Chapter 19
Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Classroom Reckoning
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey, you..."
"What."
Bang Eun-ji spat curses, but Gyeong Se-in's friend didn't even flinch.
Instead, she lifted her head even more defiantly, as if her anger was boiling over.
"Bang Eun-ji, don't you think you guys have gone too far?"
Gyeong Se-in chimed in from the side.
"How long are we supposed to put up with you all acting like delinquents?"
Her voice trembled, but that made it feel even more sincere. That sparked it—grievances erupted from all around.
"Ugh, seriously, how long are you gonna play bad girl? We're high schoolers, not kids."
"You think we avoid you 'cause we're scared of your shit? We avoid you 'cause you're gross, and now you don't know your limits."
"Doesn't it say 'Class Out of Bounds' on our door? So why barge into someone else's empty classroom?"
"What if stuff goes missing? You gonna take responsibility?"
Dozens of unkind stares zeroed in at once, making Bang Eun-ji flinch.
This wasn't like the glares she got from bullying and making noise before.
Bang Eun-ji's ears turned red as she turned back to Gyeong Se-in's friend who'd spoken up first.
"Hey, you sure about this? You think you can handle the fallout?"
"Enough. Bang Eun-ji, what the hell are you doing?"
The homeroom teacher cut in, face hardening.
"Threatening a friend right in front of the teacher?"
The teacher scolded her sternly, then turned to the friend.
"Su-a, is what you just said true?"
"Yes. Hwi-min from Class 7 saw it too."
"Hwi-min?"
"Class 7."
"During club time, right?"
"Yes."
"Bang Eun-ji, you said you felt sick and left during club time, didn't come back."
A boy from another class piped up from outside the room. Bang Eun-ji glared, but he just shrugged it off like 'what?'
Once one broke the ice, the boys who'd been silently watching joined in.
"Savage..."
"Crossed the line."
"Ugh, Kang Da-hye's notes can't go missing. I need to copy them."
"Kang Da-hye said she'd show me?"
"Crazy. I left my game console from Jungna in my bag. Hope that's not gone too."
"Who'd steal that, idiot."
"Wait, shit. It really seems gone."
"What?"
"Hey, Bang Eun-ji! Did you rummage through my bag?!"
"No!"
Feeling the tide turning against her, Bang Eun-ji yelled.
"There's no proof! Isn't it too much to gang up on one person based on a few kids' words?!"
You've been doing that exact 'too much' to Do-yeon all this time...
"I really didn't!"
She'd been all 'what if I did' a second ago, now denying it. It was Jeong Eun-seong who drove the nail in for her brazen lie, surprisingly.
"Teacher."
Calling the homeroom teacher in the same tone he used for 'Teacher, Kang Da-hye did this,' Jeong Eun-seong pointed at Bang Eun-ji with his eyes. He was holding a mop with water dripping from the handle.
"I saw her buy two strawberry milks at the canteen earlier."
"You did?"
"Yes. The canteen lady said she forgot to order more, so only two strawberry milks today, but she bought both and I couldn't get one."
"...Really?"
"Yes. And that milk's only sold at our canteen. Not at convenience stores."
"Caught red-handed."
"Teacher! Quick! Search Bang Eun-ji's bag! My console's worth 400,000 won!"
"Teacher, can we really not check her bag? Feels like money's missing from my wallet."
It was chaos...
I scratched my cheek, looking at the pale-faced Bang Eun-ji.
What now.
Even without this, she'd have to pay up.
"Ugh, seriously, it wasn't me!"
"Let's go downstairs first."
"Bang Eun-ji! You're not getting away with this! You're in big trouble!"
In an instant, Bang Eun-ji was branded a thief.
Her class homeroom teacher and ours dragged the fussing Bang Eun-ji away together.
The boy claiming his game console was stolen and Gyeong Se-in's friend—Ye-su-a—went down too.
"Ugh, seriously... fuck... why won't anyone believe me..."
"'Cause you're lying. Didn't know there's CCTV in the hall? It shows Class 2's back door too."
"You're not skating on this. Gotta call your parents. If the kids' stuff really got stolen, you pay up."
CCTV too? Justice lives.
Homeroom ended messily, and kids started packing up to head home.
"Kang Daaaa-hye..."
Restless Ji-su got dragged back to her class by her homeroom teacher.
"Kids, you know about the literature homework, right...? Book report due next Monday for sure..."
