Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Seo Jae-kyeom's Daily Life
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Seo Jae-kyeom's daily life.
He always barely makes it to school on time. Sometimes he's late. (Lately he's been coming a bit early. What's gotten into him?)
His uniform is neat some days, a total mess others—whatever he feels like.
During class, he props his chin on his hand and zones out.
He only glances at the teacher when something interesting comes up. Otherwise, he reads his textbook alone or stares out the window.
After lunch, he plays basketball.
He goes to cram school. According to Ji-su, he zones out there too. Seems like he has tutoring as well.
On weekends, he hangs out with friends for soccer or hits up a PC bang. Not every day, though—plenty of days he wanders solo to catch movies or check out exhibits.
He reads books from the library. Flips through them quickly from cover to back, buys ones that catch his eye, tosses the duds. His house must be huge to pull that off.
He knows how to do a ton of stuff but gets bored fast.
In all of Seo Jae-kyeom's daily routine, though, dragging friends to that shady corner behind the main building? Never happened.
'Four of them.'
Those guys who came to our class earlier.
But why are they sneaking around like that?
No way.
"Seo Jae-kyeom smoking?"
The words I'd been thinking popped out of Ye-su-a's mouth.
"Probably not...?"
"But why head there? That's where girls like Song Yeo-reum go to smoke."
"Yeah."
The creeping suspicion solidified when the last guy nervously scanned the surroundings before rounding the final corner.
I shot up from my seat.
"Let's go."
Youths shouldn't smoke.
Actually, no one should.
Cigarettes are all harm, no gain. Cigarettes suck—we say NO to 'em.
Do you think puffing out smoke makes you cool, kids?
No way!
It's just wasting cash and turning into a stinky mess!
I bolted up and headed toward the back of the building where Seo Jae-kyeom's group had gone.
My friends followed with gleeful looks in their eyes.
Gyeong Se-in whispered.
"But Da-hye, considering what went down between you and Seo Jae-kyeom, you guys get along way too well, don't you?"
"Right? If no one said anything, you wouldn't even know."
"He even switched seats for you."
"Said he'd be vice class president if you run for president."
"And he beat up Park Su-hwan the other day."
"Easier to believe he confessed to you."
Hmm.
"He seems like the cool type. When I said I didn't like him anymore, he just suggested we be friends."
As long as it's not someone bugging him because they like him, he doesn't care.
I replied offhandedly as I rounded the building.
The moment I saw a lighter in Seo Jae-kyeom's hand, I was gonna smack his back. With that in mind, I peeked out from behind the wall.
"...Huh?"
The scene behind the building was way off from what I'd expected.
Seo Jae-kyeom, brow furrowed so deep it creased his nose...
was sorting recyclables.
Looked like leftover boxes from buying supplies for the sports festival at the office. Seo Jae-kyeom's friends stood behind him like kids getting scolded, hands clasped together.
He smacked away a friend's hand tentatively offering help. I strained to listen, and voices drifted over.
"The girls posted that KakaoTalk for the public good... what the hell's your excuse?"
"...No, we..."
"If you saw that crap, you should've been hunting down whatever psycho leaked it first—instead you're forwarding it around giggling like idiots? You think that's fun?"
"Well..."
"Not one of you thought, 'This is someone's privacy—better cover it up'? You're all rotten to the core. Why? Gonna go share hidden cam videos somewhere else?"
"...Sorry..."
"Get lost."
Seo Jae-kyeom was pissed.
"Don't be such cheap assholes."
His friends, who'd been mumbling excuses, slunk away without another word.
'Irritated, huh? He said he wasn't irritated at me.'
Irritated and angry to boot.
Just... not at who I'd expected.
"Go apologize to Kang Da-hye and Han Ji-su later. Don't think saying sorry just to me cuts it."
"Y-yeah! Of course!"
"We will!"
"And."
"Y-yeah?"
"I'm not curious who first spread that KakaoTalk, and I don't wanna dig into it. You're all accomplices, so clean up your own mess. If I hear one more word about this, I won't hold back."
When have you ever held back?
...Not the point.
I was a little stunned.
It was a side of Seo Jae-kyeom I never expected to see.
I figured he'd snap at me for all the rumors dragging him down and making his life annoying.
'Thought I had him all figured out.'
This was a first.
A subtle mood hung over me as I stayed silent.
After a few quiet seconds, Gyeong Se-in, peeking out from my side, whispered.
"Um, but Da-hye."
"Yeah."
"Seo Jae-kyeom really dumped you?"
"Yeah... super coldly and cruelly."
Heart still has a hole, bleeding. I rubbed my chest over the name tag on my uniform. Gyeong Se-in tilted her head from my side.
"No, for a rejection,"
"he treats you way too nice..."
Kim Ga-eun jumped in, frowning. A boyfriend wouldn't get that kind of treatment.
"Maybe he was just playing hard to get, and you bounced too far away?"
"No way."
He straight-up told me to know my place.
Me? Top in Korean—think I can't read the room?
I shook my head firmly.
To my friends' weird looks, I said,
"Honestly, lately he treats me so well I get delusions sometimes, but I can't fall for it."
Why?
Seo Jae-kyeom's always been the type to treat you great one day on a whim, then hurt you the next.
Likes Han Ji-su today, hates her tomorrow.
If I buy in, I'm the one who bleeds.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Kids are scary."
"Tell me about it. Ji-su, you okay? Anything else that sticks out?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Kinda anxious, though..."
Ji-su gave a pale smile.
"No clue who did it."
"Yeah."
For me, it's just the chats with Ji-su that got seen. But from her side, someone rifled through her entire KakaoTalk.
Conversations with everyone else—all out in the open. Maybe months' worth.
She's gotta be the most anxious right now.
Ji-su bit her lip and asked me,
"You gonna catch the perp?"
"Not like there's no way."
"Start with whoever has the screenshot and trace back who they got it from."
"Ah."
Smart.
"Ji-su, you wanna catch 'em? I'll help."
"Nah, it's fine. I just wanna let it die."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was worried you'd wanna go after them, Da-hye."
"If you're cool, I'm cool."
From now on, always log out. I patted Ji-su's back when someone started flailing over there. Bang Eun-ji waving like crazy—I waved back.
'Sharp eyes. Auditorium's packed.'
She came with weird eyeliner again today, so I pointed at my eye. KakaoTalk pinged.
📱 KakaoTalk — Bang Eun-ji Pretty, right? Want me to draw it on you lol — You (At comp lab 12:58) 12:59 You've been doing your eyeliner in the computer lab this whole time?!
> Eyes are rotting! "Da-hye, hi."
A shadow fell over me as I freaked out.
Our class's student teacher—rocking that insane height again—singled me out for a greeting. I turned to see the other student teachers huddled at the very back of the auditorium.
He came all the way down here just to say hi to me?
"Student teachers have to do the gender equality awareness training too?"
"Told we do."
"Ah... but why me."
"Just came down to greet a future junior."
"Ah, got it."
"Heh heh."
Really wanna become a teacher this time around. Your junior, sir.
He chuckled, eyes crinkling at my misty gaze, then pointed at Ji-su.
"Friend next to you?"
Ji-su hesitated a split second at the question before smiling.
"Teacher, you came to our class earlier. I'm from Class 1."
"Oh, was I?"
"Yeah, you were."
"Sorry. Don't know the kids well yet."
"Harsh. You remember Da-hye."
Ji-su brushed back her hair and looked up at the student teacher straight-on.
"I'm not that forgettable, am I?"