Chapter 1: The Secret of the New Semester’s Popular Girl (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: The Secret of the New Semester’s Popular Girl (1)
This happened a while back.
...Actually, it was during my second year of middle school, so maybe it hasn't been that long.
"You say you're seeing strange things?"
The doctor, clad in a white coat, asked me while neatly tapping away at his keyboard.
"...Yes."
"Hmm... exactly what kind of things are you seeing?"
"Well..."
"It's alright, feel free to speak comfortably."
My dilemma was how to even put this into words. After a brief moment of organizing my thoughts, I spoke cautiously.
"Dolls that look like the person I'm talking to? I see things that look like miniature characters."
"Mhm... I see..."
The doctor's reaction was indifferent. Like a true professional, he didn't let his emotions show.
"Do you see something like that on me right now?"
I scanned the area around the doctor. They were always near the original body.
— "Now that’s a peculiar symptom..."
I found it immediately. Sitting on the desk was an SD character that looked exactly like him, as if it had popped right out of an anime. The little guy was muttering to himself while looking at a chart.
"Yes, there's one."
"Hmm..."
"......"
I waited calmly for the doctor's judgment. To be honest, I wasn't particularly worried about being sick. I was certain this wasn't a disease. Coming to the hospital was merely for a final confirmation.
"Are there any other unusual details?"
"It talks."
"It talks? Does it strike up a conversation with you?"
"No, it just mutters to itself."
It was doing it earlier, and it was doing it now.
— "There’s nothing wrong with the brain... it’s most likely a stress-related issue."
The mini-doctor was muttering while holding a tiny chart. Immediately after those words:
"Well... according to the test results, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your brain."
The doctor in front of me spat out the exact same words at the exact same time. My suspicion was rapidly turning into certainty.
"It's likely a temporary issue, so let's keep an eye on it for a while longer."
"...Yes, I understand."
The consultation was over. I stood up from my seat. Let's check one last time—to see if what I'm thinking is correct.
"Doctor."
He had been typing on his keyboard but quickly turned his gaze toward me at the sound of my voice.
"Ah, yes. Do you have any more questions?"
"No, it's not that... I was just wondering if you've eaten today."
"Eaten?"
His expression was clouded with absurdity and confusion. The mini-doctor sitting on the desk was the same. The mini-doctor fiddled with his glasses and spoke.
— "Huh? Why is he asking that? I just made do with some cup noodles."
"I did have some cup noodles... do I smell like them?"
"No, it's nothing."
I gave a polite bow and stepped out of the consultation room.
"Nurse Kim, could you call the next patient?"
— "Ah~ I want to go home~"
That settled it. Listening to the voice leaking through the door, I once again realized the situation I was in. This wasn't a dream or a mental illness.
"......"
The summer of my second year in middle school. It seemed I had somehow become able to read people's thoughts.
*
I'm a sophomore in high school this year.
I haven't lived a long life, but if there's one thing I've realized, it's that being able to read minds doesn't drastically change your life. Even more so if you're keeping that fact a secret.
"What's the point of having this power? I still have to go to school..."
As long as I'm living as a student in South Korea, skipping school is out of the question.
"Phew."
I let out a sigh but still diligently packed my backpack. It's not like I could skip school starting from the very first day of the new semester.
"I'm heading out."
"Okay, have a good day, sweetie~"
Mom said that while moving busily to get ready for work.
— "It’s so hectic this morning. I wonder if traffic will be okay if I leave now?"
Mom's 'Mini-Me'—the little things that speak their true feelings; I named them myself—was also scurrying around. I didn't bother her further and quickly slipped out the front door.
The walk to school was short. About fifteen minutes? Perhaps because it was the first day of the semester, there weren't even any teachers standing at the main gate.
— Which class are you in?
— I got Class 3.
When I arrived at the shoe lockers on the first floor, I saw kids gathered by the window. Not just one or two, but dozens of them were huddled together, looking at something.
"Ah, right."
I wondered what they were doing, then remembered that the class assignments were being posted today.
"Let's see..."
I poked my head into the crowd. I searched for my name among the assignment sheets posted like posters on the wall.
Lee Seung-ho... Lee Seung-ho... Lee Seung-ho...
"Found it."
Class 2-1. I'm in Class 1 this year.
"I wonder about the others..."
I didn't stop there and kept scanning. It was to see if there was anyone I knew. As I went through the names one by one, my expression gradually stiffened.
"......No way, for real?"
Somehow, there wasn't a single close friend in my class.
