That Bastard's the One Who's Gonna Steal My Virginity (5)
“Oh? Dodging the goddess of Bulsago Middle School, Ban Do-young, are we?”
“Whoa, it sounds so badass coming from her mouth.”
At first, I wasn't thrilled. Anyone would feel the same if their bold offer got shot down so coldly. And that irritation showed plain on my face.
“Look at that scary mug, kekeke. She's really pissed.”
“Leave her be. It's that time of the month for her at the start of the semester. We've seen Ban Do-young's mood swings a million times.”
“She's dodging 'cause you called her a thief.”
“Only a thief dodges when called a thief. If you're innocent, you just sit there.”
Did I do something wrong to the guy? I racked my brain, but no clue. Fine, I'm innocent. That makes him guilty.
“Grrr... just you wait.”
As I glared daggers at Do Ha-min, Hye-rang, sitting behind him, scowled at a tall guy.
“Oh, that jerk...”
“What, an ex?”
“No, gross. He's saying creepy shit.”
“Do-youngie, you don't know him? That's Lee Jeong-gyu from the Seongdong Middle crew.”
Choi Sa-hyung and Yoo Hye-rang didn't know Ha-min, but they knew the guy behind him—Lee Jeong-gyu. His pants hem rolled up tight, uniform shirt unbuttoned proudly, the Under Armour logo peeking through his semi-sheer white shirt. One glance screamed delinquent.
“I don't know him personally or anything. But I heard from a friend at Seongdong Middle—he's trash who cycles through girls whenever he gets the chance. Even girls from there who dated him broke up on bad terms.”
“Didn't know he was in our class. Heard he beat some kid half to death at Seongdong and got suspended, but somehow graduated middle school without dropping out.”
Whether he overheard Sa-hyung and Hye-rang or not, Lee Jeong-gyu ignored the entrance ceremony and kept shooting glances our way.
“He's been staring over here forever.”
“No way... is Lee Jeong-gyu gunning for Do-youngie? That sneaky smile while peeking is suspicious.”
“Ah... yeah, that guy's got it in him.”
Once I noticed the stares, like it or not, our eyes met Lee Jeong-gyu's a bunch. Fine, eyes wandering between my face and chest? I get it—I'd do the same in his shoes. But snickering with the dude next to him every time? That rubbed me wrong. Couldn't hear what they said, but with rumors of him dumping girls left and right and beating up classmates till suspension, it sure wasn't pure high school chit-chat.
“Don't worry, if Lee Jeong-gyu messes with you, I'll chase him off right—”
“Whoa, shit...! What the hell, asshole?”
“...Huh?”
And then, none other than this webtoon's protagonist, Do Ha-min, kicked things off with Lee Jeong-gyu first.
“Um, what you said earlier... that wasn't cool...”
“...Oh-ho.”
Right in the middle of the entrance ceremony, a “fuck you” explodes, drawing every eye in school—yet Jeong-gyu grabs Ha-min's collar by the desk in front of him and yanks.
“Hey.”
“...”
“Listen to this punk mouthing off after kicking first. Didn't you see you almost bruised my foot, asshole? Huh?”
“...Sorry for kicking you. My bad.”
“What, 'sorry for kicking'?”
Ha-min immediately bowed to those behind him, apologizing sincerely. It was his mistake, after all. He had to own that.
“...But what you said earlier wasn't right. 'None of your business,' 'I'll dump her'...”
“What? What bullshit is this?”
“T-to someone who confessed and said she liked you...”
“Speak up, fuck! I can't hear you!”
But he could only apologize for his slip-up. Even if it was thoughtless, even if it was baseless bluffing, Ha-min couldn't let those words slide.
“Hey, Lee Jeong-gyu, cut it out. The kid's scared.”
“Hold up, this punk stomped my foot and now he's trying to school me?”
“...”
“You there! The principal's talking—shut up!”
A warning from our soon-to-be Class 1-1 homeroom teacher. But Jeong-gyu scowled at his future teacher and raised his voice.
“Fuck, always picking on me.”
“Ceremony's not over. Let go of his collar, now!”
“He started shit with me first!”
Jeong-gyu kept gripping Ha-min's collar. Their height gap—nearly 20cm—hoisted Ha-min right off the ground.
“Say it—did you start shit or not?”
