Chapter 47 "Are You the Dog on the Street?"

Chapter 47 "Are You the Dog on the Street?"
Throughout Julie’s entire academic career, the phrases she abused the most in her AP literature essays were "time flies like an arrow" and "the years fly by like a shuttle." Now, she was finally experiencing the terrifying reality of those words. It felt like midterms had literally just ended yesterday, and suddenly, she was blinking and realizing it was time for the monthly exams again?!
Fortunately, she had learned to find joy in the suffering.
For instance, during exam days, evening study hall was canceled. Every available classroom was converted into a testing room. After the final bell rang the day before the exams, the students voluntarily began moving desks and rearranging the room. Standing by the balcony railing on the upper floor, Julie looked down. The students swarming across the campus looked exactly like a massive colony of little black ants frantically hauling food before a rainstorm.
A familiar voice drifted over from behind her. "What are you looking at?"
She didn't even need to turn around to know it was Warren Gale. She quickly waved him over, eager to share the view. "Look! Don't they look like a massive army of little ants scurrying around before a rainstorm? Isn't it cute?"
To high school students, exams were exactly like an impending torrential downpour.
Warren had no idea how her brain came up with these bizarre, whimsical comparisons. He looked at her and said softly, "It is cute."
"Are you done moving the desks?" Julie asked once she had finally stopped giggling at the ants.
She had to admit, Class 3's Warren Gale was actually a genuinely good guy.
His kindness wasn't loud or performative, but now that she was actually paying attention, she saw it everywhere.
There were more boys than girls in their class. Whenever heavy lifting was required, he never let a single guy rest. Every single boy was drafted into manual labor. Absolutely no slacking allowed. The girls were strictly relegated to pointing and directing the boys on where to put things.
"Yeah," Warren nodded. "It's getting late. You guys should go grab dinner. Get to bed early tonight and do your best tomorrow."
"I'm in no rush~" Julie replied casually. "I'm waiting for Tania. We're going to the back street to eat."
"I see."
Warren nodded, checking his watch. "Alright. Stay safe."

At first, Gary couldn't figure out why Warren had suddenly changed his dinner plans. But the second they walked out the back gate, took a small detour, and spotted Julie and Tania standing outside a small Korean restaurant, he instantly achieved enlightenment.
So. Because you won't be in the same testing room for the next two days, you won't be able to see her constantly. And this is how you fix that.
Is it really that serious?!
Gary violently elbowed Warren in the ribs. "Bro, you need to dial the clinginess back. Seriously. Be careful, or the random dogs on the street are going to realize you're completely obsessed with her."
If this were after the Gaokao, Gary wouldn't care how wild Warren got. But they were in the absolute trenches of senior year! Was he not terrified Miss Bell was going to march down here with a machete?! Could his best friend please show a tiny ounce of restraint?!
Warren didn't even blink. He replied perfectly deadpan. "Are you the dog on the street?"
"You're asking for a death wish," Gary hissed, punching him in the arm.
Julie was genuinely surprised to see them walk up. But thinking about it, it made sense. The back street was packed with food stalls, but this specific Korean restaurant survived the brutal turnover rate of the next ten years for a reason. The food was cheap, delicious, and the vibe perfectly catered to high school aesthetics. The walls were plastered with posters of trending K-pop idols, and the mounted TV constantly played K-dramas and variety shows.
Tania was aggressively playing Fruit Ninja on her phone. She glanced up, completely calm and totally unfazed by Warren and Gary's sudden appearance.
"Wow, what a coincidence!" Gary cheered, dragging a plastic stool over and planting himself down next to them.
"Are you guys eating here too?" Julie asked, waving the tiny piece of paper with her queue number printed on it. "Why don't we just share a table? That way you don't have to wait as long."
"Sounds great!"
Under Gary's aggressive direction, Warren smoothly and naturally took the seat directly next to Julie.
Tania subtly side-eyed the arrangement, pretended she saw absolutely nothing, and looked back down at her screen, aggressively swiping at the digital fruit. Slash, slash, slash!!
"Do you guys come here often?" Julie asked.
"It's alright," Warren replied. "The stone pot bibimbap is pretty good."
Gary immediately looked down at the ground, terrified he was going to burst out laughing and ruin his bro's game.
What the hell are you talking about? We've eaten here exactly one time! You are incredibly bold!
"You like the bibimbap too?" Julie's eyes lit up. "I love it! Theirs is actually pretty authentic. The only problem is the wait is forever, and the food takes forever to come out."
