Chapter 54 – Childhood Friend, Lee Ji-Yeon (1)

Teacher who teaches math,

Children secretly passing notes and playing pranks,

A child alone among other children who don’t receive the message and only looks at others,

I watch over those children.

A message came back to me, but I wrote it down and passed it on.

The friends were giggling and tearing up the notebook to make notes, wondering what was so fun about it even thought there wasn’t much written down.

I envied my friends who were laughing happily just by looking at the Rolling Stones.

After class, it was lunchtime, and after satisfying my hunger, I headed to the library in the corner of the school.

It was a fairly large library, unbecoming of a small school.

I picked up a random book and went into the deepest part.

I dusted off the chairs that had accumulated dust because no one was using them and took a seat.

The smell of old books and dust.

It was the quietest place in this school.

Until recently…

As I was passing the time reading the book I brought, I heard the sound of small footsteps.

The owner of the footsteps approached and sat down without paying attention to the dust.

“···What are you reading?”

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

He wasn’t even interested in the book he brought and was just watching what I thought.

“···Novel.”

Perhaps embarrassed by the short answer, he opened the book he had brought and began to pretend to read a little.

I could hear the sounds of children running and screaming outside the small window.

There were many children who misbehaved in the library, but none of them came to this dusty corner.

Sometimes children who come to this place out of curiosity quickly lose interest and leave.

Then one day, he came.

Although he wasn’t in the same class, he was so popular with other kids that they knew his name.

Kim Cho-in was that kind of boy.

Kim Cho-in sat down next to him, looked around, and spoke to me, who was reading a book.

“···Friend, why are you reading a book here?”

He spoke to me in a friendly manner even though I had never spoken to him before.

At that time, I was a little displeased with him interfering with my reading.

“… It’s quiet.”

However, for some reason, I answered obediently.

“···Really?”

Kim Cho-in seemed to have lost interest in me and took out a book to read.

Just for a moment, Kim Cho-in threw down the book and came up to me and started talking.

“···Hey, you’re Jiyeon Lee…, Right?”

···How did you know my name?

“… That’s right.”

I looked at him with strange eyes, and his face turned red, and he poured out his words as if making excuses.

“···You’re famous, so, okay…”

As I tried to shift my gaze back to the book, Kim Cho-in persisted.

“···What book is that?”

Even if I gave short answers to randomly asked questions, I quickly moved on to another topic and continued the conversation.

I should have just ignored it, but for some reason I ended up giving an answer.

In the end, lunchtime ended without me even being able to read the book properly.

Kim Cho-in, who had a lot of conversations with me in that short time, left the library, saying he would come again tomorrow.

The secret meeting continued every day at the library, and before I knew it, I started waiting for him.

But he didn’t want to show off.

I spent time turning the pages without even reading them and thinking about when they would talk to me.

We continued to meet like that.

But this too will end soon.

When winter vacation begins in a few days, the library will no longer be available.

After winter vacation is over, and you graduate, you go to middle school and disperse.

My only pleasure these days is talking to him.

It was barely a conversation, but I wanted to continue this meeting further.

I closed the book and looked at Kim Cho-in.

Our eyes met as if he was watching me.

As he slowly looked away, I spoke the words I had been thinking about for a long time.

“···What do you do after school?”

After a long story, the conclusion was that Kim Cho-in was attending an academy.

Although I couldn’t meet him after school, I was able to find his contact information.

*

Soon after, winter vacation arrived.

Neither of us had cell phones yet, so we used computer messengers to keep in touch.

Every day at 10 o’clock, I sat in front of the computer and stared at the screen.

It was an implicitly decided email time.

‘Ding Dong Ding Dong-‘

A message has arrived.

[What are you doing?]

I wanted to reply right away, but I counted to ten in my mind and replied slowly.

[I was reading a book.]

In order to extend the conversation time with him as much as possible, I responded slowly and savored this time.

It was a conversation without much content, but it was just fun.

[Oh, my mom told me to lie down quickly… I got hit on the back…]

I looked at the clock, and it was already close to midnight.

···We can talk tomorrow too…

After the conversation, I got ready for bed.

She lay in bed and fell asleep thinking about the conversations she had with him.

