North: How much is your love?

Chapter 9: Nothing to worry.

[>> North <<]

"What time do you get off work?" Johan asked me after I got off his motorbike. My legs were still shaking. Even though he wasn't going fast, he kept revving the engine unexpectedly, whether intentionally or not. If he could have done a wheelie to scare me, he probably would have. So I clung tightly to Johan's waist the whole way so tightly that my arm hurt.

 

"Normally, the shop closes at 10 PM, but I don't know if Yahh will close early today."

"Sister Yahh?"

"That's the owner of the shop."

"Oh... When you go back, come with Hill."

"Yes," I nodded. I usually go home with P’Hill anyway. Just hitching a ride shouldn't be considered a bother, especially since he has to pick up Ter, too.

 

"If anything happens, give me a call."

"Yes... Uh..." Before I could even ask anything, Johan had already sped off in his car.

 

What the heck, I'm not familiar with this at all. I'm not used to this version of Johan!!

 

"Oh no, we didn't make it in time! Oh my god, I tried so hard to run out so fast!" Yahh, " she said as she ran out of the shop and stood next to me.

"What a shame!"

"Why would you regret it, sister?"

"He's your boyfriend, of course! I wanted to say hello, but didn't have time. He's incredibly handsome, even though I couldn't see his face clearly because he was wearing a helmet. Still, just looking at his CBR motorcycle, which costs almost a million dong, I knew he was definitely super handsome."

"Huh? He's not my boyfriend, ma'am," I replied.

"Really? I thought he was your boyfriend."

"No, that's not it." I shook my head.

"So, who is it? Are they single?"

"I don't know... he's probably not single," I said, thinking to myself. How could someone like Johan be considered single? I've seen tons of people talking to him.

 

"Oh my god, I really want to get to know him! The bike is so beautiful. I wish I could sit behind him just once so my butt would be blessed!" Yahh pouted regretfully. I chuckled at her reaction. Yahh is a very talented and incredibly cute transgender woman.

 

"What's the name of that person?"

"Johan."

"Which school is he attending?"

"He's in the same school as me. Second year. He's a friend of Hill's."

"Hmm... a friend of Ter's boyfriend? My God, do these people only choose pretty faces as friends?"

"I think so too," I said, half-jokingly, half-seriously, but I have to admit, everyone in the group is really handsome, honestly.

 

"That's so cool! The scene of him riding that big motorcycle made me want to have a heart attack! Wow, I thought Hill was already a high-class guy, but meeting his friend made me want to cry. He looks rich too, doesn't he?"

"They're quite wealthy."

"Then just go for it, and ask Hill for help. He's handsome and rich, the perfect combination!"

“Haha… no thanks, sis, I wouldn’t dare.” I shook my head slightly and gave a wry smile. Then I went inside the restaurant, where everyone was getting ready to open. Ter had arrived and was washing vegetables in the kitchen.

 

"Hey, hey, do you have a picture? I want to see his face clearly." Yah ran into the kitchen and asked me again.

 

"What is it, sister?" Ter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That guy named Johan, Hill's friend."

"Ah, that's North's boyfriend."

"Hey, you..." I turned around and glared at him.

"Oh, isn't that right?"

"No, that's not it," I replied quickly.

"So how did Johan end up being mentioned, ma'am?"

"I saw him giving North a ride on his CBR earlier, and I thought he was North's boyfriend, so I was going to say hello. Honestly, I caught a glimpse of him taking off his helmet, and I have to admit, he was really handsome."

"Oh, Yahh said your boyfriend is handsome."

"Oh my God…"

"So, are you his boyfriend or not?"

"No, that's not it. I was teasing him, but I support him too," Ter said.

"Oh oh. Do you have any pictures? I really want to see them."

"Yes, there are tons of them on the fan page," Ter said, wiping his hands on his apron and pulling out his phone to find pictures for Yahh to see. I just shook my head, watching them both, then quietly went into the restroom to change into my restaurant uniform.

