Chapter 22 – A Secret Request

 Yiyoung smiled when he said he was hurt because of her.
It was exactly what Joongho used to say to her.
She believed it now, that Sangsu and her father were close friends.
She was able to trust him a little more after that.

 ‘That’s right.
There’s no way Dad would lie to me about it.
I just couldn’t remember him, and that’s fine,’ she thought.

“I’ll be careful from now on,” she told Sangsu. 

Her bright attitude brought a smile to Sangsu’s face.
Having to live alone must have been so scary, but the kid seemed like she was used to it.
She knew exactly what to do, and just like that, she must have been protecting herself all this while.
What a smart kid.

Then Sangsu remembered what the requestor had specified.

“She’s a lonely child.
Her father needs to call her and give her a heads up so she won’t doubt the security.
Please treat her like she’s your niece.
And you have to make sure you properly explain what Yiyoung is going through when you talk to her father,” he had said.

The requestor was probably Yiyoung’s Daddy-Long-Legs.
Sangsu had only talked to the requestor over text, but he was able to discern that the requestor cared a lot about Yiyoung.
The requestor was probably Yiyoung’s benefactor.
It was great that she had such a caring supporter.
He assumed that Joongho must have made great connections over the years to have someone support Yiyoung in such a manner.

“I heard you’re very smart.
Which university are you planning to go to?” Sangsu inquired, just like uncles would ask their nieces and nephews.
Normal uncles usually care about things like grades, after all.

“I just don’t get bad grades,” Yiyoung replied humbly.

“You don’t have to be so humble about your grades.
Your dad praised you a lot, and he told me about your grades.
You should brag about it to the whole world.”

Yiyoung giggled cheekily.
“Then I won’t be humble anymore.
I have the highest grades among all the students!”

As the two conversed, Muyeol watched them from a distance.
He immediately recognized the man next to Yiyoung as the bodyguard he had hired for her.
He observed them for a while longer, then started walking back home.

 He didn’t like Shitty Yoon, but he at least knew he needed to give his gratitude.
If Jaeho had gotten his hands on his diary, then the entire school would have been gossiping about Muyeol by now.

He only took a few steps before he looked at Yiyoung again, her figure blurring into the distance as she walked further away from him.
She wasn’t as loud or annoying today.
Something was off, and it made Muyeol feel like his day hadn’t begun properly.
But… that was it.
There was nothing special between them.

*

Yiyoung glanced at the empty seat next to her.
Muyeol had gone to the nurse’s office, his fever having hit a new high yesterday.

“Why did he come to school? He should have just stayed home,” she muttered. 

If he was just planning to sleep on his desk all day, then he shouldn’t have come to school, or at least left the school early instead of stubbornly trying to endure it.
She realized just how bad his condition was when he couldn’t hold back anymore and finally went to the nurse’s office.
The school had ended, and he still hadn’t returned, so Yiyoung stayed behind to protect his belongings while everyone else went home.

“What should I do?” she muttered, “I shouldn’t mind him.
Why should I worry about him? Dad and I are going to see Mom tomorrow, I should just focus on myself.”

That was right.
She was going to visit her Mom with Joongho tomorrow.
Her father had already told her that he would come home in the morning.
She would take a nice shower, wear her favorite dress, and go see her mother, and she couldn’t wait. Her mother was struggling between life and death… and the least Yiyoung could do was assure her that she was living well.
She wanted to make her mother want to see her daughter do her best and awaken a strong will to live inside her.

Yiyoung looked around the empty classroom; by now, everyone was probably attending their private lessons.
She looked at Muyeol’s bag, and it almost felt like the bag was staring right back at her, silently begging her to protect it.

‘I hate myself for being like this.’ Yiyoung groaned in frustration. ‘But what if Jaeho takes his bag again and digs through it? Argh, whatever! It’s Muyeol’s business anyway.’

Yiyoung ignored the imaginary cries of the bag and the classroom, seemingly determined… until she returned to grab Muyeol’s bag.

She sighed.
‘One day… I will get into huge trouble for caring too much about others’ business.’

* * *

Muyeol exhaled a hot puff of breath, trying to relax by closing his eyes.
This time, his episode of fever seemed to be never-ending.
His eyes burned, as if the sun itself was placed on his forehead.
Like always, no doctor could offer a diagnosis.
No one could pinpoint the exact cause for his condition.
He felt so weak, not knowing how to handle all this fury stored within him.