Chapter 4
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Group Assignment (1)
'It'll be fine... right?'
Monday morning.
I entered the classroom and sat at my desk, my legs trembling.
The anxiety that he might recognize me at school.
The chills I'd felt all weekend didn't sit well with me at all.
I wanted nothing more than to bolt from this school right then and there, but the penalty made that impossible.
All I could do was pray fervently in my heart.
'Please turn that bastard's eyes into dried pollock...!'
As I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed desperately, a hand landed on my shoulder.
"Seo-ah! You got here early today?"
Ryu Ah-young greeted me brightly, looking in good spirits.
I tamped down my inner turmoil as best I could and replied.
"Yeah. I woke up a little early today."
I smiled back at her greeting and took the chance to observe her naturally.
Her face wasn't flushed, and her expression was calm.
'Not yet, then...'
I'd figured Cha Ji-hyuk's stint as her TA would start today, but Ah-young's condition suggested otherwise.
I wished they'd hurry up and get all tangled up in each other already.
Why was that damn guy so cautious only at times like this?
There wasn't a single thing about him I liked.
"Seo-ah? Is there something on my face...?"
"Nah, nothing like that."
I must've been staring too hard while lost in thought.
I quickly looked away and resumed shaking my legs.
The anxiety lingered.
That was when it happened.
Cha Ji-hyuk opened the door and walked in.
I ducked my head immediately.
Ah-young, who'd been chatting with me, spotted him and scampered right over.
"Ji-hyuk, you're here?"
She greeted him with obvious delight.
"Yeah."
Cha Ji-hyuk acknowledged her and headed to his seat.
Seeing that eased my mind a little.
Yeah.
He just hadn't started his TA duties yet.
Ah-young was already pretty far gone for him.
You couldn't get eyes like that without some serious affection.
Cha Ji-hyuk had to know it too.
Now that he'd confirmed how she felt, he'd start the TA thing soon enough.
Then they'd be lost in each other, and someone like me would fade from memory in no time.
With my anxiety fading a bit, I settled in properly to catch some sleep, face down on my desk.
...That was when it happened.
An unbelievable conversation drifted into my ears.
"What happened over the weekend?"
"Nothing."
"Ah... Then why couldn't I get hold of you...?"
"I was sleeping. Tired."
"Ah... I see..."
What!!??
I barely kept myself from leaping up.
Cha Ji-hyuk's response was utterly unbelievable.
The girl he'd been courting so aggressively last week comes to him first, showing interest, and he brushes her off like she's a nuisance.
On top of that, from the sound of it, he'd straight-up ghosted her all weekend.
This from the Cha Ji-hyuk who went crazy for any pretty girl.
Ryu Ah-young clearly hadn't seen that reaction coming either; she looked totally lost on how to proceed.
"Um... Have a good class today!"
She wrapped up the exchange so awkwardly it was embarrassing just to watch.
Cha Ji-hyuk didn't even bother replying this time.
Expressionless, he sorted his bag and prepped for class.
"Ah..."
Something...
Was seriously wrong.
My legs,
started shaking again.
'Ha...'
Cha Ji-hyuk stared at the professor at the lectern and let out a deep internal sigh.
The foul mood that had settled in his mind since Friday evening showed no signs of lifting.
He felt jittery, like something was chasing him, and that unease quickly morphed into irritation.
Ryu Ah-young butting in cluelessly that morning.
The professor fumbling through his awful lecture right in front of him.
All of it grated on his nerves.
The class material was stuff he already knew cold.
The professor just droned on, reading straight from the textbook.
Was this even a class?
Or was he just killing time because the academy made him teach?
The professor had done the exact same thing last week.
It hadn't bugged him this much then.
Thud!
Patience at its limit, Ji-hyuk set down his pen and looked away.
If he kept sitting through this, he might snap and bark at the professor, 'Is this what you call a class?'
Glancing around, the other students were all ears on the professor, scribbling notes diligently.
Copying down textbook content like it was some rare treasure.
All but one.
There was an exception.
'Kang Seo-ah...'
The classmate he'd been introduced to right after greeting Ryu Ah-young on day one.
Her pretty name aside, her awful looks had killed any interest.
Unkempt, messy hair like she'd never brushed it. Oversized clothes dragging on the floor. Dorky glasses so thick you wondered if she could even see through them. Hunched posture, utterly unappealing at a glance.
He couldn't fathom why she went around looking like that. A total weirdo.
