X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server“Do you enjoy holding my hand so much?”
“No, well, it’s not quite like that… Still, we’re officially dating now, aren’t we? No take-backs!”
“You, Eunhae, shouldn’t even *think* about backing out.”
‘What a stroke of luck this is.’ Eunhae, utterly delighted, gently swayed Jung Seunghee’s hand in hers.
Now, she could hold his hand whenever and however much she wished. No more worrying about others’ gazes, or even Jung Seunghee’s own reactions!
Because they were dating, after all!
“Now that we’re officially together… may I call you ‘Noona’?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Whether he called her ‘Noona,’ her name, or even ‘hey, you,’ Eunhae didn’t care. What mattered to her right now was the ‘hand-holding schedule.’
‘Hold once before class, then once more after class, and that should last until I go home. …Would it be too much to ask him to come to my house so we can walk to school together?’
Eunhae nodded in satisfaction, beginning to pack her belongings. Today, she had exceeded her goals.
‘I should order chicken when I get home.’
“Eunhae Noona.”
Unexpectedly, the word ‘Noona’ resonated deeply within her.
Eunhae was an only child. Her father had severed ties with his family, and her mother, being an only daughter herself, meant Eunhae had no relatives or siblings.
The unfamiliar honorific ‘Noona’ felt incredibly ticklish.
“Shall we walk hand-in-hand, Noona?”
“Oh, oh? Yes…”
She gave a small nod and took Jung Seunghee’s outstretched hand.
Every time she felt it, his hand was truly large and warm.
As Jung Seunghee held her hand, Eunhae’s own seemed to disappear entirely within his grasp.
“This is my first time dating.”
“…Really? But you’re so handsome. I would’ve thought you’d received a lot of confessions.”
“If you go back to kindergarten and elementary school, then perhaps. But I haven’t dated anyone since I grew up.”
“Why not?”
Eunhae was genuinely curious.
If she couldn’t see fate, she would have been delighted by a confession and started dating immediately.
“It feels good when someone says they like you.”
“Did you feel good because I said I liked you, Eunhae Noona?”
Eunhae pondered the question deeply.
Jung Seunghee’s gaze, fixed on her as she hesitated to answer, felt cool. However, with her head bowed, Eunhae remained unaware of his intense scrutiny.
“…Yes. I think I did feel good, after all.”
“That’s because *you* like me, Noona.”
She almost blurted out a denial. Eunhae quickly closed her mouth before she could make a mistake.
“This might sound arrogant, but unwanted attention is just exhausting.”
“I don’t think that’s arrogant.”
“…”
“You’re the kind of person who stands out, so it must have been even more tiring for you.”
“That’s usually the case.”
“…*That* sounded a bit arrogant.”
“Did it?” Jung Seunghee chuckled softly.
Before they knew it, the two had reached the main gate of the school.
“Are you going straight home?”
“Yes.”
Eunhae nodded innocently.
“We’re dating starting today, you know?”
“…?”
“Aren’t we going on a date?”
“…!”
Her face flushed crimson.
“A-a date… we should… we should.”
“Noona, you’re really innocent. Am I your first too?”
“U-um… Yes. This is my first time having a boyfriend.”
It was also her first time making a friend since elementary school.
“That works out well. Since it’s both our first times, we can take things slowly at our own pace.”
“Okay.”
“Then, let’s have our first date another time.”
“Okay…”
“I’ll walk you to the station.”
“Aren’t you going home?”
“I plan to study a bit more before I leave.”
Upon reflection, she realized she could now hold Jung Seunghee’s hand as much as she wanted until she went home.
This meant she didn’t have to rush back, avoiding people as if fleeing.
“Th-then, maybe I should study a bit more too. You’re going to the library, right?”
“Yes. Let’s go together, then.”
“U-um, okay!”
Dating Jung Seunghee didn’t seem so bad after all. Eunhae headed to the library, dreaming of a hopeful future.
****
Eunhae first met Jung Seunghee in winter.
It was the season after the Suneung, when students were taking essay exams.
As a member of a less popular department, even an outsider like her was not exempt from being called upon for major events. She was assigned the role of guiding test-takers to their waiting areas.
It was not easy to guide the students without looking at their faces.