···I had a dream, but it was a strange dream.

It was a dream in which a woman named Shin talked a lot.

When I woke up from my dream, it was morning.

She thought it was just a bad dream and passed it off, but she had the same dream the next day.

[···Are you listening to me?]

A woman wearing sexy clothes called me.

“… I’m listening.”

The woman cleared her throat and began speaking again.

[···I would like to say this again specifically. The creature called man…]

The woman’s eyes were obscured by light as she spoke passionately while shaking her barely covered breasts.

Still, I could feel her eyes looking at me.

[Now, do you understand? Men are simple like this. That child is definitely…]

After chatting for a while, the woman seemed satisfied and soon woke up.

As I lay in bed and thought about it, I vividly remember the contents of my dream, whether it was yesterday or today.

I thought it might not be an ordinary dream.

When I looked into dreams, I found out that her dreams come true based on her memories.

Even after thinking about it for a while, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

I erased my worries, spent the day in moderation, and waited for 10 o’clock at night.

While chatting with Kim Cho-in via messenger, the words the woman left in my dream suddenly came to mind.

Out of curiosity, she changed the topic and sent a message.

[What are you doing this weekend?]

I was able to make an appointment to go out with Kim Cho-in easier than I thought.

I had the same dream on the day I made an appointment and went to bed late, happy.

[Welcome. You made a good appointment today. How about, let’s move on right away?]

He seemed quite proud of his triumphant appearance.

[Isn’t this the long-awaited first outing? Today, I learn how to adapt a man to my taste…]

It wasn’t something I would listen to at the age when I was entering middle school, but it was useful content.

It was quite professional to take pictures according to the type of situation.

I was curious, but I decided to skip it since it was helpful.

As time passed, it became the weekend I had been waiting for so long.

I took a quick lecture from the woman the day before and figured out her plan.

As she talked about various things through messenger, she was able to know Kim Cho-in’s tastes.

She seemed to like girls wearing skimpy clothes rather than casual style clothes.

When the day arrived, I dressed up in the clothes I had carefully chosen and asked my parents how they were.

“···Have you got a boyfriend?”

An unexpected question came back.

She pondered for a moment when her parents asked her a serious question, then answered no and left the house.

Before we met, I worried about how I would look and what I would talk about, but when I actually went out to the place, I could see Kim Cho-in was more nervous than me.

Since they were both students, they didn’t do anything special.

I just ate, stopped by a trendy café, had sweet deserts, and watched a movie.

After the movie was over, we parted ways around evening and returned home.

It was an ordinary outing.

I lay down in bed and reflected on what had happened earlier.

She was watching a movie and drinking a drink, and it was cute how she got scared and surprised when someone touched her.

I was so surprised that I only touched it for a moment, so what would my reaction be if I grabbed it quickly?

I spent half a day recalling what had happened.

That night, as always, the woman in her dream seemed satisfied.

[How about this? Wasn’t it easier than you thought?]

I didn’t like the way she was condescending and spouting out words, but the advice she gave was helpful.

[As I get more and more used to you…]

“···What is your name?”

The woman said, looking quite shocked.

[···I am the goddess of luck. I have no name, so please call me goddess.]

I thought she was that way because her clothes were so sexy, but she wasn’t.

*

During her winter vacation, she met Choin twice a week.

As we often met, we started to get used to each other.

[We must meet often! When your body becomes distant, your mind becomes distant as well. Be sure to watch often!]

As the goddess said, we were able to live comfortably with each other and live more freely.

Vacation is over, and middle school assignment day has arrived.

The homeroom teacher cut the paper with the assigned school written on it into small pieces and distributed them.

After class, she went straight to Choin Kim’s class.

I was surrounded by friends and talking about school.

I wanted to talk to him from the side, but I didn’t want to break in.

It was only after a while that I was able to confirm that the two were from the same school.

When I returned home, he bought me a cell phone to commemorate my entering middle school.

That night, she boasted about it through messenger, and a few days later, she heard that he too had a cell phone.

I used to use messenger every night, but now I don’t have to.

I laid down covered in blankets and spoke carefully, lowering my voice.

“···Hello?”

The thought of hearing voices up close made her nervous.

[···Hello.]

