Chapter 22

Chapter 22: It’s Just Because the Scenery is Too Beautiful

When the unintended footplay awkwardly disrupted the atmosphere between Hyun Woo and Chae Ah.

“Haa… Why does everyone study so well? It’s frustrating.”

Eun Bi let out a deep sigh as she pulled a drink from the vending machine.

“? You’re the one who can’t study, why are you frustrated?”

Pok!

Eun Bi, having struck his solid arm, shook her reddened palm.

“Ugh, all you do is bulk up uselessly.”

“You’re bad at studying and only violent.”

“You little—!”

Eun Bi raised her fist again but stopped herself, fearing her wrist would ache if she swung recklessly.

Jin Hyuk ignored Eun Bi’s trembling frustration and said,

“So what’s this about another meeting?”

“Ah, that thing, it’s just….”

She had come out with Jin Hyuk to reinforce the plan of pushing Hyun Woo and Chae Ah together. However, while sipping her drink and gazing at the clear sky,

“Tch, never mind. Honestly, I think they’ll figure it out on their own if I just place them under cherry blossoms.”

Worrying about her close friend’s love life felt easier than confronting her immediate future.

‘Why did I even suggest studying and make things complicated for myself?’

At age 19, most people were racing toward college entrance exams. But Eun Bi didn’t have good grades, nor did she particularly want to go to college.

She didn’t know what she could do or what she wanted to do. The thought that in just a year she’d be an adult made her chest tight. Maybe she was using helping Chae Ah as an excuse to avoid thinking about it.

“Haaa…”

“Why are you sighing so much? People can be bad at studying too, you know.”

“It’s not because I’m bad at studying.”

Eun Bi stared at Jin Hyuk, who kept his eyes glued to his phone.

“Didn’t you say you’d enter a game company and draw pictures there?”

“Probably?”

“Hmph…”

Another involuntary sigh escaped her.

‘This otaku has skills and dreams, but why aren’t there any like him around me?’

Over time, Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk often met under the guise of helping Chae Ah and Hyun Woo. They planned ways to push the couple along, and Eun Bi even posed as a model for Jin Hyuk’s drawings.

– “Is this something you drew?”

– “Yeah, I just finished it.”

– “Oh, I see that, but… wow, you’re really good.”

– “Thanks for the compliment.”

That day, Eun Bi was astonished by Jin Hyuk’s talent. Even to the untrained eye, his skill was beyond the student level.

‘Why are there only such amazing people around me?’

Eun Bi, despite looking like someone who loves to play, surprisingly had few friends. There was one otaku who drew well and had decent grades, and a childhood friend duo who excelled academically but habitually complained.

“What am I going to do later in life?”

Surrounded by unusually talented individuals, her feelings of helplessness naturally deepened.

Feeling inexplicably down, Eun Bi asked,

“Hey, can’t you pretend to listen when someone talks?”

Ignoring her completely and staring at his phone, Jin Hyuk got poked in the ribs.

Despite thinking they had grown closer, Eun Bi felt a pang of disappointment as she glared at the screen.

“What is this? Why are you looking at women’s clothes?”

Instead of browsing his usual cute-girl gacha games, he was scrolling through a shopping mall.

“Are these for you to wear?”

“…What?”

Eun Bi glanced back at the screen in surprise. From game, anime, and manga characters to somewhat special costumes, everything was tagged as [cosplay].

“Are you crazy? Why would I wear this?”

Giving her a look of genuine hurt, Jin Hyuk replied,

“We agreed on this, didn’t we? If the model always wears the same clothes, it gets boring.”

“Do you think I’d dress up in some perverted outfit just because you’re bored?”

“I just happened to land on the bunny girl tab. There are other options.”

Jin Hyuk scrolled up the screen.

“Look. There are normal character outfits too.”

“Even if the character is normal, the outfit isn’t…”

A costume more fitting for a medieval fantasy setting appeared. While less revealing, it was certainly not everyday wear.

