Childhood Friends: Turning the Tables - Chapter 6.2
“Hi. I’m from Class 7. You’re in Class 5, right? I’ve seen you a few times passing by.”
Yoon Tae-seung looked at Kim Si-hyun, gave a small nod, and then turned his gaze back to the front.
He had always been shy around strangers, so she had expected this. But seeing it happen in real life made things more awkward than she thought. Kim Si-hyun also seemed embarrassed and quickly turned the conversation back to Eun-sae.
“I sent you a message before. Did you not see it?”
“The one you sent this morning? I replied before leaving the house.”
“I sent another reply after that.”
“Oh, that…”
She hadn’t seen it. She had been eating toast while walking and didn’t have time to take out her phone. Just as she was about to pull it from her pocket to check, Kim Si-hyun smiled, her eyes curved softly.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t anything important.”
“Still…”
“I said it’s really fine. You don’t need to worry about those things between us.”
As she said that, Eun-sae noticed Si-hyun’s eyes briefly roll toward Tae-seung. Her focus soon returned to Eun-sae, but the uneasiness didn’t go away.
She was happy to have made a pretty and kind friend thanks to Tae-seung, but somehow, it felt like she was being used.
“Hey, Eun-sae’s friend. Could you give me your number?”
Si-hyun extended her arm toward Eun-sae, holding out her phone. Tae-seung glanced at the phone once, then briefly looked at Si-hyun’s face.
Caught between the two of them, Eun-sae didn’t know what to do and just stared straight ahead as if she hadn’t noticed.
Would Tae-seung really give her his number? He didn’t seem to know Si-hyun well, so maybe not? No, it’s not like she was asking him out. It’s just a number, so he’ll probably give it. But what if he refuses? What should I say to Si-hyun then? Should I give it to her myself?
As she was busy watching the two of them for clues, Tae-seung, who hadn’t responded for a while, finally took Si-hyun’s phone. Only after seeing him type in his number did Eun-sae quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Yeah, it’s fine. It’s good if they become friends.
She even hoped that Si-hyun would ask Tae-seung directly about what he liked. Watching him hand the phone back to Si-hyun, Eun-sae smiled contentedly.
“Thanks. I like collecting my friends’ contacts. I even know your name. You’re Yoon Tae-seung, right?”
Si-hyun had now turned her body halfway toward Tae-seung and Eun-sae.
“Yeah.”
Tae-seung answered shortly, as always, then looked away again. Si-hyun chuckled softly and continued.
“Eun-sae was right. You really are shy.”
‘I never said that…’
Eun-sae was briefly confused, but Tae-seung didn’t seem to care.
“I’m Kim Si-hyun. You can text me when you’re bored, okay?”
This time, Tae-seung simply nodded slightly with his usual indifferent expression.
But Tae-seung had a habit of not checking his phone. He rarely texted like other kids, and he didn’t even answer calls sometimes, which was frustrating enough.
Si-hyun was probably excited about getting closer to him by chatting often, but if he didn’t reply, she would be very disappointed.
‘Should I tell her in advance that Tae-seung doesn’t check his phone often?’
Eun-sae kept debating until they passed through the school gate, but in the end, she decided not to interfere. Saying something might make her seem possessive or jealous.
She didn’t care who liked Tae-seung or who he liked. That was his business, not hers. She just hoped no one would use her as a stepping stone to get close to him.
When she got to class, Eun-sae immediately checked her phone. Just like Si-hyun said, there was another message below the one she had sent before leaving the house.
[Can I go to school with you starting today too?]
Since Eun-sae hadn’t replied, another message had arrived a few minutes later.
[I’ll wait in front of the convenience store at the intersection. Pretend we just ran into each other, haha, you know?]
Eun-sae stared at the screen for a long time before turning off her phone.
It was definitely Si-hyun who had inserted herself between her and Tae-seung, so why did it feel like she was the one intruding between them?
Her desire to visit the gym Tae-seung recently joined vanished completely.
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