I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Suicide

Chapter 9

I admit it.

I had no idea.

I had no idea Hana was struggling that much.

But now I know.

I can’t change the past, but I can change the present and the future.

There’s no way I’m going to do what that guy suggested.

To leave her because I’m not of any help? Saying that would be better for Hana? I can’t accept that.

There has to be a better way.

When I close my eyes, your image still comes to mind so vividly—your bright smile, twin-braided hair.

Were you suffering behind that smile?

I admit it.

I didn’t understand your pain at all.

On my own, I might not be any help to you. I might even be a burden.

Then the solution is simple: we’ll help you together.

Not with a suspicious science teacher, but with other students.

I’m sorry I realized it so late.

This time, I’ll save you, just like you saved me.

***

The moment Si woo entered the classroom, he looked around busily.

Hana hadn’t arrived yet.

In fact, that was better. It was easier to talk without her there.

He approached two girls—Kyunga and Si-hyun.

“Can I talk to you both for a moment?”

“What’s this about?”

“I’m busy.”

Kyunga responded with a question, and Si-hyun with a cold tone.

Si woo remained calm and spoke firmly.

“I need help.”

“Is bowing your head all you’re capable of?”

Si-hyun’s words were so icy they almost seemed like a taunt.

Maybe it wasn’t a misunderstanding.

With a wry smile, Si woo admitted it plainly.

“Yeah, on my own, I’m not enough. Without help, all I can do is bow my head.”

“W-what’s up with you? What kind of favor could it be to make you act like this?”

Si woo glanced around, then shot a look toward Hong Yeonhwa, who sat at the back, and whispered.

“It’s hard to explain here. Let’s move somewhere private.”

“…Is this about what happened yesterday?”

“Yeah.”

Reluctantly, Kyunga stood up, glancing around anxiously.

Only one person remained.

After a tense moment of eye contact, Si-hyun sighed and rose as well.

“You’ll have to repay this favor someday.”

The three of them moved to a storage room at the end of the hallway.

With only cleaning supplies around, no one would come by at this hour.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“It’s about Hana.”

“Something happened with Yoo Hana, didn’t it? Yesterday and now.”

Si-hyun caught on quickly.

Of course, even she would be shocked if she knew the full story.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I think Hana’s being bullied.”

“Is that all?”

“What?”

Si woo frowned.

He had thought long and hard before bringing this up, worried he might be overstepping.

But what’s with that reaction?

She looked at him with a casual, indifferent expression, as if it was nothing.

“What do you want from us, then? Should we stand up against the bullying at school for Yoo Hana or something?”

“You know, you’re being pretty harsh with your words…”

“That’s what I’d like to say. Do you realize how you sound? Like some overprotective dad. Like a ridiculously doting father.”

Si woo glared at her without a word.

She didn’t look away, and tension simmered between them.

He really didn’t like her.

They had clashed a few times since their first year, and after becoming classmates, it was like they were naturally destined to oppose each other.

Things had seemed better recently while they were preparing for an evaluation together, but apparently not.

“Hey, why don’t you two calm down a bit…?”

Thankfully, Kyunga, the class president, intervened and managed to defuse the situation.

With a sigh of relief, she continued the conversation naturally.

“Okay, there must be a reason you’re saying this, right? Do you have proof Hana’s being bullied?”

“I don’t have concrete evidence, but I have a strong suspicion. Yesterday, I saw Yeonhwa picking on her.”

“Hmm. Yeonhwa, huh…”

Hong Yeonhwa was undoubtedly the notorious troublemaker of Class A.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she were bullying Yoo Hana, at least judging by her reputation.

“So, you’re saying this without any solid evidence, just a hunch. Honestly, I feel like I’m wasting my time here.”

“Sh-Si-hyun, I understand what you’re saying, but… it’s more serious than it seems. Yesterday, when I went to check on Hana, I… happened to see something.”

“What did you see?”

At Si-hyun’s question, Kyunga hesitated, then finally whispered after a long pause.

“…She was self-harming.”

“Self-harming? Yoo Hana?”

“Y-yeah.”

A brief silence fell.

Si-hyun narrowed her eyes, picturing Hana in her mind.

