Vol. 1 Chapter 51: Chapter 51
Translated by Naralara
Edited by Naralara
“How is it??Is it okay?”
“…Isn’t it too naughty?”
“Hey, you have to wear something like this.?That way those bitches will flatten their noses, right??Bitch Sandra, how surprised would she be to see me and the prince side by side.?Isn’t it?”
Jennie, dressed as Catwoman, looked at herself in front of the mirror and gave a satisfied expression.
“However?…?Did you contact Philip??Did he come to pick me up?”
“No.?There was no such thing.”
“Isn’t it strange??He usually comes to my house.”
When attending a party as a partner with a woman, coming to the front of the house as an escort was one of the basics.?However, there was no way Jennie could hear such a thing in her over-excited ears.
“I don’t think it’s usually during this time though.?How about it??You can escort me.”
“…Jennie.”
Peter wept.?It was this part that the two were in sharp opposition.
“It’s okay.?Even if you weren’t invited, you’re my friend who came with me.
“Still, I…?I just don’t want to go.”
Peter shook his head.?With Jennie’s threats and conciliation, requests and pleas, Peter also prepared a suit, but no matter how much he thought about it, he thought that this should not be the case.
“Why??It will be fun.?It’s a party that only the best kids in our school are invited to.?If you go, you will never regret it.”
“…I probably won’t even fit in.”
What if Philip recognizes him??He said to Jenny that he had no contact with him, so maybe she would be angry.
“Then what about me?”
Jennie, who was fixing her makeup in front of the mirror, looked back and asked.
“Then what do I do??If other girls lock me in the bathroom, who will save me?”
“Am I going to go into the women’s restroom then?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.?Anyway, you are my one and only friend.?You have an obligation to watch the scene where I confidently take the seat next to the prince.”
“…?”
Peter was also concerned.
Even though it was the day of the party, there was no phone call for Jennie, so he wondered if the person who sent the letter was really the one who invited Jennie to the party.?He told Jennie to check this out again, but she didn’t seem to listen.
“You look like that again.?Are you saying you don’t believe me?”
“No, it’s because I’m worried about you.”
“If you’re that worried, you can escort me.”
Peter sighed deeply.?Jenniee was right.?If he was worried, it was probably the friend’s job to at least bring her to the doorstep.
“Yeah, I see.”
Peter’s mother asked outside the door if they weren’t ready yet.?It was within walking distance, but when she heard that they had been invited to a party for the first time, she decided to drive her own car.
“I’m done!”
Jennie, who had said the same thing 20 minutes ago, asked while blinking her eyelashes with mascara.
“How do I look?”
“Pretty.”
Peter smiled and pulled out a tissue to fix the smudged makeup on her.?When the two of them were ready to go down to the first floor, Peter’s mother liked it and took a picture of them.
“It’s like a pre prom.”
“Yeah.”
After getting into the car, Jennie did not stop talking for a moment.?It was proof that she was very nervous.
The party took place in a mansion less than two blocks from Philip’s house.?Philip’s father, famous enough to be mentioned in newspapers, owned three houses in the surrounding area alone.?One of them was used as a rental when guests stayed for a long time, and sometimes they hold parties like this.
“Go and have fun, both of you.”
“Thank you, Aunt.”
“Thank you.?I’ll call you when I’m done.”
Peter opened the car door first and walked out.?After holding Jennie’s hand and helping her get out, she closed the door.?Peter sighed as he watched his mother’s car move away.
Now really, it was his turn to escort Jenny.
“Jennie.?If the atmosphere is even a little strange, you can come out.?Understand?”
“Because you are really scared.?So, how are you going to get the surgery next week?”
She smiled as she stroked Peter’s hand with her long tail attached to her hip.
“The surgery is done by the doctor, not me.”
“That is even scarier.?You’re just putting yourself in someone else’s hands.?What if you can’t wake up forever?”
“Don’t say anything stupid.?Then you want me to die and regret it?”
The surgery next week was a really important one.?As Jennie said, there was a possibility that he would never wake up.?In fact, that was the case with every operation he underwent.?This time, it was a more difficult and dangerous operation than all the previous surgeries combined.?He waited almost four years to get surgery from Dr. Johnson, one of the top five heart surgeons in the United States.?The list of patients for surgery is long, and there are even rumors that the patients waiting for him will fill an American city.?Peter’s condition wasn’t good enough for surgery yet, but he couldn’t wait any longer.?If he missed this opportunity, his turn would be pushed back 20 years, so Peter decided to have surgery.
“Why will you die??You will live longer than me?After surgery, you’ll get better and come back to school.”
“I hope so.”
“Hey, that’s a long time ago, would you like to join the party?”
“Hmm, …?okay.”
With that answer, Peter only stared at the bell in front of the door, but didn’t even put a finger on it.?In the end, Jennie, who could not bear him, pushed him away and rang the bell without hesitation.?The door opened without asking who it was, whether it was because of the party.
