Lie Again! Chapter 52

<Chapter 52. Teal and Orange (2)> 

 

That same Ruth, who usually seemed so easygoing—almost soft—now had his lips pressed into a firm line, his expression so cold and steely that even Joey, watching from the side, instinctively shrank back. Especially Emily Gwen, who was directly receiving attention. 

 

Seeing Gwen turn her head with eyes trembling in embarrassment, Joey scoffed inwardly. Such weakness was unlike her.

 

“What’s it to you? Do you have some kind of relationship with the new student or something?”

 

Olivia, returning once again to her aloof demeanor, gestured sharply at Jin and narrowed her eyes.

 

They had their own justification—something they firmly believed to be the undeniable truth—and they had the numbers. It seemed they were determined to see it through to the end.

 

“Yeah, what is your relationship with her!”

 

“What are you doing, Ruth, getting involved in a girls’ fight!”

 

“Euph!”

 

As the arrival of a new face added excitement to the unfolding drama, hyena-like onlookers began to gather in search of entertainment. Some had already started pointing their cameras at the scene.

 

As if making noise by stomping her feet wasn’t enough, Joey, squinting at the inconsiderately flashing cameras, glared at them.

 

“Everyone’s curious, Evan Ruth. Who are you to butt in here?”

 

“You’re leaving someone behind right now… Jin!”

 

Ruth narrowed his brows at Olivia who came out confidently. 

 

However, whatever sharp retort Ruth had been about to throw was abruptly cut off—because Jin suddenly broke through the crowd and ran. Her black hair whipped around as she turned sharply toward the front door.

 

“Jin, Jin!”

 

Joey quickly followed after Jin who ran away with a pale face and a covering of her mouth. 

 

Ruth stared at the backs of Jin and Joey in confusion. When he turned his head again, he saw someone staring at him blankly.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

The blue eyes that resembled aquamarine stared straight into the brown eyes with an unknown emotion.

 

After a brief standoff with Gwen, he sighed tiredly and was the first to look away. Then, he moved toward the entrance, searching for the vanished Jin and Joey.

 

Amid the murmuring crowd, Gwen’s gaze stubbornly fixed on Ruth as he walked out the door.

 

The flickering teal lights cast a shifting glow over a face that seemed on the verge of tears or filled with deep resentment. 

 

* * *

 

Jin had run out of the house without a plan, slipping into a dark corner untouched by light. She leaned against a wall where the massive trees cast long shadows, then slowly slid down along the surface until she was sitting on the ground.

 

Jin raised her knees and buried her face in her hands, clenching her fists and releasing them, awakening the stiff feeling in her fingertips.

 

‘Ah…’

 

Jin let out a small sigh, leaned her head back against the wall, and looked up at the sky.

 

The evening sky had shed its crimson glow, now washed in deep navy hues like spilled ink. As the cool breeze swept by, Jin felt her clouded mind begin to clear. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the air steady her.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Jin nodded silently at the affectionate question that followed the sound of cautious footsteps approaching. Jin already knew that Joey was following her.

 

Joey, who had been hesitating, continued.

 

“Someone must’ve seen you two together on Christmas Eve. I guess that started a bit of a rumor… But honestly, the kids around here are obsessed with gossip that changes every second. By the time school starts again, they’ll have already forgotten all about it. So don’t worry too much.”

 

Jin smiled slightly at the hand that patted her shoulder. 

 

“Thank you, Joey.”  

 

“Well… you know, Jin. Can I ask what’s going on?”

 

A brief silence passed, and Joey, who had leaned her back against the wall following Jin, hesitated before speaking.

 

“It’s just… you always seemed a little uncomfortable in crowded places or when all eyes were on you. Ah—ah! Of course, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to! I just… I was wondering if maybe there was something I could do to help…”

 

“I knew. I thought I wouldn’t show it.”

 

Joey shook her head hurriedly as Jin groaned.

 

“No, no. I just always thought I probably just didn’t like being looked at, that was all! But just now… you seemed like you had a little hard time.”

 

“….”

 

Jin, who had been silently looking up at the sky at Joey’s subtle worry, slowly opened her mouth.

 

* * *

 

“Why? What did they call you in for?”

 

As soon as Jin pulled out a chair and sat down, Joohyun, the seatmate next to her, stretched out her body and asked.

