Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Outsider Raised as Stakes
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After spending some time at the cafe, we headed to the next hot spot right around lunchtime.
...
It's a tteokbokki joint.
To be precise, it's a franchise specializing in tteokbokki, fried foods, and blood sausage.
Well... aren't most restaurants affordable on a high school allowance all pretty much the same?
Unlike the rundown street-side snack bars scattered around neighborhoods, this place stands out with its customer-friendly tables and chairs, plus a clean interior.
And of course, the menu prices are cheaper than most other spots, with students making up the bulk of the customers.
"Wow!! The tteokbokki here is so good? The snack bars around our school all have such bland seasoning..."
Yoo So-mi must really like spicy food, because she seems thrilled with the menu here.
Come to think of it, even before my regression, tteokbokki places were always packed with girls.
From my perspective, 'tteok twigim sundae' is just a snack, not a proper meal.
Still, I have no intention of ruining the mood by saying something like, 'Trying to make a meal out of tteokbokki throws off your nutritional balance and spikes your blood sugar...' So I just focused my comments on the taste.
"I agree the tteokbokki is good. But don't you think the fried food selection is a bit limited?"
The fried options are indeed limited, but I was just throwing out whatever came to mind. Truth be told, I don't really like snack bar fried foods.
Isn't it better than outright saying, 'I don't like snack bar food'?
In situations like this, the proper move is to prioritize the opinions of the two girls over my personal tastes.
So, to hear Han Si-a's take, I turned my gaze toward her.
"..."
But Han Si-a was just staring blankly at the tteokbokki in front of her.
No, not blankly... she seemed focused on something.
"Si-a, what are you doing? Aren't you gonna eat the tteokbokki?"
Sensing something off, Yoo So-mi called out to her.
Han Si-a blinked a few times before finally picking up her chopsticks.
...
Even then, she set the tteokbokki back down and stood up from her seat.
"...Sorry. I need to use the bathroom for a bit, so go ahead and eat without me."
Watching Han Si-a head outside, Yoo So-mi said,
"Does Si-a not like tteokbokki?"
True to Yoo So-mi's words, even after returning from the bathroom, Han Si-a didn't touch the tteokbokki, only nibbling a little on the blood sausage and fried foods before stopping.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ *** - Han Si-a’s Perspective
Burn scars cause pain like your skin is on fire, even without holding a flame to it.
So, you could say PTSD is a burn scar on the brain.
Just moments ago, my brain tried to drag up an unpleasant memory at the sight of the tteokbokki broth.
An overwhelmingly intense experience had scorched my neural pathways, leaving a scar.
If humans could freely control what their brains focused on, we wouldn't have to suffer like this.
The triggers for my PTSD symptoms are so vague. Sometimes I can watch gruesome horror movies with spurting blood without issue,
but other times, like now, just seeing a red liquid sets it off.
No matter how hard I try to avoid PTSD triggers, there's a limit.
This symptom will probably torment me until I die.
Still, I'm glad I didn't fully flash back to the shooting scene this time.
If I had, my friends would have started with meaningless concern like, 'You look unwell, take a break,' or 'Let's call it a day and head home.'
This condition doesn't improve with a little rest, nor does it worsen from lack of it.
Since people can't control their brains like a hand, all I can do is wait for mine to calm down on its own.
That's why I think the best approach is to endure without showing it. At least that way, I can avoid messing up what I'm doing.
...
Even so, the tteokbokki reeking of blood was impossible for me to eat.
I tried the blood sausage and fried foods, but there wasn't anything special about the taste.
If I had to pick a difference from other snack bars, it'd be the pretty interior design.
It might be a bit iffy for a hot spot list, but not bad as a recommendation for student dates.
.
.
.
Afterward, we bought coffee from a takeout-only cafe in the park and spent time at the municipal park.
The cafe's coffee was average in price and taste, but the weekend park was filled with groups of couples hanging out.
Heck, right in front of the cafe, there was even a heart-shaped structure practically begging for Instagram pics.
"Cafes good for couples in the morning. A snack bar perfect for couples at lunch. Now a park great for couples to play... Is it just my imagination, or do all these places we've hit have a suspiciously common theme?"
Jeong Yi-an seems to have picked up on the same vibe. Indeed, all the 'hot spots' we selected were geared toward couples.
It's odd. The selection criteria for the hot spot list were based purely on interior design from me, with no room for personal bias.
But in the conversation that followed, I figured out why.
"Weird, right? All these places were recommended by kids from Class 5... Does 'hot spot' secretly mean 'great for couples'?"
"Nah, probably not. If Class 5 had recommended date spots instead of hot spots, it'd make sense... Wait. So-mi, what exactly did you ask your classmates?"
"I said I was going hot spot hunting with friends from another class and asked if they knew any good places."
"And what did the Class 5 kids say?"
"They asked if you were going with them, Yi-an?"
"Why the heck would they ask that...? Anyway, and you said yes?"
"Yep!"
"..."
