Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Him in the Girls' Talk (1)
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Another week passed, and it was Monday.
During lunchtime, after everyone had finished eating.
"Hey, DDK, what're you doing?"
Hong Ja-hee walked over to Kyung-jun's seat and spoke to him.
But there was no response.
"......"
From the moment he'd finished lunch until now, he'd been scribbling something in his notebook in the same posture.
"What the hell, this jerk. Studying English? Pretending to study like some nerd."
With no reply from the focused boy, Hong Ja-hee sneaked a peek at his notebook.
Of course, at her middle school first-year level, there was no way she could understand its contents.
"Quantum...... teleportation...... telpo? Hey, fuck, you should've outgrown playground RPGs back in elementary school."
There were strange drawings (experimental setups) and words like teleportation.
Hong Ja-hee assumed it was just like the playground RPG settings she used to play with the boys in elementary school.
"Ah, Hong Ja-hee."
Only then did Kyung-jun notice her presence and finally turn his eyes toward her.
As if he hadn't even realized she was there.
"But what's DDK?"
Of course, he'd actually heard her calling him earlier.
"You don't know? It was on the news. Your name came up."
"Oh, you mean the DDK Lee Kyung-jun stock manipulation case?"
"Yeah, that sounds right."
Han Kyung-jun wasn't a common name, so it rarely appeared in the news.
But if it did, in this era, that was the only thing it could be.
"But stock manipulation? Like match-fixing?"
"Yeah, something like that."
He had no intention of diving into political talk with a clueless kid.
So Kyung-jun brushed it off casually.
As he did, he glanced through the gap in Hong Ja-hee's long bangs.
"Looks like you didn't get hit by your mom."
"Shut up. If you tell anyone else, you're dead."
"Guess I should text your mom the truth—not science club material, just playing games."
"Please, bro, no."
Hong Ja-hee instantly went low and groveled.
"But fuck, how do you even know my mom's number? You don't have mine."
"We passed around the emergency contact list before."
"Fuck, right."
Back then, they'd pass around sheets with each kid's home or parents' phone numbers.
Then distribute them as "emergency contact networks" to every house.
Usually for when a kid was out playing and hadn't come home yet—call around asking if their child had shown up.
"I'm focusing now, so go hang out with other friends."
Kyung-jun said that, then pulled out his glasses and put them on.
His boosted Physique stat had corrected his vision, so he didn't need them anymore.
But from his first life spent studying with glasses forever, the habit stuck.
Now in his second life, it felt like an athlete's pre-game ritual (superstition).
"If you're lonely with no friends, I can play."
"Who're you introducing yourself to, asshole? I've got tons of friends. Ugh, you're gross, I'm out."
Hong Ja-hee pretended to spit as she turned away.
"Hey, but like I was thinking at the PC bang too......"
But she didn't leave right away—instead, she glanced back with a smirk.
"You look like a total loser with glasses on."
"Yes, is this Ja-hee's mom?"
Kyung-jun immediately pulled out his phone, pretended to dial, and held it to his ear.
"About that PC bang incident last time, I actually have something to tell you about your daughter."
"Okay, okay, it was a joke! I won't bother you anymore, I'm leaving. Total goody-two-shoes prick......"
After being chased off by Kyung-jun, Hong Ja-hee wandered the classroom.
"Hi. Ja-hee-nim has arrived."
Soon, she headed to the group of girls gathered at the opposite side of the room.
Not a huge group—just about three girls.
With Hong Ja-hee, that made four.
It was the last group to form among those that had split up since the start of the semester.
"Ah...... Ja-hee, you're here."
"You were talking to Han Kyung-jun—what'd you guys say~?"
The timid Han So-mi greeted her first, followed by the bubbly Yu Eun-ha.
"Dunno. That fucker's total trash."
"Huh? Did you fight~?"
"Fucking fought. That bastard cheated like a coward and won. Stop-mine was way over the line."
"Huh~?"
"Stop-mine......?"
The other two looked confused at Hong Ja-hee's weird answer.
But the remaining one nailed the meaning exactly.
"......Hong Ja-hee, she's just talking about games."
Lee A-ram, the slightly sharp-edged girl with long straight hair tucked behind one ear, spoke in her dry tone.
Catching on with her keen eyes, Hong Ja-hee jumped in.
"Yeah, exactly. Ran into him at the PC bang last time, played Star together."
"Whoa, really~? When?"
"Friday."
"What? That's when we were doing group discussions in morals class~"
The other three looked shocked, excluding Hong Ja-hee.
Because back then, things between Kyung-jun and Hong Ja-hee were at their worst.
It had been their first real interaction, so they hadn't started off good or bad.
But she remembered getting totally played by his sharp words and logic.
It made no sense they'd meet up and game together.
"Uh...... were you in the same class in elementary or something......?"
"Huh? Nah, I don't even know what school he went to. Didn't even know he existed."
