Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: I Became a Married Woman at 18 [03]
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Seo-rin headed toward the student council room while Ye-rin went to the teachers' office. We, who had been walking together, split off toward our respective destinations.
As the hand I had been gripping tightly until just now slipped away smoothly, a sense of emptiness washed over me.
The moment of happiness, as if I owned the whole world, vanished in an instant. Even the warmth lingering at my fingertips gradually cooled.
Strangely, I felt lonely.
It seemed like her bright laughter was still echoing in my ears. But in the hallway, only my footsteps echoed all alone.
Being alone isn't any fun. Maybe I should go see my classmates. I hurried toward the classroom door.
Pushing open the door revealed the familiar scene.
The usual desks and chairs.
Sunlight pouring in through the windows.
Graffiti scribbled haphazardly on the blackboard.
But for some reason, today the classroom felt unusually spacious. Was it just my imagination?
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
What was this atmosphere?
The classroom, always buzzing with noise, was eerily silent. Everyone had their mouths clamped shut, staring at me.
Why were they acting like that? Had something big happened?
"Is something wrong with everyone?"
I spoke up first, but no one answered. Even the class president in the front row kept her head bowed, avoiding my gaze.
From the window side, I heard someone let out a small sigh.
Even the rowdy guys in the back, who were usually the noisiest, were frozen silent.
The air grew heavy.
So heavy it made even breathing feel cautious.
Was this some hidden camera prank?
Or one of those new bullying trends going around? As I set down my bag, I fell into a brief panic.
I looked around, but no one was looking at me.
It was dead silent, as if I'd become invisible.
Someone, anyone, just say something.
But all that came back was silence.
My bewilderment slowly turned to anger.
Rage boiled up to the top of my head.
Pranks have their limits.
I'm scary when I get mad too.
Right then, the front door of the classroom slid open with a rattle.
The homeroom teacher walked in.
Her expression was tense too.
An unusual aura emanated from the way she slowly scanned the room.
Something serious had definitely happened.
"...Yu-na, come to the multipurpose room for a bit."
Her voice was lower and more cautious than usual.
"Yes, got it."
I replied, but my head was filled with question marks. Why was she so tense?
The slight tremor in her voice bothered me. I followed behind her in a daze.
As the classroom door closed, a murmur erupted from behind.
"What do we do? Don't we have to tell Yu-na?"
"Shh! She'll hear, be quiet!"
"But isn't it weird that she doesn't know?"
The silence from before vanished like a lie, and the classroom grew noisy again.
The scrape of desks. Footsteps rushing together.
Whispered voices tangled in a mess. Like emotions that had been suppressed bursting out all at once.
I instinctively wanted to turn back.
But the teacher strode ahead briskly, so I couldn't.
The gazes and murmurs from behind gradually faded away.
Stepping into the hallway made the world quiet again, like it had changed. Only the teacher's heels clicked rhythmically.
That sound rang out especially loud.
I stared at her back, swallowing my anxiety as best I could.
What on earth was going on?
Why wouldn't they tell me?
My chest tightened uncomfortably.
I hoped it was nothing serious...
I missed Seo-rin and Ye-rin terribly.
The moment we arrived at the multipurpose room, the teacher sat me in a chair. Were my recent mock exam scores bad? Or was it career counseling? As I ran through possibilities in my head, she pulled out a white envelope and handed it to me.
Thinking it was a school notice, I opened it.
My eyes widened automatically at the shocking contents. It was stuffed with bills.
"Teacher, what is this?"
I looked around in confusion.
It had to be delivered to the wrong person.
The teacher watched me for a moment, then patted my head.
"It's condolence money. Congratulations on your marriage."
"What?! How did you know?"
My voice rose without me realizing.
Seo-rin and I... it was a secret only we two knew...? My hands trembled faintly. My mouth went dry, and I swallowed.
"You really don't know anything."
A look of pity flashed across the teacher's face.
"What do you mean? Don't tell me..."
"Think about who built this school."
At those words, Seo-rin's face naturally came to mind. And her grandfather, who doted on his granddaughter terribly.
Seo-rin's grandfather was the chairman of a massive corporation leading Earth's life sciences.
I think it was called Luminous Group.
A name famous enough to appear in textbooks.
Human lifespan extension, anti-aging, disease treatment... and more.
