Basic Etiquette: Bad Attitude During Profanity Education Means Inscribing Curses on Your Body♡
Basic Etiquette: Bad Attitude During Profanity Education Means Inscribing Curses on Your Body♡
1.
“Euhyaang..”
This is why waking up groggy is dangerous.
Before I even realized it, a slightly embarrassing sound escaped my lips.
“Ugh.. Yesterday was bad enough, and now today too.. Why am I feeling so exhausted?”
I’m usually not this kind of person.
At any rate, I got ready for the academy.
Even though I had overslept, my morning routine was smooth sailing—hardly what you’d expect from someone living on her own. In a flash, I washed my face, prepped breakfast, and finished my makeup.
It wasn't even 8:00 AM yet.
A time when the early morning mist bleeds into the soft morning sunlight.
Whenever I look at that view, a certain resolve takes shape within me. A standard determination to succeed at all costs and give my mother a comfortable life—the woman who ground her life away for her daughter all by herself.
However, my resolve wasn't quite like everyone else's.
For most people, it remains just a resolve.
I, on the other hand, am someone actually capable of carrying it out.
Still, when you think about it….
At least people who possess that kind of resolve are relatively decent.
Because the dumbass I saw yesterday was a fucking dumbass who couldn't even manage that.
Huh..?
That’s weird.
Even if I’m not entirely above swearing in my head, I almost never use words like "dumbass"….
Yesterday, and now today as well…….
Did I hear that somewhere?
It was a logical question to ask oneself—a natural curiosity, considering my sharp intellect meant I rarely forgot anything once I heard or understood it.
A logical, but completely useless question.
So, I decided to leave it at this:
We live in an age overflowing with provocative videos. It’s not as if I’m a complete recluse who never watches YouTube or scrolls Instagram, so I must have picked it up somewhere around there.
Even so, I composed myself and left the house, resolving to keep my internal swearing in check starting today.
2.
“The etymology of Ssibal is believed to have originated from Ssip, meaning female genitalia, combined with Hal or Pal. Let’s look at Hal first, shall we?”
It was a topic far too crude to imagine coming out of a teacher's mouth at a podium.. yet it was necessary.
Looking back at how profanity in the past was disproportionately targeted at women, this was a vital lesson. It taught us to be grateful for the modern era, to adopt an attitude where—even if we might despise certain individual men—we don't hate ‘men’ as a collective whole, and to reflect on how we use curses ourselves.
At any rate, it was an immensely crucial lesson.
That much was certain.. Right? Uh? Ah?
Mm. It was certain.
Yet despite knowing this, most students in the classroom were bowing their heads at ambiguous angles—just enough not to breach the educational rules.
I was no exception.
Meanwhile, the teacher standing at the podium continued speaking, entirely unfazed by our embarrassed demeanor as we barely hovered above the line.
‘She must.. feel so ashamed.’
Then again, that too was the mark of a true educator.
I refocused my attention on her ongoing lecture.
“……Earlier, I mentioned that Ssip refers to female genitalia, but when combined with Hal, its meaning shifts to the act of intercourse. Therefore, Ssip-hal translates to something along the lines of ‘You bitch who should be fucked!’ or ‘You bastard who should be mating!’”
Teacher Choi Gyu-yeon paused to catch her breath.
It seemed like an attempt to suppress her shame.
“Next, shall we look at Ssip-pal, another derived term? In this context, Ssip still refers to female genitalia, while Pal, much like Hal, retains its literal meaning: ‘to sell.’ So, Ssip-pal functions as a curse implying the selling of female genitalia.”
Teacher Choi Gyu-yeon met my eyes.
Her face was slightly flushed.
However, she quickly averted her gaze elsewhere.
‘Ha…….’
The reason she looked away was probably.. no, 100% because of the scum sitting right next to me.
He really is useless in every conceivable way.
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
The single stain on an otherwise perfect orientation day.
To think I have to keep being tied to a piece of trash like him.
It was immensely frustrating that a mere piece-of-shit guy like him was making it awkward for me to meet the teacher’s eyes.