 

"Put it away quickly!" As soon as I stepped out of the restroom, I saw Yahh glance at me and slap Ter's hand. Ter quickly hid the phone.

What's that? It looks really suspicious!

 

"What's wrong?" I asked, walking closer.

"Nothing. Go wash the vegetables, honey."

"Ter…" I called out to it in a low voice.

"What?"

"It doesn't look like anything at all."

 

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar. And what was going on that you wouldn't tell me?"

"Nothing at all."

"Sister Yah." Since Ter wouldn't say anything, I turned to ask Sister Yah.

"What is it, dear?"

"What happened?"

"It's nothing, go wash the vegetables. The restaurant is about to open, and while you're at it, help me set the tables."

"Huh? What's going on?" Then the two of them went their separate ways to do other things. What on earth? I just went to the restroom for a bit, and something happened?

 

A little while after the shop opened, customers started arriving sporadically. Meanwhile, I kept pestering Ter with questions. Around 10 p.m., Yah said we could close the shop because it wasn't very busy that day. 

 

Now we're waiting for Hill to pick us up. "Ter, can you tell me now?" I asked again, his secretive attitude only making me more curious.

"Oh my God, you're squeezing me like you're squeezing an orange!"

"Hey, after I went out, Yah was acting strange, telling you to pack your things, and then you put your phone away. There's something in there, right?" I repeated the question, "If you don't tell me, I'll be angry with you."

"Wow, even someone like you knows how to get angry?"

"Yes. Now I'll throw away your camera, take the lens, and leave the body for you to hug and cry over."

"Damn it, how could I possibly believe you'd actually do it...?"

"It's true. Tell me."

"You really want to know that much?"

"I want to die."

"Sigh... Okay, fine. Actually, it's nothing, you'll find out eventually anyway. But promise me you won't overthink it, okay?" Ter said with a serious expression, which only made me more suspicious.

 

"Oh my God, I didn't want you to know, I was afraid you'd overthink things. Don't cry. Promise me."

"Okay, I promise. Do you think I'm the type to overthink things?"

"Not exactly. But… I’m just scared. If it were me, I’d definitely overthink things."

"Good heavens, you're the one who's overthinking things. Just tell me quickly." I was getting annoyed. You're making me curious and dragging it out. What the hell is it that makes him think I'll "overthink" it?

"Okay, okay, calm down." Ter frowned, took out her phone, scrolled through it a bit, and then showed it to me. "Yah, I've shown it to North."

"Huh? What? No! You can't watch!" Yah, who was talking to another staff member, quickly intervened to stop them.

"What's up?"

"But North will find out sooner or later, you know."

"But... I don't think we should."

"Oh my god, just say it!"

 

Finally, Ter gave me the phone. He held my hand tightly, as if afraid I would actually cry or break down. He's the one who overthinks things, not me.

 

The page “Cute Boy & Girl – MU” just added a new photo.

“Let’s see who we spotted this morning (warning: prepare yourself, take a deep breath before reading, page followers!) — it’s Dr Johan!! He arrived at school very early on his expensive CBR. I’m so smitten, I’m obsessed with his wealth! I can’t take it anymore, he’s so handsome and rich, I can’t help but give him the title of 'College Husband'! Who wouldn’t want to sit behind him on his motorbike, hugging his waist tightly? But it’s a shame because someone’s already sitting behind him. 

 

Even though I can’t see his face clearly, I recognise the shirt. That's the same shirt Johan usually wears. It’s probably the same one. What the heck? Are they dating? He even lends his shirt! I hope for an official explanation. This is the handsome guy from the Medical Faculty, he’s almost sold out! Nooo, I still haven’t gotten over Dr Hill yet 😭”

 

It's a picture of me standing with my back to the camera, talking to Johan, who's sitting on a motorcycle. Damned…

 

I tried skimming through the comments:

 

-Noooo, no way! Say it's not them! They're wearing the same clothes and still acting like this! Who is it? Tell me!