"What, then how'd you get close~? Did he confess?"
"Bullshit. Confess my ass. Hey, people bond over one game of Star, fuck."
Hong Ja-hee's explanation did nothing to help the others understand.
If they'd been boys, it would've gone like, "Ah, Star's unavoidable.""Fair. So you two duoed? Who won?"
But back in 2008, most girls—except oddballs like Hong Ja-hee—didn't play games much.
And if they did, not fighters like Star with aliens and blood.
Sudden Attack was a weird exception, though.
"What~? I thought you fought over that morals debate."
"Right? He was such a smug talker then, but surprisingly not that bad."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He's dirty as fuck at games, though."
Hong Ja-hee conveniently skipped mentioning her own map hacks and multi-command cheats.
But the others had zero interest in Star or whatever anyway.
They latched onto something else.
"Totally~ I was scared from the rumors, but when we were in a group, no issues~"
"Yeah, he helped me when I was cleaning alone......"
"Right, right~ Seems like he's super smart too? Bet he reads a ton~"
Han So-mi remembered cluelessly giving away her Hello Kitty wallet and felt a bit embarrassed.
Yu Eun-ha recalled how logical and mature he'd sounded in the debate—not like a middle schooler.
"......Really?"
Meanwhile, Lee A-ram—who'd seen none of that—gave a noncommittal response.
Closer to suspicion.
Even with friends, she alone had this sinking aura.
Not because she was upset or anything.
She just always gave off that vibe, alone or in a group.
"Oh yeah, you were in his morals group too, right?"
"Ah, yeah~"
Lee A-ram kept up her minimal responses, quietly listening to the others.
"Thinking back, that transfer kid with the broken wrist? He actually hit first to bully him~"
"Did he? I thought it was just dumb boy stuff. Back in elementary, I one-punched boys too. Dicks or not, they were all weak-asses."
"Haha...... probably went easy 'cause you're a girl......?"
"No way! Those fuckers always teased me for being a boy!"
Lee A-ram half-tuned out Hong Ja-hee's elementary school tales of beating boys.
In between, she heard stuff like how he seemed different from childish boys.
Somehow mature, and not the delinquent type from the rumors.
"......"
Only Lee A-ram stayed silent amid it all.
She wasn't one to start talks or lead, sure.
But she wasn't timid like Han So-mi, unable to speak up.
'Doesn't seem like it at all.'
Deep down, she totally rejected it.
Because unlike the others, she had sharp eyes.
For people and literal eyesight too.
'Anyone could see—he broke it on purpose.'
Early semester, a week after enrollment.
During Kyung-jun's one-punch with Lee Ho-kwon—right before the fist hit his forearm.
While everyone watched Ho-kwon swing.
Only Lee A-ram watched Kyung-jun.
'......And he was definitely smiling.'
And by chance, she caught him smirking.
Seeing the smile was luck.
But watching him? Not.
She'd never been hit or extorted like the boys.
But in elementary, girls shunned her as annoying.
Pencil cases vanished, textbooks trampled.
That petty bullying.
Lee A-ram always reported it to the teacher.
If ignored, the student supervisor.
Still nothing? Vice principal or principal.
Not just for herself.
Any bullying she witnessed got the same treatment.
'Can't understand why he'd live like that. Makes my eyes hurt.'
Of course, payback was invisibility treatment, class ghost status.
But no direct harm.
Class got quieter—good for reading.
She'd fetched the teacher during Kyung-jun's incident for similar reasons.
Now, she thought fetching her was right—for totally different reasons.
'......If I hadn't brought the teacher then......'
It might not have ended there.
Ho-kwon's punishment: one broken wrist and transfer.
Thanks to her early warning to the teacher.
"......Someone might've died for sure."
For Kyung-jun back then, Ho-kwon was the one who'd ruined his first life.
He'd planned to wreck him beyond saving, within juvenile limits.
"Died" was exaggeration, but her gut was spot-on.
"Huh? A-ram, what'd you say?"
"......Nothing."
She'd muttered aloud without realizing and brushed it off.
"Just stomachache. Should've eaten something."
"Whoa, what do we do~? You okay, A-ram? Need the nurse?"
"Your face looked off earlier 'cause of that......"
"Nah, So-mi, A-ram's always got that death glare. She was like that when I talked to her at opening ceremony."
"......Wanna die?"
"Nah, I'll pass on dying—make rice instead."
"......"
At Hong Ja-hee's absurd retort, Lee A-ram sighed deeply and tucked her long hair behind her ear out of habit.
"......Anyway, I've never talked to him, so I dunno."
With that, Lee A-ram stepped away from the group.
"Hey, A-ram, where you going?"
Hong Ja-hee grabbed her verbally and nodded toward Kyung-jun.
"Gonna talk to Han Kyung-jun? He's gone somewhere."
Sure enough, Kyung-jun had vanished from the classroom.