Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Yu Ha-neul, who had exchanged a brief greeting with me, immediately took the seat next to mine, apparently having taken quite a liking to something about me. It was no loss to me. In the original, the character controlled by the player was Yu Ha-neul, which naturally made her the most important person in the story. My fate was destined to vary wildly depending on what abilities she developed and what choices she made.
Well, I had no particular intention of interfering, whatever choice she made.
In the original, Ye Sa-ra met her downfall because she obstructed Yu Ha-neul. The main route had her blocking Yu Ha-neul as she pursued the three male leads, committing all sorts of atrocities until she was judged for it. So all I had to do was clap and cheer from the sidelines, whatever choice she made. Ideally while maintaining a friendship.
...If only it were that simple.
It definitely won't end so easily. Of course, not blocking Yu Ha-neul's path, or rather, helping to clear that path, will certainly be beneficial for my own future.
However, I still hadn't found the reason why Ye Sa-ra despised Yu Ha-neul so much. In Yoon Da-ho's case, I could let it slide since he was Ye Sa-ra's original fiancé, but what about the other two male leads?
Besides, even if I made no effort to bully Yu Ha-neul, Choi Na-kyung, the chairwoman of Yujin Group and Ye Sa-ra's stepmother, was a lurking threat.
Considering the circumstances, that she had neglected her adopted daughter to the point of near abuse and intervened in every little thing, even her friendships, she might try to obstruct me from forming a friendship with Yu Ha-neul.
It was a little mystifying that I could do as I pleased within the mansion where I lived despite that neglect, but... I decided to look into that more carefully later.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
A voice came from beside me.
When I turned my head, that bright light was shining again. Even thinking about what that light truly meant, I couldn't immediately make sense of it. The idea that a 'sixth sense' reacted in this way was a bit absurd.
If it was truly a sense for recognizing people who would help me in life... and if Ye Sa-ra had known about it, her life in the game wouldn't have gotten so twisted.
"I wasn't thinking anything. Just wondering when this will be over."
I narrowed my eyes and spoke. That way, I could at least faintly see Yu Ha-neul's expression. Judging by the expression vaguely visible to me, she didn't seem displeased.
"Really...?"
Yu Ha-neul looked pensive for a moment, then smiled a little shyly and said.
"Well, how about we grab something to eat after school? It'll probably end early today..."
She's sociable, too.
Did I run off to play with friends on my first day of high school? Hmm, I don't remember well. The moment you first meet someone usually doesn't stick clearly in your memory. Unless it begins with an intensely strong impression, the first meeting in any human relationship is bound to be faint.
In that sense, walking around with a flashlight strapped to your face certainly qualified as an intensely strong impression.
"I don't know."
In my heart, I wanted to say yes, but I didn't know if I'd be able to.
These were the people who tried to stop me even from taking a single picture at the graduation ceremony. I might work something out if I leveraged the employer-subcontractor hierarchy again, but if it reached the chairwoman's ears, I could suffer a disadvantage.
Still, bluntly refusing her outright didn't feel right either. We'd just seen each other's faces for the first time, and there was no reason to leave a bad impression so soon.
"We'll see, if I think I can make it."
"Okay!"
Yu Ha-neul answered in a voice of limitless brightness.
*
Hwayeong High School was fundamentally coeducational, but male and female students weren't in the same classes. Whether it was out of consideration for students' discomfort during classes that required changing clothes, like P.E., or simply to prevent improper relationships, the basic setup was that girls' classes had only girls, and boys' classes had only boys.
Of course, this didn't mean male and female students were completely segregated. According to the admission guide, they shared common spaces like the student cafeteria or gym whenever they had classes other than those in their homerooms or had to do extracurricular activities. Club activities were the same, unless a club specifically restricted membership by gender, male and female students could freely mix and take part.
And there was no restriction on where they could go within the school. Meaning, it wasn't against the rules for a male student to walk through the corridor where the girls' classrooms were clustered, or for a female student to pass through the corridor where the boys' classrooms were clustered. Besides, the changing rooms were attached separately next to the gymnasium, so the chance of seeing the opposite sex changing was slim anyway.
I emphasize once more: the vast majority of Hwayeong High School students were scions of incredibly wealthy families.
And what that meant was, among them was Yoon Da-ho, who was, at least nominally, Ye Sa-ra's fiancé.
Naturally, that also meant Yoon Da-ho could come and wait right outside my classroom.
Throughout the entrance ceremony, the students couldn't concentrate on what the homeroom teacher was saying, and the cause of that seemed to be precisely Yoon Da-ho's presence, waiting for me in the hallway outside the classroom.
Honestly, from my perspective as someone who'd been an adult, even if I was a newcomer to this society, he still had a face brimming with youth. That wasn't just the case for Yoon Da-ho, it was true for the other students too, but the reason Yoon Da-ho looked like a little brat to me was probably because I'd seen him act that way along with those looks.
But to students his age, that probably didn't matter.
Objectively, he was tall and handsome. Though Ye Sa-ra was on the slender side, she wasn't particularly short, but Yoon Da-ho was tall enough that I still had to look up at him clearly even in Ye Sa-ra's body. In about five or so years, it felt like his company wouldn't even need to hire a separate actor for commercials when it came time to advertise.
But the fact that he came over first and was waiting... did that mean he hadn't listened to his own entrance ceremony?
Standing in the hallway outside the classroom, leaning against the window frame with the sunlight pouring in from outside behind him, maybe that image looked really cool, because the students inside the classroom couldn't bring themselves to leave and were gathered by the window facing the hallway, buzzing.