 

-Who gets to ride on his bike and wear his shirt at the same time? What a great deed to deserve that! Share some of that good fortune with others.

 

The face isn't clearly visible; was this taken with a handheld computer?

 

-Don't tell me you were together last night, that's why you came together this morning...

 

-I don't want him to have a girlfriend, huhu. I want him all to myself. Is that even possible?

 

-We were heartbroken because of Hill, so we thought Johan would heal us. Johan, please don't treat us like this!

 

-Actually, it's not that surprising. There's more than one Johan.

 

-Well, I'm fed up. It's just a breakup like before. Don't be sad, admin, this is #Johan'sOfficialTeamForever.

 

@Kaimook Patcha, how are you? Weren't you two talking?

 

-For those who like Johan, you'd better prepare yourself mentally. Having both someone to talk to and an "imaginary wife" is going to be the whole school's problem, haha.

 

-But Johan never lets just anyone use his things, so this person must be special.

 

-It's just a shirt, that's all. Maybe Johan was planning to get rid of it, so he gave it to the person he wanted to get rid of instead ;)

 

-I heard that Johan recently stopped accepting Line requests and even blocked many people.

 

-I'm so scared, I don't want to see any photos of people I know yet.

 

These comments seem quite different from usual. Normally, it's all praise for Johan, but this time, because there's someone else in the photo, it feels like intense drama. I guess anyone who takes a picture with Johan and posts it will definitely get heavily criticised by the fans. Just like idols...

 

At first, I intended to give the phone back to Ter and scold him, "This? The thing you said would make me cry?" But my hand accidentally slipped across the screen, causing him to scroll to another post.

 

Cute Boy & Girl – MU – just posted new photos.

BREAKING NEWS! There's some hot news in the Engineering department today, too. Tiger – our hot freshman – is also giving someone a ride on his motorbike. Allow me to fangirl a little, but he's incredibly cute and rides a super cool black Ninja. Guys riding big bikes make hearts flutter. But I heard he's still single~ We don't know who the passenger is, but they're wearing the same shirt as Dr Jo. What's going on? Please explain!

 

Even Tiger wasn't spared, huh?! Well, that's understandable. Tiger is already famous, and this time, the photo shows me sitting on the back of Tiger's motorbike near the department. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet, so my face isn't visible.

 

Comments under the post:

 

-"Oh my god, why is that? First with one, now with someone else? You can't possibly have two college boyfriends at the same time!"

 

-Enough with the shamelessness! Wasn't Doctor Jo already shameless enough?

 

-Trying to have it both ways? That's not cute at all!

 

-Don't let me find out who it is! Hmph!

 

-Hey admin, can you calm down? They might not have done anything wrong. Everyone, please calm down before typing. Poor people, they didn't do anything wrong!

 

-Okay, I don't like that person anymore!

 

-Stealing Doctor Jo wasn't enough, now you're trying to flirt with Tiger too? Absolutely unacceptable! Do you think you can choose two people?!

 

-Someone has gone too far with their words; let's calm down.

 

-Doctor Jo is very popular, and Tiger even has his own fan club. If he does anything wrong, he'll get slapped immediately. Let's investigate his identity first!

 

I hadn't finished reading the comments when Ter snatched the phone from my hand.

 

"Enough, don't read any more," he said apologetically. "Damn it, I shouldn't have shown it to you in the first place."

 

"Hey, why the long face? I was just reading. You're worrying unnecessarily," I said, giving him a light tap on the head.

 

"Are you okay, North? It's just social media, so don't take it too seriously. Pages like this are always just for sensationalism." Yah gently massaged my shoulder, trying to comfort me, 

 

"Don't overthink it."

