TBBS 22

Chapter 22…

Even soaking wet in shorts, he carried himself with such confidence, seemingly fully aware of just how perfect a subject I was.

“Shall we head back now?”

I hesitated slightly at his suggestion. It was only about a twenty-minute walk to the dormitory.

“Well… it’s such a nice day, do you want to walk? It feels like too much trouble if we just go to your car from here.”

“The car’s fine, but…”

Eric paused for a moment, then went back to the car to retrieve the remaining luggage.

“Yeah, walking would be perfect anyway—your clothes can dry along the way.”

He silently carried both bags for me, wrapped entirely in a towel, and we started walking along the deserted lakeside path.

“The only problem is water’s coming out of my sneakers.”

Truly. Every step left a trail of wet footprints as we made our way to the dormitory.

“If someone tracks us for secretly taking the boat at that boathouse earlier, we’d be caught instantly.”

“That’s random.”

Eric laughed at my comment, letting his wet sneakers splash playfully as he walked ahead of me. Then he suddenly turned to me and remarked:

“You even using a yellow towel makes you look like a bee.”

I dropped my jaw for a moment, then quickly refuted:

“That’s nonsense—I’m thirty thousand times bigger than a bee.”

“Really? Some bees are quite big.”

Eric insisted absurdly but folded his long eyes into a soft smile. His green eyes, usually so dark, sparkled refreshingly under the blue sky.

Irregular shadows from the trees created patterns on his forehead and cheeks, yet they didn’t spoil the relaxed, languid vibe he rarely showed. Even the droplets of water in his hair looked fresh, as if he were a completely different person. He didn’t have to be perfect at every moment—he could just walk in the direction he wanted.

Not the living symbol of the Branel Foundation, but just a seventeen-year-old boy.

At this very moment, he looked exactly like that, and the usual distant feeling between us suddenly seemed to shrink. That strange sensation was oddly uncomfortable.

“You’ll regret it if you underestimate a black belt like that.”

I cleared my throat and pretended to boast.

“I just can’t show you my kicks because my sneakers are wet, that’s all.”

“That’s terrifying, Honeybee.”

Honeybee.

He was calling me that simply because my name sounded like a bee, yet the word stuck sweetly in my ears.

Before long, the school came into view. We had arrived sooner than expected.

Looking at the familiar red-brick building, I felt an inexplicable pang of regret.

At the school gates, I reached out to Eric.

“Thank you.”

I should have parted ways here, thanking him for seeing me back, but Eric didn’t return my bag.

“I’ll walk you in. You have one hand full.”

I was still holding the towel in one hand, but waved my other free hand.

“No, I’m fine. I’ve got it.”

Eric chuckled, glancing around.

“There’s no one around anyway.”

“That’s not it. I just mean… it’s really okay if I carry it.”

I trailed off in a clumsy excuse, letting out a sigh. Eric seemed to take it as consent, smiling as he began walking toward Lagerlöf.

By now, the sky on one side had turned red.

The dormitory was completely empty.

I took the bags from Eric and entered the dark building, turning on the hallway lights.

Once inside my room, I was startled to see Eric still standing outside the window. Of course, it didn’t seem like he was there because of me—he appeared to be on the phone with someone.

I tore my eyes away from him and sat at my desk.

Immediately, a more pressing matter than rinsing off after falling into the lake came to mind.

I took out a holder embossed with the Branel Foundation logo from the bookshelf and opened it. The contract I had opened several times since arriving at Branel revealed itself.

Non-Disclosure Agreement

Name: Vivi Han

I have been thoroughly explained the importance of this agreement and the related laws, policies, and procedures regarding confidentiality by the Branel Foundation, and I fully understand them. Therefore, I pledge to adhere to the following:

1. In the course of assisting with the Branel Foundation charity event on July 26, 20XX, I will not disclose any personal information regarding the Foundation’s heir, Eric Martin Branel, to any third party…

Beyond how much I wanted to protect his secrets, the weight of this pledge always felt heavy.

Whether I wanted it or not, having my two years’ tuition and dormitory fees waived in exchange for this agreement meant I could never violate the contract.

Images of Eric from earlier in the day flashed through my mind: his mischievous face, his relaxed expression, the way he seemed almost like a friend…

“See you again, Honeybee.”

I pushed all those images of Eric Branel away in my mind and focused on reading the pledge. I reviewed today carefully, thinking over and over whether I had acted in any way that might violate it.

…It didn’t seem that I had.

Yet I still felt uneasy, because of the name “Branel.”

Being asked to keep a secret didn’t necessarily mean keeping distance from him—but would the Branel Foundation think that way?

The next day, the weather turned fickle, raining through the morning, and the school remained quiet.

Liam came to find me in front of the dormitory early in the afternoon, when most students had yet to return.

“Hey Vivi, have you been okay? You didn’t get lonely and cry, did you?”

Though he spoke playfully, it was easy to sense his concern. He must have come back early because he was worried about me being alone in the dormitory.

I shrugged boldly on purpose.

“Did you come back early because of me? I ended up going home too, after all.”

“Oh, really?”

A mix of surprise and curiosity flickered across Liam’s face. I tried to speak casually.

“Eric came to the library that day too. After he finished, he gave me a ride, saying we were going in a similar direction.”

“Similar direction? Last I knew, Eric was…”

“Yeah. To be precise, not really the same direction, but he insisted. He probably felt sorry for me about the bulletin board incident.”

Liam tilted his head slightly.

“So, you two got pretty friendly at the library…”

He said that, but his eyes betrayed doubt even to himself.

It was natural. Among all students at this school, I would rank at the very top as the least likely person to be Eric Branel’s friend.

I changed the subject.

“When I told Mom I met Uncle Denny, she was really curious. She wants to invite you and him over during the vacation.”

Liam’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“That’s great. Dad will definitely be happy too. He said he regretted not getting to talk properly with you that day.”

Even though the autumn rain had stopped, the air felt colder than the day before. Feeling chilly, I zipped up my hoodie. Liam patted his thigh beside me.

“Come here. The chair feels cold from the rain.”

As he held my wrist to pull me closer, I found myself almost sliding toward him.

But the moment I perched slightly on his leg, unlike when I was younger, an odd discomfort arose inside me.

“Uh, um…”

I quickly stood, trying to mask disappointment so as not to upset him.

“You know, I get a little neurotic at this school? You’re as popular as Eric.”

Even though the campus was still quiet, I figured it was fine to use the bulletin board incident as an excuse at least once.

“Ah, I’m not that popular.”

Liam laughed, waving his hands in protest, thankfully not pressing the point again.