Heart-Pounding Planet — Chapter 8

MY PARENTS FOUGHT EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Are you two teaming up for partner dodgeball?

Hey~ Put our names down together~

I STARTED HIGH SCHOOL ALL ALONE, SEPARATED FROM ALL THE FRIENDS I'D BEEN CLOSE TO.

...HAA. MAYBE I SHOULD JUST SAY I'M SICK AND SKIP P.E.

BACK THEN, WHEN I DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE TO LEAN ON.

HEY, LEE JIUM.

WANT TO PAIR UP WITH ME FOR DODGEBALL? I DON'T HAVE A PARTNER.

SEUNGJO WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO REACHED OUT TO ME.

HUH? WITH ME...? WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS?

CLASS LEADER. HAS MANY FRIENDS.

THEY'RE PAIRING UP WITH OTHER PEOPLE. DO YOU NOT WANT TO?

NO, IT'S NOT THAT...

BUT I'M REALLY BAD AT DODGEBALL.

Don't complain later.

I won't.

AFTER THAT, SEUNGJO ALWAYS STAYED BY MY SIDE.

AT LUNCHTIME, TOO.

Thanks.

Enjoy your meal!

Huh? What are you doing here?

Oh? It's you, Seungjo.

AND ON THE WAY HOME FROM SCHOOL.

Are you heading home? Mind if I walk with you?

WITH SEUNGJO AROUND, I WASN'T LONELY ANYMORE.

JIUM, ARE YOU DATING SEUNGJO?

HUH? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

SINCE WE WERE ALWAYS TOGETHER, PEOPLE SOMETIMES GOT THE WRONG IDEA, BUT I DIDN'T CARE.

WE'RE JUST FRIENDS.

SEUNGJO'S ALWAYS BEEN NICE. HE TAKES GOOD CARE OF ALL HIS FRIENDS.

BACK THEN, THE TIME I SPENT WITH SEUNGJO WAS PURELY PLATONIC.

YEAH. I'M SURE THAT'S WHAT IT WAS...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ALONE THIS LATE?

AH...

MY MOM AND DAD ARE FIGHTING...

...IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH IT, CAN I ASK WHAT HAPPENED?

SEUNGJO LISTENED SERIOUSLY TO EVERYTHING I HAD TO SAY.

EVEN THOUGH IT MUST'VE BEEN SUCH A HEAVY, BORING STORY...

...THANKS FOR LISTENING. I SHOULD GO HOME NOW.

IF I STAY OUT TOO LATE, THEY MIGHT START FIGHTING OVER THAT TOO.

THEN BEFORE YOU GO, WANT TO LISTEN TO A SONG WITH ME?

IT'S ELECTRO- NIC MUSIC, SO IT MIGHT NOT BE YOUR THING.

WHAT SONG? I'LL LISTEN.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

...I LIKE IT.

REALLY? THAT'S A RELIEF.

WHENEVER YOU WANT TO BE ALONE LIKE TODAY, CALL ME.

I'M ACTUALLY BORED ALL THE TIME.

AND THAT WAS HOW THE CRUSH I COULD NEVER CONFESS BEGAN.

AAAAAAH AAAAAH...!

AHHHHM EEEEEM WOOOOOO...!

...WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

CAN'T YOU TELL? I'M SINGING.

ANI TAM HMM ANI MOIIIIRL...!

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY INSANE?!

HOLY SHIT, THIS SONG IS AMAZING.

TAP

HEY, WHY'D YOU TURN IT OFF?! IT WAS GETTING GOOD!

FORGET IT! I'D RATHER NOT LISTEN AT ALL!

IT WAS JUST GETTING TO THE CLIMAX.

HAA...

I SHOULDN'T HAVE PLAYED ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS...

KWON BEOMJU RUINED EVERYTHING...

HEY.

YOU'VE GOT TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN TRUTH HALL ROOM 201 TODAY, RIGHT?

YEAH, I DO... WHY?

H-HOW DID HE KNOW?

I DID SHARE MY SCHE- DULE YESTERDAY, THOUGH.

