Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The School Boss's Friend is an Outsider
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hey!! Jeong Yi-an!! What the hell are you doing there? Let go of that hand?"
I was on the school stairs, worrying about Yoo So-mi, who seemed to have been duped by some scammer.
But suddenly, one of the class thugs shows up and starts spouting that nonsense.
Did this guy follow us all the way here from class...? Isn't that kinda creepy?
And what does he mean, 'what are you doing'? Can't I even talk to a friend?
I had a ton of gripes about what the thug said, but
trying to find meaning in the crap these thugs spew is pointless from the start.
This jerk suddenly comes out with something like 'hero swoops in at the last second to save the damsel in distress'...
In the end, they just blurt out whatever based on their mood, trying to show they're pissed off.
Wait, what the hell is this guy even mad about?
Even though he spoke human words, to understand this asshole, I had to ditch any linguistic analysis.
Going by the vibe, what this guy really wants to say is...
'Watch me act tough! Look at me!!!!'
...What a moron.
I was so dumbfounded by my class thug's outburst that I just lost my words.
Yoo So-mi, still holding my hand, didn't say much either. Probably just as baffled as me.
Since we were standing there all blank-faced and silent, maybe he thought we were scared—the thug's expression brightened a bit.
Then he starts climbing the stairs.
But he's not just climbing—he's spewing pointless curses too.
"Jeong Yi-an, you fucking loser ignoring me? Hey! Do I look that easy to mess with!!"
"Jeong Yi-an, you bastard, don't run away. Come here. Hey, come here. Come here!!!!!"
And with the vibe that a fight was about to break out near the stairs, students passing in the hallway started gathering one by one.
Some kids were even running around classes yelling, "Hey!! Fight at the stairs!!!"
Wait. You're the one coming up here while telling me to 'come here'?
Yeah, trying to interpret the meaning behind what comes out of that guy's mouth is pointless.
He's probably just trying to turn me into his personal errand runner right now.
I thought I'd been steadily keeping him in check so he wouldn't pull that, but lately the teachers have been too busy, so things have loosened up.
Or maybe he just wants to show off in front of Yoo So-mi.
Either way, this didn't look like it was gonna end in talk, so I tensed my deltoids and forearms—honed over time—and braced for the violence ahead.
.
.
.
.
A few seconds later.
The thug, cursing as he climbed the stairs, tumbled down and was writhing on the hallway floor.
He probably planned to grab my collar once he got up here and do something...
But Yoo So-mi saw him reaching out and kicked his shin hard with her foot.
Still not fully up the stairs, he lost balance and fell backward... leading to this mess.
...
Looks fucking painful.
He was too busy nursing his aching shin while rolling down to protect his face.
Blood's coming from his mouth... Is that okay? Hope no teeth got knocked out, or medical bills...
...Wait, do I even need to pay for that?
No matter how I think about it, picturing a thug demanding treatment after getting beat by a girl just doesn't compute.
The students who rushed over at the fight rumor whispered among themselves, staring at the groaning, twitching thug on the floor.
From 'That looks painful' to 'Who's that guy?', 'What? It's already over by the time we get here?', 'This dude got wrecked by a girl?' and so on.
I figured someone tumbling down stairs might have broken bones or worse, so maybe help him out.
But high schoolers these days were merciless to losers.
The main players in this mess, me and Yoo So-mi, exchanged glances and spoke.
"Uh... yeah, So-mi. Thanks. Anyway, if that 'older sister' wants to meet, you gotta call me, got it?"
"Yeah! Yi-an, if that jerk bothers you, call me too. Good luck with studying!"
We decided to play dumb about the thug sprawled in the hallway.
After that, Yoo So-mi became known at school as 'the Baekseung High girl boss who wrecked a guy in a fair fight.'
And the thug who got wrecked by her? He quieted down a lot.
I worried he might hold a grudge against her or me and try something sneaky, but luckily, that doesn't seem likely.
Our class thug, whose standing among the delinquents was already iffy, not only pissed off Yoo So-mi—the undisputed queen of popularity among them—but got straight-up beaten too.
So the delinquents from other classes treated him like total garbage, even openly bullying him to suck up to Yoo So-mi.
Now he's too busy getting dragged around by delinquents from other classes.