I'd finished mine ages ago, but now soaked in milk, gotta rewrite...
I weakly called out to the kids leaving the classroom, then clutched my tissues and squatted by my locker again.
Even after wiping, the strawberry smell lingered.
I flipped through the drenched books. Traces of my past self meticulously noting every teacher word from start to finish—all smeared by one milk carton.
"Ugh, nothing salvageable."
It's fine.
Notes from 11 years ago anyway; I wouldn't remember them.
"I'll help."
Do-yeon, who'd fetched disinfectant spray from the cafeteria, squatted beside me. She shoved my shoulder playfully and scrubbed my locker.
"You'll end up inside the locker at this rate."
I joked, but she didn't reply. Do-yeon's hands trembled as she wiped the last bits.
"...Sorry."
"Why you?"
"'Cause of me."
"Why you? It's Bang Eun-ji's shitty personality."
Poor, parents, uniform—picking at teen sore spots perfectly.
Recalling what Bang Eun-ji spewed at me, I let out a hollow laugh.
That damn bag!
"Thinking about it pisses me off. So what if I keep using an elementary school bag? Hate on kids?"
Thanks to kids, we get Children's Day off every year, and she disses them.
Bang Eun-ji, no days off for you on Children's Day. Ever. Even as an adult working!
"Watch me. I'll use this bag till it begs for death."
Using one thing long is eco-friendly. I'm on the front lines of environmentalism. I winked at Do-yeon while cleaning the bag.
Do-yeon, who looked half-ready to cry, ended up laughing.
Then a voice came from behind.
"Um, Da-hye."
"Yeah?"
I turned.
Gyeong Se-in and Su-a stood there. They peered into my locker.
"You okay? Ew, strawberry smell."
"What now..."
"It's fine. All wiped. Su-a, what'd the teachers say?"
"CCTV had all the evidence, so they let me go. Bang Eun-ji's mom came to school. She was crying."
"Crying?"
"Yeah. Her mom's cursing her out over the phone echoed through the office..."
"Whoa."
Self-inflicted.
I greeted Gyeong Se-in and Su-a, their cheeks still flushed from excitement.
"Thanks for speaking up earlier. Would've been trouble without you."
"No biggie. CCTV would've exposed it anyway."
"Still."
Should I bow deeply? I joked, and Su-a laughed.
A few days ago, she seemed prickly refusing Do-yeon's offer to ask questions, but not now.
"Hey."
Su-a hesitated, then spoke.
"...Bang Eun-ji's not that scary up close. She panicked when confronted and couldn't say shit..."
"Right? Can't believe we were scared all this time!"
Gyeong Se-in nodded vigorously beside her. Gyeong Se-in and Su-a unleashed on Bang Eun-ji like they'd burst dialects.
"Honestly crossed the line..."
"Feels good..."
"I wore an Adidas tee as a kid too..."
"Could wear it not knowing..."
'Cute.'
I watched the chattering high school girls with a mom's heart, then asked.
"Wanna grab tteokbokki? My treat."
Precisely, my mom's treat.
-What high school girls need to bond-
1. Myeolchi 2. Hot guys 3. Tteokbokki
"Sure!"
"Sure!"
Su-a answered quick, then turned to awkwardly standing Do-yeon.
Ahem, Su-a cleared her throat hesitantly.
"Do-yeon, come with. ...If you're okay eating with us."
"...Of course."
"...I think I was harsh back then. Sorry."
"No..."
"Gasp! Why are you crying!"
For the record, Do-yeon wasn't crying.
I was.
"Waaah..."
These kids are too sweet... The future's bright...
"Hic... hic..."
"Gyeong Se-in, why are you crying too..."
"Dunno... Seeing Da-hye cry makes me tear up..."
"Don't cry, seriously... Makes me wanna..."
"Sorry..."
"Thanks..."
"Hic... hic..."
"But seriously, what about Da-hye's books..."
"Oh right. Yeah... Let's say we cried 'cause books got wet..."
As we four hugged and wailed like penguins.
A shadow fell over me as I wiped snot and looked up.
Jeong Eun-seong.
"You still here?"
I asked blankly.
Whether or not, Jeong Eun-seong stared at my teary face, then slid his mop over.
He meticulously cleaned the unhandled strawberry milk on the floor, then called me.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"I don't wanna study. Want my books?"