Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Even though I'd left school later than usual, a large black car was waiting at the gate. And Yang Hye-in was standing in front of it as though that were the most natural thing in the world.
Right. She'd been waiting for me like that yesterday too. It was obvious she'd keep doing it from now on.
"......Were you waiting long?"
"Not at all."
At my question, Yang Hye-in bowed politely. Yu Ha-neul and Lee Su-a, who'd walked out with me, stood there staring with their mouths open. Well, who in the modern Republic of Korea would imagine they'd ever see a real maid dressed in such a traditional uniform? Especially one who was older than me and spoke so impeccably. That was only natural, because I was never someone who ordered people around.
Meaning I was a little too timid not to feel at least some guilt when I bossed people around.
Sure, it's a little rich for me to say that when I'd just threatened an employee who worked under me, but I'd never actually planned to fire her for real, even if my words said otherwise.
I turned toward Lee Su-a and Yu Ha-neul.
"I'll have to say goodbye here today."
"Uh, yeah."
Yu Ha-neul, who seemed to be seeing a real live maid straight out of a drawing for the first time in her life, answered dazedly.
"See you tomorrow."
Lee Su-a, who had probably witnessed this sort of scene more than a few times even if she'd never had her own maid, replied with noticeably less confusion.
I gave them both a nod, then climbed into the back seat of the large black sedan.
The luxury sedan pulled away smoothly. Since it was an expensive car, I couldn't hear much noise. You could probably whisper in here and the person next to you wouldn't catch a sound. To be honest, it felt like a waste to use this car just for the school commute. The distance was such that time-wise, the ride barely felt like five minutes. If you factored in traffic, walking might actually be more efficient.
Of course, making sure I didn't wander off somewhere was probably the Chairwoman's idea.
"You've decided to do a club activity, it seems."
As I gazed out the window, Yang Hye-in, who was sitting beside me, asked carefully. It was only natural for her to be concerned that Ye Sa-ra, who'd always behaved like a quiet doll, was suddenly doing something unplanned. Whether that concern was genuinely directed at Ye Sa-ra herself, though, I couldn't tell.
"If I said yes, would you report it to the Chairwoman?"
"......."
Yang Hye-in couldn't give a real answer. Of course not. You couldn't say to someone's face, 'Everything you do gets reported to the Chairwoman.'
I snorted a small laugh. Not because it was funny, but because it was ridiculous. In the novels I'd read or games I'd played, whenever someone fell into another world, there was usually at least a token reason. Not that any of it was scientific. But you know the tropes: someone cursed a novel, or said they'd have done better if they'd been a certain character, or stayed logged in until the very instant the game servers shut down.
But I honestly couldn't remember doing anything like that. If someone had to fall into this game, wouldn't it have made so much more sense to drop in someone who'd actually been deeply moved by it? To fall asleep while commuting home from work and suddenly wake up inside a villainess's body? I'd been in this world for nearly three months already, and it still didn't make any sense.
"......."
Yang Hye-in kept her lips sealed until the mansion was almost in sight.
"I haven't exactly started a club activity."
I spoke as I felt the car gradually slow down. It was true; I couldn't really say I'd joined that club. Nam Da-un was just helping me with exercise. Why on earth he'd gotten it into his head to do that, I had no idea.
"But if I end up 'mingling with the other kids' at school, there might be days when I'm a little late."
"I see."
Yang Hye-in answered quietly.
"I suppose this conversation will reach the Chairwoman too?"
This time I turned my head toward Yang Hye-in as I asked. She kept her mouth tightly closed, hesitating for a few seconds, then gave a small nod.
Maybe it was because she was the only person in this mansion who actually exchanged words with Ye Sa-ra? At least Yang Hye-in didn't seem hostile toward me. Unlike the other employees, who moved like they were pieces of furniture, mechanical and lifeless, and barely even reacted to my presence.
The car came to a complete stop.
"......."
The driver got out right away without bothering to announce our arrival, walked around to my side, and opened the door. Then he bowed politely and waited for me to get out.
I got out of the car without a word. Yang Hye-in did the same.
The two of us walked back into the mansion, again in silence.
*
Hwayeong High School was an incredible school.
