Chapter 7 : Chapter 7

Yoo Ha-neul, who exchanged a simple greeting with me, sat right next to me, as if something about me appealed to her.

It wasn't a bad thing for me.

After all, in the original story, the character controlled by the player was Yoo Ha-neul, and naturally, the most important person in the story was her.

Depending on how she develops her abilities and the choices she makes, my fate would be vastly different.

Well, regardless of what choices she made, I didn't plan on interfering.

In the original story, the reason Ye Sara was ruined was because she got in Yoo Ha-neul's way.

She would obstruct Yoo Ha-neul, who was on her way to conquering the routes of the three male leads, causing all kinds of trouble, and ultimately receiving judgment. That was the main route.

So, no matter what choices she makes, I'd just clap for her and cheer from the side.

If possible, I'd maintain a friendly relationship as well.

…But if things ended that easily, it would be too simple, wouldn't it?

It definitely wouldn't end that easily.

Of course, not blocking Yoo Ha-neul's path, or rather, helping to clear the way for her, would obviously be beneficial for my future.

However, I still hadn't figured out why Ye Sara hated Yoo Ha-neul so much.

In Yoon Da-ho's case, it made sense because Ye Sara was originally his fiancée, but why the other two male leads?

Moreover, even if I didn't cause trouble for Yoo Ha-neul, there was still a hidden obstacle in the form of Choi Na-kyung, the chairwoman of the Eugene Group and Ye Sara's stepmother.

Given that she was close to abusive toward her stepdaughter, intervening in even the smallest aspects of her life, such as making friends, she might try to interfere with my budding friendship with Yoo Ha-neul as well.

Though it was a bit of a mystery how I could still act freely within the mansion despite the neglect… I'll investigate that more thoroughly later.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?"

A voice came from beside me.

When I turned my head, there was that bright light again.

Even though I pondered what that light really meant, I still couldn't understand it at the moment.

It was a bit ridiculous that my intuition responded in such a way.

If this was a sense that helped me recognize people who would benefit my life… and if Ye Sara had known about it, her life wouldn't have been so messed up in the game.

"Nothing much. Just wondering when this will all be over."

I squinted my eyes as I spoke.

That way, I could vaguely make out Yoo Ha-neul's expression.

Judging by her faintly visible expression, she didn't seem particularly upset.

"Really…?"

Yoo Ha-neul hesitated for a moment, then smiled a little shyly.

"Well, then, how about we grab something to eat after school? It looks like we'll finish early today…"

She was quite sociable.

Did I hang out with friends on the first day when I went to high school?

Hmm, I don't really remember.

In any case, it's hard to recall the moment you first meet someone unless it leaves a strong impression.

If it doesn't start with an intense impression, the first encounter in any relationship tends to be vague.

In that sense, carrying a flashlight on her face certainly left a strong impression.

"I'm not sure."

I wanted to agree, but I wasn't sure if I could.

The people who even tried to stop me from taking a single photo during graduation would be the same ones who might object again this time.

If I pushed for it in a business-like manner, I might get my way, but if word got back to the chairwoman, I could face some disadvantages.

But it didn't feel right to refuse too bluntly either.

After all, this was the first time we were meeting, and there was no need to leave a bad impression right away.

"Let's see. If it works out."

"Okay!"

Yoo Ha-neul answered with an endlessly bright voice.

* * *

Hwayoung High School was basically co-ed, but male and female students weren't in the same class.

Whether it was to prevent students from feeling uncomfortable during classes that required changing clothes, like PE, or simply to discourage inappropriate relationships, girls were only in girls' classes and boys only in boys' classes.

Of course, that didn't mean male and female students were completely isolated from each other.

According to the school guide, students could share common spaces like the cafeteria or gym for non-class activities, without gender restrictions. The same applied to clubs, as long as there wasn't a specific gender requirement.

Also, there were no restrictions on where students could move around within the school.

It wasn't against school rules for a boy to walk through the hallway where the girls' classrooms were located, or vice versa.

Since the changing rooms were attached to the gym, the likelihood of seeing the opposite gender change was low.

It's important to note that most of the students at Hwayoung High School came from extremely wealthy families.

And that included Yoon Da-ho, who was, nominally, Ye Sara's fiancé.

Naturally, it meant Yoon Da-ho could also come looking for me in front of my classroom.

Throughout the entrance ceremony, the students hadn't been paying attention to the homeroom teacher, likely because of Yoon Da-ho's presence, waiting for me outside the hallway.

Honestly, from my perspective as someone who had just entered society, his face still looked very young.

It wasn't just Yoon Da-ho; the other students were the same, but Yoon Da-ho especially looked like a kid to me, probably because I'd seen him behave like one.

But that wouldn't matter to kids of his age.

Objectively speaking, he was tall and handsome.

Even though Ye Sara was thin, she wasn't exactly short, yet Yoon Da-ho was tall enough that she had to look up at him.

In five years or so, he probably wouldn't even need to hire actors for their company's advertisements.

The fact that he was waiting here meant he wasn't attending his own entrance ceremony, right?

