Liar and Liar - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 40

 

“….”

 

Danielle watched in real time as Chris’s expression instantly turned cold. As if he had been the one wronged, Chris’s face was shockingly frigid.

 

“…This is ridiculous. At this age and still pulling stunts like this.”

 

For some reason, Danielle was reminded of a few weeks ago when she had picked up binders that had been thrown in the trash. When she took them to the restroom to clean them, tears had welled up in her eyes.

 

“The gym clothes… I have mine in my locker, want to wear those? If you don’t want to, I’ll check the basketball team room. But those are all basketball team clothes…”

 

“…Thanks. Could you lend me the gym clothes then?”

 

The gym clothes had the same design regardless of gender anyway, so no one would notice. Many female students deliberately bought larger sizes to wear them loosely.

 

‘I thought of him as such a bad guy.’

 

“Thanks… I’ll pay you back somehow next time.”

 

“I suggested being friends so I wouldn’t have to hear things like that.”

 

Chris brought gym clothes and a pack of tissues from his locker. Then he helped Danielle clean her locker.

 

“Lunch time is almost over. It’s okay if you want to go.”

 

“Don’t say that. How could I just leave?”

 

Danielle pressed her lips together tightly. Someone’s pure kindness and warmth felt so unfamiliar to her.

 

Eventually, Danielle slowly nodded without saying a word.

 

* * *

 

‘Thank goodness.’

 

Having changed into Chris’s gym clothes, Danielle was fortunately able to arrive at the gymnasium in time for PE class.

 

“Thanks… I’ll pay you back somehow next time.”

 

“I suggested being friends so I wouldn’t have to hear things like that.”

 

Right, asking Chris was the right thing to do.

 

‘Not Frederick…’

 

He had said to contact him if anything happened, but she had never agreed to that. She had said she would do so ‘if possible.’

 

That situation wasn’t ‘if possible.’ End of story.

 

“Where’s the teacher?”

 

“Something came up, so he told us to have free time.”

 

Hearing the male students’ conversation, Danielle stopped walking in front of the smooth wall. The female students were already seated in the bleachers, and the male students were gathered around the basketballs.

 

Danielle’s reflection appeared on the wall that resembled blue cellophane. Danielle stared at her own image intently.

 

The second problem that arose from dating Frederick was right before her eyes.

 

‘…I’m ugly.’

 

Gloomy. Looks uptight. Glasses nerd.

 

Danielle hurled harsh words at herself without hesitation. As if being ugly were a crime.

 

In Lower School, the concept of dressing up didn’t exist, and in Middle School, she didn’t have the capacity to care for her appearance. And now here she was.

 

Whatever it was, just keep it neat. That was the extent to which Danielle cared about her appearance.

 

‘Is it that bad?’

 

Since her younger brother was diagnosed with a rare disease, only studying had been everything, so Danielle had never once considered her appearance a problem.

 

But now she could see herself clearly.

 

Her shabby appearance that could only be described as ugly.

 

“Hello, beautiful.”

 

“Because you’re breathtakingly pretty?”

 

Joshua, that piece of shit. At least wet your lips before lying.

 

Rough straight hair. Stuffy glasses. Pale lips. It was a haggard appearance that would be hard to call pretty even as a lie.

 

‘Do I look ugly to Frederick too…?’

 

I must look ugly, right?

 

Danielle turned her head and cast her gaze toward the female students gathered in the bleachers. She didn’t need to look long.

 

‘…They’re pretty.’

 

Except for being perfectly groomed from head to toe, their styles were each different. The important thing was that they all sparkled equally regardless of race.

 

Before the female students noticed her gaze, Danielle quietly looked away.

 

* * *

 

Danielle was looking at a book spread open on the library desk while copying the contents onto a legal pad. Perhaps because it was class time, there were no other students on the floor where Danielle was.

 

Perhaps because she wasn’t wearing earphones, the other person’s presence came crashing over her as clearly and undeniably as always.

 

Before Danielle could lift her head, the other person pulled out a chair and sat across from her.

 

“PE class became free time, right? It’s free time but you’re studying again?”

 

Eventually Danielle’s pen stopped. When she looked up, Frederick was sitting there as if it were natural, with both elbows of his crossed arms resting on the desk. With a gentle smile.

 

“I have to.”

 

“Even though I gave you test files, you still have that much to do? I wish you’d take it easy.”

 

Frederick casually took out a pen from Danielle’s pencil case. He put the pen between his fingers and lightly tapped near Danielle’s thumb with the pen tip.

