Chapter 26 : Lee Hyelin

Lee Hyelin considered herself a timid person.

She hadn’t made any close friends in middle school, mostly due to her shyness and her tendency to stutter when nervous. It probably made conversations with her difficult.

There was another reason she struggled to make friends. A popular girl had started to bully her, perhaps because she seemed like an easy target.

The girl would make Hyelin sit on her lap during breaks while she chatted with her friends, deliberately isolating her. Hyelin wondered why she bothered; she was already a loner.

Sometimes, the conversation would shift to her, and the popular girls, with seemingly friendly smiles, would invite her to hang out after school or on weekends. Hyelin always refused. She knew they were planning something…unpleasant. She was relieved when they gave up easily.

And then there was the constant snacking. They’d call her cute, like a little squirrel, and keep feeding her snacks even when she was full. The snacks were usually tasty, though, so Hyelin never complained.

Come to think of it, maybe it hadn’t been that bad?

High school was different. Hyelin made a lot of friends. Following her classmate’s advice on the first day, she forced herself to speak, despite her stutter, and her classmates readily accepted her.

Her classmate was amazing.
Haram was pretty, capable, always smiling… and funny.

Hyelin admired Lee Haram.
That’s why she had followed Haram’s lead and joined the drama club.

Maybe if she stuck with Haram, some of that… amazingness would rub off on her? Maybe she could become a positive influence on others too, just like Haram?

Even if she didn’t, it was fine. Haram was a good person. Just being around her, sharing experiences, was enough.

“Hyelin, what are you thinking about?”
“Huh? Oh…”

She smiled shyly at Kim Nayeon and Song Jihyun, her closest friends in class.

Hanging out with friends on the weekend? It felt like a dream. Going to the movies, chatting at a cafe… A happy sigh escaped her lips.

Jihyun frowned.

“What are you grinning about now?”
“What’s Hyelin smiling about, Nayeon?”
“She’s making that creepy face again.”
“Are… are you mad?”

Hyelin’s voice trembled, and Jihyun sighed, rubbing her forehead.

“I’m not mad. Just curious.”
“I… I’m happy because I’m hanging out with… with my friends…?”
“That’s… disturbing.”
As they were chatting, Nayeon suddenly spoke up.

“Did you hear about Haram?”
“H… Haram?”

Lee Haram was like a legendary Pokemon in Class 1-1. She was friendly with everyone but almost impossible to catch after school, always busy with drama club activities or personal matters. Her name inevitably came up in conversations like this.

“A friend from another class said she saw Haram at a cafe over the weekend.”
“S… So?”

Hyelin was puzzled. What was so unusual about going to a cafe?

“Wait for it. Apparently, she was with some… gangster-looking guy. With tattoos and everything.”
“A… A gangster?”
“Yeah, covered in tattoos. Hyelin, do you know anything about this? You’re close with her, aren’t you?”
“I… I’ve never heard of this!”
“My friend overheard them talking. Apparently, Haram goes to his place often.”
“Really? Maybe he’s her boyfriend?”

Jihyun, who had been quiet, chimed in. Hyelin chewed nervously on her straw.

There was no way the kind, sweet Haram would be friends with a gangster… but she had been seen going to his place…
Hyelin’s imagination ran wild.

‘Is… is she being threatened?’

She recalled a scene from a romance manhwa she had read last night. A girl being harassed by a delinquent, and the handsome hero coming to her rescue. But real life wasn’t a manhwa. There were no heroes.

Just then, she saw Haram walking past the window. It had to be fate.

“S… Sorry! I… I have to go!”

Hyelin rushed out, leaving her bewildered friends behind.

She followed Haram, keeping a safe distance. She knew this was bordering on stalking, but she ignored her conscience.

‘It… It’s for a friend, so it’s okay.’

Haram stopped by the roadside, made a phone call, and waited for someone. A sleek, expensive car pulled up, and a man got out and opened the door for her. In that brief moment, Hyelin saw his face.

‘T… Tattoos… A gangster?’

As if in a trance, she hailed a taxi.

“F… Follow that car!”
“That Mercedes? Is your boyfriend cheating on you or something?”

Hyelin bit her lip at the driver’s question. How much money did she have left? It was the money she had saved to buy a new outfit, but it didn’t matter. She would do anything for a friend.

“That’s 32,200 won.”
“O… Okay.”

Hyelin’s hand trembled as she paid the taxi fare. This was going to hurt. It was money she had carefully saved. Now, it was gone, just like that.
The taxi driver gave her a sympathetic look.

“Don’t worry too much, miss. There are plenty of good people in the world.”
“H… Haram is a good person!”

