Chapter 14
Chapter 14
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Twisting an Elementary School Kid's Wrist
-----------------------------------------------------------------
These days, kids are so mature.
They know everything there is to know.
The class president of Class 3-1, Seo Jun, was no different.
He'd known since kindergarten that he was what you'd call the seed of an alpha male.
With a prestigious university professor for a father and a former model for a mother, Seo Jun—born from that perfect union—was smart, handsome, and athletically gifted.
And with a wealthy family background plus a personality that won people over, every teacher adored him.
He wasn't just an alpha male; he was an alpha among alphas—practically a Dragon King Sword.
Proof of that? He already had eighteen girlfriends.
With only about sixty kids in the whole first-grade class, that meant roughly eighty percent of the girls were his girlfriends.
Of course, whether they truly understood what dating meant was another matter altogether.
Anyway.
The first impression the new transfer student made on him was...
'...She's pretty.'
From her hair to her eyes to her skin, she was pure white like snow—not the dull white of grandma's frizzy hair, but sparkling, glossy platinum locks.
His girlfriends were no slouches in the looks department, but even to an eight-year-old's eyes, the transfer student was in a league of her own.
But despite her beauty, she looked shy and low on self-esteem at first glance— the type who'd fall head over heels with just a little kindness.
'Seol Ha-rin... Even her name's pretty.'
Seo Jun sized her up right away.
He was already feeling drained from managing his eighteen-girl pond.
It was about time to prune it down, and she looked perfect to keep by his side.
Luckily, she ended up as his desk mate. Without hesitation, Seo Jun deployed his surefire pattern.
A cheerful smile paired with natural skinship.
Combined with his good looks, it could shatter any girl's defenses in an instant.
Of course, he assumed it'd work this time too.
Right up until he grabbed Ha-rin's hand.
"Junie, how many wrists do you have?"
Crack!
"...?"
What hit him first was confusion. Then, excruciating pain like his wrist was being crushed. And third...
"Aaack!"
A scream that shook the entire classroom.
"Why? What's wrong?"
Ha-rin's voice was so calm that Seo Jun wondered if he was dreaming.
But the pain in his wrist was all too real. Especially with the bright red handprint left on it.
"Hey, you... just now...!"
Seo Jun shot to his feet, pointing accusingly at Ha-rin.
She just shrank her shoulders like a scared hamster, avoiding his gaze.
"Seo Jun! How could you yell at the new girl like that!"
"Teacher! No! She grabbed my wrist and...!"
"What are you talking about? Ha-rin's such a good girl."
Her hands rested demurely on her lap as if nothing had happened, her head tilted innocently.
"Puhahaha!!"
In an instant, the classroom erupted into laughter.
The kids' mockery, the teacher's puzzled look, and the transfer student sitting there all nonchalant.
It was the moment a crack formed in Seo Jun's perfect world.
"N-No! It really hurt!"
No matter how much he fancied himself an alpha male, he was still just an eight-year-old kid at heart.
He had no immunity to the embarrassment he was feeling for the first time in his life.
The truth was, his obsession with perfection stemmed from something simple: he was an attention whore down to his bones.
When his friends' parents would gush, "Oh my, look at Junie. How is he so mature? I wish my kid was half as good,"
Seo Jun would bow his head humbly and say,
"No, Auntie. I learn a lot from Ji-hoon too."
And the adults would lose it.
'Goodness, even his personality is perfect!'
That electric rush of superiority—it was like a drug to him.
But this transfer student rolling in not only ignored him, she twisted his wrist and played innocent?
'Fine... I guess there have to be girls like you.'
His life had been on easy mode so far. Whatever he wanted, he got. Everyone liked him.
For the first time, faced with an impregnable fortress, his conqueror's instinct flared up.
'Just you wait. I'll make you fall for me no matter what.'
He'd make her blush in front of everyone and confess, "Junie, I like you."
And publicly claim her as his nineteenth girlfriend.
