By Zephyria 
As I approached first, Ban Pyo-ran walked towards me with a welcoming smile. Her hurried steps were cute.
“Hello.”
“It’s been a while? You’re the one who was crying last time, right?”
“Hahahaha! Thank you last time.”
That’s a misunderstanding! I covered Ban Pyo-ran’s attempt to spread false information with an awkward laugh.
As if not noticing my exaggeration, Ban Pyo-ran’s expression remained kind and bright. But I couldn’t escape the piercing gazes of the Four Heavenly Kings behind me, like sharp spears.
They must have heard. My back felt hot.
“Pyo-ran? Who is it?… Seoyeon High’s Four Heavenly Kings?”
Kim Yi-dam, who had been following Ban Pyo-ran closely, raised one eyebrow upon seeing the group behind me.
“Four Heavenly Kings?”
Thanks to Kim Yi-dam’s words, Ban Pyo-ran also looked very surprised, realizing that the people standing behind me were the famous… Seoyeon High’s Four Heavenly Kings. They really are famous, I thought anew.
Ban Pyo-ran, with her eyes wide open, was a beauty with an incredibly pure and innocent impression. The halo emanating from behind her put even celebrities to shame. Well, if the male protagonists were that handsome, there was no way the female protagonist wouldn’t have a buff.
“Why are the Four Heavenly Kings here?… Could it be that this is where Seong Hae-min is hospitalized… Ah!”
Kim Yi-dam, who had been muttering to herself with a puzzled expression, suddenly snapped to attention and hastily shut her mouth. Her furtive glances in our direction were as busy as a squirrel committing theft.
The atmosphere of the people standing behind me grew quiet. The air somehow became heavy.
“Kim Yi-dam.”
Kim Yi-gyeong stepped forward, hiding Kim Yi-dam behind him. Kim Yi-gyeong, standing in front of Kim Yi-dam, was exactly as I had imagined him while reading the novel. He had the feel of a close older brother the female protagonist could rely on. And like siblings, he resembled Kim Yi-dam.
Kim Yi-dam, who had quickly hidden behind Kim Yi-gyeong and was half-concealed, glanced at me, looking for cues. More precisely, she was looking at the Four Heavenly Kings.
“……You know it’s in your best interest not to blab everything you think.”
The atmosphere grew even colder due to Lee Beom’s sharp tone, which had long since abandoned politeness. Clearly displeased by this situation, Lee Beom’s dark eyebrow was lowered. One was raised, the other lowered. There was no need to go far to see a circus; it was a eyebrow acrobatics show.
Ban Pyo-ran, who had been approaching me, also stopped walking and rolled her big eyes back and forth. The atmosphere, which was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe in, was filled with visible tension.
And so was I. Wondering if it was my fault too, I also looked around nervously.
What kind of tension is this, just from greeting Ban Pyo-ran?
Am I the only one who doesn’t know?
Lee Beom was still looking at Kim Yi-dam with cold eyes, and even Jeon Jae-hyung, whom I thought only slept, was looking at Kim Yi-dam with a rare cold expression. I felt a bristling tension, like a sentry on guard. I was bewildered.
Why are they acting like this?
I gathered all the intuition I had to try and follow the atmosphere, but I couldn’t understand it at all. I felt like a robot creaking in the middle.
“Well, Hae-min’s hospitalization is… a secret to the public.”
“Huh?”
At that moment, Min Si-hu, slightly bending his upper body, leaned close to my ear and whispered. His eyes were still fixed on the other group. I furrowed my brow.
“A secret… to the public?”
Could it be?
The thought that surfaced due to Min Si-hu’s expression was immediately dismissed. Haha, no way, it can’t be true.
Even so, is it because of some delusion that if Seong Hae-min’s hospitalization here gets out, other high schools will challenge us, or that someone will attack him while he’s hospitalized? This isn’t some gangster movie from a noir genre, and if high schoolers acted like that, it would be utter bullshit. Of course not! Haha! Even if this is the world of internet novels, would it really be that bad? I never knew my imagination was this rich.
“Because it’s dangerous if it gets out.”
Oh, no!
I opened my mouth wide, my expression one of pure shock without even realizing it.
‘Is he serious?’
The three Four Heavenly Kings, excluding Seong Hae-min in the hospital room, were all completely serious. As if they hadn’t seen my astonished expression, Min Si-hu slowly backed away.
“Yi-dam, apologize.”
“I’m sorry! I’ll be really careful!”
Kim Yi-dam, who had been biting his lip, quickly bowed and apologized.
‘No…’
My mouth gaped open, unable to believe the reality unfolding before my eyes. Even so, was this something that warranted bowing that deeply?
Yet, the Four Heavenly Kings accepted the apology as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Their attitude was genuinely pleased.
“Yeah! Just don’t do it again. Si-hu is fine!”
Min Si-hu, the master of breaking tense atmospheres, smiled and hopped over like a rabbit, helping Kim Yi-dam straighten up. I expected him to show relief upon hearing he was fine, but Kim Yi-dam’s expression was surprisingly pale. He was so ashen it felt like it would drain the color from anyone looking at him.
