Episode 17
How far does this prince act like a prince, really? Does he think he’s saving me, the poor girl who couldn’t find a partner?
Suppressing a sigh, Junyoung started to shake her head and say no—but she couldn’t. The way Seungwoon was looking down at her felt different from usual.
As always, he wore a bright smile, but his dark brown eyes were calm, devoid of any hint of laughter. Holding her gaze, Seungwoon spoke slowly.
“Do you have someone you want to pair up with?”
She couldn’t say yes. She couldn’t say no either.
Not when the person she was thinking of was Kwon Beomjin—and Na Seungwoon was standing right here.
…Maybe he’s not entirely unlike *that woman* after all.
Junyoung’s nerves were taut as she stared back at Seungwoon. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, an unexpected voice cut in.
“Pair with me, Yoon Junyoung.”
Junyoung turned, her face twisting openly in irritation. Hyesu was standing there, arms crossed, exuding an air of arrogance. Was that perfume? As soon as she drew near, a sweet scent seemed to fill the air around her.
*Out of the frying pan and into the fire.* Junyoung let out a long sigh and clicked her tongue.
“Don’t you think you and I are… a terrible idea?”
“What, are you rejecting my kindness? I’ve got something I really need to tell you. If I don’t, my mouth might just burst from the itch.”
*Mom.*
Hyesu’s eyes glittered with a meaningful smile. She was the kind of person who would crush ants for fun—just for the sake of it.
Neither option was appealing, but if she had to choose, it’d be Oh Hyesu. It felt like the right time to shut that mouth of hers, one way or another.
Junyoung shrugged.
“Fine. If you’re that desperate to partner with me, I won’t stop you.”
Hyesu let out a scoffing laugh and turned away, but even as she did, she didn’t forget to glance at Seungwoon.
*If she jumped in just to stop me from pairing with Na Seungwoon… how cute.* Shaking her head, Junyoung stood up from her seat. She had been planning to go to the restroom, but Seungwoon was blocking her path.
“Would you move?”
“You…”
Junyoung tried to brush past him without waiting for an answer, but Seungwoon murmured something, almost to himself.
“You have… an unusual way of making friends.”
She turned back, unsure what he meant, but Seungwoon had already walked out of the classroom.
Standing there blankly, trying to decipher his words, Junyoung caught sight of a broad back sprawled lazily over a desk.
*Didn’t you say you weren’t a sleepyhead? And yet here you are, napping at a time like this!*
A sudden flare of irritation made her want to kick his shin, but too many eyes were watching. Junyoung glared daggers at the back of Beomjin’s head as she walked past. From this angle, she couldn’t even tell whether his eyes were closed or not.
* * *
It had been a long time since she’d come up to the roof.
In elementary school, she used to climb up to the school rooftop all the time. Back then, she lived every day convinced she’d been adopted or kidnapped—and that someday her real parents would come looking for her. The older she got, the more that fantasy crumbled away.
In middle school, the roof had been locked. She hadn’t even thought about going up there. That was when she decided the only way to change her bleak reality was to study like her life depended on it.
High school wasn’t any different. Naturally, she assumed the rooftop door would be locked here too. So when Hyesu casually pushed it open and stepped through, Junyoung blinked in surprise and followed.
“Did we really have to come up here to talk?”
“You should be grateful I’m being considerate. Would you rather I shouted it for the whole school to hear?”
Hyesu rolled her eyes and walked ahead with heavy steps. A gust of wind whipped around them, and Junyoung drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being somewhere open like this. The wide, unobstructed view felt oddly refreshing.
“Thanks.”
The word slipped out, but Hyesu turned back, frowning as though it was ridiculous. Arms crossed, she stared at Junyoung. Junyoung tilted her head up to take in the sky, now streaked with orange. It was beautiful—enough to make her want to stand there forever.
“Are you crazy? Do you even know what I’m about to say?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t have followed you.”
*Starved for attention, huh?*
Junyoung tore her gaze from the sky and locked eyes with Hyesu.
“Go ahead. Say what you came to say.”
The way Junyoung spoke, as if granting her permission, must have annoyed Hyesu. Her eyes sharpened, and her voice came out sharp and biting.
“Why did you go to Seungwoon’s house?”
“His mother invited me.”
“Why did she invite you?”
“She was curious about the top-ranked student in school.”
At Junyoung’s calm reply, Hyesu let out a short laugh, her eyes glinting. If she ever had to face *that witch* in Seungwoon’s house, Oh Hyesu would probably do just fine—even with her eyes closed.
Junyoung felt the wind brushing against her and waited for Hyesu’s next move. Hyesu lifted her chin as if to steel herself.
“Give up on Seungwoon.”
“What do you know about my mom?”
The sudden shift in topic caught Hyesu off guard. Her eyes widened. Junyoung took a step closer, lowering her voice.
“Why do you think mentioning her would give you control over me?”
This wasn’t the confrontation Junyoung had imagined. Hyesu’s lips parted slightly, her eyes flickering as if to hide her surprise. Then she forced a crooked smile.
“Didn’t you already know? That’s probably why you’re so ashamed of her.”
“Get to the point, Oh Hyesu. If all you’ve got are vague jabs, don’t bother calling me out again. I won’t waste my time.”
Junyoung turned as if to leave, but Hyesu quickly stepped in front of her. Her eyes flashed with tension as she barked out her words.
“Don’t you know your mom’s been seen going in and out of motel alleys in broad daylight?”
It felt like Junyoung’s heart stopped. All the blood in her body seemed to drain to her feet, leaving her ice-cold. The disgust and contempt dripping from Hyesu’s tone left no room for doubt about what she meant.
*No way. It can’t be.*
Her mother wasn’t in her right mind. She couldn’t hold a proper job anymore. Long ago, she had at least cooked and cleaned occasionally, but even that had stopped.
Yet recently—little by little—her mother had started bringing in money. Sometimes, she came home smelling of alcohol. On those nights, there were usually violent outbursts, followed by her collapsing into a deep sleep.
*How?*
*What kind of work…*
*…could she have done for money and booze?*
“How dare you act all high and mighty when you’re living off that kind of money? You think you’re somebody just because you get good grades? Seungwoon’s only nice because of his personality—he’s not actually interested in you—”
“Who said that? Who said my mom goes there?”
She kept telling herself: *If I show any weakness now, I lose.* But she couldn’t stop her voice from trembling.
Hyesu let out a derisive snort.
“My dad. He said he saw her twice. Your mom stands out—tall, weird clothes, and an odd gait.”
Junyoung’s mind went blank. She felt filthy—as though she were guilty of some unforgivable crime.
Noticing the shift in Junyoung’s demeanor, a smug smile crept across Hyesu’s face. She jabbed a finger into Junyoung’s shoulder.
“I just thought you should know your place. It pisses me off how you act like you’re above everyone when you’re at rock bottom yourself. Honestly, my parents are worried. They’re saying maybe the school should know about having someone like *that* in our class. Those kinds of people carry diseases, don’t they? Who knows what you might catch. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick.”
Hyesu exaggerated a shiver for effect, her cruel smile deepening.
Junyoung stood frozen, her fists clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms. She couldn’t afford to react like Hyesu. She couldn’t let herself break. If she did, Hyesu would realize her threats were nothing more than desperate flailing.
The only thing Junyoung could do was stand firm.
The standoff was broken by the sound of clapping hands. Startled, Hyesu turned her head sharply.
“Hey, you two done? What’s with girls fighting like it’s a war zone?”
(Continued…)
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