“Is it this time?”

In response to Lajin’s question, Jiho glanced at his wristwatch.

“It’s already midnight.”

“No, it’s already past midnight.”

“Really?”

“You must be tired, are you okay?”

As if there were no problem at all, Jiho lightly tapped his chest.

“The sunrise is the most beautiful at this hour. Shall we watch it together?”

Throwing out a casual remark, Jiho closely observed Lajin’s expression, wondering if he might be rejected.

What is Lajin like now?

It seemed somewhat refreshing, as if a violent storm had passed. Moreover, perhaps due to emotions settling to some extent, she seemed rational. No outright expression of dislike, just a little contemplation? It seemed not bad to appeal a bit more here.

“I have a house in the countryside. There’s a small stream in front of the house.”

“A countryside house?”

“Yes. Good water, good air. It’s a good place to cool your head as it’s separate from other houses.”

“A countryside house with a stream…”

Whether the term “countryside house” appealed to her, Lajin’s gaze shook violently. If she had already halfway crossed over, there was only one decisive blow left.

“You can even grill meat on the field. How about it?”

As Jiho let slip the fact that you can grill meat extraordinarily well, Lajin unconsciously swallowed her saliva.

“Is it okay if I go?”

“It’s okay. So, let’s go. Since I’m pestering you to play together like this.”

Jiho’s unexpected words about pestering seemed to make Lajin smile for the first time.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go to my room for a bit.”

“‘Now that I think about it, I can’t go.’ Something like this won’t work.”

Perhaps Lajin would go up and change her mind, so Jiho listed possible rejection phrases like a multiple-choice question.

“‘Because I might cause trouble for Jiho. I’m sorry.’ Something like this won’t work.”

“What?”

“‘Since it’s already late, let’s leave in the morning.’ Won’t work either.”

Jiho laid out possible rejection phrases she might say like an objective question. In the serious yet cheerful appearance of Jiho, Lajin laughed again.

“I like the countryside. I used to go there often when my dad was alive.”

“Even if you stamp a promise, that kind of thing won’t work.”

He boldly extended his little finger. There was no other way to protect her from the bomb named Kim Yujun. Today, he wanted to expel all the negativity and safeguard her side.

“Got it.”

“No reversals.”

“Yes. I promise.”

The moment the two clasped their fingers, Lajin was entirely dyed in a rosy hue. Her moist eyes, soft cheeks, and white nape of the neck. A cozy peace settled in Jiho’s world.

As if standing on a straight and wide road paved with soft soil, Jiho’s heart became firm and reliable. It was astonishing how one’s life could change so much because of someone else. Jiho was amazed at the powerful force of Lajin, who had changed his life.

“I’ll wait here for you.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

Lajin, who hesitated for a moment, soon disappeared. Then, she reappeared with occasional footsteps.
“Wait while looking at this. I didn’t have much time, so I roughly summarized the important things.”

It was the diary promised by her mother. It was a diary that she had promised to return after self-censoring.

“By the way, take a look at what I marked there first.”

As if she had written some kind of love letters, Lajin handed over three diaries and quickly left her seat. The place where she disappeared as if fleeing, Jiho opened the first place marked with fluorescent tape.

For a moment, a laugh burst out from Jiho’s mouth. How can a person be so cute like this?

Jiho couldn’t help but laugh as he read Lajin’s notes.

―Do you see this? I jumped to 92 points in math in the second semester!

Lajin had put stars on every report card in her mother’s diary, and she hadn’t forgotten to explain with round handwriting. How much attention was paid to do this. Jiho could see the days and nights of contemplation in Lajin’s eyes.

But there was something else that caught Jiho’s eye. Her mother’s notes. How honestly she stuck to the facts, Jiho bit his lips to avoid bursting into laughter.

Her tutoring teacher had turned from a man to a woman.

As Lajin passed the marked diary, she grew little by little and consistently maintained high grades.

The fun of looking at her school days when she liked drawing watercolors and dreamed of becoming an art teacher. Jiho laughed and laughed in front of her report card, which was full of stars.

“Oh? There was a traffic accident at this time.”

The ordinary daily life in the diary disappeared overnight. Her mother’s neat handwriting, Lajin’s report card, everything was abruptly cut off like an unexpected traffic accident.

Second year of high school. It was like a scene from a movie when she, who had drifted away from studying and art, debuted as an actress.