Chapter 357: Chapter 357

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Looking at him absent-mindedly for a moment, I asked back, “Oppa, is it your first time to review what you’ve learned?”

It was a question that I dropped just in case; however, watching him nod immediately, I burst into song just in my thoughts, ‘Ahhh, what should I do~ concrete jungle wet dream tomato~!’

‘Oh, lord… the female main character’s brother doesn’t even review the main subjects, which every student is encouraged to do to get higher grades. That means, he only takes classes in school, and that’s all he does for studying. Thus, he’s more than just a human, isn’t he?’ I rambled such thoughts while having been hit mentally, but I tried not to reveal what I had in mind.

“Um, then is it because you weren’t able to afford a private tutor?” I asked.

“…”

Being lost in thought for a moment, Yeo Dan oppa shook his head wordlessly. I threw another question, “Eh? Then is it because you’re annoyed staying with me?!”

“Ah…”

“What’s wrong?”

Wrinkling his forehead shortly, Yeo Dan oppa shook his head again and replied, “I’m feeling even worse.”

“Yikes, then what I’ve just said is true?”

“Not sure.”

He responded that way right after I blurted those words out in astonishment. Wondering for a second, Yeo Dan oppa replied, “… Maybe not?”

“Hmm…”

I finally took a cushion beside me and put it on the table then shoved my head onto it. How could nothing was getting resolved even when I flung straightforward questions?

Quietly watching my brown hair scattering away like a duster, Yeo Dan oppa stretched out his hand unconsciously and grabbed them. My hair inside his palm turned into the shape of an apple in an unguarded moment.

Burying my face onto the cushion, I thought, ‘In middle school, I was so obsessed with apple hair that I always tied my hair that way. Now I come to think of it, I don’t know why I’ve done my hair like that. Getting annoyed with my bangs in summer, I tied my bangs into the shape of an apple, and it looked very hilarious when looking in the mirror.’

Anyway, I was all up to date with him, so who would care? Thinking that way, I turned my shoved head to look at Yeo Dan oppa. My bangs were, of course, still roundly tied upward in his grip. That was when he uttered, “Oh…”

“What’s up, oppa?”

I would be looking like crap from his view, but he dropped his gaze at me intently and suddenly said, “… I think I’m feeling better now.”

“What? Unbelievable. Why all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know,” replied Yeo Dan oppa while touching my hair, which he gripped in a round shape. He then released his hand out of the blue, so my hair slid softly down and covered my face like a ghost. Before I got to blow my hair away from my face, there was a burst of loud laughter in front of me. That short laughing couldn’t sound so unfamiliar enough.

Doubting my ears for a second, I quickly swept up my hair disturbing my sight. However, when I took them all up, the grin on his face was already gone.

There was still some trace of that bright expression on his face. The sign of his smile, which was as faint as the twinkling salt on dried seawater, was enough to captivate my soul.

Feeling dazed for a second, I blurted, “Wow…”

“Why?”

Before I even knew, I was holding his hand and begging, “Oppa, wouldn’t you just smile one more time?”

At that moment, Yeo Dan oppa emitted a small whoop again, so I asked urgently, “Why? Are you feeling bad again?”

“No…” Switching his gaze onto somewhere else, he soon directed his eyes back on me and replied, “I think I’m still good.”

Phew, thank goodness. ‘So, holding hands are okay for now, right?’ Feeling relieved, I continued to speak in a hurry, “Then, tell me ASAP. Why did you laugh just now? Think about the reason. I must really see that smile on your face again. I think it’s the first time in my life to see you, oppa, laughing that loudly.”

Holding his hand tightly with mine, I shook them and urged him, “Huh? Come on, think about it ASAP. I really need to see you smiling.” As I spoke that way severely, Yeo Dan oppa also turned serious.

Geez, what were we doing right now while straying from studying? I looked at the open workbook and thought about the situation shortly. Once his response returned, I turned my head again.

“Well… maybe because of your hairstyle?”

“Ah, you mean this one?”

Flinging the question, I grabbed my bangs and pulled it upward abruptly. As soon as I took that action, Yeo Dan oppa flaunted a small grin while covering his mouth with his hand. Oh… I just blinked swiftly in surprise.

Glancing at his eyes curved into a smile and his lips hidden behind his hand, which I still could assume that he was smiling, I suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. ‘I think I’ve once seen someone smiling that way as if the person can’t stand anymore…’ I wondered for a moment.

Well, although I didn’t know what had made him feel worse, at least, I got the way to make him feel better. Having that thought in mind, I took out my hair tie and made my bangs look like an apple hair resolutely.

“Oppa, is this enough?” I asked.

Yeo Dan oppa, once again, covered his smiling face with his hand. Regardless of his reaction, I kept pushing my face right into him and asked, ‘Huh? Is this enough? Tell me!’ which made him nod eventually.

And that way when I was sitting in the café having an apple hair, which was out of fashion for about five years… no, maybe about a decade. This hairstyle was even ten years off the track from my real age. Anyway, I wished I wouldn’t run into any of my classmates.

Once I tied my hair into a shape of an apple, Yeo Dan oppa indeed looked better again. Speaking concisely, he returned to his usual self.

Resting his chin on his palm nonchalantly, he stretched out his hand from time to time and pinched my apple hair with his fingers.

In the end, I could only do half of my usual study. It was only nine o’clock. Putting my workbook into my backpack, I chose to chitchat with him.

Touching my swaying hair, I asked, “Oppa, why do you like this hairstyle? I know that I really look ugly with it.”

I wasn’t joking. Was it my freshman year in high school? I tied my hair into this style unintentionally and left the bathroom immediately when I saw my face reflected in the mirror.

“Well…” Yeo Dan oppa also looked like he couldn’t find a specific reason.

“Because it looks funny?”

That was the most guess I could make. Yeo Dan oppa also shook his head this time.

‘Geez, I’m still going around in circles like I’ve been doing earlier,’ I murmured to myself. Why was I investigating the reason that made him feel bad and now about why he suddenly fell into me having this silly hairstyle?’

In this situation, why were some memes or old jokes about psychology major also entering my head? Should I also design my own program about the psychology of Yeo Dan oppa? Being lost into absurd thoughts, I soon raised my head at his sudden remark.

“Maybe because it brings me the memory of your childhood.”

“Oh…”

His response seemed to make sense for the first time in a while, so I slightly got surprised. Hesitating for a moment, I asked, “Oppa, do you remember the things in our childhood such as any happenings you had with me?”

“Why won’t I remember them?”

‘I did think you will since you have good memories,’ murmuring to myself, I soon became speechless when Yeo Dan oppa brought up something while touching my apple hair.

“When you first had this hairstyle, you did it with the hair tie I had bought you.”

“Ah…”

“It had a blue star with purple glitters inside.”

Recalling the vague memory, I nodded my head. It was definitely in my head too. I couldn’t remember when I got that hair tie from him, but it had been in my drawer since whenever.

Kids usually preferred something that was glittering to any other things; it was like an instinct. Thus, that hair tie was my most favorite thing in middle school. So, yes, I did tie my hair into an apple shape with it very often.

“Was it from you?”

As soon as I dropped that question, I regretted to say such a thing. Gosh, he would feel disappointed if he knew that I wasn’t remembering it.