Thankfully, Seo Jun had plenty of weapons beyond his looks.
He knew exactly what girls his age went crazy for, too.
'A guy who's good at sports.'
"Alright, everyone, next period we'll head to the gym~"
Right on cue, PE time arrived, and the corner of Seo Jun's mouth curled up.
'Watch closely. See me shine.'
He clenched his fist. Then winced and unclenched it right away—his wrist still throbbed from earlier.
Seo Jun stared blankly at the ceiling.
His stomach stung.
In dodgeball during PE, he'd planned to catch Ha-rin's throw with flair.
'...What the hell just flew by?'
He'd seen her wind up, but the next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the floor in a star shape.
He'd even caught balls from his sixth-grade cousin before. But that one hit way harder than anything his cousin threw.
"Whoa! Ha-rin's amazing!"
"Jun flew away!"
"Ha-rin, are you a pro dodgeball player?"
The kids swarmed around Ha-rin.
"N-No... I just got lucky..."
She blushed and waved them off, wriggling shyly like the picture of innocence. Hard to believe she'd just launched a kid across the gym.
The rest of class was the same.
In running, by the time Seo Jun dragged himself across the finish line gasping for air, Ha-rin was there fresh as a daisy, basking in cheers.
In jump rope, after he desperately pulled off his practiced ten continuous skips, Ha-rin casually did triple jumps next to him like a stroll in the park.
'No way!'
For a second, he considered arm wrestling, but shook his head.
It'd look bad challenging a girl, and worse—he'd probably lose.
"Junie. Isn't she better at sports than you?"
He knew without being told.
That's how it looked to him too.
Seo Jun, who'd studied biology ahead of time, knew it too: in elementary school, girls often developed faster physically than boys.
'Yeah. It's just temporary.'
Once they hit upper grades, he'd dominate. He tried to console himself that way, but it did nothing for his bruised ego.
'You...!'
Seo Jun glared at Ha-rin with venom.
Sensing his stare, she turned from chatting with friends and met his eyes.
For an instant.
Smirk.
'...Huh?'
He rubbed his eyes and looked again—she was back to her timid expression.
'That...?!'
In that moment, Seo Jun was certain. She was pretending to be innocent, but Ha-rin was in the same league as him.
Math class followed right after PE.
Hanwol Elementary gave pop quizzes every period, and math was Seo Jun's strongest subject.
'She might beat me at sports, but not this.'
The school's curriculum raced far ahead of standard elementary material, tough even for kids who studied.
But for Seo Jun, honed by advanced prep, it was a breeze.
He tore through the test confidently, certain of a perfect score.
A quick glance.
'...Still pretty.'
Scratch, scratch.
Maybe he was too aware of Ha-rin next to him. He made a careless calculation error he'd never normally do, ending up with ninety.
Ninety was still tops among the other kids, but to Seo Jun, it was unacceptable.
Then.
"Seol Ha-rin. One hundred! Goodness, didn't you just transfer today?"
'Shit...!'
Seeing Ha-rin feign modesty made Seo Jun's face burn red with anger.
He glared at her again.
Smirk again.
'This...!!'
Ha-rin stuffed the test paper into her bag like a hundred was as natural as breathing.
Then she ignored him completely, heading to the cafeteria surrounded by friends.
"..."
If she'd outright mocked him, he could've fired back.
Being treated like invisible air turned his mentality to dust. He burned white-hot.
'For real?'
Lunch was mala tang, of all things.
Was it because it was a private elementary school? Or had times changed?
Latte had been on the menu every day for a week straight—there was even a rumor of an underground Im Yeon-soo farm in the school basement.
Taking in the generational shift, he scooped up a spoonful of broth.
'...Tasty?'
Weird.
Last time his friends dragged him to a mala tang place, he'd hated the spicy numbing kick and swore never again.
But now, that tingling mala flavor exploding in his mouth felt irresistibly appealing.
Come to think of it, lately he'd been craving sweets and spicy stuff more than usual.