Watching Min Si-hu cling to Kim Yi-dam and act all cute, I immediately understood Kim Yi-dam’s strange demeanor. Honestly, Min Si-hu’s actions would have to be somewhat less horrific to be tolerated. It was a sight I couldn’t bear to watch.
“But you guys should also know that you were careless, Four Heavenly Kings.”
Kim Yi-gyeong, who had stepped forward, pulled Kim Yi-dam behind him and offered a piece of advice that sounded like a warning to the Four Heavenly Kings, led by Lee Beom.
“If you keep hanging around in a big group like that, rumors will spread quickly. Be careful.”
“We’ll gratefully accept that advice.”
Lee Beom’s already expressionless face hardened even further. Kim Yi-gyeong, as if his business was concluded, said, “Let’s go,” and naturally gathered Kim Yi-dam and Ban Pyo-ran to leave. Min Si-hu waved goodbye with a smile.
In the smoothly unfolding sequence of events, I was the only one left bewildered.
‘Wait, that’s it?’
I met Ban Pyo-ran.
I was the one who had business to attend to, yet Kim Yi-gyeong ended the meeting. The group, with Ban Pyo-ran turning their backs, was moving further away.
‘What the heck?’
I quickly scanned the faces of the Four Heavenly Kings. Lee Beom’s face was rigidly set, making his expression unreadable. Jeon Jae-hyung, who rarely showed any change in expression, was actually frowning as he watched their retreating backs. Min Si-hu, with his ever-cheerful face, looked as thoughtless as always.
Wasn’t this their first meeting with Ban Pyo-ran? Then why were they just letting them go?
I could never understand the behavior of the Four Heavenly Kings, but today was different.
However, there was no time to ponder. Ban Pyo-ran and his friends were getting further away.
“Uh, just a moment!”
I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
I decided to deal with my deeper thoughts later and called out to Ban Pyo-ran. All three turned around simultaneously. I rushed after them, hastily tidying my disheveled hair and clothes as best I could before standing before them.
I cautiously approached Ban Pyo-ran.
“Excuse me.”
“Huh?”
“Could you give me your number? I was grateful last time.”
I added the last part because it sounded like I was hitting on them, but it didn’t seem to have any effect.
But I was in a hurry, so I couldn’t help it. I just wanted to have a backup. I didn’t want to miss an opportunity right before my eyes like last time!
I looked at Ban Pyo-ran with the most earnest expression I could muster to convey my pure intentions. You greeted me warmly earlier, right? Remember? I tried to convey that desperate meaning with my expression. Fortunately, Ban Pyo-ran was the kind, hopeful female protagonist with unparalleled kindness to everyone, and she readily gave me her number. I registered Ban Pyo-ran’s number in my phone and watched her group depart with a sense of relief.
It was fortunate that I secured a backup. I had definitely established a connection with Ban Pyo-ran.
I shoved my mobile phone into my pocket and calmly returned to the Four Heavenly Kings. They were silent. There were no questions about where I had been. In the quiet, we moved towards Seong Hae-min’s hospital room.
As we crowded into the elevator, the group was too quiet. By now, Min Si-hu should have been chattering about something.
“Who was that just now? Do you know them?”
Just as I was wondering, Lee Beom asked me, perfectly timed.
‘That’s right!’
I cheered inwardly.
Yes, it was normal for them to ask. They should have asked sooner. Honestly, they’d be curious. They were clearly standing there out of pride earlier.
‘She’s the female protagonist, so they’d naturally be interested!’
I repeatedly agreed with my own thoughts and nodded inwardly. Lee Beom was acting according to the novel’s plot.
There was a reason why ‘fateful encounters’ were considered gifts from the heavens. This was destiny, and this was the novel’s progression. For me, there was no other explanation. This was a novel. It was only natural for things to unfold according to the plot.
Just as I thought.
My excitement was so great that I failed to control my expression and answered with a wide smile.
“I’ll introduce you soon. Don’t worry!”
“……”
“……”
“……”
And with my answer, a suffocating second silence began.
Ding.
The mechanical sound of the elevator arriving at Seong Hae-min’s floor chimed. I cheerfully stepped out of the elevator.
But the Four Heavenly Kings remained standing there, looking at me, even after the elevator doors opened. They were like statues rooted to the elevator, showing no sign of movement. They all stood there blankly, muttering incomprehensible words like, “Introduce…? What kind of relationship warrants an introduction…?”
“Aren’t you getting off?”
I finally asked. Min Si-hu was the first to react.
“Ah… yeah! Si-hu and, Si-hu is going with you!!”
“Ah. I’m getting off too.”
Lee Beom and Jeon Jae-hyung quickly followed Min Si-hu out. They all wore serious expressions, but said nothing else. I wondered why they were acting like this, but I didn’t want to dwell on any unpleasantness on such a happy day.
Finally, the Four Heavenly Kings met Ban Pyo-ran. Now I could finally be free!
I was intoxicated with the joy of victory. So much so that I completely ignored their unwelcoming, lukewarm reactions and erased them from my mind.