Jeong Eun-ji's Humiliation
The Wednesday of that week was the day every student at Jinsu High—from first-years to third-years—dreaded most: the day they handed out the report cards. Not that anyone actually enjoyed getting their grades back, but still.
Jeong Eun-ji, utterly convinced she had already won, gathered everyone from Class 3 before morning assembly even began. She announced our bet to the whole group once again.
“You all remember what I said last time, right? The bet I made with this bastard over our test scores!”
“Hey, Jeong Eun-ji, are you seriously going through with this?”
“What are you gonna do if you lose?”
The kids in our class, thrilled at the prospect of a good show, tossed comments at the confidently declaring Jeong Eun-ji. Probably because no one usually talked to me that casually.
To some of the questions, Jeong Eun-ji puffed out her chest with a triumphant expression.
“Me, lose? No matter how bad I am at studying, I’m not bad enough to lose to Han Seong-jin! So everybody get your phones ready to record! A lot of you have been screwed over by this guy before, right? Let’s all film it together and completely humiliate him!”
“Yo, Jeong Eun-ji. But are you really prepared? If you lose, I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a girl. I’ll strip you naked too.”
At my words, Jeong Eun-ji flinched for a second, but then she snorted.
“Do whatever you want! There’s no way you’re winning anyway!”
The scene of the two of us loudly discussing exactly how terrible the penalty would be if we lost was recorded on countless students’ phones.
“Hide those report cards well! We’re calling everyone to the sports field during lunch and revealing them at the same time! Once we get there, you won’t be able to back out!”
“Looks like you’re digging your own grave. You should withdraw now while you still can. You really confident about stripping naked in front of all those people?”
“Ha, who’s worrying about who? You’d better spend the time until lunch trembling in fear!”
After throwing out those words, Jeong Eun-ji returned to her seat like someone who had already won.
The news that the penalty for the bet between me and Jeong Eun-ji was happening today spread from our Class 3 to the entire third-year level, then from the third-years to the first- and second-years. By the end of third period, the rumor had swept through all of Jinsu High.
Lee Yu-ri came to my seat during the break after second period, clearly worried about me.
“Seong-jin-ah, that bet penalty… you’re not really going to do it, are you? No matter what, this is a bit much…”
“She’s the one who suggested it, so wouldn’t it be better to ask her?”
“I talked to Eun-ji after first period… but she won’t listen to me.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do.”
“You’re really…? The rumor has already spread to the cram school. They say a ton of kids are going to flood the sports field at lunch. Stripping naked and bowing in front of all those people… no matter how you look at it, this is…”
“But the more I listen, the weirder it gets, wife.”
I said that and grabbed Lee Yu-ri by the waist, pulling her onto my lap. Caught off guard by the sudden skinship, she couldn’t resist and ended up straddling my thigh.
“Why are you talking like it’s obvious I’m going to lose?”
“W-who are you calling wife! You keep calling me that and people are getting the wrong idea…”
“You’re my woman. Girlfriend or wife, it’s all the same.”
“Ugh… A-anyway! Are you really this confident you’re going to win? No, I’m not taking sides between you and Eun-ji, but no matter who wins…”
“We’ll see when the time comes.”
……
And when third period ended, Choi Su-yeon came running after hearing the rumor.
“Senior! You’re really revealing the results at lunch? And the loser is actually going to bow completely naked? For real? In front of that many people?”
“Jeong Eun-ji made the stakes way too big. At this point neither of us can back out. What can I do? We just have to go through with it.”
“I heard the kids are going crazy saying they’re coming to watch at lunch… But Senior, if you lose, are you really going to do whatever Eun-ji sunbae tells you?”
“If I lose, then yeah. I don’t go back on my word. But why is everyone talking like I’m definitely going to lose?”
Not only Lee Yu-ri, but even Choi Su-yeon didn’t think I would win. Given how flashy my reputation had been until now, it was only natural.
“Um… No matter how bad Eun-ji sunbae is at studying, looking at your past grades, Senior…”
Choi Su-yeon threw a straight ball with a calm face. But then she linked her arm with mine, pressed close, and gave me a playful smile.
“But don’t worry! Even if you end up humiliated, I won’t leave your side, Senior!”
“Should I feel upset that you’ve already decided I’m going to lose, or should I feel grateful that you’ll stay by my side anyway?”
“In times like this, actions speak louder than words. Here.”
Choi Su-yeon closed her eyes and tapped her lips with her index finger. I responded to her request by pulling her into my arms and kissing her.
“Chuuup… Ha…♥”
Even though we had kissed so many times before, Choi Su-yeon still let out a sweet, melting moan every time our lips met. It was quite a satisfying sight.
……
And finally, the long-awaited lunch break arrived.
