I see.
So today isPepero Day.
Thanks to that friend who made my heart jump with a pun, I realized that and looked around the classroom again. The atmosphere that had felt merely noisy and chaotic suddenly felt a bit different.
It was as if there was a thrilling tension in the air, suggesting that something might explode at any moment.
That kind of feeling was flowing between thewomenandmen.
Of course, it seemed like thewomenwere the ones appearing a bit more relaxed.
‘Well…’
That’s only natural.
They are in the position to accept.
It’s too obvious that the one confessing would be more nervous than the one accepting aconfession, so there was no need to say it out loud.
Surely one of those gatheredmenwouldn’t step up to confess?
Even with so many watching, I felt it was unlikely for someone to attempt such a crazy act, but then again, you can never underestimate the cluelessness of this age.
Moreover, today was the day forhigh schoolannouncements regardingPepero Day.
And with winter break coming in just a few days, some of themencould be thinking that if they don’t make a move today, they might miss their opportunity forever.
Of course, if one of them decided to jump into aconfessionin front of others and ended up getting rejected, they’d probably want to die right there.
‘Hmm? Wait a minute…’
Wasn’tYoonseoasking me what day it was on the way toschooltoday because it wasPepero Day?
‘No way…’
She must have just been curious about thehigh schoolannouncement.
But denying it felt questionable given the circumstances.
This likely means she was trying to getPeperofrom me…
‘Why?’
Unlike some people who’ve never received aconfessiondespite being in their second year, she’s way more popular, so why would she bother with me?
That thought crossed my mind, but at the same time, I could somewhat understand her feelings.
Not everyone is desperate over anniversaries, but even those who don’t usually care still subtly wonder if they’ve received any gifts.
Even if it’s obvious that it’s just given as a courtesy, simply receiving even one would lift one’s spirits, while not receiving any at all can leave a bittersweet feeling—just like on a day like today.
Let aloneYoonseo’spride; it’s anything but ordinary.
After taking a hit from thatBaeksulhwaperson, it may have softened a bit, but she’s still the top dog in our class when it comes to having high standards.
But what if she didn’t receive even a singlePeperoon a day like today?
It’s a given that she’d be feeling incredibly humiliated.
After all, today there’s bound to be subtle competition among thewomento see how manyPeperothey received.
So wouldn’t the safer bet be to keep at least one that I gift her?
0 and 1 are undoubtedly different, and having at least one secured would make one feel at ease.
Yeah, that must be it.
‘Ah…’
Should I rush out and grab one now?
To be honest, I think mymotherwould have felt something similar when she used to slip me chocolates orPeperoon occasions during my first life.
But now to frantically go out and try to hand it over feels a bit unnecessary…
‘It makes it seem like I’m begging…’
Somehow, that felt off.
So instead of acting rashly, I’d just been repeating to that cheeky friend who kept teasing me about when I’d give it to her that it wasn’t the case.
The guy who had been yapping away suddenly went silent, looking past me, and when I turned, I sawYoonseowalking back into the classroom after saying she had to step out for a bit right after we arrived.
And closely behind her was ourteacher.
I was a bit perplexed since she had just left to do who knows what. Maybe she had some inquiry with theteacher?
Anyway, just earlier, we had been discussingYoonseo, and now she suddenly made her grand entrance, leaving me feeling a little tense.
The guy who had been grinning with a nasty look just moments ago now awkwardly turned his gaze toward the window.
And then he said—
“Hey? What’s this? It’s snowing!”
That was it.
Honestly, I found it ridiculous.
If someone had made that excuse around late November, I might have played along, but it wasn’t even mid-November yet.
‘No way it’s snowing in early November…’
I thought to myself, but there it was.
“Yo, why’s it snowing in November?”
“I’m serious! Look for yourself.”
“Look for what…?”
When I glanced out the window, I was surprised to see white flakes actually falling.
And not lightly; they were falling rather vigorously and looked ready to accumulate.
Maybe that’s why.
