Chapter 4

"They say fish only remember things for seven seconds. But I'm different. I'll protect you forever," Simone had said, teasingly calling me her princess.

That promise from our childhood was something only I remembered.

If the nine-year-old me had heard the 18-year-old Simone say, "I really wish you'd never been saved when you were nine. You should've just been left to die," he probably would've cried from the hurt.

But over the years, because of my hearing loss, I'd gotten used to people whispering behind my back.

So I accepted Simone's change in attitude without making a fuss.

After all, people changed as they grew up.

When I saved her back then, the Scott family had tried to make amends. Over the years, they'd given up nearly half of Scott Group's profits. That was already more than enough to show sincerity.

At the end of the day, we were even.

I was my own person, not someone's shadow, and I didn't need anyone else to survive.

So I looked up at my dad and said with certainty, "I've thought it through."

With my dad by my side, I changed my college plans from Movaia to Juville.

I thought I'd be up all night, but instead, I slept surprisingly well. I didn't wake up until almost noon. Still groggy, I instinctively checked my phone and found two new voice messages from Simone.

Her voice came through the speaker, edged with coldness.

"Justin, are you done throwing a tantrum? Unblock me already. You're an adult, stop pulling this childish crap.

"Ralph felt really guilty after you stormed out yesterday. He said he didn't know how to make it up to you. He even went up to the rooftop, threatening suicide. I barely managed to talk him down.

"There's still some time left in summer break. I'm planning to take him and a few friends to Hayville to go skiing and clear his head. Don't get jealous. Honestly, his suicide scare had something to do with you, too."

The sheer audacity of it made me laugh out loud in anger.

Ralph would never kill himself.

Back in school, he loved calling himself a real alpha male, always claiming he wasn't like those boring, studious guys.

No one had more dirty tricks than him.

For instance, four months ago, it was the birthday of my friend, Noland Lowe. He'd carefully picked out his outfit, set up the scene, and was ready to confess to the person he liked.

Ralph was the only one who refused to cooperate. The moment he entered the private room, he started cracking loud, suggestive jokes.

"Wow, Noland, you're really something. All that experience from dating, huh?

"Don't be shy. We're all friends here. What can't you say?"

When Noland got upset, he immediately raised his hands in mock surrender, then shifted the blame. "Seriously? You guys can't even take a joke?

"Fine, fine, my bad, okay? This is exactly why I don't like hanging out with you guys. Always so damn sensitive."

Another time, when everyone was grinding nonstop for the college entrance exams, exhausted to the bone, he went around snapping unflattering photos of people.

Then, he dumped them all into meme packs before posting them on the school confession page with a caption that read, "The heartthrob of our class. First come, first served."

It wasn't until everyone complained to the homeroom teacher that he finally backed off.

And I'd known for two years already that he joined the photography club as a "club assistant" just to get close to Simone.

I never took him seriously. Back then, I was arrogant. I believed that what was mine couldn't be taken so easily.

Now that he'd really taken her away, I accepted it.

It was my fault for misjudging people. It turned out I saved someone who never knew how to be grateful.

"Justin, if you have even a shred of conscience left, come apologize to everyone. Especially Ralph…"

Simone's messages kept popping up one after another.

I didn't even finish listening before I blocked and deleted her contact.

Outside my room, my mom was urging me to go shopping for winter clothes with her. "It gets pretty cold in Boraska. I'll take you to buy some thicker coats."

I nodded and agreed.

What I didn't expect was that after we finished shopping on the second floor of the mall and were about to leave, we ran straight into Simone and her group.

Among the seven or eight of them, Ralph stood out immediately in a black dress shirt.

He spotted me right away, walked over leisurely, and draped an arm around my shoulder as if we were close. "Justin. What a coincidence."