I Fell in Love With My Tomboy Friend’s Avatar

“Hey guys, I’ll buy some food! Who wants in?”

It was Hayan’s voice. The other students—who were about to scatter after liberal arts class—lifted their heads.

“Seriously? Why all of a sudden?”

“I’ll treat you, just follow me!” Hayan said with a dazzling smile.

A few classmates trailed behind Hayan. It looked like the usual drinking crowd was convening, so Eunho took a furtive step back, but Hayan raised her hand and called out.

“Eunho, you’re coming, right?”

“I have to play a game…” he mumbled.

“Eunho, are you…” Hayan looked up at Eunho with a concerned expression. “Are you uncomfortable with me after last time?”

Their classmates began murmuring the moment they heard Hayan’s insinuation. One grabbed Eunho’s arm.

“Hey, Eunho, what’s up…? Did something happen with you and Hayan that night?”

“Eunho, are you seriously not coming?”

This was why extroverts were scary. It wasn’t only people that drained introverts; situations like this were unsettling, too.

As Eunho hesitated, Hayan smiled gently and asked, “You and I are good, right? We settled everything that night, didn’t we?”

Nothing had happened, and there was nothing to settle. But when Hayan said it like that, Eunho couldn’t refuse without exacerbating the rumors that would surely begin to spread. As he was pulled along without a word, Hayan turned back, that sunny smile still on her face.

“Jeongwon, you’re coming too, right?”

Jeongwon had been casually gathering her things to leave, but froze in surprise.

“Huh, what? Aren’t you eating with just your department?”

“What are you talking about? You’re our school magazine’s top contributor, so of course I should treat you, too.”

The rest of the editorial team members and their classmates nodded.

“Jeongwon, did you know our school magazine’s Instagram followers doubled thanks to you?”

“R—really?”

“I’m not the one paying, but if Hayan’s okay with it, you should totally come,” someone urged.

More people joined in, cajoling Jeongwon into nodding with an awkward smile.

“Of course, free food sounds good to me.”

“Awesome! You should sit next to me!” Hayan giggled and wrapped her arm around Jeongwon’s.

***

“Hayan Kim, are you treating us with your academic scholarship?”

“How did you know?”

As soon as they sat down in the restaurant, a classmate poked Hayan’s arm with a finger.

“The professor only brought up your name again this time. He’s totally smitten with you.”

So Hayan was funding this dinner gathering with her academic scholarship. Eunho was uninterested in that piece of information, so he simply buried his face in the menu, eager to peruse.

“Wow, Hayan is amazing. She topped the department again?”

Everyone cheered and chanted Hayan’s name. Whether Hayan topped the department or not, just getting free food was reason enough to cheer.

Eunho clapped along dispassionately, then pondered which drink to order—coffee or Coke Zero.

“How about we order a big platter and a few more sides? Maybe this side and this one?”

Hayan ended up picking everything herself after realizing the group was too large to get everyone’s input.

“So, the professor kept looking at the ceiling during class, and I couldn’t figure out why.”

Hayan was leading the conversation, addressing the group at large. Their classmates teased Hayan, despite listening attentively, and laughed at her stories.

Extroverts will be extroverts…

Eunho prodded the food Hayan had ordered for them, eyeing her. How could someone smile that brightly? It made even the worst jokes seem funny.

He thought she must have grown up loved, without facing any hardships. Hayan struck a perfect balance, knowing exactly how to make people laugh without making them uncomfortable. Not only that, but Hayan had a good sense for banter and accepted others’ jokes well. Even jokes that could potentially offend, she took them in stride. No wonder people liked her.

Not to mention, she was disgustingly pretty.

***

“Hey, but actually, when the two of you sit next to each other like that, you look good together,” someone commented mid-conversation.

“Jeongwon and Hayan?” The two sat side by side, looking like polar opposites.

“Look, they’re such a perfect-looking couple, aren’t they?”

Jeongwon subtly clenched a hand around her thigh. Tall and effortlessly cool in her sweats, the “handsome” Jeongwon and tiny Hayan in a cardigan and lace dress.

To anyone, they’d look like a perfect couple.

Of course, people would think Jeongwon was the boyfriend. Trying to hide her bitterness, she forced a smile. A compliment is a compliment, so she tried to take it that way. Being seen as handsome was obviously a good thing. But Jeongwon couldn’t stop rolling the words over in her mind. She felt suffocated. She wanted to storm out. She was often told that she was handsome, but hearing it in comparison to Hayan made it sting more.

Jeongwon forced a smile, intending to joke back with something like, “Oh, you just realized I’m handsome?” But Hayan interrupted her.

“So, that makes me the boyfriend, right? I’m the hottie?” Hayan giggled, pointing at her face. Her glittering, likely professional nail art sparkled.

“What?”

“Oh my gosh, Hayan.”

Their classmates exchanged glances before laughing harder. They thought it was ridiculous, but Hayan proudly put her arm around Jeongwon’s shoulder.

“Why? You said we look good together, didn’t you?”

Hayan grinned, studying Jeongwon’s face. Jeongwon looked at her, caught between laughing and crying, resulting in a surprised expression.

“Look, Jeongwon is really pretty. She’s got long eyelashes, pretty lips. I wish I looked just like Jeongwon...”

Hayan gazed at Jeongwon with an admiring look.

“So, if I were Jeongwon’s boyfriend, I’d be thrilled. Jeongwon, call me honey.”

As Hayan kept the joke running, their classmates burst into raucous laughter, pointing at her.

“Ah, Hayan, you’re such a comedian.”

“Where did you pick up that tone? You sound like a middle-aged man at a pub.”

