Chapter 66: Incense Burner(6).

“Hello, Chayeon.”

“Ah, it’s you.”

Namyeon scanned Chayeon once, and then his gaze turned to the bag in her hand.

“So that’s what it was.”

“What do you mean that’s what it was.”

“You got it from Teacher Heokgu, right?”

Namyeon gestured with a nod to the paper bag that Chayeon was holding. No way, did he notice with just this? No, since it wasn’t true, it would be more accurate to say he misunderstood rather than saying he noticed.

“That’s not it.”

“You don’t have to be shy. So, you like a type like Teacher Heokgu.”

Pak!

“Ak!”

As she kicked him in the shin, Namyeon jumped. Good for him.

“I’ll report you for sexual harassment.”

“You’re too much, between us.”

“What kind of relationship do we have?”

“Hmm, connected by the red thread of fate… No, no, I’ll take it back.”

Namyeon quickly stepped back after seeing her powerfully lifting her leg to kick the other shin. Anyway, he was a child who spoke frankly.

Because he kept talking to her like this, she was afraid that Arena would see and misunderstand.

“Stop saying things that people will misunderstand if they hear it. I’m going.”

“Ah, Chayeon-ah.”

Just as she was about to turn around and leave, Namyeon called Chayeon again.

“Why?”

“Do you not like puppies?”

Puppies. It was a sudden question.

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Don’t ask why. Do you like puppies?”

Namyeon urged her to answer.

“Hmm, right? I don’t hate them.”

As she answered appropriately and honestly, Namyeon smiled and nodded. He seemed to be in a very good mood.

“Then do you like games?”

“Games?”

This was a predictable question rather than out of the blue.

“Why are you pretending not to know. You know everything.”

Namyeon, who was making a silly smile.

“Chayeon-ah, see you later.”

“Huh? Ah, uh…”

He waved his hand and then turned around and left. What was it. She had been thinking this since before, but he was a unique kid. She couldn’t understand what was inside him at all.

When she entered the classroom, it was worth coming early. Such a quiet classroom. Arena and Byeol had not arrived yet either. Come to think of it, Namyeon had come to school really early too. As she sat in her seat near the window and blankly looked out the window, people began to enter one by one.

-Really? Wow, I didn’t see it that way.

-That’s amazing.

She felt like she was suddenly being watched, so she looked around, and her eyes met with some of the girls. The children who were scattered here and there and gathered in groups of three or five all turned their heads for some reason, and their eyes met. While there were kids who avoided her eyes by slipping away, there were also kids who looked straight at her and gave her a smile she couldn’t understand.

‘What?’

“Chayeon! You, you for what reason!?”

Arena, who had entered through the back door, jumped when she saw Chayeon sitting in her seat. Byeol also entered behind her.

“Oh, Chayeon-ah? What is it? Am I still dreaming?”

“Is it that strange for me to come early?”

“Of course!”

Arena’s immediate answer. She felt like she was going to get hurt. What kind of image did she have?

She quickly clung to Arena, who had come closer. She had to charge Arena’s energy today too. She was still Arena, who blushed and fumbled when Chayeon clung to her, but she didn’t take her off. Byeol nagged, saying not to do that in the classroom.

The same daily life as usual.

She spent the morning class time listening or not while looking out the window at the scenery of a clear day that unfolded.

Suddenly, she heard a whispering sound, so she glanced sideways and saw that a note was going around. She had seen it often even on normal days, but today it felt unusually more.

It had nothing to do with her, though.

Lunchtime.

The three girls gathered with their desks put together as always.

Arena had prepared pound cake as she had said yesterday. When she took a bite with a fork, it felt like she could believe that it was being sold in a cafe inside a luxury hotel.

“Chayeon-ah.”

While she was having a heated debate with Arena on the topic of “Hotel boutique fruit shaved ice prices, is it really okay to be like this?”, Byeol suddenly lowered her voice and called Chayeon.

“Huh? Why?”

She was flustered without realizing it and answered loudly. She felt the gazes around her gather and scatter.

“Something happened?”

“Uh… There is, but why?”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

There was nothing she couldn’t do. She just didn’t know what basis Byeol had used to deduce the connection with Teacher Heokgu. She glanced at Arena, but Arena also shook her head. If Arena hadn’t said it, how did she know?

“So…”

For the third time already. Chayeon briefly conveyed what had happened yesterday in a whisper. After hearing all the stories, Byeol muttered “So that’s why that story…”

“Actually, that’s why I came early today. To get my clothes from Teacher Heokgu.”

