Chapter 17: Study Group (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Study Group (1)
I was caught off guard when she said she wanted to study.
Then again, that was only because of the image Lee Sol usually projected. In reality, it wasn't that strange of a development.
...Come to think of it, unlike what one might expect, she never actually dozed off during class. If anything, she was the type to follow along quite diligently. It was just that the moment the bell rang for break, she would collapse into a deep sleep.
"But still..."
Several questions came to mind.
"If you’re serious about doing well, wouldn't it be better to just go to an academy?"
Surely that would be more effective than learning from me. At my question, Lee Sol simply shrugged.
"I already tried that."
She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket.
"...And this is the result."
She placed the report card on the desk. Most of her scores were just slightly above average. For someone who had actually put in the effort to study, they were frustratingly mediocre.
Lee Sol looked at the marks with a bitter expression.
— "...I have to actually understand what they're saying for it to work."
It seemed that in the rush to cover the curriculum before exams, she had been forced to move on countless times without truly grasping the material.
— "...Besides... I don't want to keep asking Mom for money."
"..."
Hearing her inner thoughts, I narrowed my eyes slightly.
There was definitely something going on. The idea of Lee Sol studying didn't quite fit her, and it didn't look like she was doing it because she enjoyed it, either. It felt more like... she had chosen the lesser of two evils. That was exactly the vibe.
"Then..."
Time for the second question.
"Why me?"
I pointed a finger at Shin A-young, who was sitting next to me.
"She's right here. Why not her?"
"Huh? Me?"
Shin A-young froze, her mouth slightly open as she was about to pop in a gummy. As usual, she had dropped by the Counseling Club to hang out. Her eyes went round at the sudden mention of her name.
"She's better at studying than I am. I bet she even got a higher score on this mock exam."
"...Hmm. A-young. Yeah, A-young is smart."
Lee Sol’s head tilted in a subtle, awkward motion. Her gaze was hesitant.
"That's why I asked her a few times since we sit next to each other, but..."
"Oh, right! I did try to help you out before," Shin A-young chirped, nodding as she remembered.
"...Our teaching and learning styles just didn't click."
— "...She's a terrible teacher...!"
Lee Sol’s inner "Mini-Me" wailed with a tearful face.
"..."
Was it really that bad? For Lee Sol to go out of her way to hide her true feelings like that...
From the looks of it, Shin A-young was the "genius" type. She likely skipped over the middle steps and summarized everything, assuming the other person already knew the basics. She seemed like the type to just give the answer the moment you asked about a problem.
In the end, I was the only person with decent grades she felt comfortable asking.
"...But I don't think I'll be any better than an academy teacher."
I wasn't bad at studying, but I wasn't exceptionally gifted, either. If you took away my ability, I’d probably be exactly average. No more, no less.
The only reason my grades stayed in the top tier was entirely because I could read minds. I could identify which students were best at which subjects, or read the teachers' thoughts to find out the exam range or specific content in advance...
In short, I was a cheater.
"I might not be very good at this. You okay with that?"
"You just seem..."
Lee Sol leaned toward me.
"Perceptive."
She looked straight at me as she spoke.
"Yeah. I feel like you'd be able to pinpoint exactly what I'm struggling with."
"Ah, I get what she means," Shin A-young added, nodding in agreement. "You are weirdly quick on the uptake."
...It's not that I'm perceptive; it's just a natural consequence of reading thoughts.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to do this for free."
Lee Sol picked up a ten-thousand won bill that had been sitting on the desk. She smoothed out the crumpled note.
"I'll pay for all the snacks we eat while studying."
Now that was interesting. Free snacks? I could get behind that.
"...Up to how much?"
"Five thousand won a day. Five days a week."
Twenty-five thousand won worth of free snacks a week. There was about a month left until midterms. It was a period where I had to study anyway, and teaching someone else wasn't particularly difficult.
...Should I give it a shot?
"Fine. But don't complain if your grades don't go up."
*
Ding—
The elevator doors opened, and Lee Sol stepped out. The cold draft from the hallway floor seeped through the air. Out of habit, she reached for the door lock, then hesitated.
"..."
She took a step back, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. The report card in her bag felt like a heavy weight.
...I wonder if Mom is home.
"..."
She couldn't just stand there forever.
Sigh...
Taking a short, deep breath, Lee Sol cautiously opened the front door.
