[The Trendsetter (1)]
At Choi Deok-bae’s words, Yoon-gi shrugged. "Unexpected turns are common in life, aren't they?"
In reality, Yoon-gi had instructed Ryu Geun-tae to select a middle school in Seoul with the highest concentration of students from the upper class. Of course, it was impossible to find a school where hundreds of children from chaebol families were gathered, but he had chosen one where they were relatively more common. Naturally, it was a private middle school, not a public one. Furthermore, Won-hee and Jin-soo were brought along to attend the same school as Yoon-gi as a bonus.
All that remained was to act significantly more extroverted during his middle school years than he had in elementary school. "It won't be difficult at all," Yoon-gi said, full of confidence.
"Back when I lived a life of manual labor, I used to believe the words of those handsome guys. Do you know what they say to the ugly guys the most?"
"Looking back now, it’s laughable. They’d say, 'Hey, you lack social skills.'"
"Yeah. But the truth is, if you’re handsome, you don’t need social skills. People around you adjust to everything you do. It’s the same with being pretty. If you’re good-looking, people will shower you with flowery praise no matter what you do, but if you’re ugly, no matter how socially adept your behavior is, it’s always devalued."
"It’s a fact. We are genetically wired to like what is handsome and pretty. Isn't appearance the very definition of social skills?"
"That’s right."
Watching the confident Yoon-gi, Choi Deok-bae scratched his sideburns with his index finger. "Ho-ho..."
As Yoon-gi began rolling two jujubes in his fist, Choi Deok-bae hurriedly shook his head. Satisfied with the ghost's reaction, Yoon-gi sprawled out on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Anyway, whether it’s elementary or middle school, the way I live won’t change much. The only thing that might change is the clothes I wear."
"I suppose so?"
Starting in the fifth grade of elementary school, Yoon-gi had often skipped school. Not only did he have occasional business in the United States, but there were also many instances where he had to take the lead and command operations. Moreover, the more he thought about it, the more he realized the pointlessness of the word 'perfect attendance.'
"There’s no need to aim for perfect attendance when you have more to gain by giving it up. Attendance scores can be easily covered by exam scores."
"A chaebol doesn't need to go to Seoul National University Law School."
Yoon-gi’s words were filled with firm conviction. "I used to think Seoul Law was the best university, too. But thinking about it now, it’s only the best for 'people without a foundation.'"
"It’s not just a matter of perspective; it’s the reality. Think back to when I committed suicide. Were there any chaebol kids among the Seoul Law graduates back then?"
At Choi Deok-bae’s words, Yoon-gi couldn't help but burst into a chuckle. "Just like that, people aren't really interested in which universities chaebols attend. Besides, look at the third-generation chaebols—most of them go to foreign universities, not Korean ones. And how many of them actually go to places like Harvard or Yale? They’re all schools I’ve never even heard of."
"That’s right. I once heard a lecture by a third-generation chaebol who came to talk about success, and honestly... he was an absolute idiot."
The look of disgust on Yoon-gi’s face as he shook his head revealed his deep-seated resentment toward incompetent third-generation chaebols. "Anyway, I’ll decide on high school and university based on the situation at the time. I’ll definitely go to a prestigious high school, but that’ll just be because that’s where the other chaebol kids go."
"I suppose so?"
"It’s on a different level from Sungkyunkwan, right?"
At Yoon-gi’s playful jab, Choi Deok-bae feigned a serious expression and began pacing around Yoon-gi. "I’m not scared at all, you know?"
Though there were times he wanted to be alone, Choi Deok-bae’s presence was an important element in relieving the tension in Yoon-gi’s current life.
"To think we’d end up going to middle school together!"
Won-hee started to say something to Jin-soo, who remained as innocent as ever despite becoming a middle schooler, but he seemed exhausted and just closed his mouth. Yoon-gi patted Won-hee on the shoulder, and cheered by the gesture, Won-hee walked toward the school gate with him.
"Are you both doing well with your studies?"
At Yoon-gi’s question, Won-hee nodded. "It’s fine, except for the fact that this blockhead lacks comprehension skills."
"Who are you calling a blockhead! I have higher scores than you in P.E.!"
"Hey, you moron! I told you, P.E. doesn't help with college admissions at all!"
"Anyway!"
Seeing them bicker, it was clear that Won-hee and Jin-soo had developed a bond of both love and hate after safely finishing six years of elementary school together. "Middle school is assigned by lottery, so it doesn't matter, but you have to take exams for high school, so study hard. We have to go to college together, too."
Even Won-hee, who had been confident for a moment, reacted with a bit of hesitation. "Honestly, I’m not very confident about Seoul National University..."
"Me neither..."
As even Jin-soo’s voice dropped, Yoon-gi draped his arms over both their shoulders. "If you don't get in, you die."
He said it with a bright, joking smile, but both Won-hee and Jin-soo felt a strange sense of terror and nodded frantically. "W-we have to go. Yeah! Jin-soo, let’s study hard after school today!"
"We have to! Yeah!"