 

It was just after third period had ended, and she had come back from being called down to the teachers’ office by her homeroom teacher.

 

“Ah. I just came back from a high school admissions consultation.”

 

“Ah….”

 

At her plain answer, Joohyun, who had been asking with sparkling eyes, closed her mouth as if suddenly losing interest.

 

It wasn’t the first time Joohyun had shown interest in every little thing, so Jin brushed it off without much thought and pulled out her math workbook. If she wanted to keep her promise to hang out with Minchae after school, it was better to finish her work in advance.

 

It was the first time in a while they were spending time alone together. Their relationship had grown awkward over the summer break, and that lingering distance still remained.

 

From kindergarten all the way through ninth grade, the two had been practically inseparable—and that didn’t change just because it was summer break. They went in and out of each other’s homes like they were their own, and Minchae, ever the bold one, was so close to Jin’s parents that she even called them Mom and Dad.

 

They filled their friendship with talks about the high school uniforms they dreamed of wearing, the boys who’d recently caught their attention, the sound of their parents arguing through the crack of the door at night, and the things they wanted to do once they became adults.

 

The time when six turned sixteen.

 

The tastes, memories, and secrets they had shared over the past ten years had piled up and turned the children into grown girls.

 

But this summer vacation was different.

 

‘Sorry, I have to go to school. See you next time.’

 

During the final summer break, which came after Jin earned the top rank in the entire school, Minchae began avoiding her. Every time Jin reached out, Minchae would reply that she was busy, didn’t have time, or would get back to her later.

 

‘Minchae, I heard she was going to the beach with Jimin.’

 

In the meantime, Jin occasionally heard news about Minchae from other kids who went to the same academy. Things like who she was hanging out with, or who she was planning to go out with—updates that didn’t exactly make her seem all that busy.

 

However, instead of asking Minchae about it or questioning her, Jin just nodded and said, ‘I see.’

 

It wasn’t that she didn’t feel hurt. On their way to school, she often wondered why Minchae was always glued to her phone, what those whispered conversations with Jimin were about, and what she was thinking at that very moment. There were so many questions Jin wanted to ask—but she simply held them back.

 

Rather than setting off a bomb of anxiety, she chose to bury it. It was easier that way. Jin was afraid of what might come after a fight. She didn’t want to mess with a ticking bomb when she couldn’t predict how it would explode.

 

If you cover it up, nothing will happen.

 

As a result, the number of Jin’s contacts left on Minchae’s phone gradually decreased.

 

‘Minchae doesn’t come over much these days, huh? Is she really that busy?’

 

Whenever her mom happened to ask how Minchae was doing, Jin would either shake her head or shrug. There wasn’t much else she could do. Before she knew it, the two of them had stopped talking altogether.

 

It was the same even after summer break ended and the new semester began. Naturally, they started eating with different friends, going to the snack bar separately, and spending their time apart. And when their eyes occasionally met, they would simply turn their heads away, pretending not to see each other.

 

Whenever Jin met Minchae’s eyes and pretended not to notice, she felt as if an invisible elephant were filling the entire classroom. The problem was clearly visible, yet both of them acted as if they couldn’t see it. It was a deeply strange feeling.

 

Half of her wanted to clear the elephant out of the room right away and find peace of mind, while the other half wanted to keep pretending not to see it and leave the problem buried as it was.

 

Instead of bravely confronting the massive weight and clearing it away, Jin turned her head and erased it from view. She gradually grew accustomed to the cramped feeling of having the elephant fill her heart. She comforted herself with the thought, Are we really drifting apart? No, that can’t be.

 

That was until recently.

 

And then, a week ago, Minchae showed up in front of Jin’s house as if nothing had happened and walked to school with her. Just like before, she laughed and chatted about little things, ranted about an annoying academy teacher, and counted off the things she wanted on her fingers one by one.

 

As if the awkwardness up until then was just Jin’s own delusion. Jin also naturally accepted her.

 

The two started hanging out together again, and, as if by mutual agreement, they never spoke a word about the time apart.

 

So, is it completely the same as before? Well. There were traces of them falling and getting back together. But Jin pretended not to notice.

 

Anyway, since they were back to normal, it must be okay, she thought.

 

“Jin, do you really solve the problems in advance before class?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

As she watched Jin solving problems beside her, Joohyun suddenly brought up an unexpected question. Jin paused her busy hand and looked at her seatmate.