Group Project (3)
Today was finally the day of the performance assessment presentations.
Perhaps because Korean class was during first period, many of my classmates had been practicing their presentations since early morning.
"It's nice to see everyone working so hard."
"Hanbyul, we're the same age, you know."
"Lee Hanbyul, stop being ridiculous."
Right next to me, my proud best friend, Sung, was speaking the absolute truth.
"Hey! Lee Hanbyul, don't ignore me!"
"I don't speak to people who are dumber than puppies."
"You're dead, Lee Hanbyul."
Oops. If I teased her any more, she might actually kill me.
She had already murdered me a hundred times over with her eyes.
Sung, don't look at her like she's cute.
She might actually have buried a body before.
"So, Hanbyul, don't you need to prepare?"
"Sung, don't you know me? I'm always ready for a presentation."
"True. You've always had a silver tongue, Lee Hanbyul."
"A silver tongue... Hey! You make it sound like I'm all talk."
"Aren't you?"
How did I end up getting looked down on by this guy?
Well, despite our banter, I had finished preparing for the presentation yesterday.
I had already decided what gestures to use for specific points, anticipated potential questions, and planned which parts to emphasize.
Simply memorizing a script and reciting it doesn't feel like a presentation; it just feels like reading a book aloud.
Although I constantly call Kim Dahi an idiot, she's actually quite a good speaker.
If I'm the type who speaks based on logic and evidence, Kim Dahi is the type who appeals to people's emotions, drawing them in and making them empathize with her.
Sung probably wouldn't do any of the speaking. Despite his tough appearance, he was actually quite shy.
What about Pina today?
Pina was mumbling to herself, reading through her script.
She was practicing diligently while staring at the paper. How could someone look so pretty even while practicing?
Since our group was the last to present, we waited quietly while listening to the other groups.
"That concludes Group 5's presentation!"
"Does anyone have any questions?~"
"If so, please raise your hand and let us know~"
Look at Kim Dahi, laying on the charm.
Ugh, it made me cringe just watching her, but the other kids found it cute.
To everyone else, she looked adorable without being annoying.
Knowing how to freely manipulate people's emotions—that was Kim Dahi's greatest strength.
They said she had been highly sensitive to others' feelings since she was a child.
In a way, it was both a talent and a curse. Her childhood hadn't been entirely smooth sailing either.
"It's our turn."
Lost in thought, I hadn't realized it was already our turn.
I only realized it when Pina spoke up beside me.
By the way, since we were sitting in our groups, Pina was right next to me.
I wonder if we could just do group classes forever. As long as we kept the same groups.
"Shall we go?"
"It's a pain, so I guess I shouldn't just half-ass it, right?"
"Please make sense."
"Alright, alright. Don't glare at me like that."
Is it normal for girls' glares to be this terrifying?
First Dahi, and now Pina. They could both kill a man with a single look.
As for the presentation order, I was in charge of the introduction and conclusion, while Pina would handle the body.
"We are Lee Hanbyul and Ha Pina, presenting for Group 6."
"We will now begin Group 6's presentation on Romeo and Juliet."
And so, the presentation began.
"We will be presenting on Romeo and Juliet, a classic play that is widely famous as a novel today."
"Written by William Shakespeare in 1597, Romeo and Juliet is a play centered around the tragic, unrequited love of a young man and woman."
"...Next, we will discuss why Romeo and Juliet is the most famous of Shakespeare's works."
"..."
"Pina?"
"..."
Right in the middle of the presentation, Pina suddenly fell silent. I called her name softly, but there was no response.
Glancing at her out of the corner of my eye, I saw that her face had gone completely pale with panic. Her mouth was just opening and closing silently.
As planned, Pina had been reading from the script she prepared beforehand, but now, she wasn't turning the page at all.
Looking down at her script, I realized the section she was supposed to present next was completely gone—as if someone had torn it out.
What happened?
There was no way Pina had left part of her script behind.
The pages had been stapled together from the start, so it was impossible for a sheet to have simply slipped out.
I scanned the classroom.
Some kids were dozing off, some were whispering to their friends, and others looked confused by the sudden silence. And then, there were those who were pointing at Pina and snickering, as if they found the whole thing hilarious.
It was you guys. You did this. What did Pina ever do to you to deserve this kind of bullying?
Anger surged deep inside me. I wanted nothing more than to march over and smash the faces of those laughing bastards.
But right now, I couldn't let myself be consumed by rage. I had to salvage this situation.
"One of the primary reasons Romeo and Juliet became so famous among Shakespeare's works is the sheer beauty of the dialogue, through which the two protagonists express their deep affection for one another."
Because of the sudden pause, the class had lost focus.
To bring the room back, I needed to engage the audience.
But that kind of thing wasn't exactly my specialty.
"For instance, there is Romeo's line: 'Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.'"
When reciting Romeo's line, I infused my voice with the grief of losing a lover, mixed with a touch of tender disbelief at how beautiful she remained even in death.
"This is spoken by Romeo after he hears of Juliet's death and sees her lying there, still breathtakingly beautiful despite being asleep."
"Another example is Juliet's famous line: 'O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.'"
For Juliet's line, I channeled a desperate longing to be with him at any cost, conveying that he was more precious to her than anything else in the world.
"This is Juliet's plea during their secret nighttime meeting, begging Romeo to give up everything for her, promising to give herself to him in return."
"By weaving the tragic love of these two individuals with such poignant and beautiful dialogue, Romeo and Juliet was able to become a story beloved by generations."
