The Lone Outsider in a Menacing Classroom
When second period ended and break time came around again, the mood in the classroom started turning nasty once more.
From all over the room, I could hear students badmouthing Song Changwon, and the general consensus was quickly becoming that they had to get even for the insults he had thrown at them.
And so, this time, a boy with a bowl cut stepped forward.
His name was... I couldn’t remember. I’d just call him Bowl Cut.
Bowl Cut had the image of being one of the class’s “studious kids,” and he was always busy going to cram school.
So his grades were apparently decent, too.
Still, if this boy was aiming for a university in Seoul or one of the major national schools in the provinces, he’d need to try a little harder.
“Song Changwon. Whether you want anything to do with us or not is beside the point. You insulted us by calling us Dog Hair, and you owe us an apology.”
Oh. He was a little clearer about what he wanted than the delinquent from this morning.
Of course... if Song Changwon actually apologized just because they told him to, his school life would be a mess for sure.
Bowl Cut was probably thinking he couldn’t beat Song Changwon head-on, so he’d win through classroom politics instead.
...
But that kind of trick wouldn’t work on Song Changwon. Politics meant nothing against a rich kid who’d been raised with an elite education.
“And why, exactly, should I apologize?”
“We didn’t do anything wrong, and you went and insulted us as Dog Hair out of nowhere!!”
Song Changwon answered with brazen indifference, and Bowl Cut immediately bristled at it.
In that brief instant, Bowl Cut’s emotions surged, and the flow of the conversation was taken over by Song Changwon in a heartbeat.
With a faint laugh, as if the whole thing was ridiculous, Song Changwon said, “To claim you’ve done nothing wrong is shameless beyond belief.”
“What...?”
“A useless person makes everyone around them uncomfortable without even realizing it.”
“...”
“When I talk to useless people, it makes my chest feel hot with frustration, and when I watch them messing around with each other, all I can do is sigh. Uselessness itself is a nuisance and a sin!”
At Song Changwon’s words, Bowl Cut seemed so stunned he lost the ability to speak.
But Song Changwon didn’t stop there; he kept piling on, shameless as ever.
“An apology? You useless idiots should be the ones apologizing. Hurry up and say, ‘I’m sorry for being useless.’”
“You son of a—!! Just because you think you’re so great, you can’t just go spouting that crap!!”
In the end, Bowl Cut exploded.
But the difference in their weight classes was obvious, so all Bowl Cut could do was curse a little timidly.
“Haa... whoever I am doesn’t change the fact that you’re useless. But if you’re that curious, I’ll tell you.”
The first thing Song Changwon showed us was his national mock exam score report.
Since it was the first day of school, it had been among the documents he brought for submission.
“All first-tier grades... no, they’re all perfect scores?”
“Ha! So what if I’m just good at studying? You think that gives you the right to talk to me like that?”
And next he showed a family photo taken with his grandfather.
There were many people in it, most of them unfamiliar faces, but one old man sitting at the center was someone everyone knew.
“...He’s the chairman of a chaebol group. I saw this guy on the news yesterday.”
“That’s my grandfather. Of course, I’m not close enough to the main house to inherit the group, but there are still dozens of decent companies under the conglomerate.”
The anger vanished from the boys’ faces in an instant, and embarrassment rushed in to fill the gap.
The girls... somehow looked like their expressions had shifted for a slightly different reason.
For some reason, I had the feeling that the next break would be a lot more interesting.
This... maybe I should stop by the cafeteria for a minute and buy some snacks in advance?
“What’s this? You aren’t demanding an apology anymore?”
“...”
“Looks like you’ve reflected on your own sins, at least a little. But don’t get me wrong. The reason you’re called Dog Hair isn’t because I’m some superior human being. It’s because you’re pathetic.”
And just like that, the conflict in our class once again settled into a lull.
Still... just a moment ago, a lot of the students had been huddled together, venting their anger at Song Changwon, but now that mood had disappeared entirely.
Up until now, they’d probably thought of him as nothing more than a rude transfer student.
But now that they knew his family background, maybe they’d started feeling the kind of alarm that comes from realizing one wrong move could get them into serious trouble.
Haa... that’s not how you do it, Changwon.
Hopeless kids.
...
Before long, third period ended too, and break time came around again.
Our class was still in a state of uneasy calm.
If nothing else happened like this, Song Changwon would probably end up spending school life in the same loner position I had.
