Chapter 46.1

“Why are you late, Kate?”

It wasn’t that I wasn’t on time, but that I had arrived later than I usually did. Flora sunbae looked at me surprised, her eyes wide open. I smiled as I told her that there had been unforeseen circumstances.

“My class ended à little later.”

“I see. Come on in.”

As I entered the classroom, I saw Noah sunbae . I turned away to avoid his eyes. I looked to the side and saw Gloria sunbae trying her hardest to hold back her laughter. I sat down next to her immediately.

“Here you are. Why are you so late? Is it because…… mmph!”

As sunbae was laughing and poking my cheeks, I closed her mouth to stop her, then turned to look at the book.

The entire time, I tried not to make eye contact with Noah sunbae . Because I had chosen to sit far from him, it wasn’t so difficult to do. As soon as the club meeting was over, I jumped out of my seat and left the room.

“I have a prior engagement so…… I will get going.”

“Hold on……”

“Have a good day.”

I heard Noah sunbae’s voice from behind me, but I tried my best to ignore him and ran out of there.

* * *

“Hide me, please……”

“I feel like this exact same thing happened last semester too,” Dora said as she pulled me away from her body.

“What is it this time?”

“There’s this thing……”

I stuck myself to her again with a sad face. She would laugh at me if I told her the truth, right?

‘What do you mean you want to hug him?’

I could just see her falling over while laughing in a high-pitched voice.

As the silver head of hair passed by the window, I sighed in relief and felt my body relax. Dora, who had been watching all my antics, asked,

“You still like sunbae ?”

“……probably?” I replied after some hesitation.

“Do you want to date him?”

“Who knows? Would that… even be possible? Probably not,” I answered after a moment of pondering.

She shook her from side to side, as if she was sick of me.

“I clearly remember you saying that you would give up in the first semester. That was quite a while ago.”

“Ah.”

“Girl, get a hold of yourself. You couldn’t even concentrate on class earlier today. Tsk tsk ,” Dora said as she patted me on the shoulder.

“Mhmm,” I replied, wriggling my shoulders that were beginning to feel stiff. They felt like I had been carrying some heavy load for a long while.

* * *

I yawned as I walked with heavy steps. For this class, I was separated from all my friends, so I felt a little lonely.

As I trudged through the back gardens, I paused in surprise. I could see Noah sunbae in front of me.

But what was he doing there?

I walked on quickly before pausing, tilting my head in confusion. Noah sunbae was crouched down on the grass. I could have just continued on my way, but he cut such a sad figure that I kept looking at him. I remained standing, absentmindedly, for a while, before creeping up to him and asking allusively.

“What are you doing, sunbae ?”

“Ah,” Because he had not known that I was standing there, Noah sunbae ahh-ed in an embarrassed manner. His mind must have been on another plane then, seeing as he was unaware that I’d been standing so close.

“Ah, the cat,” I said, scratching my head at the sight of the familiar white cat that was in sunbae ’s arms. Now that I could see everything, it turned out he had been petting the cat, not just squatting.

“That was dangerous,” Sunbae whispered quietly as he stroked the cat’s fur. He seemed to be scolding the cat, even as his touch remained ever so soft and gentle.

“Huh?”

“It was by the pond, probably trying to catch some fish.”

“Oh no, kitty……”

I had thought the cat and I had grown closer, but when I approached it, arms reached out, the white feline ran off without hesitation.

Well, that’s upsetting .

I was scratching my head feeling embarrassed when sunbae began speaking, his long lashes fluttering.

“Actually, yesterday…… I saw you hugging someone.”

His face was still as calm as always, but he somehow looked forlorn. His gold eyes looked at me with detachment. I blinked severally in embarrassment. He was probably talking about Arkhan, wasn’t he. The hug had no meaning to it; did he misunderstand me somehow?

Hold on. He said he was watching us. But still, so what?

“So?” I mumbled, my eyes looking around.

“ Sunbae …… how does it concern you?”

At my words, his eyes looked sad, and then he muttered with a dazed face.

“……that’s right.”

The next moment, looking at me, he apologised in a low voice.

“Sorry.”

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