Like they were at a zoo? No, they must all be visible to him, looking at him through the window... isn't that embarrassing for him?
Or maybe he's already terminal with Prince Syndrome, beyond saving.
"So cool..."
Seeing even the human lantern standing beside me utter such sounds, he really must look cool to people this age. Or perhaps, from a girl's perspective, the story looks different.
....
While I was drifting along with the atmosphere of the students who were watching without going out into the hall, I thought I knew why he was standing there.
He's probably waiting for me.
Whether we're on good terms or bad, we are engaged to each other.
...The thought instantly soured my mood.
"Haa."
Letting out a light sigh, I pushed my way through the girls blocking my view. When I forced my way in, the girls initially let out annoyed sounds, but the moment they met my eyes, they all shrank back and made way. It seemed making eye contact with me was just as daunting as befriending me.
"Oh, uh, Sara!"
Yu Ha-neul, who had been lost in admiration of the boy outside the window, hurriedly stuck close to me as I suddenly started moving. I didn't shake her off. I had no intention of having a long conversation with Yoon Da-ho anyway.
As I slid open the back door and stepped out, Yoon Da-ho, who had been leaning against the window, shifted his gaze to look this way. He probably thought he was oozing charisma, but honestly, to me, a brat who had just graduated middle school couldn't possibly look charismatic. People in school uniforms look scary when they wander in packs, not when they're alone.
Without hesitation, I walked toward Yoon Da-ho.
And stopped right in front of him, about two steps away.
....
....
Yoon Da-ho, standing with his arms crossed, and me, just standing before him. A moment of silence passed between us.
Was he waiting for me to speak first? Seeing him silently staring down at me intently, it also looked like he didn't know how to start.
"...You look well."
"...Is that a greeting?"
I asked back, but no particular answer to that question came.
"I'm sorry."
Instead, an apology came out of the blue.
"What?"
When I asked again, a little surprised, Yoon Da-ho bit his lip slightly before speaking.
"For the slip of the tongue during our last meeting. I wanted to apologize."
....
I looked up at Yoon Da-ho's face intently again. Whether it was sheer stubbornness not to avoid my eyes, Yoon Da-ho was staring straight at me, even with the emotion of embarrassment blatantly written on his face.
So, it seemed he wanted to apologize for trying to call me a pig when we last met.
Most likely, the adults put him up to it.
Well, considering the age gap between me and him, I'd be better off accepting the apology. It'd be the less humiliating thing to do.
But here's the dilemma. 'I' might not be, but 'Ye Sa-ra' is the same age as Yoon Da-ho.
"Ah, okay."
Since I had no intention of things working out with him in the first place, I just said that and turned away. I didn't have the slightest desire to be held by a man. I had no intention of discarding the sexual orientation I had back in my original world, either. I didn't know how the situation had unfolded to put me into Ye Sa-ra's body, but I had no intention of discarding 'myself' just because my body had changed.
So, for now, I had to fend off the immediate ruin.
And one way to break away from that ruin was to avoid setting off the chain of events that would lead to my downfall in the first place.
"Then, Ha-neul—"
I started to speak to Yu Ha-neul so we could head back, but suddenly my gaze whipped around.
When I came to my senses, I was looking back at Yoon Da-ho again.
...My wrist hurt.
"When someone speaks to you."
Yoon Da-ho had grabbed my left hand and was pulling it toward himself. My body had spun right around toward Yoon Da-ho as my left hand was pulled up.
My stamina was seriously pathetic. I resolved to start working out as soon as I had the time.
"Accepting an apology is usually at the discretion of the person receiving it, isn't it?"
When I answered like that, Yoon Da-ho's gaze darkened ominously. As expected, he never really meant to apologize in the first place. After all, if he wasn't being forced to apologize by someone, there'd be no reason to get angry about it not being accepted.
"Or did you just want to control me?"
Honestly, it was Yoon Da-ho who was the strange one for calling his fiancée a pig. No matter how much their engagement was a calculated arrangement between families who prioritized money, it was impossible for married life to be completely devoid of emotion.
Even if they had affairs and had children with other people, to maintain a bare minimum of married life, there had to be some corner of their relationship they could view positively. At the very least, there had to be some sense of loyalty that the other wouldn't break the mutual contract made upon marriage.
And to build that minimal relationship, one must at least maintain a facade of courtesy.
But that day, Yoon Da-ho's actions made it look as if he thought he stood far above Ye Sa-ra. As if he thought she wouldn't offer any real resistance no matter what he said.
When they'd met before, Yoon Da-ho probably acted similarly, and Ye Sa-ra likely didn't resist that attitude much. So Yoon Da-ho kept acting that way.
My thoughts reaching that point, I came to a certain conclusion.
Wasn't Yoon Da-ho attempting to gaslight Ye Sa-ra? If Ye Sa-ra's attitude had been timid from the start, hadn't he been thinking of how to easily manipulate her so he could use her well later, once they were married?
Well, it was just speculation. Nothing more than my own delusion for now, and I wouldn't get one hundred percent agreement if I told anyone else.
I also couldn't imagine the character of Ye Sa-ra being subjected to gaslighting.
Yoon Da-ho's eyes narrowed.
And just as his mouth opened, before he could spit out whatever words he had,
"Wait!"
Someone barged in.
"You shouldn't manhandle a girl so roughly like that!"
The kid shouting such a clichéd line at Yoon Da-ho, who was holding my arm, was currently radiating intense light from her face.
Our female protagonist had immediately intervened in the situation.