Just Twilight

How much of a prince is this guy? Does he think he’s here to rescue me since I can’t even find a partner?

Junyoung swallowed a sigh and tried to shake her head, but she couldn’t. The way Seungwoon was looking at her felt different from usual.

As always, Seungwoon was smiling brightly, but his hazel eyes were calm and devoid of any amusement. Watching her hesitantly struggle to respond, Seungwoon slowly moved his lips.

“Is there anyone you want to partner up with?”

It was hard to say whether there was someone or not.

Especially when Seungwoon was standing there, seemingly waiting for her to mention Beomjin.

...Maybe he’s not that unlike her after all.

Junyoung sharpened her focus, staring at Seungwoon. Just as she was about to speak, an unexpected voice interrupted her.

“Partner with me, Yoon Junyoung.”

This time, Junyoung turned her head with a frown, not hesitating in the least. Hye Soo had arrived, arms crossed, standing with an air of superiority. The sweet scent of her perfume spread instantly as she approached.

Another mountain to climb. Junyoung clicked her tongue and sighed.

“Don’t you think you and I wouldn’t work well together?”@@novelbin@@

“What? Are you ignoring my kindness? I’ve got something I really want to say to you. Otherwise, I’d feel like my mouth’s going to itch.”

Her mom.

Hye Soo’s eyes sparkled mischievously, a look that could only belong to someone who would kill ants for fun, just to amuse herself.

Neither option seemed appealing, but if she had to pick one, it would be Hye Soo. It seemed like the time had come to put a stop to that mouth of hers somehow.

Junyoung shrugged her shoulders.

“Fine. If it makes you that happy.”

Hye Soo scoffed with a dismissive "Hmph" and turned away, but she didn’t forget to check on Seungwoon standing beside her.

If she was stepping forward just to make sure she wasn’t paired with Seungwoon, that would almost be cute. Shaking her head, Junyoung stood up. She was heading to the bathroom, but Seungwoon was blocking the way.

“Can you move?”

“You.”

Junyoung was about to pass by without waiting for a response when she overheard Seungwoon muttering to himself.

“You make friends in such a strange way.”

Not sure what he meant, Junyoung turned her head, but Seungwoon didn’t say another word before exiting the classroom. As she stood there, trying to make sense of his comment, her gaze landed on the broad back still lazily lying on the desk at the back of the room.

...He said he doesn’t sleep a lot. And yet, here he is, lying down like this!

A surge of irritation welled up, and for a moment, she almost kicked his shin, but there were too many people around. Junyoung glared at Beomjin’s back, walking past him, but she couldn’t tell whether his eyes were closed or not, hidden beneath his arms.

***

It had been a while since I had gone up to the rooftop. Back in elementary school, I often went up to the school rooftop.

At that time, I was certain that I had either been adopted or kidnapped by my mother, and I lived every day imagining that one day my real parents would come looking for me. As I grew older, I gave up that thought little by little, but it lingered for a while.

In middle school, the rooftop was locked. I didn’t even think about going up. It was when I started studying like crazy, thinking that studying was the only way to change my grim reality.

High school wasn’t much different. So when I assumed the rooftop door would be locked, I was surprised to see Hye Soo casually opening it and walking in, with me following behind her.

“Do we really have to come all the way up here to talk?”

“If I make an effort to do this, at least thank me. You want me to go around telling everyone, don’t you?”

Hye Soo rolled her eyes and stomped forward. Junyoung took a deep breath, feeling the wind blowing in from all directions. It had been so long since I was up high like this, I had forgotten how good it felt. The open view was quite refreshing.

“Thanks.”

Hye Soo furrowed her brow in disbelief at her gratefulness, crossing her arms and turning around. Junyoung looked up at the orange-tinted sky. It was a beautiful scene, one she could gaze at for a long time.

“Are you out of your mind? Do you not know what I’m about to say?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t have followed you.”

Junyoung turned her attention to Hye Soo, who was craving attention, and said directly,
“Tell me.”

The sharp tone in Junyoung’s voice seemed to irk Hye Soo, who narrowed her eyes and spat out in a biting tone,
“Why did you go to Seungwoon’s house?”

“He invited me. His mom.”

“Why did she invite you?”

“She was curious about the top student in school.”

Hye Soo rolled her eyes at Junyoung’s nonchalant answer. Thinking of the witch in that house, Junyoung thought she could handle Hye Soo with her eyes closed.

Feeling the wind brushing against her body, Junyoung waited for the next verbal attack. Hye Soo, seemingly pulling herself together, raised her chin.

