Havey somehow managed to drag both of them into the car.
But peace didn't last even a second.
Lea suddenly bit his arm—hard.
"Ow! Hey—what are you doing?!" he shouted, trying to pull away. But she bit down even more.
"Lea! Let go!" he struggled, finally freeing himself with great effort.
Before he could even recover, Ivy kept staring at him.
"…What?" he asked, confused.
She gestured for him to come closer.
Suspicious but still concerned, he leaned in.
Poke.
"AAAAH—MY EYES!" he screamed as Ivy jabbed both his eyes with her fingers.
He dropped to the ground, rolling in pain.
After a while, barely recovering, he somehow got them both seated in the back of the car.
Havey sat in the driver's seat, pressing an ice pack against his eyes.
Why… why is my life like this…
Havey somehow managed to drag both of
them to Lea's condo.
"Lea, what's the passcode?" he asked, exhausted.
Lea gestured for him to come closer. He leaned in, hoping for cooperation.
"…my… passcode is…" she whispered softly—
Then suddenly shouted, "WHY THE HECK WOULD I TELL YOU?!"
"AHH—!" Havey jumped back, clutching his ears.
Lea started jumping around, while Ivy clung to his leg, refusing to let go.
Havey facepalmed.
Why is this my fate…
After countless struggles, bribing, guessing, and somehow managing to get the passcode out of them, he finally opened the door.
"Hahhh… finally," he sighed, dragging them inside.
He straightened up, massaging his neck.
"Now… I'm going home."
Ivy stopped him, holding his hand and swinging it.
"Ivy, I have to go home," Havey said gently. But she wouldn't let go.
He raised his voice slightly.
"Ivy—"
Her eyes welled up instantly. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Havey panicked.
"I—Ivy… don't cry. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to shout at you. Please forgive me," he said, holding his ears in apology.
Ivy just sulked, pouting.
He sighed and softened his voice. "Okay… let's do one thing. I'll do whatever you want—just to make you happy."
Her eyes lit up.
"Then… take me to an amusement park. I've never been to one."
"Alright… that's fine with me," he chuckled.
"Yayyy!! Finally!" she jumped excitedly like a child. "Do you know? All my classmates went to an amusement park… but I didn't. They said I don't deserve to go."
Her smile wavered for a second—then brightened again.
"Now… I finally deserve it."
Havey frowned. "Ivy… who said that to you?"
Both my parents said the same thing… but I don't think I can say it like that… she murmured to herself.
Havey gently held her shoulders. "Ivy… who said it?"
"My… foster parents," she replied innocently.
Something tightened in Havey's chest.
In that moment, everything clicked.
He remembered asking her earlier if she lived with her family—how she had hesitated, how something in her expression had shifted.
Back then, he hadn't understood.
Now, replaying it in his mind, he finally did.
He didn't feel like leaving her side anymore.
"Ivy… would you like to play with me?" he asked with a soft smile.
Ivy nodded.
"Ivy… can I ask you—" he paused.
She looked at him.
He shook his head and smiled. "It's nothing."
I don't want to know about her like this… not when she's drunk. I'll wait until she tells me herself.
He gently patted her head. Soon, she drifted off, resting on his lap
Just then, his phone rang.
He picked it up—it was a call from his mother.
"Havey, why aren't you home yet? Where are you?" she asked, clearly upset.
"…I'll stay out tonight, Mom," he said with a faint smile.
She paused, her expression softening.
Something felt off.
"Havey… what happened? Is something wrong? You can tell me," she said gently.
"Nothing, Mom… I'm just… tired. I'll call you later."
His mother could tell something was off, but she didn't press further.
"Okay. Don't stay up too late—sleep early."
"Mm."
He ended the call.
Soon, Havey drifted off to sleep, gently caressing Ivy's hair as she rested on his lap.
Meanwhile, Kylan returned home.
The earlier scene replayed in his mind—Ivy poking his abs, ruffling his hair, completely unfazed by him.
His expression darkened.
"She's… something else," he muttered.
For the first time, someone had crossed a
line with him so casually.
And he didn't like it.
