In the end, I ended up having strange meetings with Kim Jae Young during lunchtime.

To put it simply, Kim Jae Young was unexpectedly a friend who was easy to talk to.

“…… So I’ve been having a lot of worries these days.”

To be precise, he was a friend who was a good listener. When I would tear into bread and rant, Kim Jae Young would quietly listen while nodding his head beside me.

“There’s someone I really need to get close to, you know? But I don’t know how to approach them.”

Today, the story I brought up was about Seol Yu Bin.

After parting ways like that in the gym storage room last time, I still haven’t been able to meet Seol Yu Bin even once. It was because Seol Yu Bin only stayed in the infirmary, so our paths didn’t cross.

‘To become friends, we need to meet first.’

The problem was that there was no excuse to meet.

Given Seol Yu Bin’s personality, I couldn’t just recklessly go to her. If I barged in thoughtlessly, she might find me burdensome and distance herself from me.

Moreover, I was banned from entering the infirmary. So I naturally needed an excuse to call her out… but I couldn’t think of a good method.

After listening to everything I said, Kim Jae Young opened his mouth.

“She helped you out?”

I nodded my head.

“Yeah, she got me out when I was locked in the gym storage room.”

Then, Kim Jae Young’s expression turned strange.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hmm… No, it’s just similar to a story I know.”

Was there someone else besides me who got locked in the gym storage room? Whoever they were, I felt sorry for them.

As expected, it must be because this is the world of a novel. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were dozens more outcasts at this school besides me.

Feeling a sense of camaraderie with that faceless person, I tore into my second piece of bread.

After pondering for a moment, Kim Jae Young spoke.

“How about buying her a meal to thank her for helping you?”

“I tried, but she politely refused, saying it was fine.”

“She’s a difficult friend.”

Yeah, that’s right. Seol Yu Bin was a very expensive and difficult friend. If only her capture difficulty was as easy as Ban Ha Min’s……

I let out a deep sigh and bit into my bread.

‘Should I try capturing Ji Seung Hyun first?’

I’m not sure what kind of person Ji Seung Hyun is… ^_^ But since he’s in charge, wouldn’t he be at least easier to get close to than Seol Yu Bin?

I thought about using Ji Seung Hyun to call out Seol Yu Bin.

Hmm, what if Seol Yu Bin misunderstands and thinks I’m interested in Ji Seung Hyun? It doesn’t seem like a good method.

‘It would be troublesome if the female lead develops bad feelings towards me instead……’

I fell into thought again. Anyway, I can’t just sit still. I need to approach her somehow.

In the end, I was back to square one.

‘I really can’t come up with an answer.’

If this were a visual novel, Seol Yu Bin would probably be the character with the highest capture difficulty.

Wait a minute.

‘Visual novel?’

I wonder if the system has such a function?

I called out to the ‘system’ in a very small voice so that Kim Jae Young couldn’t hear.

[Sorry, but there’s no such function ㅠ^ㅠ]

It’s really not helpful at all.

Well, I didn’t expect much. From the beginning, this thing is a system in name only and has never done anything system-like.

[No, that’s not true! I do everything I’m supposed to do too! =_=]

I pretended not to see and said to Kim Jae Young,

“Anyway, thanks for listening to my concerns.”

Kim Jae Young grinned.

“I didn’t even do anything helpful though.”

“Just listening is helpful enough.”

It had a bamboo forest-like effect.

‘The existence of a handsome man is helpful in itself.’

Of course, the three-generation boys are also handsome, but Ban Ha Min and Sung Ji Chan lose points for their other words and actions, so it’s plus-minus zero…… No, it’s just minus.

As for Seon Woo Jin…… The moment I thought about him, an image of Seon Woo Jin’s languid appearance dyed in the sunset came to mind. I didn’t want to admit that I was captivated by that face even for a moment. I should just consider Seon Woo Jin as unhelpful.

Therefore, the only handsome man in this world who was helpful to me was Kim Jae Young.

Kim Jae Young spoke gently.

“I’m glad if it was helpful.”

Kim Jae Young, who didn’t know my thoughts, was always kind as usual.

I shrugged my shoulders.

After that, we talked about some more trivial things. They were mostly meaningless and trifling conversations.

“Ah, I should get going now.”

Looking at his wristwatch, Kim Jae Young suddenly said,

“I have something to do, so I’ll go first.”

There was still some time left before lunchtime ended. I told him to go ahead. Kim Jae Young smiled brightly.

“Then, let’s meet again tomorrow.”

Take care. I waved my hand. Kim Jae Young also waved back.

“…… He’s gone.”

I ate the remaining bread while watching Kim Jae Young’s back.

As if he ran into a friend midway, Kim Jae Young was walking and talking with someone.

Last time, he was also with someone. Unsurprisingly, he seems to have a lot of friends.

Watching Kim Jae Young’s receding back, I suddenly had this thought.

“But why is he doing this to me……?”

[This is the timeline separator]

Whatever Kim Jae Young’s intentions were, it wasn’t harming me, so I decided not to worry about it for now.

‘What’s important to me right now is Seol Yu Bin.’

Days passed by as I pondered over how to approach Seol Yu Bin.

During that time, I asked several people about ‘how to get closer to a friend’.

