My Side or His Side (4)
Just moments ago, An Seong-gyeong had been huddled at the gym entrance, clutching her skirt, but at some point, she had slipped inside the storage room she'd opened to fetch the balls.
-Click
And An Seong-gyeong locked the door from the inside, out of sight from the other kids.
“...Didn’t the teacher give the storage key to the vice president earlier?”
“I took it back. Hand the key to me, and you go play the futsal you wanted with the kids. Leave closing up the storage and organizing to me. That Hyeon Myeong-su jerk. He tossed the key at me all happy and bailed. He didn’t wanna do it. What a pain.”
“Well... if work gets dumped on you out of nowhere, it’s only natural to feel crappy about it.”
“I don’t see it that way. Taking the storage key from the teacher, opening and locking the door, managing it—that’s something I can and should handle as class president.”
“...”
“Once it’s locked from the inside, no one’s getting in, key or no key.”
The dim gym storage room, sealed off from the outside, with faint sunlight filtering through the barred window above, dimly illuminating the dank dust motes.
“Sniff sniff. Ugh. Musty smell. Exactly the kind I hate. That dank stench from the boys’ shirts after they went out to the field to kick balls during the ten-minute break.”
“You know it well.”
“B-because it’s gross!”
An Seong-gyeong pinched her nose shut against the odor rising from the PE equipment, brushed the dust off an old chair in the back corner, and plopped her butt down on it. No way was she letting her uniform skirt touch the grimy floor.
“Why come here on purpose?”
“You needed a spot to talk alone too, right? Somewhere you don’t have to watch out for that Ban Do-young bitch.”
The gym storage had almost no sunlight penetrating from outside, save for a tiny barred vent for minimal airflow. Step just a little away from the sunlit area, and you couldn’t see a thing happening inside.
“Here, we can talk easy, no prying eyes. Do Ha-min.”
And right now, Do Ha-min—the one Do-young had been frantically hunting for moments ago—was in here with An Seong-gyeong.
Yeah, Do Ha-min? Nah, no clue where he is.
When I called for futsal players and they didn’t show, figured he was holed up somewhere. Guy’s got that vibe.
We didn’t call him either. Not basketball height anyway? If he’s keen, sure, but forcing it otherwise is lame.
Class pres...? Huh, she’s MIA. Maybe snuck back to the classroom solo?
Totally. Math class, Do Ha-min nailed it but she couldn’t and got reamed.
Right now, with no one knowing where Do Ha-min or An Seong-gyeong had gone, the two were alone in the dim storage room.
⋯
“I was kinda surprised. Didn’t expect you to wanna talk to me first, Do Ha-min.”
An Seong-gyeong’s voice pitched up just a touch at the end. A subtle shift from her usual icy tone with Ban Do-young’s crew. Less class president authority, more the tense edge of chatting with a boy.
“You eyed me while running laps on the field earlier, right? And caught hell from Ban Do-young right beside you.”
“Yeah. Been meaning to talk, but kept missing the moment. Dragged on too long. Not getting any better.”
“I know, I know. Especially with that Ban Do-young bitch griping and nagging next to you—must’ve sucked. That’s why you wanted to meet separate. I clocked it when you glanced my way earlier.”
Her voice softened even more, indulgent. Chatting up Do-young in front of the guy who sought her out—maybe she was getting a thrill. Her tone lightened further, still too hushed to carry outside, but the upbeat mood was clear.
“That Ban Do-young bitch. She’s got some annoying traits, right? Always has. Went to the same elementary and middle school—saw it all. Boys fawned over her as the ‘Bulsago Middle Goddess,’ teachers let her trash school life because she’s pretty.”
An Seong-gyeong spilling the past Do-young she’d witnessed to Do Ha-min. Of course, he couldn’t tell where fact ended and her bias began.
“Her fixating on you? Probably ’cause you’re a toy she’s never played with. Caught your eye at the entrance ceremony, now she’s got you spinning at her side.”
“Yeah, could be. Still don’t get why she’s going this far with me.”
“Not ‘could be’—it is. Entrance ceremony, cursing by you and eating embarrassment, sending you on drink runs, even stamping herself with Lee Jeong-gyu types. That’s just what I saw in a week.”
“Uh... you paid closer attention than I thought. That big a deal?”
“In this school, her antics not standing out would be weirder. They all play dumb like the witch hunt on me earlier, but deep down, same thoughts. She’s a total slut tanking our class study vibe.”
Do Ha-min couldn’t flat-out refute her. Not entirely wrong on the study atmosphere front. His hardcore three-year plan—picking a distant school on purpose—was already unraveling from day one thanks to Do-young.
“You’re just stuck with them ’cause Ban Do-young shoves you in, right? Choi Sa-hyung might mesh okay, but Yoo Hye-rang? Didn’t seem thrilled about her messing with you.”
“Nah, they didn’t say anything like that.”
“Even if not out loud, they think it. Yoo Hye-rang’s drawn the line. You’re a whole different breed from them.”
“...”
“Same for you. Hanging with that crowd? Zero help for your grades or future.”
Until recently, he truly hadn’t known why Do-young kept him close. Even the ‘friend’ angle was just his wild guess. Without hearing it straight from her, no way for him to know.
“Hmm...”
An Seong-gyeong let out a sly, knowing chuckle at Do Ha-min, head bowed in thought. She could feel herself steering the conversation.
“Heard from Teacher Yeo Mi-so. You aimed for Seongcheon Science High, barely missed out, ended up here?”
“...Ah, yeah. Not sure it was barely.”
An Seong-gyeong dangled the name of the school he’d bombed, drawing out his subdued reaction. The instant that name—hardly a fond memory—hit, his face clouded. But she pressed on, like she’d been waiting for that exact regret.
“Nah, your level? Could’ve nailed it on a good day. Math teacher tossed a senior SAT problem as a joke—you got it.”
“No, just recognized a similar one from my old wrong-answer notebook.”
“Doesn’t matter—you solved it. Bet you regret missing Seongcheon every day. Future’s locked in there. No getting jerked around by Ban Do-young types.”
“...”
“Right? Wanna join my study club?”
“Study club...?”
An Seong-gyeong pitched her in-school study group to him.
“It’s a legit group of kids who actually study here. If you’re game, let’s grind together. Brain that targeted Seongcheon? You qualify. Others’ll be stoked.”
“...”
“W-what... You hate it?”
“Thanks. I’ll think it over.”
An Seong-gyeong got a flicker of impatience seeing him not bite right away. She’d thought her pitch—under her control—was a slam dunk. So why? She’d laid bare that he was nothing but Do-young’s toy. Still clinging to false hope in that crew?
-Thud thud
Instead, An Seong-gyeong started stamping her feet, anxiety creeping in on her side.
“What’s with that reaction? Rare shot! Avg 1.2 grade cut group. You join, no downside.”
“Yeah, but I think studying’s basically a solo thing.”
“Do. Ha-min... You called me out to talk. Dodging Ban Do-young to signal we’re on the same team, right? Why else meet alone?”
“Ah... no. Came for a different favor.”
“Different favor...?”
Do Ha-min met An Seong-gyeong’s eyes with a clear gaze and steady voice.
“The thing where you called her a ‘slut.’ Apologize to her.”