42) Chapter 8. This Year for Sure! (5)
Until elementary school, I spent every summer vacation playing with lots of friends.
Honestly, there were barely any days when I stayed home.
My personality leaned more toward relaxing in an air‑conditioned room, but Soi was never the type to stay indoors even in the middle of summer.
We ran all over the neighborhood, went to the pool and the beach, of course.
In my previous life, I had very pale skin even in midsummer, but in this life, just following Soi around was enough to get me tanned.
Chae‑yi was the same.
But this summer vacation wasn’t like that.
Almost no one came looking for Soi. Only Chae‑yi visited regularly, and Ji‑hye and Mi‑rae rarely contacted us first.
Still, the three of us—Soi, Chae‑yi, and I—did go to the beach together. Soi’s parents drove us, so it wasn’t difficult.
Normally, minors traveling alone run into issues with lodging, but as long as it’s not a commercial accommodation, there’s no legal problem. The place we stayed in was a house lent to us by one of Auntie Yujin’s friends.
Apparently, the owner used to spend quiet days watching the ocean, but recently had to move to Seoul for work.
The house was old, and although it was near the beach, it wasn’t a famous tourist spot, so it hadn’t sold yet.
“Come to think of it, you’ll meet her later anyway.”
That was what Auntie Yujin said as she dropped us off.
“Don’t worry too much. She looks strict on the outside, but she’s very soft‑hearted.”
…Was there any reason for us to worry about someone we’d never met?
When we looked confused, Auntie Yujin chuckled.
“She’s taking the academy principal position. The previous principal retired.”
“Oh.”
…But would we even see the principal that often?
I didn’t meet the principal in elementary or middle school. And in the original story, the principal didn’t leave much of an impression. In academy‑type novels, the only staff who matter are usually heroines.
If they’re not a heroine, there’s no reason to even give them a name.
So I just let the name “Seol Hee‑won” pass by.
…Anyway.
When you’re a minor, playing without adults is the most fun.
During the five days and four nights we stayed there, we had a great time. Since the house had internet, we never got bored—playing at the beach, then gaming together, watching manga, forgetting all about school.
I did sweat a bit trying to escape from Soi and Chae‑yi whenever they tried to change into swimsuits with me.
The owner lived alone, so there was only one bed.
I tried to let Soi and Chae‑yi sleep on the bed while I slept on the floor, but when I came to my senses, I was wedged tightly between them.
Both of them used my armpits as pillows and clung to me, making it impossible to sleep comfortably.
Their sleeping breaths brushed against my neck, and I had no idea what to do.
So for all four nights, I spent most of the night half‑awake…
*
First year passed uneventfully.
The kids no longer talked to us first, and Soi was a bit more isolated than before.
But no one openly bullied us or tried anything malicious.
Ji‑hye and Mi‑rae didn’t have any issues either.
So I thought that if things continued like this, second and third year would pass quietly too.
But in second year—
Around the end of March, the way the kids looked at us changed.
Before, it was intentional avoidance, like they were trying not to get involved.
Now… it was different.
Whenever they looked at us, they whispered.
If I hadn’t known what they were saying, maybe it would’ve been fine.
But they spoke loudly enough for us to hear, as if they didn’t care whether we did.
“Aren’t they sticking together way too much?”
They said things like that.
…To be honest?
We were sticking together.
Soi would boldly sit on top of me.
Her position had changed a bit—until recently she sat on me like I was a chair, but now she sat sideways.
“With hugging, the direction doesn’t matter,” she said with strange logic.
She sat sideways on my thigh, facing me at a ninety‑degree angle—almost like a seated princess carry.
She even braced herself with her arms so she wouldn’t fall backward.
I… thought it was fine. I’d seen girls sit on each other as a joke before.
Not burying their faces in each other’s chests, and not sitting long enough for their legs to go numb, but still.
And it was still warm out.
“But aren’t they sisters?”
“I heard they’re not blood‑related.”
“…Chae‑yi does it too. Are the three of them…?”
Soi didn’t react. She must’ve heard it—if I could hear it, she definitely could.
Instead, she lifted her chin proudly, as if to show she didn’t care.
…But I knew better.
I’d known Soi almost my whole life—at least in this one.
I could tell exactly how she felt.
She was hurt. But she forced herself to act unfazed, lifting her chin and pretending not to hear.
And she was doing all this for me.
“……”
And I felt an emotion I wasn’t used to.
Or maybe I was.
You know how people sometimes get angry when they see someone better off than them?
Before middle school, I had no reason to feel that way. Soi’s family was wealthy, and I lived with them. Even if I didn’t call Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun “Mom” and “Dad,” they treated me exactly like their own daughter.
They never discriminated. To others, I looked like a girl from a good family.
I was shy, but pretty and quiet, so I was somewhat popular—thanks to Soi.
So I had no reason to resent the world.
But in my previous life, it was different. I had nothing. If I didn’t work myself to death, life would be miserable. Even just surviving required overtime at a job where I couldn’t even take vacations freely.
Seeing people who lived easily, with money and romance falling into their laps, made me furious.
So yes—I had felt anger. Long ago. In what felt like a previous life.
So this emotion—unfamiliar yet familiar—was anger.
Ridiculous, isn’t it?
I froze in terror at the thought of the witch who ruined my life, yet I could still feel anger toward harmless classmates.
Even more ridiculous was that those kids were the same. They would tremble helplessly if the witch appeared, yet they felt bold enough to mock Soi—the girl who protected them—because she seemed easy to target.
I didn’t care about myself. My suffering… well, it wasn’t pleasant, but I could endure it.
But Soi?
No.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I was only able to live like this because of Soi.
My life in this world could’ve easily become hell. If Soi had rejected me when I first arrived, or bullied me, everything would’ve fallen apart.
But she welcomed me with a bright smile, just like Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun.
And now they dared to—
No, it wasn’t a misunderstanding.
They were doing it on purpose to hurt us.
“…Rua?”
I must’ve been staring at them too intensely.
Maybe a breeze blew through the hallway. The window near those girls rattled slightly.
They stood up abruptly, staring at me.
Not just them—the whole class.
Wide‑eyed.
“…Huh?”
I blinked and looked at Soi. She was watching me with worried eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah… yeah.”
I was fine.
Nothing had happened.
Someone must’ve run down the hallway. It was middle school—boys were always full of energy, and girls too.
So a small breeze could shake a window.
It wasn’t because those girls were standing there.
If it had broken, that would’ve been serious—but it didn’t.
So yes. I was fine.
The smooth sensation on my fingertips must’ve been the polished surface of my desk, not glass.
“……”
Soi didn’t press further.
It would be bad if she misunderstood.
Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun would be troubled too.
So we just needed to live quietly and normally. As long as no one interfered.
Right?
When I smiled gently at the girls, they quickly looked away.
So did the others.
It was just a shy, harmless smile—nothing unusual.
……
It would be fine.
Probably.
*
It wasn’t fine.
Before the first semester of second year even ended, the news reported that the witch had escaped from prison.