Arena had an expression as if she had realized something. It was as if she was about to shout eureka. Was it that incomprehensible that she had come early…?

“More than that, Byeol, how did you know?”

“…That’s actually.”

Byeol brought her face closer and lowered her voice.

“Someone saw you and Chayeon entering Teacher Heokgu’s house together yesterday. And they also saw you coming out after changing clothes.”

“…Huh?”

Chayeon was also surprised, but rather Arena was even more pale.

“Th, that’s real!?”

“Arena, keep your voice down!”

“Ah! Uung… But Chayeon had really only gone out to change her clothes.”

“That’s true but…”

Byeol grabbed her head. Arena also looked at Chayeon with worried eyes.

On the other hand, Chayeon didn’t have any special thoughts surprisingly. If it wasn’t that Arena had misunderstood. To put it bluntly, it was about to what extent that the kids were looking at her like that this morning, or, ah, so the notes that had been going around were about me, maybe, that was all.

“Wouldn’t it be okay?”

“What do you mean okay! There’s a strange rumor going around! You have to clear up the misunderstanding!”

Chayeon was staying still, but rather Arena was jumping around. Arena’s words weren’t wrong. It was an unpleasant and fatal misunderstanding. If rumors started to spread, Chayeon’s image would be seriously damaged, but she had a strange conviction that that wouldn’t happen.

Why was that.

-Yeah, because this world is originally like that.

“I’m really okay. Nothing special will happen. Don’t worry too much.”

“Ugh, why are you so nonchalant!”

She hugged Arena, who was about to die of frustration, tightly to calm her down, but unlike usual, her face didn’t turn red. If anything, she was jumping around saying not to try to gloss over it like this. She was that worried. She was happy.

While trying to calm her down somehow, she looked at the clock and saw that there were only 10 minutes left of lunchtime.

“I’m going to the bathroom!”

Saying that, she quickly came out of the classroom. She had been holding in that she had to go since a while ago because Byeol was talking seriously.

She was crossing the hallway with a tiptoe, when one of the girls who was passing by suddenly popped out to the side.

“Ah!”

Because she bumped shoulders like that, Chayeon, who had a small build, staggered. Thanks to putting her hand on the curb right next to her, she was barely able to not fall.

“Oh! Chayeon-ah~ Sorry! Are you okay?”

Who were they. Two girls who weren’t in the same class and whose names she didn’t even remember made a fuss.

“Ah, yeah. It’s okay, I’m sorry too for not seeing.”

“Don’t you have any injuries?”

“Mi Rye-ya, apologize quickly. We’ll get scolded by Teacher Heokgu.”

“Ah, so~ Chayeon-ah, I’m really sorry. Please don’t tell the Teacher~”

…Huh?

“Why is Teacher Heokgu coming out from there?”

“Eii, why are you being like this between us. Chayeon, you, you’re really close with Teacher Heokgu, right.”

“That’s right. Ah, I’m so jealous~ I wish I was also ‘really’ close with a handsome and young teacher~”

Kikikik.

…Why?

“No, that’s… We’re not that close…”

“Eii, you don’t have to pretend. How was Teacher Heokgu’s house? Was it nice?”

“You’re so romantic that the teacher is your boyfriend~ I guess Teacher Heokgu likes small kids like Chayeon.”

“Isn’t there that thing in men’s fantasies? Making their petite girlfriend wear their clothes that don’t fit.”

“That’s right, that’s right! Ah, so that’s the play?”

Now not even hiding it, the two women pressured Chayeon while giving her a blatant sneer.

Why? This couldn’t be happening?

In ‘school’, something like this, couldn’t be happening…

“Ah, right! But what happened to that Japanese girl? What was her name?”

“Geumma, Geumma! Neogeumma!”

“Neogeumma! Ahahaha, are you broken up with Neogeumma?”

“Ah! I made a mistake! Sorry, Chayeon-ah?”

She was dizzy. Why? Why? This couldn’t be happening.

The world was spinning.

-Please wake up, please, Chayeon-ah! Chayeon-ah,

-Director! I can’t hold out any longer!

An ringing sound buzzed in her ears.

Stop it. Stop, stop, stop it!

Whoosh-

A strong force pulled Chayeon. A warm and fluffy sensation felt on her cheek. A comfortable bosom.

“What are you doing! What are you doing to Chayeon!”

Her mind became at peace. She smelled a longing scent.

The ringing subsided. The dizzy vision returned.

“Ah, th, that’s Arena?”

“Th, that, Chayeon made a mistake and bumped into us.”

“Don’t lie! Who do you think you’re fooling!?”