A giant enterprise monopolizing all sorts of cutting-edge tech. Rumors said even the government couldn't touch it lightly.
And this school was actually a talent nursery for the company Seo-rin would inherit...
I'd dismissed it as ridiculous gossip, but it was all true?
"He was overjoyed to hear about your marriage."
I nodded blankly at the teacher's words.
"The chairman personally informed the company employees about his granddaughter's matter. And since many of our school staff come from Luminous, the news spread naturally."
My heart started pounding.
No. No... stop.
"And Yu-na, do you know what kind of class yours is?"
I slowly shook my head.
"Most of the kids in your class are children of Luminous employees. It's a class the chairman pays special attention to. You could call it a gathering of future key talents."
Puzzle pieces started clicking together in my head. Even though we were the same age, the way they bowed to Seo-rin...
I'd thought it was odd, but there was a reason for it.
"What? So everyone in class already knew?"
"Probably. It seems like quite a big celebration at Luminous."
Suddenly, my ears burned hot.
That silence earlier. The gazes avoiding me.
The murmuring voices.
'What do we do, don't we have to tell Yu-na?'
The meaning of those words finally became clear.
My friends already knew everything.
About my marriage to Seo-rin.
That's why they'd been acting so cautious around me. All that hesitation about whether to talk to me... it was because of that.
"That's why the classroom atmosphere was so weird earlier..."
"They were probably just as flustered. Didn't know how to react."
The teacher smiled warmly.
"Once some time passes, they'll all congratulate you naturally. You have a lot of friends who like you."
I looked down at the condolence money in the envelope.
How was I supposed to face my friends at school from now on?
When walking the halls holding hands with Seo-rin...
What kind of looks would they give us?
Just imagining it made my face heat up.
No way. No way. No way. Impossible.
This was basically public execution.
"Teacher... can I not come to school tomorrow?"
The words slipped out before I knew it, and the teacher chuckled.
"You can't run away. Give up."
"Ugh... I'm gonna die of embarrassment..."
I covered my face with both hands.
What was I supposed to do? How was I going to go to school now?
My ears burned hot too.
The teacher watched me fondly for a moment, smiling. Then her expression suddenly turned serious.
"Ah, and..."
Her tone lowered.
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
I had no idea what she was about to say.
I just looked at her.
"About family planning..."
The teacher paused for a moment.
"It'd be best to do that after graduation."
"Pardon...? Pardon?!"
My mind went blank.
W-what did she just say?
Wasn't this progressing way too fast?
"Teacher! Th-that's..."
I shot up from my chair in a fluster.
My face flushed red all the way to my ears—no, my neck.
The embarrassment from before was nothing.
Now my whole body felt like a fireball. Ah. Ah. Ah...
"You're still students, so focusing on studies comes first. The chairman will understand that much."
The teacher said it so casually...
Like she was talking about the weather.
"Th-that is... we haven't... done anything like that yet..."
The words wouldn't come out right.
My tongue felt twisted and clumsy.
"Young people these days often do things without planning. As your teacher, I thought it best to warn you ahead of time. Especially in a special case like yours."
"Teacher! W-we haven't even thought about that!"
I covered my face with my hands, but it was no use.
Heat seeped through my fingers.
"Good, that's a relief."
The teacher nodded with a relieved expression.
"Uwaaa..."
I wanted to shrink into a ball right there.
What kind of situation was this?
To end up having this conversation with my teacher.
"Are you okay, Yu-na? Your face is so red."
"I-I'm fine..."
I wasn't fine at all.
I could barely breathe, and my heart felt like it would explode.
"Then head back to class. Your friends are waiting."
"Yes..."
I barely managed a reply, but my legs felt weak. I staggered to my feet.
Sweat dampened my hand gripping the envelope.
"And Yu-na."
As I was about to leave, the teacher called me again.
"Yes, teacher..."
I answered in a trembling voice.
"Congratulations for real. I'm glad you met someone good."
"...Thank you."
The heat in my face didn't fade the whole way down the hall after leaving the multipurpose room.
Family planning...
I never imagined the teacher would say something like that.
Just thinking about it made my face burn again.
When I reached the classroom door, I paused to catch my breath.
Murmurs still came from inside.
How would my friends look at me now when I went in?
Would they congratulate me, or still act awkward?
I gripped the door handle tightly.
I couldn't run away. Like the teacher said, it was something I had to face eventually.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the door.