The next morning, Ivy slowly opened her eyes and saw Havey. She realized she had been sleeping on his lap. Carefully, she moved, trying not to wake him.
Just as she was about to get up, she noticed Lea—sleeping on her lap.
At some point during the night, Lea must have found them and quietly joined in.
Ivy let out a soft chuckle.
A strange warmth filled her chest, and her eyes softened.
I never thought anyone would care about me…
And now… in such a short time… we've become this close.
"Do I… really deserve this happiness?" she whispered, lowering her head.
Havey gently caressed her hair and looked at her with a soft smile.
"Ivy… I won't ask about your past. But I can say one thing for sure—we'll be there for you. Whenever you're ready, you can tell us your struggles. What do you say, Lea?"
Lea smiled warmly and nodded. "Of course."
Ivy couldn't hold back anymore—tears streamed down her face as emotions overwhelmed her.
Havey and Lea gently pulled her into a hug, soothing her, softly patting her until she calmed down.
By the time she stopped crying, her eyes were swollen and red. Lea carefully placed an ice pack over them.
"Stay still," she said softly.
After some time, they got ready for college.
Since Ivy and Lea had different classes, they went their separate ways once they arrived.
Havey stretched and sighed. "I don't have any classes today… guess I'll go home and receive some sweet scoldings from my mom," he said, laughing before leaving.
On her way to class, Ivy spotted Kylan.
Without reacting, she simply walked past him as if she hadn't seen him at all, her usual poker face in place.
She entered the classroom and took her seat.
Soon, the class ended. Ivy packed her bag and was about to leave.
Just then, she saw Yoshua walking toward her.
He stopped right in front of her, staring straight into her eyes.
Ivy frowned slightly, confused.
"Oh! So here we have our great Miss Ivy," he said sarcastically.
She gave him a puzzled look.
"Wasn't it enough that you managed to attract Evyan's attention? Now you're trying to get close to Kylan too?" he said, his tone sharp with anger.
Ivy's expression remained unchanged.
Inside, Yoshua was fuming.
For the first time, Evyan showed interest in someone… and now it's her? A gold digger?
I can't stand this…
The entire class watched them like it was some kind of drama unfolding. Soon Kylan and Evyan entered the room.
"What are you—" Ivy started to speak.
But before she could finish, he cut her off.
"Don't act like you don't know anything. I know what you did. Isn't one man enough for you?" he said, looking at her with disgust.
Evyan frowned, confused. He leaned slightly toward Kylan.
"What's going on?"
Kylan didn't even look at him. His gaze remained fixed ahead.
"Just wait and watch… your favorite junior's real face," he said coldly.
"You are such a—" he stopped himself, clenching his jaw. "Don't you have any shame? How can you hurt someone like that?"
Ivy's brows furrowed slightly..
"What did Darsey ever do to you? Are you crazy? How could you push her down the stairs just because she talked to Kylan
"What?" she frowned, eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Are you serious? Who the heck is this Darsey?"
"Ivy, enough is enough. Show your acting skills to others—not in front of me. You—"
"Stop."
Ivy cut him off, her voice calm but firm.
"Did you actually see me push her down the stairs?" Ivy asked, her voice calm.
"Did you?"
"No… but the one involved told me it was you."
Ivy looked at him as if he had just said the most ridiculous thing.
Are you seriously believing that?
Her expression said it all—pure disbelief.
I really hoped I wouldn't get involved with these male leads…
But why do they keep dragging me into this?
This is so frustrating… I can't take it anymore.
"Just enough."
Ivy suddenly slammed her hand on the bench.
The sharp sound echoed across the room.
In an instant, the entire class fell silent.
"YOU BETTER SHUT YOUR F**KING MOUTH!"
Her voice rang through the classroom, sharp and filled with anger.
Yoshua flinched, taken aback.
Her eyes burned with anger.
"Bring Darsey here. Right now."
"It's better to talk to the person who was actually involved… rather than some arrogant brat."
Yoshua scoffed. "An arrogant brat? How dare you—"
"Are you asking for a beating?" Ivy snapped, her voice sharp and cutting. "Then shut your mouth and call her."
She shoved the bench forward, the screech echoing across the silent classroom.