Chapter 93: Park Chaeyeon
Today, as always, she was on her way to the academy she didn't want to go to.
Still, she thought, if she could just get through today—just this short moment—then it would be over. That made her heart feel a little lighter.
But even so, her steps were unavoidably heavy.
Little by little, the academy building came into view.
She planned to quickly pack her things, say a final goodbye to the teachers, and get out fast. But the occasional glimpses she caught of the other students made her frown.
The only saving grace was that there weren't many students from Chaeyeon's class.
The A-class students, who came to the academy to study despite the rumors swirling around, just walked by with earphones plugged in, minding their own business.
Instead, girls who looked like they were from B-class whispered when they saw Chaeyeon.
Girls from what seemed to be C-class openly pointed at Chaeyeon and laughed.
Suppressing the rising discomfort and the tears that threatened to spill, Chaeyeon stepped inside the building.
"Is that so...? That's a shame."
She stopped by the teachers' office first.
The teacher, perhaps already notified by her mother, didn't seem surprised by Chaeyeon's sudden announcement. Instead, he just spoke with a face full of regret.
He asked if there was something she didn't like, if something was bothering her, or if there was anything she wanted improved. But Chaeyeon forced a smile and shook her head.
There really was no problem with the academy itself.
Even when Chaeyeon had made up her mind to study but couldn't focus, and ended up sleeping face-down on her desk, the teacher hadn't bothered to wake her, instead sparing the class time and not causing inconvenience for the other students.
Besides, students who slept weren't limited to Chaeyeon—there were plenty in C-class.
Anyway, even though the large sum of money her mother had paid to the academy would go to waste, she didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing.
Even if she had been forced to study, would she have done it properly?
Even if she somehow managed, wouldn't she have given up quickly?
So Chaeyeon held nothing back and only spoke of the good points.
Only then did the teacher smile and let her go.
She left the office and walked down the hallway.
Even though the time had been short, she found herself caught in a wave of nostalgia and smiled wistfully.
Passing the students wrapped in thick padding, she finally arrived at C-class. But once there, she felt reluctant to enter.
Class started at nine. Students usually started gathering around thirty minutes before that—eight thirty.
In contrast, the short hand on the clock was only pointing at eight now, so there were probably very few students in the classroom.
Even if there were, it would only be one or two—but those two were exactly why her feet wouldn't move forward.
After hesitating in front of the door for a while, she noticed someone walking down the hallway.
And when she realized that someone was from C-class, she closed her eyes tight and opened the door.
Creak.
With nobody around, the academy was quiet and still. The sound of the door opening today felt particularly loud.
She had hoped for a different outcome, but sure enough, there were a few students in the classroom.
They had been laughing and talking among themselves, but the moment they noticed Chaeyeon, their constantly moving lips stiffened.
Their gazes turned toward her, the one who had just entered.
That familiar yet unpleasant look made her heart race wildly.
Chaeyeon took a deep breath and let it out.
Feeling a little better, she started moving again.
But she couldn't go far.
Because—
"That's... my seat...?"
Someone was sitting in Chaeyeon's seat.
There weren't really assigned seats, so A-class and B-class students fiercely competed from the morning to secure the front seats, which offered a better studying environment. But in C-class, where more than half the kids didn't study, an unspoken system of assigned seats had emerged—at least for the front rows.
And her seat wasn't just any front seat.
It was the second seat from the front, so when someone took it, it naturally seemed strange.
But then again, Chaeyeon thought that today was her last day—she would never come to this academy again. So it didn't really matter.
She was just going to go to the boy currently sitting in her seat and ask him to let her take her things out of the drawer.
That was all.
But... but then, just as she resumed her steps and was slowly approaching, she tilted her head at a familiar back—one she'd never seen here before.
For some reason, her chest warmed and a sense of relief washed over her.
Her heart pounded again, but this time for a different reason, and her cheeks flushed faintly.
Her steps quickened.
By the time she reached right next to him, she instantly knew who the boy sitting in her seat was.