Thanks to Yoo So-mi, I can set aside worries about becoming an errand runner for a while.
Alright, then. Prep well for the exams. And just watch out for that 'acquaintance older sister' scamming my friend?
Until Yoo So-mi says otherwise, I'll focus on studying for now.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Yoo So-mi's Perspective
Midterms are creeping up fast, and Yi-an and Si-a are both swamped with studying.
Si-a grabs meals at the sandwich shop now, and even while eating, she pores over a little memo pad, memorizing stuff.
Yi-an... at least during his sandwich shop shifts, he doesn't do schoolwork.
Slacking off mid-shift isn't pro behavior, right?
He studies late into the night at home, so as the exam date nears, he looks more and more worn out.
I finished working on the doujinshi goods for the Seoul Character World event.
As long as the publisher prints them on time, the event should go off without a hitch.
Ji-su unnie, who's joining me for the event, seems pleased with the quality—she's uploading pics to her socials and bragging.
I said I wanted to make my own account and post too, but she told me to hold off. Since I'm still in high school, stuff like content laws, copyrights... juvenile protection acts or whatever could bite me later.
I can't use my own drawings freely? Felt bad, so I searched for those content copyright laws myself, but nothing came up... so I decided to trust Ji-su unnie.
She's an adult, so she must know more about laws than a high schooler like me.
Yi-an seems pretty curious about what kind of person Ji-su unnie is.
Telling me to call him whenever I meet her? Felt like I was some manga heroine getting stalked—kinda bittersweet.
Of course... I know Yi-an just feels left out that she and I might meet without him.
Me and Ji-su unnie are friends, me and Yi-an are friends, but Yi-an and Ji-su unnie aren't.
I totally get how Yi-an feels. If he made a new friend behind my back and hung out without me, it'd hurt like hell.
But Yi-an's busy with exam prep. He says he's never been to Seoul Character World either. Asking for help now would just burden him.
Friends are supposed to share joy and sorrow, respect and protect each other, swear to die together, and devote themselves solely to one another—but since we're not adults yet, in cases like this, we have to lean on grown-ups like Ji-su unnie.
And honestly... introducing Yi-an to her feels a bit awkward.
Ji-su unnie seems to hate guys for some reason.
Plus, even as fellow otaku, we don't click that well.
Makes me wonder if there are otaku pairings that just can't be friends these days.
I like stories where female and male characters get tangled up, but she only hunts for girl-on-girl stuff.
And doujinshi are just fiction... but sometimes she gives me these weird looks that creep me out a little.
So, best to let Yi-an focus on exams and keep him out of event stuff until the day.
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.
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After my sandwich shop shift ended, on the way home. Ji-su unnie called as I reached my place.
-Hey, So-mi. Got time to talk?
"Yeah, unnie. What's up?"
-Heard some author friends are doing cosplay at their booth for the event. You interested, So-mi?
"Hmm... that stuff seems pricey, kinda burdensome... My wallet's empty after prepping event merch..."
-If it's money, unnie can lend you some? You've got such a great figure, it'd suit you perfect...
Ji-su unnie gets like this—once she wants something, she nags until I say yes.
But borrowing money for event stuff? Parents wouldn't allow it... So I changed the subject.
"Oh, unnie! You said last time I could bring school friends? Thinking of bringing one."
-Uh... yeah. That friend's an otaku too, right?
"Yeah! Didn't have many friends at school, felt lonely, but lately we chat, do shifts together—super fun."
-Pretty?
"He's a guy? But smart, kinda cool, got muscles too..."
As I pitched Yi-an to her, Ji-su unnie suddenly cut me off and started yelling.
-A guy? So-mi, are you nuts? I've told you a million times—don't you get it? Korean guys are all ugly, fat, trash personalities, loser pervs, and future sex offenders!!
"Huh? No... you're the fat one, unnie..."
-So-mi. You're young, so listen to adults, okay? Don't think for yourself. Just do what unnie says, and everything'll work out. You wanna get bullied at school again?
"..."
"No... sorry, unnie. My bad."
-Yeah, good. Our pretty So-mi. So obedient and sweet.
-So... that cosplay outfit I mentioned? It's 100,000 won a pop...