Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Survival Game
Anyone played survival games?
It's a game where you suit up in military gear, strap on helmets with goggles, grab paintball guns, and blast each other in a massive field out in the mountains or some farm.
Rules vary—flag capture to steal the enemy team's banner, annihilation to wipe them all out—but one thing stays constant.
Those paintballs sting when they hit.
"Team? No need. We're going solo! Everyone but me is the enemy! Till only one survives!"
Our homeroom teacher yelled while slipping on her goggles. "Start by shooting the guy next to you!" No matter how you slice it, she was the most hyped out of all of us.
Earlier, chatting with her, I accidentally glimpsed the KakaoTalk messages on her screen. She and the literature teacher were plotting stuff like, "I'm gonna snipe Class 1's homeroom teacher dead."
"Gonna land nothing but headshots..."
Our teacher smirked, side-eyeing Class 1's homeroom teacher sipping a canned coffee over there.
Teaching life must be rough.
Cheering her on silently, I rolled up the military jacket sleeves dangling past my fingertips.
"Ah, I don't wanna do this..."
"Can't we just watch the show or something..."
Over there, the Class 1 kids grumbled while strapping on chest protectors over their tops.
That's right.
This game's a joint op with Class 1.
Reason: Group discount kicks in at 30+ players. Our class is short thanks to transfers like ex Jang Ji-won and Do Ha-jun.
"My makeup's done—if I sweat, ugh..."
"I'm gonna look hideous."
"Why'd I even bother with the curler this morning?"
I glanced at Ji-su, who was smiling sweetly amid the Class 1 girls cranking up their whining for our benefit.
She caught my gaze and turned. Our eyes locked.
"......"
"......"
This time, I held firm. Until she looked away first.
Ji-su ignoring me like always—her friends shot glances our way, whispering furiously.
Yeah, gossip away.
You girls don't faze me anymore.
Because today...
I'm gonna scar up that face of Jeong Eun-seong's over there...
"...How's it fit?"
"......"
"Kang Da-hye."
"Huh?"
I jolted back to reality and looked up. Seo Jae-kyeom was fiddling with my protector—"This is way too big for you"—pouting with his lips pursed.
"Sorry. What'd you say?"
I hadn't caught a word. Guiltily scanning his face, he wordlessly followed my line of sight.
"...Sorry."
I apologized again.
Because the one I'd been staring at, ignoring Jae-kyeom entirely, was Jeong Eun-seong.
Since yesterday's blowup—post-lunch—he hadn't said a single word to me. There he stood with a long-barreled paintball gun slung over his shoulder, staring at the dirt.
"Cool."
"Why's my heart racing?"
Even the Class 1 girls who'd whined about hating this were murmuring excitedly about his blank expression.
...Before my regression.
After this survival game, Jeong Eun-seong vanished. Asked around—he'd gone to the hospital. Came back with gauze plastered on his face.
We're all in full face shields now, and the safety crew hammered home: Do not remove. Do not aim for the face. So what the hell happened?
Unlike me, drilling holes in him with my eyes, he didn't spare us a glance.
Ha.
"Kang Da-hye, that guy's bugging you?"
"Less him and more..."
"......"
"Anyway, seriously sorry. I'm spaced out today. What were you saying?"
"...Nothing."
Seo Jae-kyeom dropped his gaze with a smile and pressed the paintball gun into my hands.
"You know how to fire it?"
"Just learned."
"Right. Give 'em hell."
"Yeah. Will do."
My goal's elsewhere, sure.
"Kang Da!"
I mimed shooting back at my friends miming shots at me.
Ji-su with her soft smile. Her giggling crew. Jeong Eun-seong oblivious to his doom, eyes on the ground. Gloomy Seo Jae-kyeom.
The game kicked off.
"Ow, damn... where is he?"
Absolute mayhem.
Start bell rang—boom, shooting, gun-grabbing...
Less than three minutes in, a dozen-plus down.
Dodging and rolling everywhere, realized Jeong Eun-seong was gone.
Suddenly realized Jeong Eun-seong was gone...
He's really gone.
"Can't even call."
Earlier: Phones might break—hand 'em over if you want. He was first in line.
Plan was: Pre-game alliance pitch, lure him to a corner, betray and paint him out early. Yesterday's chat blew it all up.
"Agh."
No choice—foot patrol it is.
Tall guy, yet nowhere.
Should've faked sick, whined for a nurse, bailed from the start.
Regret city.
Grumbling inwardly, combing the vast woods for him alone—
Rustle.
Leaf crunch behind me. Whirled—bullet whistled past, splattered the tree beside.
"Shit."
"Hey, can't you hit her?"
Ji-su's three friends who'd chased me giggled from the hilltop, lined up and aiming.
Solo mode, my ass—they teamed up just to take me out.
"You're done."
"Heh."
"......"
Why do they hate my guts?
No!
Don't care!
"Scram!"
Blasted away.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
"Ack!"
"Ack!"
"What?!"
Bet they expected me to freak or ask, "You hunting me?" No way they saw straight-up spray coming!
Whatever.
"Scram! Scram! Scram!"
Already dying to find him—don't need this!
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
"Outta my way!"
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Don't care why you hate me!
Don't care what you whisper when you see me!
Friend of a friend usually starts friendly—what'd Ji-su poison you with to make you despise and underestimate me like this!
Not!
One!
Bit!
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
And just like that, I dumped all 50 rounds from my virgin paintball gun into Ji-su's friends.
Click.
Only once empty did I lower it, a touch wistful.
"Phew."
So satisfying.
"Ah..."
"F*ck..."
Green paint from head to toe, they sniffled. Total wrecks. Tough break.
Tough break? Not my circus.
"Beat it, you outs."
Tossed my spent gun at slumped Friend One. Gooey mess she was, she snatched her own and popped up.
"Damn...!"
Aimed and fired—pop! pop! All misses.
God-awful aim.
"Why won't it hit!"
Pop!
Aim first.
Pop!
"But...!"
The hell?!
You're out! Why fire?!
Then—
Bang!
"Ack!"
Bang! Bang!
"Ack! Ack!"
Someone popped out, nailed Friend One's wrist—gun dropped.
"Zombie's twitching?"
Strolling up casual as hell:
"Do-yeon...!"
"Yep."
Spotless—no paint on her—Do-yeon clicked her gun at Friends 1-2-3.
"Twitch again. Next one's the neck."
She nodded my way, chill as ice.
"Hunting Jeong Eun-seong? 12 o'clock, up top. Flag battle start."
"Ah...!"
"Go. I'll babysit these."
Bang! Mid-sentence, tagged Friend Two's goggles dead-on as she twitched.
"Mommy!"
Paint-blinded, Friend Two half-stood then flopped, shrieking.
Wow.
Badass.
"Do-yeon..."
Wanna marry me...?
"Eugh."
She recoiled and swung her gun my way.
"Eek, sorry!"
I bolted.
"Kang Da-hye!"
"Eaaa sorry! Mercy!"
"What? Catch."
Snagged the gun she chucked. Huh—Do-yeon's dual-wielding now. That's how it works? Steal and stack?
"Scale that hill—he's right there."
"Got it! Thanks!"
True to word: crested the hill, spotted Jeong Eun-seong.
Staring down Ji-su, face-to-face.