My irritation was short-lived, however, as the teacher shifted her gaze away from the bastard and me, beginning to explain the etymology of the next curse word. I had no choice but to follow her gaze and pay attention.
“Ssibal has become a globally recognized curse word, hasn't it? While its popularity is one reason I explained it first, it was primarily to establish the meaning of Ssip. Now then! Let’s move on to two more phrases: ‘Doing Ssip’ and ‘Getting Ssip-ed up’.”
I had so many questions about why every single curse word had to do with Ssip, but I bit my tongue and listened.
Because……
“Uh..? Hm.. Kang Chae-rin over there?”
“Y-Yes.. Huh? Ah, please no..”
“I’m really sorry..”
Teacher Choi said, lightly holding her head.
She looked as though a sudden headache had struck her.
“Ugh.. Y-Yes. It would be even more embarrassing if I wrote it myself, wouldn't it..? It seems your desk mate will have to write it for you.. You remember the instructions I gave before class started, right? Choose. The open spots left.. are just two now. You can choose between your face or your thigh.”
Kang Chae-rin, who had been singled out, clutched her head.
A headache of a completely different nature seemed to have hit her.
If I were in her shoes, my mind would have gone blank too…….
Inscribing curses like that on your thigh or face, no matter how easily washable the pen was…….
Just imagining it filled me with a shame so intense I’d rather die.
It felt like a snake sluggishly slithering up from the soles of my feet, crawling up my legs to claim my entire body.
‘Disgusting..’
Watching two curses—Ssibal and Ssip-chang-nyeon [Fucking Bitch]—actually being written on the thigh of Kang Chae-rin, who had agonized between her face and her thigh before picking the latter, made that sense of revulsion grow even deeper.
Even though this situation wasn't the scum's fault, my anger and disgust naturally drifted toward him.
‘His very existence is sickening….’
No matter how necessary this course was—a mandatory, common-sense general education lesson meant to be completed before entering society—listening to such words in front of a guy was deeply unpleasant.
The other girls were undoubtedly thinking the same thing.
And as for the teacher who had to utter those words in front of everyone…….
The more I thought about it, the more I felt that the guy sitting next to me was nothing but a nuisance.
My body trembled slightly with indignation.
Just then…….
“Haa……. Seriously.. Everyone, why are you being like this? I don't want to do this either……. Yeon Cheong-ha. You hurry up and.. make your choice too.”
My name came out of the teacher's mouth.
“Pardon? No, I.. it's not that, I just don't like this whole situat—”
I realized it mid-sentence.
Lately, my scope of thought had narrowed to an alarming degree.
It felt as though I wasn't even using a tenth of my brain power.
Regardless, expressing distaste during class was enough to trigger the curse-marking punishment—and I had just openly blurted out that I hated the lesson itself….
I watched the teacher’s composure collapse in real-time.
“Haa……. Write it down quickly, Tae-sung..”
“W-Wait a moment..! No matter how you look at it, asking a guy to write it on her is a bit……”
However, to a teacher worn down by stress, such concerns were trivial.
“You don't want to? Well, what choice do we have? We’ll just have to write one more.. And Cheong-ha, hold your skirt tightly so it doesn't ride up.”
Ugh.
More and more and more.
This fucking piece of shit sitting right next to me.
‘Haa…….’
Just thinking the word Ssip brought the immediate thought: I shouldn't be using that word..
For some reason, my lower body quivered slightly as well…….
I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the sub-canine trash next to me to finish scribbling those crude curses onto my thigh. Yet, I didn't feel the cold tip against my skin.
Peeking my eyes open, I saw that the insane bastard had stood straight up.
What came out of his mouth next was chillingly bizarre.
Crazy psychopath. Disgusting trash.
For the first time in my life, I wanted to kill someone.
“Teacher, may I.. pfft, may I write the curses on her instead?”
He said, playfully covering his mouth.
Yes. Playfully.
That motherfucker…….
We were all dead serious, but was this a joke to him?
