After everything returned to its place, peaceful days without any incidents followed.
Ban Eunhyeol and I had a hard time for a while, since what we went through was no ordinary thing, but whenever it got tough, we comforted each other, saying it was okay now and soothed our hearts.
If I had returned to my daily life with all those memories alone, it probably would’ve been incomparably harder than it is now.
The fear and pain of facing death for the first time were things I could hardly forget.
‘Still, the gate won’t open ever again now, right?’
After swapping bodies with Idana, I thoroughly enjoyed the ordinary High School life I had for a short time before the S-rank gate opened.
Ah, is it really ordinary?
“Kyaaa!”
A familiar scream echoed down the hallway. Sitting at my desk after arriving early, Yeon Hayeon and I said in perfect unison, as if we’d practiced it.
“They’re here.”
“They’re here.”
The back door slid open, and in came Ban Eunhyeol, carrying his bag on one shoulder, followed by Ji Ganghan, Eun Bada, and Han Jibin.
The girls who trailed after them didn’t dare enter the classroom, just peeking in from outside.
It seemed like more and more girls were following the Four Heavenly Kings around as time went by.
“Ah, I don’t want to graduate. Where else would I get to see faces like that every day?”
“This year was the happiest in all twelve years of my school life.”
Right on cue, I heard some girls talking in voices full of regret.
‘Ah, so that’s the reason.’
I thought it was just me, but as the Entrance Ceremony approached, it seemed like more fans were trailing the Four Heavenly Kings, probably because there weren’t many days left to see them.
I stared quietly at Ban Eunhyeol as he threw his bag on the desk and sat down in his chair.
“What? Do I look extra handsome today or something?”
Ban Eunhyeol grinned and leaned his face closer to mine. The girls watching from behind looked like the word ‘jealousy’ was written in bold across their faces.
“Hasn’t he been handsome every day?”
Normally, I wouldn’t have played along with this kind of joke, but today, I felt like going along with it just this once.
Maybe because it was so unusual for me to say something like that, Ban Eunhyeol just blinked in surprise.
“Haha, Eunhyeol really is handsome.”
Eun Bada, watching us from behind, smiled and spoke with a laugh in his voice.
“You’re handsome too.”
“?”
“Huh?”
At Yeon Hayeon’s sudden remark, both Ban Eunhyeol and I stared at her, eyes wide like startled rabbits. With a commanding air, Yeon Hayeon glanced at us and said in a rather intimidating tone.
“What.”
“Uh… no, Bada is handsome.”
“Yeah, ever since we were kids, whenever we went anywhere, he’d always get confessed to first. He’s always been super popular, seriously.”
Ban Eunhyeol gave Eun Bada’s shoulder a satisfied pat, smiling like someone proud to have such a handsome friend.
At that moment, a small, soft voice called from the back door.
“Bada-sunbae…!”
We all turned to the back door at the sound of someone looking for Eun Bada. A petite girl was standing there, holding something in her hands.
“Oooh.”
“Yeah, just like that. Back then… cough.”
Ban Eunhyeol, who’d been boasting about Eun Bada’s popularity as a kid, fell silent at Yeon Hayeon’s glance.
Ever since Eunhyeol started talking about Bada’s popularity, Yeon Hayeon’s expression hadn’t looked so good. It seemed like something had seriously gotten on her nerves.
It was definitely winter and cold, but the chill in the air felt different from just low temperatures.
Ban Eunhyeol and I wisely shut our mouths and kept our eyes on the back door.
“Sunbae, I’ve liked you all this time! Please accept this!”
“Thank you.”
Eun Bada replied in his usual gentle voice, glancing at the paper bag the girl was holding.
We naturally thought Eun Bada would accept the gift.
Of course, receiving a confession was a separate matter, and he’d never accepted anyone’s confession before.
While we watched, faces shining with interest, Yeon Hayeon’s mood grew darker than ever.
Just as she stood up abruptly, about to head for the back door—
“But I’m sorry. I have a girlfriend, so I can’t accept this.”
“Huh?”
“Uh…?”
Did I just hear what I thought I did?
Eun Bada, who’d never dated anyone before. Unlike typical main characters in stories, he didn’t have any tragic romance backstory at all.
“Girlfriend?”
It was a word that sounded so foreign coming from him.
It was only natural that the classroom erupted at such a shocking announcement.
“He has a girlfriend…?”
“Who is it? Who? Did anyone hear anything?”
“Now two of the Four Heavenly Kings are off the market? Hey, Jibin is mine.”