"Doesn't Hanbyul seem really good at acting?"
"Right? Delivering lines like that with a face like his is just cheating."
"Lee Hanbyul... drop dead."
Why did I suddenly get a chill...?
"Next..."
Did we get past the hurdle?
Looking at the script, it seemed the subsequent pages were intact.
But why was Pina staring at me like she couldn't look away?
'Pina, you have the next part, right?'
"Ah, yes! Um, the next topic we will discuss is..."
And with that, we finished the presentation without further incident.
"That was a close one."
Once all the presentations were over, the teacher left the classroom, saying, "I'll let you know the results next class. That's all for today! Good job, everyone~"
I sank into my seat, letting out a sigh of relief. My heart had been pounding out of my chest.
"Excuse me... could we talk for a moment?"
As I lay half-slumped in my chair trying to rest, Pina approached me.
"Huh? Pina, what is it?"
"Could we... go somewhere else?"
I didn't mind.
"Sure."
We walked over to the end of the hallway.
As soon as we reached the quiet corner, Pina bowed her head.
"I am truly sorry. After acting so high and mighty in front of you, I ended up making such a mess of the actual presentation."
"No, it's fine."
"It's not like you did it on purpose."
"No, you said it yourself back then."
"What would I do if I lost my script? That's why you said you don't write yours in detail."
"Did I say that?"
How did she remember every single detail like that?
"You did. And this situation turned out exactly as you warned."
"I relied entirely on the script and failed to prepare properly. I am deeply ashamed for causing you trouble."
"Hey, Pina."
"Yes?"
"I didn't step in because I wanted to hear you apologize or say you're ashamed."
"Pardon?"
Why was her way of thinking so rigid?
"There are two reasons why I stepped in."
"First, I want to get a good grade too. It wasn't just your presentation; it was ours."
"So instead of pointing fingers when a teammate makes a mistake, you cover for them. I think that's what being in a group is all about."
"And second, rather than 'I'm sorry,' I'd much rather hear 'thank you.'"
"When you help someone, hearing 'thank you' makes both the giver and the receiver feel much better than hearing 'I'm sorry.' So, if you're going to say anything, say thank you instead."
I truly believed that.
The reason people help others is ultimately because they want to hear those words of gratitude.
It's much better to have things to be thankful for than things to apologize for.
"...You really are a strange person."
"Calling me strange after I said all that..."
"Thank you. I mean it."
She's so pretty...
Smiling as she thanked me, Pina looked like a flower in full bloom. Her smile was so radiant that even the word 'pretty' felt inadequate.
Of course, her expression quickly returned to its usual blank slate.
"I seem to be doing nothing but accumulating debts to you lately. I make it a point to pay back what I owe, so please let know if you ever need my help."
"I will do my absolute best to assist you."
"Hey, you make it sound like I'm your debt collector or something."
"And I've thought this for a while, but you're surprisingly old-fashioned, Pina."
"Are you from some noble family or something?"
"How can you joke at a time like this...?"
"You really do have a silver tongue."
"Huh? 'Silver tongue'? You were listening back then?!"
"That's a secret."
"Pina? Hey! Pina!"
"I can't let you have the last word all the time."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I said it's a secret."
Why does she have so many secrets?!
"So, what is it you want me to look into?"
"Kim Sohee and Do Seong-a. Find out what you can about those two."
"Aren't they in your group?"
"Yeah."
"What exactly do you want me to find?"
"Rumors from middle school, their pasts—anything you can dig up on them."
The ones laughing earlier were, ironically, our own group members, Kim Sohee and Do Seong-a.
It was utterly ridiculous. No matter how much they wanted to humiliate Pina, to go as far as ruining their own performance assessment... Were they really too stupid to think about their own grades?
"Hey, Lee Hanbyul. Let me ask you one last thing."
What was she going to ask that made her lower her voice and get so serious?
"Just what is Ha Pina to you that you're going this far?"
"What are you talking about?"
"They stole Ha Pina's presentation script, didn't they?"
"How did you..."
"I figured it out from the presentation and the look in your eyes."
"You're way too quick on the uptake."
"Hey, don't change the subject."
Ah, damn. She wasn't buying it.
"Answer me. Who is Ha Pina to you?"
"It's not because of Pina. It's for my own grades."
"Lee Hanbyul..."
"So you're going to keep quiet until the very end?"
"Keep quiet about what?"
What was up with Kim Dahi?
Normally, she would have just demanded I buy her something and dropped it.
"You're wondering why I'm being like this, aren't you?"
"Are you reading my mind now?"
"It's because of the way you looked back then."
"When you first saw Ha Pina, your eyes lit up as if you had found something you lost a long time ago."
"And when those girls laughed at her panic, you looked angrier than I've seen you in a long time."
"...Just wait a little."
"I promise I'll tell you."
"When I do, I'll make sure you and Sung are the very first to know."
"Hmph! You'd better. If we aren't the first, you're dead."
"Got it. I'll keep that in mind."
"And don't go overboard."
"I'll show some mercy."
Don't worry. I'd make sure to handle it quietly, without leaving a trace.
The following week, a rumor began to circulate among the freshmen.
Whispers spread that Kim Sohee and Do Seong-a had bullied a student into transferring back in middle school, and that they had been spotted hanging around strange older men. It was as if the malicious rumors that once targeted Ha Pina had shifted directly onto them.
Almost as if someone was spreading them on purpose.