The driver clicked his tongue and told her to cheer up before driving away. He had clearly misunderstood, but Hyelin didn’t care.

She stared at the building where the car had disappeared, a high-end apartment complex. Thankfully, the balconies were open, so she could see where they went. A light flickered on the fourth floor.

“Fourth floor.”

She saw them enter the fourth door on the left.

“Apartment 404.”

Just then, someone exited the building. Hyelin slipped inside before the door closed.
She repeated the number under her breath, afraid she’d forget.

“404, 404, 404…”

A woman in the elevator gave her a strange look. Hyelin ignored her, pressed the button for the fourth floor, and continued muttering,

“404, 404, 404…”

She couldn’t afford to forget. Haram’s safety depended on it.

She reached apartment 404. She hadn’t planned this far ahead, so her mind went blank. She noticed a slightly open window and peeked inside, pressing her ear against the bars. She heard Haram’s and a man’s voices.

“In the beginning, when Seol tries to hang herself, what emotions would she be feeling?”
“Pain, followed by euphoria, because…”

‘H… Hanging herself? Euphoria?’

Then Haram’s voice,

“What happened to Seol’s mother’s body after she died?”
“It could still be there, or the man might have disposed of it.”
“If it’s still in the room, it would smell, wouldn’t it…?”

‘S… Someone died? Body… disposal?’

Hyelin’s hand trembled as she reached for her phone. The gangster who was threatening Haram was much more dangerous than she had imagined.

She was about to call the police, then stopped. What if Haram was involved somehow? She heard Haram’s voice again.

“Why don’t you just put my name in the credits? This is unethical.”
“Come here, you little…”
“Wait, are you going to hit me?”
“It won’t hurt. Just a little sting.”
“No! Stop! Don’t! That’s assault!”

‘H… Hit her? He’s going to hit Haram?’

Hyelin couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. She rang the doorbell. Footsteps approached, and the door opened. She looked up at the imposing figure and blurted out,

“I… I don’t think… you should be… bullying Haram…”

Haram, following the man to the door, tilted her head in confusion.

“Hyelin? What are you doing here?”

Inside Park Saeron’s apartment, Lee Hyelin sat with her head bowed, like a criminal awaiting sentencing. Saeron scratched his chin.

“I don’t even know where to begin with this…”
“Simple. It’s your face, isn’t it?”
“That’s right! I remember now! Lee Haram, come here, you…”
“D… Don’t hurt Haram!”

I grinned and hid behind Hyelin. Saeron’s hand, raised to flick my forehead, froze mid-air. I had been on the receiving end of his flicks a few times; they should be classified as lethal weapons.

He sighed and asked Hyelin to explain.

“So, you heard some rumors from your friends, saw Lee Haram by chance, and followed her all the way here?”
“My friend is a bit… much.”
“H… Haram, I did it for you…”
“I know, I know, but it’s a little creepy. Look, I have goosebumps.”

I showed her my arm. Hyelin started crying again, burying her face in her hands. I chuckled and came to her defense.

“To be fair, the rumors aren’t entirely baseless. We were at a cafe together on Sunday, and he does look like a gangster.”
“So, it’s my fault?”
“Can’t you see she’s crying? Have some compassion.”
“I don’t want to be an adult anymore. Waaah!”
“Ugh, that’s disgusting. Fine, I’ll take the blame.”

I managed to calm Hyelin down and explained my…working relationship with Saeron. She looked at me with wide, sparkling eyes, her tears forgotten.

“H… Haram, so… you’re going to be a movie star?”
“Technically, I’m an unpaid extra in a twisted man’s vanity project.”
“Th… That’s still amazing!”

Saeron joined us, and the conversation shifted from his indie film to school.

“Th… That’s right, Haram. You’re… going to the amusement park with me next week for the… field trip, right?”
“Next week already? Where are we going again?”
“An… Amusement park!”

Hyelin, noticing my lack of enthusiasm, asked,

“H… Have you never… been to one?”
“I’ve been to one. Just… haven’t ridden any of the rides.”

I had been to an amusement park in my past life, on a school field trip. I hid in a corner, eating churros, and that was it.

“Why?”
“I’m not a fan of rides.”
“Are… are you scared?”
“No, I’m not.”
“R… Really? Then we should… ride a lot of them… this time!”

I was scared. The sheer terror of being dropped from a great height was enough to make me shudder. Hyelin, noticing my slight tremble, smiled mischievously and turned to Saeron.

“Wr… Writer, can you… put on a movie?”
“Sure, what do you want to watch?”
“Heehee… ‘Final Destination 3.’”