The Best of Tomorrow

Chapter 14 Part 1

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“Hey, pick it up, you crazy.”

“Is that my ball, or yours?”

“You threw it.”

A quarreling voice came from out there. Soon someone came into the alley.

I was surprised for a moment because there were quite a lot of people coming to pick up the ball, but soon I stepped inside.

I saw the face of the person who was standing up after leaning down. I made eye contact with him who wore a night jumper hood.

It was Seon-jae.

“Uh, uh…” My eyes grew bigger as I looked at his face. In the meantime, Seon-jae turned his eyes away indifferently, as if he had forgotten my face completely.

No, you can’t look away like that!

I looked at Seon-jae as if I wanted him to save me from these students. I stretched my neck, hoping that our eyes would meet again.

“Huh? Is it Seon-jae?”

The kids, who had been quarrelling till now, smiled when they saw Seon-jae.

Seon-jae, who had a soccer ball on his side and his hands in the pockets of his night jumper, said, “Oh, hi,” Our eyes met very briefly and he turned around.

No! You can’t go like that. If you don’t save me, the kids here will take me back there again!

“Ryu Seon-jae!” I cried urgently.

After leaving the alley, Seon-jae stopped and looked back.

I couldn’t say things like ‘don’t go’ or ‘take me with you’, as there were many people whose ears were keenly listening to what I was about to say.

I blinked my eyes several times and said, “Don’t go” and smiled sadly…

“Hey, you didn’t find the ball?” Baek In-hyuk, who suddenly came in, was quite bewildered by the unexpected people and circumstances. I changed the subject and sent a rescue signal to Baek In-hyuk. Our eyes met…

“Uh?” Baek In-hyuk opened his eyes round and pretended to know.

Yes, it’s me, get me out of here!

Baek In-hyuk said, “Oh, I don’t know…” As he said this, he turned around and left the alley.

I groaned and lowered my head, and suddenly my body shook. Someone grabbed the hood of my coat and pulled me into a corner.

When I opened my eyes in shock, Seon-jae looked down at me with a grim face. “Long time no see.”

“Uh?”

He then grabbed my coat and started walking.

“Wait, what is it? Why are you taking her?” As one of the crowd members grabbed my arm, Seon-jae turned around.

I pulled the hood of the coat that Seon-jae was holding and he pulled me away from the person holding my arm.

“I have some work with her.”

Seon-jae, who said so, left the alley without holding my hood.

“Thanks.” I smiled as a sign of gratitude for saving me, but Seon-jae’s expression was cold.

“Neither I nor In-hyuk know you. Did you suddenly want us to pretend to know you because you were crowded in the corner alone?”

“Ah, me? That, that’s not it.”

I stuttered without knowing. Seon-jae made eye contact and turned his head.

As I came out of the alley, I saw Baek In-hyuk eating Taiyaki bread. Baek In-hyuk, who saw me being dragged by Seon-jae, opened his eyes wide with Taiyaki in his mouth.

The appearance of being dragged by Seon-jae while holding the hood was similar to the person who got caught stealing Seon-jae’s money.

“What? Why are you both coming together?”

“That’s it. Let’s go.”

Baek In-hyuk quickly took money out of his pocket, counted them, and paid the bill. He stood side by side and wiped his face.

I felt like he was looking at me with a weird expression. I frowned and glanced at Baek In-hyuk. When I met him at Seon-jae’s funeral, he pretended as if he didn’t know me.

“Well, why are you looking at me? You can’t even recognise me. Why are you looking at me?”

Baek In-hyuk looked surprised as he said, “huh?”.

“Hey, that’s so weird. When I had asked you to stop pretending that you don’t know me, you still behaved as if you didn’t know me.”

“I-I…” Baek In-hyuk glanced at Seon-jae.

“Did you hit her head?” Seon-jae and Baek In-hyuk turned their heads towards me to look at me, as if it was strange.

I got up and patted my skirt. I saw Seon-jae carrying his bag which was lying next to the goal post.

“Why didn’t you listen to me?”

“What do you mean?”

I wriggled my lips and bit them.

“Don’t take sleeping pills even if you can’t sleep.”

In other words, taking cold medicine and sleeping pills together is deadly. However, talking about the letter I had put in the drawer, made the atmosphere here awkward and strange.

On the day Seon-jae mentioned about it, the time travel to the past ended and nothing changed from the original time. That means the day had ended with complete dissatisfaction and nothing changed.

Seeing that Baek In-hyuk didn’t remember me, I was buried in time. My warning and me too…

Now that I came back to the past again, I thought I shouldn’t let it be buried in their memory this time.

“I need a gym jacket. So let’s make a deal at 6 o’clock tomorrow at Mc-Donald’s.”

Seon-jae stared at me without saying anything. While Baek In-hyuk was looking at my face and Seon-jae’s face, who was holding the ball.

“I don’t sell it.” Seon-jae said and Baek In-hyuk’s eyes darted towards me.

I hesitated and raised my index finger this time. “10,000 won?” I raised another finger. “20,000 won?”