In truth, since he wasn't telling them to go astray but rather to study hard, neither Won-hee nor Jin-soo held any resentment toward Yoon-gi. They knew, consciously or not, that Yoon-gi was looking out for them from behind the scenes. Just not having to worry about who to hang out with every semester was a blessing. In Won-hee’s case, if it weren't for Yoon-gi or Jin-soo, he would have relied solely on his grandfather’s wealth and ruined his life. After Jeil Textiles was absorbed by the Samwoo Group, they had caught the factory manager embezzling massive amounts of money and fired him. If they had left him alone, he would have become a selfish, impoverished child, isolated from everyone.
'After they graduate, I’ll have more time to spend with them.' In truth, Yoon-gi didn't care much for friendships with children. Although he looked like a middle schooler, he was nearly sixty years old; how much interest could he have in conversations with kids? But regardless of how it started, he wanted to stay with Jin-soo and Won-hee until the end. For Jin-soo, it was because of his mother; for Won-hee, if he had once been a little pitiful, now it just felt natural. Yoon-gi couldn't explain it in detail himself.
"By the way, Yoon-gi, now that we’re middle schoolers, you look really rich."
Won-hee looked at Yoon-gi with genuine admiration. From his watch to his stationery, everything he owned was a luxury item. While the Yoon-gi of elementary school wore clothes his mother picked out, today’s Yoon-gi had styled himself for the future of the department store. As a result, the items he carried were things ordinary people couldn't even dream of. If even Won-hee said he 'looked rich,' one could only imagine what Jin-soo or the other students thought. The awe in the eyes of the other students sitting in the classroom was palpable.
"There won't be anyone like *that* guy this time, right?"
At Won-hee’s words, both Yoon-gi and Jin-soo burst into laughter. It reminded them of the cream bread incident from the first grade of elementary school. Of course, since the other students knew nothing of that, the entrance ceremony proceeded without them understanding why Yoon-gi’s group was laughing.
"A prestigious school is a prestigious school, I guess—starting regular classes from the entrance ceremony. You don't need to be a prestigious school for days like this."
Jin-soo’s comment, made with a smack of his lips, resonated with most of the students, and thanks to that, the first-period class proceeded in a smooth atmosphere. And after a few breaks and lunch had passed, the 'puppies' finally appeared.
In the past, you had to take an exam to get into middle school. But at some point, middle school admissions shifted to the so-called 'lottery' system, and even schools called prestigious couldn't avoid it. Even a guy like Kim Myung-hwan had been able to get into a school that was called prestigious until recently. This change in the system created somewhat laughable situations; there were families who threw parties because their son, who had always been dead last in his grade, got into Gyeonggi Middle School through the lottery.
Kim Myung-hwan’s situation was similar. No matter how prestigious a middle school is, it’s meaningless if the individual is a deadbeat.
"Damn, smoking at school is the best."
Kim Myung-hwan was smoking behind the school warehouse with Yoon Shin-gyu, a classmate he used to hang out with in elementary school, and Lee Sang-woo, who had narrowly ended up in a different class. Every school had a smoking spot where teachers didn't patrol well, and they had found that very spot on their first day.
"By the way, did you see him?"
At Kim Myung-hwan’s words, Yoon Shin-gyu tilted his head. "Who?"
Thwack! With the sound of a slap to the back of the head, Yoon Shin-gyu picked up the cigarette that had fallen from his mouth and whined, "Ah, why’d you hit me?"
"You idiot, there’s a rich kid in our class. Didn't you see him earlier, decked out in all that expensive gear?"
"Ah, him? Choi Yoon-gi, was it? Looking at him, I think we could make him our cash cow if we play it right."
"Yeah, that’s what I was going to say. If we make that bastard our lackey, we won't have to worry about money while we’re in middle school. What do you guys think?"
"I’m obviously in."
At Yoon Shin-gyu’s words, Lee Sang-woo also nodded. "Me too."
Having gained their agreement, Kim Myung-hwan made a concrete proposal. "Then, let’s make our move after fifth period."
"But what about the two guys who follow him around? He seems to have friends."
At Yoon Shin-gyu’s words, Lee Sang-woo looked troubled. "Hey, one of them is clearly a loser. He’s scrawny. And that guy Jin-soo seems to have some build, but you two can just gang up on him. Can’t two of you beat one guy? If it doesn't work, just stab him in the head with a ballpoint pen."
Gaining confidence from Kim Myung-hwan’s words, the two nodded again, and they made a choice they shouldn't have.
Fifth-period break. Kim Myung-hwan’s group approached Yoon-gi, who was talking to kids other than Jin-soo and Won-hee. Sensing the thuggish atmosphere, the other kids instinctively moved away, leaving only the six of them in the area.
"This atmosphere feels familiar."
At Won-hee’s words, Jin-soo shrugged, and Yoon-gi didn't show much of a reaction either.
"Hey, lend me your mechanical pencil. I’m trying to study, but I didn't bring any stationery."
Without waiting for Yoon-gi’s answer, Kim Myung-hwan grabbed the luxury mechanical pencil sitting on Yoon-gi’s desk and shoved it into his pocket. Yoon-gi still didn't react, which emboldened Kim Myung-hwan further. He chuckled and opened his mouth again.
"By the way, your mom is super pretty. I saw her at the entrance ceremony earlier—she’s white, right? Whoa. Can I come over to your place later?"
Just as Kim Myung-hwan finished his sentence, Jin-soo uttered exactly three syllables.
"Oh, boy."