The moment he stepped inside, Peter froze on the spot.?None of the people drinking and having fun were pretending to be someone else.?It was only natural that Jennie in her catwoman outfit caught everyone’s attention.
“…?Jennie.?Let’s go.”
“No.?It’s okay.”
Jennie, too, noticed something strange, but insisted on seeing Philip.
“Jennie.?only you…”
“Oh my, who is this??Isn’t that Jennifer Bate?”
“What are you doing here?”
Peter could tell who the women were talking about.?Sandra was a tall, dark-haired woman with dark makeup, Kelly was a blonde, busty, and bad-tempered Barbie doll, and Rachel was the woman next to her who looked like she was poisoning the food her fellow models ate.?It was because he heard Jennie talk about them so much it pierced his ears, and that was enough to recognize them at a glance.
“I came here by invitation.”
“Invite??By whom?”
“By Philip.”
When Jennie proudly raised her head and said, the girls burst into laughter.?The other people around also laughed at Jennie.
He had a foreboding of something bad.?Peter took Jennie’s hand and whispered quietly to get out.
“Why am I leaving??I was invited to a party.?Where is Philip?”
“Hey, he’s in the backyard pool.”
As soon as Sandra finished speaking, Jennie started walking across the living room.?Peter quickly followed and grabbed Jennie’s arm.
“Jenny, let’s go.?I think you better go home.”
“You’re like this again.”
“I think…”
“I didn’t come here to hear your thoughts!”
Jennie shouted in a sharp voice.?Peter was angry and wanted to go back, but he couldn’t leave Jenny here alone.
“Listen to me, Jennie.”
“There he is!”
Jennie, who found Philip, shook off Peter’s hand and ran away.?The courtyard connected to the pool had to go down half a floor.?Seeing Jennie running down the stairs, Peter sighed and followed her.
“Philip!?Philip!”
Jennie called his name and ran to the door leading to the backyard.?Until then, Peter had only thought of taking her back home.? He didn’t want to embarrass her in front of Philip any more.
“Jennie, let’s go back.”
“You go.”
“Jennie!”
“You go, Peter.”
Jennie gave her strength to open the door.?The door that had been closed moved tightly and opened with a rattling sound.
“Phil…!”
As Jennie took a step forward calling out his name, something poured down over her head.?Peter, who was standing next to her, also had it pour over him.
Upon confirming that the two were drenched, Sandra and the crew cheered on the terrace and liked it.?People around them also burst into laughter.
Peter froze on the spot.?The water that fell from above had a sour smell because it was a mixture of all kinds of food and alcohol.?When he wiped the food residue off his face with his palm, Peter could see Philip properly.
Lying on the bed next to Melinda, he slowly got up from his seat with a look of what the hell was going on.?His face, wearing a white shirt and black jeans, was a mixture of perplexity and bewilderment, and a little bit of annoyance as if he didn’t like the commotion.
“What’s the matter?”
When Philip asked that question, Jennie, who was trembling, said, “It’s me,” and looked at Philip.?Philip looked at her with puzzled eyes.?Peter immediately understood what that brief glance meant.
Philip doesn’t know her.?He had no idea how this situation was going.
“I, you invited me…”
Wearing revealing clothes and wearing ice-cold water, Jennie’s lips trembled.?The water smeared the mascara and made her face like something out of a grotesque movie.?Still, the people around her looked at her with interest as she continued to stutter to Philip.
“I, I mean…?”
“I’m sorry, but only invited people can come here.?You must have misunderstood something.”
Philip kindly explained to Jennie, but with a look of disbelief, she pulled out a wet piece of paper from her pocket and held it out.
“I, this…”
Philip did not accept the paper, glanced down once before answering.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”
“…?”
“Get me a towel over there.”
Someone handed the towels piled up by the pool, and Philip gave them to Jennie.?Philip said in a friendly but firm voice to Jennie, who was about to say thank you.
“If you run out of towels, you can use more.?The bathroom is over there, do you need anything more?”
If you don’t need anything, will you leave?
No one could not understand these last words.?Jennie asked, grabbing the towel and squeezing out her last courage.
“You do not know??I keep writing to you on orange stationery…”
“I’m sorry.?I never saw it.”
Having said that, Philip turned around and walked back to where he had been sitting.?Friends around asked Philip who these two were, and Philip shrugged and answered.
“I don’t know.?It’s the first time we’ve both seen each other.”
Peter’s body turned red as if blood rushed to his face.
Philip;s words were more shocking than when he was covered in dirty clothes.?He ran out of the house.?Jennie followed and called Peter’s name.?Peter was so embarrassed that he almost drowned.
To Philip, both Jennie nor Peter were just strangers.?He realized how foolish it was for him to be afraid to be recognized.
