episode_0007

Life after that incident was so simple that it was difficult to express in writing. Despite entering elementary school and a considerable amount of time passing, life remained routine. Eat breakfast, study, eat lunch, exercise, eat dinner, study. That’s all.

It was surprisingly identical to my daily routine before Alice arrived. It didn’t take much time to readjust because it was so familiar once again.

So, there was no complaint. It was just the disappearance of one annoying girl who used to cling to me. That was all.

“Maru.”

The head of the orphanage called me while I was studying in the library. Her expression had brightened considerably since the incident. Probably because they had built a new wing for the orphanage and the financial burden had lessened.

Thinking that all of this was thanks to Alice, my feelings were complex.

“Yes?”

“The culprit won’t easily get out of prison, they say.”

This was the first time I learned about her situation since the incident. Or maybe the head of the orphanage had been considerate and deliberately kept quiet until now.

The culprit, already a repeat offender, committed a crime against a socially vulnerable group, and with the influence of Seonggwang Corporation, received a sentence far beyond imagination.

Considering her age, she would likely never see the light of day again during her remaining years.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Alice… ”

“It’s okay.”

“…”

“It’s okay. It’s a bit weird that she left without saying ‘take care,’ but it doesn’t really matter.”

“Alice sent a letter.”

Upon hearing those words, the composure I had managed to maintain was shattered. It was a time when her scent was starting to fade from my memory. But receiving something related to her made my heart race.

“It’s been years, she could have come herself.”

“Well… after adoption, you have to keep in touch with the orphanage regularly, right? I heard from the supervisor that she lives a really busy life.”

“And the chairwoman herself doesn’t want Alice to set foot in the orphanage again.”

The head of the orphanage swallowed this thought. It was unnecessary to mention it to Kim Maru.

“Part of it was written to some of the teachers at the orphanage, but yours is the longest. Will you read it once?”

“Not now.”

Even now, I don’t know why I refused the director’s persuasion at that time.

Is it because I wanted to forget about Alice quickly?

Like disposing of all items related to a former lover after breaking up, I wanted to break free from her traces as well.

Come to think of it, this kind of parting was something I had never experienced in my past life or present life.

No matter how much I searched my memories, I had never experienced suddenly parting ways with someone I had formed such a deep connection with in such a short time.

When I refused vehemently to read the letter, the director hesitated for a moment.

After hesitating while looking at me, she cautiously spoke up.

“Just leave it there. Someday, I’ll read it. But for now…”

“I understand. I guess I need some time.”

The director left the letter near the door and exited the room.

I reopened my high school math workbook and focused on studying. It was nice not to have distracting thoughts when I concentrated on studying.

However, a grumbling sound from my stomach soon shattered my concentration, demanding energy.

“It seems like I’m getting hungry more often these days.”

Perhaps due to my first growth spurt, my body demanded a lot of food. I got up and headed to the dining hall. I intended to pick up some snacks if there were any.

The dining hall had changed significantly since the fire, as it had become the subject of extensive reconstruction under Sungkwang’s name, with much more luxurious interior design and higher-quality food.

At least I no longer needed to substitute a meal with steamed potatoes like before. Nevertheless, I still occasionally ate steamed potatoes.

Upon arriving at the dining hall, the regular customers were already there.

The trio of sisters from before… the three of them were sitting together, munching on snacks. They were taken aback when they saw me enter the dining hall.

Without paying them any attention, I filled my plate buffet-style with fried rice and began to eat heartily at my table.

They also stopped paying attention to me and started their conversation, which bothered me.

“The only good thing left behind by that arson lady is this dining hall.”

“Well, the food has gotten tastier than before, so…”

“Alice is the reason. But isn’t it a sweet deal for her? Being adopted by a rich lady.”

The nun’s words triggered an explosion in my mind. I abruptly rose from my seat.

The sound of the chair made them look over with bewildered eyes.

Approaching them, I sternly retorted, “What about Alice? Sucking up to a sweet deal?”

“W-Why are you suddenly…”

The nun stumbled, avoiding my gaze. Normally, she would have fiercely countered, but now she couldn’t even look at me.

