saw you at the bookstore the other day.”

“Really?

When?

Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t get the chance.”

Quietly, I handed her a book.

“…What’s this?”

“This.

Didn’t you want it?”

Lee Jian looked down at the book in surprise, then back up at me.

“Why do you have this…?”

Her face turned slightly red.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“You should be a little more honest.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She deliberately looked away.

“You don’t have to keep giving things up.”

I pointed at the book.

“If you want something, you can just say it.

Otherwise, when something truly important comes along, you’ll lose it.”

If she didn’t want to lose Yoon Jihoo like in the original story…

This was the most I could tell her.

As much as I tried to remain an observer, this was something I had to say.

At the very least, she should confess.

Instead of foolishly giving up without even trying.

“Thanks.”

Lee Jian held the book tightly and smiled brightly.

Like someone who had found something they thought was lost.

And yet, the way her fingers clenched around it made it seem like she was afraid of losing it again.

For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off her smile.

“See?

You’re this happy about it.”

As soon as I said that, I felt an unexpected sting in my chest.

Her fingers trembled slightly before she clutched the book tightly to her chest.

At first, she acted like she didn’t need it.

But now that it was in her hands, she looked so happy.

That sight made me chuckle.

And yet, why was there a bitter aftertaste to my smile?

She said she was letting go, but in the end, she was still happy to have it.

If she was going to hide it, she should at least do a better job.

It was so obvious.

Foolishly giving up on her own.

Foolishly unaware of her own feelings.

And yet, when she got what she wanted, she looked this happy.

The book was hers now.

The way she held it made it seem like it had always belonged to her.

Then… was it the same for other things?

Before I realized it, my gaze drifted toward Yoon Jihoo.

Even if she acted like she was giving up, if she actually had him in her grasp, would she end up feeling just as happy?

…Not that it mattered to me.

And yet, for some reason, something inside my chest felt unsettled.