BJ Villainess

Of course, Ozworld was a perfect friend. Even though we often argued and didn’t always get along, he always opened the back door and waited for me whenever I ran away from home. I even had my own hideout at Ozworld’s house.

That night, my mom was furious and asked me where I had been wandering when she finally called me late at night to reflect on my actions. But once she found out I was at Ozworld’s house, she didn’t get angry anymore. I learned then that as long as I had the title of being close friends with Ozworld, neither my mom nor my stepfather could treat me as poorly as before.

Hamin frowned and continued to complain about Ozworld. “Honestly, I was looking forward to being in the same class as the famous prince last year.”

I burst into laughter at the mention of ‘prince.’ That nickname was given to him in elementary school, and everyone unanimously agreed that he was indeed a prince. That nickname had spread like folklore, continuing through middle and high school, and was still in use.

“Well… he’s kind and graceful as rumored, but he has this unsettling aura. There’s a definite line you can’t cross.”

I could somewhat agree with Hamin’s words. But kind?  Ozworld was never kind, even as a courtesy.

“He does whatever he wants. His kindness is just a habit.”

If you knew him, you’d see how annoying he can be.

Hamin seemed to gauge my cynical reaction before quietly confessing. “To be honest, I thought you were like that too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Birds of a feather flock together. I thought you’d have an arrogant personality to match your looks. But I quickly realized that’s not the case.”

I subconsciously touched my cheek.

I knew I didn’t have the most approachable look, but was it that bad? I was honestly a bit shocked.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket, and I took it out.

[Sender: Haha Boss]

[GOAT.]

Why is he suddenly talking about a goat? The constellation ‘Haha Boss’ always spoke in cryptic and strange terms.

As I put my phone back in my pocket and looked up, I met eyes with a boy coming up the stairs.

“

, Jin Wonwoo.” I reflexively called out his name, recognizing his face, and Jin Wonwoo looked puzzled.

“You know me?”

Of course, I did… even if it was in my previous life.

“We’re in the same class.”

It was the first day of school as sophomores, so technically, it made sense not to know him yet.

Jin Wonwoo shrugged it off, saying, “

, right.”

Jin Wonwoo was my high school classmate and would later become my college buddy. We would also create a game together, and the game name is… What was that again?

At that moment, Hamin, ever the sociable one, invited Jin Wonwoo. “We’re on our way to the cafeteria. Wanna come?”

“Sure.” Jin Wonwoo readily joined us.

“I’m Park Hamin. Your name is Jin Wonwoo, right?”

We introduced ourselves while picking up bread and drinks and heading back up the stairs.

Jin Wonwoo nodded and then looked at me. “You’re Chae Jiwoo, right?”

“How did you know?”

“It’d be harder to find someone in our school who doesn’t know you.”

I nodded in understanding. “Well, yeah. Because I’m Ozworld’s friend.”

“That’s part of it.”

Part of it? What else could there be?

Hamin, looking frustrated, spoke up. “You’re friends with the top student and the second top student, so of course, you’re famous.”

“

.”

Jin Wonwoo responded vaguely again. “That’s part of it too.”

I frowned and asked, “What do you mean? What else?”

Before entering the classroom, Jin Wonwoo looked at me and said bluntly, “You’re pretty. Isn’t that obvious?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected reason, I was momentarily speechless. Then Hamin scolded Jin Wonwoo.

“Hey! Why would you say that? It was so fun watching her be clueless…”

“What are you talking about? She should know what she looks like when she looks in the mirror.”

“Look at her. Does she look like she knows?”

Jin Wonwoo, observing me, seemed a bit dazed. “Did you really not know? How is that possible?”

At that moment, Ozworld, who towered over everyone and looked intimidating, walked in and asked with a serene smile, “Who doesn’t know what?”

“Nothing,” I responded curtly, feeling embarrassed as I quickly went to my seat.

Hamin laughed and told Jin Wonwoo, “As you can see, Jiwoo is very oblivious about herself. She’s also pretty indifferent. Last year, a senior asked her out, and she just kept asking ‘why’ five times until he gave up.”