“Who says he’s yours? Jibin’s for everyone, and Kanghan is definitely my future boyfriend.”
“No, wait! Now’s not the time for that! We need to find out who Bada’s girlfriend is!”
The Bada followers, shocked by the sudden news, began to mumble as if they couldn’t believe it.
“No way… This must be a dream. No way.”
“What do you mean, no way.”
Just then, Yeon Hayeon’s chilly voice instantly silenced the classroom.
With everyone’s attention, Yeon Hayeon walked to the back door and draped an arm around Eun Bada’s shoulder as he finished talking to the girl.
“He’s mine. If anyone has a problem, come out.”
“”
“”
No one came forward.
Everyone knew exactly what would happen if they did.
When Yeon Hayeon said ‘come out if you have a problem’, she didn’t sound like a student, but like the boss of Hyeolhwa.
After confirming the class’s reaction, Yeon Hayeon smiled with satisfaction, keeping her arm around Eun Bada’s shoulders as she returned to her seat.
“When did this start?”
As soon as they sat down, Ban Eunhyeol fired off the first question faster than anyone else. Everyone pretended not to care, but their ears were wide open, waiting for the two to answer.
“Since the day of the college entrance exam.”
“We agreed to start dating after the exam.”
Eun Bada replied a bit shyly, but Yeon Hayeon grinned broadly and answered in a loud voice.
It seemed like she was intentionally making sure the whole class heard.
“So you liked each other but put it off for studying?”
“Of course. Who starts dating right before the college entrance exam?”
“You have to study at times like that.”
A few couples who’d started dating before the exam flinched and turned their heads.
“But how did you two end up dating? I had no idea you liked each other.”
“I knew.”
Ji Ganghan said it in his usual calm voice. It made me wonder just what kind of incident would actually surprise him.
“I thought you’d start dating at the Villa.”
“The Villa—as in Eunhyeol’s Villa?!”
Han Jibin covered his mouth with both hands, staring wide-eyed at Ji Ganghan, as if urging him to explain how he’d figured it out.
“They just liked each other.”
But Ji Ganghan wasn’t the type to elaborate on such things. The classmates, hoping to hear some juicy details about the new couple, visibly deflated.
I felt the same.
I had hoped to hear something, but it ended after just one sentence. Ji Ganghan didn’t seem to care about our reactions at all.
He looked slightly pleased to have noticed first, but that was all.
Watching me and the rest of the class, Yeon Hayeon crossed her arms and spoke.
“I confessed first. It’s better to stake your claim in advance, right?”
“Wow, you’re so cool, Hayeon!”
Han Jibin genuinely admired her, clapping like a seal. Eun Bada could have confessed too, but since Yeon Hayeon was such a bold person, it made sense she confessed first.
‘This is so fun.’
I never realized listening to other people’s love stories could be this entertaining.
The rest of us spent the whole day listening to stories about Eun Bada and Yeon Hayeon’s romance until it was time to go home.
Time flew by, and soon the final winter vacation of our High School lives was right around the corner.
We gathered in the auditorium for the Entrance Ceremony. Thinking there were only a few days left to gather like this made me feel regretful.
When I’d first possessed this body, I was so stressed about having to come back to a school I’d left behind by dropping out.
Not to mention, the unique vibe of this world had gotten to me more than once.
But now, I’d grown used to it and was truly enjoying school life.
I’d made many good friends.
Choosing and saving this second world really was the best choice of my life.
“And next…”
We pretended to focus on the ceremony on stage, but actually chatted quietly among ourselves.
“We have to go on a Graduation Trip!”
Han Jibin was the first to bring up the trip, putting her hands on her hips and grinning proudly.
“There’s a Villa in Jeju Island. Let’s have a blast like we did during the Math Trip!”
“A Villa sounds great.”
“A Math Trip… those were the days.”
We laughed and reminisced quietly about what happened during the Math Trip.
“Hey, be quiet… No, never mind. Mm.”
The principal, in the middle of his speech, tried to shush us, but suddenly stopped and covered his mouth.
“How can the Four Heavenly Kings be graduating! What am I supposed to do when I can’t even see them anymore?”
His voice, full of regret, echoed through the mic.
‘Ah, right.’
I’d forgotten that the principal was a huge fan of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Just like the girls who didn’t want to say goodbye, the principal collected himself, and the vice principal quickly wrapped up the Entrance Ceremony.
We shuffled outside along with the rest of the students pouring out of the auditorium.