My Childhood Friend’s Stock Will Never Fail – Chapter 60

Author: Asternkm

“Why are you going in there……!”

And the Constellations were worried too.

[Constellation ‘SSS-Rank F2P Player’ watches the situation with interest, thinking a fight is about to break out.]

[Constellation ‘Mother of Failure’ worries about Seo Hyunho’s reputation.]

[Constellation ‘Cider Addict’ agrees with that statement.]

[A concerned Constellation urges you to take action.]

With things turning out like this, I gave up hiding behind the tree and quickly ran toward the storage room. Then I knocked on the firmly closed door.

Bang, bang, bang.

As Yoohee knocked on the door, the heavy metal door opened shortly afterward. The one who opened it was Minhwan, whose expression was impossible to read.

“What’s wrong, Yoohee?”

His tone was as casual as ever. I couldn’t tell whether he genuinely meant it or not, which only made me more frustrated.

“It’s…… the teacher called for you!”

“Oh, really?”

Just then, Seo Hyunho emerged from inside the storage room. He looked displeased by Yoohee’s appearance.

“Senior. Is it okay if I take this guy with me?”

Minhwan asked with such an awkward expression that a bead of cold sweat formed near his forehead.

Seo Hyunho slowly answered.

“Sure.”

Phew.

I left the area around the storage room with Minhwan.

[Constellation ‘Mother of Failure’ looks at you proudly.]

[Constellation ‘Cider Addict’ grants you one bottle of Premium Carbonated Water.]

Holding the bottle of Premium Carbonated Water in my hand, I walked down the empty hallway with Minhwan.

I had come back inside the academy because I thought I needed to stop by the teachers’ office, but……

‘…….’

It seemed risky to have a conversation with Minhwan.

The Constellations couldn’t see the chat, but if I talked to Minhwan directly, they might become suspicious of his identity. It would probably be better to keep an appropriate distance for now.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I must have gotten confused.”

“Huh?”

“I’m really sorry. I guess I’ve been a little out of it.”

Minhwan lowered his head slightly, as though staring intently at Yoohee, who was smiling awkwardly.

“Then you don’t have to go to the teachers’ office?”

“Y-yeah. Sorry……”

“I see. You go ahead. I’m going to the restroom for a moment.”

Minhwan replied surprisingly casually.

“Okay…… I’ll go ahead.”

His reaction was almost too casual, which left me with a strange feeling, but I headed toward the main entrance.

Come to think of it, I’d only meant to take a short break on the bench, but I had been gone much longer than expected.

Had individual training already ended? Joohoon would worry if he realized I was gone…….

[!EMERGENCY: SYSTEM ERROR!]

[Virus infiltration—-System infection—- Grrk—-]

Click.

The status window suddenly disappeared, like a television being switched off.

Normally, the Constellations would have gone completely wild, but I couldn’t hear any of their reactions either.

Did the system really get infected by a virus?

Just then, a long arm suddenly reached out from the empty classroom and grabbed Yoohee.

Before she could even blink, Yoohee was pulled inside the classroom by someone.

The force of the movement pressed her tightly against a solid body.

Then she saw a familiar name tag.

When she looked up, a pair of distinctly brown eyes shone through the strands of hair.

“Minhwan……?”

“Now we can finally talk properly.”

Minhwan surely knew that the system had been infected by a virus, yet he looked far too calm.

It almost made Yoohee wonder if this virus…… was something Minhwan had done himself.

“So, have you thought about it?”

Minhwan continued in a low voice.

“I’m not trying to rush you. I just want to know how you feel, Yoohee.”

“That…….”

I had been thinking about it all along.

I knew what kind of feelings Minhwan had when he made this offer to me.

But the more I thought about it, the deeper the answer seemed to sink into an abyss.

It was selfish, but I wanted to stay beside everyone who needed me.

Suddenly, the conversation I had with Jinhee last night flashed through my mind.

“Hey. What do you think would happen if you met an ex-lover again after being separated because of circumstances beyond your control?”

“What?”

“But it’s not easy to go back to that person now. Too much has already…… changed.”

Things were different from the past now.

Yoohee was no longer Jian, and the people around them—including Uncle Dohwan and the others from the center—were no longer there.