“Why would you ask why when someone asks you out?”

“She didn’t understand what ‘asking out’ meant.”

“…Does it make sense?”

At that time, Ozworld approached leisurely and asked Hamin, “Which senior asked Jiwoo out?”

“You know that senior with piercings and a dragon tattoo on his back? I think his name was Lee Jonghyup.”

Jin Wonwoo, who seemed to know the senior, frowned. “He has a bad reputation.”

“He looks the part. I heard he’s already connected to that side.”

“That side?”

“The gangster.”

“Crazy. Really? That’s scary.”

I recalled the past in a daze.

I remember being called out by a scary-looking senior and being terrified, thinking I was about to be bullied. I was so scared that I kept asking, “Why?” over and over, thinking there was another meaning to his words.

Jin Wonwoo clicked his tongue at me. “You should be more careful. If a weird senior calls you out again, don’t go alone. Tell someone.”

“That was the first and last time.”

Feeling wrongly accused, I tried to explain, but Ozworld gently interjected.

“I don’t recognize this new friend. You seem close to Jiwoo already?” His expression was subtly cold, indicating I had somehow upset him again. But since only I could notice the change, no one else could tell if he was smiling and being friendly or not.

“I’m Ozworld Holton. And you are?”

“

?

, I’m Jin Wonwoo.”

“Any friend of Jiwoo’s is a friend of mine. Nice to meet you. Let’s get along well.”

When Ozworld extended his hand, Jin Wonwoo awkwardly shook it. He looked both shy and thrilled to be greeting Ozworld, while Ozworld’s eyes were icy.

Ozworld affectionately took a milk carton from the desk, opened it, and handed it to me. “Don’t eat more bread. You already had toast.” He said this, knowing I’d get sick if I ate too much bread.

I hadn’t bought the bread for myself anyway. I handed it to Ozworld. “I bought it for you. One piece of bread isn’t enough to fill you up.”

Ozworld stared at the bread before wiping off his polite smile and frowning. “Peel off the crust for me.”

Though his tone had turned unfriendly, it was actually a relief.

If I indulged his whims briefly, Ozworld would revert to his gentle friend persona.

“You’re not a kid.” I laughed incredulously and peeled the crust off, offering it to him.

Ozworld bent over and bit into the bread like he did with the toast. “It tastes bad.”

“I had pondered about it and bought it for you. Fine, don’t eat it then.”

“No.”

Ozworld held my arm and took another bite. With the effort he was putting into this, it would be easier if he just ate it himself. His stubbornness to eat the bread out of spite made me laugh.

Hamin, looking disgusted, pleaded. “Excuse me? Can you not have a love scene in the sacred classroom?”

“It’s not like that.”

Ding!

[Sender: Minor Father-in-law]

[It looks like that though?]

What are you talking about? Annoyed, I turned off my phone screen.

Ozworld, unconcerned with the misunderstanding, said casually, “I’m having dinner at your place tonight.”

“

? Tonight?”

“Yeah. My father arrived today. I was invited to dinner.”

As we started discussing personal matters, Hamin and Jin Wonwoo drifted off to join the other friends filling the classroom.

I fell silent, feeling a bit disturbed. Ozworld, sensing why, asked knowingly, “Is it because of Umi?”

“Well…” It was true that Umi was the reason for my unease, so I didn’t deny it.

Chae Umi liked Ozworld. Even my stepfather wished it was Umi, not me, who was close to Ozworld. He had hinted that it would be nice if they got married once they were adults.

My mom periodically asked, “Are you still close with Ozworld?” and then, “You’re not dating him, are you?” I had to constantly explain that we were just childhood friends, no matter where I was.

Ozworld patted my head. “If Umi acts up again, I’ll stop her. Don’t worry too much.”

In truth, it was understandable that people misunderstood our relationship. Ozworld’s kind actions, though thoughtless, didn’t fit our cultural norms.

I remember how embarrassed I was when he used to greet me with a kiss on the cheek.

We even fought about it several times before he stopped that habit.

However, if he saw me when he was still half-asleep, he would occasionally act out again.