‘Yi Soo is my girlfriend.’

That one sentence would have been enough.

Ji Ho swallowed the words he originally wanted to say, as Yi Soo’s eyes suggested.

“My girlfriend… is someone else.”

Looking at Yi Soo’s relieved eyes, he continued speaking.

“So you don’t need to keep asking such things to the wrong person.”

The one most surprised by Ji Ho’s words was Yoo Mi.

“What do you mean? You have a girlfriend, elder brother?”

Yoo Mi blinked her large eyes repeatedly with a face that couldn’t believe it at all.

It wasn’t just a girl he liked, saying he had a girlfriend meant he was already dating someone.

‘Elder brother has a woman he’s dating? No way!’

Who on earth could she be.

“Elder brother, is it true? Do you really have a woman you’re dating?”

Ignoring the gazes around her, Yoo Mi repeated the same question.

“Yeah. It seems there’s been a false rumor lately that you’re my girlfriend, so be careful not to cause any more misunderstandings in the future.”

“What did I…”

“Don’t just show up unexpectedly and wait as you please, and don’t touch my body carelessly.”

Like someone who had heard words they shouldn’t have, Yoo Mi looked at Ji Ho with an expression as if she was about to cry.

“Because you do that, useless photos get taken and nonsensical rumors spread. I’m telling you not to create troublesome situations that need explaining.”

“W-what? How can you say such things to me?”

At Ji Ho’s chilling gaze and cold tone, Yoo Mi’s eyes welled up with tears.

To suffer such humiliation in front of people, and in front of Yi Soo at that.

Unable to bear the humiliation, Yoo Mi stood up and went outside.

“Hey, take it easy. Why are you making the kid cry again? No matter how many times I see it, I can’t get used to it.”

Ha Joon, who had been quietly eating, shook his head and spoke.

“Even I feel embarrassed listening from the side. Look, I’ve got goosebumps.”

Juhee showed Yi Soo the goosebumps on her arm while rubbing it with her palm.

“I’d only heard rumors, but he really speaks coldly and harshly. No wonder girls can’t confess to him carelessly.”

Juhee clicked her tongue as she spoke.

Yi Soo was just as surprised.

It was the first time she had seen Ji Ho so cold.

Ji Ho leaned back in his chair and spoke calmly, not targeting anyone specific.

“I think it’s not polite to pretend otherwise when you know your feelings are different from the other person’s. If left alone, it will become uncomfortable for both eventually. You should know when to give up cleanly if you think it’s not meant to be.”

Dong Woo, who had been eating indifferently, raised his head at those words.

For a brief moment, his eyes met Ji Ho’s.

Then Ji Ho smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders.

**

“Come with me.”

Ji Ho suddenly poked his face over Yi Soo’s shoulder, having followed her out at some point.

Startled, Yi Soo turned her head sideways and almost bumped into Ji Ho’s face.

“What! You scared me.”

“You knew I’d follow you out.”

Ji Ho’s expression was once again gentle and soft like before.

“How would I know that? It’s not like I have eyes on my back.”

Yi Soo tried to quicken her pace to distance herself from Ji Ho.

“You’re not deliberately running away now, are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why are you walking so fast? You walk nicely with Dong Woo, but if you avoid walking with me, I’ll really get upset!”

“What do you mean nicely…”

At those words, Yi Soo slowed down and walked side by side with Ji Ho.

It was true that she had unconsciously tried to keep her distance from Ji Ho.

“Didn’t you see me at the basketball court?”

Yi Soo’s expression immediately became awkward, as she was poor at lying.

“…You saw me. Then why did you pretend not to see and just leave?”

“…”

“There’s no need to pretend you didn’t see me even if you did. If you leave laughing like that with another man instead of me, I…”

“You had company. I didn’t want to interfere.”

It was Yoo Mi she wanted to avoid, not Ji Ho, but she felt frustrated that she couldn’t say it honestly.

Though she had been putting it off, she felt she should tell Ji Ho about her relationship with Yoo Mi soon.

“Interfere? I told you before that there’s nothing between me and her. I drew the line with her in front of you earlier because I was afraid you’d act like this.”

She had clearly seen him act so chillingly cold.

To the point where she felt sorry for Yoo Mi, who ran out crying.

His demeanor was so different that it was even a bit scary.

“But, did you really need to go that far?”

“That’s how I am with women I don’t like. I’m only gentle with you.”

Ji Ho stopped walking, turned sideways and looked down into Yi Soo’s eyes as he spoke.

“So I want you to be the same. Smile only for me, be gentle only to me.”

She recalled Ji Ho saying once that he felt like his eyes would go crazy with jealousy.

He must have been upset that she had just come with Dong Woo.

“I showed you on purpose. That’s how you reject someone.”

“…”

“You saw well, right? Don’t forget it and do the same to Dong Woo someday. So he won’t have any useless lingering feelings.”

Ji Ho spoke as if certain that Dong Woo liked Yi Soo.

No matter how much Yi Soo said they were just friends, he wouldn’t believe it.

“I don’t think that will happen, but if it does, I will.”

**

Saturday afternoon.

Yi Soo was planning to meet Da Eun, her high school classmate.

Da Eun, who went to university in Busan, had maintained a close friendship with Yi Soo since they became friends in their first year of high school.

On days when Yi Soo met Da Eun, she would put on makeup she didn’t usually wear and wear clothes in styles she didn’t usually wear, as a change of pace.

Yi Soo, who had carefully applied makeup for once, wore a mini dress with a deep V-neckline.

It was a dress that showed off Yi Soo’s slender, long neck and slim legs.

The necklace Ji Ho had given her sparkled prettily on her white neck.

Yi Soo couldn’t help but smile at how unfamiliar her reflection in the mirror looked.

