Chapter 55 – 10 Years < 1 Month

On Monday, a huge rumor spread like wildfire within Jinsu Bridge.

There are rumors that I, Han Seong-jin, who is infamous for being the worst member of Jinsoo School, and student council president Lee Yu-ri, who has been the top student in the school for all three years and is the best student, are dating.

Similar rumors circulated last time, but at that time, they spread the rumors by expanding and reproducing them among themselves without even verifying the facts.

What’s different from then…

“Wife! Are you studying even though it’s break time? Instead, why don’t you just come here and rest on my lap for a while?”

“W-who is my wife? Anyway, there are really other kids, but they keep saying such strange things…”

“Okay, okay. Then girlfriend! Come rest on my lap and then go.”

“…”

Yuri narrowed her eyes with an expression of fear, and when I tapped her thigh again, she came to my seat from the front and sat diagonally on my thigh.

“… I’ll be gone in just one minute.”

“Huh? I want to smell my girlfriend’s scent, but 1 minute is too short. Furthermore, I’ll just stay for this break and then go.”

“My, my, what’s that smell! I washed it properly?!”

“There is such a good smell that only you can smell. I need to recharge my energy too, so I have to hold on like this, so I can’t go.”

I wrapped my arms around Yuri’s waist from behind, and Yuri was startled and struggled, but eventually gave up and sat quietly with me hugging her back.

“I’m really embarrassed to death. I don’t know when it’s just the two of us, but why are there so many kids at the academy… Ah, I’m so embarrassed…”

“I need to make it clear to everyone that she’s my girl. Are you pretty and popular? There must be a lot of guys who have their eyes on you, right? I don’t want those guys to get close to you.”

“… Anyway, what I said.”

However, as if Yuri Lee didn’t like my praise, she placed her hand on top of my hand, which was placed on her belly button.

… Well, it’s strange that there aren’t any rumors about it since we’ve been hanging out together as a couple right after going to school.

Moreover, since the target was Yu-ri Lee, one of the objects of envy among boys, and her boyfriend was me, who was known to be the best girl in the academy, rumors about this mismatched Beauty and the Beast quickly spread.

The first to react was Jeong Eun-ji, a classmate and friend of Yu-ri Lee, who hates me to death.

“Yuri! Are you… Are you serious? You’re dating this guy?!”

Eunji Jeong’s voice even trembled as if she couldn’t believe it when she saw us standing close to each other.

“Yes, that’s how it is… Don’t worry too much. Nothing like what you’re worried about will happen. Hanseong-“

Yu-ri Lee was about to mention me, but she turned her head to look at me and cleared her throat for no reason.

“… Seongjin has really changed a lot. A lot more than you or I know. So, the things we heard about in the past… Won’t happen. He really promised me. You know this because we saw it the last time we studied together for an exam. “

Jeong Eun-ji made a bewildered expression when she saw Lee Yu-ri defending her with her hands affectionately folded.

“No, well, this guy used to be-“

…

However, Jeong Eun-ji could not keep talking.

She thought to herself.

‘No, wait a minute… If you think about it, neither the one who got Miae pregnant nor the one who was harassing her to get rid of the child was that bastard… So I can’t force Yuri to give me a reason to hate that bastard, right? So what should I do…? Just leave them like this? Ugh, but that guy…’

She knew that Han Seong-jin was not the culprit of what happened to her friend, but Han Seong-jin continued to engage in many outrageous acts after that.

Jeong Eun-ji, who had seen this since she was in middle school, still could not easily accept the fact that Han Seong-jin had changed, but in any case, once she realized that the biggest reason for hating him was an illusion, there was no reason to go on a rampage any longer.

Jeong Eun-ji, who couldn’t do anything, finally sighed.

…

After sighing, Eun-ji Jeong opened her eyes, glared at me, and declared to Lee Yu-ri.

“Okay, Yuri, since you said so much, I won’t say anything more about your relationship. But Yuri, you remember, right? Before the exam, I made a bet with this guy.”

“Uh… Isn’t that punishment a bit ridiculous? Are you really going to do it?”

“It’s a bet we both agreed on. Han Seong-jin, you’re not planning on throwing me out now that you have a girlfriend, right?”

“Of course. You really need to be prepared, right? Even though I’m like this, I studied really hard. The tag will come out the day after tomorrow, aren’t you scared?”

At my provocation, Jeong Eun-ji smiled quite cruelly and spoke to my girlfriend.

“Did you hear what he said, Yuri? This is a bet we made before you two started dating, so you can’t back out even if you have a relationship like that now. I think he agrees. Will you understand that?”

Lee Yu-ri turned her head and looked at me with a worried expression, probably thinking that no matter how much she saw me studying, she wouldn’t be able to beat Jeong Eun-ji sexually.

And she whispered quietly.

“Seongjin, you should just beg Eunji to look at you just once…”

“Wife, do you not trust your husband? This is disappointing.”

“W-who is your wife? Don’t keep saying weird things, just ask for it right now, and I will help you too-“

“It’s okay. Don’t worry too much.”

I held Yu-ri Lee’s hand once.

Jeong Eun-ji watched the process in front of everyone and made an expression that she couldn’t bear to see.

“Jeong Eun-ji, I won’t be left out, so don’t worry and just wait until Wednesday. If you lose, I won’t forgive you then either. I’ll say it again, but you better be really prepared, right?”

“Hmph, that’s what I have to say.”

After agreeing not to leave each other, Jeong Eun-ji went back.

