Chapter 134: Chapter 134

.

Eun Jiho, Kim Hye Hill, Yoon Jung In, Eun Hyung, Kim Hye Woo… I went through all their messages hectically, but as soon as I recognized whose name I was looking for, I shut my mouth again. It was Yoo Chun Young whom I had been searching through the texts.

It has been already two weeks since that happened. During my long weekend break, I didn’t hear anything from Yoo Chun Young; however, I just accepted it.

Honestly, Yoo Chun Young and I didn’t keep in touch that often. Well, we were still close friends. I felt comfortable being together and had fun even without any conversations. His strangely naïve character always made me smile. He, however, didn’t have much contact with people. So did our relationship.

Yoo Chun Young and I became different classes; therefore, losing touch for a few days wasn’t a big deal, but not hearing from him for the last two weeks was a bit weird.

After the cheek kissing, Yi Ruda still treated me the same as before. That was why I thought he was just playing with me. If Yoo Chun Young also behaved like that for the same reason, he should’ve treated me like nothing special happened afterward. Or else, did he have some complicated inner struggles that I wasn’t aware of?

Being deeply in thought for a while, I flopped down onto the bed. My room became dark but I didn’t want to turn on the lights. Staring at the empty chair, I carefully closed my eyes. I raised both my hands and slowly covered my face. ‘Why am I doing this?’ I couldn’t get out of this feeling.

When I first fell into this world, I made a few promises to myself while writing on the calendar, ‘the day the web novel began.’

Never be involved with these ridiculous people. I have no idea what will happen to me.

Never show my affections toward them. Characters in the novel are capricious and driven by the author, so things are unpredictable.

As I felt attached to them, these promises that I reiterated in my mind got broken already a long time ago. I bit my lips.

Who wouldn’t accept them as friends when those attractive people poured blind affection and attention on someone? Who could firmly assert for years that he or she will not build a relationship with them at all? And therefore, I accepted them as my friends. At that time, I never imagined that the world will flip over again.

The moment when I encountered the ruined site, the recorded voice message saying that the number doesn’t exist, and the stranger who welcomed me from next door… And when those who became my everyday life turned into something surreal and I noticed that they could disappear from me at any time, I got deadly terrified.

They, however, became my friends anyway. I laughed out a little loud. If I said to them, ‘You guys will disappear from me one day, so I won’t accept you all as my friends,’ how hilariously would they react? And how much contempt would I have received? I couldn’t say anything, therefore, but continued our relationship while ignoring the growing wave of anxiety.

Ever since that incident happened during my senior year in middle school, I made another promise to myself. This time, it was a little different than before.

Never love someone.

Honestly, each of the Four Heavenly Kings was, though it might sound very odd, truly attractive and incredible.

Why would those who were smart, rich, good fighters, and top rankers in schools regardless of their entertaining lifestyles appear as male protagonists in romance novels? Four of those people existed around me and how could I not have a crush on them?

But I promised myself, ‘No matter what happens, never fall in love with those four.’ This was what I pledged to myself during my senior year in middle school. Besides, they had Ban Yeo Ryung next to them.

Looking at them from aside, I concluded, ‘Oh, I’m fortunate to know that everything here is just a novel. Unlike others, I got to avoid beginning an impossible love from being captivated by their looks. How lucky I am, therefore?’ With that thought in mind, I fetched a sigh of relief.

‘However, when thinking about it now…’ I slowly put down my hands that were covering my eyes. ‘Well, I’m not sure but was it really lucky for me?’

Above my head, the antique clock from Woo Jooin that looked like a relic from some dynasty era flew away ticking sounds. In contrast to the growing quietness of the outside, different voices burst out loud inside me that I felt confused and noisy. I buried my face in my knees thinking, ‘Is it really a fortunate thing? I wish I knew nothing like others too…’

‘No matter how much I try, I will never get a piece of sincerity from them as long as Ban Yeo Ryung is next to them. If I wasn’t aware of this, wouldn’t I become happier than now? If I hadn’t known that there wasn’t even a chance…’ I thought.

From the moment I woke up… no, the day before… the day before yesterday… if possible, I wanted to deny the fact that I was been thinking about Yoo Chun Young for a long time.

The only person who knew that there wasn’t any possibility at all was me; however, I was about to start something absurd now. My eyes stung.

Without any words, I raised my hand to rub my stinging eyes. My phone then began to vibrate. I opened my eyes and stretched out my hand to pick up the phone. My vision seemed a little blurry.

‘Is it Yoo Chun Young?’ I thought but no, it wasn’t.

Sent by: Dam Eun

Heyyy

‘Dam Eun? She is…’ My eyes got bigger thinking, ‘What’s up with her?’ She was a friend who moved to an elementary school in Gwangju. Yes, she was the girl, whom I talked loudly to about transferring to another school before. Yoo Chun Young heard me saying like that and nearly killed me.

She didn’t message people that much but preferred phone calls to solve things, so it had been such a while for her to send me a text. ‘Does she have something going on?’ I wondered but hurried to text her back.

To: Dam Eun

Huhhhhh?

Her response arrived soon.

Sent by: Dam Eun

Oh, god lololololololol what a greeting girl

To: Dam Eun

You miss me want to see me huh?

Sent by: Dam Eun

Shut up I’ll miss you forever

Geez, I looked at my phone blankly then rolled over my bed while laughing, ‘Oh, come on!’ I quickly typed my message.

To: Dam Eun

When did those words become you’ll never see me lololol

Sent by: Dam Eun

LOLOLOLOLOL

To: Dam Eun

Oh, you’re fluttering my heart lolololol

Sending the text, I lied on my stomach then soon, the phone vibrated again.

This time it was a phone call. As soon as I opened my flip phone, Dam Eun threw a word in her uniquely abrupt voice. No, I would like to adjust that expression. She seemed to maintain that cold and abrupt tone only to me.

[Hey.]

“Uh-huh,” restraining my laugh, I replied shortly.

She didn’t change a bit but her voice sounded quite serious too. Then something came across my mind.

We mostly had phone calls when our exams were over or during the holiday seasons such as Christmas, New Year, etc. Other than these days, we seldom talked on the phone. We were busy studying and going to school, so we gave tacit consent.

However, it was now our mock test period in June. ‘She will be busy studying but why did she call me?’ As soon as I had that thought in mind, Dam Eun flung a question.

[Hey, when did you get up?]

“Me? Just now.”

[Did you see the web?]

“No, why? Did something happen?]

[Your friend is on top trending searches… this ain’t why I called you though.]

Her words made me get up from bed slowly with a grimace. ‘What’s so special about being on top trending searches…’ Since I got dumbstruck before when I turned on the computer and happened to find Yoo Chun Young’s name on the ranking, I was quite nonchalant.

Putting the phone between my neck, I sat down on my chair and turned on the computer.

“My friend who? Perhaps, it’s Eun Jiho or Yoo Chun Young.”

[Yeah, it’s Yoo Chun Young.]

‘What a prompt response! Hmm…’ I fell into thought while slightly nodding my head. When he was on the most searched words on the portal before, he came out to the open that he was the heir of the Balhae Group. ‘Then what would it be this time…?’ As I had that thought in mind, Dam Eun responded in a flash, which made me choke and keep on coughing.