Even at the cafe with Frost, he'd ordered a chocolate latte instead of his usual Americano.
'Did my taste buds change when my body did?'
Was he doomed to get hooked on mala tang, tanghulu, boba, and all that? Hopefully not.
As he slurped the broth, his eyes met Seo Jun's across the table—his soul clearly checked out, poking at his food listlessly.
To say he didn't feel a bit guilty would be a lie. He'd gone too far.
From the fawning kids flocking like larks during breaks, he'd pieced together how Class 3-1 worked.
Seo Jun was the class president and real boss: top grades, peak physique, rich family. A perfect hexagon elite kid.
No wonder he reeked of privilege. But eighteen girlfriends? What a maniac. Kinda jealous.
Anyway, I'd dropped in out of nowhere and knocked him down to second fiddle.
But I had no choice. As some mangaka once said:
'No matter who the opponent is, I always go all-out in a showdown. Even if it's an elementary kid.'
With my body now an elementary kid's, there was no reason not to give it my all!
In that vein, a grown man's compressed muscles plus knowledge from barely scraping into a Seoul uni.
That spec level made twisting an elementary kid's wrist no big deal.
Sure, it'd show in middle and high school. But until then, why not enjoy it?
'No... that's not it.'
Must've zoned out.
I had zero intention of going through middle or high in this body. I needed to switch back ASAP—no time for glory.
He sighed, shaking his head to refocus.
But honestly, he admitted it.
The thrill of crushing an elementary kid's wrist with overwhelming power... didn't feel half bad.
Sorry, I'm STRONG.
Hey, second place did great.
Hey, second place did great.
That was when.
"Hey, Ha-rin."
A girl eating next to him piped up with sparkling eyes. Lark #1.
"Any boys in class you're into?"
"Huh? Uh...?"
Hearing that, Seo Jun—faceplanted in his tray—twitched ever so slightly.
Hmm. Even as a legit eight-year-old, no way on day one, right? Kids these days move fast.
Still, blunt interest like this was novel and kinda nice.
No, actually fluffy. This must be popular kid life.
"Who? Who? Tell us!"
"A cute one? Or a smart one?"
Under the larks' relentless prodding, I pretended to hesitate, nibbling my chopstick tip.
Then.
He caught sight of life flickering back into Seo Jun's ashen eyes.
'?'
...Nah, probably not.
"Want this castle cake from lunch? You can have it."
"Uh, yeah... Thanks..."
"Need an eraser? Mine erases great."
"No... I have one..."
Seo Jun kept trying to get Ha-rin's attention all afternoon.
Chatting periodically, even offering precious snacks as tribute. But Ha-rin wouldn't budge.
Before he knew it, the dynamic flipped.
This morning he'd been the hunter; now he was begging for her scraps.
Even his TikTok and Reels drips got only soulless reactions from her.
When his pride flared and he sneaked a hand grab again, he spotted delicate veins bulging on her hand back.
Push or pull, she wouldn't yield.
He'd never met a girl like this.
'Maybe if I hit her and run like the other boys...'
The most primal way to get attention—but he shook his head. Bluntly, he'd probably lose.
'What do I do...'
Seo Jun tore at his hair.
He had no clue how to win over this wispy transfer student.
But he couldn't back down.
'...What about this?'
Then, his last resort hit him.
To repeat: Seo Jun had many weapons. Including double-edged swords he shouldn't wield lightly.
Especially one his mom strictly told him not to mention to others. The kind that could get him labeled weird if he slipped.
Normally he'd revere his parents' words like gospel, but the humiliation of being ignored by a same-age girl was unbearable.
Mom's warnings were long forgotten.
He decided to spill a secret he never shared with anyone.
If it got Ha-rin's attention, he'd die happy.
"Hey, Seol Ha-rin."
"...?"
"You know about that thing?"
Confirming no one was listening, he cupped a hand to his mouth and whispered.
"My mom's... a magical girl?"