A Draw?
Seong Ha-yeon bowed her head deeply, watching Do Seon-woo repeat her words verbatim. A familiar, unpleasant emotion churned inside her. Her pride was wounded, she felt humiliated, and a sense of injustice gnawed at her. It was the same feeling as when she had a private audience with her father.
"So... just basing it on the written exam feels a bit off, you know? If we include the practical too, for the overall score... or we could postpone it until the next written exam."
Seong Ha-yeon gestured emphatically, trying to persuade him at length. That morning, when she received her report card, her heart had seemed to stop, and she felt blood rushing in reverse. A marking error in Divine Dynamics had given her a score she'd never seen before in her life. Needless to say, her Bible Comprehension and Romanica Theology were disastrously low. She checked only the subject scores before folding the report card in half. She didn't have the courage to look at her rank. She confirmed the first digit was a '3,' but couldn't bring herself to check further.
A first digit of '3' meant her rank was between 30th and 39th. Whether 30th or 39th, it was clear she couldn't definitively beat Do Seon-woo. So, she proposed a draw and gauged his reaction. If he accepted readily, it likely meant he'd bombed the exam too. If he refused, it meant he'd done well. In that case, she'd push until he had no choice but to agree. Seong Ha-yeon was attempting a psychological ploy, having thought it through carefully.
"Why?"
Do Seon-woo tilted his head, eyebrows twitching as if he couldn't grasp her intentions. His cold, sharp gaze swept over her face. Seong Ha-yeon met his eyes squarely, refusing to yield, and opened her mouth.
"Well, it's a kind of concession."
"Concession?"
Do Seon-woo furrowed his brow, repeating her words. She nodded.
"Calculating just the written scores gives me too much advantage. No matter how I think about it, it feels unfair, so what if we include the practicals for the total?"
"Ah."
"I'm confident in practicals too, but so are you, right? So, for a fairer bet..."
Seong Ha-yeon trailed off, staring blankly at Do Seon-woo's face. He was looking down at her, smiling. The smirk was laced with mockery. She swallowed hard.
"...Why are you laughing?"
"No need to drag this out. Let's just check the report cards now and end it cleanly."
"Huh? No, wait a second."
"Where's your report card? In the desk drawer?"
"Hear me out a bit more. W-wait just a moment..."
Seong Ha-yeon grabbed Do Seon-woo's wrist as he turned toward the classroom. But with one hand, she couldn't stop him, so she used both, pulling desperately. Only then did he stop and turn back to her. He let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Why are you being so pathetic? We just need to check the report cards."
"W-well... if we look at the scores and then say it's a draw too late, that wouldn't be fair."
"I already said no draw. Let's end it cleanly right here."
"Why, why not! A draw benefits us both!"
"Benefits?"
Do Seon-woo leaned in, repeating her word, his upper body bending forward. He stared piercingly into her face from less than a handspan away. Startled by the sudden closeness, Seong Ha-yeon bit her lip and turned her head to the right.
"What benefit do I get?"
Do Seon-woo demanded aggressively. Seong Ha-yeon sighed deeply, cooling the heat rising in her cheeks.
"I explained that earlier. The written exam favors me too much—"
"Keep spouting nonsense."
Do Seon-woo chuckled dryly and continued. "If you'd done well on the exam, you wouldn't need to suggest a draw. You're insisting on it now because you bombed it, right?"
"It's not that I did that badly..."
"Probably not as bad as me, though."
Seong Ha-yeon swallowed her retort. His voice brimmed with confidence. Charging ahead to check the report cards and wrap up the bet showed he'd aced the exam. Even when he'd taken 1st in the diagnostic evaluation, he'd downplayed it as luck, yet here he was, brimming with assurance. It meant he'd secured a top-20 rank at least. Had he really gotten a perfect score in Divine Materials like he'd said? If she'd known, she never would've made such a stupid bet.
Regret and despair filled Seong Ha-yeon's mind.
"How about this?"
Then, Do Seon-woo spoke as if bestowing a favor. Seong Ha-yeon looked up cautiously, sensing a question. A faint playfulness glimmered in his expression.
"A straight draw feels like too much of a loss for me. So—"
"It's not a loss."
Seong Ha-yeon interrupted, cutting him off. Do Seon-woo frowned unpleasantly and opened his mouth.
"It is. I did better than you."
"We don't know that yet."
"Don't know? Then bring the report card. Let's check."
"...Tell me more."
Seong Ha-yeon dropped her gaze to the floor, speaking timidly. Do Seon-woo smiled slyly.
"I'll agree to a draw... but do me one favor in return."
"A favor..."
"Yeah. Hear it out and decide."
