赤い糸 - Red String of Fate | JeongSa - MiChaeng

Chapter 24 - Math

A few days passed. Everyone slipped back into their routines. Sana kept things steady with Jeongyeon, not rushing their closeness. She still believed Jeongyeon was scared of the whole "Soulmate" idea, though the truth was Jeongyeon's fear had already begun to fade.

That night, Tzuyu stumbled to 230, clearly drunk. Sana's eyes widened—Tzuyu was still underage. If anyone saw her like this, it would cause trouble. Still, with her tall frame, she looked older than she was, huddled on the ground like a lost kid.

"Tzuyu-yah..." Sana crouched down, trying to pull her up.

"Why are you so different lately!?" Tzuyu slurred angrily, shoving Sana's hand away. "You've been so annoying..."

Sana froze.

A fight?

Jeongyeon, who had been watching quietly, sighed. It was too late at night for shouting outside. Swallowing her own fear of Tzuyu, she crouched and lifted the tall girl onto her back.

"You're all I have!" Tzuyu mumbled as she leaned against Jeongyeon's shoulder.

Inside, Jeongyeon tucked Tzuyu into her bed. "Do you want me to sleep in Mina's room tonight?" she asked softly.

"It's okay, Jeongyeon, you can sleep on my bed," Sana said, eyes glued to Tzuyu.

"No no, I'll be fine downstairs. You take care of her." Jeongyeon smiled warmly before heading down.

She layered her hoodie and grabbed a few more as makeshift blankets. Upstairs, Sana watched as Tzuyu began to cry in her sleep.

"You keep changing... Don't change... I like you so much..."

The words confused Sana, but downstairs they echoed in Jeongyeon's mind too. A question she'd been holding back for days weighed heavily.

I should ask her tomorrow.

—

Morning came.

Tzuyu blinked awake in Jeongyeon's bed, disoriented. How had she gotten here? Spotting Sana still asleep and Jeongyeon curled up in hoodies, guilt flooded her chest.

If someone like her is Sana's soulmate... maybe I'll let her go.

"TZUYU!?" Jeongyeon shot up suddenly, startled by a tall figure sitting on the high stool.

o_O

"I thought you were a ghost," Jeongyeon whispered.

"ㅋㅋㅋ" Tzuyu let out a small laugh before memories of last night slammed into her. Her cheeks burned.

"Yahh! Who flicked my forehead?" Sana whined, stumbling out of the room.

Seeing her best friend, Sana softened. "Tzuyu, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thank you," Tzuyu said quickly, eyes still glued to her phone.

The door opened—Mina entered with groceries, her usual calm aura filling the room. She immediately sensed the tension between the three girls. No one said much.

"Mina, what juice is this?" Jeongyeon asked.

"Apples, grapes, oranges"

"Oooh, next time, could you bring something less sour? I don't drink sour"

Mina smiled faintly at the small request. Sana, however, misread it. She imagined Jeongyeon's sweet tone as if it were something special just for Mina. It twisted in her chest—were Jeongyeon and Mina closer than she thought?

—

[ At class ]

"Mina, good news or bad news first?" Jeongyeon whispered.

"Good, of course."

"I'm finally going to ask Sana tonight... about Tzuyu's feelings."

Mina's eyes widened. "Finally! After days of waiting." Relief mixed with nerves. "And the bad news?"

"Class, we'll have a short test today to prepare for exams, one hour" The teacher began passing out papers.

"...That's one of them," Jeongyeon chuckled. "The other I'll tell you later"

—

Sana scratched her head, glaring at the paper. No matter how many times she worked the formulas, her answers didn't match any of the choices. She gave up and circled the closest number. The essays were worse—she couldn't even figure out which formula to start with.

When time was up, the teacher projected the answers on the whiteboard. Everyone tallied their scores.

"How'd you do?" Tzuyu asked.

Sana hid her face behind her paper. "Twenty-eight... out of 100."

"Don't worry. The exam's months away—you'll catch up," Tzuyu said kindly, but Sana didn't respond.

"One clap, class," the teacher said. "Anyone get a perfect score?"

Gasps rippled across the room.

Slowly, one hand went up.

It wasn't Jeongyeon.

It was Mina.

The quiet, elegant girl sat there calmly, as if perfection were the most natural thing in the world.

"Heol... You tricked me!" Jeongyeon pouted afterward.

Mina tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"You made me think I was the smart one, but you scored 100 in Math!?"

Mina chuckled, covering her smile. "I didn't mean to trick you"

"Still—tss, you should tutor me sometime," Jeongyeon teased.

Mina gave a tiny nod. "If you want."

Sana, meanwhile, was stunned. Mina's brilliance only added fuel to the confusing jealousy twisting inside her.

—

 [ On the way back to the dorms ]

"Hey Jeong, you still haven't told me the other bad news," Mina nudged.

"Uhh..."

"Spill it, or I'll ask Tzuyu myself," she teased.

Jeongyeon sighed. "Tzuyu came last night. Drunk. She cried in her sleep, saying Sana kept changing... and that she likes her very much. It confused me, so... I decided to ask Sana directly tonight."

Mina frowned, her heart heavy. "Then don't hold it any longer. Truth always finds its way to the surface."

"I heard my name..."

Both girls froze.

"S-Sana!?"

Sana tilted her head innocently. "What are you guys talking about?"

"U-uh..." Jeongyeon's voice cracked.

Mina quickly bowed out. "Jeongyeon wants to ask you something. I'll leave you two alone, bye!" She bolted toward 231.

"Yah! Mina!" Jeongyeon shouted, but Mina was gone.

Sana giggled. "So... what is it you wanted to ask me?"

Her bright, innocent eyes looked straight at Jeongyeon.

Jeongyeon's heart pounded.