It had every facility a student might need to learn something. A soccer field with real grass, a swimming pool, science labs equipped with gear that could rival a university's, a music room suitable for a recital, an audiovisual room that could double as a theater—since it was a school that charged an exorbitant tuition, the buildings themselves had obviously been built at an exorbitant cost.
And the faculty this school boasted about.
How much money had they paid to get teachers to come and teach at a high school like this? And yet those teachers' classes were—
Well, as far as I could tell, not much different from my own high school days.
No matter how gripping the lecture up front was, if the students didn't listen, the teacher's skill was meaningless. Some students slept through the entire class, some stared at their smartphones, and others openly giggled and chatted with the kid in the next seat. Any talk of a studious atmosphere or whatever was just window dressing.
Which wasn't strange. Nearly all the students here had already been tutored by instructors far more expensive than the school's own faculty. A lot of them probably found it stupid to follow the regular curriculum. Some of them were even openly just working through workbooks on their own.
The truth was, I was coasting on that less-than-stellar academic atmosphere myself.
Not because I'd been a great student back in my own high school days and that's why I was sprawled across the desk. If anything, most of what the teacher up front was saying felt new to me. I probably wouldn't be able to follow properly even if I frantically copied down every word from that teacher who was putting in so much effort.
But so what?
What did it matter if I came in last place here? What did it matter if I didn't get into college?
My inheritance alone was worth more than the total market capitalization of the second-largest conglomerate in the Republic of Korea.
Sure, the current Chairwoman seemed to be trying to do something about that fortune, but I had no intention of letting her have it so easily. I was going to get my hands on that money one way or another. And then I'd live the rest of my life spending lavishly. That was my life goal, since returning to my original world wasn't possible right now.
......And honestly, talking about it now, I really wasn't in any condition to focus on studying.
I'd just done a kind of exercise yesterday that I'd never done in my life—exercise so intense that the original owner of this body, Ye Sa-ra, probably hadn't done it in her whole life either. Both my thighs and calves were screaming in pain. My chest felt sore, and my shoulders were killing me, probably from flailing my arms around while I ran.
What I'm saying is, my body was in a state where I absolutely could not bring myself to study.
So I laid my limp, aching body down on the desk and was just about to enter full-on study-abandonment mode when—
"Huh?"
I felt a poke in the side of my ribs. I let out a weird noise without meaning to, but luckily it wasn't that loud.......Or maybe no one looked because the noise happened to come from me.
Anyway, if someone had poked my side, there was exactly one person in this class who could be the culprit.
I turned my head to the right and saw Yu Ha-neul holding a ballpoint pen. She must have poked my side with the blunt end of it.
'What?'
When I mouthed the question, Yu Ha-neul furrowed her brow and mouthed back.
'We're in class.'
That's what it looked like she said. I couldn't be completely sure since there was no sound.
"......."
I shot Yu Ha-neul a brief glare, then flopped back down onto the desk.
"Nggh?"
And at the renewed attack, I sat right back up again.
I openly glared at Yu Ha-neul. Not a squint against the sunlight—the original Ye Sa-ra already had sharp, fierce eyes. When I deliberately fixed her with a glare, the effect was incredibly murderous.
I could hear the people around us swallow their breath.......Apparently they'd heard the weird noises I was making and were wondering what the two of us were doing.
But strangely, Yu Ha-neul, who was receiving the full brunt of that look, was still giving me a stern expression.
'Study.'
That's what it looked like she said. Again, I couldn't be sure since I could only read her lips.
"......."
I glared at Yu Ha-neul for a bit longer, then eventually let out a heavy sigh and opened my textbook. After I'd flipped open my materials with deliberate, exaggerated motions, Yu Ha-neul finally nodded at me with satisfaction and focused on the lesson.
"Shnrk."
Huh?
Wait, I felt like I'd just heard someone trying to hold in a laugh.
But when I looked around, there wasn't anyone obviously laughing. Class was still going on, and the only people paying attention were the ones who'd wanted to from the start; everyone else was still looking off somewhere else, doing their own thing.
Well, there was no way anyone would've made a noise like that while looking at me. Nobody laughs at an invisible person.
I decided to chalk it up as my imagination and let it go.