"It does take a while," Warren agreed smoothly. He paused. "But as long as it tastes good, it's fine."
Gary hadn't originally planned on actively trying to insert himself into the conversation, but listening to the two of them chat, he suddenly felt like an incredibly massive, glowing third wheel. He couldn't help but look at Tania in pure awe. She is a legend. Tania was completely unbothered. She had perfectly blended into the street, into the restaurant, into the very fabric of the universe. The ultimate background NPC!
He was more than willing to take a bullet for his best friend, but he was genuinely starving right now. He cleared his throat loudly, trying to get their attention. Warren acted like he was completely deaf, refusing to even glance in Gary's direction.
"I'm gonna go buy drinks," Gary announced, desperately searching for an escape route.
Warren gave him a flat look and said nothing.
Julie practically threw her hand in the air, looking ready to compose a sonnet praising Gary's absolute selflessness. "Me! Me! Me! I want a drink! Bring me one!"
"..." Gary muttered, "What do you want?"
"Taro milk tea with boba!"
Gary gave a half-hearted nod and stood up to leave.
To his absolute shock, the ultimate background NPC, Tania, stood up too. As Gary stared at her in confusion, Tania looked at Julie, pressed her lips together, and whispered softly, "I'll go too."
Gary: "??"
He was still completely baffled as they walked away. He looked at Tania. "Tania, why did you..."
"What?" Tania asked, her tone perfectly flat.
"Nothing..." Gary trailed off, suddenly bursting into a low chuckle. "We are two lost souls stranded on the same miserable boat!"
Julie and Warren sat outside the restaurant, chatting happily. It wasn't until the waiter opened the door and called their number that Julie finally realized Gary and Tania had been gone for a suspiciously long time. She leaned over, peering toward the bubble tea shop. The sky got dark early these days, and from this distance, she couldn't see a thing. Pulling out her phone, she dialed Tania's number.
Tania answered quickly. The background noise was incredibly loud, accompanied by the distinct sound of someone aggressively slurping noodles. "The line at the boba shop was insane, so we went somewhere else. There's a new noodle place over here, and I was starving... uh, do you want to come over?"
Julie: "..."
She was speechless. "They literally just called our number!"
On the other end of the line, Tania wiped her mouth with a napkin. Some things were better left unsaid.
She knew there was something going on between Julie and Warren.
And she figured the reason Julie hadn't told her about it was because she was too embarrassed to admit it. Tania completely understood.
After hanging up, Julie complained to Warren. "They were starving, so they couldn't wait and went to a noodle shop down the street. It's not too far. Warren, do you want to go find Gary?"
"No." Warren glanced into the cozy restaurant. "We're already here."
Julie felt exactly the same way. She had waited out in the cold for ages; there was absolutely no way she was leaving without her stone pot bibimbap! A high school senior's time was incredibly precious! She ordered her bibimbap and a bowl of Korean seaweed soup, then handed the menu to Warren.
The waiter stood by with a notepad, waiting for him to order.
"I'll have the bibimbap too." He turned to Julie for the second half of his sentence. "Is there anything else you want to eat?"
"I already ordered," she said.
Warren hesitated. "You don't want a drink?"
"I ordered the seaweed soup."
"Alright..." Warren hadn't eaten many meals with her, so he wasn't entirely sure what her preferences were. He couldn't make up his mind. "So I'll just get the bibimbap?"
The waiter had no idea why Warren was taking so long. Thinking the question was directed at him, the waiter confirmed, "Two stone pot bibimbaps, one seaweed soup. Correct?"
Julie took a small sip of her barley tea.
Warren nodded. "Yes."
Resting her chin in her hand, Julie focused entirely on the mounted TV. She was watching a variety show where celebrities pretend to be married couples. Seeing them act incredibly sweet, a massive, giddy smile spread across her face. Romance is honestly way more fun to watch when other people are doing it. Especially when they're ridiculously good-looking.
Warren had no idea what she was smiling at. He followed her gaze and stared at the screen for a while. He completely failed to understand the appeal.
Seeing how engrossed she was, he didn't want to bother her. Having eaten here once before, he was fully prepared for the agonizingly slow service. He pulled his phone out, rested his elbows on the table, and started playing a mobile game to kill time. Occasionally, he would look up and watch her take a sip of water. Suddenly, the excruciatingly long wait didn't feel so agonizing anymore.
Julie gently set her cup down. Her eyes drifted to Warren's hands moving rapidly across his phone screen. His movements were incredibly fast and precise.
He looked so intensely focused on the game. Maybe this is how he relieves stress, she thought.