 

"What? I wasn't thinking too much about it," I said honestly, raising my eyebrows. I really wasn't thinking about anything at all, and I didn't care what anyone said because I'm not that kind of person. "You're the one who's about to cry for me, Tiger."

 

"Yeah... I'm about to cry. Hill and I weren't like this back then. Those comments were really nasty. If it were me, I probably wouldn't be able to handle it."

 

"You're not me. And Hill isn't Jo either. Jo is probably just too much of a ladies' man, that's why so many people reacted so strongly." I replied nonchalantly, "If you cry, Hill will be angry."

 

"Okay... I won't cry anymore."

 

"You're making me promise not to overthink things, so you should make a promise to yourself first."

 

"Sob sob, I already showed it to you... I'm sorry..."

 

"Apologise for what?"

 

"You really didn't think at all? Seriously, you're not the type to just talk big to appear strong, are you?"

 

"If I were the type to overthink things, my head would have exploded," I said, gently nudging Ter's head because he was about to cry for me. Why are people so soft-hearted? This tendency to worry is probably incurable. 

 

"Because there really is nothing going on. There's nothing between Jo and me, and nothing with Tiger either. It's just a bunch of people imagining things, talking nonsense without knowing anything, so don't take it to heart."

 

"You... you're amazing."

 

"It's normal, nothing to be afraid of. And what if they investigate me? Slap me? That's ridiculous. I'll really fight back."

 

"What if it's a girl?"

 

"I also want to try punching a girl once to see what it's like."

 

"Hey, you bastard! Are you serious?"

 

"Just kidding. But I'm not going to stand here and take it. Stop crying, you crybaby?"

 

"Don't cry!"

 

"North is always number one. I'm so proud of you," Yah said happily, then hugged me tightly. 

 

"At first, I was worried you would think negatively about it."

 

"Don't worry, sister, I'm fine."

 

"Being someone who doesn't overthink things has its advantages, doesn't it?" Ter said. "It gives you peace of mind. So, what are you planning to do next?"

 

"Screw it. Those guys are just overhyping him." 

 

Honestly, in other people's eyes, Jo is handsome, rich, smart, and talented, but to me, he's... an extremely bossy, bossy, and threatening creditor. If his fan club knew, they'd probably all run away. Imagine being in love and being treated like that – who could put up with it?

 

"Does Jo know that you're getting yelled at?"

 

"Just ignore the picture. Don't think for me anymore. I haven't even thought about it yet."  I said, not knowing how to explain to them that I really wasn't thinking about anything. I didn't want Ter to blame Jo because he didn't do anything wrong, so blaming the gossip would be more appropriate.

 

"Look, who's there? A dazzling white car!" Yah said, looking out the window. Hill had arrived to pick us up. Ter and I said goodbye to Yah and got into Hill's car. Ter sat in the front seat, and I sat in the back.

 

"Why are your eyes so red?" Hill's first question startled Ter. He knew he couldn't escape his keen eyesight.

 

"Um... I'm about to cry," Ter mumbled.

 

"Why are you crying?"

"Jo..."

"What is Jo doing?" P’Hill's voice turned cold, making me involuntarily shiver.

 

Oh no, Ter! Hill's angry! I'm so scared 😭

"What are you doing?" P’Hill asked, his eyes glancing at me through the rearview mirror…

 

"As for Ter... there's nothing to worry about, he just overthinks things."

"What are you thinking about so much, Ter? Can you tell me?" Why is P’Hill's voice so gentle... sigh, I feel like I'm going to melt and stick to the chair.

 

"I was afraid North would overthink it. That page said really harsh things. Even when I was in trouble, they didn't say anything that bad." Finally, Ter confessed everything.

"Oh, so the page posted a picture of Jo?"

"Yes, that's right. The photo with North. Did you see it?"

"I haven’t seen it yet, let me check," P’Hill said, taking one hand off the steering wheel and reaching over to pat Ter on the head. "Don't cry, my talented boy."

