Chapter 2: The Secret of the New Semester’s Popular Girl (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: The Secret of the New Semester’s Popular Girl (2)
“······.”
I turned my head, pretending not to hear the thick string of curses flying from her.
Ever since I started hearing the thoughts of others, I had established one rule for myself.
Rule Number One.
Even if I read their inner thoughts, never let on that I know.
Even if I know, I pretend I don’t from the very beginning.
Even if it’s something I’ve already heard, I act like it’s the first time.
Life flows much more smoothly that way.
People have a tendency to never leave a protruding nail alone.
“······.”
That aside.
Shin A-young really is dedicated.
Not once has she let that persona of hers slip.
In fact, until I started reading thoughts, even I had no idea she had a personality like that.
Just look at her now.
“A-young, I’m really sorry, but could I borrow your class notes for a second?”
A female student sidled up to Shin A-young.
“Hm? My notes?”
“Yeah, yeah. The pace was so fast from the first day that I missed some stuff in the middle… Is there any way? Please?”
The girl blinked her eyes, clinging to her desperately.
Seeing that, ‘Shin A-young’s Mini-Me’ beat her chest as if she were suffocating from frustration.
— “Ugh…! Are you missing your hands and feet? Do it yourself instead of always mooching off others!”
Though she was grumbling on the inside...
“Sure. It’s no big deal.”
On the outside, she flashed a bright smile as if it were no trouble at all.
She handed over her notebook without a moment’s hesitation.
Watching her, it was almost terrifying.
“I’m so sorry! I’ll copy it and give it back right away!”
“No, take your time.”
— “Yeah, you better bring it back fast if you don’t want to die.”
The big Shin A-young and the little Shin A-young were saying completely different things.
A scene that looked perfectly normal to anyone else became a bizarre spectacle to me.
Usually, there’s at least some overlap between a person’s inner and outer selves.
I’ve never seen someone whose two sides are so completely different.
That continued all through gym class.
Since it was the first day, we had a simple game of dodgeball.
Shin A-young excelled there as well.
“Hup!”
Thwack—!
The ball Shin A-young threw struck an opponent and bounced away.
“Nice, A-young!”
“My ball!”
She was running around so hard, but looking at the Mini-Me near her told a different story.
— “Ah~ I want to rest~”
The little thing was sprawled out on the floor, scratching its belly.
I found myself questioning if they were even the same person.
— “Or should I just get hit on purpose and get out…?”
“Pass, pass!”
Shin A-young raised her hand as she navigated the field.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
······She’s actually kind of amazing.
To think that all of this was acting. And that she maintained it constantly.
Perhaps it was something worth admiring.
Is it because she’s an actor’s daughter? She was born with a deep well of talent.
But, that was that.
“······.”
Watching her from the sidelines, a strong conviction took root in me.
Shin A-young was someone I shouldn’t get deeply involved with.
A person who bottles up their emotions like that is no different from a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
It’s bound to explode someday, and nothing good will come from getting caught in the blast.
It’d be a relief if I didn’t get hit by a stray spark.
I should make sure to keep a reasonable distance.
······At the time, I didn’t know.
That human relationships don’t always go according to plan.
*
Noon. 12:00 PM.
Lunchtime arrived.
The first day of the new semester. This meant the final line of defense had collapsed.
“···I’m totally screwed.”
I had failed to make friends.
It felt like everyone except me already knew each other, making it awkward to wedge myself in.
Besides, I’m the type who takes a long time to get to know people.
I needed a bit more time.
I still have to eat, though.
I thought about eating with the two guys who ended up in a different class, but they were nowhere to be seen.
They probably already headed to the cafeteria with their new classmates.
“···Still, eating alone is a bit much. Maybe I’ll just go to the school snack shop.”
I’d just grab something quick.
“···It’s pretty empty.”
I was able to walk through the convenience store with ease.
It wasn’t that there were no people at all, but there were definitely fewer than usual.
Maybe it was because it was the new semester. Everyone seemed to have gone to the cafeteria with their friends.
“Oh, they have some new food.”
This was a pleasant surprise. Items that would normally be sold out early were still on the shelves.
I picked up a triangle kimbap, a frozen hamburger, and some milk, then headed to the counter.
“That’ll be 2,500 won total.”
“Thank you.”
The next problem was where to eat this.
