Don't Come Near Me!

Kim Woojin sat in the classroom and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"What are you doing? It's PE now. Hurry up and change."

"Ah... right. Yeah."

Third period was already over, and fourth period PE had arrived.

Kim Woojin did not particularly like PE. The unwritten law of Korean high school was that boys played soccer — and even if you had no interest whatsoever, you were still half-forced onto the pitch.

"Should I sit this one out?"

"What? No way! We bet ice cream this time! If you bail, we won't have enough people!"

That was, unfortunately, a fair point. Last week Woojin's team had won, and they had all gotten free drinks out of it. This time the other side was grinding their teeth, swearing they would win no matter what. If he dropped out now?

They might actually try to kill me.

He could not exactly throw his life away, so he stood, grabbed his gym clothes, and started for the bathroom — or he was about to, when he noticed the seat beside him was empty.

"Where'd Lee Jiwoo go?"

"Dunno? She bolted the second the bell rang."

"She knows it's PE, right?"

"She's not an idiot. If she looked at the schedule, she knows... why, you worried?"

"W-worried? As if!"

Woojin's face went hot. He swallowed it down and hurried out of the classroom.

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"Wh-where else? To change into gym clothes."

At the classroom doorway, Woojin nearly collided with Jiwoo.

"Th-then where were you coming back from?"

"Me? The bathroom. I ate too much this morning and my stomach was killing me. I took a dump that was no joke."

"Hey... what kind of girl talks like that?"

"Why? Being a girl doesn't mean I can't say it."

Well. That was true. If you ate, you had to... you know. Basic biology. Still...

"Your face is red. Are you sick or something?"

"N-no..."

The instant Jiwoo's hand reached toward his forehead, Woojin jerked away on reflex.

Watching the two of them, Choi Wooseok muttered to himself.

"Unrequited love."

That Woojin had a thing for Jiwoo was already common knowledge among most of the class. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made sense — whenever there was an important school notice, Woojin always volunteered to take it to her himself. Even the subject teachers had started asking Woojin whenever Jiwoo was not around.

"Hey, we don't have time for this. We need to change."

"Right... we're heading out. PE assembly's on the field."

"The field, huh... okay. I'll change and come out."

I pulled the gym pants I had stashed under my uniform skirt on first, then just took the skirt off.

"This is definitely more convenient."

In my past life I had to peel my pants off every single time I changed for PE. Now that entire hassle was gone. It was so much easier. I shrugged off the uniform top as well and simply pulled the gym shirt over the black tee I was already wearing. Done.

"Time-wise... about a minute left. If I head over now I won't be late."

The reason I did not bother running was the PE teacher's habit of only moving after the bell. Plenty of time.

I strolled out to the field and found the entire class already gathered — everyone except the PE teacher.

"What took you so long?"

Kim Woojin and Choi Wooseok had gotten there first.

"A girl has secrets she can't tell."

"Secrets? You already told us about taking a dump."

That was that. This was this.

"So what are we doing today? I hope it's not just running like last time..."

Wooseok answered in a low voice.

"Nothing."

"...What?"

"Nothing. The practical assessments are all done. Just because it's PE doesn't mean we're doing anything special. Boys play soccer, girls play dodgeball. That's it."

Soccer, huh... not bad. If anything, I was itching to tear up a field again.

A soccer player's soul is burning inside me.

I wanted a ball at my feet right this second. Time to show off the skills that had earned me the nickname Little Ronaldo in my past life.

I let a meaningful smile spread across my face and grinned.

"What's with her...?"

"I dunno... well, she's pretty, at least."

"...This isn't a crush anymore. His brain's gone."

Wooseok shook his head, privately relieved that at least one relatively normal person still existed in the vicinity.

Then the PE teacher showed up. After a light warm-up, he tossed the soccer ball he had been carrying onto the field, and PE began in earnest.

"Same teams as last time."

"That's better. If we reshuffle, the same people keep winning. Well... as long as nobody holds us back."

"Ah, come on... I said I didn't want to play from the start."

Woojin felt deeply wronged under the dozens of stares flying his way.

"Hold on. Let me in too."

"....Lee Jiwoo?"

"Yeah. I want to play soccer."

"Uh, the girls are doing dodgeball..."

"Why? Girls can't play soccer?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Awkward looks spread across the boys' faces. Nobody could quite say it out loud. They just kept glancing at each other, unsure what to do.

Woojin raised his hand first.

"Then want to take my spot?"

"Oh~ nice! But are you sure you don't want to play?"

"Yeah... I don't like getting a tan, and I don't like running around. I was only playing because we were short on people. I'm not that into the bet either."

Woojin put a heavy stress on the word forced as he quietly slipped out of the wager match. I had already overheard the boys talking, so I knew they were playing for ice cream.

"Really? Thanks! And if we win the bet, I'll buy your share too! That work for everyone?"

"A-are you sure? There's going to be physical contact..."

"Physical contact is part of soccer. Come on. I'll send all of you flying."

I crooked a finger and provoked the boys. They still were not taking the bait, so I deployed the ultimate taunt.

"What, you scared?"

"...What?"

"How dare you say that in front of us?!"

