Chapter 171
Chapter 171
And so we returned to our daily lives... no, we didn't.
There had been a major incident where I was kidnapped, and it wasn't something that could simply be brushed aside.
The trauma it caused both me and Sara was a big part of that. Honestly, that's the biggest issue for me. I don't know how things will go from here, but if either I or Sara sees Choi Na-kyung again, it'll be hard to face her with anything like a normal state of mind.
It was a huge deal for the people around me as well. It feels a bit self-important to say, but the world around me, the world around Sara, really did revolve around us.
Ha-neul, Su-a, So-hee; they all considered me a friend, and every incident and accident seemed to break out with me at the center.
So, of course, the troubles that erupted around me and Sara were bound to be the axis of our relationships.
But for people outside my immediate circle, the story was a bit different.
Strictly speaking, the incidents that happened to them were also caused by 'me,' or rather by 'Sara.' If you dug deep enough, the name 'Ye Sa-ra' always came up.
But to those people, I wasn't such an important figure.
For them, the only thing that mattered was money.
Right. The group I'm talking about now isn't the people close to me.
I'm talking about the teachers at school.
... Well, I guess you could say they were relatively close in terms of 'physical distance'?
*
It was two days after I was discharged from the hospital that I returned to school.
As if it were only natural, Ha-neul, So-hee, and Su-a had stayed away from school the whole time too.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? Doesn't unexcused absence have a big impact on your conduct grade?"
On the way to school, after missing two days, no, if you count the day I was kidnapped before even attending class, that was three days of consecutive absence, I asked Ha-neul that question.
Honestly, I was really worried. So-hee and Su-a had ways to cover the tuition regardless of their grades, but Ha-neul didn't.
Ha-neul had gotten into that school on her grades alone and was covering the enormous tuition with a scholarship. If her grades slipped, it would be a huge problem. The scholarship was awarded per semester, so she was safe for now since the first semester wasn't over yet, but it meant there was no telling what would happen in the future.
She didn't need to stay in first place, but there was still a cutoff for maintaining the scholarship.
I could cover it. It was an amount that wouldn't even make a dent in my finances.
But I didn't think Ha-neul would want that kind of help. Based on what I'd learned about her personality over the past few months, she didn't seem to like receiving one-sided, large-scale favors.
Even if I didn't think it was one-sided, there was a high chance that Ha-neul would see it that way and refuse.
"It doesn't matter."
But Ha-neul answered at once, in a perfectly clear voice, without any hesitation.
"It doesn't matter?"
Caught a little off guard by her reaction, I asked again.
"Yeah."
She answered with a bright, untroubled smile.
Her expression looked as if one of her worries had been refreshingly resolved.
"... Why?"
I asked once more.
Ha-neul had come to this school because she really, truly wanted to. I'd never heard her say it directly, but it was clearly depicted early in the original game that she'd entered this school brimming with anticipation. She'd studied incredibly hard to get in, and she'd even parted ways with her friends from middle school to do it.
In most routes, Ha-neul quickly faced reality. In the school she'd worked so hard to enter, the only people who seriously studied were her fellow outside admits. The rest maintained their grades through private tutoring rather than school lessons.
And honestly, if they could even manage that, it was a blessing. Most students were more focused on establishing relationships than maintaining their grades. If it were healthy friendships, maybe that would be fine, but mostly it was a kind of 'class sorting'—a way to protect their wealth and social standing after graduation.
Money changed hands under the table among students. They passed on gifts from their parents to other parents as bribes without batting an eye.
The students who really studied hard made a point of sucking up to the 'rich' kids, hoping to get hired by them later, and naturally became the lowest class.
From Ha-neul's perspective, someone who'd previously hung out with friends at a normal school in a normal way, this school could only be described as 'disgusting.'
But in every route except So-hee's, Ha-neul stayed at the school until the end. Because the person she was pursuing was there.
Ha-neul, a protagonist who literally grew through adversity—overcoming trials that poured in from all sides and ultimately connecting with someone who seemed impossible to reach. That's why I was shocked to see her react so openly like this.
"Well..."
After considering my question, Ha-neul spoke.
"Maybe I should say my illusions have been shattered?"
She continued with a bitter smile.
"I'm not saying every single person in that school is the worst, but... we've been through some things, you know."
She didn't elaborate, but those words carried a lot.
We had 'been through some things.'
And Ha-neul wasn't the type to just let things like that slide.
If she were the only one being targeted, she'd grit her teeth, build up her strength, and overcome it. But when her friends, including herself, were all being targeted, even Ha-neul would find it hard to endure.
There was no way she'd have any lingering attachment to a school like that.
And no reason to want to follow rules made by a school like that.
... Huh.
So, wait... did that mean she planned to transfer somewhere else?
Like So-hee's route in the original story?
But after saying that, Ha-neul didn't offer any specifics. She just looked at me and smiled brightly.
I couldn't bring myself to ask, "Are you going to quit school?" so I just smiled wryly back.
*
The reason Ha-neul could be so confident about ignoring 'the school's rules' became clear as soon as we got to school.
"Huh...?"
When we walked into the classroom, nearly half the students who should have filled the room were absent.
The students at this school were never exactly diligent about listening to lessons, but they'd always been punctual and consistent about attendance.
Of course they were. Attendance and absence weren't things you could fix by throwing money at them.
In Sara's case, it had been possible because everyone, students and teachers, was terrified of Choi Na-kyung. But for students without the kind of money and power needed to dominate the school like that, it was a pipe dream.
Rank inside the school was determined by money.
But those ranks weren't absolute. They weren't defined by law or any clear school rules; they were just set by an unspoken agreement among the students.
So, naturally, there was resentment.
Even kids from wealthy families, not just those from ordinary homes, felt jealousy and inferiority toward other rich kids.
If someone was absent but marked present, and word got out, it was bound to become a huge scandal. A scandal about a kid from a famous family attending a very famous school.
That's why parents packed their children into cars and sent them to school without fail. Naturally, no lateness or absences, unless there was a special reason.
I always arrived at school fairly early, but whenever I stepped into the classroom, it was bustling with students.
But not now.
"......."
Even worse, the moment I walked into homeroom, the entire room went dead silent.
Well, honestly, that's happened more than a few times, so it's a little hard to make a big deal out of it. Considering the number of scenes I've caused at this school, it's no surprise.
The vibe is different from when I go to meet the Student Council President.
Sara, who'd finally managed to drop the word 'Mother,' made that observation.
Yeah, I wonder what's going on.
I still didn't know exactly what had happened back then. I'd heard the story from Sara, but I hadn't seen it as a memory.
"......."
For now, I walked to my seat without a word and sat down. So-hee sat next to me, and Ha-neul next to her.
The whole time I walked to my seat, the other students' gazes never left me.
I'm not usually that sensitive to people's emotions, but I could say with confidence that those 'stares' were full of fear. Their eyes were that easy to read.
I looked over at So-hee and Ha-neul with a baffled expression, but they were both sitting there with oddly satisfied looks on their faces.
Had those two done something?
Or had Yang Hye-in been working behind the scenes? Did she maybe go to their houses with a hammer?
I sat there for quite a while, running through thoughts like that.
Throughout that time, the classroom was wrapped in silence.
Then, the pre-class bell rang—
And a teacher walked in.
But the teacher who entered wasn't our usual homeroom teacher.
It was a somewhat young female teacher. I recognized her face, since she was someone who came into our classroom during lessons.
The moment our eyes met, her face went pale.
...... No, seriously, would someone please tell me why?