On top of that, he wanted to write the curses on my behalf?
Whether he did it intentionally or out of ignorance...
Accepting a proposal like that would guarantee rumors spreading across the entire school: ‘Hmm, are those two dating?’
The teacher was currently nodding, “Hmm.. I suppose that’s fine. Let’s have Tae-sung write it then.”
I couldn't let that happen.
If any strange rumors started circulating about me and a thing like him, I would literally die of embarrassment.
Part of me felt like dying out of pity for my own miserable state—unable to even accept his offer—but putting that feeling aside, I snapped upward, putting on a front that I was totally unbothered.
“No. I am fine. Just hurry up and write it, Mr. Kim Tae-sung.”
“Teacher! That cannot be allowed!”
“Uh, huh? Guys, don't be like this. Tae-sung? There are rules to the class, after all.. Let’s just go with you writing it for her..”
How fake.
Kim Tae-sung acted as if he had completely forgotten ever shouting, ‘That cannot be allowed! I will take the punishment instead!’ He pulled out a marker—the kind that clears up if you scrub hard enough—with a sharp pop.
Then he stepped toward me.
I nonchalantly offered my thigh.
I had to pay the price for pretending to be composed.
As I exposed my thigh, the marker approached.
His hideous hand was an unwanted bonus.
‘Disgusting, disgusting..’
Even the phrasing ‘offered my thigh’ that unconsciously crossed my mind felt vile. I hated everything about this.
Yet, anger that normally would have evaporated remained right there, etched into my flesh.
‘Fucking bitch, ruined cunt, bitch..’
A total of three phrases were drawn.
‘Damn it..’
Still, if it’s only.. three.
I could quickly scrub them off before going home.
About seven hours remaining.
My thigh quivered at the thought of spending the next seven hours with such words written on me.
However, having more written on me would be a total catastrophe.
I pinched my trembling thigh slightly to endure it.
Equipping a stabilized smile, I looked toward the teacher as she began explaining the next set of words.
“Now then, everyone. We don't have much time left, so please focus just a bit longer, okay?”
“Yes—”
A chorus of overlapping responses sounded out.
“Alright, next we will talk about the curse Galbo [Whore]. A lot of people think Galbo is… um…. Haa..”
I hated my brain for immediately knowing why the teacher was hesitating..
Even so, the true educator, Teacher Choi Gyu-yeon, merely paused; she never stopped teaching.
“Regarding the word Galbo, especially nowadays when abbreviations are so normalized.. Many people believe it means a vulva that has discolored to brown. However, its actual etymology is completely different. The most famous theory is that Gal comes from the Gal in scorpion.”
Teacher Choi Gyu-yeon met eyes with my friend—the one who, besides me, had to have Ssibal written on her thigh earlier.
“Chae-rin? Why do you think it comes from the Gal in scorpion?”
“Ah, ah.. I-If I can't answer..”
“No. As long as you give any answer, it’s fine.”
“Then.. Is it because the vulva looks like a scorpion..?”
Told to say anything, Kang Chae-rin literally spewed the first thought that popped into her head.
The classroom went dead silent in an instant.
“Ahaha, it seems you’re very nervous. It’s nothing like that; there’s a theory that it was named so because, like a scorpion, such a person harms people and drains their blood. The bo attached at the end doesn't refer to female genitalia at all, not at all! Think of it like the bo in crybaby [Ul-bo] or fatty [Dttung-bo]. In short, it’s simply a derogatory term for a woman who sells her body.”
A fact I was learning for the first time.
Surprised, I took notes on it.
However, there were things I had overlooked.
First: even if she wasn't showing it, the teacher was under immense stress.
Second: my slight friction with her earlier had made her extremely displeased.
And third, the final point:
Whether you bow your head to take notes, or bow it out of shame—both hide your face from view, which violates the class conduct rules.
While taking notes, I felt a piercing gaze on me.
Before I could even lift my head, the owner of that gaze called out my name.
“Yeon Cheong-ha!”