"Oh, Seung-ho, you're here?"
Just then, I saw two familiar faces walking up from behind. They were friends who had been in the same class as me last year. Traces of a smirk were plastered all over their faces.
"Seung-ho, what class are you in? You're not in Class 1, are you?"
"......"
...These punks are asking even though they already know.
"......What class are you guys in?"
I asked, barely maintaining a smile.
"We're..."
"In Class 4!"
The bastards began to tease me with every fiber of their being. They were surprisingly well-coordinated at times like this. Their Mini-Mes also started rolling on the floor, bursting with laughter.
— "Score!"
— "Lee Seung-ho’s face is a total treat right now, lol."
"......"
Watching that made me twice as pissed off.
"......I'm heading in first."
"Hey, are you sulking?"
"I need to go make other friends since I don't have you guys."
I couldn't spend my sophomore year without any friends. I quickly moved toward my classroom. After wandering around the second floor, I managed to find my class at the end of the hallway.
"...Whew."
Standing in front of the back door, I took a short, deep breath. It was true that I was a bit nervous since it was a new semester.
"......"
I steeled my resolve and cautiously opened the back door. Quietly, so as not to draw attention.
"Kyaaa—!"
"?!"
As soon as I opened the door, a loud shriek erupted. It was the characteristic cheer of high school girls.
"A-young!"
"Oh! A-young, you're in our class too?"
When I looked back, a female student was entering the classroom behind me.
"...Scared me."
I thought they were cheering for me. Even though there was no way that was the case, I was momentarily tempted by the thought.
I took a seat in a reasonably empty spot. The back row was already crowded, but fortunately, I managed to snag a window seat.
"...So she's in our class too."
Shin A-young. She was quite famous, being the daughter of the famous actor Shin Jin-seop. As if those genes hadn't gone anywhere, her appearance was no less than that of a celebrity. Features that captured people's attention at a single glance. Silky hair and long eyelashes. She had the kind of face that looked like she'd be popular no matter what.
"A-young, you're in our class too? That's great!"
"I was worried I wouldn't know anyone, I'm so relieved~!"
She was already mingling with the other kids. They were gathered in groups of three or four, chatting away. An 'insider' group had formed in an instant.
"......Hmm."
I looked around. I searched for someone I could talk to.
— "Is this my lucky year? I’m in the same class as A-young again."
Someone's Mini-Me was wandering around on top of my desk.
"......"
...Who is this now?
When I checked to see who it was, I realized it was a male student lingering near Shin A-young. Looking at his name tag, his name was Park Jin-su. He soon approached the group where Shin A-young was.
"Hi, A-young."
"Ah, Jin-su. We're in the same class again this year?"
"Heh, yeah."
The two began to strike up a conversation quite naturally.
— "Maybe now’s my only chance? Since it’s the start of the semester..."
His Mini-Me muttered.
Is this, perhaps... that?
"A-young. Do you have a moment later?"
"Huh?"
"It'll only take a second."
Oh...
I covered my mouth with my hand. I had ended up witnessing an interesting event from the very first day of the semester.
— "Fuck."
At the same time, a Mini-Me that looked somewhat familiar spat out a curse.
— "Crazy... he’s definitely going to confess... did I smile at him too much?"
"......?"
This was, no matter how I looked at it, Shin A-young's Mini-Me. The foul-mouthed cursing, so different from her image, made me think I had misheard for a moment.
— "Sigh... I messed up... No, why is this prick messing with me from the start of the semester?"
Contrary to her inner thoughts, the real her was showing a faint, beaming smile. She spoke in a soft tone, as if she were a bit troubled.
"Um... I can't right now, but can we talk during lunch?"
"Oh, o-okay... Sure, see you then."
Park Jin-su nodded with a dazed face and left. He seemed to think his invitation was a success in his own way...
On the desk, Shin A-young's Mini-Me furrowed its brow deeply.
— "Sigh... seriously, if it weren’t for my dad, I’d just..."
She looked like her mood had been dragged through the mud. Was she suppressing her temper for fear of tarnishing her famous actor father's name? The kids around her, unaware of this, were making a fuss.
"Ooh~ Shin A-young~"
"This is definitely that. You know, that."
Shin A-young gave an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha. No way~"
— "I know too, you bitch."
...How fiery.
— "Anyway, whether it’s this guy or that guy... Ugh, this fucking sucks. I want to go home already~!"
The crude cursing reached my ears once again.
"......"
The first day of the new semester. I had unintentionally discovered the secret of our class's social butterfly.