Chapter 79: Photos and Blackmail (1)

I know this isn’t something to spread around. Setting aside the fact that I was being blackmailed, our relationship itself was a secret to begin with.

When it came to So-yul, I usually had to deal with problems on my own. That had been the pattern all along.

But this situation had gone far beyond any normal level.

Rather than racking my brain alone, I figured it might be better to ask someone else for help.

After narrowing down the candidates, there was only one suitable person to confide in.

Someone who had vaguely noticed my relationship with So-yul. Someone who wouldn’t spread it around even after hearing I was being blackmailed with secretly taken photos. Someone who might actually offer a meaningful solution.

Of course, it was Juho.

“…Someone you don’t know took pictures of you two and is blackmailing you?”

The next morning, during the brief window before classes started.

After calling him to a secluded corner and explaining the situation, Juho responded as if he was at a loss for words.

It was natural for him to be surprised by such an absurd incident. If anything, his reaction seemed too mild. If Juho ever came to me saying he was being blackmailed, I’d probably pass out from shock.

Eventually, Juho let out a hollow laugh.

His gaze held a hint of mockery as he looked at me.

“Man, that’s why I told you to be more careful.”

“…I was being careful, in my own way.”

“Sure, I wonder how careful you were to end up getting photographed.”

When I muttered an excuse-like response, Juho shot me a look of disdain.

Well, I had no defense whatsoever. Even if I claimed I had been careful, the fact that we’d been photographed proved it wasn’t enough. Besides, I hadn’t told him just to get lectured.

I licked my lips and said:

“Alright, alright. You’re right—I’ll try to be much more careful from now on. But for now, shouldn’t we figure out a plan?”

“That’s true.”

Juho shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

“But what kind of plan is there to make? Didn’t you say they want to meet at 10 p.m. tonight? Just go then. The message came anonymously, so there’s no way to meet them beforehand.”

His observation was perfectly logical. But…

“That’s exactly why I called you.”

“For that?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded slightly and continued:

“If I go to the meeting place without knowing who they are, I won’t know what kind of demands they’ll make. At the very least, I need to know who sent that message so I can decide how to approach the situation.”

“Well.”

Juho made a brief sound in response to my explanation.

He seemed to understand my intention in calling him out.

Understanding what the other party wanted—it could be considered the first step in negotiation.

If they were driven by some sense of justice and wanted to expose our relationship, they wouldn’t have needed to contact me at all. They could have just shown the evidence to the head of student affairs, who would probably have given them an award.

Perhaps they were showing mercy and trying to give me a wake-up call, but if that was their purpose, there would be no reason to use blackmail tactics.

This meant the culprit had something they wanted from me.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Juho agreed in an odd tone, then tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“It might be awkward to say this in front of her boyfriend, but… if someone wanted to make demands, wouldn’t it make more sense to blackmail Han So-yul rather than you?”

“…Hmm.”

He had a point.

To be honest, So-yul possessed far greater talent than me. With her overflowing popularity and recognition, there were plenty of guys secretly interested in her. From an outsider’s perspective, her family circumstances would also appear affluent.

Moreover, if they were planning something like right out of some website novel, targeting her body…

…

Just the thought of it made me feel like my molars might crumble. There was no need to even imagine such a future.

At any rate, this was another sign that the blackmailer wasn’t making simple demands.

As I was lost in deep thought, Juho added a comment:

“Oh, but lately the girls have been whispering about what’s going on between you two. They were saying they saw something in the classroom over the weekend?”

“Oh, is that so?”

They sure had a lot of interest in other people’s business.

This was something I’d already anticipated. From Monday onwards, the number of suspicious glances toward our relationship had increased. They had clearly been talking about finding our belongings in the classroom.

Juho crossed his arms as if thinking hard.

“Wouldn’t it make perfect sense if one of them took the photo and is blackmailing you? Both the timing and the content of the threat fit.”

Juho lowered his voice as he shared his deduction.

Rather than lacking conviction, his expression suggested there was no other answer, so why even worry about it.

And that was precisely why I shook my head.

Seeing my reaction, Juho raised his eyebrows curiously.

“You don’t think so? Why?”

“I’m not sure. I’m not certain either, but…”

I stroked my chin as I presented the logic that had formed in my mind.

