Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: The Middle School Reunion
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Even before my regression, I'd gotten a similar message. The wording was a bit different, but the gist was more or less the same.
「Hey Woo-yeon, long time no talk. Finally mustered up the courage to reach out. Not sure if you remember me, but I'm An Siheon, the class president from Class 4, Year 3 at Ganghyeon Middle School. How've you been? You don't post much on SNS, so I've got no idea what's up with you lol. Still, I got your number from someone who had it, so I figured I'd shoot you a text. Anyway, wanna come to the class reunion? Share some updates and all that. Details on time and place in the link below. Catch you later!」
...Something like that.
I didn't have many good memories from middle school, but maybe time had romanticized them a bit.
Or perhaps it was because I felt a swell of pride watching Lee Incheol's shop grow busier by the day, and unlike before, I was starting to gain some real confidence.
For all that I didn't have a single classmate I was still in touch with, I suddenly decided to show up.
'God, I was shaking.'
Most of my peers my age were either in college, grinding it out in the military, or prepping to head back to school after discharge.
Hardly anyone had decided against college like I did.
'Well, duh. Pretty much everyone went to liberal arts high schools, so of course. Even in my high school... I was the only one who didn't go to college.'
I could still clearly picture my homeroom teacher's pitying gaze during senior year. Throughout our college counseling session, she looked downright baffled, like she'd just stumbled on society's dark underbelly.
'Yeah, well, in this day and age, what student says they can't afford college apps and skips it altogether?'
After a moment of silence, she offered to cover the application fees herself if I'd just apply somewhere.
My grades were too good to waste, she said.
But I wanted to make money rather than take on debt to study. A single-room shack to crash in was all I needed.
I'd done the math.
'Going to college wouldn't have changed my miserable life anyway. Even with loans for tuition, who'd cover living expenses and rent? I'd be scraping by without a moment to breathe. And after graduating like that? Would I even have time to focus on job hunting?'
I was busy.
Taking care of no one but myself.
It was burden enough to leave me gasping for air, no room to juggle school on top.
I'd been busting my ass nonstop, and just when I finally caught a breather, this invite to the alumni meetup landed.
We weren't even that close. Still, I latched onto that tiny bit of kindness like a starving man. I craved people.
After pouring every day into the shop, I had no time left to meet anyone. On days off, I crashed hard.
Not that I had friends to meet anyway.
Even so, sometimes I yearned for human warmth.
'I'm a grown-up now, not some kid anymore. Curious how everyone's doing. Maybe I'll click with someone and make a friend?'
With that faint hope, I went to the reunion.
Of course, what came back was...
-Whoa, Woo-yeon! What've you been up to? Where you going to college? You were always good at school back in middle school~
-......
-Oh, wait, serving tables at a restaurant...?
-Hey, hey, don't ask stupid questions! Didn't Woo-yeon's family go bust back in middle school? I remember she skipped school for like three days straight or something.
-This guy's wasted.
-I'm not!
-Then you're just an asshole.
-Yep, spot on~
-Puhahaha! What a psycho~
Cacklecacklecackle. Hahahahaha!
Wedged between peals of laughter, I sat there blankly. What was I thinking?
I nursed a beer, scrutinizing those kids' faces—unchanged from middle school.
They'd cut their hair, tried to look cool in their own ways. But no hiding that stench wafting from deep inside.
How to put it? Bitter. These kids were all in proper colleges, safe in their parents' cozy nests.
My shallow hope that things might've changed shattered. Amid their rowdy, self-absorbed chatter, I was...
'Ah, so lonely.'
That's what I thought.
Surrounded by dozens in that raucous drinking party, yet bone-deep alone.
'These kids will live and die like this forever. Doesn't even piss me off anymore. But them all ganging up on me... guess it's 'cause I'm different.'
People instinctively reject what's different, right?
It was the same in middle school. And now, I was the target again because to them, I stood out. My mind went blank at the thought.
Pitiful. Scary, too.
Was I doomed to drift forever like duckweed, never belonging anywhere?
Realizing how alien I felt here crushed me.
More than their mocking laughs, that sadness cut deep.
"......Pfft!"
I couldn't hold back a chuckle that slipped out. Oblivious, Park Sangwon kept talking with his mouth stuffed full.
"Ooh! This combo is so good!"
"Park Sangwon, eat slower. No one's gonna steal it."
Park Sangwon nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling. He chomped away like a competitive eater.
"It's got real charm."
"Right?"
I grinned.
"The customization—picking exactly what you want. I think that'll be our big edge going forward."
No Sehee nodded too, holding a tasting salad.
"It's novel, adding ingredients one by one like this. But yeah, making your perfect combo sounds great."
"Right?"
Suddenly, paying for veggies you hate feels less like a rip-off. Don't you ever regret it sometimes?
"If it's too light, add some pasta noodles for heft. For sauces, we can suggest a few set recipes plus recommended add-ons. That'll help indecisive folks."
I'd brought [The Song] staff for tastings, and the feedback was solid.
I winked at Baek Jaeha, hanging back.
'Nice job!'
I flashed a thumbs-up, and he beamed back—then his face hardened.
'What?'
I whipped around. Hyun Yewon had sidled up beside me.
She'd been glaring at Baek Jaeha, but switched to an innocent smile when I turned.
"?"
What was that about?
As I blinked in confusion, Hyun Yewon bounced over cheerfully.
"Boss! I tried your recommended combo, and it's the best! Balsamic sauce is perfectly tangy—love it. Song Boss is the best!"
"That's the sauce Jaeha mixed..."
"Ahahaha~. Explains why it's so sour~."
She'd just called it delicious.
Hyun Yewon shrugged 'Meh' and doused it with another dressing.
Guess they're still not getting along. I'd love if they hit it off—they're around the same age...
I patted her shoulder.
"Jaeha's not a bad guy."
"Huh?"
"Eat up. If you need more, just ask him."
Then I slipped away to check others' reactions.
'Oh yeah, today's the deadline to RSVP for the reunion, right?'
The thought hit me, so I pulled out my phone. The link led to the attendance poll.
'Should I go? Or skip?'
Tough call.
Even if I did, I doubted they'd changed. No point reliving the misery twice.
'......But have they?'
My social standing had shifted a lot since the regression.
Sure, I'd made good money before too—but that was later on.
At this age, hard to imagine anyone out-earning me now.
'I've changed, so maybe their reaction will too.'
Suddenly, I wanted to see.
"Team Leader Jo."
"Yes. The customized salads seem way more satisfying, like you said. It's just staff now, but we could try outsiders soon..."
Sensing a monologue incoming, I cut him off.
"No, not that. You free next Saturday?"
"......Ah, schedule. One sec, I need to check..."
Jo Yiruk stiffened briefly, then pulled out his notepad. He flipped pages and replied.
"Hm. Got a meeting with trainee franchise owners, but it's adjustable."
"Cool, reschedule it? Something's come up."
"Got it. Just tell me and I'll add it."
"Oh, not company stuff. Personal."
"......!"
Jo Yiruk's eyes went wide, pen in hand.
"Personal... schedule?"
"Yeah. That surprising?"
"Kinda is. Never scheduled a personal one for you since I started. Holidays, maybe."
Ugh, that bad?
Come to think of it, yeah. Made me realize how dry my life had been.
"Ahem, sorry. Got caught off guard. Mind sharing what it is?"
"Nothing big. Middle school classmates are meeting up, so I figured I'd check it out."
"Ah, reunion."
"Yeah. Wasn't gonna go, but..."
I glanced out the window, murmuring.
"Something I wanna confirm."
How would I look to you now?
Still like aimless duckweed, adrift?