‘Oh, damn…’
I felt a slight unease creeping in.
‘Is this even possible?’
It was still early November, and here it was snowing, and so heavily too?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“Hey? What’s this? It’s snowing!”
That’s what I heard as I just finished mentally cleansing myself in thebathroomand was about to return to the classroom.
As soon as I stepped through the door and spotted a familiar back of someone, I headed straight over, but just as that sound echoed in my ears, I noticedDogun’sface scrunching up slightly.
To be fair, it was after checking what was happening outside, but—
Seeing that made all the chaotic thoughts in my head clear up instantly, and the feeling of worry began to replace them.
He probably thought I wouldn’t notice since he was trying to hide it, but—how many years have we spent together?
Fromkindergartento now withhigh schoolon the horizon, we’ve been through it all.
I already knew.
Dogun… doesn’t like snowy days.
No, to be precise, it was more accurate to say he’s scared of them.
I’m not entirely sure why; it’s just a gut feeling from watching him for so long.
Of course, I didn’t know the reason.
It felt a bit wrong to pry into why he hates snowy days when he’s trying so hard to hide it, and he hadn’t offered any hints either.
So, I could only guess that he must have gotten hurt badly when he fell in the snow as a kid.
‘…I wonder if he’s okay.’
I worried about him but couldn’t ask, so I swallowed my concerns down.
Suppressing a natural urge to express my feelings, I spoke about something completely different.
“Hey, it’s snowing!”
“Yeah. And it’s coming down pretty heavily… Wonder if our trip to themovie theateris going to be canceled?”
“Hmm, maybe?”
“It might get risky, right? It just started snowing, but at this rate, by the time we finish the movie, it could be quite a lot.”
Hearing him say that, I realizedDogunwas secretly hoping ourmovie theaterouting would get canceled, but unfortunately, I couldn’t go along with that.
If that were to happen, all our carefully laid plans would be ruined.
“By the way… do you have an umbrella?”
“Do you think I do?”
“Sigh… Then if we go, we’ll just have to get wet.”
“So we can just stop by aconvenience storeand buy one.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“What? Didn’t you just get your allowance recently?”
That was true.
To be honest, I didn’t have zero money.
Still, I said that because I wanted to be cautious.
Yeah, who knows, really?
If by any chance today turns out successful and I end up datingDogun, wouldn’t it be a problem if I had no money for a date?
Of course, givenDogun’scharacter, if that really happened, he’d probably end up lecturing me about not spending my money sparingly and try to pay for everything himself…
But I didn’t want to just let that happen.
Dogunwas the type who tried to save wherever he could, being only responsible for himself.
And I didn’t want to burden someone like him.
Especially since we hadn’t even successfully confessed yet; imagining that burdening him might make him… leave would be the worst-case scenario.
In that sense, confessing to him was essentially a gamble.
If I hit the jackpot, great; but if I fail, there would be no way to go back to how we were.
Seeing it that way, it might honestly be better to just keep things as they are…
‘…I don’t want that.’
I didn’t want it to end that way.
Thinking back to how he acted before, the chances seemed low, but what if he started liking some other girl after enteringhigh school?
What would I do then?
I’d have to end things without even starting, and I couldn’t handle that.
Especially the thought ofDogunliking someone else and being distracted by her made it worse.
“Well… I was just saying I’d try to melt it with my powers.”
“I’m not sure if you should be saying that while you’re about to walk out in a blizzard!”
I hadn’t tried it before, but it probably could work.
Maybe it would even count as practice.
That’s why I said that, but I just got a look of disbelief in return.
“Yeah, do what you want.”
“Ah, what! What am I supposed to do with no money! You could lend me some!”
“Really? You want me to lend you money?”
“…No thanks?”
“Wait, are you asking me to lend you money or not?”
That’s how we were playfully bickering when theteacher, who had been standing by the podium, checking if everyone had arrived, clapped their hands to get our attention and said—
“Alright, everyone? Shall we head out?”
The announcement for our departure to themovie theaterhad been made.