Maybe that’s what he wanted, so I could say things had worked out after all?
Then again... I had a feeling everyone’s attention was gathering in one place, so I followed the current and looked too.
There stood Han Sia, who had come to our classroom.
But true to form for someone who was always an in-ssa at school, she was wearing a smile right now that looked exactly like a sales rep’s.
And as she started walking toward me, the boys’ eyes in our class followed her as well.
Last time, when Yu Somi came into our classroom during break, the boys’ attention had scattered quickly because of the ugly mood inside the room.
But now that the conflict in the class had calmed down, their eyes didn’t seem to be drifting away so easily.
“Hi, Ian. I came by to make sure that transfer student isn’t starting trouble again. Luckily, it looks like there wasn’t anything for me to worry about.”
“I’ve been living a good life, you know. How’s the mood in your class, Sia?”
We chatted about nothing in particular for a while.
At one point, Han Sia even happened to meet Song Changwon’s eyes, but the two of them treated each other like they didn’t exist and said nothing at all.
“What, did you two fight again? I thought what happened at Daegwallyeong last time was over once Song Changwon apologized.”
So I asked her why.
And Han Sia’s answer to my question was, “Well, he said some nasty things to you, so even if he apologized I had no intention of forgiving him... but that’s not the only reason.”
“So there’s another reason?”
“Yeah. As you know, I’m pretty.”
“...That’s an undeniable fact.”
“So if I give students any reason to think I’m involved with a guy like that, they’ll start making up and spreading nonsense that I’m dating Song Changwon. They’d go around saying things like, ‘Oh my, such a perfect couple, I’m so jealous~’ and other idiotic crap.”
“So that’s why you were both being careful? But Song Changwon already said he was dating the female transfer student who came with him, so is it really necessary to go that far?”
“Human imagination is endless. Rumors could spread that Song Changwon’s seeing both of us, or that I’m fighting with that girl over him. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.”
“You really do have it rough...”
Come to think of it, even though Han Sia and I were always together, no rumors of that sort had ever come up.
Could it be that when they looked at my face, they thought, “There’s no way a guy like that could be dating Han Sia”?
I didn’t exactly want such rumors spreading, but still, it left me with a complicated feeling...
And while I was getting quietly depressed over that, a girl’s clear voice came from beside me.
“Hi? You’re Han Sia, right? Do you remember me by any chance? I’m Lee Narin...”
When I turned toward the source of the voice, I saw the transfer student with the strikingly bleached hair, Lee Narin.
And from the way she phrased it, it sounded like Narin had known Han Sia for some time already.
But Han Sia seemed not to remember her.
“Hmm... sorry. I don’t remember. Could you tell me where we met?”
“We met at a party your family hosted two years ago. It was only for a moment, but I still remember it clearly, because it was the first time I’d ever seen such a beautiful girl as you... You looked busy then, so I guess you wouldn’t remember every little person who came up to greet you.”
“That must be it. So many people came up to say hello to me that I was practically just a greeting machine.”
The conversation was so upper-class I could barely keep up.
What? They hosted a party at home?
And there were so many strangers there that she couldn’t possibly greet them all?
Just how much money would something like that cost? Was it even possible for a private person to pay for it?
And the fact that Narin had attended that party meant she was some kind of wealthy daughter too, right?
No wonder her behavior had felt vaguely like that of a rich girl. It was real.
...
Then, just for a moment after Han Sia had been speaking with a calm expression, her face changed suddenly, and she said in a serious voice,
But since she lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear, it almost looked like Han Sia was grabbing Narin and threatening her.
“I didn’t know we were acquainted, but I do know a fair bit about you. I looked into you separately.”
“...”
“I do feel bad about your family’s circumstances. But... depending on why you transferred here, I think I should tell you to be prepared for the consequences. What do you think? Can you handle that?”
At her slightly chilling words, something changed in Narin’s expressionless face.
Her emotions were still faint and hard to read, but...
Maybe it was a mix of embarrassment and sadness, something somewhere in between.
“I just came here to support Song Changwon. I haven’t been asked for anything else...”
“Not yet, yes. But surely you’ve at least got some idea of what kind of ‘favor’ you’ll be asked for later?”
“...”
Narin couldn’t answer Han Sia.
She simply froze, as if there was something poking at her, and trembled in silence.
