7MoH 1.9

Jeong-in mindlessly passed the time, lightly tapping the tip of his canvas shoe against the linoleum floor.

“Sorry you had to wait long.”

After a while, Chase Prescott appeared, emanating the fresh scent of shower gel and deodorant. His blond hair was half-wet, appearing brownish toward the ends.

Ava Winslow, still on her call, looked over with an expression that suggested she was witnessing a strange combination.

“Let’s go.”

Jeong-in’s briefly excited mood had now settled down.

As he left the building with Chase, Jeong-in suddenly thought of a practical issue. Chase would soon be driving away in his Porsche, and would he have to frantically chase after him on his bicycle? Thinking about how ridiculous that would look made his mind race.

Unable to speak up, Jeong-in arrived at the parking lot with Chase. His silver Porsche was gleaming golden in the afternoon sunlight.

“Wait a moment.”

Leaving Jeong-in behind the car, Chase went to the passenger side, opened the door, and rummaged inside. He then came back around with a familiar bag in his hand.

“Oh?”

Joy spread across Jeong-in’s face like someone reuniting with a long-lost child. As if hypnotized, Jeong-in approached Chase and hugged the bag he was holding out.

“My bag!”

“I brought it because it looked like it belonged to a student from our school.”

“Thank you! I’m sorry! Really, thank you!”

All sorts of words poured out in excitement. Jeong-in made a promise to himself again. From now on, he would avoid creating any incidents and live quietly, invisibly, as he always had. He should probably seal away the shame book as soon as he got home or discuss with Justin about getting rid of it.

“I’m really sorry. The things written in there weren’t sincere. It was just… out of envy. It’s embarrassing, but…”

Jeong-in confessed in a slightly trembling voice. He realized that Chase must have found it bizarre and troublesome to be entangled all day with a nerd whose existence he hadn’t even known before. It clearly couldn’t have been a pleasant experience.

“This won’t happen again. And you won’t have to be involved with me anymore. So, what I mean is… take care! Thank you so much for bringing back my bag.”

Chase stared intently at Jeong-in, who was saying his goodbyes with a relieved expression as if a long-standing burden had been lifted. Not only did he not reply, but there wasn’t even a slight smile on his expressionless face.

Jeong-in awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Thanks again. Well… I’ll be going now! Take care!”

Again, Chase didn’t respond. Jeong-in decided there was no reason to stay any longer and turned around. His pace quickened with the feeling that Chase’s gaze was still following him.

The loud sound of the Porsche’s engine starting up echoed through the quiet parking lot long after Jeong-in had disappeared.

* * *

Jeong-in arrived home, happily pedaling his bicycle. Palm trees swayed gently overhead. He found himself humming at the beautiful scenery he hadn’t noticed on his way to school that morning.

His hunger and appetite had returned, so he first opened the refrigerator to find something to eat. There was meat marinated in red sauce in a glass container that his mom had prepared. Yes! Jeong-in cheered.

After eating a satisfying meal, Jeong-in went up to his room and unzipped his backpack. He wanted to get rid of that cursed red notebook that had turned his weekend and Monday upside down.

However, as he rummaged through the bag, Jeong-in’s expression gradually turned to dismay. Everything else was still there, but the red notebook had completely vanished.

Surely he hadn’t dropped it somewhere.

Panicking, Jeong-in picked up his phone with trembling hands. Too anxious to send a message, he called directly.

―Hello.

Was it his imagination? Chase’s voice sounded gruffer than usual. Jeong-in’s shoulders hunched further.

“Um, hi, Prescott. This is Jay Lim…”

―I know.

“Oh? Yeah. So, about the book that was in my bag…”

―Hey, Jay Lim. Isn’t it polite to first ask if the other person is available to talk?

“Oh, r-right… Do you have a moment to talk?”

―No. I don’t.

Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Jeong-in was at a loss for words.

“Oh… I see. You must be busy.”

―No, not at all.

By this point, it seemed like Chase was deliberately being difficult.

“Then, why?”

―I’m in a bad mood.

“…Why?”

―I don’t know. That’s why I’m in an even worse mood.

Jeong-in could imagine him puffing his cheeks slightly like a child. Even his sulky face would undoubtedly look cute. Still, having an important matter to discuss, Jeong-in decided to try and appease him quickly.

“Well… everyone has days like that. The reason I called is because of that book.”

―What book?

Though he played dumb, the relaxed tone in his voice revealed that he knew exactly what happened to the notebook.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

―Oh, you mean the Scarlet Book?

Chase had named the notebook “Scarlet,” referring to its forbidden red color. It was a fitting name. This confirmed to Jeong-in that Chase had the notebook.

“You have it, don’t you? Give it back.”

―I will, soon.

“When?”

―When I feel like giving it back.

“What?” Jeong-in’s voice grew sharper as he questioned.

―Since about half of it is about me, I think I have that right.

“…”

Jeong-in was momentarily speechless. There was an irrefutable validity to his words.

“Like I said before… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

―Which part didn’t you mean? The part where I bought my quarterback position with money? Or the part where I’ve slept with every girl in this school? Including the staff?

“…You seem really angry.”

―No. Surprisingly, I’m really enjoying this. Probably the most fun I’ve had recently. Too bad for you.

Jeong-in couldn’t understand why Chase was suddenly being so hostile. Hadn’t he been quite friendly until just a while ago?

While Jeong-in was mumbling, unable to find the right words, Chase continued.

―You might not like it, but you’ll have to stay entangled with me for a while longer. Deal with it.

With those final words, Chase coldly hung up. Jeong-in’s hand holding the phone dropped. He sat blankly, sinking into frustration.

He had thought things were resolving too easily, but it seemed Chase intended to torment him after all.