“Give up on Seungwoon.”

“What do you know about my mom?”

Hye Soo’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question. Junyoung took a step closer, lowering her voice.
“Why do you think that would control me?”

This wasn’t how I imagined things would play out. Hye Soo, who had been grinning with a certain gleam in her eyes, attempted to force a smirk as she turned her lips upwards.

“Didn’t you know? You must be embarrassed about your mom.”

“Get to the point, Hye Soo. If you’re just going to beat around the bush, don’t bother calling me out again. I’m wasting time.”

As she pretended to turn around, Hye Soo rushed to block her path. Eyes narrowed with tension, Hye Soo snapped,
“Don’t you know your mom’s been walking in and out of the motel alley in the daytime?”

Junyoung’s heart seemed to stop. The coldness spreading in her veins reached her toes. The disgust and contempt in Hye Soo’s tone made the meaning of her words painfully clear.

No way. It couldn’t be.

Her mother wasn’t in her right mind, so she couldn’t do anything properly. Even simple things like cooking or cleaning, she couldn’t manage anymore.

But over time, her mother had brought back a little money. She often came back drunk, and when that happened, there would be a big fight, and then she would pass out like she was unconscious.

How?

What kind of work?

...What did she do to make money and drink?

“Living off that money, how dare she look down on others? Just because you’re good at studying, you think you’re something? Seungwoon’s nice, but he’s not really interested in you…”

“Who said my mom goes there?”

The moment she showed her unease, she lost. Junyoung thought that, but she couldn’t stop her voice from trembling. Hye Soo scoffed, responding coldly.

“My dad saw her. Twice. She’s hard to miss with her height, her unusual clothes, and her weird walking style.”

Junyoung felt her head go blank. No thoughts came to her. She just felt ashamed, as if she had committed some terrible crime.

Seeing Junyoung’s resolve break, Hye Soo’s face broke into a satisfied smile. She poked Junyoung’s shoulder and said,
“I just wanted you to understand your place. You’re down at the bottom, acting like you’re above others. It’s so annoying. Actually, my parents are really worried. They said that if a girl from that kind of family is in our class, we might have to report it to the school. They said people like that get sick a lot. What if you catch something, huh? Just thinking about it’s disgusting.”

Hye Soo exaggeratedly shuddered, a cruel smile curling on her lips. Junyoung stood frozen, her eyelids slowly blinking. Her lips parted slightly.

“Why did your dad go there?”

“He had a business meeting. He was just passing by.”

Hye Soo spoke with an air of arrogance, as though she were saying, You could never imagine it. Junyoung’s eyes slowly traveled up Hye Soo’s body, and as her gaze reached Hye Soo’s glossy, pitch-black eyes, Hye Soo instinctively flinched.

Suddenly, Junyoung was right in front of her, speaking in a mechanical voice.
“There are only bars around the motel alley. They don’t open during the day. If you just walk on the main road, you wouldn’t see anyone going in and out of a motel. Those entrances are designed to hide from the public eye.”

Hye Soo, struggling to catch up with the fast words, swallowed dryly as Junyoung smirked.

“Do you think your dad’s the one who’s not spreading disease?”

At the same time, sparks seemed to fly in Hye Soo’s eyes, and a slap rang through the air. Junyoung’s cheek burned as she frowned, the bitter taste of blood spreading through her mouth.

“Don’t say dirty things! Your mom’s the one who’s probably selling her body at those places…”

Junyoung reached out like lightning, grabbing Hye Soo’s head with one hand and pressing her mouth shut with the other, glaring as she whispered quickly,
“Go ahead and spread the rumors. If you’re curious how it’ll end, just think about it. If the rumor spreads that your dad paid my mom, who’ll be in the gutter? Me? You? No.”

Hye Soo’s eyes, wide with fear, started to fill with tears. Junyoung’s voice tightened, strangling her throat.

“Your mom’s the one going to hell. The one who loses everything will be you. You’ll lose your family. All for the price of your careless words.”

“Let go!”

Hye Soo struggled, pushing Junyoung’s hand away. Her face drained of color, trembling in fear. Tears streamed down her cheek as she glared at Junyoung.

Junyoung remained firm, her fists clenched tightly, her face cold. She couldn’t let herself crumble. If she did, they’d realize her threats were just empty struggles. That thought was the only thing driving her.

The tension was broken by an unexpected round of applause. Hye Soo, startled, turned her head.

“Hey, is it over? What’s with you two fighting like this?”