I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

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“Hey, you brat.”

At Hong Yeonhwa’s call, Hana lifted her head.

The girl still wore a smiling face.

Hong Yeonhwa’s eyebrows twitched, seemingly displeased by that.

“Yeah, Yeonhwa.”

“Wow, this is just ridiculous.”

No matter what, it made me chuckle rather than get angry.

“Why didn’t you come out yesterday? Were you really sick or something?”

At first, it sounded like genuine concern, but her expression carried a mocking smirk.

Whether Hana realized it or not, she was busy responding with a carefree smile.

“Ah, heh heh. I wasn’t sick or anything, just had some personal matters…”

“Oh? What personal matter could be important enough to skip school? I’m so curious!”

A hand naturally reached up and landed on Hana’s head.

At that moment, Shin Woo couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped into the room, striding over to the two.

Shin Woo swatted the delinquent’s hand away and growled a warning.

“That’s enough.”

“Kim Shin Woo, what’s up with your reaction? Did I do something? You’re always acting crazy like this.”

“Just go.”

A tense standoff continued.

The chatty classmates picked up on the unusual atmosphere and focused their attention.

Pfft.

Hong Yeonhwa smirked, lifting one corner of her mouth, and shrugged.

“Alright, go ahead. Who’s scared of getting involved? I’m just asking out of concern; there’s no need to make a fuss.”

As she left, the tension slightly eased.

The kids gradually returned to their own affairs, and Shin Woo let out a sigh of relief.

“Shin Woo.”

“Huh?”

A sudden call startled him, and he turned around.

Hana spoke with a serious expression.

“You shouldn’t fight with your friends, okay?”

“What are you…? No. Never mind.”

Is she really worrying about me even in this situation?

She seemed just like usual.

If he hadn’t skipped the dorm yesterday, would he have fully noticed Hana’s state?

He felt a vague unease.

Somehow, there was a sense that Hana had changed compared to before, a feeling of foreboding.

But if he hadn’t met her in the dorm, he might have brushed it off easily.

… It probably would have been.

It’s fine now.

I know everything.

I know that your smile is an act now.

The real you inside is still suffering.

So we have to help.

… I’ll help.

*

Damn it.

Kyung Ah muttered inwardly.

She couldn’t focus in class.

Memories of yesterday replayed vividly in her mind.

The rustling sound she heard when she pressed her ear against the door.

A dazed sigh. The small back of the girl she had seen through her ability.

The stench of blood invading her nose.

The injuries all over her wrist.

Blood flowing down her arm.

All shocking scenes she had never seen before.

But the moment that troubled Kyung Ah’s heart was different.

“I just want to be happy.”

“Please don’t tell Shin Woo.”

With that, the awkward smile of Yu Hana played in her mind.

The myriad of emotions hidden in that expression stirred her deeply.

Self-harm.

Suicide.

Words she had never seriously considered.

To think there are people who move beyond thought to action. Especially among the kids in their class.

Was the bullying much worse than she had imagined?

From the outside, there hadn’t seemed to be any signs.

Or was there another reason?

It felt like Kim Shin Woo might know something.

What about the science teacher?

Questions swirled.

“Glasses girl?”

“Uh… yes, yes!”

“What was the answer to the last problem?”

“Um, that is, so…”

“Don’t just sit there like a zombie; focus.”

“Yes…”

A sigh escaped her.

She needed to concentrate in class.

There wasn’t much time left until the performance evaluation and field trip.

And when she opened her eyes again, the midterms would be right there.

Kyung Ah glanced at Han Si-hyun, sitting in front of her.

No matter how hard she tried, she could never beat the natural genius that she was.

She was listening carefully to the teacher’s words and taking notes.

How could she do that?

After hearing such shocking news in the morning, she didn’t seem phased at all.

Was there no emotion at all?

It seemed somewhat plausible, making her seriously contemplate it.

Anyway, Kim Shin Woo’s plan had merit.

If there were a friend to confide in, Hana’s state would improve a lot.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a confession.

Just being close friends would bring comfort and calmness.

That much was clear.

Look. Even the friendless Han Si-hyun isn’t acting weird.

It was certainly because she lacked friends.

But of course, this was just Kyung Ah’s unfounded speculation.

So she should approach Hana first.

I’ll be her friend.

As the class president, I can’t just stand by and watch.

And so, the break came, and she couldn’t focus in class.

Kyung Ah gathered her trembling heart and walked up to Hana.

“Um… Hana.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you get home alright yesterday?”

