Neither Grand nor Complex
The reasons behind bullying were never particularly grand or complex.
It usually boiled down to a trivial trigger and a target who seemed easy to push around.
In that regard, Jo Ayoung possessed the perfect traits to become someone's prey.
"Hey, I heard this from the class next door. You know that girl who got an award on stage the other day...?"
"Ah, Jo Ayoung?"
"Yeah, her! Apparently, she was wild back in high school."
"Really? Why, what happened?"
"Well, get this... I thought she was the quiet type, but apparently..."
A trivial trigger, born from a rumor rolled in from Lord knows where.
"But honestly, the way Jo Ayoung usually talks is a bit... off, don't you think?"
"Off how?"
"You know, she mumbles in this tiny, ant-sized voice, stutters all the time..."
"Ah, that's true."
"Doesn't she seem like the type who wouldn't be able to say no if you pushed her a little?"
"Totally. I agree."
Her timid nature, laid bare in just a single day.
Because of it, the students in Jo Ayoung's class quietly looked down on her, finding amusement in making her the butt of their jokes.
Once such rumors began to circulate, there were always one or two class clowns who loved to show off, inevitably plotting some prank against such an easy target.
"...Should I give it a shot?"
The instigator laughed flippantly, sitting atop a desk as he spoke to his friends.
"Hey, don't do that~"
"Yeah, poor Ayoung."
Birds of a feather flock together, as they say.
Instead of actually stopping him, his equally shallow friends egged him on, subtly bruising his ego to ensure they got a good show.
"Don't stop me! I'm going to get myself a girlfriend today."
Fueled by their unspoken expectations, the boy devised a malicious prank and slunk toward the back door, waiting for Jo Ayoung to arrive.
Hehehe.
What kind of prank should he pull?
His brain, which only ever functioned creatively at times like this, began churning out ideas.
The one that could easily be laughed off as an accident, yet cause Jo Ayoung the most embarrassment, was...
When Jo Ayoung gets close, I'll fling the door open and walk out, bumping right into her.
The timid Jo Ayoung wouldn't dare make a scene over what looked like a simple mistake.
And if he was lucky, they might both fall, landing him right on top of her...
Recalling the breathtaking, voluptuous figure of Jo Ayoung he had eyed in the auditorium yesterday, the boy swallowed hard, eagerly awaiting the perfect moment.
His wish was about to be granted.
"...Hey, she's coming."
One of his friends, who had been keeping watch through the window, whispered the warning.
Hiding behind the back door, the prankster held his breath, straining his ears to time his move perfectly with her footsteps.
Five steps. Four steps. Three steps. Two steps. One step.
Now!
As the footsteps reached the threshold, the boy flung the door open and lunged forward—only to collide not with something soft and pillowy, but with a solid, heavy impact.
Thud!
"...Ack!"
The scheming boy fell flat on his back, instantly knocked cold.
The man who had walked in with his fingers tightly laced with Jo Ayoung's looked down at the fallen boy and muttered:
"...What's this?"
It was a case of overwhelming physical disparity.
Ayoung was in high spirits.
And for good reason. Just looking at their walk to school today made it obvious.
Unlike when she used to walk to the academy alone, the glances thrown her way were no longer insidious or hostile.
Even the sheer number of eyes on her had drastically decreased.
Sensing the change, Ayoung gently squeezed his hand, her fingers still tightly intertwined with his, and let out a soft, bashful giggle.
...I can't believe it's this effective.
Simply walking to school hand-in-hand with her boyfriend was enough to keep anyone from picking a fight or playing malicious pranks on her.
Experiencing a sense of peace she had never felt before in her life, Ayoung was practically jumping with joy inside. She quietly looked up at the boyfriend holding her hand.
His tall stature and broad shoulders.
And beneath his long, dark hair that fell forward to veil his eyes, his face.
The fringe softened his sharp gaze, taking some of the edge off his otherwise intimidating impression.
Yet, it only seemed to wrap him in an air of mystery.
"...Hajun."
His name slipped past her lips before she could stop herself.
"Yeah?"
Unlike his usual cold demeanor, a faint, gentle smile graced his lips whenever he looked down at her.
Oh, what do I do...
They were only holding hands, yet Ayoung could feel her body growing warmer by the second.
...Why am I like this?
Did holding hands with a boy always make one feel this hot?
Lacking any experience in such matters, Ayoung desperately tried to suppress her racing heart as she followed Hajun into the academy building.