His muscles, built from consistent exercise, were faintly visible beneath his thick padding.
"Jihoon...!"
It was none other than her beloved boyfriend, Lee Jihoon.
∗
"Have you been well?"
How are you here? Why? What for?—a dozen questions filled her face as she stared blankly at me sitting in her seat.
We'd only been apart for two weeks—long if you thought about it, short if you didn't.
Anyone watching might have mistaken us for a couple who'd spent a long time without any contact.
But she looked so cute like that.
Her stunned face fumbled for words, not knowing what to do.
I stood up and gently wrapped my arms around her.
Even though she was wearing a thick padded coat, she felt so small.
Shiver.
Her body trembled in my arms, and then she sniffled.
Had it been that bad?
She'd said her grades had dropped too much, so she'd started coming to the academy.
I had been proud of her—she was full of enthusiasm to study hard and pull her grades up. So I finished my work quickly and came back early to prepare a little event like this.
I planned to meet Nayoung and the other girls who had been waiting for me first, then finally come to the academy with Chaeyeon for the rest of winter break.
Unsure when she'd arrive, I got to the classroom early, checked the desk drawers one by one, and sat in her seat, waiting for her. I was glad it hadn't been a wasted effort.
But her reaction was beyond my expectations—it was almost overwhelming.
Normally, Chaeyeon would laugh brightly and make a fuss. She wasn't the type to crumble weakly in someone's arms and cry like this.
'Did something happen?'
If that were the case, then there was only one answer.
I could guess that something had happened.
I quietly turned my eyes and surveyed the surroundings.
I could see C-class students slowly starting to fill the classroom, which had been empty when I first arrived.
They were busy whispering and staring at us.
Chaeyeon was so pretty that she naturally became the center of attention—it wouldn't be strange for her to be the subject of gossip. But something felt subtly off.
Because words that didn't fit the situation were drifting over.
'Slut? Whore? Doesn't she know what a paid date is?'
What the hell?
Hearing these words not just once but multiple times started to sour my mood.
Rage surged up uncontrollably, and I had to force down the impulsive urge to demand what they'd just said. Instead, I decided to focus on Chaeyeon for now.
She was still crying sadly in my arms, so I carefully stroked her hair and waited for her to calm down.
Ten minutes, twenty. Even if a whole hour passed, I planned to stay with her, offering her my embrace.
She calmed down faster than I expected and wiped her eyes.
"Are you feeling a little better?"
"...Yeah."
When I asked to confirm, she smiled faintly and nodded.
I wanted to ask about the things I'd heard earlier—why words like whore, slut, and paid date were coming out of their mouths—but I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat.
I smiled back, thinking she would tell me later.
"What brings you here...?"
Chaeyeon, still sniffling, asked.
"I thought I'd come to the academy with you."
"You don't really need to go, do you...?"
"Honestly, you're right."
Even if he was just a commoner, with more than double the age difference, it would be ridiculous to fall behind others. More than that, with the smartphone that gave him access to future information and the image of being a good student already firmly established, he was studying hard on his own.
So there was no real need to come to the academy.
"But I wanted to be with you."
"Heh..."
The reason was just that simple.
At his straightforward explanation, Chaeyeon started laughing again.
"Ah...! Wait a sec...!"
Suddenly, as if something had occurred to her, she made a fuss and pulled out her smartphone from her pocket.
Then she started dialing.
"Oh, Mom! I'm not going to quit the academy after all! Yeah. Yeah. It's fine. I'm fine. It's all resolved... no, I think it will be resolved. Yeah...! Okay! Bye~!"
Click.
The short but intense call ended.
'Not going to quit after all.' So she was planning to quit.
That lent more weight to the idea that something had happened.
"Chaeyeon. Did something happen?"
"..."
She who always tried to show a bright and positive side—the fact that she was about to quit the academy she'd just started, barely any time in, suggested the situation was serious.
At my question, she pressed her lips firmly together.
"Chaeyeon."
When I called her again, her heavy lips finally parted.
The words that came out of her mouth were shocking.