Chapter 236: Look at These Guys?-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 236: Look at These Guys?-1
Since the body's original owner had practically built a wall between himself and the school, finding information about the place was quite a challenge.
Fortunately, I managed to figure out the school's name and my class through the official suspension notice. After scouring various group chats, I even tracked down my student number.
I considered asking Shin Jeong-ah, but I decided against it; reaching out to her would likely lead to a long, drawn-out conversation.
The school uniform was tucked away in the strangest place—abandoned like a literal rag in a corner of the first-floor guest room. Because of that, the half-day I spent ransacking the second floor turned out to be a complete waste of time.
I dropped the uniform off at the dry cleaners and picked it up later. Since there wasn't even a backpack in the house, I had to spend my precious weekend at a department store to buy one.
Yun Si-a accompanied me to the mall, and she seemed genuinely overjoyed that I was buying a school bag.
[I’m so glad, In-ho. It feels like you’ve really had a change of heart.]
The image of Yun Si-a smiling brightly while buying me lunch at the food court flickered through my mind.
"Ah... I'm exhausted."
Preparing everything in such a rush had taken its toll.
Passing through the iron gates, a well-paved asphalt road led toward the main building.
Wow. In my day, it was all bumpy stone paths. The world really has improved.
At my age, being told to live the school life all over again makes me a bit anxious. I wonder if I’ll be able to keep up with the 'slang' and trends of kids these days....
Well, whatever. This is a rejuvenation that others couldn't buy even with a fortune. Let's stay positive.
Shaking off these useless thoughts, I kept moving.
Feeling the simultaneous weight and familiarity of the uniform, I looked around the campus. It didn't stray far from the typical image that comes to mind when one thinks of a 'school.' It wasn't some massive, elite academy for the upper class like you’d see in a drama.
Students were walking along the path in small groups. Their faces were full of laughter as they chatted, and seeing them gave me a strange, alien feeling. Returning to a moment of youth so suddenly, it felt like my body hadn't quite processed it yet.
I suppose you could call it a form of 'jet lag.'
Lost in thought, I eventually arrived at the main building.
Now, should I go to the classroom or the teacher's office? Since I hadn't received any specific instructions, heading straight to the classroom seemed fine.
Let's see... which class was I in again?
Perhaps because I arrived about twenty minutes before the start of school, there weren't many people in the room. Or maybe the class sizes just weren't that large to begin with.
There were only six classes per grade, and counting the desks, there were maybe... twenty-five? I’d heard on the news that the student population was shrinking, but there’s a big difference between hearing it as data and seeing it with your own eyes.
In my day, there were fourteen classes with forty-two students each....
Thinking back to those cramped classrooms thick with the smell of sweat, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unfairness.
I felt a few gazes drifting toward me. They were filled with surprise and fear. They were trying their best not to get caught staring, but unfortunately, I could feel it clearly.
The atmosphere was undeniably unwelcoming, and a sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.
This is going to be a tough adjustment.
First, let's just sit down.
*
I managed to find my seat.
I had asked a student in the room where I sat, and the girl I approached pointed it out with extreme caution. I thanked her and sat down to kill time.
In the meantime, more students filtered into the room, their eyes lingering on me for a moment.
[Is his suspension over already?]
[Ugh, the good days are over.]
[So annoying.]
The looks I received were mostly along those lines. They didn't openly show their hostility, but that alone told me exactly what my image was like in this class.
I endured those uncomfortable stares several times over.
Then, Shin Jeong-ah entered the room. The moment she saw me, she rushed over.
"In-ho!"
She sat down heavily in the seat next to mine, a beaming smile on her face.
"Hey."
I acknowledged her by lightly raising a hand.
"I finally get to see your face."
Whatever was so exciting, the smile never left Shin Jeong-ah’s face. As if trying to make up for all the time we hadn't met, she began to recite everything that had happened recently.
Who fought with whom, how the facilities at the new karaoke bar were, a piece of clothing she wanted to buy....
It was a parade of information that was of no use to me, so I let it go in one ear and out the other. Whether she didn't notice my lukewarm reaction or was simply choosing to ignore it, Shin Jeong-ah didn't stop talking.
"......."
While she prattled on, I carefully observed a male student hovering nearby. He was hesitating behind Shin Jeong-ah.
—Ding-dong-dang-dong.
When the bell rang to signal the start of morning assembly, the boy, who had been agonizing for a long time, finally spoke up.
"Um..."
He spoke to Shin Jeong-ah cautiously, but she was so focused on me that she didn't respond.
"Excuse me..."
The boy tried calling out to her again.
"What?"
Perhaps because my gaze had shifted behind her, Shin Jeong-ah turned around and snapped at him.
"This is my seat..."
It seemed he was the original owner of the desk.
"Can't I just sit here for a bit?" Shin Jeong-ah asked, tilting her head.
"It's almost time for assembly."
"I can just stay in my seat then. What's the big deal?"
When Shin Jeong-ah pressed him as if he were the one being difficult, the boy fell silent.
'Jung Sang-hoon.' That was the name written on his name tag.
Jung Sang-hoon couldn't bring himself to go to Shin Jeong-ah’s seat, nor could he reclaim his own. He just stood there, rooted to the spot.
"Hey, go back to your seat."
Unable to watch any longer, I spoke to Shin Jeong-ah.
"...Huh?"
She blinked, her eyes widening as if she hadn't expected me to say that.
"I said go to your seat. Assembly's starting."
"Since when did you care about stuff like that?"
"Stop being noisy and just get to your seat. Fast."
When I shooed her away with a wave of my hand, Shin Jeong-ah’s face crumpled, and she stood up abruptly.
—Thud!
The sound of her slamming her palm against the desk echoed through the classroom. Every eye in the room snapped toward us.
"......."
Shin Jeong-ah gave Jung Sang-hoon a sharp glare before stomping back to her own seat.
"What are you doing? Sit down," I said to the bewildered Jung Sang-hoon.
"Oh? Uh... okay...."
With a dazed expression, he cautiously sat down in the seat next to mine.
Hmm.... I feel like I've botched things right from the start.
Is there no Save/Load function?