Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 343

Druruk—

As soon as the faint whispers heard from the corridor stopped when the door opened.

Sohee looked around the classroom and frowned.

The children turned away in an exaggerated manner at that minor reaction.

A week had passed since the middle school entrance ceremony.

That week was more than enough time for every child in this school to recognize the background that Sohee, this girl, possessed.

Even the teachers hesitated to approach her. Her parents always advised caution when dealing with Sohee.

Such adult attitudes naturally spread to the children, creating a rift between Sohee and the other students.

Sohee thought.

She knew it would turn out like this.

If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed.

She walked slowly to her seat.

Seeing the children taking caution even with small breaths, Sohee let out a sigh.

Even if they said it was okay to be comfortable, it was only in that moment; the children would go back to watching her closely.

And then it happened.

Tadadadat!

As the faint footsteps from outside the classroom ended, a small girl swung the door open wide, making her entrance.

Her beautifully flowing black hair.

The slight lift of her lips and her sharply raised eyes.

The girl’s cheeks were flushed red from the cold weather, showcasing a tremendous presence from the moment she appeared.

“What? Is class starting…?”

She was a strangely captivating child.

Sohee propped her chin on her desk and began to observe the little girl’s actions.

The small girl, Hayun, looked around with a bewildered expression at the overly quiet state of the classroom.

The children, who should always be chatting, were too silent.

Wondering if class had indeed started, she glanced at the teacher’s desk, but there was no teacher there.

Breathing heavily, Hayun cautiously entered the classroom and took her seat.

How strange it was that it was quiet even though the teacher was absent; could it be that this class was made up only of model students?

That’s ridiculous.

Hayun swallowed a hollow chuckle at her own thought and headed to her seat.

First period passed, then second period.

Yet still, the children’s reactions remained unchanged.

Time flowed quietly.

Teachers coming into the classroom only conducted lessons passively while carefully watching Sohee.

Thus came the third period, gym class.

After changing into gym clothes, they moved to the gymnasium.

The PE teacher threw rackets and shuttlecocks to the children, telling them to play badminton, and then bolted to the equipment storage.

Even he was feeling the pressure of Sohee’s background.

Badminton.

A sport that requires pairing up.

The children scattered to find partners, but there was one person left without a partner.

Sohee sighed, looking down at the badminton racket held in her hand.

Just as she was about to give up on gym class and put the racket down—

“Hey.”

A lively voice cut through the peculiar silence.

Sohee turned her head, hoping.

“Wanna play with me?”

A girl was playfully spinning the racket in her hand and asking her.

Sohee could recall that girl’s name.

Hayun.

Sohee considered her name in her mind and scanned the surrounding area.

Was this little girl being forced to talk to her because of bullying from her friends? She worried.

But no. Instead, the other students were looking at Hayun with concerned expressions.

The gazes seemed to fear what would happen next, and Sohee’s expression naturally stiffened.

“I…”

“Come on, let’s!”

“…”

Sohee closed her mouth at Hayun’s assertive attitude that interrupted her.

It was a style of speech that disregarded the feelings of others, but it was not unpleasant at all.

Eventually, Sohee created some distance and prepared her stance.

“Yap!”

And thus began the badminton match.

Hayun, who had initially suggested playing badminton, truly had weak stamina.

“Ha…ha…”

Was it five times they exchanged the shuttlecock?

After energetically running around swinging the racket, Hayun collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily.

“Okay, time out…”

But Sohee didn’t accept that suggestion.

An immediate serve followed.

The shuttlecock flew and hit Hayun’s head.

“Ow…”

*

After school, while returning home,

There were no farewells exchanged between Sohee and the other children.

Everyone dashed out of the classroom as if they had something urgent to do.

But one person, just one, approached Sohee first to say goodbye.

“Sohee.”

The proximity was startling.

Sohee found it perplexing how this girl looked up at her from a slight slouch.

“See you tomorrow.”

Hayun said that and quickly rushed out of the classroom.

Left alone, Sohee fell into deep thought.

On her way home,

Even in the car, those thoughts didn’t end.

Sohee lifted her gaze to the driver, the knight, sitting in the front seat.

An individual who had lived many more years than she had.

So, he likely knew more than her.

Steadily, Sohee opened her mouth to ask.

“Sir.”

“… Yes?”

“How do you make friends?”

“Um… How about sharing delicious food together?…”

“Delicious food…”

“And sharing common interests…?”

“Common interests…”

“Well, that might be about it.”

