The Voice of the Heart
"Hello, Miss Yu Ha-eun."
I flinched. At the voice that had come from behind me, I gave a little start and carefully turned my head.
Three young ladies stood there, smiling warmly as they offered their gentle greetings. But the mere sight of them was enough to make my skin crawl.
After all, these were the same people who, under Yoon Seo-a's orders, had been tormenting me during afternoon classes. One of them seemed to be missing today, which was unusual — but instead of pointing that out, I answered in a small voice.
"...Yes. Good day to you."
Seeing I couldn't hide my tension, they laughed among themselves and brushed past me as they spoke.
"Don't be so startled. We have no intention of harassing you first thing in the morning."
"How very kind of you."
It's only because there are too many eyes watching. I muttered under my breath, glaring at them as they passed — when suddenly I felt a hand clamp down hard on my rear and then let go.
Startled, I looked at the owner of that hand, only to find her wearing an utterly innocent expression, as if nothing had happened. I couldn't hold back.
"W-what do you think you're doing?!"
"My, raising your voice so suddenly — is something the matter?"
"Is something the matter? You just—!"
My face flushed bright red as I started to shout, then felt the surrounding eyes on me and lowered my voice.
"Y-you touched my butt...!"
"Butt? How vulgar. You ought to say 'posterior.'"
As if that's what matters right now?! I glared at her in disbelief, and she let out a soft chuckle.
"I never understood why Lady Yoon Seo-a would say such things — but seeing this reaction, I think I'm starting to get it."
"Indeed."
"W-what...?"
What on earth did Yoon Seo-a say about me? I stammered, unable to form a proper reply, while the followers snickered and whispered among themselves before turning to leave.
Then, as if remembering something belatedly, the one who had groped me turned only her head back.
"Come to think of it, Lady Yoon Seo-a asked us to pass along a message."
"...What message?"
"That the door is always open."
With that, as though they had nothing further to say, the followers turned and walked away.
"Miss Ha-eun! Are you all right?!"
"I-it's just..."
I was still staring blankly after them when Su-ryeon, who had stepped away for a moment, hurried over and asked. I tried to tell her what had just happened — this was the first time something like this had happened to me — but somehow the words wouldn't come out.
No, more precisely, it was the shame. My face burned, and for some reason the tip of my nose stung. It was only my rear that had been touched — so why did I feel like this?
As I struggled to speak, Su-ryeon, who had been glaring after the followers, turned back to me. Then she cried out in shock.
"M-Miss Ha-eun? Don't tell me you're crying...?"
"C-crying? Who's crying?!"
"But your eyes..."
I know, so please don't say any more. I scrubbed at the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand, and Su-ryeon fell silent.
Whether it was because of my unladylike, rough gesture, or because she was surprised that I'd shed even a few tears — or both — I couldn't say for sure.
But one thing was perfectly clear: I was mortified beyond words. Getting teary-eyed over having my rear groped, of all things — not even my chest.
I swallowed a sniffle and hid my flushed face by lowering my head as I spoke, trying my hardest to keep any tremor out of my voice.
"...I'm going to the restroom for a moment. Miss Su-ryeon, please go on ahead to class. If you wait for me, you'll be late for morning lessons."
"But Miss Ha-eun—"
"Please."
Still without lifting my head, I gave a slight bow. Below me, I could see Su-ryeon's feet approach, then stop. They twitched a few times, and then a soft sigh drifted down from above.
"...Miss Ha-eun. I can help you anytime. Whenever you want me to."
"I'm always grateful, Miss Su-ryeon."
"Grateful for what? I haven't even done anything yet."
"I'm grateful for the thought itself."
Most academies introduced themselves as equal educational institutions, free of rank and status — but of course, true equality was impossible. And at Private Acacia Academy, where so many daughters of the upper class attended, that was especially true.
Now that the first-years were gradually shedding their freshman airs and blossoming into proper young ladies of Private Acacia, even I — who normally paid little attention to other classes — had been hearing the rumors. Stories of someone from one class being invited to a place called the "Tea Club," or of faction rivalries led by two young ladies in another class, and so on.
Among them, the one that hit closest to home was the friction between the so-called commoner young ladies of lower standing and those of the upper class. Friction was a generous word for it — it was closer to one-sided ostracism. Class 1-B, where Su-ryeon and Chae-rin were, was said to be free of such things, but in other classes it was already rampant.
In any case, even though we shared the same dormitory, Su-ryeon and I were clearly of different ranks. For someone like her to worry about me first was a tremendous kindness.
When I said as much with genuine feeling, Su-ryeon let out another long breath and took my hand. Something rustled against my palm, tickling it. I looked up in confusion, and Su-ryeon spoke.