"...I'm home," she murmured as she stepped into the living room. She peeked inside.
...She was there.
She could see her mother sitting at the dining table, reading a book.
...I should try to get to my room as quietly as possible.
"Didn't the mock exam results come out today?"
Lee Sol froze mid-step. Her brow twitched.
She’d been caught. She thought her mother was focused on the book, but she must have been watching the whole time.
"..."
Turning her head awkwardly, she met her mother's gaze. Lee Sol avoided her eyes as she spoke.
"...They did."
That was all. Lee Sol fell into a heavy silence.
"..."
"..."
An awkward tension filled the room. Her mother watched her without a word. Lee Sol knew what that look meant. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled out the report card and handed it over.
"..."
Her mother took it and scanned the results. Lee Sol fidgeted, a strange sense of dread crawling over her.
"...Sigh."
A low sigh escaped her mother's lips. Lee Sol’s fingertips trembled, bunching up the fabric of her skirt.
"...As I thought. Wouldn't it be better for you to focus on work again?"
By "work," she meant returning to modeling. Her mother had always wanted Lee Sol to establish herself as a model as quickly as possible.
"..."
Lee Sol’s toes curled slowly. A wave of resistance rose within her at those words.
"..."
It wasn't that she hated modeling. But if someone asked if she liked it... she could definitely say no. She hadn't even started modeling of her own volition in the first place. Moreover, she didn't want to do it if it meant missing school like she did last year. That feeling had only grown stronger lately.
"...We agreed to talk about modeling after seeing my grades," Lee Sol replied, her voice strained.
The condition had been that if she got good marks on her midterms, her mother wouldn't interfere with whatever she chose to do.
"Yes, we agreed to look at the results."
Her mother placed the report card back on the table. A percentile rank of around 60. With only a month left until midterms, it seemed to represent Lee Sol’s current ceiling.
"..."
Lee Sol’s expression darkened. They certainly weren't great grades. However, they were the result of her hard work. They were higher than last year's. But it seemed that fact didn't reach her mother at all.
"Sol. If this is how you're doing with your studies, do you really think you'll excel at anything else?"
"..."
"At least you have modeling."
Lee Sol bit her lip. She had no rebuttal.
It wasn't entirely wrong. Lee Sol was particularly clumsy at almost everything. It took her longer to learn things than others, and she wasn't especially good at anything she tried. Sports, academics, music... even games. She was always one step behind.
Perhaps that was why she acted so lethargic all the time. It was only natural to lose interest in things you weren't good at. She had only one talent: her exceptionally striking beauty. That was it.
"Sol. You need to learn when to give up on things you aren't suited for."
And her mother had accepted that fact even faster than Lee Sol herself.
"Sometimes you have to do things you don't like."
"..."
"You might have debuted, but you're still a rookie. There's plenty of time to hang out with friends after you've established your career."
...I haven't been playing around.
Every night, she stayed up late to make up for the studying she missed during the day. Did her mother even know that?
"...I still..."
Lee Sol had so much she wanted to say, but she suppressed it all.
"I still... have the midterms left."
"..."
A brief silence followed. At Lee Sol’s words, her mother gave a small nod.
"Fine."
She stood up from her seat. She lightly brushed Lee Sol’s shoulder as she walked past.
"I've already looked into some jobs, though. I left them on your desk, so take a look. Let me know if any of them interest you."
With that, her mother disappeared into the master bedroom.
"..."
Entering her own room, Lee Sol saw the workbooks and reference books lined up on her shelf. They were worn and crumpled from being read over and over again.
On top of those workbooks lay a stack of modeling proposals. It was clear they had been researched thoroughly over a long period. Since way back then.
...Seeing that made Lee Sol’s heart sink.
I see. She never expected me to get good grades in the first place.
A deep sense of hurt welled up inside her.
"..."
Flump—
Lee Sol collapsed face-down onto her bed. She buried her face in the covers and hugged a plushie tight, her hands gripping the soft stuffing.
"Haaa...!!"
She let out a long sigh into the pillow, trying to find some semblance of peace.
— Ding!
An alert sounded.
...Is there anyone who would text me right now?
Still lying face-down, Lee Sol blindly reached for her phone.
Lee Seung-ho: Come outside for a sec.
Lee Seung-ho: I have something to give you.
She stared at the message glowing on the screen.