Having Two Wives Feels Kinda Weird (2)
The first Monday of March arrived, carried on the footsteps of countless visitors streaming through the school gates. At last, morning broke over Baekryeon High School, which had slumbered through the entire winter. The new students gathered in the main auditorium for their entrance ceremony with outsiders, while the returning students assembled a little later in a different hall for the opening ceremony.
In my previous life, I didn’t remember them holding events like this on the first day of school. Maybe this really was what a prestigious academy looked like. Everything they did seemed to operate on a grander scale.
‘I wonder if Ha-yeon’s entrance ceremony is already over… She was supposed to go up on stage as the freshman representative. I wanted to see that.’
If it weren’t for the opening ceremony, I would have gone to cheer her on. Why did they schedule both events on the same day? Still, it was a relief that our parents were taking the day off to attend. At least I’d get to see her from behind in the video recording.
Once the opening ceremony ended, the three of us would go out for a meal together. I stared straight ahead, quietly savoring the anticipation of tearing into some grilled meat, when I spotted a familiar black-haired girl ascending the stage.
Her figure was so perfect you’d believe she was a model, and even her side profile was that of an exquisite beauty. Just climbing a few stairs was enough to draw gasps from every corner of the hall. Even from a distance, I recognized her instantly.
“Yes.”
Of course it was Lee Se-rin. Now a second-year, she had become the school’s idol and student council president. Considering the election was normally held in the second semester, it meant she had beaten out the second-years and claimed the position while still a first-year.
‘Well… it suits her. Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone else doing it.’
When I’d asked if it was okay to be a VTuber and student council president at the same time, she’d said she’d done outside activities while holding the position back in middle school, so it was fine. Besides, she claimed she only needed to lend her face to the role. She could dump all the actual work on the rest of the council and secretly slack off while pretending to be busy. A completely delinquent president, in other words.
Still… if I were in their shoes and the Imperial Princess was the president, I’d probably beg her not to do any work either. Even though there was no official hierarchy here, Se-rin gave off the aura of an active celebrity. It would feel awkward to push real responsibilities onto her.
With those thoughts in mind, I stared blankly at Se-rin as she delivered her oath. That was when I felt something off in the way her gaze swept downward.
‘…Why does it feel like she’s staring straight at me?’
It might sound strange coming from someone as socially invisible as me, but I’ve always been a little slow to notice people’s gazes. It’s hard to imagine now, but back in elementary school when my popularity was at its peak, kids would often tell me that someone was watching me. Even Ha-yeon, when we walked side by side, would sometimes mention that passersby were staring at me.
Maybe because I had zero interest in watching other people, I naturally assumed no one was watching me either. So the fact that I could feel someone’s eyes on me meant she was staring so obviously that even I couldn’t miss it.
‘For now… I’ll pretend I don’t notice.’
We had an unspoken agreement not to acknowledge each other at school. Yet right now, the Se-rin on stage looked like an invisible tail was wagging furiously behind her. No matter how you looked at it, she was clearly dying to act like we knew each other.
It was honestly burdensome. So I deliberately looked away from her bright, beaming smile and turned toward the wall instead. That was when I caught faint whispers from the people around me.
See? Everyone noticed. Thankfully they didn’t seem to realize she was looking at me specifically. Still, there was nothing she could do while standing on the stage. After finishing her oath, Se-rin descended with elegant poise until the very end.
The principal then took over like a baton pass, and the opening ceremony wrapped up quickly with a forgettable speech.
“All students, please return to your assigned classrooms and wait briefly. Your homeroom teachers will give you the details.”
Now all that was left was to go back to the classroom and head home. The realization that school would end early without any classes made my shoulders feel incredibly light.
With no friends to slow me down, I walked down the hallway alone and reached the classroom faster than anyone else. I scanned the room and claimed a seat in the middle of the window-side row.
‘Yeah. This awkward middle spot is perfect. The very front feels too exposed to the teacher, and the very back is always occupied by Se-rin. This position lets me escape the noise. It’s the best.’
Se-rin was so popular that people came to visit her from other classes too. Whenever break started, a crowd would gather and it got noisy. She seemed to know that, which was probably why she deliberately sat in the back. Either way, sitting near her made it impossible for me to focus on my workbooks. I didn’t have the nerve to tell her to be quiet, so the smart thing was to avoid the situation entirely.
Having secured my spot with that logic, I idly stared out the window. Soon, the classroom filled with the noisy chatter of my classmates arriving one by one.
But there was one thing that bothered me…
‘There are way too many familiar faces.’
It’s not something to brag about, but I didn’t have any friends. The fact that the only person I had friendly conversations with was Yu-na said it all. On top of that, I’d come back to school two weeks late, so things were already awkward with my new classmates. If I tried talking to them, they’d give me uncomfortable looks. And whenever someone did call out to me first, I was always busy with trainee work and had to turn them down.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say there were days I didn’t speak a single word at school before going home. That’s why I didn’t just call Yu-na an angel for no reason. She really was an angel who talked to me.
