Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Just Friends
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After changing into indoor shoes with Seol-i, we headed up to the second floor, where the temporary class assignments were posted below each homeroom.
And right there under Class 1 was our class, 'Our Class'.
So, Seol-i and I were in Class 1 now.
As expected, Da-ban's class was Class 2. Yoo Seung-ah was seriously going to come visit every single period.
"Haneul, let's go in…!"
"Yeah, let's head in."
Seol-i and I stepped into the classroom, where various kids were already hanging out.
Some were gathered in groups chatting away, so it looked like quite a few had come up from the same middle school.
Seol-i and I made our way to the blackboard to find our seats.
Naturally, I got the very front row, while Seol-i ended up in the very back.
"Uuuu…."
Seol-i clearly wasn't thrilled about it, glaring at the blackboard with a face full of dissatisfaction.
I tried to calm her down.
"Seol-ah, they'll reassign seats anyway, so don't worry too much. If worst comes to worst…"
"If worst comes to worst…?"
I hesitated for a second and decided to swallow those words.
"Nah, nothing."
"Come on, what is it~?"
Seol-i pressed me playfully.
Her eager expression was adorable, but there was no way I could say it.
'You're short, so you can't see the board—maybe that'll get you moved up front?' Yeah, no.
Saying that to Seol-i, who already had a bit of a complex about her height, would be a huge wound. Better to keep quiet.
"I forgot. Can't answer."
"Liar."
"Not a lie."
"I'll tell your mom later?"
"Tell her what?"
"Umm… good question…?"
Her reaction was hilarious, but I still wasn't spilling.
"Wait, did you almost say something like 'move me up front because I'm short' or whatever?"
…My Seol-i had some sharp instincts.
I shook my head right away and scrambled for a quick save.
What could I say to survive this?
Luckily, a flash of inspiration hit me.
"…I wanted to focus on class, so is the front seat no good? That was it."
Seol-i's response?
"…So basically, 'I can't see because I'm short,' right?"
…She hit me with a brutally spot-on reinterpretation.
I didn't even know it could be spun that way. Okay, my bad.
"Sorry."
"Hmph."
Seol-i whipped her head away, then sneaked a glance back at me before speaking up.
"…But Haneul."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"…Does Haneul like tall people or short people?"
Tall people or short people… huh.
"…As long as they're not taller than me, I guess."
Anyone taller than me would be over 180 cm, which is just annoying.
"Then whatever."
Seol-i grumbled as she stomped to her seat and plopped her bag down.
Why'd she suddenly ask about height?
Lately, her actions were getting harder to read. Not that I needed to overthink it.
It was Seol-i, after all. Whatever she did or said, it would never be bad for me.
So it was fine. No need to try understanding.
Just accept her as she is.
As I set my bag down amid the chatter, sure enough, two troublemakers barged in.
"Seol-aah~!"
"Seol-i-da~!"
"Seung-ah~ Ye-eun-ah~"
Seol-i beamed and ran over to them, and the three burst into giggles the moment they grouped up, launching into chatter.
Their chirping was like three cute sparrows flocking together.
Of course, the only real cute sparrow was Seol-i. The other two were predators in sparrow costumes.
That actually put me at ease. If I couldn't watch over Seol-i, at least those two could.
"Seol-ah, how've you been?"
"Great! How about you, Ye-eun?"
"Hehe~ I was great~"
"I heard you got a boyfriend!"
"Don't even mention that jerk!"
…From the sound of it, Ji Ye-eun had broken up with her boyfriend.
Whoever that guy was, good escape. She's not worth it as a girlfriend. Way better off finding someone else.
Great as a friend, though.
"Like that was gonna last~"
"Hey, Yoo Seung-ah. You done talking?"
"Just facts?"
"Seung-ah… Ye-eun-ah…."
Seol-i looked awkward as they bickered, but I knew that was their way of showing friendship.
It just didn't land with Seol-i. A pure, kind girl like her wasn't into that WWE-style verbal sparring.
The three kept chattering away, but I checked the clock and approached them.
Specifically, Yoo Seung-ah and Ji Ye-eun.
"You two, time to head back to your own classes, right?"
I pointed at my watch.
It was 8:48. Time to go for real.
Teachers would arrive in two minutes, and the entrance ceremony would kick off right after.
"Boooring."
Of course, Ji Ye-eun wasn't one to obey quietly.
And it wasn't just her.
"No way I'm going~"
Yoo Seung-ah ignored me too.
Seol-i gently tried to persuade them.
"You still have to go… right…?"
"Pffft hahaha."
"Fine, fine. I'm going."
Ji Ye-eun hugged Seol-i tightly, who just weakly patted the arms holding her.
"Lemme gooo…."
"Alright, bye~"
…No matter how you sliced it, her reluctance was just an excuse to tease Seol-i.
She left without a fuss.
Even if I treated them like weirdos, they were basically decent kids at heart. That included being diligent.
I figured they had some ulterior motive when they said they didn't want to go, but teasing Seol-i? Didn't see that coming.
Maybe deep down, I had.
Once they left, the teacher arrived shortly after.
She looked about ten years older than us—someone you'd call 'noona' once out in the real world.
"Kids~ Take your seats~"
"“Yes~”"
We all sat down at her words, and the entrance ceremony began.
It wasn't anything too elaborate.
Introductions to the teachers, a quick school rundown, explanations of the new high school schedule compared to middle school, the school song, and the detailed ceremony agenda.
Oh, and after the ceremony, they'd elect a temporary class rep.
Class rep… I'd done it almost every year in elementary. Not temporary—the real deal.
With the ringleader from back then sitting at the back of our class now, I'd probably be nominated again this year.
…Honestly, I kinda wanted it now. Having 'class rep' on your record is a huge boost for college apps.
I'd shied away in elementary and middle school because there wasn't much perk, but now? Total merit. If Seol-i nominated me, I'd bow deeply and say, 'Thank you so much~' before jumping in.
By the time the explanations wrapped, first period ended.
During the ten-minute break, Seol-i got dragged outside by the swarming Yoo Seung-ah and Ji Ye-eun, chattered away, then came back in. Second period started, and we did another ten minutes of ceremony.
For reference, I wasn't the student rep this time. Some girl whose name I didn't know—probably the top scorer on the entrance exam.
Losing first place stung a bit, but I'd braced for it. Knew coming to high school meant someone would take it.
Still… couldn't help the hit to my pride.
Ever since arriving in this world and acing everything, those grades had become my new baseline.
'Gotta study harder.' That thought carried me through the ceremony, the class rep election, and into break time.
I was about to head to Seol-i when she cautiously approached me first.
Once beside me, she said…
"Let's make Haneul first place on midterms…!"
Her utterly adorable reaction made me laugh.
And it solidified my resolve.
I had to take first. For me, and for Seol-i cheering me on.
No other way to meet my raised expectations and repay her support.
When third period hit, our class started self-introductions.
"Hello, I'm Kang Haneul. Nice to meet you all."
I kept mine straightforward, and once everyone else's wrapped up, the girl next to me… Kang Seo-ah spoke up.
"Um… Kang Haneul?"
"Huh? Oh… yeah, Kang Seo-ah. What's up?"
I used her full name since we weren't close yet, but she dropped something weird.
"…Are you dating Hyun Seol?"
The absurdity made me shake my head immediately.
"No, just friends."
"…For real?"
"Yeah, for real."
"That's not dating…?"
"Nope."
She blinked at me in shocked disbelief.
Seol-i and I dating? No way. We're just friends. Was that such a shocker?