“Think about it. These are girls who spread rumors through the class just from what they saw in the classroom. If they had taken a photo, why would they blackmail us? They could just show it and be done with it.”

It was obvious.

From the moment I stepped into the classroom on Monday morning, the gazes of our classmates had changed. That meant they had spread the rumor throughout the entire class in just two days.

Would people who loved gossiping so much have kept such strong evidence hidden? And then send a blackmail message a few days later? Wouldn’t that be strange?

In this sense, I should be grateful to the arts track girl who rushed in just before we were discovered by those two.

…Wait a minute.

Could it be, perhaps…

“Hey, class is about to start.”

As I was engulfed in a sensation like I’d been hit on the head, Juho said those words.

He gestured with his chin toward the classroom. Probably suggesting we return quickly to avoid being marked late.

He was right. Checking my phone, the bell would ring in three minutes. Somehow, we’d just stretched out the conversation without substance. In the end, we hadn’t reached any concrete answers, so I’d just wasted Juho’s time.

…Well, almost.

“Got it. Let’s hurry.”

“Yeah. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

Juho apologized with a look of dissatisfaction as I nodded lightly in response.

Even if he hadn’t been helpful, it wasn’t something Juho needed to apologize for. He was surprisingly kind-hearted.

And more importantly:

“It’s fine. Thanks to you, I think I’ve almost figured it out.”

“…Almost figured it out?”

Juho asked with a puzzled expression.

I deliberately chose not to answer.

The classroom we returned to at a quick pace was incredibly noisy. The sound of arts track students chattering filled the entire room.

Well, they would continue talking even when the teacher arrived. If the classroom became quiet before the bell even rang, that would actually be strange.

Amidst all of it, there was one voice that distinctly caught my ear.

“I really don’t know how our So-yul can be so cute.”

I suddenly turned my head to see an arts track girl with a large body embracing So-yul.

She was also the one who had saved us from disaster during our classroom date crisis.

“Ugh. You’re suffocating me… let me go…”

“No way. Babies need to be treated with care.”

“Who’s a baby…!”

Surrounded by two unnecessarily large masses, So-yul shook her head vigorously in protest.

Finding So-yul’s behavior even more adorable, the arts track girl embraced her more tightly.

The surrounding girls were watching the scene as if they found it entertaining. At this point, it was hard to tell if they were doting on her or bullying her.

Then suddenly, the arts track girl glanced in my direction.

When our eyes met, she widened hers for a moment, then hugged So-yul again.

“…You should know how good a baby our So-yul is.”

“I’m not a baby.”

“Hehehe. Okay, okay.”

While repeatedly saying she understood, the girl tightened her arms around So-yul. The endless embrace only ended when So-yul grumbled, “Seriously, dummy,” with genuine frustration.

You should know how good So-yul is.

Somehow, it felt like a statement with a hidden meaning.

◎

Nothing particularly unusual happened for the rest of the day.

That was to be expected. Besides the major incident from last night, my days had been fairly uneventful lately.

Especially on days like today when I couldn’t meet So-yul, there was hardly any opportunity for trouble.

[You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?]

Except for receiving this message from So-yul during dinner.

She really was perceptive. Was she that sensitive to changes in my behavior? Or was this some kind of girlfriend’s intuition?

Either way, it made me happy… but for this particular issue, I wanted to handle it without So-yul knowing.

[Don’t worry. What would I hide from my baby?]

[…..]

[I’m sorry.]

Despite immediately sending an apologetic message, So-yul replied with a sulking bear emoticon that seemed to say “hmph.”

This was troublesome… Her small stature was likely a kind of complex for So-yul. I’d made her upset with an unnecessary joke. I promised myself I’d make it up to her with some babying when we met tonight.

But before that, there was a problem that needed solving.

I checked my phone screen. The current time was 9:55 p.m. Looking around, I spotted a building lit up with bright lights. I could see several arts track students going in and out.

Shortly after, a person walked out from inside the building.

After turning their head left and right as if checking that no one was around, they spotted me and slowly approached.

Soon, they stopped directly across from me.

“It’s been a while since the school trip planning, hasn’t it?”

As expected, it was a familiar voice I’d heard countless times in the classroom.

I looked at the face of the person standing before me.

The girl who had saved us from our classroom date crisis was now standing there as a blackmailer.