The Moment My Heart Sank
The expression “heart-thumping” must come from situations exactly like this. It isn’t the heart dropping because you’ve fallen for a girl—it drops in a crisis.
Spreading rumors?
The instant those four syllables brushed my ear, my brain spun faster than a supercomputer. School-violence victim exposé. Celebrity past-laundering. Instant plunge into the abyss.
In my previous life as an ordinary salaryman, I had seen those sensational cyber-lynching YouTubers. Whether in sports, entertainment, or chaebol circles, one school-violence scandal was enough to make a comeback impossible. Living in Korea itself became difficult. In a single moment you became a walking corpse. That was the reality for school-violence perpetrators in Korea.
And who was I right now?
A man who claimed Korean ancestry despite being born Japanese, who had proudly served in the military as a Korean citizen, who had even secured the return of cultural artifacts—an upstanding young man of the Republic of Korea. The very person who had taken first place in the youth-vote poll for role models everyone should emulate.
But if the rumor spread that “This guy was a total delinquent in Japan who used boxing to beat people into bloody pulp!”?
The title of “upstanding young man of Korea” that I had built with blood, sweat, and military service would disintegrate faster than the speed of light. Damage to the foundation’s image was inevitable, and being socially buried in Korea would only be a matter of time.
…Fuck. Do I have to flee to another country again?
I racked my brain, listing possible destinations.
Should I just head to America?
While I was busy reshuffling countries, a voice reached my ear.
“Hey, Jun? Are you ignoring me?”
She rested her chin on her hand, narrowed her eyes, and gave a bewitching smile. Any man would have been helpless against it.
But I didn’t even know her name. I was the guy who had dropped the novel after cursing the author out in episode three. How could I know any character who appeared after that? The memory of Yamamoto Jun held nothing about her.
“Excuse me. Do I know you? Because I don’t remember you….”
What came out of my mouth was denial. No memory meant I could simply deny it. I had no recollection of ever bullying her, after all.
“Hmm? Minami Haruto.”
The woman who quietly spoke the original protagonist’s name—the one I supposedly didn’t know.
Fuck. Did Haruto send her? Or did I bully her and just don’t remember? …I have no idea.
At some point I noticed the other male students in the lecture hall subtly shifting their gazes toward us. Of course they would. A new student of unprecedented beauty was sitting beside the nation’s model young man and whispering to him.
Now that the name had been spoken, any further delay would be fatal.
Scraaape.
I shot up from my seat, grabbed her wrist gently yet swiftly, and pulled her along.
“…Come with me.”
“Huh? Wait! Jun?!”
I dragged her out of the lecture hall without hesitation while she sputtered in confusion. Behind me I could hear my classmates calling my name, but none of it registered. When years of effort were about to vanish faster than light, attendance was the last thing that mattered.
Ha, that goddamn author.
A quiet, high-end Japanese restaurant near campus with private rooms.
Since it was still before lunch, the place was empty. I led her into one of the Japanese-style private rooms. She had been flustered and resistant at first, but eventually followed obediently.
“Phew……”
I let out a long sigh and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. Across the table, she was rubbing her reddened wrist and staring at me with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
“You suddenly dragged me out. I was surprised, Jun.”
“…”
Instead of answering I opened the menu and pointed at the most expensive item—the “Chef’s Special VIP Japanese Course.”
When I selected the 250,000-won-per-person course, the waiter gave me a brief look before nodding.
“Yes, I’ll prepare that for you right away.”
He must have recognized me. I had been all over the Korean news for a while, after all.
Once the waiter left and we were alone, I took a deep breath and simply bowed my head.
“I’m sorry!”
“…Eh?”
I saw her eyes widen across the table.
“I don’t know who you are. But I must have caused you some kind of harm back when I was immature. Or… Anyway, I’m sorry! I won’t make excuses. I was a rough, wild man. I’m sorry!”
“Um…”
“I admit it. It’s completely my fault. If you want, I’ll even kneel.”
With the experience of a veteran K-company employee from my previous life, I assumed the perfect apology stance. The best way to defuse a school-violence scandal was immediate admission and a sincere apology. Half-hearted excuses like “I don’t really remember,” “I didn’t know it was wrong,” or “That never happened” only fueled the victim’s anger.
