Love for Love's Sake - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
This was what a fire drill was like. If the mission was to avoid Cha Yeowoon for 300 days instead of making him happy, I would be totally screwed. There were no easy paths in life.
“Hold on.”
“Where are you going, Myeongha?”
“Toilet.”
For now I quickly left the classroom. If I was to create a scene like last time, my fate would be sealed if Cha Yeowoon was to catch sight of me.
While I was briskly walking down the 3rd year students’ hallway, my phone suddenly started ringing. Phones weren’t allowed in school. Once confiscated, not only would I not be able to see Cha Yeowoon’s face but also there would be no way to contact him. I would likely come to regret it later, but right now, my only thought was to avoid him.
– “Where are you?”
Cha Yeowoon took the initiative before I could even say hello. Surprised by his speed, I reflexively turned around. It felt like he would appear behind me at any moment.
“Me? I-I’m heading down to your class.”
– “Suddenly to my class?”
“Yeah. But where are you?”
– “…I’m in senior’s class.”
Ehm, I knew that. I was coming down to avoid you.
“We were thinking the same thing. It’s fate.”
– “Senior is still avoiding me.”
Damn. Cha Yeowoon wasn’t only fast at running but also incredibly quick-witted.
“No? I came down to find you.”
– “It would be odd that you avoided me yesterday but weren’t today. It’s a lie that you went down to the classroom to find me.”
Handsome and smart, what a scary fellow.
“Why did you come to my class?”
– “I wanted to see if you were still avoiding me.”
“Yeowoon, are you testing me? Scary.”
– “I was simply curious if you would avoid me again, just like how you did last time when I hadn’t even reached the classroom yet. How are you doing it?”
This time, I was genuinely scared. I barely held back from asking Cha Yeowoon how he had known.
“No. It’s not like that. How could I have known you would come up? It’s just a coincidence, coincidence.”
– “Then, would you like to have lunch with me?”
Who knew an invitation to eat together could be so threatening? I pursed my lips and chose to remain silent. Right, I didn’t think I could avoid him forever.
“Okay. But you’re a 2nd year student, so your lunch break starts 10 minutes later than ours.”
– “Senior can wait that much for me.”
“Are you my junior or master? Where should I wait? In front of the dining hall?”
I said it out of consideration for Cha Yeowoon. I was certain attention was drawn to us yesterday. Nevertheless, I wondered if there would be bad rumors if he was to meet me while I waited in the 2nd year students’ hallway.
– “I didn’t pay for lunch today, so I can’t use the dining hall.”
“Oh…”
That could be true. I remembered skipping meals because I couldn’t afford school lunch a few times. I felt bad that Cha Yeowoon was going through this.
– “Senior can treat me in the canteen. You said you would repay me for the bus fare.”
Cha Yeowoon cornered me.
I couldn’t back out now after the bus fare I had owed was called out. If I did, even someone like Cha Yeowoon would be hurt.
Anyway, I had already been through two debuffs messages one after another, so I should be fine if I stayed on my guard this time.
Wait a minute. Then I wouldn’t be able to eat with Ahn Gyeonghun today?
I reached a quick conclusion. Considering Cha Yeowoon’s social skills and his favorability that might cause an unexpected situation due to the debuff, it would be ill-advised to have Ahn Gyeonghun join us.
“Okay. I’ll go to the canteen first and wait there. Take care of class.”
Cha Yeowoon hung up without replying. I chuckled while my phone was next to my ear. It was very familiar now.
Admitting defeat, I trudged back to our class. Cha Yeowoon had taken the initiative to suggest having a meal together, so he should be happy, right? Why did I feel like I had lost?
“I’m going to the canteen for lunch today.”
“Huh?”
Ahn Gyeonghun’s expression quickly sullen when I sat in front of him and declared. As expected, it seemed he had no one else to eat with aside from me…
But it wasn’t possible to break the lunch plan with Cha Yeowoon or have all three of us eat together. Three really didn’t seem possible. I wasn’t confident I would be able to handle the mood that was already developing.
“Let’s have dinner together for sure.”
“Are you going to the dining hall?”
A tiny glint appeared in Ahn Gyeonghun’s glasses.
“No.”
There was no way I had money to sign up for dinner. From what I remembered, although I was a senior in high school I didn’t have a part-time job.
“Just eat outside during dinner break.”
Ahn Gyeonghun’s face brightened at my suggestion. Like his glasses, my friend was transparent.
At that moment, I didn’t know how hard it would be just to eat lunch and dinner.
* * *
Was there ever this many people at our school?
Although there were also many people in the dining hall, at least there we stood in line. Here it was just a mess.
This was what high school students’ appetite was like.
What kind of canteen was packed as soon as lunchtime began? In 10 minutes, the 2nd year students would come down, worsening the situation.
“I didn’t pay for lunch today, so I can’t use the dining hall.”
Amidst my frustration, Cha Yeowoon’s voice rang out in my head.
I couldn’t let him go hungry like this. He had to eat to be able to run!
With a burst of courage, I advanced toward the bustling canteen. Three seconds later I immediately regretted it. Line 1 during rush hour was chaos.
After a war surrounded by fervor high school students who smelled like sweat, I had two pizza breads in my hands. My school uniform jacket had slipped off my shoulder at some point. And where did one of the buttons go?
“What is senior doing?”
As I crouched on the ground, trying to find my lost button, I heard a somewhat pitiful voice from above.
Cha Yeowoon, slightly furrowing his brows, was looking at me. He looked around, bent his knees, and lowered himself.
“Here.”
In no time, Cha Yeowoon handed me one of my buttons.
How did he manage to find it? It was impressive.
“You have really sharp eyes.”
“Yes, somewhat. Senior is more defenseless than I thought. Despite how you look.”
Thank you 💕