Just as Jeong-gyu went to hurl Ha-min aside,
“Ah! I wanna enroll already!”
A voice boomed from the back, shaking the auditorium.
“As expected of Do-youngie. Lungs like a pro.”
“Kendo dojo kid, what'd you expect.”
Every eye snapped from Ha-min and Jeong-gyu to the voice's source—my seat.
“B-Ban Do-young...”
“What, asshole? You know her? Ban Do-young?”
Jeong-gyu's eyes flickered at Ha-min's words, like he knew me.
“Ahh, I wanna enroll ASAP and evolve from middle school girl to hawawa army-vet high school babe—! But some jackass is ruining the ceremony—! Can't you just sit the fuck down?! It won't take long!”
I crossed my arms, legs propped up, and yelled at Jeong-gyu holding Ha-min—like a kendo master's kiai, mic'd teachers drowned out, filling the hall.
“...Y-yeah! Let's do the damn ceremony! You gotta wreck shit even today?”
“Don't wanna enroll? Get out!”
“We don't care if your foot gets caught in a chair—piss off!”
My little spark ignited the whole school's fury, arrows flying at Jeong-gyu.
“N-no, this punk came at me first...”
“Chairs aren't bolted—accidents happen!”
“Yeah, you grab collars for that? You'd have decked him first!”
“He apologized! Did everything!”
No one cares about a spark from some out-of-town shrimp. But one from the Bulsago Middle goddess? Different story.
“...Fuck.”
Unable to vent at the arrow's source—me—Jeong-gyu reluctantly released Ha-min's collar.
“Punk, stick around after.”
“...”
-Thwack!
He kicked Ha-min's chair hard and sat back down. Could've cursed a storm and bolted, but nah.
“Happy now, fuck? Do your shitty ceremony.”
He knew: fleeing this backlash meant admitting defeat to Ha-min in front of everyone. Plus, blowing his last shot to impress me.
“Um... you okay? Want me to get you a chair and sit in the back row?”
As Ha-min fetched his kicked chair, our future homeroom teacher asked worriedly.
'Another seat...'
Ha-min glanced back.
-Poke poke
'Here. Here.'
There I was, winking cutely, waving my pinky like sit in front of me.
“...N-no, I'm good. I'll sit here.”
“Oh? Tell teacher if it's too much.”
Ha-min shook his head and set the chair back in place. Better the devil you know than random kindness.
“...!”
Till I pulled my phone from my uniform pocket.
'Not... not that, not here...!'
My phone screen showed the Magical Girl Marina★Harina illustration I'd snapped—torn magical girl outfit bloodied, breasts subtly exposed.
“Pure★Change.”
My sloppy peace sign tapped the screen; Marina's chest zoomed in.
“I-I'll move to the back...!”
“Y-yeah... go ahead.”
Face beet-red, Ha-min dragged his chair to my front row.
“Fancy meeting you again, sunshine.”
“Please, just... don't pull that out here...”
“Depends on you.”
I pocketed the phone, crossed my legs smugly.
-Poke
-Poke poke
I stretched my foot under his chair, prodding.
“Know why I called you here?”
-Poke
“...S-sorry for playing dumb.”
-Poke poke
-Poke poke poke
Each prod rocked his chair.
“I thought it wasn't for me... maybe you meant someone else... happens to me a lot...”
“That's not the point right now.”
-Thud
My foot stabbed the chair's center—off by inches from disaster.
“Then what's the big deal—”
“When's your birthday.”
“...Huh?”
Out of nowhere, I asked the day he was born. First time ever—a peer, a girl, asking my birthday.
“Whoa, Do-youngie still hasn't given up.”
“Why birthday all sudden...”
“Ah, she called us 'babies' 'cause our birthdays are latest, we snapped back, now she's on this rampage.”
“So we bet drinks on whose birthday's latest. You lose, we buy; otherwise, Do-youngie pays.”
“Ah... got it.”
Only after Sa-hyung and Hye-rang explained did Ha-min get my birthday obsession.
“So, when's yours? C'mon?”
“Uh...”
“Spill it—only you can save me from these wallet-raiding demon spawn!”
“It's...”
Ha-min's eyes trembled as he whispered,
“...January 1st.”
“Fuck—!”
“You there! Ceremony's not over!”
The 10th Bulsago High School entrance ceremony, halted twice by “fucks,” finally wrapped up.