BJ Villainess

What is this?

My lips moved smoothly as if trained. “What on earth are you doing?”

Park Jeonggi seemed surprised at how far the bike had rolled, then shouted angrily.

“…Because you keep ignoring me!”

I couldn’t understand how I predicted what Park Jeonggi would say. Did I really develop a psychic ability?

As I felt a shiver down my spine, Ozworld, who had been sitting on the bench, stood up and blocked my view. He was trying to separate me from Park Jeonggi.

“You shouldn’t do something you’ll regret, Park Jeonggi. Bullying someone you like is a foolish thing to do.”

Park Jeonggi immediately shouted, “What are you talking about?!”

“You like Jiwoo, but she doesn’t pay attention to you, so you keep bothering her.”

“…Are you done talking?”

Ozworld approached Park Jeonggi, who was trembling with anger, and kindly put his hand on his shoulder. “If you don’t want to be hated, be nice. Don’t bully the girl you like.”

Park Jeonggi bit his lip, almost on the verge of tears, and then stormed off.

I couldn’t bring myself to intervene in their conversation and remained silent until I asked Ozworld reproachfully, “Did you have to say it like that?”

Ozworld looked at me with much more displeasure than when he ate the strange-tasting ice cream. “I hate seeing him bother you.”

I couldn’t think of how to respond. He drove him away because he hated seeing me bullied, and I felt awkward in between. Not that I thought Ozworld’s actions were right, but…

“I hate how Park Jeonggi keeps bothering you to get your attention, Jiwoo.”

Still, it wasn’t a reason to confront Ozworld, who was trying to protect me. I sighed and took Ozworld’s hand, which he held out with a very upset look on his face.

“Okay. Thanks for helping.”

“…Let’s get your bike.”

“Yes.”

We silently retrieved the bike that had rolled down. Honestly, I wasn’t grateful. I had felt uneasy since earlier. Ozworld stood up on the fallen bike and handed me the handlebars.

“Park Jeonggi might bother you again, so let’s go to school together too.”

If I had heard this while we were eating ice cream, I would have readily agreed. But now, strangely, I couldn’t bring myself to say yes.

“Jiwoo.

?”

Finally, I nodded slowly at his prompting. “Okay.”

Ozworld smiled brightly, having achieved his goal.

* * *

The fact that I was in the same class as Ozworld and would be going to and from school with him made my stepfather very happy.

“It’s been hard to make a connection because the Holton family often travel abroad and leave their son alone. Jiwoo, you’re really helping.”

However, this news was a big misfortune for Umi.

“What?! Why is he going to that school? I thought he’d go to our school!”

No guests visited Ozworld’s house, and it was like a fortress with no connection to the neighbors. Umi often begged Mom to invite Ozworld over or to let her visit his house. She became even more insistent because of me. Eventually, Mom couldn’t stand Umi’s nagging and pressured me.

“Tell Ozworld to come over for a meal. How can you claim to be friends and never invite him over?”

Well, this isn’t my house, and I’m not really friends with Ozworld.

I thought this while outwardly responding politely, “Yes.”

But I had no intention of ever inviting Ozworld.

Except for Umi and Mom’s constant nagging, my daily life was the same as before.

, there was one change. After the incident with the bike, Park Jeonggi strangely quieted down and suddenly transferred schools.

“I heard his family went bankrupt.”

I didn’t know how reliable the rumor was, but the unsettling story made me feel uneasy. It somehow seemed like my fault, and I couldn’t shake the faint headache that lingered.

“Jiwoo.”

Ozworld’s voice startled me so much that my shoulders shook. It was clear that I was wary of him.

“…Why?” I turned to him belatedly with a questioning look.

Ozworld met my eyes with an unreadable expression, then chuckled. “Time to go home.”

“

.”

“What were you thinking about? You usually get ready to leave as soon as I call.”

“Just some stuff.” I vaguely answered while rubbing my temple out of habit.

“Is your head hurting again?” Ozworld reached out toward my forehead.

, I made a mistake. I didn’t mean to be so harsh, but I instinctively slapped his hand away. My face hardened with embarrassment, and my voice came out anxiously. “I’m okay. You don’t need to worry.”

Ozworld wasn’t embarrassed about being rejected. Instead, he touched my forehead with his slightly red hand. “You don’t have a fever.” He then packed my bag and said kindly, “Let’s go.”

“I can carry it.”

“You’re not feeling well. I’ll do it.” His kind insistence made me feel uncomfortable.

We didn’t speak on the way to the bike rack. Anyone with half a brain would have noticed my sudden change in attitude.

As I backed away with my bike, Ozworld grabbed the handlebars, stopping me. His deep blue eyes pierced me like a harpoon. “Why have you been avoiding me lately?”

“…I haven’t.”

I tried to lie my way out of it, but Ozworld didn’t let it slide.

“Did I do something wrong? If so, tell me, and I’ll fix it.”

People often say they’ll fix their mistakes. But Ozworld’s ‘fix’ didn’t sound like that.

I couldn’t understand why I was so on edge around Ozworld.

“Umi doesn’t like me hanging out with you.”

“Umi?”

“The girl you saw at my house.”

“

, why does it matter if she doesn’t like it?”

“It makes the atmosphere at home tense. Mom also keeps…” Keeps pressuring me to invite you over to play with Umi. I couldn’t say that and changed the subject.

“A lot of kids want to hang out with you. But you always stick with me, which makes things awkward. I feel pressured.”

As I spoke, Ozworld’s expression faded. The more I talked, the more I felt like prey being hunted.

“Let’s go our separate ways.” I hadn’t intended to say that, but I ended up voicing my deepest thoughts.

A loud thunderclap echoed. The sky quickly darkened, and clouds began to gather.

Was there a forecast for rain today? I had my bike and no umbrella, so this was bad.

“Fine.”

I was momentarily distracted by the sky, then lowered my head at the cold voice. His icy gaze sent a shiver down my spine.

“I’ll do as you say.”

It wasn’t difficult for me to guess that I was now kicked out of his invisible fence. I would no longer enjoy his kindness, and I had become a total stranger to him.

I pushed him away, yet I felt like I was the one being pushed. I realized now that I had arrogantly assumed Ozworld would keep clinging to me. It was a ridiculous and self-absorbed thought that made my cheeks burn with shame.

Finally, the ominous sky released a cold spring rain. The heavy drops pounded the ground, knocking down fragile cherry blossoms. The world was filled with chill.

Ozworld left his bike and opened an umbrella. The black umbrella descended low enough to cover his eyes. His beautifully closed lips didn’t even carry a hint of a sneer. Then, he walked past me.

I stood there for a while, then walked with my bike into the pouring rain. Ozworld was nowhere to be seen. My view was filled with kids screaming as they rushed through the school gate. It seemed Ozworld was the only one who had brought an umbrella.

“…Good riddance.”

Ozworld had always made me uneasy, but now he was out of my life.

“Thank goodness.”

My stepfather might be disappointed, but I would be less bothered by Umi and Mom.

I considered calling Mom on my phone. But I quickly dismissed the idea. It was obvious that she wouldn’t come to pick me up anyway.