Chapter 369

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Was this really Yeo Dan oppa and not someone wearing a costume and mask to act like him?

"Are you really Yeo Dan oppa...?"

As if he felt embarrassed at my question, Yeo Dan oppa, touching his hair, slightly frowned. It seemed like he was sending me a gaze, asking, 'What the heck is she talking about again?' The look in his eyes showed his suspicions and despair. Tilting his head, he flung a question.

"Where's Yeo Ryung?"

"Oh, Yeo Ryung... um..." I replied vaguely. How could I tell him that I sent her ahead of us because I misunderstood Yeo Dan oppa as his stalker? While I stood still wordlessly, Yeo Dan oppa nodded alone for some reason. He tossed another question.

"Did she bring an umbrella?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah, she did. She even borrowed another umbrella for me."

With that response, I showed Eun Jiho's black umbrella. Looking down at it for a moment, Yeo Dan oppa uttered, "Okay."

I thought he would ask, 'Why didn't you go with her?' or 'You should have told her to wait,' or something like that, but he didn't. Slightly raising the plastic umbrella in his hand, yeo Dan oppa spoke in his usual voice.

"Shall we go too?"

"Uh... huh?"

"Go home."

My face flushed all of a sudden. Ignoring Yeo Dan oppa, who was slowly observing my face as if I was acting strange, I walked like a robot to get beside him, then I lowered my head and murmured to myself. 'Since Yeo Ryung spoke about having a date in the rain or something like that before she left, I thought we were really on a date!'

Descending the stairs beside him, we bent our steps toward the building's main entrance. I kept wondering while walking after him, 'Why doesn't he ask me further about Yeo Ryung's absence? If he doesn't, I'll be letting myself have some crazy delusions such as he's here to pick me up or something like that.'

At that moment, I flinched and turned my head upon a loud noise. Yeo Dan oppa was looking at me while holding his umbrella over his shoulder. Before I even knew it, we were already in front of the entrance.

"Let's go."

His low voice resonated around my ears. Standing still in a daze for a moment, I nodded and opened my umbrella—the black nylon canopy covered my head.

* * *

I tried to ask him about the text message first, but Yeo Dan oppa initiated a conversation ahead of me. Startled, I turned my head.

"What happened to Sports Day when it was raining?"

Ah, that one... Showing a faint smile, I replied, "We did all the indoor games in the morning and picked the winning teams, then we had our regular classes in the afternoon. My classmates looked like they were dying."

"Oh..."

Replying that way, Yeo Dan oppa slightly grimaced. Although he didn't care about school life itself, it seemed like he also hated taking classes. Letting out a giggle, I continued, "Well, but our class was a semifinalist! Yoon Jung In and Yi Ruda did a great job in the matches."

I suddenly recalled how astonishing their performances were during the games. Of course, Yoon Jung In and Yi Ruda were very athletic, but I didn't know they were this overwhelming. The duo's superb performances competed well with Class 1-1. Yoo Chun Young couldn't participate in the games due to his modeling schedule. Jooin subbed for him, but his athletic ability was just slightly better than average. Thus, Class 1-1 wasn't as mighty as they would usually perform.

Yoon Jung In? Yi Ruda? Yeo Dan oppa tilted his head in wonder as if he just heard a few unfamiliar names.

I uttered, "Oh, Yoon Jung In is our class president. I've mentioned him before. Ruda is... you know, the boy we ran into in the café last time."

"Ah..." he blurted out shortly.

Watching his brows meeting in the middle, I continued, "Don't you remember? He stands out conspicuously. The boy with blond hair and blue eyes..."

"I remember."

"Ah, really?" Asking that way, I rolled my eyes. Although he remembered who he was, Yeo Dan oppa kept a frown. It implied that he might have recalled some unpleasant memories or didn't like Ruda at all.

However, didn't Ruda and Yeo Dan oppa meet only once before? Besides, they only greeted each other. Why would that upset him? I just shrugged while wondering about those questions for a second.

Well, maybe they just had contrasting personalities. Yoo Chun Young had seldom seen Yi Ruda, but he detested him; those who had outstanding intuitions like Yoo Chun Young or Yeo Dan oppa might feel uncomfortable with Ruda.

Trying to switch his attention to something else, I continued to speak again, "Oh, right! Yeo Ryung has also been so amazing!"

He averted his gaze back onto me.

"Even if Yoon Jung In and Yi Ruda actively engaged in the games as much as the Four Heavenly Kings did, we couldn't win because our class didn't have girls as athletically incredible as Yeo Ryung."

"I see," he replied with a nod. The look on Yeo Dan oppa's face returned to normal.

Phew, the miracle of his sister complex might save all of us. Heaving a short sigh, I kept on speaking in a slightly more excited tone.

"I mean, we still have a very athletic girl in our class, Lee Mina. Her nickname is 'the boy.' Our PE teacher says, 'She's gonna beat everyone in the boys' team.' After that, it became her nickname..."

That was when the look on his face suddenly turned urgent. I tried to ask him what was wrong. With a loud splash, a black vehicle passing closely by us got into a puddle. The pool of muddy water splattered highly to my waist with a loud noise. Yeo Dan oppa's hand reached my wrist almost simultaneously; however, it was too late.

A moment of silence hung between us. Looking at the muddy water dripping down my knees, I smiled quietly, "Ha... haha..."

"I should have walked on the side of the street," said Yeo Dan oppa with a slight grimace.

I shook my head and uttered, "No, no, don't mind." My outfit today was just temporary, but Yeo Dan oppa's school uniform was already wet with rain, so he had to change into those gym clothes. If those new outfits also got wet, it would be terrible. That was why I also took his left side and walked on the street side of the sidewalk on purpose.

Still, Yeo Dan oppa didn't release the hard look on his face. He soon flung a question that made me raise my head.

"Should we share the umbrella?"

"Huh? The umbrella?"

That was when I glanced around and nodded.

Since the sidewalk wasn't that wide, walking with two umbrellas side-by-side almost occupied the whole street. Honestly, if I didn't walk close to the street side, I would not have been this wet with muddy water. Switching my gaze to Yeo Dan oppa, I asked, "Shall we? The sidewalk is too narrow."

Speaking that way, I stretched out my hand that had the umbrella in it to him. Yeo Dan oppa was using a disposable one, so the size was only half of Eun Jiho's umbrella.

I watched Yeo Dan oppa's long, big hand as he took the umbrella handle from mine. The distance between my head and the umbrella widened, and his broad shoulders came right beside me. I could smell some faint wood scent from his gym clothes, which might have occurred because it was stored in a drawer for a long time. Our situation felt so intimate that it immediately bewildered me.

That was when I realized why TV dramas or movies featured scenes of couples sharing an umbrella as a fabulous or significant event. Walking with each other's shoulders firmly attached in a narrow space was like two people sharing a tiny space; it was not easy to do so with strangers. Even between two people who knew each other for a long time...

I lifted my head and looked up. The umbrella created a dark shade over Yeo Dan oppa's face. Maybe because of that, his face looked unusually pale.