"Fine! We won't go easy just because you're a girl!"

"I'll show you my murder tackle!"

The effect was spectacular. They were half — no, fully — ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worked up, shoulders heaving.

"Hey. You okay? Their eyes have gone feral."

"Eh... I'll just dodge well. And there's no referee here, right?"

"I guess...?"

Hearing Wooseok, I grinned again.

"I'll show you what soccer really is."

There was one thing I had overlooked, though.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Kim Woojin's position.

"I... I didn't know he was the goalkeeper."

I headed toward the cafeteria singing a song I had composed myself.

The ice-cream-wager soccer match had ended in a crushing 9–3 defeat — thanks to my possessed, god-tier super saves.

"Well, it's not like I'm short on money."

I bought ice cream for everyone who had played, and they invited me back as a guest player next time.

"I might actually have a knack for soccer?"

"I really don't think that's it."

Why? Everyone seemed to like it.

"You okay?"

"What? Oh... the clothes? I'll just wash them at the dorm. Doesn't matter."

"No... that's not what I meant. I heard the cafeteria's on strike today?"

BOOM...!

"What was that? Did thunder just hit somewhere?"

Wooseok looked around for the source of that enormous sound. No need to search. The source was me.

"Wait... what do you mean, why?"

"How would I know? The school said they're handing out bread and milk instead."

"Bread and... milk... tsk."

This was not good. Kids in the middle of a growth spurt, and all they got was bread and milk?

I could eat three trays of cafeteria food and still not be full!

The whole reason I had willingly come to school today was the cafeteria. Here I could eat as much as I wanted without worrying about Kang Hoyeon or the other members watching.

I pulled out my phone immediately.

"What are you doing with your phone?"

"Just a sec."

This was one of the good things about school lately. They did not confiscate phones. Which meant I could solve this pathetic lunch situation.

I should still have the number I got a few days ago...

I scrolled through my call history and found the Burger Wang marketing team lead.

I explained today's cafeteria strike and pitched my solution.

Didn't matter. The school had prepared bread and milk precisely because they knew parents would complain if the kids did not get a proper meal during a strike.

"Please get it ready as fast as you can."

"Hey... what did you just do?"

Woojin and Wooseok had overheard the call. Their faces were stunned.

"What? I'm hungry."

"That's going to cost a fortune."

"Dude... I'm rich."

Two dramas, commercials, plus game streaming. In the roughly five months since I had become an actress, I had already made over sixty million won. And if I filmed the movie starting in August, my account would be sitting at close to a hundred million. Sure, taxes would take about half.

Mom said to just leave the tax stuff to her.

Nothing to worry about.

"Wow... so that's why they say you shouldn't worry about celebrities... uh, milady. Might there be something for us humble servants as well?"

Wooseok flicked his tongue in a disgusting display and rubbed his palms together.

"Gross. Get away from me."

I waved him off in disgust. Even so, Wooseok latched onto me and managed to score a snack from the school store.

"Ahh~ that's the stuff! A drink bought with someone else's money. The taste of victory!"

"No matter how you look at it, this guy's a lunatic. Right?"

"Y-yeah."

I whispered it quietly into Woojin's ear, and he instinctively pulled away.

"What's with him? Does he hate me?"

"Honestly... he just can't be honest."

"I don't like it."

A girl frowned as she watched the two boys glued to Jiwoo's side — Kim Woojin in particular.

"What now?"

"Look at that. Stuck right next to Jiwoo-nim... they're loving it. Absolutely loving it."

"Mihye, you can't even talk when you're in front of Jiwoo."

"It's not Jiwoo, it's Jiwoo-nim. Is Jiwoo-nim your friend?"

"Uh... I mean, we're in the same class, so maybe?"

Lee Mihye barked a sharp Silence! at her friends.

"Jiwoo-nim is a being who can't even be compared to ordinary people like us. You should always use honorifics."

"Wow... you used to hate her so much. Now you're obsessed."

"No. At this point it's worship."

Say whatever you want. Jiwoo-nim already occupied a place in Mihye's heart. Still, these mere mortals needed to be educated.

"Haven't you even watched the drama? That incredible acting. That appeal that sends chills down your spine just watching! That's not something you get from practicing a day or two! She must have gone through bone-grinding agony! She's on a completely different level from ordinary people like us!"

"R-right..."

"Just calm down first. Here, drink some water."

Mihye took the water her friends offered and tried to settle her elevated mood.

"Oh? Mihye... right? We said hi this morning. You guys came to the store too? But... you're too late. Everything's already sold out."

"....Hic!"

At the sound of Jiwoo-nim's voice beside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her, Mihye froze solid. Her friend saw the look on her face and sighed. Here we go again...

"Are you okay? You don't look well. Want to come to the nurse's office with me?"

"..Hic.. hhik.."

Ah... Jiwoo-nim was worried about her.

What was she supposed to do!!

She couldn't even look her in the eyes!

"H-hey, why are you crying? Did something bad happen?"

No! Don't come closer!

If you come closer now...

Jiwoo-nim's face was filling more and more of her vision.

"Hhuk...!"

The tears she had been barely holding back finally burst.