Chapter 37.1

Noah ground his teeth as he thought about what had just happened. It was a bit far, but he was sure he had seen it.

She kissed her.

When Gloria embraced Katelin and patted her cheeks, Gloria’s lips moved.

‘I told you I would take her from you.’

His heart sank.

He wasn’t sure he had even had the right to feel this way, but his heart felt like it had been torn apart. He was upset, jealous, and even felt nauseous.

Every one of those emotions was loathsome.

This…… this was not okay. He didn’t want to burden her.

“What are you doing standing there? Hand over my birthday present.”

Gloria approached Noah who was leaning against the wall, chewing on the snacks in her hand. She sounded just like a highway bandit.

Come to think of it, it was indeed her birthday. His golden eyes frowned as she interrupted his thoughts.

“My present. Give it.”

Gloria harped on, repeating the same words like a parrot, before giving up. She clicked her tongue.

“I guess I should be glad you didn’t give me a birthday punch at the very least.” [1]

Noah ignored Gloria’s incomprehensible words as usual and replied.

“……I’ll give it to you later.”

“So fierce.”

After Gloria exclaimed meaninglessly, a moment of silence ensued. Noah stared at her and said in a dry tone:

“……what’s going on between you two?”

What is he on about?

Gloria blinked for a moment at the unexpected remark, licked off the powder around her mouth left from the snack, and smiled insidiously.

“Ha ha ha.”

Wicked laughter rolled from her lips.

“Why don’t you ask Kate yourself?”

“……”

“You have fallen, fallen so, so deeply.”

Noah gave her a sharp glare, at which Gloria murmured, shaking her head.

“Can you now tell me how this came to be? What exactly happened while I was studying abroad?”

“Move.”

Noah spat coldly and walked past her. Gloria clicked her tongue as if disappointed.

“Poor guy.”

But my cutie doesn’t like you, so what can I do? Give it your best then.

Gloria shrugged, placed her hands in her pockets and went her way.

* * *

I paused from the book I had been reading quietly and looked at the door of the club room. Through the window, I could see a silver head of hair going back and forth. Noah sunbae was tall so anyone could look up and see him.

What is he doing?

I stood up, looking confused, and approached the door. I guessed I should say hi. Even though our last meeting had ended on an embarrassing note.

“Hello, sunbae.”

As soon as I opened the door, sunbae trembled like a fish out of water.

“He- hello.”

He- hello? Why is he stammering?

My brow wrinkled as I stepped back from the door so sunbae could enter.

He passed by me and took a seat, but didn’t even seem able to make eye contact with me, unlike before.

But why does something feel weird?

I turned my head and met Noah sunbae’s eyes. After opening and closing his mouth a few times, sunbae finally spoke, as if he had made up his mind to.

“Uhm, this might sound rude, but what is your relationship…… with Gloria?”

“You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable,” he added hastily, his golden eyes darting here and there.

‘What is he talking about?’ I frowned unconsciously.

“She is just a sunbae to me…… Just a close… sunbae.”

It was only after answering that I grasped the intent of his question. With my face flushed, I stammered and asked him.

“Did- did you think that Gloria sunbae and I had… that kind of relationship?”

Because Gloria sunbae pecked my cheeks? But isn’t that something girls do as a joke? And don’t the nobles do it too? Wait, then what does Gloria sunbae think?

As myriad thoughts ran through my mind, Noah sunbae, whose face had loosened a bit, spoke.

“……so it’s not.”

“That is quite…… open-minded of you. But it’s really not.”

I glanced at him as I continued.

“I like…… men.”

“. . . . . .”

Ahh, come on, what the heck is wrong with me?

Because of my near-confession, the atmosphere became awkward. Noah sunbae ahh-ed, and fell into an awkward silence. I tried to conceal the corners of my mouth that were beginning to curve upwards.

Aww… he is a bit of a dork, but he is cute.

Wow, I have got it bad. [2]

I tapped the floor with the sole of my shoes.

“Mmm, got it.”

Noah sunbae smiled broadly. Like realllyy wide. So broadly his warm-coloured eyes curved into crescents. I got distracted by that look of his. I couldn’t help it. Until now, I had never seen Noah sunbae smile that widely. His smile was as pure as a flower blooming in the spring, and as refreshing as sprays of water from a fountain on a hot summer day.

Aackk! It was a face that made you realise how unfair the world was every time you saw it.

I clutched at my thudding heart and turned my head away.

These days, I seemed to be discovering sides of Noah sunbae that I had never known before. Like how he liked romance novels, how he liked sweets, and how he had a slightly fierce side to him too.

It was all very cute.

Pat.

I slapped my cheeks lightly.

Get a hold of yourself.

I sighed as I tossed my bangs, and then looked up at sunbae. What kind of thoughts were running through his head right now?

I hoped he was thinking of me just as much as I was thinking of him. I mean, it was unfair for him not to think of me at all when my head was filled with him.

Notes:

[1] ‘birthday punch…’: ; this is when friends hit you on your birthday. At my secondary school, it was done the night before, and you would get chased around throughout study time. Fun times.

[2] ‘have got it bad’: ; means a severe case of an illness; the love bug in her case.