From day one, she'd ignored class entirely.
Always passed out face-down on her desk. Today was a little different, though.
Still face-down, but her legs were trembling violently under the desk.
If she's gonna act like that, why not just listen?
He couldn't wrap his head around wasting time in such a half-assed way.
'Ha... Whatever. Her life, her choice.'
As he started to look away, something snagged his eye.
Her shoes.
Kang Seo-ah wore the exact same ones as that girl from Friday night in front of the convenience store.
Thick-cushioned design contrasting the small size.
Unique enough to stick in his memory from a quick glance.
Ji-hyuk replayed the moment in his head.
Her back as she bolted after spotting him.
'Get it together...'
But Ji-hyuk shut his eyes and shook it off.
He'd been avoiding thinking about her on purpose.
Yet here he was, triggered by the shoes into reliving it. He felt half-mad.
He almost wished he hadn't seen her at all.
She wouldn't leave his head, tormenting him all day.
Frustrated by the pent-up stuffiness, Ji-hyuk yanked at his school tie irritably.
Right then, the bell rang.
Class over.
"That's it for today. It's been a week, so you know each other by now. Form groups of three, pick a topic based on the material so far, and turn in a report next week."
The professor dropped the assignment the second class ended.
"Ha..."
Group project time.
The professor's bombshell had me whipping around, scanning the room. One wrong move, and I could end up grouped with Cha Ji-hyuk.
I was already on pins and needles thinking he'd lost interest in Ryu Ah-young. Same group as him? I'd lose my mind.
If he saw through my disguise during the project...
'Don't even jinx it.'
Shattering my hikikomori vibe I'd kept up so far, I hustled around recruiting teammates.
Post-possession, I'd slacked off daily, but this assignment? I planned to grind.
My grades didn't matter, but I couldn't screw over my groupmates.
Too bad the world doesn't bend to my whims.
"Group up? Ah... Sorry. We're already at three..."
"Got an open spot? Sorry. One more's joining later..."
Shot down at every turn by classmates.
Friends had already teamed up, and even incomplete groups gave off vibes like they didn't want me.
Makes sense.
I dressed like a slob on purpose to stay off Cha Ji-hyuk's radar, plus I spaced out solo in every class. Who'd want that as a teammate?
Not me, that's for sure.
"Ugh..."
Back-to-back rejections crushed my spirit.
Then a hand on my shoulder.
"Seo-ah~ No luck finding a group? Team up with me?"
Looking up, Ryu Ah-young smiled kindly down at me.
For a split second, I swear I saw a halo glowing behind her head.
"Heck yeah. Let's snag the last one quick."
I nodded without a second thought, clutching the lifeline she'd tossed me.
But.
"Nah, already got 'em."
Her casual reveal that she'd already filled the spot sent an inexplicable chill through my chest.
The anxiety I'd carried since Friday swelled bigger.
"Uh, who'd you get...?"
"Ji-hyuk! You know him, right, Seo-ah? We all said hi on day one?"
My world went black.
Desperate times or not, I'd grabbed a rotten rope.
Backing out now would be weird.
"Ji-hyuk, last spot's Seo-ah. Cool with that?"
Ryu Ah-young checked with Cha Ji-hyuk.
'Please say no! Please...!!'
My last shot, maybe.
I stared at him pleadingly, praying hard inside.
But.
"Doesn't matter."
Cha Ji-hyuk's reply leaned more yes than no.
And I.
'Ah...'
went blank.
'What is this...'
Ji-hyuk eyed Kang Seo-ah, a weird sense of déjà vu washing over him.
Group member for the project.
But Ji-hyuk hated the whole dividing tasks and syncing ideas rigmarole. Easier to solo it all.
Teammates? Just headcount fillers.
That's why he'd taken Kang Seo-ah.
Her eyes had pleaded pick me, and he'd hesitated, sensing potential hassle.
But okay. Ignore any weirdness. Worst case, he and Ryu Ah-young wrap it up duo.
Her reaction, though? Nothing like he'd figured.
Face locked up stiff the instant he said it was fine.
Like she was rejecting reality, unwilling to accept it.
Right then,
a face flickered through Ji-hyuk's mind.
Looks totally different.
Guiltily incomparable.
But the vibe,
matched the convenience store girl from Friday night way too well.
'...Interesting.'
Ji-hyuk smirked.
The irritation and thirst piled up since Friday
finally eased a touch.