Chapter 148

* * *She practically ran away to the waiting room.“It’s our turn. Get ready.”“Y-yes!”“What the. Are you nervous?”She shook her head. She wasn’t nervous. But… she saw something she shouldn’t have seen.‘Why were those two...’She saw Maru when she got out of the waiting room. She was about to run over to say hello, but she noticed a girl right next to him. It was Yoojin. She’s seen them together often, so she just had to go over… she couldn’t do it. They looked too much like a couple. She knew that she was the one who was going out with Maru, but she felt afraid to approach them for some reason. ‘Why did I feel this way?’She just had to walk up to him. Why did she feel jealous? She was getting depressed, too. Was Maru kind to all women around him? Or was it just to Yoojin? Which was worse? She knew that they had a lot to talk about since they were both main characters. She understood it, yet her heart couldn’t accept it. She was being childish. So childish. She should’ve stepped in front of the two of them. ‘But why were they together?’“Alright guys, focus! Let’s go wild today.”She came back to her senses at the club president’s voice. She couldn’t afford to think about other things right now.

* * *Maru touched his lips. He was smiling. Just watching her on stage made him feel so happy. ‘I guess it’s about to end?’Myunghwa High’s play was more than good, as expected. He’s watched many plays with Ganghwan at Hyehwa station and this play does not pale in comparison. As he expected, the play ended after just a few more minutes. She was the main character, so she appeared at the end of the curtain call. The entire club bowed towards the audience. Maru clapped.“They’re good,” Yoojin said, walking up to him.“Go play with your friends. Why do you keep coming here?”“What? Are you intimidated by me?”Yoojin was smiling like a fox. Maru pushed her away with a finger, making her frown. “What are you going to do now?”“What?”“You’re going to be seeing her, won’t you?”“Of course.”“Huhuhu.”She was laughing like a witch. Was she planning on following him? He tried to escape the hall quickly, but Yoojin was quick on her foot.“I can’t miss this. She gets really embarrassed by this stuff, so this has got to be fun.”“Man, you’re evil.”Yoojin even told her friends to get going without her. Maru scratched his eyebrows. Should he run away from her? No, he needs to come back here later anyway. He had no way to escape.“I’ll be hiding.”“Hah...”“Hehe.”Maru figured he might as well let her do whatever she wants. He walked over to the waiting room. He could see the actors from Myunghwa High working among everyone else. Among them, she was moving around props very busily. He might as well wait until she finishes. Maru bought himself a drink from the vending machine.“What about me?”“Use your own money.”“Cheapskate. I bought her a meal last time, you know. Pay me back in her stead.”Maru was at a loss for words. He scanned the vending machine for a really disgusting looking drink. Ah, ginseng. Bingo. Sure enough, the girl had a big frown on her face when she received it.“I paid you back.”“Ugh.”Yoojin still drank it. Her face scrunched up in pain. Sweet victory.“Looks like they’re over?”The Myunghwa High students were coming out of the waiting room.“Alright, those of you who need to get rid of their makeup, do it now. We’ll leave in 30 minutes, so be at the bus by then. Be sure to take pictures with your parents as well.”The students all split up with the president’s word. The bus… Ah, he remembered seeing one outside. He vaguely recalled seeing the name of Myunghwa High on it. “As expected of Myunghwa High… They even rented a bus. Our school should take after them,” Yoojin commented. The club members were all headed towards their parents, it looked like the parents were heavily invested with the club as well. She was standing among the others all alone by herself. Was her mother not with her? Maru walked up to greet her.“You were good.”“...Ah.”She smiled at him awkwardly. Maru knew that smile well. She always smiled that way when she didn’t like something. She was good at arguing for what she wanted a lot of the time, but whenever she couldn’t, she smiled like that. This didn’t feel good.“Um, thanks for coming.”She wasn’t being normal. Why wasn’t she as energetic as she usually was?“Did something happen?”He decided to ask directly. She looked away. Something was wrong for sure. But before he was about to ask if something happened, she walked away somewhere else. He watched her for a second before walking to follow her. He could feel Yoojin following close behind. Once he got out of the hall, he could see her looking around for something.“What are you doing?”“No, it’s, just… it’s nothing.”She tried to run away again. Maru wasn’t a fan of playing hide and seek like this, so he grabbed her wrist.“Why are you running away? That’s not like you.”“I’m not running.”She was sensitive to the word ‘running’ as always. She glared at him for a second, but she immediately became depressed again. It was kind of endearing to watch. “What’s wrong?”“......”“I’m sorry, but I can’t read your mind.”Well, only kind of. He could look into it and see what the other side was thinking every once in a while. He didn’t want to use it on those who he held dear. He would feel like he was cheating them if he did.“I just feel pathetic.”She bit her bottom lip.“Pathetic about what?”“Just everything!”She shouted. She was a mess today. How did she act so well today?“Did I do something wrong?”“No! No, yes!”“What did I do?”“T-that’s...”She closed her mouth. She looked at the floor for a few seconds before raising her head. She was… crying. Why? For what? What was wrong?“You! You didn’t even start acting until recently, so how are you so good?!”“...Is that bad?”“No! Not at all!”“Then what’s the issue?”“I’m the issue. I feel pathetic. Like an idiot.”Tears were dripping from her face. Ah, he remembered now. He fought her a few times already in the past. Every time they did, she would cry. She always blamed herself, too, never pointing fingers on anyone else for her anger.“You have no problems. You’re not pathetic, nor are you stupid.”“.....”Maru hugged her, he could feel her crying in his arms. She was such a strong woman and yet she was so weak right now. He waited until she calmed down. She’s a smart woman, so she should come back to her senses quickly.“I saw.”She was still sniffling a little.“What?”“...You were with Yoojin.”“What about it?”“I know it’s not anything special. It’s just… You guys get along so well together...”She was young. He’s realized now that she was very different right now compared to her 25-year-old self. She was an entirely different human being compared to herself in her forties. What should he do to calm her down? He wasn’t good at talking, so he had to do the next best thing.“You worried about something so stupid.”He hugged her. Tightly.“......!”She struggled for a bit. She calmed down quickly after a few pats.“You were honest with me, so I’ll be honest with you too.”“W-what?”“I’m going to marry you.”“...What?”“I’m confessing in advance.”She pushed him away with both of her arms.“You’re crazy! M-marry? What?!”“What, I can’t?”She became quiet again with a troubled expression.“Ah, were you jealous, by the way?”“I wasn’t!”“Liar.”“...Ugh.”She looked like she might cry again if he teased her more. Maru stopped here and grabbed her hand. He looked her straight in the eye, he could feel her hands tense a little. The world around them became completely silent. Maru lowered his head slowly. He could see her eyes getting wider as his face got closer to hers. “You’re supposed to close them here.”