‘What is this? This is practically Inso Namju-level looks.’
He wasn’t quite on Ban Eunhyeol’s level, but he was definitely handsome enough to qualify as a male lead.
The boy hesitated for a moment, then held out his phone.
“Um, can I ask for your number? I’d like to stay in touch with you, noona.”
He offered his phone so boldly, as if he hadn’t just been all shy, a small smirk on his face.
I was pretty sure the news about me dating Ban Eunhyeol had spread throughout all the nearby high schools.
This guy must be out of the loop, or maybe he wasn’t from around here.
“I have a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, so get lost.”
No sooner had I voiced my refusal than a cold voice rang out from behind me.
The boy who’d been asking for my number looked back and forth between me and Ban Eunhyeol, panic spreading across his face as he started to back away.
He muttered an apology, turned around, and hurried off.
“Tsk, you’re too pretty. That’s why you attract flies like that.”
Ban Eunhyeol grumbled in a petulant tone.
I was still dumbfounded—this was the first time anything like this had ever happened to me.
Seeing my bewilderment, Ban Eunhyeol spoke.
“Don’t cheat on me. Whatever else happens, I can’t stand seeing you with someone else.”
“What if I did? What would you do?”
Without thinking, I asked a question I should never have asked.
The moment the words left my mouth, I realized my mistake and shut up, but it was too late.
Ban Eunhyeol looked down at me, and somehow, his eyes seemed even wetter than before.
He stared at me with an already wounded gaze, then turned his head and looked ahead, speaking lightly as if it was no big deal.
“What else can I do? I can’t do anything to you, so I’ll just hang myself.”
“……Huh?”
“That’s how much I love you. I love you so much my heart might burst, so no matter what you do, I can forgive it.”
“Uhh………… but why would you hang yourself?”
“Because you’re mine, Lee Dana, and I couldn’t stand to see you fooling around with another bastard, not even in death.”
I couldn’t find any words, so I quietly shut my mouth.
‘Why did I ask that?’
His answer was deeper than I’d expected.
I swore to myself, over and over, that I’d never ask a question like that again.
Still, I was touched.
When would I ever be loved this passionately again?
I let go of Ban Eunhyeol’s hand and wrapped my arm around his.
Then, sticking close to him, I wandered the mall and enjoyed a fun date together.
I couldn’t stop smiling all day.
***
Summer Vacation was over.
It didn’t feel like I’d done anything much, but the time just flew by.
‘Went to the valley, hung out in the city…
What else did I do?’
On my way to school, I tried to recall everything I’d done during Summer Vacation.
For all the plans I’d made, I didn’t feel like I’d accomplished much.
The main reason was the Car Accident—I’d broken my arm and couldn’t do anything.
‘What a waste.’
I entered the classroom, regretting all the time I’d lost.
Inside, the room was already bustling with friends catching up after the break.
The Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Hayeon hadn’t arrived yet, so I’d just sat down at my seat alone.
“Noona, is your arm feeling better? I was worried about you.”
Yeon Hyeonggwang, who entered as if our class was his own, sat backward in the seat in front of me and asked.
His gaze landed on my right arm, still in a cast.
I smiled reassuringly and raised my arm to show I was okay.
At that moment, the classroom burst into excited chatter as the Four Heavenly Kings entered noisily.
Ban Eunhyeol, who’d just come in, noticed Yeon Hyeonggwang sitting in front of me.
His gait looked especially rough this morning for some reason.
“Don’t you know this is the third-year classroom?”
“Oh, hyung. Long time no see.”
Even as Ban Eunhyeol’s face twisted in obvious jealousy, Yeon Hyeonggwang just grinned.
Ban Eunhyeol’s brow twitched, clearly irritated.
“Noona, get well soon. I’ll be off now.”
Either Yeon Hyeonggwang didn’t notice Ban Eunhyeol’s expression as he turned away, or he simply didn’t care.
Once the Four Heavenly Kings got to their seats, Yeon Hyeonggwang stood, waved, and left through the back door.
Ban Eunhyeol watched his retreating figure with blazing eyes, then sat down in his seat, making it obvious he was displeased.
“What’s with that guy? Why’s he keep coming to our class and smiling at you?”
“He’s always been like that.”
Ban Eunhyeol probably didn’t remember, since he hadn’t paid much attention before, but Yeon Hyeonggwang was always like that.
Even though he was from the underclassmen’s class, he treated our classroom like his own and usually hung out with me.
Of course, that was all before I started dating Ban Eunhyeol.
Ban Eunhyeol still didn’t look satisfied with my answer, his expression refusing to soften.
‘He’s really the jealous type.’
I didn’t think much of it and treated him as I always did.
At the time, I had no idea how badly that would come back to bite me.
