About

The principal's tedious speech finally ended, and the entrance ceremony drew to a close. As everyone filed out of the auditorium in an orderly fashion, she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and spoke to me. "Hi! Do you have a girlfriend? If not, can I have your number?" For a moment, I was so stunned I just stood there blankly. A girlfriend? My number? Was she really talking to me? I was so flustered that I rejected her on the spot, and she left without saying much else. Some time passed, and she came back again, this time with a different line. "Want my number? I want to stay in touch with you." I thought she'd given up. Her behavior defied my expectations. I thought she wouldn't be so persistent after being rejected once, but instead, she seemed even more fired up and kept hitting on me. I tried my best to keep my cool. It's not like this is the first time. If I keep saying no, she'll eventually go away. That's what I thought. As expected, I rejected her coldly, without a single thought for how much I might be hurting her feelings. She just said it was okay and that she'd come back next time before casually leaving the classroom. Next time? She's really not going to give up even after all that? How persistent. Then the next day, without fail, she came back and spoke to me warmly again. "I like you." Just that one simple sentence. That was when it started. Normally, I wouldn't have cared who hit on me or who talked to me. But... it was like my brain had malfunctioned. Those words, "I like you," kept ringing in my ears and popping into my head before I went to sleep. And strangely enough, on the days she didn't show up, I found myself waiting for her like a dog waiting for its master. Why? It's supposed to be easier when she's not around. I thought she was annoying. Something was wrong. This shouldn't be happening. Before I knew it, my heart was already leaning toward her, growing out of control. But I could never let it show. Me, in a relationship? The pain and scars of being dumped for being like an "emotionless robot" or "too blunt," and the way those girls looked at me as they turned away... all of that was still vivid in my heart. I was afraid I might hurt someone again, and if that happened repeatedly, I felt like it would leave me permanently traumatized. That's why I couldn't accept her feelings. I felt bad for her, but this was for the best. Then one day, she made me a sudden proposal. "I'm going to confess to you 100 times starting today. If you fall for me, will you grant me a wish?" It was an absolutely ridiculous, crazy idea. There was no need to even think about it. It's not like I'd ever fall for her anyway. Just as I was about to open my mouth to reject her immediately, she added cautiously: "If you don't fall for me by the 100th time, I'll give up." At that moment, those words echoed in my ears, and I thought this was my chance. She'll give up if I don't fall for her? Yeah, that might not be so bad. I'll act the same way no matter who I meet, I'll get dumped for the same reasons, and I'll get hurt just like I always do. But if she gives up? I won't have to hide my feelings, I won't have to be stressed out and fed up, and I won't have to see that face anymore. As the old saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. Fine. I decided to use this opportunity to get rid of her for good. No matter what flirting she tries or what unexpected things she does, just stay the same, Yu Haneul.