Damned…

I didn't cry over that page, but I wanted to cry more out of jealousy. Those two are unbearably sweet. This kind of love is truly something to envy.

 

"Why are Jo's fans so fierce?" Ter asked.

"Well, that's his habit of flirting everywhere," P’Hill replied, "But he's toned it down a lot lately."

"Seriously, if he's still talking to someone else, don't go near my friend again."

Wow… Ter…

"Yes."

And Hill too…

"And what about you, North? Do you think about it a lot?"

"Oh no, I really wasn't thinking anything at all."

"That's good then," P’Hill said, and then pulled up right in front of our usual diner after work.

When we got to our table, we ordered as usual. A little while later, P’Hill's phone rang; it seemed someone was calling. He looked at the screen, let out a soft sigh, and then excused himself to take the call.

(Hill, have you picked him up yet?)

"Why call? You usually just text."

(I'm working, too lazy to type.)

"Didn't you say you were on vacation?"

(I have an urgent matter. So, have you picked him up yet?)

"Already."

(Where are you eating today?)

"Noodles, same place."

(What is your soul made of that you keep eating noodles all the time?)

"I want to eat."

(I can't argue with my wife, can I?)

"Of course."

(Let's go eat something nice. Please be considerate of my credit card.)

"What if he refuses to go? Stop transferring the money, you son of a bitch."

(Spend it quickly. If you keep eating noodles like this, when will you ever run out of money?)

"How will it ever run out of fuel? Should we buy a car for him?"

(Okay. Go ahead and ask, do his have a driver's license?)

"Funny."

(Who's laughing? I'm serious. What kind of car do you want? Don't choose one that's too big, it's dangerous.)

"I don't know how to drive."

(Can it be taught?)

"That's enough. You're only good at spending money."

(You're really teasing me. Does your wife make you do the laundry all the time?)

"Yeah, have you seen the page yet?"

(Not yet. Why?)

"My boyfriend almost cried because of you."

(What else do I need to do?)

"If you post a picture of you and her online, what do you think your fans will think?"

(...)

(Damn it!)

...

(So ​​how are things now? Are you okay?)

"I've seen it, it's fine. He’s not overthinking it, it's okay because he’s not thinking about you at all."

 

(You bastard)

"So what now? Now my boyfriend is overthinking things instead."

(Let me handle this. That page is always creating drama, it's really annoying.)

"What about the comments?"

(Yeah, I'll take care of it.)

"You have plenty of girls in your warehouse."

(We're cleaning up now.)

"Ter said he won't let you get involved with him if you keep cheating with other people."

(I know.)

"Are you choosing him?"

(Well, I chose it a long time ago.)

 

"In this messed-up life of yours, you should get serious with someone for once."

(YES.)

(They keep cursing.)

"If you could be a little more gentle, would you be able to do it?"

(I've done my best, let's just see what we can get.)

"What about the part-time job? Ter still refuses to tell me that North is secretly working, so he's probably planning to keep it a secret."

(Yeah, if he doesn't want me to know, then I won't know.)

"Is it okay to leave it to that guy to handle?"

(No. I switched to my dad's people.)

"From what you're saying, bringing people to smash up the shop sounds more believable than just looking after someone."

(Done.)

"It's up to you."

(Don't tell your boyfriend.)

"If I were going to say it, I would have said it a long time ago."

(Yeah, a good person.)

"Is there anything else?"

(Please spend all my money for me.)

"You have plenty of money, and yet you're still trying to cut his salary. The money in the card you gave me is more than his debt."

(Just some leftover money that I don't know what to do with.)

"I just pulled it out and threw it away."

(Try to use it quickly.)

"Hmm... I'm thinking."

(What are you thinking?)

"Why should I suffer because of someone like you?"

(It's just the word 'friend' that's keeping you with me.)

"Cut your friend."

(No way. I just met your dad the other day.)

"Why do you want to see my dad?"