The bathroom is a bit much, even for me.
I headed up the stairs with practiced steps.
Since I had been in this exact same situation around this time last year, I knew the best spots for eating alone.
“It’s been a while.”
An open view and a green floor. The school rooftop.
It was a place I discovered while looking for a spot to eat alone right after I entered high school.
There were benches, and a gentle breeze blew. Plus, there was no one else around, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone judging me.
“A-achoo······.”
Dust got in. My nose was itchy.
“Achoo—!”
Is it pollen?
The dust floating in the air was no joke, even for the outdoors.
“Ugh··· Did dust pile up here in the meantime? I should probably clean this place later······.”
I’ll think about that later; let’s eat first.
“Up we go.”
I brushed the dust off the old bench and sat down.
As I tore open the wrapper, steam rose from the freshly heated burger.
I took a large bite.
“Mmm.”
The taste of an instant burger for the first time in a while.
“This isn’t bad once in a while.”
Only once in a while, though.
I didn’t want to do this every day.
I needed to make friends soon.
It was just as I was getting lost in those thoughts.
Step, step.
The sound of someone walking up the stairs echoed.
“!”
I hurriedly moved behind the rooftop door. It was an instinctive move.
There was nothing more embarrassing than being caught eating alone.
Fortunately, there was enough space to hide.
The gap between the railing and the wall was just wide enough for me to squeeze into.
“Hup.”
I stuffed the rest of the burger into my mouth and held my breath.
“You said you had something to say to me?”
A voice with a soft, gentle tone.
This voice.
It was Shin A-young’s.
I had heard it so much since this morning that the timbre was now familiar to my ears.
“······.”
It really was her.
Peeking outside, I saw Shin A-young and Park Jin-su, whom I had seen this morning.
“Inhale, exhale ······.”
Park Jin-su took a deep breath with a serious expression.
···Is he planning to confess here?
“I won’t drag this out; I’ll just be direct. Do you want to go out with me?”
Wow.
He actually confessed.
“······.”
After a short silence, Shin A-young opened her lips.
“I—”
“Of course, I’m not asking you to date me right this second. If it’s too much pressure, we can just start as close friends.”
Park Jin-su cut her off.
It was a move made as if he had anticipated her answer.
He was trying to at least establish a minimum connection.
“If we get to know each other little by little—”
“I’m sorry, but I want to focus on my studies right now.”
But Shin A-young’s response was even more resolute.
“Ah······.”
“Of course, I’d like to be friendly as classmates, but I have no intention of going further than that.”
It was a firm and clean rejection.
“So, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can accept your feelings.”
“······I understand.”
Park Jin-su didn’t push any further.
He probably knew that saying anything more would only lower his standing.
“Uh··· Then I’ll head down first. Sorry for taking up your time.”
“No problem.”
Park Jin-su gave an awkward smile and headed down first.
“Sigh ······.”
Shin A-young scratched her head.
For the first time, exhaustion showed on her face.
— “Was that the last one for today······? What am I even doing, missing lunch for this?”
It seemed this wasn’t the only confession she had received today.
Our school does have a lot of confessions, but still······.
Since Myunghwa High School is an arts high school, it’s naturally full of good-looking people.
There were plenty of kids with high self-esteem who had been receiving confessions like it was a daily routine since they were young.
Confessing like this from the very first day of the semester was probably an expression of that confidence.
Shin A-young just happened to be the target.
“Fuck······ I seriously want to drop out······.”
That wasn’t an inner thought. She actually muttered her true feelings out loud.
Shin A-young half-slumped down, letting her fatigue show.
She probably did it because she thought she was alone.
“······.”
She really goes through a lot.
Of course, I had no intention of getting involved.
I’ll just stay hidden and leave once I hear her walk away.
The misfortune happened at that very moment.
Flutter—
A speck of dust landed on the tip of my nose.
“E-e······!”
Soon, my nostrils began to flare, unable to withstand the itch.
“A-achoo—!”
I tried to cover my mouth in a hurry, but I couldn’t completely stifle the sound.
The sound of a violent sneeze echoed across the rooftop.
“······Ah.”
Ah, crap.
“······You, you······.”
When I turned my head, I saw Shin A-young’s flustered face.
It meant her act had been broken.
She was staring right at me, her true self completely exposed.
“Uh, well.”
Why does nothing ever go my way?