The grip holding Louise's face wasn't that strong. She could turn her head or push his hand away easily.
But Louise didn't.
That was because buried beneath his angry eyes was sadness. For someone who would often suppress his emotions, he face was broken open with honesty. She couldn't take her eyes off it.
"…I'm sorry."
Her lips brushed against his thumb as she spoke.
"Really."
It was a little difficult to speak because of the gentle press of his finger on her lips. Louise apologized with all her heart.
"I don't blame the president for being angry with me."
"…What?"
Ian asked curiously, like he wanted to hear what Louise had to say.
"Well, it's very rude to assume something about someone without asking them first."
Ian slowly removed the hand that was holding her face. However, Louise did not move an inch and continued to look at him.
"What's more, it's even more disappointing if a trusted friend does it."
"So that's what it was."
Ian answered in relief. It was almost like he was saying, "Now I know why I was angry." Louise was curious about what he meant but didn't ask.
"Yes, it is."
"You're special to me."
"I'm glad you think that."
"I don't mean it as a joke. I really treasure you quite a lot."
"As a childhood friend?"
"Yes. And also–"
Ian patted Louise on the hair.
"–like family."
"Then, I hope you'll be a kind younger brother to your big sister."
"…How come I'm the younger brother? I'm your senior."
"I've always wanted to have a reliable younger brother."
"I've learned something new. Louise Sweeney's ideal type is a younger man."
Ian gave a small grin.
"I've held you up for too long. I apologize."
He stepped back in a smooth gentleman's apology. It was an astonishing change in demeanor, considering how serious he looked a moment ago.
"It's alright."
Louise smiled brightly and shook her head.
"Then go and get some rest."
He looked at the door where Louise had turned to. I'll watch you go in. Come on.
Louise wanted to bolt into her room, but it would seem a little offensive if it seemed like she wanted to get away from him in a hurry. Hence, Louise paused and gave Ian a sweet smile before closing the door.
Clunk.
She closed the door and was finally left alone. Louise leaned against the door and slid towards the ground. Now she was able to put down the point of view of "the girlfriend of the male lead." She recalled Ian's remarks from the standpoint of "reader."
"It means I'm not interested in Stella Lapis."
"My feelings weren't involved at all."
How could he! Being the male lead but not being interested in the female lead! It was irresponsible of him!
From seasonal flowers to fruit and all the way to the everyday weather, it was only the background for their love. Without it, the meaning of being in this world would be lost. And what would remain after that…
Who knows.
"I don't know what's happening."
Louise hugged her knees. Something was going wrong. But there was nothing she could do.
*
*
*
A week later.
Louise looked at Claire with tear-filled eyes.
"Claire is a liar…"
"Well, it wasn't a lie."
Claire answered with a shrug, and Louise collapsed in her seat in the student council room.
"You said there would be no student council activities during exam period."
"Exams are three weeks from now. It's technically not exam period yet."
Louise shook her head desperately.
"What do you mean? Tests are in two weeks and three days."
"Studying for a test is just as simple as going over your notes a day before, as long as you concentrate."
"…!"
"Why do you look so surprised?"
"How can you study like that and still get good grades?"
"Well, that's not really a question that a top student needs to ask."
Claire smiled awkwardly as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"It's about efficiency! To do well on my entrance exam, I sat at my desk from morning to evening and studied for several months until my butt was flat!"
And that was how Louise had gotten the top honors.
'Never ignore Korean study methods again.'
She was proud of her accomplishments. But why could Claire get good grades by simply looking through what she learned the day before the test? That was unfair.
Perhaps because of Louise's serious expression, Claire shared her usual study methods.
"It's not too difficult. I attend my classes and deal with my assignments straight away."
Wow…Louise had known that this was supposed to be a novel, but that was way too unrealistic.
As they spoke there was a knock on the door of the student council room.
"Come in."
At Louise's answer, two girls walked in. Louise guessed that they were preparing to study because they had books with them. One of the girls addressed them.
"Can we buy two stacks of paper and two bottles of ink?"
Louise gestured to one side of the student council room. Fresh ink and paper were stacked up neatly on the table next to a box labeled "Place payment here." Each girl took what they needed and placed their money in the box.
"Thank you! I'm saved now because the student council sells ink."
The girl hugged her thick book and smiled, and Claire replied kindly.
"If students run out of ink, they'll have to wait until the weekend to get permission to leave campus, which can be inconvenient. And it's our job to reduce the inconvenience of students."
"Thank you very much anyway."
The two girls left the student council room in a small rush.
"Whose idea was it to sell ink and paper in the student council?"
"It's tradition."
Louise, of course, had never heard of such a strange tradition. Come to think of it, the original story showed very little of the student council. Ian and Stella were just two people who kept to themselves and only had eyes for each other.
"We sell the ink, and the profits are used to buy what the students need."
"Like what?"
"Like the baskets we use in the laundry room."
Suddenly, there was another urgent knock on the door. Before Louise could answer, the door burst open and a boy wearing thick glasses rushed in to buy some ink and paper. The boy repeated, "I'm alive thanks to you, thank you, thank you very much," several times.
Umm, don't feel bad. This is about helping people.
Feeling a little cheered, Louise pulled out one of the party flyers. The thick paper was colored and expensive, and she had saved it for future use. On the back of the sheet Louise wrote,
Paper and ink sold in the student council room during examination period. This notice was posted with the approval of the managing director.
If she placed a few of these things around the library or school, more students would be able to enjoy this convenience. Louise immediately put her ideas into practice.