I'VE GOT A SPECIAL LECTURE ON SOCIAL PHILOSO- PHY IN HUMANITIES BUILDING ROOM 105.

IF WE FACTOR IN TRAVEL TIME, NOON IN FRONT OF THE NEW BUILDING CAFETERIA WORKS, RIGHT?

Oh!

FINE. AND LIKE I SAID YESTERDAY...

OH, YOU HAVE A FRIEND YOU USUALLY EAT WITH?

BRING HER. I DON'T CARE.

I WAS WORRIED NAHI MIGHT HAVE TO EAT ALONE, SO THAT'S A RELIEF.

I'm totally fine with it!

Awesome~

NAHI SAID SHE WAS FINE WITH IT TOO.

GO INSIDE. DON'T BE LATE LATER.

STUDIO

W-WAIT. DON'T LEAVE YET.

TAKE THIS.

WHAT'S THIS?

YOU SHOULD BE FINE EVEN IF YOU MISS SOME NOTES.

IF YOU RECORD THE LECTURE WITH THIS, IT'LL CONVERT THE AUDIO INTO TEXT.

AND?

I'M GIVING IT TO YOU. USE IT TO STUDY HARD.

OH, WHAT'S THAT?

AH, SHIT! YOU SCARED ME. SEO MYEONGTAE, DO YOU WANT TO DIE?

DID YOU BUY A NEW PEN?

NO. APPARENTLY IT'S A RECORDER.

APPARENTLY...? YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE SOMEONE GAVE IT TO YOU.

YEAH. SOMEONE I KNOW GAVE IT TO ME.

WHOA, DON'T TELL ME IT'S A GIRL...?

IS THAT PERSON A GIRL...?

CALLING HER A GIRL FEELS WEIRD. SHE'S MORE LIKE OUR KKOMI.

SO YOU'RE NOT SEEING EACH OTHER OR ANYTHING?

SHE'S A GIRL, BUT SHE DOESN'T REALLY FEEL LIKE ONE?

SEEING EACH OTHER? WHY WOULD I BOTHER WITH THAT?

IF I'M GOING TO DATE SOMEONE, I'LL JUST DATE THEM.

REALLY? THEN WANT ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO A GIRL?

SHE'S IN THE DANCE DEPARTMENT AND PRACTICALLY CELEBRITY-LEVEL GORGEOUS.

...GET THAT OUT OF MY FACE.

OH. OKAY.

WHOA, BEOMJU!

YOU REALLY GOT A CAST?!

OPPA, I HEARD YOU GOT HIT BY AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER?

THAT RUMOR SPREAD ALREADY?

THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY WAS FLOODED WITH EYE- WITNESS POSTS THAT DAY.

THOSE BASTARDS... THEY JUST STOOD THERE FILMING INSTEAD OF HELPING.

WHOA, OPPA, CAN I DRAW ON YOUR CAST?

WHOA, ME TOO.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DRAW ON IT? WHAT ARE YOU, HIGH SCHOOLERS?

I USED NEEDING HELP AS AN EXCUSE BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED SHE'D DISAPPEAR ON ME AGAIN.

BUT I FEEL KIND OF BAD BOSSING SOMEONE THAT TINY AROUND.

I SWEAR, BEING TOO SOFTHEARTED IS MY BIGGEST PROBLEM.

ON TOP OF THAT, SHE'S STILL THINKING ABOUT THE GUY SHE HAS A CRUSH ON,

AND SEEING HER GET ALL WISTFUL AT THE DROP OF A HAT MAKES IT HARD TO LEAVE HER LIKE THAT...

HIS NAME WAS MA SEUNGJO, RIGHT? THAT BASTARD...

I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT HE ANNOYS THE SHIT OUT OF ME.

I MEAN, IF SHE WANTS TO LIKE HIM UNTIL THE DAY SHE DIES, THAT'S NONE OF MY BUSINESS,

BUT SHE CLEARLY SAID HERSELF THAT SHE WANTS TO GET OVER HIM...

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE LEE JIUM CAN MOVE ON BY HERSELF,

SO MAYBE I SHOULD HELP HER OUT A LITTLE?