“In what state of mind did Alice make that choice…!”

As I moved closer as if to grab her by the collar, she pushed me away, startled.

“Don’t come close! Especially your face!”

Her face turned as red as a beet as she stepped back. Caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, I was at a loss for words.

“Why does my face bother you so much? Your words are more bothersome.”

“N-No, it’s just… Anyway! Don’t come near me!”

With a face like an apple, she hurriedly fled the restaurant. As I watched her escape, I shifted my gaze to someone else.

This time, I glared at the two flinching figures.

Despite my glare, they stared at my face as if intoxicated, then quickly fled, their ears turning red.

“Why are they like that? They should all get a taste of their own medicine.”

I resumed eating, chewing my lip in frustration, quickly finishing my meal.

Afterward, I sat at the table with my eyes closed for a moment.

“…What should I do about the letter.”

Though I initially refused to read it, wanting to distance myself from her, human nature meant some lingering attachment remained.

Would Alice wait for a reply? Should I read the letter then?

But what if the contents are negative?

Our breakup was so terrible that it couldn’t be viewed positively no matter how hard one tried.

It might be better to read it once I’ve sorted out my feelings.

“I’ll go to school. If things go as in the webtoon.”

And if I haven’t been reborn, I’ll become a great menace at school, tormenting many students. And a student named Kim Noeul will rise for justice.

Should I just leave Alice alone like this?

She left for my medical expenses and the future of the orphanage. But she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay by my side.

“I should go to school and talk to Alice again.”

Feelings for Alice turned into longing over time. Whether I cursed at her, said I missed her, or shed tears, it didn’t matter as long as I could see that pure white face even once more.

“But my hometown isn’t the target for school admissions.”

Just like in the original world, admission to high school in Hometown is not guaranteed in school either. There are numerous high schools within the school and various admission systems.

What I should aim for in the end is…

“Academic Excellence.”

As luck would have it, I’m already familiar with the middle school content through the reincarnation buff, so this time, I decided to focus on studying.

In a world where gender roles are reversed, the safest path for a man to succeed is through studying.

With that determination, as I focused on my studies, time flew by once again.

Before I knew it, I was graduating from middle school.

“Maru, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

I replied succinctly to the homeroom teacher’s question. She patted my shoulder and exclaimed,

“It’s a miracle to have a student like you in my class. And receiving unprecedented grades in the history of the school…”

“I’ve been studying the middle and high school curriculum since I was young, so if I couldn’t achieve this much, that would be strange.”

[Next, we will have the valedictory speech from the graduating student representative, Kim Maru.]

“Now, let’s head to the podium.”

I took a step toward the center of the stage. As I walked, I felt numerous gazes fixated on me.

Kind looks from the teachers, and from the students… I’m not sure. How do you all see me as a student?

Standing in the center, I lightly tapped the microphone. Looking around, I noticed the director and assistant director of the orphanage taking a picture of me in the distance.

“I am Kim Maru, the graduating student representative.”

Starting from a casual chat about well-being and ending with words of encouragement for junior students, I wrapped up the day smoothly. Having practiced countless times in front of the mirror at the orphanage, I never made a single verbal slip.

After the graduation ceremony, the director and assistant director approached me.

“I can’t believe a day like this has come for us… It feels like a dream, Director.”

“Indeed. Isn’t Sunshine Orphanage producing the best outcomes?”

“…What kind of outcome is there for a middle school graduate?”

I sighed, brushing off their flattery. The director looked around, then handed me a file that was tucked under her arm.

“What’s this?”

As I took it, the assistant director answered in her place.

“It’s a transfer application. In short, it means transfer students can start attending from the 2nd year, and before that, they evaluate their performance at a non-attending school for a year.”

In essence, it meant that if I wanted to transfer to the 2nd year as a student, I had to spend a year outside excelling at another school.

“The competition is fierce by nature, but I thought Maru’s grades would be no issue.”

“Thank you. I’ll have to work even harder for another year.”

“So, after transferring to the school, are you going to slack off?”

“No, not at all.”

‘On the contrary, that’s when I really need to push myself.’

