Chapter 12 (1/2)

“Since it will be unfair for some of us to do the play while others don’t, I am going to choose a play in which each and every one of us will be able to participate.”

“Oh, come on. Why don’t we pick, like, five and make them…”

“If you keep interrupting, I’ll make you be the princess.”

The protesting student immediately shut up to see Yuja write the word ‘princess.’ Anything but the princess. Everyone thought so. Yuja finished writing the roles. The prince, the princess, dwarf 1, dwarf 2, dwarf 3… He was probably thinking of Snow White.

Myohan laid his head on a hand and closed his eyes. He wished he could be ‘tree’ or ‘passerby 1.’ Both memorizing the lines and practicing were too much work to him. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and then narrowed his eyes.

May sunlight was warm, and it was hard to imagine that it had snowed only a few days ago.

Myohan looked outside, enjoying the view of falling cherry blossoms.

“None of us wants to be the princess, so let’s pick the prince first.”

White petals fell like snowflakes. There were still afternoon classes, but Myohan could see a student standing in front of the school gate, probably leaving early because of sickness.

The janitor had left for lunch, so the gate was closed. Myohan would have easily jumped over it, but it was impossible for ordinary people…

“I’m asking again out of courtesy. Who wants to be the prince?”

“…..O Myohan?”

Yuja blinked in surprise. Myohan jumped to his feet, making his chair fall with a huge crash. Everyone looked at him.

Myohan looked out the window with wide eyes, and then he grabbed his bag and pulled O Shin’s arm to make him stand up as well.

“I have to go, bye?”

Then he was gone.

Blink, blink. Yuja could say nothing, even after Myohan left. Others were no different.

Chookjae, who was standing next to Yuja, poked him. Yuja came back to his senses and wrote two names on the blackboard.

“Well, let us decide on the rest of the roles.”

Prince: O Myohan.

Princess: O Shin.

Just like that, their destiny was sealed.

Shit. Myohan muttered. He looked around, looking for someone, but there was no one there.

“Rabbit?” O Shin asked unconcernedly while Myohan panted and nodded.

“He jumped over the school gate.”

Myohan had just seen a student look around and jump over the school gate lightly and neatly. Any ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to do so.

He should have jumped down from the window the second he witnessed it, but he hadn’t been able to do so as there had been too many eyes watching.

So he dragged the man out and ran to where the student had gone, but they couldn’t find him.

Myohan looked around again, disappointed. He should have at least seen his face, but all he saw was the back of his head, so he had no clue where to start.

“No, you said you can identify which animal it is when you see….”

Myohan stopped catching his breath and talked. O Shin frowned. But when Myohan asked if he could recognize other animals when they first met, he had most certainly nodded.

However, now he looked into Myohan’s eyes and said otherwise, without even blinking an eye.

“I lied.”

“What?”

“I lied to drag you into this.”

Myohan’s lips curled up. O Shin looked away, thinking he was about to get angry, but he didn’t.

“You’re lying.”

O Shin’s dark eyes showed surprise. Myohan undid couple of his shirt buttons and turned back. O Shin took a step toward him.

“You’ve lied to me about one thing.”

“O Myohan.”

“Let’s just go home.”

The day Myohan found out Jagyeom was the rat, O Shin promised to capture him.