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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: A Cold Wind Blows
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“Can we go together today?”
After self-study ended, Jun-woo asked.
She had been too distracted and forgotten to bring his clothes to school.
‘I like someone else. Jun-woo.’
Seeing him brought Cho-hee’s words back to mind.
A-jin averted her gaze.
“Sorry. I’ll definitely bring them tomorrow.”
Her blank expression all day had bothered him.
She hadn’t spoken to him once, not even glanced his way.
He felt uneasy for some reason.
He hadn’t expected an answer right then, or any specific response, but his heart grew restless anyway.
She had said confessing his feelings came first, but he didn’t want to be rejected.
Ridiculously, he hoped she would accept his heart.
That was his honest feeling.
But her expression had been too negative.
“No. I need them today. I’ll wait outside.”
To keep her from refusing, he said his piece and headed out.
* * *
He waited for her in front of the long flower bed stretching along the building exterior.
Some girls waved and greeted him, but he didn’t really acknowledge them.
If anything, they annoyed him, so he kept his eyes down.
Lost in thought, staring blankly at the dirt, he waited for her.
“Jun-woo.”
Her voice calling his name made him oddly glad, but he turned around with a sullen expression.
“Hurry up and come o…….”
“Did you wait long?”
He had assumed it would be A-jin, of course.
But it was Cho-hee standing in front of him, not A-jin.
His expression hardened in an instant.
He tilted his head, wondering if A-jin might be behind her.
“Looking for A-jin?”
“Yeah.”
“A-jin said she had to go to her parents’ store. She asked me to deliver your clothes instead.”
Cho-hee beamed innocently as she pulled the key card to A-jin’s apartment entrance from her pocket.
His expression grew even stiffer.
Did she want to avoid him so badly that she handed over the key card and sent Cho-hee?
He felt disappointed and hurt by A-jin.
This time, he was truly wounded.
“Did she really tell you to come?”
“Yeah. She said you need your clothes. I’ll go get them for you.”
He was so flabbergasted he could barely speak.
Who would bring someone home just to hand over a single piece of clothing?
He had just wanted to spend time with her.
“Tell her to throw it out. I don’t need it.”
He snapped at Cho-hee and stormed off from school.
Left alone, Cho-hee just felt baffled.
“Are you pissed just because I came? Do you think I have no pride?”
He really wasn’t easy.
So different from the other guys who fell for the slightest touch.
That sparked her competitive spirit even more, but she was starting to reach her limit with her own temper.
Cho-hee vented her irritation by tossing the key card at the pretty flowers in the flower bed.
* * *
The next day, Jong-min stopped A-jin as she entered the classroom.
“Kang A-jin!”
“Huh?”
A-jin gave him a what’s-up look, and Jong-min pulled a card from his pocket and held it out.
“Isn’t this yours?”
It was the key to her apartment’s entrance.
Of course, since she didn’t live there alone, it might not be hers.
“It’s from our apartment.”
“Han Cho-hee was throwing it away.”
“Throwing it?”
“She tossed it in the flower bed?”
She had given the apartment key to Cho-hee yesterday.
Cho-hee had shown up when she was about to go to Jun-woo.
Cho-hee had begged to go instead.
She had pleaded for help.
Truthfully, A-jin hadn’t wanted to hand over the key card.
Not because she didn’t want to help, but because she worried Jun-woo would feel slighted.
In the end, she couldn’t refuse Cho-hee’s request and gave it to her.
But she had thrown it away?
‘What on earth is she thinking?’
A-jin took the key card from Jong-min for now.
“Then it must be mine. Thanks.”
She took the card from Jong-min and returned to her seat.
Jun-woo was already there.
“Hi.”
She greeted him cautiously, gauging his mood.
He didn’t respond.
He didn’t even look at her.
It’s natural for him to be upset, she thought, and quietly sat down.
* * *
“Cho-hee, I have something to ask you.”
As soon as she set down her lunch tray, A-jin asked Cho-hee.
“What?”
“Do you have the key card?”
“Huh?”
Cho-hee looked flustered at the question.
She had thrown it in the flower bed, so of course she didn’t.
It was the moment Jong-min’s words turned out to be true, just as she had suspected.
“Oh, that. I must have dropped it on the way. It’s gone.”
“Here.”
A-jin pulled the key card from her uniform pocket.
Cho-hee looked shocked, wondering how A-jin had it.
“What? How do you have it? Did you find it?”
“Jong-min gave it to me. He said he saw you throw it in the flower bed.”
She said exactly what she had heard.
Cho-hee’s face turned icy.
“Throw it? Did Choi Jong-min say that?”
“Yeah.”
“I was annoyed because Jun-woo just left. There was trash in my pocket, so I tossed it in the flower bed. I didn’t throw your key card. It must have come out with it.”
“…….”
