The Sound of the Heart (12)
Hong Su-ryeon stood before the academy gates, glancing about again and again as she scanned her surroundings.
A member of the Conduct Management Department on morning duty was watching her with a peculiar look, but Su-ryeon never noticed. She kept her hands hidden, clicking her nails together — tick, tick.
It was a habit she'd had since childhood whenever anxiety or tension got the better of her. After her parents caught her at it and put her through corrective lessons, it had lessened considerably — but when the unease became truly unbearable, it still surfaced whether she wanted it or not. Whenever that happened, she hid her hands somewhere others couldn't see: in her pockets, or behind her bag the way she was doing now. At least if she got caught, she could deny it had ever happened.
"She should be here soon…"
Su-ryeon pulled out her phone and checked the time. The last message she'd received from Yu Ha-eun had been at 7:20 a.m. It was now eight o'clock. Considering when classes started, Ha-eun ought to be showing her face any moment. But no matter how thoroughly she searched the crowd, there was no one who looked remotely like Yu Ha-eun. This was the only entrance into the academy grounds — no matter which dormitory you came from, you had to pass through here.
Just as she was nervously clicking her nails, wondering if Ha-eun might not come at all — a strange murmur rose nearby. She turned her head, and there she was: the person she'd been waiting for so desperately.
"Miss Ha-eun!"
"Please don't raise your voice."
Su-ryeon had called out in a voice of pure delight before she could stop herself. The Conduct Management member on duty said something, but she paid no attention, ready to hurry over to Ha-eun — if only Yoon Seo-a hadn't been walking right beside her.
Why is that woman with Ha-eun?
Su-ryeon stopped mid-step and carefully assessed the situation. First, the direction they were coming from: east of the academy. And to the east, unlike Lily Hall or Hydrangea Hall, stood Acacia Hall — the residence of young ladies from the highest-ranking noble houses. Of course, a young lady living in Lily Hall to the north might occasionally return from the east — but that was usually only if she served as a retainer to someone living in Acacia Hall: a lady-in-waiting, for instance. Moreover, Lily Hall wasn't dead center north but northwest, closer to Hydrangea Hall, so there was rarely any reason to come back from the east where Acacia Hall stood.
Under those circumstances, the two of them — the bully and the bullied — arriving from the same direction meant something very simple.
They were together the night before.
Most likely, Yu Ha-eun had also stayed overnight at Acacia Hall, where Yoon Seo-a lived. Otherwise they wouldn't be walking together looking so… amicable. Though even from a distance, it was clear Seo-a was the one doing all the clinging.
Why? That question didn't matter. Obviously Seo-a had dragged her there by force. Ha-eun might look bold enough to stand up to bullying without flinching — but in reality, she was a thoroughly ordinary person. She only played the part of a proper young lady well. Deep down, she was no different from any commoner: someone who wanted to maintain an unchanging daily life, who wanted nothing to do with violent storms.
And yet she still thought she could stand up to someone like Yoon Seo-a…
Honestly, Su-ryeon couldn't quite understand it. With such a small-minded nature, why had she protected a bullied commoner? If she wanted peace, wouldn't turning a blind eye have been the right choice? Or was it because they were both commoners?
If Su-ryeon had been in Ha-eun's position, she would have looked away. Even if her father was a well-known local figure and a member of the National Assembly, this place was full of people who ran in a completely different league. Yoon Seo-a was one of those soaring high above. And even if it hadn't been her, Su-ryeon wouldn't have deliberately involved herself in such a conflict. In a den of monsters like this, being looked down on was your own fault for mishandling yourself. Resolving the trouble that followed was also something you had to handle with your own ability.
By that logic, the situation Ha-eun was in now was also a problem she had to solve herself. And Ha-eun's own will had been firm, so intervening was even more out of the question. But that didn't mean Su-ryeon wasn't worried at all. That was why she'd said she couldn't just stand by and watch anymore. If only Ha-eun would cry and ask for her help — she would have gathered every scrap of strength she had to save her. But forcing help on someone who didn't want it was also wrong. Helping when it wasn't asked for would only disregard Ha-eun's dignity and wound her pride. She'd threatened that she couldn't watch any longer — but in the end, what mattered most was Ha-eun's will. Forcing help on someone who didn't want it would only chip away at her dignity and pride.