Thanks to Hayan’s skillful distraction, Jeongwon managed to control her expression. The conversation seemed to have shifted away from her appearance, which was a relief, but she still felt stifled.

This inferiority complex again…

Sitting next to Hayan was difficult because Jeongwon felt like she would never be able to measure up. Hayan could laugh it off because she wasn’t the one being teased, being referred to as the “boyfriend.” If she were, it might have been different.

Or, Jeongwon wondered, was she deliberately shifting the focus by joking about herself being the guy, to highlight her own femininity even more. Was it intentional? Paranoid thoughts crept in—maybe Hayan purposefully put her arm around her shoulder to make herself look more delicate and cute…

Jeongwon bit the inside of her cheek. No, Hayan wasn’t that kind of person. She had probably shifted the focus on purpose, realizing Jeongwon was uncomfortable. Plus, she had taken control of the conversation before anyone could say anything else, making things easier for both Jeongwon and their classmates.

Hayan is pretty, has a great personality, and is smart…

Jeongwon felt so small for feeling inferior to someone like Hayan. It made her feel like trash.

What’s wrong with me…

Her feelings only seemed to grow more tangled as she gulped down some cola. Even the sharp fizz scratching down her throat didn’t clear her head. Jeongwon wasn’t the only one lost in thought. Eunho was also staring at his empty plate, deep in contemplation.

***

I’m finished eating. Would it be rude if I left now?

Having eaten the free meal, Eunho wanted to pat his full stomach and go home to play games. But it didn’t feel polite to leave when the one paying hadn’t told him he could go.

Eunho half-heartedly pretended to listen, poking at his plate with a fork.

“Shall we head out now?”

As if reading Eunho’s mind, Hayan started wrapping things up. She went out first to pay, and their classmates cheered her name.

“Hey, it’s just one meal. Next time, you guys have to get my meal, okay?” Hayan laughed. It seemed like things were wrapping up, so Eunho began to sidle away. However, Hayan appeared close behind him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, brows furrowing.

“Eunho, don’t you live near the school?”

“Yeah.”

With wide eyes, Hayan moved to walk beside Eunho.

“I live around here too! How come we’ve never bumped into each other?”

Hayan hit Eunho’s arm lightly. Eunho swallowed what he wanted to say: “Because I’m cooped up at home playing games.”

“Yeah, weird,” he said instead.

“If I’d known you lived nearby, we could have met up for meals sometimes.”

He wouldn’t have gone, though. Maybe if it were free food, he’d consider it.

Eunho and Hayan walked silently down the street. It’d take about 10 minutes to get home. Eunho thought these 10 minutes walking with Hayan would either be unbearably suffocating or completely exhausting.

“The weather’s nice, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

However, it wasn’t as uncomfortable or suffocating as he’d expected. Unlike the playful attitude Hayan had shown at the restaurant, she was quite calm and attentive to Eunho’s mood. Even if she didn’t make any jokes or start a conversation, the silence wasn’t particularly awkward.

Unexpected.

Eunho glanced over, observing Hayan’s profile. She didn’t look upset; rather, she was smiling softly as she walked, just looking ahead.

I thought she was an extrovert.

Perhaps she was adjusting to Eunho’s dislike for noise. But to keep things from being too quiet, Hayan occasionally asked him questions..

“Eunho, you like games, right? Do you go to PC cafes a lot?”

“Yeah, sort of.”

“Then do you know the best PC cafe around here for course registration?”

“Hmm.”

Hayan skillfully steered the conversation into Eunho’s area of expertise. Surprisingly, Eunho found talking to Hayan wasn’t all that uncomfortable.

Yep, a popular person is a popular person.

The same thought as before, but this time with an undertone of admiration. Since she interacted with people often, Hayan had a knack for putting them at ease.

As they approached the neighborhood where they both lived, Hayan suddenly spoke up.

“Eunho, you really have no interest in me, huh?”

At that, Eunho paused abruptly. Had he just missed something she said? Or was she saying it because she was annoyed about something? He was confused. No matter how cute and pretty Hayan might be, wasn’t it his choice whether to be interested or not? Flustered, he looked at Hayan.

Hayan was smiling broadly.

“Why are you suddenly saying that…?”

“It just came to mind.” She didn’t seem upset. In fact, she looked genuinely happy. “Can I have your number?”

There it was. Eunho was taken aback and thought it over. Was drinking on her behalf that one time misunderstood as flirting? Eunho had truly done it without any ulterior motives. Hayan was attractive, but he had no desire to date her. He didn’t want to deal with unnecessary complications. Even though she was looking up at him with eager eyes and holding out her phone, he hesitated to take it. It was sure to be a hassle. Besides, he had absolutely no intention of dating her.Gra

“Um, I…”

“I have a dream of having a guy friend.”

“A… guy what?”

A guy friend, not a boyfriend? When Eunho asked again, Hayan covered one cheek and laughed shyly.

“Whenever I made guy friends, they’d always end up telling me they like me… so I’ve never had a real guy friend.”

What was this, some sort of trick? Eunho chuckled dryly.

“So I wanted to be friends with a guy who has no interest in me. Let’s be friends, Eunho. Let’s have lunch together sometime, okay?”

Eunho felt truly embarrassed. He was honestly mortified. She hadn’t asked for his number out of interest or to flirt; she just genuinely wanted to be friends.

It was obvious, really. What would Hayan see in him to be interested? Flushing red, he quickly grabbed her phone.

“Thanks!”

Hayan smiled as she took her phone back. She saved him as ‘Eunho,’ without a surname, and then led the way, walking ahead.