Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Ga-eun's Secret Boyfriend?
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"I sent a KakaoTalk to Seo Jae-kyeom yesterday saying it's okay now that the creepy guy isn't coming anymore, and thank you for everything up until now..."
"You sent it?"
"He ghosted me."
"Ah..."
"Ah."
"Facts."
Ghosting on KakaoTalk? That's the biggest sign of zero interest.
"But how can he help out a girl he's not even a little interested in that much?"
"A nice guy might do that, right?"
"Seo Jae-kyeom is nice?"
"No?"
"What then?"
"I don't know!"
Gyeong Se-in clutched her head with both hands. That's when the quiet Do-yeon spoke up.
"Doesn't he like Da-hye?"
"Da-hye?"
"Yeah. She was the one who asked him for that favor in the first place."
"Oh..."
Su-a and Ga-eun's eyes sparkled, finding it plausible.
They don't know I got rejected by Seo Jae-kyeom, huh.
Absolutely not.
I denied it.
"No, absolutely not."
"Why not! It could happen."
"No, it couldn't. Seo Jae-kyeom and I have been KakaoTalking for... one? Two months now?"
My chat with Seo Jae-kyeom, buried so far down it was hard to even find, was filled with KakaoTalks I'd sent first with all sorts of excuses and his one-word replies or read ghosts.
The pathetic struggles of me desperately trying to keep the conversation going with endless questions were preserved there...
Stop thinking about it.
"Anyway, no. Seo Jae-kyeom doesn't like me."
He likes Ji-su.
"Hng."
Gyeong Se-in tilted her head and asked Ga-eun again.
"Then what about you? Do you like Seo Jae-kyeom?"
"Well, not exactly like him... but if he's interested in me, I'd be totally down to date."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Who would say no... Ugh, I just saw Seo Jae-kyeom's abs."
"Where!"
In an instant, all our gazes locked onto Seo Jae-kyeom. In the middle of the field, he had lifted his gym shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.
"Whoa!"
Su-a clapped like a seal.
He really was one of a kind. Face and build.
"Come to think of it, Seo Jae-kyeom doesn't have a girlfriend, right?"
"For sure. He doesn't hide that stuff."
"What about Jeong Eun-seong?"
"Jeong Eun-seong would act like he doesn't even if he did. He's a trainee."
"If I were his girlfriend... I'd keep the secret so well."
"But why is Jeong Eun-seong by himself?"
At those words, our gazes shifted to Jeong Eun-seong.
To Jeong Eun-seong, lying alone in the shade, not joining the soccer game, basketball, or even the group sneaking hot dogs in the corner.
"No way the boys are bullying our Eun-seong, right?"
"No way."
He's not the type to get bullied.
"Go check it out, Da-hye. Ask why he's alone."
"Me...?"
"You're the class president."
"......"
"And tell us everything he says, from one to ten."
"Okay..."
I'm absolutely not going because I'm curious about Jeong Eun-seong.
The girls are pushing me.
I dragged my feet over to Jeong Eun-seong.
"Hey."
When I called softly, he cracked his eyes open to look at me.
"Why are you just lying here alone doing nothing?"
"I'm pretending to have a sprained ankle."
"Ah."
Right. To mess with Song Yeo-reum...
"You're really committed to the act, huh?"
I said, a bit impressed. At that, Jeong Eun-seong fully opened his eyes, looked up at me, then suddenly shot to his feet and shoved me aside.
A soccer ball flew into the spot where he'd pushed me, hitting with a thud.
"Gasp, hey, ouch, sorry!"
"......"
Jeong Eun-seong glared so murderously, and the boys who received that glare apologized in such panic.
Any budding rumors of him being bullied vanished from my mind.
"Kang Da-hye, you okay?!"
"Hey, really sorry..."
Jeong Eun-seong stared silently until the soccer players all stopped and fidgeted awkwardly, then scratched his eyebrow.
And kicked the ball away.
In the complete opposite direction of the field.
"...Didn't you say you were acting with a sprained ankle?"
"It just healed."
"I see."
For some reason, it felt awkward...
Ah.
"Want some chocolate?"
I held out the mint chocolate from my pocket.
Someone left it on my desk on White Day, but I wasn't that curious who, so I hadn't looked into it.
Reason: All the boys in our school are ugly! Except two!