Everything that followed was entirely predictable.
I had to yield my thigh to the scum next to me once again.
“Hurry up and do it…….”
“Pfft-kuh. Uh, yeah. Khhk.”
What was so funny to this bastard that he kept snicker-giggling?
‘Phew…’
Galbo-ryeon [Scorpion Whore Bitch] was written down by the hand of the snickering idiot.
It pissed me off that he kept appending bitch to everything, but from the perspective of this class, adding it was technically considered doing a thorough job.
Showing my anger would only invite more curses to be carved onto my body.
Controlling my trembling frame, I forced my gaze forward again.
Yet in that brief window, another victim fell.
A new student’s name dropped from the teacher's lips.
“Ha Chae-won, why are you doing this again……. Honestly.”
The girl named Ha Chae-won turned around with a terrified expression.
Gazing explicitly in my direction…….
No. Her gaze was directed at the trash next to me.
Before the question of ‘Why?’ could even fully form in my head, I realized the reason behind her look.
It was because the scum had offered to take my punishment earlier.
Remembering that, she had reflexively glanced over here, hoping for a miracle.
Her prediction was spot on.
Ha Chae-won pitifully clutched her desk mate's hand—which was reaching toward her thigh—while darting glances over here like a dog that desperately needed to go outside.
If things turned out like this…….
‘I’m going insane.’
It would be one thing if nothing had happened earlier.
The scum had shouted that he would take my place, and 2. there was a precedent of the teacher accepting it.
Furthermore, even if her eyes had initially landed on the scum next to me, Ha Chae-won ended up locking eyes with me right after.
If our eyes hadn't met, or if I didn't know whether taking someone else's punishment was allowed, it might be a different story…….
Bu looking at those desperate eyes right in front of me, I couldn't just ignore her.
It wasn't out of pure goodwill.
Calculating this cold-bloodedly, I had to step in right here.
Chae-won and I had even exchanged numbers.
If I backed out now, the image I worked so hard to build would crumble into nothingness.
Because regardless of whether Chae-won looked at me or the scum, from the other students' perspective, she was undeniably looking toward my side.
It was a setup ripe for malicious gossip: ‘Yesterday she acted all self-sacrificing, but when someone looked at her like that today, she completely turned a blind eye~’
What a filthy world, where looking pitiable instantly turns you into the good guy….
Mocking myself—wondering if I wasn't actually the most pitiable one here—I painfully raised my hand.
“T.. Teacher.. Can I take the punishment in Chae-won’s place?”
The teacher was completely over everything at this point.
Which meant approval came instantly.
“Uh. Sure, go ahead.”
… For some reason, I felt like I had no allies left in the world.
I didn't even know if going this far actually helped my reputation anymore, but I had no choice.
If I hadn't caught anyone's attention in the first place, fine.
The moment you stand out, becoming gossip material for people to chew on is your fate. I could only hope to be chewed on in a favorable light.
“K-Khehe. Teacher~ Can I write it after we hear the next curse word?”
You crazy, absolute psychopath of a bastard!
He poked my thigh while speaking.
Because he used the marker instead of his finger, it hovered on the razor-thin line between sexual harassment and an educational exercise.
Having experienced it directly, though, I knew for sure:
This motherfucker was actually finding this fun.
I had my suspicions yesterday, but neither yesterday nor today did he cross the line beyond what could be passed off as a crude, clumsy punishment or sport.
I was unsure before.
Now I knew for certain.
He enjoyed teasing me.
Even if I realized that, to outsiders, he just looked like a rough, awkward guy who didn't know any better.
If I pointed it out recklessly, I’d face a backlash from the girls who already looked down on me.
So today, right now, no matter how much resentment built up inside me, I had to offer my thigh.
And.. fuck.
It was disgusting that such words kept floating through my head.
Anyway.. To offer it properly, I had to focus on the teacher's words as well.
If only to catch him when he stepped out of line.
I listened closely to the teacher's next explanation.