Though tempted to refuse outright, Eun Bi hesitated.

“It really suits you. Can’t you try it on once?”

Jin Hyuk, who rarely showed emotion, pleaded earnestly.

“You know how pretty and proportioned you are, right?”

“What?”

“Honestly, I don’t understand why someone with your face worries about their future. You could probably survive just by doing SNS.”

“W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

People who get flustered when insulted tend to react similarly when praised unexpectedly. Eun Bi was exactly that type.

“Next to Chae Ah, you might seem ordinary… but to me, you’re prettier.”

“Why, why are you doing this? Do you really want me to cosplay that much?”

“Regardless of cosplay, I think you’re the prettiest person in our school.”

Flooded with compliments that made her feel uneasy, Eun Bi found herself speechless, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly.

“Since you seem genuinely unaware, I’ll tell you.” Jin Hyuk took a deep breath and continued.

“The line of your neck when your hair is tied in a ponytail. Your feline-like upward-slanting eyes that transform into a softer expression when you smile. Even when you’re expressionless, you look sophisticated and relaxed—”

“S-stop! Are you insane?!”

Eun Bi pounded Jin Hyuk’s back as endless compliments spilled out. Her already flushed face was on the verge of exploding.

Even a high school girl’s punch, powerful enough to rival three tanks, was hard to withstand despite his rigorous training, but Jin Hyuk persisted.

“Not only are you pretty, but you’re also unexpectedly meticulous despite appearing irritable. You’re a tsundere, antisocial gal with hidden charm—”

“Shut up, shut up! Just stop!”

As Eun Bi wildly flailed her arms and beat his back, Jin Hyuk finally retreated.

“Cough, cough…”

“Do you like me? Were you looking at me like that all this time?”

“I don’t like you; I’m just stating facts. The only one I love is Misaki.”

“Y-you otaku bastard…”

Eun Bi’s body trembled involuntarily. After letting loose every embarrassing word possible, he maintained an expression devoid of romantic interest.

After calming down after a moment of simmering resentment, she spoke calmly.

“Hey, send me the site you were just looking at.”

“?”

“If it suits me so well, then fine. Since you went through all the trouble praising me earlier.”

“It wasn’t praise—”

“Just shut up and send the link. I’ll choose the outfit myself.”

Her harsh words masked her actual willingness to cosplay and model for him.

Girls with low self-esteem are often vulnerable to compliments. Thinking she had neither aspirations nor talents, Eun Bi searched online for “how to cosplay” after receiving excessive praise and cold indifference simultaneously.

‘I’ll only do this once, just once.’

Unexpectedly easygoing Eun Bi opened her laptop and started researching.

* * *

When Eun Bi returned to the library to cool off,

‘Did these two talk about cosplay too?’

The faces of Hyun Woo and Chae Ah, who had been guarding their seats, were as red as tomatoes, pens halted mid-problem-solving.

“Chae Ah, are you okay?”

She pressed the cold drink she had just bought against her face.

“Hhik.”

Only then did Chae Ah notice Eun Bi’s return, startled.

“Ah, nothing happened.”

“Huh? I didn’t ask what happened.”

“Gulp…”

Chae Ah’s eyes darted around frantically.

“Ahem…”

Hyun Woo couldn’t meet her gaze and cleared his throat nervously.

Having asked casually, Eun Bi now felt curious due to their intense reactions.

‘Could something happen in a library?’

Glancing at Jin Hyuk, Eun Bi wondered,

“Did you guys accidentally touch something under the table?”

“Would they really do that in a public place?”

Although their physical contact had increased since Chae Ah lost her memory, they wouldn’t go that far outside.

With this belief, she turned to them, but both remained frozen stiff, lips sealed.

“Seriously?”

Realizing his joke had caused panic, Jin Hyuk became flustered.

“Let’s head back soon. We don’t need to study anymore today.”