Standing in the hallway, leaning against the window with the sunlight pouring in behind him, he certainly looked cool enough.

The students inside the classroom couldn't bring themselves to go outside, instead gathering near the windows to whisper and peek at him.

Was it like watching animals at the zoo?

No, he could probably see them all staring at him through the window, wasn't he embarrassed?

Or maybe he had such a strong case of the prince syndrome that there was no saving him anymore.

"He's so cool…"

Even the human lantern standing next to me made a remark like that, so I guess he did look cool to kids this age.

Though, maybe it looked different from a girl's perspective.

…

I wasn't going out to see him myself, but I understood why the kids were staring out at him.

He was probably waiting for me.

Whether we had a good or bad relationship, we were still engaged, after all.

…Just thinking about that annoyed me.

"Sigh."

I let out a light sigh and squeezed my way between the girls blocking my view.

At first, they grumbled in annoyance, but when they made eye contact with me, they shrank back and cleared a path.

It seemed they weren't just afraid of getting close to me.

"Oh, Sara!"

Even Yoo Ha-neul, who had been mesmerized by the boy outside, quickly followed when I started moving.

I didn't bother shaking her off.

I wasn't planning to have a long conversation with Yoon Da-ho anyway.

As I slid the back door open, Yoon Da-ho, who had been leaning against the window, turned his gaze toward me.

He was clearly trying to look charismatic, but honestly, from my perspective, he just looked like a middle school graduate trying too hard.

Someone wearing a school uniform only seemed intimidating when they were in a group, not alone.

I walked straight toward him without hesitation.

Then I stopped, just two steps in front of him.

"..."

"..."

Yoon Da-ho stood with his arms crossed, while I just stood in front of him.

A brief silence passed between us.

Was he waiting for me to speak first?

Seeing how he stared at me, it seemed like he didn't know how to start the conversation.

"You seem healthy."

"Is that supposed to be a greeting?"

I asked in return, but he didn't respond to my question.

"Sorry."

Instead, he suddenly apologized.

"What?"

I was a bit surprised and asked again, and Yoon Da-ho bit his lip slightly before speaking.

"For what I said during our last meeting. I want to apologize."

"..."

I stared up at his face.

Perhaps out of stubbornness to not look away, Yoon Da-ho, even with an embarrassed expression, looked straight back at me.

So, he was trying to apologize for calling me a pig the last time we met.

It was probably because the adults made him.

Well, considering the age difference between us, it would be less humiliating for him if I accepted the apology.

But, what to do?

'Ye Sara' was the same age as Yoon Da-ho.

"Oh, okay."

Since I had no intention of things going well with him, I just replied like that and turned my body away.

I had no interest in being embraced by a guy.

I had no intention of giving up my original sexual orientation from my previous world, nor my current situation.

I didn't know why I ended up in Ye Sara's body, but I wasn't going to give up 'myself' just because my body had changed.

So, for now, I just needed to avoid my impending doom.

And one way to avoid that ruin was to not create any scenario that would lead to my destruction.

"Ha-neul—"

I was about to call out to Yoo Ha-neul and suggest we leave when I suddenly found myself turning back to Yoon Da-ho.

My wrist hurts.

"When someone speaks, you should listen."

Yoon Da-ho had grabbed my left hand and was pulling me toward him.

That's why I had turned back, my body twisting as he tugged on my arm.

Wow, I really had no strength.

I made a mental note to start working out if I had the time.

"Apologies are something you accept when you want to, right?"

When I responded like that, Yoon Da-ho's gaze turned harsh.

As expected, he hadn't intended to apologize sincerely.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be mad just because I didn't accept it.

"Or do you want to control me?"

It was strange for Yoon Da-ho to call his fiancée a pig.

Even if their engagement was based on a calculated business decision, emotions still had to play a role in a marriage.

Even if they both had affairs and children with other people, there had to be at least some level of positive regard for their relationship.

At the very least, there had to be some trust that the other wouldn't break their mutual agreement.

And to maintain that minimum relationship, basic formalities were necessary.

But that day, Yoon Da-ho's behavior showed that he believed he was far superior to Ye Sara.

He acted as if he believed he could speak that way without facing any resistance from her.

He must have acted similarly during their previous encounters, and Ye Sara probably hadn't resisted much back then.

That's why Yoon Da-ho continued to behave that way.

At that moment, I reached a conclusion.

Wasn't Yoon Da-ho trying to gaslight Ye Sara?

If Ye Sara had been timid from the start, maybe he thought he could manipulate her to his advantage later in their marriage.

Well, it was just a guess.

For now, it was just my imagination, and even if I told someone, I probably wouldn't get full agreement.

It's hard to picture a character like Ye Sara being gaslighted.

Yoon Da-ho's eyes narrowed.

Before he could say anything,

"Wait!"

Someone suddenly intervened.

"It's not right to treat a girl so roughly!"

The kid, whose face was practically glowing, shouted at Yoon Da-ho, who was holding my arm.

Our heroine had jumped right into the situation.