Do Seon-woo pretended to ponder. Saying "decide after hearing" meant it was ultimately up to her, though she had no real choice. Still, the formality of having a say reassured her. Do Seon-woo, who had been silent, nodded as if done thinking and spoke.
"Wanna shave your head?"
"What? Absolutely not!"
Seong Ha-yeon shouted in shock. She'd have considered a light favor, but shaving her head was anything but. Do Seon-woo laughed it off nonchalantly, as if expecting her reaction, then pointed to his shoe.
"Then can you lick my shoe? It's dirty; give it a wash."
"T-that... that's no good either..."
"Why are there so many no-gos?"
Do Seon-woo continued irritably. "Then introduce me to your father. That reasonable?"
"W-well, that much..."
Compared to shaving or licking shoes, it was definitely lighter. Her father had even mentioned wanting to meet Do Seon-woo last time. She didn't know what he wanted, but arranging a meeting was feasible. Seong Ha-yeon nodded.
"Yeah, that should be possible."
It might not be, but saying it was better for now. Later, she could stall with "Dad's busy, no time to meet" or "No chance to bring it up."
"Swear it."
Do Seon-woo shot back sharply, as if seeing through her. Seong Ha-yeon gasped in surprise.
"...Fine, I swear."
"Too casual. Swear on Adonai's name."
"Pardon?"
Seong Ha-yeon asked again, thinking she'd misheard. Romanica doctrine had no such thing as "swearing on Adonai's name." There was something similar called the Pledge Oath, but it wasn't for this situation. Pledges were done in solemn, reverent settings with complex procedures. Realizing his slip too late, Do Seon-woo covered his mouth and continued.
"No... never mind, the swear is enough."
"..."
Seong Ha-yeon stared at his face. He looked visibly flustered. It was a doctrinal slip, but not something to panic over. Even most clergy mixed up oaths and pledges. "Anyway, keep the promise. Anytime, when it's convenient for your father. I'll match his schedule."
"Got it. But Dad's busy—"
"And this. Submit it on Teacher Ha Ye-jin's desk by tomorrow. I'm off."
Do Seon-woo pulled a paper from his pocket, shoved it roughly at her, and hurried down the hall like he was fleeing. Seong Ha-yeon unfolded the paper she'd caught reflexively. It was a consent form for the missionary trip. She'd thought he came about the bet, but apparently it was to distribute forms. Still, today's Do Seon-woo seemed a bit off from usual. He never panicked even in life-or-death situations, yet he'd freaked out over a minor slip.
"What was that?"
Why the fluster? Why meet her father? Seong Ha-yeon couldn't figure it out. An incomprehensible guy. No point overthinking. At least she'd postponed the bet. Thinking it fortunate, she turned back to the classroom.
"Wah, you scared me...! W-what are you doing?"
Then, a head peeked slyly from behind the back door. Seong Ha-yeon yelped in surprise. Kim Ra-hee's face, peering through the crack and eavesdropping, showed faint shock.
[She calls him 'Father' so diligently.]
As I left Purity Class and headed to the staff room, Legba spoke up. I glanced around. Fortunately, no one was nearby. I could answer briefly.
"It's polite."
[Is there politeness for an enemy?]
"Still need to keep it up. Don't talk to me now."
[No one's around, yet you're so touchy. Because of that slip earlier?]
I ignored Legba's question and kept walking. In Voodoo, solemn vows or promises are sworn on iron. Before Ogoun, the Loa of iron and honesty, to declare one's pledge untainted by falsehood. But Romanica uses the Pledge Oath, a slightly different concept from a mere swear. I'd suspected Gu Jun-hyeok of being a Satanist because of his casual slips. In other words, my slip could give others reason to suspect me.
What a fucking idiot...
For some reason, I always got overly emotional around Seong Ha-yeon. Couldn't even manage my expressions well. Separate from her, I felt my mindset had grown too complacent lately. Lucky it was her; if it'd been Mun Yo-seop, I'd be dead. My condition wasn't great today, so better keep my mouth shut. Prep for practicals with training or exercise instead. Moving the body means no need to move the mouth.
I arrived at the staff room to explain I couldn't deliver papers since Yeo Min-seo and Kim Jin-seo were absent.
"Ah, there you are."
A familiar but unwelcome face greeted me. Teachers, including Ha Ye-jin, huddled around him awkwardly, glancing at each other.
"...What brings you here?"
"Just passing by. Can't fake a welcome? Not expecting enthusiasm, but at least don't look disgusted. Ignoring calls too."
Mun Yo-seop laughed heartily. No one joined. I couldn't either. He was the last person I needed to see right now.
(To be continued in the next chapter)