“Ah, yeah! Thanks for yesterday.”

A bright smile.

If one only judged from the outside, she wouldn’t seem like an outcast at all; she’d be the most popular girl in school.

Behind that cuteness, her looks were quite good too.

The problem is that the academy isn’t an ordinary school.

And Hana is the only useless one in such an academy.

Kyung Ah continued talking after that.

It was just trivial chatter that wouldn’t particularly stand out.

Fortunately, Hana laughed and engaged well.

Encouraged by that, Kyung Ah felt more confident and suggested,

“Hana, want to have lunch together later?”

“Uh, no.”

“Uh? What did you say?”

She must have misheard.

There’s no way Yu Hana would dismiss her outright.

Upon Kyung Ah’s question, Hana smiled and kindly repeated.

“Sorry. I don’t really want to eat with you. And I hope you won’t talk to me anymore.”

*

Really persistent.

Though she said it firmly, it seemed she wouldn’t give up.

It was just frustrating that Hana kept coming over to talk.

Of course, it was highly likely that the class president approached her with good intentions.

Perhaps she was worried after seeing her self-harm. Something like that.

But it might not be the case.

That’s the problem.

There exists a ‘possibility’ that the president’s intent isn’t noble.

It’s not just unfounded paranoia.

Mine knew exactly that I had tried to commit suicide.

Could she have figured that out by mere coincidence?

Surely, someone must have told her.

There aren’t many people who know I was going to attempt suicide—no more than four.

Excluding Kim Shin Woo, that leaves three.

The health teacher.

The store owner.

And the class president.

To be precise, the president witnessed not a suicide but a self-harm scene.

But that alone is enough to put her on the suspect list.

So what does that mean?

It means there’s a possibility that the president is Mine.

However, such information didn’t appear in the original.

But then again, it never stated that the president wasn’t Mine either.

Initially, she had little weight in the narrative, so by the latter half, she became an air character.

That’s why I purposely want to brush her off.

It’s better if there are no connections with Mine.

Since I’ve already gotten close to one Mine, I can’t let it increase any further.

Absolutely not.

Fortunately, there were no practical courses on Tuesday.

All she had to do was sit still and pretend to listen in class.

Naturally, none of the lecture content made it into her head.

In fact, when she read the original, if the setup part exceeded just three lines, she’d skip it out of annoyance.

After class, during club time.

She had no interest in what club Hana was in and didn’t plan to go either.

She tried to grab her bag and leave the class.

Unless Kim Shin Woo had stopped her.

“Hana.”

“Yeah?”

She painted on a smile.

Kim Shin Woo had already discovered many of her secrets.

Especially, being caught trying to commit suicide was fatal.

She can’t let such a mistake happen again.

She planned to act as meticulously as possible.

Whether it would work out or not, she’d impersonate Yu Hana.

Worry shone in Kim Shin Woo’s eyes as he looked at her.

Well, any friend would act the same if they realized their only childhood friend was trying to commit suicide.

“Do you have any plans for later? If not…”

“Sorry. I have club activities.”

She casually fabricated a lie.

Just ten seconds ago, she hadn’t even considered club activities, but she was ready to tell bigger lies to distance herself from the protagonist.

“You joined a club? What club is it?”

“Uh, science exploration.”

As soon as Kim Shin Woo heard her answer, his expression hardened.

She could see his tightly clenched fist shaking.

“Then I’ll see you later! Bye~”

She flashed the smile she’d practiced thousands of times in the mirror.

Naturally, she would pass by Kim Shin Woo and leave the class.

Unless her wrist hadn’t been grabbed.

She looked at Kim Shin Woo.

He had his head down, so she couldn’t see his expression.

But she could easily imagine it.

“Can’t you stay?”

“Huh? Out of nowhere…?”

“Don’t go. Stay with me.”

She hadn’t expected him to speak so openly.

It seemed Shin Woo was more shaken than she thought.

Did he cherish Yu Hana like this even in the early parts of the original?

Who knows.

Maybe she had grown so accustomed to it that she forgot.

Or maybe she just now felt the weight of it.

It may have been too late in the original, but what about now?

She pondered for a moment about what the best course of action would be.

The answer came quickly.

She raised one hand and pointed her index finger.

Playfully poking Shin Woo’s forehead, she smiled mischievously.

“You’re being clingy.”

“……”

“I’m going now. The teacher is calling.”

“Ah……”

Kim Shin Woo’s sigh sounded heavy, as if it pierced deep into his chest.

However, she left him without looking back.