It was my way of saying thanks, but Jeong Eun-seong's expression turned fierce.
"Hey. You..."
"Huh?"
"Don't you hate mint chocolate?"
"Yeah... I don't eat it at all."
"You have no taste..."
Muttering, Jeong Eun-seong snatched the chocolate from my hand. He popped it in his mouth whole and lay back down. I watched, blinking, then returned to my friends.
"Why? What'd he say?"
"Jeong Eun-seong isn't being bullied. Absolutely not. If anything, he's the one bullying others."
"I just saw it! Jeong Eun-seong kicking the ball!"
"Didn't he say his ankle was hurt?"
"He said it's better now."
"Handsome guys have good recovery too, I guess."
Gyeong Se-in laughed merrily and clapped.
"Right, you guys hear about that?"
Blah blah blah. Gyeong Se-in chattered about her favorite boy idol group's rivals having dating scandals right before comeback.
"So they had to write handwritten apologies..."
"Right! You saw that?!"
At 18, there's so much to worry about everywhere.
You have to feel butterflies for the handsome boys in class, study, keep up with every move of your favorite celebrities...
Amid dozens of incidents a day, the creepy uncle who hadn't been seen for days became old news to us.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Kim Ga-eun, heading out now?"
"Yeah. Gotta get home quick and take a dump."
"Wait a bit and let's go together. I'll walk you."
"You're in danger too. Finish up and go home. Da-hye, today's your last day at the academy, right?"
"Yeah."
"Party at school tomorrow? I'll bring a sliced cake."
"No thanks. Hurry home and do your business."
I shoved out Ga-eun, who was oversharing that she eats spicy noodles when she needs the bathroom, pushing her out of the academy.
Finally, my last day of work!
Yawning, I entered the staff room.
"She was stuttering all excited by herself and complaining..."
"Oh my god, and then?"
The teachers who hadn't left yet were heatedly chatting.
"As far as I know, her daughter doesn't have a boyfriend, and even if she does, it's not someone from our academy, so she doesn't know. Said it's not someone she met here."
"Can't a daughter have a boyfriend? And even if she does, is that our business to nag about?"
"No wonder the kid's dating behind her dad's back."
"The kid's embarrassed about how to even come to the academy."
"Exactly. What is this world coming to."
"What happened?"
I handed the lost item from the classroom to the vice principal and asked.
"Oh, a parent just called the academy... Her daughter goes here but isn't studying and is seeing some college guy, ranting about how teachers let a grown girl wander around alone with a guy so late at night."
"Really...?"
"Told us to monitor better. This is an academy, not a nunnery."
"She'd faint if she knew what happens in college with boys and drinking."
I was baffled when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was Jeong Eun-seong.
He's calling me?
I quickly stepped out of the staff room and answered.
"What?"
My bewildered voice got a curt reply from the other end.
-Call if there's something you don't know while studying.
"Ah... right."
I hadn't thought he'd actually do it.
Wait, did I have this ringtone set back then? Hopefully not some pathetic one-sided love song... ☆ I thought as I slipped into an empty classroom.
"What don't you know?"
-Us...
(Anyone wanna pay 100 won to hear Jeong Eun-seong's question? Contents omitted.)
"That word is the hint. It's referring to the Imo Incident, so not 4. No Deok-sul was from the colonial era."
-Who's No Deok-sul?
"Torture cop from the colonial era. Pro-Japanese collaborator."
-Ah.
"But why are you suddenly curious about this at 10pm? You hate studying."
-Trying to study Korean history.
"Why?"
-Company senior went to Japan on 3.1 Independence Movement Day, posted a photo in a kimono, and fans are beating him up for it.
"Why'd he do that?"
I nodded and perched on the desk.
"Did that senior reflect at all?"
-No. He threw a water bottle at the manager for not stopping him.
"Jeez. Grown adults need to take responsibility for their actions..."
'A grown girl wandering so late every time...'
'Letting a grown girl be alone with a guy so late at night...'
"Jeong Eun-seong, hold on."
I stood up.
I burst out.
"Teachers!"
"Yeah?"
"The parent who called earlier about a boyfriend—was that Ga-eun's dad?!"
"How'd you know?"
"......"
-Kang Da-hye?
It's that uncle.
I gripped my phone and bolted out.