Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Playground Surprise
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"Seo Jae-kyeom, I'm upset."
Ah. Here it comes.
I grabbed Seo Jae-kyeom, who had just brushed past me in the academy hallway without a word.
"I'm heading out first."
Kim Ga-eun, who was next to Seo Jae-kyeom, tactfully slipped away. She's decent-looking but always has this sour expression. Her tone is aggressive too. Not my type.
"Go ahead."
"See you."
After sending Kim Ga-eun off, I tugged at Seo Jae-kyeom's sleeve as he stared at his phone.
"What."
"I wanted to tell you I think I know who the culprit is."
"What culprit."
"The one who leaked my KakaoTalk chat last time."
"......"
I'd thrown out a topic that should pique his interest, but his reaction was lukewarm.
Seo Jae-kyeom turned off his phone screen and slowly lifted his head. He looked serious as he called my name.
"Han Ji-su."
This reaction was unexpected.
"I'm not saying I suspect you or anything."
"......"
"Did that really get leaked?"
"What do you mean?"
"No, it did get leaked, sure. But did it really spread from the motion sickness medicine room?"
"Or what..."
"You're saying you didn't screenshot it and send it to your friends, and that's how it spread?"
"What?"
"Otherwise, how would only that exact content be circulating?"
"......"
He's sharp.
Seo Jae-kyeom's deduction didn't stop there.
"Han Ji-su. From your KakaoTalk, it looks like you were egging Kang Da-hye on a lot. You were the one who first suggested sitting with me during math class, right? But didn't you tell me that Kang Da-hye ditched you to sit with me?"
"...That's not it."
"Well, relaying messages can involve some exaggeration, I get that. I have no intention of stirring things up by telling Kang Da-hye. But."
Seo Jae-kyeom pocketed his phone and looked straight at me.
"You're different from what I thought."
"......"
"Be careful. It's a thin line."
What if word gets out that you're the source? With that warning, Seo Jae-kyeom left without a goodbye.
Left alone, Ji-su muttered to herself.
"Why would that rumor even start."
I've never messed up like that before?
I just.
"I helped out a few times because I was worried you might actually start dating Da-hye?"
No, truth be told, I knew there was no chance of you two dating. You never showed any interest in Da-hye, Seo Jae-kyeom.
All I did was not tell Da-hye the truth about that. Even though I knew it'd crash and burn, I didn't stop her and even encouraged it? That's all.
If she mustered the courage to confess thanks to my nudging and got rejected for real, I could comfort her then. Anyway, it'd be fun to watch from the sidelines in the meantime.
Honestly, who sincerely helps out with someone else's love life?
Everyone cheers for their friends on the surface, but deep down, they hate seeing them do better than themselves.
'Lately, things are looking like it wasn't impossible at all.'
My mood soured.
Seo Jae-kyeom taking Da-hye's side, the class suddenly voting her class president, and her grades too.
This semester has been nothing but bad luck.
I came home in a foul mood and found a few letters on the living room table.
It was a desperate plea from Song Yeo-reum and her parents: Please let our family live. We've repented and reflected.
"Haa."
I'd told them I didn't need to see these, just throw them out as soon as they arrive.
Is the housekeeper not too bright?
Well, that's probably why she's doing housework for others at her age. Poor judgment means settling for that pay and those watches.
She's really dumb...
Ji-su set her bag down on the smudged, tear-stained letters and sat upright on the sofa. She called to the dog cowering in the corner since she walked in, while lost in thought.
'If Kang Da-hye gets Seo Jae-kyeom.'
Then I should snag Jeong Eun-seong to balance the scales, right?
Dating a trainee once or twice in high school wouldn't be bad.
Stealing Jeong Eun-seong, who was only hanging out with Da-hye lately, seemed like it would lift this rotten mood.
'Seo Jae-kyeom, Jeong Eun-seong...'
I want to do something right now.
Unfortunately, vacation starts tomorrow.
Well, there's plenty of time after vacation ends.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Da-hye, you're really not coming?"
"Yeah. I have stuff to do."
"That's too bad."
"Sorry..."
The news of Song Yeo-reum's suicide attempt, delivered alongside the end-of-term ceremony, fizzled out inconclusively.
No one knew for sure if it was true or false since she'd been absent from school for a while.
She vanished, leaving only rampant rumors behind.
For a thug who once openly beat up a classmate in the room, it was an anticlimactic end.
'Ji-su still says she doesn't know.'
My friends went to Lotte World as planned, but since I couldn't afford the tickets, I headed to the reading room.