"I understand what you're worried about. But please also consider how I feel, having to stand by and watch without being able to help at all."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize."
Su-ryeon smiled gently, then turned away.
"Then I'll see you at lunch, with Miss Chae-rin."
Words she hadn't spoken in the past few days. I stared blankly at her retreating figure, then looked down at what she'd pressed into my hand.
"...Candy?"
It was a small hard candy, wrapped in pretty paper. I gazed at it for a long while before tucking it into my bag and turning toward the restroom.
The shame I'd felt just moments ago had completely vanished.
Fortunately, aside from the morning incident, nothing else happened until lunchtime. After sharing a meal with both Chae-rin and Su-ryeon for the first time in a while, and even enjoying a light tea time afterward, my spirits — which had been scraped along the floor — began to lift.
If only every day could be like this. All I'd ever wanted was to watch pretty girls giggle and chatter in a peaceful atmosphere like this.
I was sipping my black tea with a face more melted than usual when I overheard Chae-rin speaking.
"Apparently Class 1-E is already treating the commoner young ladies like servants."
"How could they... But aren't there more commoners in that class than anywhere else? I heard nearly half of them are from commoner backgrounds..."
"I suppose it means even numbers can't overcome power."
At Chae-rin's bitter tone, Su-ryeon exploded with indignation.
"Even so — how can they treat fellow young ladies like servants?"
Well, the ones called commoners here at Private Acacia still had enough backing outside these walls to hold their heads high. Even the timid Shin So-hye in my own class had a father who ran a construction company — I'd assumed it was a small subcontracting firm, but it turned out to be a company whose name anyone would recognize.
But even so, just as conglomerates and politicians were out of reach for ordinary people, the commoner young ladies of Class 1-E were, by the standards of this place, no different from Chae-rin and me — whose parents were ordinary office workers.
The gap between the upper class and the commoners here was that vast. To close it even superficially, you'd need to at least reach Class A — or join the Student Council.
I was leisurely thinking such things while sipping my tea when I realized the surroundings had gone quiet. I looked at the two of them curiously, only to find them both staring steadily back at me.
Since our eyes had met, I wished they'd say something, but they kept silent, so I had no choice but to speak first.
"Why are the two of you looking at me like that...?"
"Because this isn't a conversation that has nothing to do with you, Miss Ha-eun — and yet you look so completely at ease. It's fascinating."
But I just don't want to talk about difficult, uncomfortable things during this rare peaceful moment. As I sat there with a blank expression thinking that, Chae-rin raised an eyebrow and said,
"Besides, Miss Ha-eun is already dealing with it within her own class—"
"Miss Chae-rin."
But Su-ryeon cut her off, shaking her head — as if to say, don't go any further.
Still, I wasn't a fool. I knew perfectly well what Chae-rin had been about to say. I set my teacup down on its saucer with a soft clink, and both of their gazes gathered on me.
"I understand what Miss Chae-rin means. That we should at least prepare for when the situation gets worse, right?"
"...That's right."
It was preparation, not a countermeasure — and the reason was simple. No matter how many commoners banded together, once someone of Yoon Seo-a's caliber was involved, stopping her was no easy task. So at the very least, we needed to prepare in a way that would minimize the damage.
But what kind of preparation could three people possibly make? It wasn't as if we'd formed a club and gathered the commoners together. I sliced into the piece of cake in front of me with my fork as I spoke.
"But talking about preparation when we haven't made any arrangements at all is meaningless — and you know that as well as I do, don't you?"
"..."
"No matter how much we discuss it among ourselves here, there's nothing we can change right now."
For anything to take immediate effect, the Student Council and the Conduct Management Department would have to step in together. But they made no particular effort to stop factional conflicts or the class stratification among the young ladies.
This wasn't a compulsory education institution, after all — and unless someone requested it, they had no reason to intervene. Besides, for all their titles of Student Council or Conduct Management Department, they were young ladies at heart as well.
I took a bite. The soft bread and sweet cream melting in my mouth sent a little vitality through my slightly wilted body. I smiled as I spoke to Chae-rin, who wore a sullen expression.
"But it won't stay this way forever. Even the commoners — once they've entered this place, they're young ladies too."
They wouldn't keep their heads bowed under unreasonable treatment forever. Of course, some would submit and curry favor with the upper class — but there would be no small number like Chae-rin as well.
So when that discontent finally erupted — that would be when she truly began to move.
"...Then what about you, Miss Ha-eun?"
"Pardon?"
"Miss Ha-eun... what about you?"
I tilted my head at Su-ryeon's words — she had been quietly listening to Chae-rin and me. But I couldn't fail to understand what she meant.
I put the fork in my mouth, made a show of thinking carefully, then smiled as I answered.
"Well..."
At the very least, I'd fit right in among those who submit and flatter.