Cho-hee’s explanation just sounded like an excuse.
As A-jin said nothing, Cho-hee looked offended instead.
“You don’t believe me? And this is funny. You had it the whole time and were testing me?”
“I wasn’t testing you. I just wondered why you threw mine away.”
“It was an accident. Throwing trash in the flower bed was wrong, I admit. I was really mad because Jun-woo doesn’t get my feelings at all.”
“You like Jun-woo that much?”
“Yeah. I really like Park Jun-woo.”
Cho-hee’s eyes welled up with tears.
Her tears only confused A-jin more.
She felt she absolutely couldn’t tell her about Jun-woo’s confession.
* * *
A few days passed after that.
She was happy to see Kwang-hyun every day, but Jun-woo’s coldness toward her kept her from feeling at ease.
They didn’t have time for conversation anyway, but he didn’t say a single word.
Not even a glance— it was a cold wind that felt like piercing chill.
“Should I apologize...? But what would I even say...?”
Before she knew it, Jun-woo occupied her thoughts more than Kwang-hyun.
“A-jin, could you hand out these mock exam papers and notes to the class?”
Ga Kyung-hee, who had come for college counseling, used it as an excuse to give A-jin a task.
Clutching the exam papers and notes, she headed to the classroom.
“Hey!! Don’t move from there!”
“You’re crazy. Like I’m gonna stop.”
“We’re screwed if we get caught.”
Just then, a commotion erupted from the opposite hallway.
Two boys were roughhousing wildly, charging straight toward her.
One was chasing, the other fleeing desperately.
They barreled toward her at a good clip.
Their speed picked up, closing the distance fast.
‘What if they crash into me?’ Terrified, A-jin froze in place instead of dodging.
“Move.”
The lead boy shoved her arm to get her out of the way.
“Kyaa!”
The exam papers she held flew into the air.
The notes tumbled onto the hallway floor.
A-jin lost her balance and fell too.
The papers that had shot skyward rained down with a rustle.
“Argh! Why are you running in the hallway?”
A-jin got up and glared after the boys, already gone.
Complaining wouldn’t help now.
With a deep sigh, she began picking up the scattered papers and notes.
As she diligently gathered them, someone approached.
They bent down and handed her some papers and notes.
Maybe they’re helping, she thought.
A-jin looked up to thank them.
“Thank…… you.”
It was Jun-woo.
Has he finally thawed a bit?
Relieved, A-jin smiled faintly.
But against her hopes, he ignored her gaze, grabbed his own papers and notes, and walked off.
“How long are you going to keep this up?”
Now she was starting to feel hurt too.
A-jin pouted sullenly and resumed picking up the rest.
* * *
“Hey! How can you cancel out of nowhere?”
She had arrived at the coffee shop when Cho-hee called.
They were supposed to study together today.
Canceling right at the promised time was deflating.
A-jin pursed her lips in complaint.
-I’m sorry. I’ll treat you to tteokbokki tomorrow instead.
“Who cares about tteokbokki?”
-I forgot I had plans with Ha-jin oppa. Or I could just eat and come.
“Whatever. I’ll study alone.”
-A-jin, you’re a saint. Thanks for understanding.
Cho-hee’s call ended in a cute tone.
It wasn’t a big deal—just meeting to study for exams—so the sudden cancellation didn’t bother her much.
It had happened before, but today felt especially off.
“She says she likes Jun-woo, so why meet other guys?”
For the first time, Cho-hee irritated her.
She ordered coffee, pulled out her workbook, and sat down.
She planned to solve problems for an hour or two.
She furrowed her brow at the first problem, stuck already.
Then, someone tapped on the window outside.
Wondering what the noise was, she turned.
Hee-jin was outside, waving at her with a bright, girlish smile, thrilled to see A-jin.
“Sweet Honey-nim!”
Hee-jin burst into the shop and grabbed A-jin’s hand.
“Wow! We must really be fated. Running into each other again like this.”
“Hello.”
A-jin greeted her in bewilderment.
“I was passing by and couldn’t believe it when I saw you.”
“Really? What brings you here?”
“I’m meeting friends.”
“Then your friends…….”
“They probably went up to the restaurant upstairs. Lunch plans.”
“Then you should hurry up.”
At A-jin’s words, Hee-jin seemed to hesitate.
“Sweet Honey-nim, have you eaten?”
“Yes. I had a little before coming.”
“Oh?”
Hee-jin’s worry deepened.
She furrowed her brow in thought, then grabbed A-jin’s hand again.
“How long are you staying here?”
“About two hours…….”
“Really? I’ll just eat and come down. Can you wait for me? Please don’t go?”
Hee-jin looked so earnest.
A-jin couldn’t refuse the heartfelt plea.
She nodded okay.
Hee-jin smiled brightly like a girl once more.