A slightly nervous voice was heard over the phone.

I felt good knowing that he was like me.

After a long phone call, I fell asleep and met the goddess who visits me almost every night.

[Now you are doing well on your own without me teaching you, right?]

She didn’t like the goddess who looked at me proudly, as if she had raised me.

“Can you stop talking nonsense and continue talking about what you said yesterday?”

The goddess continued her story without paying attention to the cold tone.

[As expected, you’re interested, right? Yesterday we talked about women…, What are secondary sexual characteristics of men…]

The goddess began to explain by floating a picture in the air.

She said it was much more detailed than what she had learned in health class, and most of all, she liked the detailed explanation of Kim Cho-in.

[Recently, the child was imagining something like this…]

She went on to explain, bringing information that made you wonder how the goddess found it.

[The child recently watched videos like this on this site and this site…]

She learned every single piece of information about Kim Cho-in.

[Do you understand? If we do not lead correctly at this time, we may go astray one day.]

After the goddess’s informative lecture, she woke up.

During the day, she spends time meeting Kim Cho-in or talking on the phone.

She didn’t want to fall behind in her studies, so she studied and waited until she was a middle school student.

As time passed, she finally entered middle school.

My house was close to the middle school, but Choin’s house moved nearby, so we were able to go to school together.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the same class as Choin, but it was fortunate that she was in the same classroom, so I could see her often.

Time passed quickly, and I entered second grade.

Fortunately, I was selected to be in the same class as Choin.

As the grade changed, the most terrifying disease in middle school began to haunt the school.

The number of children who are starting to show off has also increased significantly.

When she quietly asked Cho-in Kim how he felt, she was relieved to hear that he seemed a bit lazy.

Then one day, an incident occurred.

A girl who was known to be pretty at school confessed to Kim Cho-in.

Even when I am next to you…

“···Huh?”

Kim Cho-in’s habit of making stupid noises came out.

He seems embarrassed.

The girl continued her confession in a confident tone.

“Go out with me, I like you.”

All the surrounding children held their breath and looked at us at the straightforward confession.

Kim Cho-in’s face was bright red, and she couldn’t answer.

For some reason, I felt bad and punched Kim Cho-in in the back.

“Ugh…”

Only then did Kim Cho-in come to her senses and answer the girl.

“Well, thank you…”

Kim Cho-in glanced at me and continued her words.

“···I’m sorry…”

The children who were watching the situation began to mutter in astonishment.

“Wow… That’s Kim Cho-in…”

“No, Jiyeon Lee is next to me, how can I accept it…”

The girl, who was shocked by the unexpected rejection, suddenly took out her cell phone and said.

“···Do you have a cell phone? Then at least give me your number…”

The children who were watching took the girl’s side as she tried to get her number with a trembling voice.

Kim Cho-in suddenly took her number.

The class bell rang, and the incident was over.

I was so worried about Kim Cho-in, who was sitting far away, that I couldn’t hear her class.

Choin Kim was taller than her peers and had a pretty face.

It was natural that a boy like that would be popular because he treated everyone without fault.

However, when she actually witnessed the confession, she was deeply shocked.

It felt like something heavy was weighing down my heart.

In the end, she returned home unable to concentrate on anything.

She took a cold shower and threw her body deep into the bed, leaving her in distress.

Her heart could not quiet down as it was pounding in her ears.

She pictured in her mind what it would have been like if Kim Cho-in had received her confession.

Her heart pounding and pounding began to dominate her mind.

“Huu… Huu…”

A heavy heart weighed down her lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe.

It was imagination.

She just imagined it, but her hair turned white.

After writhing for a while, she finally came to her senses and picked up her phone.

She called, feeling that somehow hearing a friendly voice would make her feel at ease.

[After the beep sound because the customer was on the phone…]

Kim Cho-in, who always answered the phone before the number of rings, was on the phone.

I thought maybe the timing was off, so I called again after five minutes.

[The customer is on the phone, so a beep sounds…]

Even after five or ten minutes, the phone did not hang up.

She covered herself with a blanket and twisted her body, clutching her chest in inexplicable pain.

There was no call from Kim Cho-in until the moment I fell asleep.

As if she fainted, she fell asleep and was able to meet the goddess.