"...Should we head to our classrooms now?"
From here, their classrooms lay in opposite directions, so parting ways now would have been the logical choice. However...
"We still have some time. I'll walk you to yours."
Hajun spoke softly, refusing to let go of her hand as he turned toward her classroom.
...Ah.
And there, far more students than outside were watching the two of them.
It was done.
With this, even if Ayoung walked into class alone tomorrow, absolutely everyone would know she had a boyfriend.
Realizing she had crossed the point of no return, Ayoung decided she might as well hold her head high. She puffed out her chest and marched forward.
Of course, despite her outward bravado, her mind was in an absolute whirl.
Slide—
Was that why?
Even though the back door slid open on its own, Ayoung didn't think much of it and stepped right into the classroom.
In that split second—
With a sudden *whoosh*, her vision spun wildly.
A dull *thud* echoed.
"...Ack!"
A strangled cry rang out.
Huh... Huh?
Ayoung's first shock came when she realized she was wrapped tightly in Hajun's arms.
"...What the hell?"
Her second shock came from the icy voice that vibrated from Hajun's chest.
The entire classroom instantly froze at his tone.
Still held in Hajun's embrace, Ayoung darted her eyes around to assess the situation.
It didn't take long for her to piece things together.
They were trying to play a prank on me!
It was obvious. The moment she tried to enter, someone had planned to fling the door open and deliberately crash into her.
Having suffered through such malicious pranks multiple times during high school, Ayoung could easily deduce the truth from just a few clues.
She opened her mouth to confront the instigators, but—
Hajun beat her to the punch.
"Hey."
Just a single word.
Hajun hauled the barely conscious boy to his feet and spoke.
"Watch where you're going."
He hadn't yelled or made an overt threat.
"...Y-Yeah, sorry."
Yet, the boy trembled like a leaf as he stammered out an apology.
With the situation swiftly resolved, Hajun casually let go of the boy, guided Ayoung all the way to her seat, and leaned down.
"...See you in a bit."
He whispered only for her to hear, then quietly exited the classroom.
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence descended.
Amidst the quiet, Ayoung awkwardly pulled her textbooks from her desk drawer to prepare for the next class.
Her desk partner, who was watching her, cautiously spoke up.
This was the same desk partner who, just yesterday, hadn't uttered a single word to her beyond a brief, formal greeting.
"Um, Ayoung..."
Though caught off guard by the sudden approach, Ayoung managed to respond.
"Y-Yes? What is it?"
Ah, I promised myself I wouldn't stutter.
She inwardly cursed her habit of stuttering whenever she got nervous.
"...Was that guy you came in with your boyfriend?"
The girl didn't seem to mind her stutter and kept the conversation going.
Seizing the second chance, Ayoung answered without a single slip of the tongue.
"Yes, he is."
At her confirmation, not only her desk partner but also the students sitting behind them leaned in with interest.
"Whoa, seriously? He's your boyfriend?"
"He looked so scary... I mean, really cold."
"How did you guys start dating, Ayoung?"
A barrage of questions rained down on her in an instant.
Flustered, Ayoung gently asked them to slow down, promising to answer everything.
"Yes, he's my boyfriend. I'm not really sure about him being cold... He's always so sweet to me. We just... started talking, and I realized I liked him?"
Rather than satisfying their curiosity, her answer only fueled it further.
"But Ayoung, didn't you already have a boyfriend?"
Someone threw out a rather rude question, but—
"No, he's my very first boyfriend..."
Ayoung handled it calmly.
As she spoke, the misunderstandings of the classmates who had judged her based on rumors began to melt away.
"See? I told you! There's no way someone as innocent-looking as Ayoung would go around leading guys on..."
"Hey, I didn't see it myself either, I just heard it from someone else..."
Although she felt a pang of resentment toward them for avoiding her over baseless rumors, Ayoung was ultimately too kind-hearted to hold a grudge.
"I-It's okay... I'm just really glad you're talking to me now."
Hearing her soft, harmless voice—reminiscent of a gentle herbivore—the girls' hearts instantly melted.
That was the reality of it.
If bullying could be triggered by a trivial rumor and a perceived lack of resistance...
...then it could be dismantled just as easily.
"Ayoung!"
"How can you say something so sweet...?"
Strip away the malicious rumors, and Ayoung possessed the looks, the figure, and the personality to be beloved by boys and girls alike.
There was no doubt about it.
"W-Wait a minute!"
That day, Ayoung made four new friends.