Simple enough.

Sohee nodded and smiled faintly.

The cluttered thoughts in her head felt slightly brighter.

When Sohee arrived home, she began searching the internet to see what hobbies kids her age were into nowadays.

*

“Hmm…”

The next morning,

Before school, Sohee stopped by a convenience store and bought some Soft & Chewy Cow to share with Hayun.

Not knowing what Hayun would like, she picked up something that caught her eye nearby.

Sohee fiddled with the white caramel she held in her hand.

Small and chewy, just like Hayun.

Sohee popped the caramel into her mouth, rolling it around.

The gentle spread of milky scent and the sweet taste.

It wasn’t a flavor that would have strong likes or dislikes.

Nodding to herself, Sohee tucked a few Soft & Chewy Cows into her pocket.

Hayun made her appearance, much like the day before.

She hurriedly ran and swung the classroom door open wide.

Clank-!

“Yap!”

Then she dashed straight to her seat.

Sohee watched Hayun while playing with the candy in her pocket.

When would the natural situation to give it to her arise?

Throughout the entire lesson, Sohee’s focus was on the candy in her pocket.

Thus, the first class ended, then the second class passed, and the third one concluded.

The Soft & Chewy Cows remained unshared even after the fourth class was over.

And then Hayun approached Sohee first.

“Sohee.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Let’s go eat together.”

Sohee observed Hayun’s classmates standing behind her as she made the suggestion.

They looked like Hayun’s friends since she was leading them.

Everyone had eager expressions etched on their faces.

They were clearly anxious about the situation of eating with her, even if they tried their best not to show it.

Just as Sohee thought to refuse, Hayun reached out and held Sohee’s hand.

“Let’s go~”

In a bold, unreserved manner.

It was Sohee who was startled.

The grip on her hand was so weak.

It meant she could easily shake it off.

Yet Sohee did not do that.

Being led by Hayun, she naturally left the classroom.

Sohee looked at the small palm holding her hand.

Soft and warm, just as she imagined.

As Hayun prattled away in front of her, Sohee could not hear a word.

Eventually, the Soft & Chewy Cow she bought that morning was given to Hayun shortly before lunch ended.

“Here.”

“Oh, thanks?”

Sohee couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched Hayun pop the Soft & Chewy Cow into her mouth with a light smile.

If she had known it would be accepted so easily, she would have just handed it to her before the first class started.

Time flew by, and all the classes ended, signaling it was time to go home.

Sohee stood up and approached Hayun.

Hayun was busy packing her bag, getting ready to go home.

As Sohee observed her, she cautiously opened her mouth.

“Um. Hayun.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you play VR games?”

“VR games? My older brother plays those!”

“Aren’t you into it?”

“Um… I have a capsule in my room, but I don’t really have any games I play.”

“I see…”

Sohee nodded with a dispirited expression at Hayun’s answer.

She learned through the internet the night before that VR games were trending, but it seemed this little girl had no interest at all.

“Oh, do you want to play a game with me?”

An unexpected question.

Sohee held her mouth tightly while her eyes darted around.

It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to play a game. She just wanted to become friends with Hayun beyond the current situation.

The game was merely a means to that end.

“Yeah. I want to play.”

“Uh, hmm… then should we try a little bit later in the evening? Do you have any games that are fun?”

She indeed had a game in mind.

Sohee recalled a post she had seen on the internet and nodded.

She suggested playing an RPG game with a longer playtime rather than games that finish quickly.

“Then let’s contact each other later… oh, we still don’t know each other’s numbers, huh?”

As Hayun said that, she suddenly thrust her phone out.

“Can you give me your number?”

“Number…”

That’s how they ended up exchanging numbers.

Hayun smiled faintly as she left the classroom after exchanging the numbers.

Once again left alone, Sohee glanced down at her phone screen, smiling faintly.

That evening,

Sohee was holding her phone screen, holding her breath.

The current time was 9 PM.

While they hadn’t set a specific time, it felt appropriate to message Hayun around now, so Sohee sent a message.

Ten minutes passed in that state.

Sohee remained frozen in her initial position, allowing time to slide by.

Then suddenly, the screen on Sohee’s phone lit up.

Hayun – [Sorry, should I log on now?]

Finally, a reply came.

Sohee nodded to herself, even though no one was watching, and sent her response back.

Sohee – [Deron Online. Log on for me.]

Hayun – [Oh, I know that one. My older brother plays that game too.]