Lie Again! Chapter 47

<Chapter 47. Christmas Commotion (Part 1)> 

 

Splash.

 

With a splash, Evan disappeared underwater. The pool wasn’t very deep, so it didn’t take long for him to reach where Jin was.

 

Jin lay pale, limbs stretched out and eyes closed. Evan clenched his teeth tightly and moved his legs a bit faster. Just as his outstretched hand was about to reach her, Jin suddenly opened her eyes.

 

Jin met Evan’s gaze and flashed a mischievous grin before kicking off the bottom and propelling herself upward. In an instant, her body soared past Evan, pressing down on his head as a boost, and used that momentum to burst out of the water.

 

Thanks to that, Evan—who sank to the bottom in her place—looked up in disbelief at the pale legs splashing through the water.

 

“Phew! I thought I was going to die.”

 

Jin, who had hurriedly taken a breath, looked at Evan as he surfaced shortly after and gave him a clear, innocent smile.

 

The boy, who had stayed perfectly dry throughout the entire swimming lesson, was now soaked from head to toe, his body faintly visible through the wet T-shirt.

 

“Oh my. You actually fell for such a childish trick.”

 

Evan, who was glaring sullenly at Jin’s triumphant smile, clasped his hands together and slapped the water’s surface.

 

A huge splash of water crashed down on Jin. Startled, she quickly turned her back and splashed water behind her in retaliation. But it was obvious at a glance—the amount of water she managed to throw back was nowhere near the torrent she’d just received.

 

Just as Jin was frantically shouting, “Wait a second!” with water getting into her eyes and nose, her body was suddenly lifted. Evan had come up behind her and picked her up.

 

Jin turned her head and locked eyes with Evan, who was wearing a crooked smile.

 

“Ah! Sorry, I—sorry…!”

 

Splash! The water surged upward before she even had a chance to resist.

 

Jin, once again submerged beneath the surface with Evan, kicked her feet in an attempt to escape the pool. But the boy closely trailing behind her kept getting in the way.

 

“I surrender, I surrender!”

 

Not long after, Jin hit the wall and surfaced, gasping for breath as she cried out her surrender. Evan narrowed his eyes slightly and backed off, as if granting mercy.

 

Evan swept his wet hair back. His white T-shirt, clinging to his body, revealed his well-defined muscles. Seeing this, Jin’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

 

Swish.

 

With the sound of water splashing, his brown hair that he had carefully arranged got soaked again. Ahaha. A refreshing laugh echoed through the pool.

 

“Ah, now we can finally swim together…”

 

“….”

 

Jin, who had been teasing Evan to her heart’s content, trailed off mid-sentence. It was because her eyes met Evan’s, who was silently looking down at her.

 

The orange sunset reflected on the water, casting a warm glow over the boy’s face, now appearing even more mature. Jin swallowed softly as she looked into his olive eyes, which took on a strange, captivating depth in the light.

 

“So, it’s just that…”

 

Evan took a step closer while maintaining eye contact. Jin stammered nervously and stepped backward, her gaze still fixed on his green eyes.

 

Thud. But Jin’s steps were blocked by the swimming pool wall, preventing him from taking even a single stride forward. 

 

Another step came between Jin’s two feet, unable to move.

 

The distance between them was far too close. The water pooled between their bodies gradually warmed to body temperature—but Jin didn’t notice it at all.

 

Because all of Jin’s attention was drawn to the warm hand that hovered—almost, but not quite—against her waist.

 

The thin pool water between her waist and his hand carried the boy’s warmth across. As the gentle current tickled along her waistline, Jin squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.

 

Droplets began to form one by one at the ends of hair tinged with crimson. The transparent beads gathered together, growing heavier until they could no longer hold their weight, finally sliding down along the sharp line of his jaw.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Jin stared at the face bathed in sunlight as if she was possessed.

 

Ah, this kid is too much… 

 

Tuk.

 

A droplet of water that had been precariously hanging from the tip of his chin finally fell into the pool below. As if that were a signal, Evan wrapped his arm around Jin’s waist and leaned in.

 

Jin closed her trembling eyes beneath her fluttering eyelids.

 

* * *

 

She was so caught up in the routine of studying, eating, and swimming that before she knew it, it was exam week.

 

Jin finished reviewing her world history exam and stood up from her seat. It seemed that the weekend of nosebleed-inducing studying had paid off, as she was able to answer even the trickiest questions without much difficulty.

 

The bell hadn’t rung yet, but most of the students had already handed in their papers and left the classroom. Jin, who had written long and detailed answers out of anxiety, was the last one to submit.

 

“You worked hard this semester, Lee.”

 

Just as Jin was about to leave after handing in her test paper to Mr. Wayne at the teacher’s desk, he spoke to her.

 

“You probably did well on the test too—because it’s you.”

 

“Ah… Thank you, Mr.”

 

Surprised by the teacher’s kind words—something she hadn’t expected at all—Jin quickly pulled herself together and bowed politely.

 

“But have you been getting any sleep? Grades aren’t everything. Don’t push yourself to the point it harms your health.”

 

Mr. Wayne turned his head after saying those words.

 

Jin left the classroom without saying a word and closed the door.

 

“….”

 

It was true. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard it, and it was advice teachers often gave from the podium back in Korea. But why?

 

‘Why do I feel so bad?’

 

Mr. Wayne might not have any ill intent. It could just be advice because her face looks tired. She really has been up for almost two nights straight, after all. 

