The Truth Is Always One
The truth is always one. Clink—clink— The sound of someone tugging at the doorknob came from outside. It was Ga-young.
Thankfully, the door was locked, and it just rattled a few times. I quietly caught my breath and crept over, cautiously gripping the knob. Then, in a trembling voice, I said,
"I-I'm fine, so you can just go. Hic."
My hiccups wouldn't stop from the sheer embarrassment. Ga-young must have mistaken them for sobs, because she yanked harder on the knob. I gripped mine tight from the other side, afraid it might break.
"I'm really fine, okay!?"
"What's fine about it? I can hear you crying clear as day."
"I-It's just hiccups."
"Then why won't you open the door?"
"That's... personal reasons..."
"Did you get hurt? Your glasses look broken too."
I tried telling her I wasn't hurt, but she wouldn't buy it. She was being extra persistent today. I fumbled in my pocket for my phone, thinking I'd call Manager unnie in a pinch.
Oh, right. I'd turned it in before class. No outside help for me. That left just one option: hold out until Ga-young gave up. The door was locked, so she couldn't get in. If I just waited her out, she'd get tired and leave eventually.
Luckily, the next class was starting soon. If I could just last until then...
That's when I was reassuring myself.
"Hey."
"Eek!"
A voice suddenly came from above. Ga-young had climbed onto the toilet in the next stall and was peering down into mine. I reflexively ducked my head.
Seeing that, she let out a deep sigh, convinced she was right.
"See? You are crying. How bad is it? Let me see your face."
"I'm really fine..."
The hopelessness made my head spin. All I could do was keep my head down and cover my face with both hands.
"How long are you gonna do that?"
"...Until you leave."
"Guess I have no choice then."
Was she finally giving up? I prayed she was. But her next words crushed that hope.
"I'll go get a teacher, so wait here."
A chill ran down my spine. If a teacher came, other kids would swarm too, making this way worse. To avoid the worst-case scenario, I had to decide right now.
"...I'll come out, so don't call a teacher."
No other way. I unlocked the door and stepped out, still covering my face with both hands.
"How bad is it that you're hiding your face like that?"
"...Just dizzy. My face isn't hurt."
With Ga-young supporting me, we left the bathroom. Class was in session, so the hallway was empty. We hurried to the nurse's office. I kept my face covered the whole way. My small face was easy to hide with just one palm over my features.
First things first—get to the nurse's office like this. Then figure something out. Since I couldn't see, I asked Ga-young to guide me. She silently took my hand and led me there without a word.
...Please, just let this blow over quietly.
But of course, life never goes as planned.
"Hey, you know..."
Through the gap in my fingers, I glimpsed Ga-young's face. She was staring right at mine, inches away. Then came her puzzled voice.
"Was your face always this small? Your vibe feels a bit different too."
She was noticing the change even with my hands over it. I turned my face away, avoiding her eyes.
"...Must be your imagination."
"Wait, come to think of it, I've never seen you without glasses?"
There was a playful lilt to her tone. The moment I dreaded, she grabbed my wrist and tried to pry my hands away.
"W-What are you doing!?"
"Why are you so panicked? It's just your face—what's the big deal?"
"Absolutely not!"
I desperately defended my face. Ga-young tightened her grip, clearly baffled by my reaction. We tussled like that for a moment when—
A teacher from the staff room heard the commotion and came out to scold us.
"You two, quiet down! Isn't class in session right now?"
"...We're heading to the nurse's office. Sorry. We'll go quietly."
Ga-young bowed repeatedly in apology, then led me onward. Crisis averted, thanks to that.
Click— We entered the quiet nurse's office. No sign of the nurse, who should have been at her desk. Out for a bit? Perfect opportunity.
Flop— I dove under the bedcovers like I was swimming.
"What the heck are you doing?"
"Just cold."
"It's summer."
"Anyway, can you grab me some bandages?"
"Bandages for what?"
"Hurry, it's urgent."
"...Fine."
Soon, a hand holding bandages slipped under the covers. She actually did it without complaint this time—probably from the scolding on the way.
"But what do you need bandages for?"
"......"
"Did you get hurt after all?"
"......"
"Hey, answer me!"
Ga-young yanked the covers off. I sat calmly on the bed, no longer hiding my face. No need to anymore.
"Your glasses?"
"Hehe."
I used the bandages to tape the broken halves together. Back to being average Kim Siyeon.
Ga-young crossed her arms, lost in thought as she pieced it all together.
"You wanted bandages to fix your glasses?"
"Yeah."
"And you weren't hurt anywhere?"
"As you can see."
"Hiding in the bathroom was just 'cause you didn't wanna show your bare face?"
"Kinda?"
Finished thinking, she stared at me intently. One eyebrow twitched up and down.
"I had no idea and got all worried for nothing!"
"Ow!"
She smacked my back out of nowhere. She jumped to her own conclusions, and now she's taking it out on me.
"You okay staying here?"
"......"
"Siyeon got hit by the ball you threw. I heard she was crying alone in the bathroom."
"......"
The boy who'd thrown the ball at Kim Siyeon hung his head, face dark. It had been an accident, plain and simple. Dodgeball was in full swing—balls flying fast, tension rising. He'd just caught it and chucked it on reflex. But it veered off and nailed Siyeon, who was sitting right there.
She'd clutched her face and bolted from the gym. Still hadn't come back. Word was she'd cried in the bathroom for a while, then gone to the nurse's office.
"...I didn't mean to."
"We know that. But the one who got hit might not see it that way."
The boy clamped his mouth shut. Siyeon was the quiet type. Unassuming, always in the corner of the classroom, peeking at people through her glasses. For a kid like that to get hit in the face in front of everyone... it must've hurt her deeply.
"She's in the nurse's office now, right?"
"Gonna go apologize?"
"Yeah. Gotta pay for the broken glasses too."
"Good call. We'll come with."
The boy who threw it and his friends stood to head to the nurse's office. All but one.
"Seung-gyu, you not coming?"
Jang Seung-gyu, the class mood-maker with his silver tongue. He'd been quietly lost in thought since earlier.
"What're you thinking so hard about?"
"...When Siyeon got hit by the ball earlier."
As the baseball team's cleanup hitter, he had way sharper dynamic vision than kids his age. From the glasses flying off her face to her covering it—it was maybe 0.2 seconds. In that split instant, he'd caught what others missed.
"...Kim Siyeon without glasses looked... different."
"Duh, of course. Anyone looks a bit different without glasses."
"Not like that. How do I put it? She just seemed like... a whole other person?"
It was quick, but that's how it struck him. And that face felt familiar somehow. He couldn't quite place it.
"Pretty sure I've seen that face on TV. Argh, where was it?"
He didn't watch much TV, so the memory was fuzzy. As he pondered, a girl who'd been quietly eavesdropping approached.
"Can you tell me more about what you just said?"
"Huh, you...?"
It was Moon Ga-young, who'd gone to the nurse's office with Siyeon.
"What did she look like without the glasses?"