In other words, So-mi's classmates jumped to the conclusion that she was going on a date with Jeong Yi-an and gave her a date course disguised as hot spots.
It's a bit deflating that our carefully curated hot spot list turned out to be a date itinerary.
And though the direction was a little off, Class 5 seemed more capable than our Class 1 slackers, which made me a tad envious.
.
.
.
Even so, we decided to see it through, and for dinner, we hit the wood-fired pizza place as planned.
True to the date course vibe: pretty interior, prices right on the edge of what student allowances can handle.
Pizzas decorated for photos, and various couple drinks.
Hmm. Totally targeting couples.
A quick glance around showed almost all tables occupied by couples.
Jeong Yi-an, noticing I hadn't eaten much at lunch, insisted on a topping-heavy pizza,
while So-mi argued, 'Wood-fired pizza is meant to be thin!' pushing for a thin gorgonzola one.
Honestly, I don't care either way. I don't eat much for dinner anyway.
"If you wanted thin pizza, we should've gone for tacos or tortillas, So-mi. Thin pizza? That's all marketing gimmick."
"Yi-an... thin pizza has its own merits, okay? Regular thick pizza doesn't fold well because of the heavy toppings, and dipping in sauce makes them spill everywhere. But thin pizza folds or rolls up easily, making it perfect for dipping!"
"Oh... that actually makes sense!"
After finishing and sharing opinions, reviews of the place varied wildly.
But we all agreed on one thing: 'The pizza dough was too tough and chewy—kinda meh.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ *** - Han Si-a’s Perspective
Thanks to my friends' help, we wrapped up the research for Class 1's festival exhibit: 'Neighborhood Hot Spot Reviews.'
Though unexpected variables skewed it toward 'restaurants and cafes great for couples,' it should be fine overall.
Now, all that's left for Class 1's slackers is picking up the printed materials from the print shop and mounting them on the classroom walls in the morning.
Even slackers shouldn't screw up something this simple.
But then, my stepmother suddenly showed up in my room.
She glanced at the exhibit content on my monitor and said,
"Oh my... Is this the festival exhibit you're preparing? It screams 'made alone in frustration,' but that's all~ because you lack the skill to handle people."
What is this? I'm not saying she's wrong, but I don't get why she'd barge into my room just to pick a fight.
"Well, you clearly put effort in, so the exhibit will hit that 'high school level' mark. Honestly, at this quality, other classes won't even bother looking—why bother sweating over something like this? I just don't get it~"
"..."
Since it was my project, I aimed for the best results possible.
But the exhibit finishing tomorrow is just 'pretty good for high schoolers.'
Truth be told, they might've pulled off this level without me leading.
I resented my stepmother's nosiness, which I truly despise,
but more than that, she wasn't wrong, so I held back from talking back.
"Final exams are coming up, and you spent the weekend out for this? Or was this just an excuse to hang with friends? Complaining about classmates slacking, but you're no different—just another dimwit! Puhahaha!!!"
"What exactly are you here in my room this late at night to say? I didn't think you were that idle."
"Your dad's coming to the festival tomorrow. Since it's your daughter's work, prepared while putting off studying, he expects at least enough impact to draw students' eyes... Seeing this, I almost feel sorry for him making time off work~"
"..."
"He didn't expect greatness—just the bare minimum to function as a festival attraction. But this... you get it, right?"
"I asked what you wanted to say."
I snapped at her in a thorny tone from sheer anger.
She just grinned like she was enjoying it and replied,
"If the festival exhibit flops, I'll suggest to your dad that we impose 'outing restrictions.' Weekdays are fine since you're busy with cram school, but for weekends, you'll need my permission to go out."
This woman's trying to use this as an excuse to meddle in my private life.
It's par for the course. Lately, I've been a bit rebellious, so she wants to tighten the reins.
But the next words were too much to ignore.
"Seeing you sneak out weekends to meet that Jeong Yi-an boy, I figure you'll cause trouble soon enough. Consider last time your final meetup with him."
"....!!!!"
I don't know what expression I made.
But seeing her face say 'I knew it' only fueled my rage.
"Why is it always Jeong Yi-an this, Jeong Yi-an that with you!!!!! Why are you so desperate to link me with him!!!! You went to him last time spouting nonsense too!"
"You... watch your tone with your mother...!!"
"Fine. If our class exhibit bombs tomorrow and draws flies, restrict my outings or whatever. But if it succeeds, you'll go to Jeong Yi-an tomorrow, kneel, and apologize—for every rotten thing you've done to him so far!"
"Ha! Why would I?"
She scoffed mockingly at my words.
So I played the call recording saved on my smartphone.
-You dimwit! Just like her damn mom, not knowing when to butt in...!
Her voice flowed from the phone.
"..."
Finally, that wretched woman's face twisted.
My dad never lets anyone who insults my real mom get away with it.
I'd held onto this since it wasn't enough to fully boot her out,
but it might work pretty well for blackmailing her like this.
And with that, the bet was on—for the success of our class exhibit at tomorrow's festival.