Yi Soo, who usually only wore casual clothes, felt like she was committing a small act of rebellion just by wearing such clothes.

**

On a weekend afternoon, it was not easy to find someone in the crowds of Hongdae.

Yi Soo stretched her neck and looked around, then spotted Da Eun walking from afar.

“Da Eun! Over here!”

Yi Soo raised her hand high and waved.

“Oh, Yi Soo! What’s with this daring dress? You look so pretty!”

As soon as she saw Yi Soo, Da Eun opened her round eyes wide in surprise and smiled broadly.

Since Da Eun was her most comfortable friend, Yi Soo didn’t feel too shy even wearing such a daring dress.

“I wanted to change things up a bit since we’re going out. How is it? Does it suit me?”

“Totally! Stop wearing jeans and t-shirts all the time and dress like this from now on. Why are you hiding such a pretty figure? If it were me, I’d dress like this every day.”

“I’ll dress like this whenever I meet you from now on.”

The two, meeting after several months, exchanged warm greetings as they entered the restaurant Da Eun had reserved.

Following the employee’s guidance into the restaurant, Yi Soo spotted an unwelcome face.

“Da Eun, weren’t we supposed to meet just the three of us with Min Ju?”

Yi Soo asked Da Eun with a surprised face.

“Oh my, didn’t I tell you? Min Ju said she got in touch with Do Yeon and asked if it would be okay to meet together, so I said sure. You were close with Do Yeon too, right? Isn’t it okay to meet together?”

Yi Soo unconsciously frowned slightly.

Da Eun, unaware of the situation between Yi Soo and Do Yeon, sat down waving her hand happily.

Yi Soo’s relationship with Do Yeon, who had been in the same class in their first year of high school, soured in their third year.

Do Yeon, who had always been envious of Yi Soo for maintaining first place in the entire school for three years, tried to interfere with Yi Soo in an unexpected way.

She introduced Min Jae, the most popular boy in school, to Yi Soo, who was a perfect model student with little interest in anything but studying.

It wasn’t a formal introduction, she just naturally introduced them during lunch break by bringing Min Jae to sit in front of Yi Soo.

After that, Min Jae actively approached Yi Soo.

He would come to her classroom several times a day to give her drinks, and always ate meals together with her.

Min Jae was tall and handsome, good at sports, and above all had a charm that captured people’s hearts with his kind and affectionate personality.

With such a Min Jae deliberately approaching her actively, Yi Soo naturally became close friends with him quickly.

Before Yi Soo knew it, rumors had already started spreading around school that she and Min Jae were dating.

Then one day, Min Jae confessed to Yi Soo that he liked her.

While Yi Soo was worrying about how to reject Min Jae, whom she thought of as a good friend, she learned a shocking truth.

By chance, she overheard Min Jae and Do Yeon talking behind the school rest area, and felt like she had been hit on the back of the head.

“Min Jae, do you think Yi Soo will accept your confession?”

“I’m not sure.”

“She seems to have already fallen for you… There are already rumors that you two are dating. Yi Soo must not dislike it since she’s not doing anything about it. Looks like you’ve won this bet. Heh heh. Even the ice princess Yi Soo who only knows studying is no different. Look how she falls for you when you set your mind to it. If Yi Soo accepts your confession, date her for a few months then break up at the right timing. Let her get a bit shocked.”

“…”

“I want to see Yi Soo mess up her exams because she’s distracted by dating. My wish before graduating is to be first in the school just once. If you do that for me, I’ll treat you to a big meal, for real.”

“Do Yeon, that’s not it, actually…”

She couldn’t hear any more of their conversation after that.

Her legs trembled and she could barely stand properly at the fact that these two people she had trusted as friends had made a bet with her feelings.

She got goosebumps at the fact that it had all been planned.

Because of that incident, Yi Soo lost both of them.

Min Jae apologized and clung to Yi Soo, saying it started as a joke but later became sincere, asking her to believe him…

But once trust was broken, it couldn’t be restored. And Do Yeon remained brazen to the end.

“You only studied too much, so I introduced Min Jae to you for your own good. So you could experience dating too. Is this something to get angry about? And what’s wrong with making a bet? You always put up walls, so we were curious if Min Jae could break through them. There was no ill intent.”

After that day, Yi Soo no longer thought of Do Yeon as a friend.

This was the first time seeing her since graduating after their relationship soured at the end of their third year.

“Oh my, Yi Soo. How long has it been? This is the first time since we graduated, right?”

Do Yeon greeted her first, pretending to be glad to see her.

“Yeah. It’s been a while.”

Yi Soo forced the corners of her lips up, trying to hide her uncomfortable feelings.

The good mood from earlier sank heavily.

“Let’s order first.”

“Should we get the set for four?”

“Let’s do that. The food here is all delicious.”

The chatter continued as they waited for their food after ordering from the employee.

“Yi Soo, you’ve really become pretty. If I ran into you on the street, I might have passed by without recognizing you. Is it because you’re wearing makeup? Now that you’re in college, you dress up like this too. I thought you’d only ever wear pants, but you’re even wearing dresses like this…”

Do Yeon spoke as if amazed, slowly looking Yi Soo up and down from head to toe.

Do Yeon, who had never managed to beat Yi Soo even once before graduating, was curious about her.

She thought Yi Soo would live boringly just studying like before, but the Yi Soo she met after a long time seemed like a completely different person.

“How much time has passed? It would be strange not to change.”

Yi Soo snapped back curtly.

“Is that so? I thought you wouldn’t change.”

Yi Soo thought it was fortunate that she had met Do Yeon on a day when she had deliberately dressed up.

If she had come dressed as she usually did, she could clearly imagine how Do Yeon would have looked at her without even seeing it.