Sung Ji Chan said,

“Friends? Don’t you just naturally become close?”

Ban Ha Min said,

“To Ha Min, everyone in the world is a friend, so there’s no need to get closer?”

Seon Woo Jin said,

“Don’t ask someone without friends about such things.”

Yoo Hee Na said,

“Friends? They should be begging me to be friends with them, why should I approach them first?”

There’s really nothing helpful at all.

It made me realize again that this is why this novel turned out this way.

‘There are no normal people around……’

So in the end, I found myself confiding in Kim Jae Young again.

“You still haven’t been able to become friends with that person?”

Even today, Kim Jae Young’s face was refreshingly shining under natural light. I nodded while eating bread.

“Yeah, I haven’t even been able to meet them all this time.”

“Haha.”

Kim Jae Young let out a pleasant laugh.

“What a proud friend.”

“I know, right.”

Of course, Seol Yu Bin is far from being proud, but…… Anyway, that was how I felt.

“It would be nice if she showed a little opening.”

Seol Yu Bin was awkward in human relationships and had a strong defensive wall. If you could just get inside her line once, you could become very close, but breaking through that wall was nearly impossible.

‘But I thought we had gotten a bit closer.’

It was thoroughly my delusion.

‘At this rate, I might not be able to do anything before the original story begins.’

Thinking about Seol Yu Hwa, who would appear when Seol Yu Bin disappeared, made me feel stuffy again. Eight weeks of hospitalization…… That number I recalled after a long time made me sigh automatically.

“Should I just pretend to be crazy and charge forward?”

“What?”

Kim Jae Young laughed, haha.

‘I’m being serious though.’

It wasn’t a joke. These days, I seriously thought that maybe I should just collide with her.

‘When will I ever wait for her to open up?’

I should just boldly approach her and ask to be friends.

Before I knew it, my determination to cautiously approach Seol Yu Bin had vanished into thin air.

“Alright, I’ve made up my mind.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll just go find her.”

I clenched my fist and made a resolution.

Then, Kim Jae Young smiled softly.

“Yeah, it’ll work out.”

Strangely, it was a voice that inspired trust.

As I’ve felt before, Kim Jae Young seems to speak very beautifully.

With this face, this personality, and this way of speaking, how can he just be an extra?

Even thinking about it again, I couldn’t understand.

‘Is there something hidden in the name Kim Jae Young that I don’t know about?’

I seriously tried to recall the original work again.

That’s when it happened.

‘Huh? Isn’t that Seol Yu Bin?’

I suddenly spotted Seol Yu Bin passing by in the distance.

This was the first time I had run into Seol Yu Bin by chance outside the infirmary.

“Yu Bin!”

I waved my hand, happy to see her.

Fortunately, Seol Yu Bin noticed me and turned her head.

However, Seol Yu Bin’s expression gradually stiffened as she looked this way.

‘…… Huh?’

I hesitated for a moment.

‘Did something happen……?’

Although Seol Yu Bin’s usual expression isn’t bright, it’s usually a timid look, not such a serious face.

‘Did I act too friendly?’

It was indeed premature.

The plan to charge forward is canceled.

I lowered my hand, feeling awkward.

However, Seol Yu Bin didn’t avoid me and approached this way.

‘…… Huh?’

I quietly watched Seol Yu Bin.

Seol Yu Bin walked over with a grave expression as if she had made a resolution.

‘Wa-was my greeting that strange?’

I rolled my eyes, feeling nervous for no reason.

Finally, Seol Yu Bin stopped in front of me and Kim Jae Young.

“……”

“……”

After looking at the two of us for a moment, Seol Yu Bin opened her mouth.

“Seung Hyun.”

Huh?

Who’s Seung Hyun……?

I unconsciously turned my head and looked beside me. ‘Kim Jae Young’s’ expression had stiffened.

Seol Yu Bin spoke gravely.

“Wh-why are you two together……?”

Neither I nor ‘Kim Jae Young’ gave any answer to Seol Yu Bin’s question.

Then, Seol Yu Bin asked again.

“What’s your relationship?”

Relationship? It’s obvious we have no relationship at all.

But the atmosphere was too serious to say such a thing. I kept my mouth shut, reading the situation.

In the icy atmosphere, ‘Kim Jae Young’ sighed.

“We’re just friends.”

“Friends?”

Seol Yu Bin’s voice trembled slightly.

“You didn’t tell me anything like that.”

“I can’t tell you about all my friendships.”

At Kim Jae Young’s words, Seol Yu Bin raised her voice as if she felt wronged.

“But you definitely told me last time that you would tell me about all your female friends……”

“Yu Bin.”

‘Kim Jae Young’ spoke in a gentle yet firm voice.

“We promised. Not to do this.”

“S-Seung Hyun……”

Meanwhile, I was confused.

‘Seung Hyun? Why is she calling him Seung Hyun?’

The name I knew for this person was ‘Kim Jae Young’.

‘Where did the name Seung Hyun even come from?’

Seol Yu Bin bit her lower lip hard. It was an expression of holding back tears.

‘Could it be……?’

And at the very moment I reached a realization.

“Yu-Yu Bin! Seol Yu Bin! Where are you going!”

Seol Yu Bin ran off somewhere.