The corners of her mouth curled up.
Thank god I'm not the only one feeling the pressure.

The tiny restaurant was incredibly warm. Having eaten her fill, Julie felt a comforting heat radiating through her entire body. Even her cheeks felt hot. When they walked back outside, she didn't immediately put her thick winter coat back on. She just hugged it to her chest. As the cold night wind hit her, she surprisingly didn't feel cold at all. She couldn't help but sigh softly, "I am so incredibly happy right now."
She ate a delicious bibimbap, drank amazing seaweed soup, and her hands and feet were perfectly warm. Life was good.
She could go back to the dorm, take a hot shower, and go to bed early. Life was perfect.
Hearing her soft murmur, a smile spread across Warren's face. He stopped right beside her. They crossed the street together, walking back toward the campus. Someone on the side of the road was selling roasted sweet potatoes, filling the freezing air with a warm, sugary scent.
They took a shortcut through the sophomore academic building.
At this hour, the campus was completely dead. Because it was so quiet, even the slightest sound echoed clearly through the night.
Julie's sharp ears picked up a few distinct words. She slammed on the brakes.
Warren took two more steps before realizing she wasn't next to him. He turned around.
She wasn't paying any attention to him. Softening her footsteps, she crept stealthily toward the source of the sound. Completely bewildered, Warren followed her, stepping into a dark, unlit corner of the courtyard where the streetlamps didn't reach.
Warren had absolutely no idea why he was suddenly creeping around on his tiptoes.
He was probably just subconsciously copying Julie.
Just as he was wondering what the hell was wrong with his brain, he failed to notice that she had stopped moving. His chest bumped directly into her back.
Julie nearly shrieked. She slapped both hands over her mouth and whipped around in absolute terror. In the darkness, only her smooth forehead and her incredibly bright, wide eyes were visible. The panic in her eyes quickly softened. She shot him a fierce glare, putting a finger to her lips and letting out a sharp breath of air—Shhh! She pointed aggressively into the darkness. Look! Look! Drama!
They had walked right into the absolute climax of an incredibly dramatic play!
Warren held his breath.
Through the shadows, they could vaguely make out three figures standing in a tense triangle.
Based on the voices, it was two girls and one guy.
Girl A was crying hysterically. "He's the one who kept texting me late at night trying to seduce me! I didn't even want to talk to him! Sob, sob, sob! He wouldn't stop messaging me..."
The guy aggressively defended himself. "Why the hell would I text you?! You're the one who completely copied my profile picture!"
Girl A sobbed even louder. "I literally never even looked at your stupid profile picture! You like Kid the Phantom Thief, does that mean I'm not allowed to like him too?!"
Girl B let out a loud, disgustingly cold scoff. "I don't care what the hell is going on between you two, but you're both absolutely shameless! I'm posting this entire massive mess on the school forum right now! I'm literally going to throw up my dinner!"
Girl A wailed. "Post it then! Just don't end our friendship over this..."
Warren: "..."
Bathed in the pale moonlight, he looked down at Julie. His expression was a mixture of absolute disbelief and utter helplessness.
They were both currently plastered flat against a brick wall, aggressively eavesdropping on high school relationship drama.
Warren was going to turn eighteen in less than a month. Even in his absolute most childish, toddler years, he had never done anything this incredibly ridiculous.
The three-way argument quickly devolved into the two girls brutally teaming up to verbally destroy the guy.
Just as Warren's legs were starting to go numb from standing perfectly still, a weak beam of light swept across the courtyard in the distance. It was immediately followed by the heavily accented, terrifying roar of the discipline teacher on night patrol. "WHO'S THERE?! DON'T YOU DARE RUN!"
It was the end of the year. The teachers were aggressively trying to hit their KPIs, determined to brutally eradicate every single secret teenage romance on campus. No survivors.
Before Warren's brain could even process the threat, Julie had already violently grabbed his arm and bolted.
The three tragic idiots in the courtyard were still way too deeply immersed in their love-hate drama. By the time they realized what was happening, it was a full minute too late.
In the freezing wind, the young girl dragged the boy behind her, sprinting wildly through the darkness. The howling wind whipped their hair into a chaotic mess.
Warren Gale, the flawless, perfect student for his entire life, felt a massive spike of adrenaline surge through his veins. It felt like an insane game of hide-and-seek. Every single panicked, frantic footstep they took in the dark fell perfectly onto a beat, composing a wild, breathtakingly beautiful melody in what was supposed to be his boring, monotonous teenage life.