CHAPTER 09
As soon as class ended, Noah headed straight for Emily, the note still in his hand.
It was the first time he’d gotten physical proof instead of just rumors or talk.
But before he even reached the first-year building, he ran into Emily — who was also holding a note.
“You too…?”
“So you got one as well…?”
Emily glanced between their two notes, then snatched Noah’s with a serious look.
“‘Isn’t it about time you broke up,’ huh…”
“What did yours say?”
“Just a shorter version.”
Noah took the note Emily handed him and nodded after reading it.
It had only three words written on it: Break up.
“Looks like it’s from the same person?”
“The ink looks identical.”
Emily agreed, and Noah folded his arms with a thoughtful hum.
“Seems like someone really, really wants us to break up.”
“Or maybe it’s more than one person.”
At that, Noah looked at her in surprise.
“You figured that out too?”
“It’d be hard for one person to leave notes for both of us during the same break. At least two, maybe more, considering how fast the rumors spread.”
Noah nodded, impressed.
“Yeah, I thought the same. You’re sharper than you look.”
“That’s rude. For your information, I rank in the top five on written exams.”
“You do?”
Noah gave her a half-lidded stare.
His tone sounded half in disbelief, half in pity.
Emily glared back sharply.
“I’m just preparing for the possibility that my future husband might be an idiot. Anyway! That’s not the point right now.”
She put her hands on her hips and stared down at the note.
“Whoever it is, they’re making their move now. They might even try something physical.”
“Well, maybe. It has been almost a month, so they’re probably getting desperate.”
Emily sighed at Noah’s casual tone.
“Why are they doing this?”
“What do you mean? It literally says so right there — ‘Break up.’”
“No, I mean why go this far?”
At her question, Noah shrugged.
“You must have some guesses.”
“…So you think so too?”
“Can’t be sure, but probably.”
There wasn’t anyone else who made sense.
At his muttered remark, Emily frowned thoughtfully.
“So what do we do now?”
“What else? Either we break up like they want, or we catch whoever’s behind it. One of the two.”
Noah looked straight at her.
“For the record, I’m not breaking the contract. It’s too good a deal to find again.”
“Same here. Do you know how rare a face like yours is…?”
“Then it’s settled. We catch them.”
Can’t live like this forever anyway.
Emily looked down at the note, worried.
“But this alone isn’t enough to identify anyone…”
“Of course not. That’s why we need to stir things up a bit.”
“…What?”
Noah smirked mischievously, one corner of his mouth curling up.
“They wrote down their goal for us. Might as well make use of it.”
“Noah-sunbae!”
“Emily!”
They shouted each other’s names dramatically and hugged tightly — as if they hadn’t met for a month.
Every eye in the hallway turned toward them.
“You’ve lost weight, sunbae…!”
“You stopped visiting…”
“No…!”
Well, well.
The students in the class exchanged awkward looks, watching Noah turn away sadly while Emily teared up like a tragic heroine.
They hadn’t seen them together recently, so they’d assumed the rumors were true — but apparently not.
“Emily, you said you had to leave me, but I can’t let you go!”
Noah’s voice rang out with desperate emotion.
Emily took his hand tightly.
“Me too, sunbae! I tried to leave, but I just couldn’t! Even though I know I make things harder for you—”
“No, Emily! I only need you!”
In the middle of the classroom, they were basically performing a tearful drama scene for everyone to hear.
The other students exchanged wide-eyed looks.
What on earth are they doing?
No idea. Love confession?
But Noah and Emily kept going, oblivious to the whispers.
“But Noah-sunbae, if this continues, you’ll keep suffering.”
“Emily…”
“I don’t want that. So I’ll fix it myself!”
How—?
The students swallowed nervously as Emily clenched her fist.
They were somehow drawn in by the performance.
Then Emily spun around to face them directly.
“W-what the…”
Her intense stare made several of them flinch.
After a moment of silence, Emily took a deep breath and shouted.
“Everyone!”
“I know all the rumors about me and Noah-sunbae!”
Gasps spread across the room.
Holding her chest like she was in pain, Emily continued with a trembling voice.
“It’s true that I hurt people because I didn’t understand my own heart. I regret it.”
Wait, is she admitting it?
As the students whispered, Emily lifted her head and declared,
“But! That was all before I met Noah-sunbae!”
She looked up at him like he was the most precious person in the world.
“After meeting him, I finally understood what real love is. I’ll never make that mistake again. So please—”
Emily bowed her head deeply.
“Please watch over us kindly!”
One second. Two. Three.
The classroom went silent.
Then a single, awkward clap broke the tension.
“Uh… good for you, I guess?”
Seeing one classmate clap with a confused expression, the others glanced around — then began clapping too.
“Y-yeah…”
“Good for them…”
Awkward blessings followed, and soon the room filled with polite applause, like after a stage performance.
Emily straightened slowly, and Noah slipped an arm around her waist.
He whispered,
“You’re a good actress. Ever thought of going pro?”
Emily smiled sweetly but shot back under her breath,
“Coming from someone whose life is one long performance? No thanks.”
Outwardly, both wore perfect smiles.
After Emily’s public “confession,” the rumor split into two camps.
One insisted that people never change and that it was all fake.
The other said maybe it was real — a once-in-a-lifetime romance, even.
At first, the arguments were divided.
But as days passed, most people leaned toward the latter.
“It’s strange,” Emily said.
“How a rumor that wild just died down like this.”
Noah smiled faintly.
“It’s obvious. Words fade fast, but seeing it with your own eyes? That’s what convinces people.”
“That’s phase one complete,” he muttered, watching Emily lift a forkful of strawberry pancake toward him.
He opened his mouth, and she fed him naturally.
“And now we’re backing up the rumor with action.”
“True.”
Emily nodded casually.
They had been openly dating ever since.
They made sure to choose public places — the campus path, cafeteria, and café — where everyone could see their syrupy “romance.”
Today’s location: the café.
Smiling, Emily watched Noah eat.
“You really do have a beautiful face.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
He was used to that kind of compliment by now.
It wasn’t romantic anyway.
Over the past days, Noah had realized that Emily didn’t see him as a person at all — more like a pretty accessory.
He could hold her hand or hug her, and she wouldn’t care, just keep doing whatever she was doing.
It was annoying, if he was honest.
He’d always prided himself on flustering women, yet Emily treated him like a decorative prop.
Still, he couldn’t really complain.
He saw her as a walking money source, or maybe a social status card.
In a way, they were perfectly matched.
Noah thought idly as he chewed another bite of cake.
“Well, if they give up after this, great. But if not, they’ll make another move soon.”
He pointed his fork at Emily.
“Be careful. If words didn’t work, next might be action.”
Emily turned his fork back toward him with a small pout.
“You be careful, sunbae. If you get hurt, it’d be a national tragedy.”
Noah laughed softly and bit into a bright red strawberry.
The juice burst sweet and tart on his tongue.
