Trapped Together — Chapter 19

PICK IT UP.

...HUH?

THAT BOUQUET.

YOU KNOCKED IT DOWN.

PICK IT UP,

AND GIVE A PROPER APOLOGY.

AH... HAHA.

R-RIGHT.

I WAS J-JUST SO GLAD TO SEE YOU...

I'M SORRY...

H-HERE...

NOT TO ME.

I'M NOT THE ONE YOU HIT.

IT WAS OH SEON-YUL.

GIVE OH SEON-YUL A PROPER APOLOGY.

FOR HITTING HER WITH YOUR SHOULDER,

FOR NOT EVEN CARING,

AND FOR CURSING, TOO.

FOR EVERYTHING.

SNIFF...

OH SEON-YUL WAS RUDELY STANDING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY,

SO I ACCIDENTALLY BUMPED INTO THEM! WHY ARE YOU COMING AT ME...?!

IT REALLY WAS AN ACCIDENT...

AH, SHE'S DOING IT AGAIN...

DOES SHE WEAPONIZE TEARS WHENEVER THINGS DON'T GO HER WAY?

BUT...

LEE RO-WOON IS...

YOU'RE SO MEAN...

EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE.

I THOUGHT ABOUT IT SERIOUSLY BEFORE CONFESSING,

SO HOW COULD YOU BE SO COLD...?

YOU'RE LOUD AS HELL.

GO CRY SOMEWHERE ELSE.

IS HE A PSYCHOPATH...?

SINCE RO-WOON WAS ALWAYS LIKE THAT,

NATURALLY...

STOP SNIVELING. IT'S ANNOYING.

...JUST AS I THOUGHT.

AN ACCIDENT?

IF IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, SHOULDN'T YOU OFFER AN APOLOGY EVEN MORE?

SEEING HOW YOU BUMPED INTO HER AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED CURSING,

IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE AN ACCIDENT AT ALL. IT FELT COMPLETELY MALICIOUS.

HOW OLD ARE YOU? YOU MESSED UP, SO WHY ARE YOU CRYING?

THINKING CRYING WILL FIX YOUR MISTAKES—ARE YOU REALLY AN ADULT? IT'S PATHETIC.

THE FACT THAT SOMEONE WHO CAN'T EVEN SHOW BASIC DECENCY SPOKE TO ME IS SICKENING.

HE-HE'S BEATING HER TO A PULP WITH WORDS...

BUT IS THIS REALLY OKAY?

EVERY WORD IS TRUE, BUT...

SNAPPING AT SOMEONE CRYING LIKE THAT MIGHT...

MAN, THAT IS SO SATISFYING.

I WAS WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO FINALLY CALL HER OUT LIKE THAT.

SERIOUSLY. EVERYONE WAS JUST HOLDING BACK BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT ANY DRAMA.

SHE'S BEEN SHOWING HER INFERIORITY COMPLEX TOWARD OH SEON-YUL NON- STOP. SERVES HER RIGHT.

ALL THAT FUSS ABOUT THE HAND CREAM AND BEING AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STUDENT...

...WAS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS.

People can use the same things. A grown adult throwing a tantrum like that.

GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF ALREADY.

!

...S-SO...

...I'M... S-SORRY.

YOU KNOW...

YOU’RE...

...A LITTLE FASCINATING.

...Is that enough?

FROM THE PREJUDICES

AND ANXIETIES THAT KEPT ME LOCKED AWAY,

YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO PULL ME OUT.

HOW SHOULD I PUT IT...?

HONESTY?

2026 HANKOOK UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE NIGHT

CONFIDENCE?

OR MAYBE COURAGE?

LIKE YOU’RE TELLING ME IT’S OKAY TO BE MYSELF MORE,

AND THAT THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

LOOK HOW NERVOUS YOU ARE.

EVEN THOUGH IT'S JUST THE SAME FOUR CHORDS ON REPEAT.

IS THIS REALLY THE SAME PERSON WHO SNAPPED AT YE-EUN DO EARLIER?

TO THINK SOMEONE WHO SEEMS SO PERFECT...

...ACTUALLY STRUGGLES WITH SOMEONE.

IT'S KIND OF CUTE.

AND...

I THINK YOU'RE REALLY AMAZING.

TODAY, ONCE AGAIN...

...I REALLY FELT THAT WAY.

...HUH?

EVEN PLAYING SOMETHING THAT SIMPLE WAS TOUGH FOR ME,

SO HOW CAN YOU PLAY SO BRILLIANTLY...?

HAHA... NO, NOT AT ALL.

YOU DID REALLY WELL TOO.

THOUGH IT DID SEEM LIKE IT WAS YOUR FIRST TIME PLAYING.

DID THE UPPERCLASSMEN MAKE YOU TAKE THE PIANO POSITION?

I CHOSE IT MYSELF.

THERE WERE VOCALS, BASS, DRUMS, AND OTHER POSITIONS, BUT...

...SEEING YOU PLAY THE PIANO,

YOU LOOKED THE COOLEST.

UM...

BUT ACTUALLY, A DIGITAL PIANO AND THE PIANO IN THE CLASSICAL MUSIC DEPARTMENT...

ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. LIKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DENTISTRY AND ORTHOPEDICS.

If I had to say, maybe it's like the difference between dentistry and orthopedics?

WHAT?

REALLY?!

STILL, HEARING YOU SAY THE PIANO I PLAY LOOKED THE COOLEST...

...ACTUALLY FEELS PRETTY GOOD.

IF YOU EVER WANT TO TRY PIECES FROM THE CLASSICAL MUSIC DEPARTMENT LATER, JUST LET ME KNOW ANYTIME.

I'LL TEACH YOU EVERYTHING I CAN!

...OKAY.

LATER ON,

YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO TEACH ME EVERYTHING.

SUDDENLY,

A THOUGHT CAME TO ME.

MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE YOU OPENED UP WHAT WAS LOCKED INSIDE ME.

NOW I WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S INSIDE YOU, TOO.

SO–

...THEN,

THIS MIGHT SOUND COMPLETELY OUT OF NOWHERE, BUT...

CAN YOU TELL ME SOMETHING, TOO?

...OH SEON-YUL.

I-

...EARLIER,

WHAT WERE YOU...

...TRYING TO SAY?