'Mom. I don't need the special lecture. I'm doing tutoring with Seo Jae-kyeom. His mom said I could join too.'
'The lady?'
It's fine. I'm not some Cinderella dying to go to a ball.
I can go to Lotte World all I want when I'm an adult. A hundred times.
I glanced at the group chat with my friends—no photos from their fun day—then focused on studying.
As night fell.
Vrrr.
"Hello...?"
-Da-hye! We're at the playground near your place right now. Come out for a sec!
"Se-in..."
Click.
The call ended before I could say anything.
?
I was planning to head home anyway. I grabbed my bag.
Of course, my villa doesn't have a playground; I had to go to the nearby apartment complex. It was late, so the playground was empty.
The swing creaked and swayed as if someone had just been there. What the...? I tilted my head and stepped in.
Bang!
"Kyaa!"
I yelped in shock, covering my face with my hand.
"Hey, Da-hye, you got scared!"
"That's what a surprise is supposed to do!"
"Then it was a success, right?!"
Laughter erupted as my friends jumped out.
Do-yeon, Se-in, Su-a, Ga-eun, Yeon-hee.
Do-yeon brought up the rear, holding a cake topped with lit candles. The bang was from Su-a's popper.
"Happy~ birthday~"
"It's not my birthday?"
"Oh right. Congrats~ on first~ place~"
"To our beloved~ Da-hye~"
Se-in grabbed my dazed hand and urged me.
"Hurry and blow out the candles!"
"Yeah, quick!"
"Make a wish too!"
I blew them out on reflex.
"Please let Da-hye keep being first place forever."
Yeon-hee clasped her hands and closed her eyes.
Do-yeon held the cake steady for easy blowing; I spotted the messages my friends wrote on the white box beneath.
-Da-hye, congrats on first! So glad to be friends with you. Let's stay close forever.
-It wasn't fun today without you ㅜㅜ
-Seriously, if we weren't in the same class I'd have missed out on Kang Da-hye's charm
-Thanks always, love you
-Kang Da-hye dummy! lol Who am I
As I stared intently at the messages, Ga-eun plopped a weird hat on my head.
"Got it at Lotte World."
"Photo time!"
"What, Gyeong Se-in?"
"Polaroid!"
"At night?"
"Under the streetlight."
They were still in uniforms, apparently coming straight from Lotte World, and dragged me under the streetlight.
They positioned me in the middle with the hat and snapped photos amid giggles.
"Hey, what's this!"
"You look like a ghost!"
"Redo, redo."
......
"Puu..."
"Whoa, Da-hye's crying."
"Why are you crying."
Do-yeon hugged me, laughing.
Yeah. Why am I crying?
"Must be touched."
"Yeah..."
A lot...
Me, 29 in mental age, crying at a playground...
"Don't cry, now I'm tearing up..."
Se-in and Yeon-hee sniffled beside me. Ga-eun too, pretending not to.
Su-a, giggling at the crying and snapping Polaroids nonstop, got smacked on the back by Ga-eun and said,
"Da-hye deserved to cry. Do Ha-jun confessed to her."
"Facts."
"But did you see Jeong Eun-seong's abs back then? When Da-hye lifted his shirt to wipe her eyes."
"No way."
"Hey, describe it."
"Sit down. Wanna climb up there?"
We all climbed the structure Su-a pointed to. Even I, whose tears dried up at the abs talk, wiped the snot on Do-yeon's sleeve and clambered up.
We laughed and chatted for ages. In the dark, we shared cake with a single knife. Cream smeared on our faces, we flopped back.
Staring at the night sky together, someone started it—no one first.
"Let's stay close forever."
"Yeah."
"Even in college, keep in touch. Meet up often."
"We all have to go to Seoul unis to meet up. If someone goes local, we won't."
Ga-eun, are you T?
"Waa... I don't think I can get into a Seoul uni."
"Don't worry, Gyeong Se-in. We'll visit during break."
"I'll tutor you."
"For real?"
Lying next to me, Se-in turned her head to look. Our eyes met as we lay there; I smiled.
"Have a good break, guys."
"Why say it like we won't see you during break."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow then."
"Okay."
Through the open roof of the structure, the summer sky showed a twinkling yellow moon.
My phone buzzed in my hand, signaling a message.
Seo Jae-kyeom
> Tomorrow tutoring!!!!! 20:37
Forgotten already?! 22:33
Jeong Eun-seong
> Have a good break 22:36
It was the start of summer vacation.