Thanks to this, she was seeing more destinies than usual.
“Ugh…”
She had just seen the future of a test-taker she had guided earlier. They would be studying for the exam again next year.
Eunhae shook her head, her expression troubled, as she stared at the waiting room door. She didn’t believe the student would pass by defying fate.
Her premonitions had never once been wrong.
This was precisely why Eunhae disliked seeing the future so intensely.
“Oh, it’s snowing.”
It was an early snowfall, earlier than in previous years.
“I didn’t bring an umbrella.”
While better than rain, snow still soaked one’s clothes.
Predicting tomorrow’s weather would be far more useful than all this talk of fate.
It was precisely then, as Eunhae squinted up at the sky, that she saw a test-taker approaching.
The figure, clad in a black duffle coat, cast a remarkably long shadow.
Both the coat and the black school uniform trousers worn underneath were so dark that, for a moment, he appeared like a grim reaper.
Eunhae shook off the ominous impression and greeted him.
“Ah, hello, did you come to take the essay exam for the Department of Physics?”
“Yes.”
The test-taker nodded and looked down at Eunhae. His clear gaze met hers directly.
He was an incredibly handsome male student. Even Eunhae, who usually avoided looking directly at people’s faces, found herself unintentionally staring at him.
A tear-mole beneath his left eye added a subtle, enigmatic charm to his features.
“My test number is 21, Jung Seunghee.”
“…Ah! Yes. Please come this way.”
Eunhae realized she had been staring at Jung Seunghee for too long.
And immediately, she also noticed that despite staring for such an extended period, his fate remained invisible to her.
‘What is this? Why can’t I see it? Why all of a sudden?’
Nothing like this had ever happened in her life.
Jung Seunghee gazed impassively at her, her face suddenly pale, as she stood frozen.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes, yes! I’m fine. Yes…”
Unconsciously, Eunhae took a step back from Jung Seunghee. His presence, which she suddenly felt anew, overwhelmed her.
A peculiar glint flickered in Seunghee’s deep brown eyes.
He had always been the type to draw people in. The emotions directed towards Seunghee encompassed both favor and disfavor, but it was always one of the two extremes.
That was why her reaction felt so unfamiliar.
From her small stature to the unusually large hat she wore, her impression was anything but ordinary. At first, she too seemed to show a favorable disposition towards Seunghee.
‘But it suddenly changed.’
Her face had abruptly turned white, as if she had seen a ghost, and she was clearly uncomfortable with Seunghee.
If it had only happened in the essay examination hall, Seunghee would have dismissed it as his imagination.
“Hello, Sunbae. You are a senior, right? I’m a new student who just got admitted this year, Jung Seunghee, XX-batch.”
Eunhae could recognize him just by his back.
While Seunghee had a keen eye, her appearance was also quite distinctive.
It would be difficult to find two people with a small stature, wearing a large hat, and constantly looking around nervously like a frightened rabbit.
“…!”
Her eyes widened as she turned around.
‘She really is like a rabbit.’
If she had long ears, they would probably be twitching incessantly.
Her expression was so honest that her thoughts were completely transparent. She was surely thinking something like:
‘Why? Why is he talking to me? Does he have some grudge against me?’
“You’re a senior in the Department of Physics, right? You guided me when I came for the essay exam.”
“D-did I?”
“Please speak comfortably.”
“…But, you might be a repeat student.”
“I’m still 18 years old.”
“Ah, you’re younger than me then.”
“Yes.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“What’s your name, Sunbae? You are in the Department of Physics, right?”
Eunhae nodded.
“U-um… I’m Park Eunhae, XX-batch… It’s ‘Hae’ with ‘a’ and ‘e,’ not ‘e’ and ‘i’.”
“Park, Eun, Hae, Sunbae. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She seemed extremely uncomfortable facing Seunghee. She kept avoiding his gaze, full of caution.
‘This just makes me want to bother her more.’
Seunghee realized for the first time that he possessed such a mischievous side. Even as a child, he had never been interested in playing pranks or teasing others.
Seunghee took a step forward, a subtle glide. She flinched, startled, and retreated two steps backward.
Loving this chapter? You'll be hooked on Crow's Golden Fragment! Click to explore more!
Read : Crow's Golden Fragment