(I'm thinking of pooling resources with my dad.)

"So, I can't escape you after all, huh?"

(Standard.)

"Sigh... Yeah, I'm going now."

(YES.)

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

“North… Can I ask you something?” P’Hill asked as soon as he sat down at the table. I was chewing on a beef meatball, so I looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Is there anything you'd like lately?"

"Huh? What do you want?"

"Like a car, a house, or an apartment."

"Wait a minute... what do you want those things for?" I almost choked, quickly swallowed my food, and replied. Why would he ask that kind of question?

"It's nothing," P’Hill said, shaking his head slightly before beginning to eat. "Is there anywhere you'd like to stop later?"

"Can we stop by the bakery?" Ter asked.

"Okay." P’Hill turned to Ter with a kind smile, then turned back to me and asked, "What about North?"

"No," I replied softly, because I wasn't craving any pastries like Ter was.

"Really?"

"Yes." I nodded in confirmation. I don't know if it was my imagination, but P’Hill seemed very eager for me to buy something as Ter did. Several times, I saw him sigh softly, as if slightly disappointed, then look up and ask again:

"How are Jo's debts doing?"

"Uh... It's alright. I haven't paid anything back yet." I forced a smile, "Did he mention it at all?"

 

"No, but how do you calculate that?"

"Just give it to Ms Prang, the secretary, to count. P’Johan's only job is to deduct the amounts."

"Ah, I see. He probably doesn't even remember how much you owe him anymore."

"Really, sir...?" Two hundred thousand is probably too little for him 😭

"What about the money deduction?"

"He deducts money for the slightest thing. I don't even understand why he's deducting it. It's like he wants to take the money… but he's not."

"It didn't need the money in the first place."

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise at P’Hill's words. He didn't answer, but just stood up to pay the bill. Ter and I stood up as well.

 

"Hey, North, look at this! Someone's sharing it!" Ter nudged my shoulder and showed me his phone as we walked towards the car.

 

—~Post shared~

Urgent announcement! Our school's Cute Boys fanpage has been deleted, and so have the admins' Facebook accounts. No one knows the exact reason (though we suspect someone is definitely behind it), so the admins are very upset because all the photos and memories we worked so hard to collect are gone. We're not sure we can recover them, but if we create a new page, we'll let you know. Huhuhu, no more admiring our "husbands"!

 

"The page's gone, probably karma for daring to put you down," Ter said. I just nodded in agreement. Changing the page is good, but it would be even better to change the admin too. Too much gossip, too good at eavesdropping, and always secretly taking pictures of everything people do and everywhere – it's really pointless.

 

"Hill, that page is gone," Ter said as soon as he got into the car.

"Really?"

"Yeah, great. All the hateful comments about North have disappeared."

"That's good then."

"But I don't know why it’s gone."

"Someone must have done it. Someone with money to spare hired someone to handle it."

"Huh? So that person probably doesn't like that page either, just like us," Ter said, his face beaming. What a good person, worrying about me and even celebrating for me!

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

Back at the dorm, I put my bag on the table and collapsed onto my bed, just like I always do when I'm tired and return to my room. Today was another exhausting day.

 

"North, I wanted to ask you something."

"What do you want to ask?"

"Do you have feelings for Johan? I see you talking a lot, seeing each other all the time, picking each other up, even sleeping together, and borrowing each other's shirts."

"Why are you suddenly asking that? You're usually the one who sets up couples," I said, raising my eyebrows in confusion.

"I was just asking. I encountered that kind of situation today, and I felt uneasy. It's like you're getting scolded even though you didn't do anything."

"You're overthinking it again," I replied, shaking my head. "So what if I get scolded? Do they think they can do anything to me?"

"Besides, the times I tried to set you up with someone, I didn't tell anyone; I just wanted to tease you. You didn't think too much of it because I was trying to set you up, right?" Ter said, his face tense as if he were about to cry. Again, he gets emotional so easily. But it's good that he's the type who cares about other people's feelings.