After our conversation, I left the school building and was walking across the playground when a female student approached me.

We had been in the same class for the past year, so I knew her well. I was the class president, and she was the vice president.

“Um, Maru, could you spare a moment?”

She fidgeted, twirling the strands of hair cascading down her chest, clearly showing determination. As I glanced at the two teachers, they gave me a subtle look and then left the playground.

“Youth, huh~.”

“Youth indeed.”

“Hurry up.”

The vice president blushed even more at the teachers’ teasing and led me to a secluded spot behind the school, the flower garden. By now, I could anticipate what she was going to say.

“After signaling for a year, how could you not know?”

The goal in front of me was just too significant, so I couldn’t help but intentionally ignore her signals.

Today, the vice president’s face seemed particularly vivid.

A faint scent of shampoo wafted from her long flowing hair in the wind.

Large, round eyes accentuated the youthful innocence typical of a middle school student.

“…Maru.”

“Yeah?”

“I like you. I won’t say much. Can you keep in touch with me even after we enter high school?”

Surprisingly, without stumbling over her words, she confessed like a girl, speaking clearly and earnestly. And my response had already been decided.

“Sorry.”

“…Ah.”

“Even now, and in the future, I don’t think I can afford to spend time on a relationship.”

“Yeah, you’ve always worked hard.”

We both fell silent. It was the vice-captain who spoke first.

“I liked how hard you worked.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you know that there are still quite a few girls other than me who want to talk to you?”

“What?”

‘I didn’t know that.’

Upon hearing her words, I realized that there were quite a few girls around here stealing glances in this direction.

‘When did they start following us?’

“I actually thought it would fail, but I still wanted to express my feelings.”

“You’re brave. With that bravery, you’ll meet a better guy than me.”

“…I wonder.”

She turned away with a melancholic expression. It’s better not to console her here. I sighed and stood in place until she disappeared from sight.

Finally, as the vice-captain said, I could only be relieved after rejecting one by one all the girls who came up to confess their feelings to me.

“Darn it, everyone’s trying to make a move at graduation.”

At least they should have some dignity, but confessing even to plain-looking girls was stressing me out.

Is this why beauties from past lives go astray?

I took out a small hand mirror from my bag and examined my face. It was a gift for starting middle school from a male orphanage teacher, but from now on, I guess I have to pay attention to my appearance as a guy or something.

Due to memories from my past life, I felt repulsed by the idea of a guy carrying a hand mirror, but now I’ve gotten used to it one way or another.

Not that I’m doing full-fledged grooming like managing my eyelashes or using a skin brush, just removing eye boogers when needed.

My familiar face reflected in the mirror. I didn’t know when I was young, but since entering middle school, I’ve come to understand the value of my appearance.

‘I don’t know if this will help or hurt.’

I picked up my phone and scrolled through the news with a mirror in hand.

[Chairman Lee Jaeyeon’s wife is from Hakdo. What kind of place is Hakdo?….]

[Controversy over killer questions in Hakdo mock exams. Surpassing the level of the evaluation institute….]

[Half of the national sports competition winners are Hakdo alumni….]

I’ve never lost interest in Hakdo for even a single day. I clicked on Chairman Lee Jaeyeon’s article and skimmed through the main text.

I saw a faint picture of Chairman Lee Jaeyeon that I had glimpsed at the hospital. Unfortunately, there was no picture of Alice.

“Alice is one year older than me, so she entered Hakdo a year before me.”

“Maru, so did you have any girls you liked?”

The vice-director was suddenly behind me, probably because I hadn’t come back until late.

“I just turned them all down.”

“Really? Even romantic relationships during student years are precious experiences… something you can never feel once you become an adult.”

“…I’m not interested.”

My only concern was Hakdo.

I’ll probably be at Hakdo’s dormitory around this time next year.

My purpose at Hakdo was clear.

To track Alice’s whereabouts.

And if possible, to meet her again and talk at least once.

She left the orphanage of her own will, but it was because the circumstances forced her to do so.

But if I were to meet her, and if she had become a villain as in the original work….

I wanted to change that. I wanted to bring her back to the Alice I knew.