“Y-yeah, let’s do that. Hahaha…”

With extremely awkward tones, Hyun Woo and Chae Ah rose robotically to tidy their books.

* * *

While one side played footsie in the library,

the other indulged in enumerating charm points.

Despite the morning’s eventful occurrences,

the four arrived at the cherry blossom festival.

“Whoa.”

“Wow…”

Without needing a leader, exclamations of admiration erupted as they stepped off the bus.

“We came at the perfect time when they’re in full bloom.”

“Agreed.”

The landscape painted pink like a picture spread before them. With each breeze, petals danced gracefully in the air, and happy laughter filled the rows of cherry blossom trees lining the path.

“It’s beautiful, right, Hyun Woo?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this. Feels like we came at the right time.”

Unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them.

Chae Ah reached out her hand, which Hyun Woo accepted without hesitation. Despite no longer needing support, the act felt natural after growing accustomed to feeling each other’s warmth.

“Look at you two.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Just being here under cherry blossoms works.”

Of course, this applied only to Chae Ah and Hyun Woo.

To third parties Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk, it was merely their usual teasing.

“Want to take a quick look around first? I’ll be back after visiting the restroom.”

“I’ll throw away some trash and come back.”

They each made excuses to slip away.

“Huh? Let’s go together. I’ll wait for you.”

“No, it’s a big one. Go ahead.”

“Oops, sorry…”

With surprising agility, Eun Bi overcame her embarrassment.

Chae Ah looked apologetic as she squeezed Hyun Woo’s hand.

“Hyun Woo, let’s check out that tree over there. It’s amazing.”

“They all look the same to me, but sure.”

Though feigning disinterest, Hyun Woo followed Chae Ah.

Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk lingered behind, watching them.

“Damn, anyone can see they’re dating. Childhood friend, my ass.”

As petals fluttered in the wind, creating a picturesque backdrop for the pair,

“Oho, they’re even locking fingers now.”

Subtly changing their hand-holding style, they strolled happily through the petal-strewn path.

It was almost believable they were drama protagonists.

Though they came to help, seeing their sheer happiness brought forth a hollow laugh.

“Jealous, so jealous. She regains her memory, and boom, there’s her ready-to-marry boyfriend. Meanwhile, me…”

Eun Bi shot a sidelong glance at Jin Hyuk standing beside her, seemingly clueless.

“So, you’re not going to poop?”

“With an otaku like you around?”

Pok!

Eun Bi hit his stomach with the back of her hand.

“Do you even have abs?”

“I trained hard just in case something like this happened.”

“You’re insane…”

Eun Bi shook her head and nodded toward Hyun Woo and Chae Ah, who were already quite far.

“Let’s follow them. We might lose them otherwise.”

They had used excuses to give the couple private time, but she didn’t want to spend it alone with Jin Hyuk either. Thus, they decided to quietly tail them from afar.

“Wait a sec. Look at this.”

Just as they were about to move forward,

Jin Hyuk tapped Eun Bi’s shoulder.

“What?”

Turning her head absentmindedly,

Swoosh.

Jin Hyuk brushed the petals off her hair.

“There was a petal stuck. That’s better now.”

Though it was simply removing a petal caught in her hair,

“Eh, eh… Thanks?”

Eun Bi stammered. Already conscious of the compliments earlier, the proximity felt too close, and his touch too gentle.

‘He’s really tall, like a beanpole. And his body is quite sturdy. His personality is weird, but he’s not lacking in masculinity…’

Staring blankly at Jin Hyuk,

‘Am I losing it, Eun Bi? Why am I critiquing him suddenly?’

Shaking her head vigorously to distance herself,

‘It’s just because the scenery is too beautiful. This kind of crazy thought must be happening because the cherry blossoms are too stunning.’

The slight increase in her heartbeat must be due to the unexpectedly breathtaking beauty of the long-awaited cherry blossoms.