Maybe because the rumor had spread so thoroughly, the moment Lee Yu-ri, Choi Su-yeon, Jeong Eun-ji, and I sat down at one table, third-year students had already packed in all around us. Even though they had finished eating, they were waiting like hyenas for us to finish our meal.
Perhaps because of the sparks flying between me and Jeong Eun-ji, both Lee Yu-ri and Choi Su-yeon barely spoke throughout the meal. Naturally, Jeong Eun-ji and I stayed completely silent.
The instant everyone finished eating, Jeong Eun-ji stood up.
“All done? Then get up. Throw away your trays and come out to the sports field.”
Spouting lines like a thug heading out for a fight, Jeong Eun-ji jerked her head at me.
“Ooh~ Is it finally happening?”
“Is Jeong Eun-ji really gonna get stripped?”
A few of the guys whistled and teased her. Jeong Eun-ji responded by flipping them the middle finger.
After we all threw away our trays, Lee Yu-ri, Choi Su-yeon, and I followed Jeong Eun-ji toward the sports field. Behind us, a huge crowd of both boys and girls trailed along like a tail.
As we went down each floor from the third-year cafeteria, more and more students joined the procession. Before we knew it, we had become the pied piper.
This test-score bet had become quite the hot topic within Jinsu High. One of the participants was me—Han Seong-jin—the school’s biggest delinquent and worst scumbag. And the outrageous nature of the penalty made it even more sensational.
The kids who held grudges against me prayed I would suffer a humiliation so bad I could never show my face again. Some of the boys just wanted to see Jeong Eun-ji naked. And the vast majority who had nothing to do with it simply thought it would be entertaining.
Dozens quickly became hundreds. By the time Jeong Eun-ji and I stood in the middle of the sports field, well over a hundred students had completely filled the area.
Those who couldn’t come out leaned out of their classroom windows, phones raised and recording. The students gathered on the field were all filming with their phones as well.
The boys who had been playing soccer, the girls resting on the benches—everyone had stopped. In the center of the field, only Jeong Eun-ji and I remained.
In an atmosphere reminiscent of a Western duel, Choi Su-yeon crouched at the very front of the spectators, filming along with them and laughing.
“Seong-jin sunbae, fighting! …Uh, the result is pretty much already decided, so maybe not fighting? Anyway, do your best!”
And in the center of the sports field stood me, Jeong Eun-ji, and the person who would announce the scores…
“Why am I even participating in this stupid act…”
Lee Yu-ri was there too. Jeong Eun-ji’s best friend, my girlfriend, and the undisputed school valedictorian who had scored perfect 100s across the board again in this April’s mock exam. Because of her high standing within the school, she had been roped into this by Jeong Eun-ji’s request to verify the scores and now stood in the middle of the massive crowd.
“Look, can’t you two just call this whole thing off right now and go back? Look at how many people are here. And look at all the classroom windows. Do you see how many kids there are? What exactly are you two trying to do?”
“No way. We can’t back out now!”
“Same here. We’ve come this far. There’s no turning back. Just close your eyes and read out the scores one by one.”
At our answers, Lee Yu-ri squeezed her eyes shut and let out a deep sigh. Just like Jeong Eun-ji, I had zero intention of backing down either.
Why else had I been provoking Jeong Eun-ji so much before the exam, pushing things until they spiraled this far?
Jeong Eun-ji’s hatred for me ran far too deep for the gentle approaches that had worked on Lee Yu-ri or Choi Su-yeon. The original Han Seong-jin had simply raped her, then used the photos and videos to blackmail and forcibly corrupt her. But since I wasn’t that kind of criminal, I chose a different method.
I deliberately scratched at her pride using something like test scores, guiding her into setting up this ridiculous bet herself. Then I pretended to go along with it while slowly making the stakes bigger and bigger.
Completely unaware she had been lured into a trap, Jeong Eun-ji—driven solely by the desire to socially annihilate me—had inflated the bet to a scale she herself could no longer handle.
“Jeong Eun-ji… Korean 68 points, Math 41 points, English—”
Lee Yu-ri looked like she wanted to die of embarrassment. She covered half her face with one hand while checking Jeong Eun-ji’s report card and reading out the scores.
“Total average: 63 points. And Han Seong-jin…”
I handed my own report card to Lee Yu-ri.
“Han Seong-jin… Korean 64 points, Math 52 points, English—”
In this situation where the bet had grown far beyond what anyone could handle, I would defeat Jeong Eun-ji, drop her straight into the abyss, and then, as if showing mercy, extend a hand to save her—creating a crack in her heart.
That was when the real conquest would begin.
Of course, considering her personality, I would probably have to handle her a bit more roughly than I did with Lee Yu-ri or Choi Su-yeon. But anyway, it was a truly perfect and simple plan.
“Total average: 65 points.”
……
Really. It was way too easy.