Her messy cream-colored hair. Her droopy eyes, devoid of charisma. Her fragile, almost weak-looking gaze.

The words “self-harm” and “Yoo Hana” didn’t fit together at all, like oil and water.

Si woo held his forehead, speaking in a low voice.

“Yesterday, I had this uneasy feeling, so I went to Hana’s room. Do you know what I found?”

“……”

“A rope. Hung from the ceiling, ready for someone to hang from it.”

Kyunga covered her mouth in shock.

Si-hyun, though less visibly affected, lowered her head in deep thought.

“Hana is in a much more dangerous state than we realized. She’s reached the point of considering ending her life… So please, help me save her. I can’t do it alone. I’m begging you.”

Maybe the seriousness had finally dawned on her.

This time, Si-hyun said nothing, the weight of the situation bearing down on the room.

After a while, she finally spoke.

“What’s your plan? Do you even have one?”

“…The truth is, bullying isn’t the only reason Hana’s thinking of ending her life. There’s something even worse.”

If what he’d heard yesterday was true, she’d been living with a painful chronic illness for years, hiding it all along.

“Stopping bullying isn’t the most important thing. She needs friends.”

“Friends?”

“You know as well as I do. Besides me, Hana doesn’t really have any close friends. Without that support, she might end up depending on or getting involved with the wrong people.”

As he said this, Si woo thought of the science teacher.

Maybe she’d already gotten in too deep.

But it wasn’t too late. If she was in deep, they had to pull her out.

Otherwise, she’d be swallowed by that murky swamp…

“And besides, since we’re different genders, there are limits—especially in the dorms. Hana needs friends she can rely on, friends who are the same gender.”

“You’re asking us to play that role?”

Kyunga summarized his request neatly, and Si woo nodded.

In a way, it was an absurd request—to ask someone to become a friend.

It really did make him seem like an overprotective father, just as Si-hyun had said.

But if it would save Hana, he didn’t care.

If their roles were reversed, he knew Hana would have done the same.

“Fine. Honestly, I was planning to talk to Hana anyway. I’m the class president, after all. It’s my duty to look after my classmates.”

“Thank you.”

Once again, their eyes fell on Si-hyun.

She rubbed her chin in thought before sighing.

“Honestly, I don’t get it. Will things really change just because she has friends? I don’t have any close friends, and I’m perfectly fine.”

The fact that she could admit she didn’t have friends was telling of her unique personality.

Despite holding the top rank among sophomores, she had no real friends. Probably because she chose not to make any.

“Fine, I’ll give it a try, though I’m not sure what to do. I’ll try to be her friend.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not because of any sense of obligation—I’m just adding a debt in your name.”

“Of course.”

Regardless, he’d gained reliable allies.

They were the class president and vice president of Class A.

With their influence, Hong Yeonhwa wouldn’t easily target Hana anymore.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Does that teacher from last night have something to do with Hana as well?”

She really was perceptive.

Since he’d admitted to visiting Hana’s room, it was easy enough to infer.

Si woo nodded.

“Yes.”

“What kind of person is he?”

What kind of person?

Si woo thought for a moment, then found the perfect expression.

“A snake.”

After their strategic discussion, the three returned to class.

There, Yoo Hana, who hadn’t been there earlier, was now seated.

Si woo stopped in his tracks, looking at her.

On the surface, she looked as she always did.

She even seemed cheerful.

She must be putting on an act.

There’s no way it’s real, not after attempting suicide yesterday.

A thought crossed his mind.

Was today the only day she was acting?

How many years had she endured that terrible pain?

How much of herself had she hidden from him?

Hana’s iron mask had only grown stronger each day.

Her true expression was hidden from everyone.

With her smiling face, the curved line of her lips—who would ever suspect she was a girl who thought of ending her life just last night?

Si woo clenched his fist.

His nails dug so deeply into his palm that it almost drew blood.

The first priority was to remove that mask.

He needed to uncover and understand her true pain.

Just as he was about to enter the classroom, Si-hyun stopped him.

“Hold on.”

Before he could ask why, his expression turned dark.

He spotted Hong Yeonhwa approaching Hana from the front row.

“Hey, mop-head.”

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