 

He is a respected teacher and a grown man whose hair has started to turn gray. He also knows that there’s absolutely no reason for him to get into a power struggle with a seventeen-year-old Asian girl.

 

But this was what Jin understood on the surface.

 

This was Jin in her rawest form, having thrown away things like manners, decorum, and common sense.

 

What do you even know? You didn’t even check whether I really stayed up all night or not, so how can you speak so confidently like you know everything?

 

However, something else was truly making Jin angry.

 

It was the first time she saw such a gentle smile on his usually stern face—the faint concern in his eyes, the softer tone in his voice than usual. All of it stirred up Jin’s emotions in a confusing way.

 

Because she started to think that Mr. Wayne might not be as bad a person as she had thought.

 

Because if he wasn’t a racist, if he wasn’t someone who held ill will toward a mere seventeen-year-old, then it meant all the resentment Jin felt toward him stemmed entirely from her own insecurities.

 

She found it easier to make him completely a bad person rather than admit that.

 

‘Let’s forget it.’

 

Jin closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself, pressing her tired eyes firmly as if to push away the negative thoughts along with the fatigue.

 

It was only the first day of exams, and there were still far more subjects left than the ones already finished. Besides, by next semester, she’d be saying goodbye to Mr. Wayne anyway.

 

When Jin opened her closed eyes again, her pupils were a little clearer.

 

Jin calculated the exam schedule in her head. The art class would be over once she submitted the assignment, and the chemistry exam was roughly…

 

Muttering to herself that she’d probably have to postpone this week’s after-school meeting, Jin walked off down the hallway.

 

* * *

 

“I messed up the American history exam too.”

 

Midway through chewing her sandwich, Joy slumped her head wearily onto the table. Sitting next to her, Jin instinctively reached over and patted her back.

 

“Boyfriend?”

 

When Joey nodded silently, Ruth clicked his tongue.

 

“Why this time? Did you two fight on a date or something?”

 

This situation had happened several times already since Joey’s dating announcement. The two, who fell for each other like wildfire, fought just as fiercely. They bickered as often as they were affectionate.

 

The problem was the frequency of these arguments. Thanks to that, Joey couldn’t properly focus on her exams or even her cheerleading activities.

 

Joey would swing from happy to depressed, and then from depressed back to happiness in an instant.

 

And by now, the kids could easily guess how far Joey’s love life had progressed without even seeing it for themselves—because she was never the type to keep things with her partner to herself.

 

“No, listen. Is this my fault? We were on a video call and I saw what looked like a woman’s earring on his dorm bed. So I asked him to show me, right? And then he suddenly tells me I’m too suspicious and exhausted!”

 

“That’s too much,” Ruth said half-heartedly, just going along with the conversation. Jin looked at Joey with concern, while Dustin, as always when Joey’s love life came up, silently lowered his head over his tray and moved his spoon quickly.

 

“I said, ‘What are you even talking about all of a sudden? Are you trying to change the subject because you’ve got something to hide?’ And do you know what he said…”

 

Tak. The sound of a book snapping shut cut Joey off mid-sentence. 

 

Amanda, who had kept her eyes fixed on her biology textbook throughout the entire lunch break, let out a sigh and looked over at Joey.

 

Her gaze was cold, devoid of the slightest warmth—so much so that even Jin, watching from the side, felt tense.

 

“Ha. Joey McCoy. I don’t care about your love life. Stop talking about it. It’s pathetic.”

 

“….” 

 

A heavy silence settled over the table.

 

“…Mandy. What are you trying to say…”

 

“How many days has it been now, you crying and making a scene because of that guy and completely falling apart? If you’re going to be like this, then stop whining about messing up your exams or getting scolded for skipping practice.”

 

Amanda’s words were nothing but sharp, making Joey’s forced attempt at a smile feel utterly meaningless.

 

Joey quietly observed Amanda, who was pressing her eyes with a tired expression, then blurted out a remark.

 

“…What makes you so great, anyway?”

 

Her tearful face clearly showed how deeply hurt she was.

 

“I know you think I’m pathetic, but shouldn’t you at least try not to show it in front of me? I thought I knew you better than anyone, but sometimes… I’m not so sure. Are you really my friend?”

 

“I’m putting up with your whining for days because I’m your friend. Do you think this is the first time you’ve come running to cry about screwing up your exams over some boyfriend?”

 

“Did I ask you to fix my problems? Did I ask you to cry with me? I just… just wanted someone to listen, that’s all. Why does even that have to be so hard…?”

 

“I’m sick of listening to it, and it’s pathetic—so just stop already.”

 

Joey let out a hollow laugh at Amanda’s cold dismissal. Just as Ruth, who had been anxiously watching the argument escalate, was about to step in and intervene—

 

“Ah… sorry. I guess I expected too much from you. I forgot who you were for a moment.”

 

Misfit Miller.

 

The sharp words slipped from Joy’s lips with a sneer, laced with sarcasm and mockery.

 

“Joey!”

 

Ruth, his expression hardened, scolded Joy. It was a stern expression she had never seen from Ruth before.

 

But Amanda just looked at Joey calmly. There was no anger or hurt in her eyes.

 

“So, that’s all you have to say?”

 

“….”

 

With those final words, Amanda gathered her things and left. Joy squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then spun around and disappeared in the opposite direction.

 

The three who were left behind exchanged glances, then let out an awkward, uneasy sigh.