Anyway, because of all that, I usually didn’t bother remembering the faces of people I wasn’t close to. Yet when I looked around the classroom, familiar faces kept popping up everywhere. A slight shift of my gaze revealed my angel, Yu-na. In the back of the room stood Ju So-hui, her skin lightly tanned like she’d been sunbathing. And finally, Se-rin entered last, leading people like a shepherd guiding a flock.
The Sun Lee Se-rin, the Moon Ju So-hui, and the Lake Cha Yu-na. The school’s three great beauties, the Trinity, were once again gathered in the same class this year.
Statistically speaking, the odds of this combination happening purely by chance were low. It felt like someone with influence had meddled with the class assignments.
‘…!’
‘…Why are they all looking at me?’
Why were all three of them staring in my direction? Yu-na noticed my gaze and waved at me. So-hui grinned and gave a small nod. Okay, that much was fine. Yu-na usually greeted me anyway, and So-hui was friendly with everyone. Plus we’d gotten entangled during winter break.
“Hehe…”
But Se-rin, you’re not allowed to do that! Why is your expression suddenly melting the moment you look at me?! Aren’t you supposed to act like the Imperial Princess at school?! Your weird face is making everyone panic!
‘I-I’ll just ignore it…’
I turned my head away as naturally as possible, pretending not to notice. I hadn’t brought any workbooks today, so I decided to just stare at the clouds floating in the sky and zone out.
Then my mind conjured up the nightmare scenario of Se-rin openly acknowledging me in front of everyone. During break, in front of a huge crowd, she’d drag me over and say something like:
…Of course, Se-rin had some sense, so she probably wouldn’t go that far! But no matter how I thought about it, there was no way to explain how we’d become friends. And if by some chance my identity as a VTuber got exposed? My school life would instantly fly off to a point of no return.
Ugh. Just thinking about my classmates watching my streams made my stomach churn. It felt like someone was secretly reading my dark history diary. Absolutely not. I acted cute on stream. I told my fans I loved them. When I ended broadcasts I even blew kisses…!
If a classmate suddenly came up to me and said, “Seolhwa, so that was you?” I’d have no choice but to beg them on my knees not to spread it around. I’d do anything.
“Hey kids, long time no see…”
While I was silently screaming at the horrifying mental image, the front door of the classroom slid open with a rattle. A familiar woman stepped inside.
It was the science teacher with her usual half-tied hair and languid eyes. She had a decadent, seductive beauty that felt different from the agency president. So this year’s homeroom teacher was the same as last year. That was a relief. I wouldn’t need to adjust to anyone new.
“…That’s all the announcements. There are no classes today, so feel free to hang out outside, but try not to cause any trouble. Ah, Se-rin.”
“What is it, teacher?”
“I have something to tell you separately. Come with me to the staff room for a moment. The rest of you are dismissed. I’m leaving now.”
Having said her piece, she left the classroom without a second glance. Her laid-back attitude was the same as ever… Se-rin, however, seemed caught off guard by the summons. She kept glancing back at me with eyes full of lingering regret before following the teacher out.
She wasn’t planning to talk to me, was she…? That confident smile of hers was honestly a little scary.
In that case, maybe I should hurry home before Se-rin came back. Sensing danger, I quickly slung my bag over my shoulder.
“U-um…”
“Hm?”
Just then, a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks. I glanced to the side and saw my angel, Yu-na, standing there.
Aaah, she came to talk to me first again today. How adorable! Is she even real? How can someone like her exist and breathe the same air as the rest of us?!
I somehow managed to keep the sloppy grin from taking over my face and answered in my usual cool, indifferent school persona.
“It’s you, Yu-na. Hello.”
“Yeah! It’s been a whole month since we last saw each other, right? Did you have a good break?”
“I spent it… moderately.”
A month? Oh, the last time we met must have been during that date with Se-rin. I’d been so busy I’d completely forgotten. I hoped she hadn’t misunderstood my relationship with Se-rin, but her expression didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.
“I wanted to talk to you alone for a bit…”
“Talk to me alone?”
I had no idea what she wanted to discuss. Did it have something to do with Se-rin…? After thinking it over, I nodded and followed her to a quiet area behind the school. No one would overhear us here.
I set my bag down on the clean ground and looked at Yu-na, signaling that she could speak.
“Seolhwa… this might sound a little strange, but…”
She looked quite nervous. It was as if she’d discovered an important secret but couldn’t be completely sure. Yu-na bit her lip adorably while she hesitated, then squeezed her eyes shut and spoke with determination.
“You’re… Snow, aren’t you?”
“Eh.”
How did you—
Because I’d heard something I never expected at all, I forgot to control my expression and let my shock show completely. Of all people, it had to be Yu-na who found out.
I could almost hear the sound of my life crumbling apart.