***

One of the benefits of living as an invisible person is being able to hear people’s conversations.

“Hmm… I’d date Brian Cole, marry Darius Thomson, and kill Chase Prescott.”

Girls sitting on a bench were playing the “Kill, Marry, Date” game, discussing who they would kill, marry, and date. Though Jeong-in was not far away, they continued their conversation without hesitation, as if his presence was invisible.

Wasn’t this a scene commonly found in dramas or movies? The main character could speak loudly, but the extras beside them would continue as if undisturbed. Conversely, the voices of extras talking among themselves never reached the audience.

Jeong-in felt like he had become such an extra on a drama set. Not just now, but always.

“Why?”

“Because if I married Brian Cole, he’d be cheating with my bridesmaid within five minutes. Darius Thomson might be a bit dumb, but at least he seems loyal.”

“Then why kill Chase Prescott?”

“Because I can’t stand the thought of someone else having him.”

Laughter erupted among them. It was understandable enough that even Jeong-in felt like nodding in agreement.

“Pretend that’s Chase Prescott and take a shot.”

“Should I try?”

The girls rose from the bench and strode toward where Jeong-in was standing. In their hands were colorful cotton candy, snow cones drenched in syrup, and caramel popcorn.

The theme for this Spring Fling festival was “Spring Carnival.” Accordingly, colorful tents were set up everywhere. Sweet aromas wafted gently from popcorn and cotton candy stands, and various game booths like balloon toss, dart games, and roulette wheels were crowded with people. There were also photo booths and photography areas with long lines.

Jeong-in, along with Justin, had been assigned to help Jonah Kaplan, a student council member and Mathlete Society member, at the shooting game booth. It was a booth where people could use Nerf guns to shoot down prizes and keep what they knocked over. A dance party was also scheduled in the auditorium that evening, but of course, Jeong-in had no intention of going.

“How much to shoot this?”

“One dollar for two shots, two dollars for five shots.”

The brown-haired girl in the middle took out two one-dollar bills from her pocket and handed them over. Jeong-in accepted the money, placed it in the box used as a temporary cash register, and offered five soft bullets on a plastic plate.

While she was shooting, Jeong-in stretched his neck to look outside. Justin, who had said he was going to buy popcorn, still showed no signs of returning. He had most likely sneaked off to the computer lab, leaving the counter in Jeong-in’s care.

The shooting booth became empty as disappointed customers who hadn’t won any prizes left. While reorganizing the scattered items, Jeong-in picked up a white plush toy. It wasn’t clear if it was a ferret or a mink, but it definitely appeared to be some kind of weasel.

As he placed it on his knee, enjoying the soft feel of the fur and its quite cute appearance, Jeong-in suddenly recalled yesterday’s incident with Chase Prescott.

Chase must have seen the contents of the shame book from the beginning. Yet throughout the day, even when returning the bag, he had maintained a pleasant and friendly attitude. Then during their phone call, he had been extremely cold. Why had his attitude suddenly changed? Had Jeong-in somehow offended him?

Jeong-in tried to recall yesterday’s events in as much detail as possible but couldn’t think of anything that might have upset him. He had been too frozen with anxiety the entire time.

“Ahem.”

Startled by someone clearing their throat, Jeong-in snapped to attention and straightened his back.

Speak of the devil—the first thing to catch his eye was the golden hair glistening in the outdoor sunlight, seemingly flaunting its existence. Below it, blue eyes that seemed to capture the color of the ocean were staring intently at Jeong-in.

Chase Prescott stood before Jeong-in, dressed as usual in his varsity jacket, white t-shirt, and jeans. Vivian Sinclair wasn’t visible, and he was accompanied by two other cheerleaders. Surprised, Jeong-in simply stared at him, lips moving wordlessly. Chase spoke first.

“A customer’s here and you don’t even greet them?”

“…Oh, hi.”

The cheerleaders standing beside him gave skeptical looks, as if doubting Chase could know someone like Jeong-in, and asked,

“You know him?”

Chase, still keeping his eyes fixed on Jeong-in, just slightly turned his head to answer.

“Yes. I know him well. Right down to what he thinks.”

“…”

Jeong-in’s face froze white. His shoulders involuntarily hunched at Chase’s pointed remark.

“Chase! I want that pouch.”

“I want that tumbler.”

Chase looked straight at Jeong-in and handed over two one-dollar bills. Then he gestured with his chin at the white weasel plushy Jeong-in was holding.

“Why are you holding that? Isn’t that also a prize?”

“Oh… yes.”

Jeong-in quickly put the plush toy back in its place and filled a plate with five styrofoam bullets, placing it on the counter. Chase loaded the bullets and positioned the rifle-shaped toy gun on his shoulder. Even just holding a toy gun, he looked like a scene from an action movie poster.

Tack, the first shot missed. But having adjusted his aim from the missed bullet, he successfully knocked down the pouch and plastic tumbler that the cheerleaders wanted. For his last two shots, he aimed at the white plush toy Jeong-in had been handling.

The first shot hit the head but didn’t knock it down; the second shot hit the chest, a confirmation kill that made the weasel toy fall with a thud. Jeong-in felt a sting near his own chest, as if Chase had been aiming at him.

Jeong-in crouched down to collect his trophies and placed them one by one on the counter. Chase distributed the pouch and tumbler to the cheerleaders, leaving only the white plush toy behind as he turned to leave.

Jeong-in picked up the white plush toy that remained alone on the table.

“Hey, you didn’t take this…”

Chase turned back, still with a pouty expression as if some resentment remained, and replied,

“That’s for you, Jayrin.”

Chase’s back receded into the distance. Jeong-in, awkwardly holding the plush toy, pulled it closer to his chest and muttered,

“…It’s Jay Lim.”