And another break after the next class.

About 3 minutes before break time, my cell phone rang, and when I checked the contents, there was a message from Sooyeon Choi.

[Choi Su-yeon]: Senior! I heard a rumor! You’re dating Yuri-sunbae?!

[Me]: The rumor is really fast

[Choi Su-yeon]: Wow… I feel betrayed. When it’s time for a break, can you go to the cafeteria with me for a moment?

[Me]: Okay, let’s go

[Choi Su-yeon]: I promised! Senior Yuri asked me to stay with him, so I still came!

It’s only been a few days, but it felt like I was seeing Choi Soo-yeon for the first time in a while.

As soon as the next recess came, I headed downstairs to the second-grade classroom to comfort Suyeon Choi.

#####

As soon as Gong Young-bae left Han Seong-jin, she approached Yu-ri Lee.

When he first saw Han Seong-jin showing off his affection by hugging Yu-ri Lee’s waist, he was distraught, but he was too scared to argue with him, so he had to stay still.

And now that Han Seong-jin is gone, I decided to hear the whole story.

“Yuri.”

“Huh?”

Until recently, Yuri Lee would not speak to him and would often ignore him, but now she can have normal conversations like before.

So Gong Young-bae still had some hope.

“Are you really dating Han Seong-jin?”

A question I asked in hopes that Lee Yu-ri would say no.

If Lee Yu-ri was forced into dating Han Seong-jin or something like that, he planned to report this to the teachers right away.

But…

“Yes, that’s how it happened. I kept telling people not to hug me in public, but Seongjin keeps disobeying me. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

Thump

Gong Young-bae’s heart sank.

When Yuri Lee answered, she had a blush on her face and was wiggling her fingers in embarrassment, looking like a girl who had completely begun to love.

No matter where you look, it was behavior that could not have been done in a forced dating situation.

So I couldn’t trust Gong Young-bae even more.

Of her own will, Lee Yoo-ri, her childhood friend of 10 years, decided to date not herself, but Han Seong-jin, the worst of the bullies she hated the most in her world.

‘Why… Aren’t we okay again now? But why… It’s been a few days… Are you playing with me?’

She took it for granted that Lee Yu-ri liked her, so Gong Young-bae did not realize that it was she who was really playing with her heart.

“I’m sorry. It didn’t look that good, right? Anyway, there are a lot of other kids… I’ll tell Seongjin.”

‘Sungjin… Why are you calling that bastard so friendly? You always only called me that way!’

Seeing Yu-ri Lee call a man other than herself by that nickname in front of her eyes made Gong Yeong-bae feel like he was going crazy.

I’m sure Lee Yu-ri would have liked her.

But why? When?

There was no sign of that at all on the first day of her semester?

In the end, Gong Young-bae couldn’t bear it anymore and asked.

“Yuri… Why… Why are you dating Han Seong-jin? You hated that type of person…”

“Yes, it was like that. It was like that… Seongjin is a lot more kind than I thought.”

As Lee Yu-ri said that, her affection for Han Seong-jin was clearly visible in her expression, gestures, and eyes.

“Last year… No, even at the beginning of the semester, I didn’t know I would be like this. But Seongjin has really changed a lot. You know that he doesn’t have any accidents, right? Now he’s really determined to live a solid life and study, and he comes to my house to study. I saw it, and it seemed like he was working really hard.”

“You, your house…? Han Seong-jin came…?”

“Yes. Eun-ji and Choi Su-yeon also came in the second year and the four of us studied together. Anyway, Seong-jin promised that he wouldn’t do anything weird like last year, and more than anything… He kept saying that he liked me. He helped me a lot. . Then we started dating.”

Gong Young-bae immediately wanted to grab Yu-ri Lee’s shoulder and ask her why she was letting such a bastard into her house, but when she saw Yu-ri Lee’s happy expression, all will was broken.

Gong Young-bae, who was in despair, found courage again.

‘Yes, Yuri is now… In a pod. I was deceived by Han Seong-jin. I was deceived without even being able to see the true dirty side of that bastard. Still, if I persuade you well…’

“Yoo, Yuri. This weekend… Do you want to go to Seokchon Lake with me? We originally said we would go there when the cherry blossoms bloom this year. Do you remember?”

“Oh, that’s right, it was true.”

Fortunately, Yuri Lee remembered that promise.

A ray of hope shone in Gong Yeong-bae’s heart…

“But I’m sorry. I don’t think I can go because I think Seongjin won’t like it if I go out with another guy. Ask Eunji or Choi Suyeon.”

Hope became even greater despair, weighing down Gong Yeong-bae.

Another man.

He declared that his childhood friend, whom he had known for 10 years, was now downgraded to ‘another man’ by Han Seong-jin, whom he had only known for a month.

I felt an unprecedented sense of discomfort from Yu-ri Lee’s smile, as she had completely become someone else’s woman.

I was smiling like before, but I couldn’t feel any of the closeness I felt before.

‘No, no! Seongjin Han, you tricked Yuri! Innocent Yuri… I’ll get Yuri back from you before you touch it! A guy like you is not someone you can mess with!

It’s obvious that he’s doing dirty things behind his back. I will find it and tell Yuri the truth about you!’

Gong Young-bae didn’t know that the one month she had known Han Seong-jin was greater in Yu-ri Lee’s heart than the 10 years she had known him.

And I didn’t even know that Lee Yu-ri had already given up her body to Han Seong-jin last weekend.