“Next is the curse Jot-na [Fucking/Hell of a]. This curse is widely known in modern times, isn't it? It’s probably the most frequently used curse after Ssibal, but its original meaning was extremely.. vulgar. It’s a sort of modifier meaning ‘so much that your dick pops out.’ Even nowadays, the meaning hasn't shifted much, but in the past, uttering that phrase was considered so crude and vile that people refrained from saying it.”
Beside me, the scum bowed his head, holding back his laughter.
Then he pulled out the marker and wrote Jot-na right between Ssip-nyeon [Fucking bitch] and Ssip-chang-nam [Ruined guy]…….
Before I knew it, a short sentence was inscribed on my thigh:
‘Ssip-nyeon Jot-na Ssip-chang-nam’ [Fucking bitch is fucked up as hell]….
My body trembled.
Yet, the continuing explanation—and the relief that this was almost over—barely allowed me to regain my composure.
And then, yet again, another friend got caught.
And she looked at me.
Not the scum next to me, but specifically at me…….
In that moment, my future flashed vividly before my eyes.
And…….
The teacher’s ongoing profanity education continued.
“Geol-re [Slut/Rag], you all know this one, right?……”
“Next is Ppa-gu-ri [Fucking/Hooking up]……”
“And, Am-khae [Bitch/Female dog], which shares a similar etymology to the overseas term ‘bitch’……”
“Also, Am-thwae-ji [Sow/Female pig], which is used in daily life, is sometimes used as a derogatory term for women as well……”
Amidst the growing list of explanations, more and more students failed to endure.
And as they failed, those crazy girls looked at me with even more pathetic, pleading eyes…….
If I had held out just once, maybe it would be fine.
Stepping in for Chae-won while refusing everyone else would only serve as prime rumor material.
How on earth did things turn out like this?
Am I just being used here?
That small doubt was instantly obliterated—buried under the weight of countless staring eyes and the sheer terror of being brutally gossiped about if I declined.
And so, curses were recklessly scribbled across my thigh.
While writing them, that insane bastard uttered yet another insane idea.
“Teacher, it’s getting hard to write so many words. How about I just draw tally marks using the character [正] "Jeong"? One stroke every time she gets penalized, how’s that?”
To be completely honest, I didn't know what that meant.
Not just me, but most people here didn't know either.
It was because this room was full of people who had no interest in subculture tropes.
I didn't even know Am-thwae-ji was a sexual insult until today, so how was I supposed to know the implication of tallying with [正] "Jeong"?
The teacher seemed to recognize the meaning, but she gave her OK without raising any objections.
Thus, my thighs were completely covered in curses and tally marks.
By the time class ended, my face had been drawn on as well.
I wanted to scream curses at the top of my lungs, but perhaps the education had actually been effective.
Whenever a curse crossed my mind, its etymology and the words written on my thighs immediately flashed alongside it, sealing my mouth shut.
It felt as though swearing at anyone else was equivalent to swearing at myself.
Was it a sin to enter school today thinking I should fix my habit of swearing in my head?
This class certainly cured that habit—and then some.
And so, the lesson finally concluded.
Yet, an even greater terror and humiliation washed over my heart.
I have to walk around the school in this state.. until all lectures are over for the day…….
‘T-This is ridiculous……. Ah.. This is fucking Jot [dick]..’
At least curses involving Jot were my absolute last defense.
Since it was something I didn't possess, it was the only curse word that didn't evoke any feeling no matter how much I used it.
Ha.. No matter how terrible I felt, the filthy word Jot—and the image associated with it—kept filling my head, despite me never having entertained it before.
There was nothing I could do.
Right now, I desperately needed vulgar words to soothe my agonizing heart, and the only curse I could freely use was Jot♥.
‘Fucking Jot like, fucking Jot like, fucking Jot like.. Jot Jot Jot♥..’
Where other curses would normally fit, I had to fill the void with Jot, causing my mind to become completely full of Jot♥.
‘Jot.. Jot Jot. Jot Jot Jot..’
And yet, this absolute worst Jot-like day had only just taken its very first step…….