Instead, Yoohee had formed new relationships, including Joohoon. There was Joohoon, who had only ever looked at her since they were around ten years old, Jinhee, her one-and-only roommate, her new family, and the people from her hometown.

Just as there had been people she wanted to protect and stay by the side of when she lived as Jian, there were people Yoohee now wanted to protect and remain beside.

“Just do whatever your heart tells you. But if it were me… I think my heart would probably go to the person who needs me the most.”

Whatever her heart told her.

Whenever she looked at Minhwan, a warmth spread through her chest. Was it because some part of her heart still belonged to him?

It was a kind of affection that was sadder than love, something difficult to put into words.

She wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to be free from his guilt and no longer suffer. That was why she had tried to take his hand.

But at that moment, there was someone who grabbed hold of her heart.

Whenever she thought of Joohoon, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything.

That didn’t mean the past was unimportant. But she could no longer deny where her heart was headed now.

“……”

Even though Yoohee took a long time to answer, Minhwan calmly waited for her.

She kept thinking. Even at this very moment.

But she still couldn’t give up.

“Minhwan, I…… I’m not going to leave this place.”

She could see his eyes widening between his parted strands of hair. He seemed surprised by Yoohee’s rejection, yet she could also sense that he was overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions. She couldn’t bring herself to keep looking into his eyes.

“I’m sorry. So…… don’t feel guilty about me anymore.”

He was probably the same.

He hadn’t come this far because he loved Yoohee, but because he felt guilty for failing to protect Jian.

There was no answer from Minhwan.

Then, all of a sudden, both of Minhwan’s hands gripped Yoohee’s shoulders tightly.

“Seo Hyunho is out of the question.”

“……Huh?”

“Even if I had dirt thrown into my eyes, that bastard is still a no.”

Minhwan’s hands tightened around Yoohee’s shoulders. He seemed to be misunderstanding something.

“The baseball wasn’t an accident.”

“……You mean when you dropped the baseball?”

Yoohee slowly turned the words over in her head, trying to understand what Minhwan meant, and a quick answer came flying back.

“Yes. I don’t like you being with Seo Hyunho.”

She was honestly surprised.

She had noticed that Minhwan wasn’t particularly fond of Seo Hyunho, but she hadn’t expected him to be this hostile toward him……

[R27 pill—-Virus treatment complete!]

Just then, a status window announcing that the virus had been treated appeared, followed by the sounds of the constellations reconnecting.

Complaints about whether the system administrators were even doing their jobs properly poured in from all directions.

“What are you two doing here?”

Startled by the actual voice that suddenly came from beside her ear, Yoohee looked over.

A male classmate from their class was standing by the open back door, staring at them with a puzzled expression.

“There you are. Everyone’s going crazy because you two were missing. Especially Kim Joohoon, who’s acting like a madman…… Anyway, go back.”

“A-ah, s-sorry……”

Joohoon was looking for her?

Yoohee pulled out her phone, only to find nearly ten missed calls from Joohoon. She must not have heard them because her phone was on silent.

She hurriedly headed out of the classroom, then turned back toward Minhwan.

His shaggy hair still obscured his expression.

[Most of the constellations are curious about what happened to you.]

Under the watchful eyes of the constellations, Yoohee couldn’t say anything else to Minhwan.

She had no choice but to quietly say goodbye.

“……I’ll go first.”

Her heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway.

By the time she left the corridor, Yoohee tried calling Joohoon, but this time, Joohoon didn’t answer.

The male classmate walking out with her spoke up.

“Don’t even get me started. I always thought he was quiet, but I’ve never seen him like that before. What exactly are you two to each other? He was practically about to lose his mind because you weren’t around.”

As she listened to the boy’s explanation, Yoohee’s heart felt heavy.

She turned off her phone and quickened her pace.

Then her phone rang.

She stopped for a moment to check it.

It was a message from the mysterious X.

[I won’t ask for anything. I’ll stay by your side.]

What?

Yoohee immediately turned around.

Minhwan was standing beside the classroom.

And without making a sound, he conveyed the words only with the movement of his lips.

“Why are you doing that?”

“……”