 

After seeing the prettily dressed girls, her conclusion was the library. Danielle thought this was probably her biological limit.

 

She had no choice but to come to the library. Because studying was her only value.

 

“Drinking that murky water again?”

 

Frederick reached for Danielle’s tumbler on the desk. At that moment, Danielle, who had shown no reaction until then, became alarmed and quickly grabbed the tumbler.

 

“Don’t, don’t touch it, okay? I hate it when people randomly touch my things.”

 

“I’m making an effort here~ You told me to broaden my horizons.”

 

“You can buy and drink your own. Not mine.”

 

Danielle knew she was being more prickly than necessary. But she couldn’t help it.

 

Because what was in the tumbler wasn’t iced americano.

 

Danielle put the lid on and closed the tumbler completely.

 

“Didn’t you like the coffee I gave you?”

 

“…It wasn’t bad.”

 

“But I’ve been meaning to ask, how do you know Italian? You never took Italian classes at school.”

 

Here it comes. Danielle did her best to manage her expression. The double hit was more burdensome than expected.

 

“Do you know Duolingo? You don’t, right? It’s a language application, and it was on there so I tried it a bit.”

 

“Hmm. But you choose the language yourself, don’t you?”

 

“They give you various things if you briefly study the languages they recommend. I was trying to get rewards.”

 

Lies upon lies upon lies.

 

Danielle felt like she had become a complete liar. When living honestly had been her motto.

 

“For that level, you’re way too good at Italian.”

 

Danielle’s heart quietly panicked at the tightening investigative net.

 

“Wait, that’s not just briefly studying. You understand what I’m saying right now, don’t you?”

 

Frederick’s Italian turned this place into the heart of Europe. His fluent and languid tone perfectly harmonized with the nuance of Italian.

 

It felt like not only her ears that the voice reached but even her heart was being tickled, but Danielle calmly replied as if nothing was wrong.

 

“If you have nothing to do, you should study too.”

 

“You teach me some Korean.”

 

“Why should I.”

 

Korean being a minority language was fortunate for Danielle. In Lower School, she had said “how annoying” to Frederick’s face several times.

 

…Of course, when she almost got caught doing that, she thought her heart would drop.

 

“…So, what does ‘jaeseopseo’ mean? Please tell me.”

 

“Frederick! Asking about Korean from behind like that is cheating. Cheating! Unfair!”

 

She still got goosebumps thinking about that moment.

 

“I’m not asking you to tell me everything one by one. Just tell me ‘Honey, I forgot to reply.'”

 

“….”

 

Frederick was like a cat that had just woken up from a nap. His languid smile was flawless.

 

“Something I could say when you forget to reply to me.”

 

After a moment of silence, Danielle slowly opened her mouth.

 

[I love you.]

 

Though she had blurted it out impulsively, Danielle’s intention was simple.

 

That I can deceive you too. That I’ll treat you like a fool and play with you like a toy.

 

Anyone watching would think she was doing everything possible to hear Frederick say he loved her, but Danielle felt justified.

 

No, she had felt justified. Until she heard the clumsy love confession that came from Frederick’s lips.

 

“Sswa, ra, hey?”

 

Danielle pressed down hard on her heart’s turbulent commotion. The box in her mind rattled. A box containing her true feelings that even Danielle herself didn’t know about.

 

[Sa. not ssa.]

 

“Ah. ‘Sa’.”

 

[Rang. L not R.]

 

“Reang?”

 

[Hae. Eh.]

 

“He!”

 

Frederick lowered the hand that had been supporting his chin and called out softly with a smiling face.

 

[Saranghae.]

 

“….”

 

Danielle tightly gripped the hem of her gym clothes where Frederick couldn’t see.

 

“If I say it like this, does that count as you replying to me?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

Saranghae, saranghae.

 

Frederick’s quiet voice struck mercilessly at the very center of Danielle’s heart.

 

“The sound is so cute. Is it because I learned it from my darling? Or is this word naturally like this?”

 

“Let’s get up. I can’t concentrate because of you.”

 

Danielle stood up from her seat and unconsciously grabbed her tumbler to take a drink.

 

What was in the tumbler wasn’t an iced americano or regular latte, but a shakerato. A subtle sweetness coated her tongue.

 

It was sweet. Excessively so.

 

However, the moment she gathered her things from the desk, a completely different voice from before settled by Danielle’s ear.

 

“…Whose pants are you wearing right now?”

 

Startled by the calm but chilling voice, Danielle quickly lifted her head forward. Frederick was also standing like Danielle. His gaze was fixed on Danielle’s pants.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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