As Arena, who was hugging Chayeon tightly, shouted with a sharp look, the two girls flinched.

The creaking world was fitted together correctly.

“Ch, Chayeon-ah.”

“We’re sorry, we didn’t mean to. We must have been crazy. We’re really sorry.”

Warmth was felt from Arena’s soft and long arms, which were wrapped around her entire body. The two children bowed their heads to Chayeon with a helpless expression.

Right, that’s right.

This was what was right. This was the right world.

“Eung, I’m okay.”

“I’m not okay! You, say the words you said to Chayeon earlier!”

Arena couldn’t stand her anger and was jumping around. Just as she was about to give a bitter smile without realizing it, someone standing on the landing far over the girls’ backs came into her sight.

Teacher Heokgu was staring at her.

…Teacher Heokgu, it’s you. You were trying to ruin my world.

“Say it one more time! …Chayeon-ah?”

Releasing Arena’s arms, who was jumping around, she ran down the hallway.

Heokgu was quietly waiting for Chayeon while reaching the opposite staircase passage.

“It’s you, right?”

“It was you, you, you who did that, right?”

Heokgu’s eyes, who was looking down at Chayeon, who was gritting her teeth and glaring, still had no change.

“Didn’t I tell you? That I would break your incense burner. Did you think I would quietly watch these childish dreams?”

“But it’s only to this extent. I was just going to twist the situation in case, but you’re turning it back so artificially like this?”

Teacher Heokgu had been saying incomprehensible things since last time.

‘What the hell is he saying!’

As she was quietly staring at him, Arena stepped forward in front of Chayeon in a hurry.

“It’s you again!”

Like Chayeon, Arena was also glaring at Heokgu with eyes filled with hostility.

“Is that so.”

“What are you?”

“The fundamental problem is there. It can’t be broken with an indirect method?”

Heokgu turned around as he didn’t even pretend to see Arena.

“Why do you keep hanging around Chayeon!”

Ignoring Arena’s words as if she wasn’t even there, he turned his head and only looked at Chayeon.

“I hope you’ll be ready when I see you next time.”

“See you later.”

Heokgu, who had said that as if he was giving a final warning, went up the stairs as he was and disappeared into the upstairs hallway.

A few days later.

“Are you really okay?”

“Ah, really! I said I’m okay!”

Time had passed. They were living demerely with Teacher Heokgu, who was acting like he didn’t know anything had happened as if it had happened.

It was Wednesday, the day for home visits.

As soon as regular classes were over, Chayeon and Arena were heading to Chayeon’s house side by side.

It was because she couldn’t trust Teacher Heokgu at all. Even if her Unni would be with her during the home visit, Arena was stubbornly following Chayeon, even skipping dance practice.

“I’m home.”

Even though she knew that there was no one, she said that anyway with Arena by her side, and entered the house. It was a gloomy apartment that was standing alone among the sparsely rising dilapidated commercial buildings, but the inside was brighter than she had thought because of the daytime sunlight coming in through the living room veranda window.

“Excuse me.”

As Chayeon greeted, Arena greeted and entered too. As soon as she confirmed that there was no one, she glared.

“Ehehe.”

Before she got punished, she quickly took off her shoes and went up. Arena followed without saying anything.

“I’ll be back in a minute.”

Chayeon opened the door and gestured, but Arena turned her head and looked around. Soon, Arena, who had found the bathroom, went straight in and washed her hands.

“Yaa! Don’t do it!”

She came as she was with wet hands and wiped them on Chayeon’s skirt. Arena, who had taken revenge, was smiling triumphantly.

She went into her room, threw her bag, and threw her body onto the bed as she was. Wow, it was fluffy. The best. Arena followed right behind.

“Unni said she’ll be here at six.”

“Yeah, I see.”

There was still a lot of time left. What would be good to do with Arena? Since it was a rare day to bring Arena to her house, should they try challenging the final boss that they couldn’t clear last time? She had to arrange the characters in the right places and use extreme control. Arena might be able to do it.

“Jeon Chayeon.”

“Yeah?”

“What time is it now?”

She looked at her watch at Arena’s question.

“It’s a little after three.”

“Is that so.”

For some reason, the pitch of Arena’s voice was subtle.

“There’s a lot of time left, right?”

“Uung, isn’t there?”

-Click.

…Huh?

What sound was that just now?

It was the sound of Arena locking the door.

“Chayeon-ah.”

“Uung?”

Arena put down her bag and came closer. Uh, what was it? Huh? Arena’s eyes were a little strange? Besides, her breathing was subtly rough.

“…I think you need to be punished a little.”