***
The Gate had closed, and the world returned to life as it was before the Gate phenomenon, but traces of those days still remained.
Most notably, the guilds.
For students who loved ranking and hierarchy, guilds were a very attractive kind of background.
The hierarchy among the guilds wasn’t completely settled yet.
It could change at any time.
Maybe that’s why, lately, there had been more and more fights between guilds, especially with lower-ranked guilds challenging those above them.
‘Why am I even here?’
Right now, one of those fights was about to break out right before my eyes.
On one side stood the familiar faces of the Blood Fragrance Guild, and on the other were mostly strangers.
But I could clearly recognize the person at the front.
“Baek Jiwoo, you know I won’t go easy on you just because we’re close, right?”
“Heh, of course. Go all out.”
What the heck is this…
I stood awkwardly in the wide clearing, watching the tense standoff between the two.
A week ago, Ji-jun had notified Blood Fragrance to settle the guild hierarchy, naming the time and place.
It was because Baek Jiwoo, who’d become a legend in Gwanak District after uniting the previously split alliance into three, had gotten greedy and come all the way to our neighborhood.
Before the Gate, it might have been different, but now that everyone knew Yeon Hayeon was a gang boss, the thinking was that taking her down was all it would take.
‘They’re all out of their minds.’
Baek Jiwoo, especially, seemed particularly unhinged.
I kept my mouth shut and just shook my head, swallowing words I couldn’t speak aloud.
I’d already left the Blood Fragrance Guild, so I had no obligation to join in this brawl.
I’d more or less expected things would turn out like this and bailed early—I was really glad I did.
Standing a step away from the clearing, I watched the two guilds square off.
Blood Fragrance and Ji-jun’s guild members soon rushed at each other and devolved into a massive brawl.
It was utter chaos.
I watched the fight with half-lidded eyes, not really paying attention, when suddenly—
“Whew, isn’t that Ji-jun and Blood Fragrance? What are you doing over here, not joining in?”
A whistle sounded from beside me, and Haemalgeum strolled up to my side.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t seen any of the Iljin Technical High guys since I started avoiding Do Ihyun, but it felt like it’d been ages.
I glanced up at Haemalgeum, who settled in next to me, and answered.
“I’m not part of Blood Fragrance anymore. I’m just here because it puts everyone at ease when I’m around.”
“Ahaha! Makes people feel at ease, huh? That’s basically a confession!”
“No, it’s not.”
I didn’t bother to mention that it was Yeon Hayeon who’d said that.
Amid the ongoing, knock-down brawl, three people especially stood out.
“I heard about their reputations, but Baek Jiwoo really is the legend of Gwanak for a reason. If Yeon Hayeon didn’t use her weapon, they’d be pretty evenly matched, don’t you think? Oh, and Yeon Hyeonggwang fights well too.”
Apparently, Haemalgeum had noticed the same three people as I had.
Baek Jiwoo, Yeon Hayeon, and Yeon Hyeonggwang were definitely different from the others.
There was a reason they were guild leaders and first-year bosses.
By now, I was so used to watching fights like these that I sat down on the bench with Haemalgeum and just watched the chaos.
“You haven’t seen Ihyun lately, right? Is it because you got a boyfriend?”
Suddenly, Haemalgeum brought up Do Ihyun.
I’d thought she was oblivious to Do Ihyun’s feelings for me, but from her voice and expression, she clearly knew now.
“Yeah, pretty much. How’s Ihyun doing?”
“Don’t get me started. He’s a wreck. I heard you had an accident? I think it hit him really hard. He’s got a trauma from something similar.”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer and bowed my head.
I already knew about Do Ihyun’s trauma—he’d once told me that his first love started dating his friend, then died in a Car Accident while speeding along a coastal road.
Since he’d witnessed my accident with his own eyes, he must be going through a tough time with that trauma.
That’s why I’d tried to contact him to show that I was okay, but for some reason, I hadn’t been able to reach him from the time I was discharged from the hospital to the start of the new term.
With no reply, I wondered if he was trying to distance himself from me, so I’d stopped reaching out.
“I tried contacting Ihyun, but he hasn’t replied. Is he alright?”
“He changed his number. Didn’t you know?”
“When? I had no idea.”
“He smashed his phone while going after the guys who caused all this. Even though he lost all his data, he still remembered your number, but… I guess he never called.”
Stunned by the news, I stared blankly at her as Haemalgeum pulled out her phone to look up Do Ihyun’s new contact.
“Here’s his new number. Try calling him.”
I saved Do Ihyun’s updated number from the phone Haemalgeum held out.
Now that I think about it, those guys would’ve been in the hospital after being beaten up by the Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Hayeon at the time.
How did he get his revenge and end up breaking his phone?
Swallowing my sudden curiosity, I decided I’d try reaching out today and put my phone away in my pocket.