If she would just say "help me" once…
Anyway — enough of these messy thoughts. Su-ryeon collected herself and looked at the two approaching figures. While she'd been lost in thought, they'd gotten quite close — close enough to see their expressions.
Yoon Seo-a, as expected, wore her usual leisurely smile as she leaned slightly toward Ha-eun, whispering something. And Ha-eun, listening, wore a faintly twisted expression with her lips pressed tightly shut. Even at a glance, they didn't look like they were on good terms.
At the sight of them, Su-ryeon steeled her resolve and stepped forward. When she stood before the two of them, Yoon Seo-a was the first to react.
"My, you're…"
"Good morning, Miss Yoon Seo-a."
"Hmm. I don't recall ever telling you my name, Miss Hong Su-ryeon."
That goes both ways.
Su-ryeon bit back the urge to say it. She knew because Ha-eun had told her — but Seo-a had spoken her name without a moment's hesitation. Unlike Seo-a, who had made quite a name for herself among the first-years, Su-ryeon was a nobody. She must have done some background research. It wasn't particularly strange. Digging up information before dealing with someone was something Su-ryeon herself did often enough. She'd clearly investigated the people around Ha-eun while harassing her. She probably knew everything about Chae-rin too, without missing a single detail.
Su-ryeon finished her thoughts and smiled as she spoke.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you mind giving us a moment? I have something important to discuss with Miss Ha-eun."
"Very well. Do as you like."
"…Pardon? Ah — um. Thank you."
She hadn't expected such a clean agreement, and Su-ryeon let out a brief, flustered sound. But she quickly pulled herself together and expressed her gratitude.
"Ah, before that, I still have something left to say to Miss Ha-eun. You'll wait that long, won't you?"
"As long as it doesn't take too much time."
"It's fine. I'll be quick."
She wasn't wearing a watch, but she tapped her wrist to emphasize that school time was running short. Seo-a answered just as readily and leaned close to Ha-eun's ear.
"…"
Su-ryeon had no idea what was being said, but watching Ha-eun's face twist even further, it clearly wasn't anything pleasant. Regardless, once she'd finished speaking, Seo-a straightened up.
"I'll see you in class, then, Miss Ha-eun. And Miss Hong Su-ryeon?"
"Yes?"
"It would be best if you continued to stay close to Miss Ha-eun."
With that, Seo-a gave a small wave and brushed past Su-ryeon.
"…I was planning to do that even without you telling me."
No answer came back, but Su-ryeon spoke toward the slowly retreating figure and thought. She couldn't figure out the ulterior motive behind telling her to keep being close to Ha-eun. If it had been the opposite — if she'd been told not to stay close — she could have interpreted it as Seo-a trying to isolate Ha-eun by driving away her friend… but as Su-ryeon continued that line of thought, she realized it wasn't important. She hadn't approached Yoon Seo-a to think about things like that in the first place.
Su-ryeon walked toward Ha-eun, who still wore a rigid expression.
"Miss Ha-eun. Are you all right?"
"Miss Su-ryeon…"
"Do you have any idea how worried I was? When Miss Chae-rin told me what happened to you, I thought something truly terrible had occurred."
Of all people, to slap Yoon Seo-a's cheek — in front of the students and the teacher? When she'd first heard it, she felt like the ground had dropped out from under her. It was a situation that could easily have led to expulsion. Seeing her come to school like this, it seemed things hadn't gone that far — thankfully.
"And you didn't answer my texts or calls… Even long after curfew, you still hadn't returned to the dormitory. I stayed up the entire night worrying before I finally fell asleep."
She'd covered the dark circles with makeup so they weren't visible, but even now drowsiness was creeping in. She was holding on with coffee, but if she didn't get some sleep during lunch, she might well collapse during afternoon classes.
As she spoke these worried words and looked Ha-eun over, something caught Su-ryeon's eye. Between her neck and collarbone, reddish marks had risen like blotches. Without thinking, Su-ryeon touched them and asked.