“Peter!?Peter!”
Jennie grabbed his arm.
“There is a misunderstanding.?Yes there is a misunderstanding?It’s because Philip doesn’t know what kind of letter I wrote yet.?If I go and explain the situation, Philip will clear up the misunderstanding and make it clear…”
“What misunderstanding?”
“What?”
“What kind of misunderstanding was there??Do you still think he must have read the letter?”
“Then what was the reply, that must have been what Philip wrote to me…”
“How do you think Sandra was preparing to pour water on you just in time?”
“What??Wait, what do you mean, then Sandra read my letter??It can’t be.?Did you write a letter in Korean??Philip obviously replied…”
“Does Philip know your name??He doesn’t even know your face.?He doesn’t know anything!”
Peter cried out loudly in anger that a passerby stopped and looked at him.
To Philip, Jennie and even Peter were just uninvited guests, nothing more.?No matter what he did, people like him could not belong to his world.?In the first place, they were different kinds of human beings.
The moment cold water poured down his head, Peter sadly realized the truth.?The only thing that came after the realization was shame, and anger at himself.
“He doesn’t know.?He’s not interested.?He was not interested in the first place.”
Peter said those words, not knowing if he was saying that to Jennie or himself..
“What do you mean by that?”
Jennie’s face turned red and she screamed.
“What do you know??It was you who wrote the letter.?Guess you don’t even know where Philip’s locker is??Isn;t it because you translated it strangely?”
“Stop it,” Peter shouted and started walking down the street.?Then Jennie persistently followed after him and chastised him.
“What did you write in that letter??What did you write?”
“I wrote what you wrote.”
“Didn’t you say something strange??So Philip got angry… so that’s why.?right?”
“Please stop!”
Peter said, shaking Jennie’s hand.
“Wake up?Jennifer Bate.?Please calm down.”
“…?”
“Philip doesn’t know you.?It has always been, and will always be.”
“Why are you saying that?”
“How long will you live in a delusion??Please face reality.”
It was for Jennie, and Peter poured out all the words he didn’t even mean to say.?He hated all this now and was ashamed.?He was so angry that he just wanted to disappear from this place.
Peter took Jennie’s arm and said firmly.
“See??This crappy and stupid looking thing is our reality.?They and we cannot be the same.”
Peter continued, looking at the mansion that was lit up brilliantly and the sound of music and laughter blended together.
“Wake up.?Wake up from your dreams.”
“Dream?”
“Yes.?Dream.”
“Why can’t I be like them??What do they say??If I were to go to Aunt Spencer’s house, it would be a house like that…”
“Aunt Spencer?”
When Peter asked with a snort, Jennie’s expression wrinkled wildly.
“What about Aunt Spencer?”
“Does Aunt Spencer even exist?”
Jennie slapped Peter’s cheek.?Blood dripped from his nose and wet Peter’s lips.?The bitter taste of blood reached the tip of his tongue.
“Do you think everything I told you was a lie?”
“…”
Peter didn’t say anything.?It was not that they were all lies, but there was always some exaggeration and lies in her words.?Peter did not stand by Jennie’s side, even though he knew that it was the only liberation she had endured through that difficult life.
“Then why the hell did you come to this party??If you didn’t believe me in the first place, why would you come to this party??… Ha ha ha ha ha.”
She smiled as she brushed her wet hair up.?Tears streamed down her smudged face.
“Did you follow me to see Philip?”
“What?”
“You also like Philip, don’t you??So you were secretly writing something else in my letter??Is that so?”
Jennie’s mental world was weakened,, and it was so disorganized that it collapsed with the touch of a hand.?The only thing that could come out of her was accusations and anger towards the other person.
“You were pretending to be helping me and fussing behind me.?Right??You hooked up with that piggy Fred too.?Even Fred says he goes into heat when he sees you.?I saw the soccer punks walking with you and me, and I heard a giggle saying that if they had to go with either of us, they would hit you.?Hahaha.?Did you deliberately go out and flirt with the Korean group you attend??But Philip doesn’t pay any attention to you, so you’re taking revenge on me like this.?Isn’t it?”
Peter was at a loss for words.?His fingertips trembled at the thought that the person swearing at him, as if possessed by evil, was really the friend he loved.
“Shall I go and tell Philip??Tell him you like Philip, and you wrote the whole letter!?In fact, it’s all up to you!”
Seeing Jennie raising her hands wide and screaming, Peter answered quietly.
“Jennie, stop it.”
“Why??Are you embarrassed??I’m going to tell him.”
Peter knew that Jennie didn’t even know what she was talking about.?Still, he couldn’t hold her and pat her.?He didn’t want to then.?There was no room for that.
It was the same hurt and the same hardship, Peter believed.
Peter was also just 18 years young.
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
Peter walked out, leaving Jennie behind.?That was the last conversation he had with Jennie.
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com