Even in her dreams, her mind did not feel at ease.

It felt like the pain was spreading from her heart and consuming her entire body.

[···Are you suffering?]

After thinking about the goddess’ question for a while, I answered honestly.

“···I feel like I’m going to die.”

The goddess lowered herself to eye level with me and whispered softly.

[···You can’t do that anymore.]

The goddess, who reacted coldly today, floated a picture in the air.

In a dark room, Kim Cho-in was seen shaking the blanket and panting.

For a moment, he got angry and threw a punch at her, but the goddess easily dodged it and said.

[···Let’s see what Kim Cho-in is imagining now?]

“Crazy bitch, what nonsense are you talking about…”

The picture has changed.

In Kim Cho-in’s room, a man and a woman were entangled in an obscene manner.

···That girl and Kim Cho-in.

A scene followed where he shuffled his body and let out excited moans, similar to the videos he often watched.

It’s fake.

It was a fake drawn by a goddess, but it felt like it would break her heart.

A sharp blade came out of her chest and ripped through her blood vessels.

I barely let out the breath that was rising to the bottom of her chin and wanted to look away, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the picture that was so shocking.

The picture turned white and disappeared.

The goddess said as she looked at Kim Cho-in, her body shaking as she lay on her bed.

[···It looks pretty good.]

At the goddess’s words, her blood surged, and she felt dizzy.

“… Why are you showing me this, are you kidding me? I want to see someone go crazy!!!!”

I wanted to hit the goddess who looked at me coldly, wondering if her usual lively self had gone, but I couldn’t reach it with my hand, so I got angry.

[How do you feel now?]

Mood? Of course, I was angry.

I was angry that they showed me a picture like this, and although it was fake, Kim Cho-in was also angry because he was imagining something disgusting.

The pain that was weighing down her body turned into hot anger, leaving a scorch.

Before we knew it, Kim Cho-in, reflected in the air, had fallen asleep.

He was so impressed that he began to dream what he had been imagining.

Crazy bastard… And then I appear in your dream?

My eyes turned in anger and I shouted to get rid of it immediately, but the goddess ignored me and continued her words.

[Look carefully, what kind of expression are you making in Kim Cho-in’s dream?]

I barely held on to my trembling body and watched the reflected dream.

In Kim Cho-in’s dream, I was making a shallow expression.

The sight of Kim Cho-in and me kissing her and touching each other passionately was scandalous.

But he looked happy.

Even when I reflected on the fact that it was fake, I couldn’t hide the envy rising from deep inside.

I was so absorbed in her dream that when I came to my senses and glared at the goddess, she smiled and said to me.

[Look, Kim Cho-in is also a man. He is obviously a good-looking and popular kid, but he is just a stupid boy who is faithful to his instincts and driven by pleasure.]

I turned my gaze and saw a dream reflected in the air.

Kim Cho-in was still having a disgusting dream.

I tried to cover my ears and not listen to the goddess, but I couldn’t stop the goddess’ words from ringing through her hands and through her head.

[What would it have been like if that girl had met Kim Cho-in?]

Even as she curled up and covered her ears, the goddess’ words echoed in her head.

[Wasn’t it just my imagination, and I was really rolling around in bed? Being a student, you think she wouldn’t do something like that? It’s such a young idea.]

I could only imagine what I heard.

My mind was dominated by the thought that my first outing, my shy appearance, and the memories of me covering myself with a blanket and calling on the phone every night could not have been me.

I’ve done well so far…

What did I do wrong…

[I didn’t do anything wrong, but… I might have been a little stupid.]

I read her thoughts and lifted my head in tears at the words the goddess whispered.

As I glared at her with wide eyes, the goddess spoke with a faint smile.

[Isn’t that stupid? Why have I worked so hard to help you so far?]

[···You must have Kim Cho-in···. Are you really going to get taken away like this?]

Her head suddenly became cold as if it had never happened before.

···Why should we have Kim Cho-in?

The goddess’s words echoed in her head.

[You loved it so much that you got angry… But you didn’t even know your own feelings. Poorly…]

[I am the goddess of luck, but I am also called the goddess of love.]

[Lee Ji-yeon, I came here because you like Kim Cho-in.]