"Did you get bitten by a bug? There are marks here."
"Marks…? …Ah!"
"Miss Ha-eun?"
As Ha-eun touched them with her own hand, her face suddenly flushed bright red and she made a sound. Su-ryeon looked at her in confusion. Bug bites weren't exactly pleasant to look at, but they weren't something to blush over like this. Besides, they were cleverly hidden by her collar — hard to notice unless you were looking this closely, the way Su-ryeon was.
Ha-eun bit her lip, exhaled several times, then turned her head and murmured quietly.
"Ah, it's nothing."
"…? Still, I think you should go to the infirmary and put some ointment on them."
"Ah—"
"Miss Ha-eun…?"
As she said this and took hold of Ha-eun's shoulder, this time Ha-eun grimaced and made a sound of pain. Su-ryeon quickly pulled her hand away, but she couldn't suppress her worry.
"Did you hurt your shoulder? I'm so sorry. I had no idea and just—"
"N-no. It's not your fault, Miss Su-ryeon. Yoon Seo-a is the one who did this…"
Had she taken Ha-eun to her own dormitory to retaliate somewhere no one else could see? The thought made Su-ryeon's face turn grim in an instant.
"Yoon Seo-a…"
"M-Miss Su-ryeon. Let's go inside the academy first. School is about to start, isn't it?"
"Haa… All right, Miss Ha-eun."
Su-ryeon wanted nothing more than to drag her to the dormitory or a bathroom right then, strip her clothes off, and check the hidden areas — but faced with Ha-eun's forced pretense that she was fine, she had no choice but to nod. She'd just check at the dormitory after classes today.
"Hngh…!"
"Miss Ha-eun?"
But they hadn't even taken a few steps before Ha-eun suddenly clutched her stomach and doubled over. Su-ryeon hurriedly supported her. Then, from somewhere, a faint vibrating sound could be heard. A tiny buzz — so faint you wouldn't notice if you weren't paying attention — that made her think a phone call had come in. But the phone she pulled out still showed a black screen.
With the continuous vibrating sound and Ha-eun clutching her stomach, Su-ryeon spoke in a worried voice.
"Miss Ha-eun. I think we should go to the infirmary."
"N-no…! If I just get to class, it'll… get better…!"
"But…"
"Please, please — hngh — I'm begging you…"
Faced with such an earnest plea, Su-ryeon sighed and supported her as they walked.
"I can't. I can't listen to you this time. Sending a sick person to class? I—"
"Looks like you need some help."
"—Miss Yoon Seo-a?"
Hadn't she just parted ways and gone into the academy? Su-ryeon looked at her with a puzzled expression as Seo-a approached with a smile.
"It seems she'd rather go to class than the infirmary. Why don't you leave Miss Ha-eun with me, Miss Hong Su-ryeon, and head to your own classroom?"
"What are you—!"
"Come, Miss Ha-eun. You'll come with me, won't you?"
"Miss Ha-eun!"
Even at that cry, Ha-eun kept nodding. Su-ryeon's expression twisted as she looked at Seo-a.
"You — what the hell did you do to Miss Ha-eun?"
"That's none of your concern, Miss Hong Su-ryeon. Yeon Chae-rin, was it? Since you're close with her, I assume you already know what happened between Miss Ha-eun and me."
Having taken Ha-eun from Su-ryeon and begun supporting her herself, Seo-a smiled as she spoke.
"So, outsiders should stay out of it."
"No. As Miss Ha-eun's friend—!"
"M-Miss Su-ryeon. I'm really fine."
"Miss Ha-eun!"
"So… I'll see you at lunch."
When Ha-eun spoke so desperately, tears welling in her eyes, Su-ryeon bit down hard on her lip and nodded, making no effort to hide how much she hated it.
"Well then, we'll be going."
At that, Seo-a showed a victor's smile and left with Ha-eun. Su-ryeon watched their retreating figures, then couldn't hold back her frustration and stomped hard on the ground. As a result, she received a demerit from the Conduct Management member who had finished morning duty and was preparing to leave — but that was another story entirely.