“But I’ve been reborn. After coming to Korea I graduated as a model student without any incidents, completed my military service, and while running the foundation I’ve done a lot of good work…”
“Uh, Jun?”
“If there’s anything you want, just say it. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
I cut her off seriously.
“Do you need tuition fees? Monthly living expenses? Or should I buy you an apartment? If you forgive my past, I’m willing to negotiate anything.”
Money-throwing and apologies were the only cards I had left. The past couldn’t be changed. Besides, I wasn’t even Yamamoto Jun to begin with.
After hearing my desperate, grandiose proposal, she stared at me blankly for a moment, then pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Pfft… Ahahahahahaha!”
She clutched her stomach and burst into uncontrollable laughter, as if she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Ahaha! You’re seriously funny, Jun!”
“This isn’t something to laugh about. I’m being serious.”
I frowned at the still-laughing woman. She laughed for a long while before finally calming down, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Then she looked straight at me and shook her head.
“Jun. Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t approach you to get something from you or to expose your past.”
“Then why did you say you’d spread rumors?”
“It was just a joke. Meeting you in a faraway country like Korea—and in the same university and department, no less—was so surprising and nice that I couldn’t help myself.”
Her words left me momentarily stunned.
Nice? She was glad to see me—the notorious delinquent from Japan?
“When you were expelled and suddenly vanished from school in Japan, the whole place was in chaos. Everyone whispered that since you were ridiculously rich you probably escaped any real punishment and ran off to Korea.”
“…”
“But today we ran into each other in the lecture hall. I’d heard the rumors, but seeing with my own eyes how much you’ve really changed was fascinating. So without thinking I felt like teasing you a little.”
She smiled brightly and tapped the table.
“Besides, I was never a victim of yours. If anything, I received help from you. I was just saying I’d spread the rumor about what kind of help I got. I didn’t expect you to overreact this badly.”
“…Ah.”
It had been a misunderstanding. She hadn’t been attempting a school-violence MeToo; she had simply run into an old classmate abroad and thrown out a light joke.
A wave of futility drained the strength from my body. Still, it was too early to feel relieved. She was, after all, the only living witness who knew my past. Even if she bore no malice now, she could change her attitude overnight.
Besides, she was Haruto’s heroine, wasn’t she?
I need to manage her thoroughly. Keep her close, monitor her, and find out exactly why she came to Korea.
What if Haruto, nursing a grudge, had sent her with the words “I want to teach that successful Yamamoto Jun in Korea a lesson”?
The tags attached to Mioban had been regret, devastation, and obsession. I had to be careful.
“Really? If it was just a joke, that’s a relief. Anyway, the meal’s on me, so eat as much as you like.”
I smiled softly and generously, shifting the mood. She studied my face carefully.
“By the way, Jun, you’ve changed so much. Back in Japan you always wore a scary frown and gave off this terrifying aura.”
“A lot of time has passed.”
“You’ve become really kind and mature. I couldn’t even approach you before, but now it feels like I can.”
“Thanks. But I’m sorry—I still don’t know your name.”
“Ah. I’m Hasegawa Rin. Nice to meet you, Yamamoto Jun. Or should I say Lee Jun now?”
Hasegawa Rin extended her hand. I shook it and gave her a grin.
“Yeah. You can call me Lee Jun now. Or just Jun like before. Either is fine.”
“Okay. Jun! You’ve gotten so much cooler than before. I might even fall for you?”
Rin rested her chin on her hand and smiled seductively. Any man would have fallen instantly, but I felt a chill run down my spine.
What the hell is her goal? Is she an assassin Haruto planted?
Maybe it was the heat from the food that had just arrived, but her slightly flushed cheeks were dangerously charming.
For now I’ll keep her close and figure out her true purpose. If Haruto sent her, I need to prepare countermeasures.
While thinking of ways to handle the situation, I carefully transferred some of the exquisite Japanese dishes onto Rin’s plate.
“Eat up, Rin.”
“Hehe. Thank you, Jun.”
At that moment I had no idea.
Why she had thrown away her entire life in her home country of Japan to study at a university in Korea where she had neither ties nor acquaintances.
Or how drastically the original story had changed after I left.