 

"Yeah, I don't hold a grudge. Even if you pair me up with someone else, I won't get angry, okay? And if you cry again, I'll throw your camera lens away."

"North, why are you so cute?"

"No more coaxing, go die."

"Hey, I'm so embarrassed!"

"That's creepy, you crazy person." I sighed. Oh my god, I don't like this kind of sentimental stuff.

 

"But Johan isn't dating anyone anymore. What if he really likes you? He picks you up, lends you clothes, gives you money—if he really likes you, what would you do?"

“…”

I was silent for a moment. Actually, I had thought about it a couple of times. There were some things I couldn't help but think about, but I chose not to dwell on them, just like with Thun's case. I didn't want to find the answers; I didn't want to bother thinking about it.

 

"I don't know... I've honestly never thought about it."

"What's up?"

"I don't know what to think because I don't want to think about it. Like... I just went through a breakup, you know. I don't like being pressured into thinking about these things. It's not that I don't want to be in a relationship, it's hard to say."

"Your explanation is very vague."

"Well, that's it. But if I genuinely and definitely like someone, I'm not the type to drag things out; I'll treat them well and let them know."

"Romantic, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm the romantic type, but maybe I should take it slow for now. Sometimes I still miss it..."

"North..."

"I know, it's nothing. It's just that memories pop up in my head. But strangely, every time I think of Ja, the next person I think of is Johan. It's like I want to remind myself that I have a huge debt to settle. And to remind myself again that I'm in this big trouble because I missed Ja so much, but I don't blame Ja."

"So what exactly now…?"

"Now what?" I asked again, confused.

"How's your love life going?"

 

"I don't want to think about it, I'll just let things stay this way and let them drift away slowly."

"But isn't that too carefree? Other people would be worried sick having someone like Johan constantly hovering around them."

"Lingering around? Just look at the word you used." I laughed.

“And what about the question I asked earlier? If Johan likes you, what would you do? Do you have an answer yet?” I frowned at Ter. Why keep repeating that question? I already answered it!

"Are you trying to set me up with someone again?"

"No, this time I'm serious. I want to know so I can steer my ship, to see if it will sink or if there's still hope? Is there any possibility, or are you completely devoid of emotion?"

"What if he likes me?"

"YES."

"Well... I didn't do anything. So what do you want me to do?"

"Sigh, I shouldn't have asked," Ter sighed. "So, what do you think Johan thinks of you?"

"Are you trying to make me sit in meditation and guess numbers? I don't know everything," I replied, feeling a little annoyed. Being asked these kinds of questions so often was driving me crazy.

"Just guess. You can tell that Thun likes you."

"It's surprising that you wouldn't recognise him. He's been stroking my head so much I'm almost going bald!"

"Oh, right." Ter chuckled, "So, to sum it up, can you guess?"

"Yeah, sometimes I think about it, but people who like each other wouldn't behave like that."

"How?"

"They insulted me as if I were burning down his house."

"It's probably the kind of flirting done by someone with a hot temper."

"Are you crazy? And if P’Hill curses at you like that, what would you do?"

"I was startled to death."

"See!"

"But it's your fault. If you had approached him gently as Thun did, you would have kicked him into the friend zone ages ago. Maybe this is a new flirting strategy."

"Really?"

"I don't know, but I'm really curious. What should we do now?"

"Try to tone down your curiosity a bit; maybe your life will be more peaceful."

"Oh my god, you're so feisty today. Did you catch Johan's influence?"

"Nonsense. I'm perfectly normal."

"So you're going to leave everything hanging in the balance? The whole Johan fanclub thing, and Johan himself too?"

"Yeah, let whoever wants to do whatever they want; it's ridiculous. I'm so tired of you guys."

"I'm worried about you."

"Okay, okay."

"That's quite a provocation."