Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Pitiful Cry
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Jeong Eun-seong was crying pitifully.
After hearing his story...
"I... I stayed behind in the drama club room yesterday to practice my extracurriculars... and someone from outside locked the door... sob..."
Jeong Eun-seong's voice trembled at the end as he spoke.
As Jeong Eun-seong blinked his wet eyelashes, another tear trickled down his cheek.
One of the watching teachers gasped "Oh dear" and covered her mouth with her hand.
"They made eye contact with me and smirked... I had an evaluation at the agency yesterday...!"
Jeong Eun-seong, his large frame hunched over, rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
He had clearly taken off his sweater and left it with me yesterday, but now he was wearing a clean uniform sweater without a name tag and a crisp shirt—heaven knows where he got them.
All eyes in the teachers' lounge focused on the handsome boy dressed neatly in his uniform, crying so pathetically.
Jeong Eun-seong sniffled.
"At this rate, I'd be stuck here all night... In my panic, I jumped out the window...!"
"J-jumped out...?"
"I sprained my ankle... and in the end, missed my evaluation... huwaaa..."
What am I supposed to do... Jeong Eun-seong squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to bury himself in the homeroom teacher's embrace. It was just a pretense, not actually hugging, but it was enough.
A second-year student who had come by for some errand sighed.
The teachers did too.
"Isn't that the new transfer student?"
"Yeah, the trainee one..."
As sympathetic gazes poured in from around them, Jeong Eun-seong's wails grew louder.
"Hey, who did this to you? Did you see their face?"
Na Mun-gwa, the math teacher from the back of the lounge, asked.
"Song Yeo-reum...!"
Even while crying, Jeong Eun-seong's pronunciation was precise, and his projection was impeccable.
"Song Yeo-reum? She's in second year, class 6...?"
"Ah, that girl?"
Amid the murmurs, Jeong Eun-seong's ears turned bright red as he sobbed even harder.
The flustered homeroom teacher patted Jeong Eun-seong's back.
"Eun-seong, calm down for now... Teacher will call Song Yeo-reum when she gets to school and sort this out..."
"Huwaaang...! My evaluation...! My life...!"
'Staying at school alone for extracurriculars on the day of an agency evaluation? That doesn't add up.'
But no one in the teachers' lounge cared about such minor logical inconsistencies.
In an instant, Song Yeo-reum became the twisted object of affection who had harassed the aspiring celebrity who just transferred in, locking him in the school out of obsession, while Jeong Eun-seong became the hardworking trainee who was unfairly victimized.
"I knew Song Yeo-reum would cause trouble someday."
"She did something last time too..."
Especially the teachers who had long had it in for Song Yeo-reum were seething. Even those who saw it as a funny mishap shook their heads, saying "She's lost her mind."
"Alright, Eun-seong. Stop crying now... Da-hye, why are you here?"
The homeroom teacher, soothing Jeong Eun-seong and glancing around, finally noticed me standing by the lounge door.
"Ah. Well..."
I got locked in too. But Jeong Eun-seong's glare stopped me from saying it. He subtly shook his head so the homeroom teacher wouldn't see, his face twisted in warning.
"...I came to get another copy of the printout you handed out yesterday. I forgot to grab one for Seo Jae-kyeom."
"Oh, right. Jae-kyeom didn't come to school today, did he?"
While the homeroom teacher rummaged through her desk and handed me a printout, the teachers' discussion continued in the lounge.
"You don't think she did it without knowing, right?"
"No way? They made eye contact and she slammed the door. He begged to be let out."
"And she's not the type to stay late at school anyway..."
"Da-hye, can you take Eun-seong back to the classroom for now?"
"Ah, sure. ...Let's go."
I ended up supporting Jeong Eun-seong by the arm.
Unlike yesterday, when he had desperately avoided any contact with me, Jeong Eun-seong now freely rested his forehead on my shoulder and sobbed.
"Is this school violence too...?"
"Which rule applies here...?"
"I'm so embarrassed I could die..."
Leaving the murmurs behind, we exited the teachers' lounge. The moment the door closed, Jeong Eun-seong straightened up from where he had been clinging to my arm. His limping ankle was suddenly fine, planting firmly on the ground.
Standing tall, Jeong Eun-seong stretched languidly.
"Kang Da-hye."
"Yeah?"
"Sunun University isn't real. It's from a novel."
"Huh...?"
"I knew something was off. Do you enjoy picking on slow friends?"
"You looked it up...?"
"Yeah. No phone, so I went home and booted up my laptop. Not in Sinchon, not in Anam. Where the hell is Sunun University?"
He almost wrote "Sunun University" as his top choice, Jeong Eun-seong accused, narrowing his eyes sharply.
Looking up at his red, teary eyes and nose glaring down at me accusingly, I asked,
"But why were you crying?"
"I wasn't."
"Then what was that?"
"Crocodile tears."
"Crocodile tears...?"
"Strike first with tears. That way, it makes sense for a guy my size to be so broken by a girl's bullying that he ends up locked in school."
You have to freak people out with the crying, Jeong Eun-seong shrugged.
"Winter is over now."
"Not winter, Song..."
Whatever, I'm too tired to correct him now...
"Winter is ending, yeah. It's March now..."
You really are a great actor; our drama club is in good hands...
I mumbled as we headed to the classroom.
Walking with Jeong Eun-seong drew stares from every passing student. Some turned their heads to gawk at him, others blocked our path to say hi, and some brazenly snapped photos.
Amid all the commotion, Jeong Eun-seong walked calmly ahead, eyes forward.
Glancing at the surroundings and his expression, I whispered,
"Why pretend you were locked in alone? If you said we were both trapped, Song Yeo-reum might get in even more trouble."
"In a school where ridiculous rumors fly about students dating teachers, you think it'd be good if word got out that you and I were locked in together?"
"..."
"If I said that, the focus would've shifted from her to us. How long we were alone in there, what we did while locked up."
"..."
"You know how people spread baseless rumors without thinking."
I couldn't respond right away because I knew Jeong Eun-seong's future.
Having seen all the rumors and fake articles he'd suffer after debuting, his words felt like prophecy.
"And."
As we climbed the final stairs to the classroom, Jeong Eun-seong added,
"This isn't the first time you've tangled with them, right? There was that thing with Bang Eun-ji before."
"Bang Eun-ji. Bang Jeong-hwan was Children's Day."
"Whatever."
"'Whatever'...?!"
"Teachers side with the model student only so many times. Keep causing issues, and adults get tired."
"..."
"Adults hate nuisances. They might back you at first, but eventually they'll say you have issues too. Better to endure it quietly than make a fuss. That's adults."
"...I know. That's why kids don't tell their guardians as they get older and handle it alone. Afraid of bursting a vein hearing that crap after bothering to speak up."
"Exactly. Best not to expect anything from adults."
"..."
"No point feeling wronged. We'll become those adults someday too."
With that, Jeong Eun-seong snatched the printout from my hand and walked ahead.
"I'll put this on his desk."
I stared at his retreating back.
"Jeong Eun-seong!"
"What."
"If you have questions while studying, ask me anytime. I'll teach you everything."
"...Out of nowhere?"
"Yeah."
Because even at 29, I was somewhat like that adult, and it stung.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The story that Song Yeo-reum had locked Jeong Eun-seong in the drama club room spread like wildfire.
"Crazy..."
"Isn't she some sasaeng fan or something?"
"Jeong Eun-seong must be creeped out."
"Come to think of it, didn't Song Yeo-reum brag about chasing a celebrity in a taxi back in middle school?"
"Yeah! And that story about waiting all night in an Apgujeong parking lot."
"Chills."
"Hey, Song Yeo-reum! Did you really lock the transfer student in the school?"
Boys threw comments at Song Yeo-reum as she arrived after third period.
"What bullshit is this?"
She started off bewildered, but when furious teachers dragged her in and explained, she freaked out yelling "No, that's not true!"—except it was sort of true, so she had no defense.
Especially after the drama club room key turned up in her bag.
'She did lock someone in.'
Just not Jeong Eun-seong—me.
"This is driving me insane!"
After getting knuckle-flicks from teachers, lectures, and snickers, a fuming Song Yeo-reum was finally released from the lounge at lunchtime.
"Yeo-reum! You okay?!"
"Get lost!"
Song Yeo-reum shoved Bang Eun-ji's shoulder hard as she approached with her giant ribbon headband, all worried.
Bang Eun-ji staggered back against the wall.
I had paused on my way down for lunch with Do-yeon, watching from the stair landing.
"Whoa, what?"
"Are they fighting?"
"Epic."
Oh...
Ah, shoulda brought popcorn.