episode_0008

Episode 7: Suffocating School Life.

Human relationships were inherently difficult.

From childhood to growing up, it was a natural process of learning.

However, if asked how to make friends, one couldn’t easily answer.

As time passed, friends were made, and they grew apart.

In that sense, human relationships in this upside-down world were truly challenging.

Although the essence remained unchanged.

If the concept changed, what use was the essence?

“Did you watch League of Legends yesterday?”

“Yeah, I did.”

I want to join in.

I want to immerse myself in conversation like crazy.

But I have resigned to the reality that I can’t do that.

The distant conversations of the girls sound more comfortable.

I want to burst out right now, but I can’t because of the guys still lingering around me.

The first-year students at Hwarang Academy weren’t that many.

It was an environment mixed with college and high school.

So, looking at the class distribution.

5 classes. Among them, the first-year Class 3 had about 24 students.

The gender ratio was roughly balanced, with around 12 boys and 12 girls.

Among the six gathered together, attention naturally focused on them.

Or is it because of my face?

It felt like I was being stared at blatantly by the girls in the same class.

Their shy glances, knowing it’s impolite to stare directly, were quite cute.

“Hyunsoo, the homeroom teacher is calling you, right?”

“Oh, really?”

Being accustomed to conversations among guys, this conversation felt awkward.

Right now.

Hyunsoo, who usually talked a lot, left his seat, leaving four of us behind.

“Hyunsoo, isn’t it a bit overwhelming?”

“He talks a lot.”

“…”

I have nothing to say.

I just kept my mouth shut and didn’t intervene.

Naturally, when people interact, there are bound to be those you don’t like.

But did it have to come to this extent?

For someone who has been rough around the edges, getting used to this was difficult.

Over the past few days, I found out that the three of us, excluding Hyunsoo, were on good terms.

Like neighborhood friends?

Not that we were extremely close.

We sometimes fostered camaraderie by gossiping about Hyunsoo.

Well, it’s not like their way of interacting is wrong…

Why do they act differently in front of me?

“Hyunsoo is still kind.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“Right. Sein is also kind.”

I’m not sure what makes them kind.

An uncomfortable atmosphere filled the air.

A sense of discomfort naturally arose.

I never thought of Sein as a guy from a past life, but isn’t he too different!

Just when I started feeling weird, their gazes exchanged.

“Sein, I’m going to the restroom. Do you want to come?”

“Nah, it’s okay. You guys go.”

Why are they going to the restroom together?

After waving my hand a couple of times, the others headed to the restroom. Finally, I was left alone.

If they were true friends, I could stay with them as much as I wanted.

Conversations like walking on thorns… Ugh. It drained all my energy.

“Sigh…”

At that moment, I felt a gaze from somewhere.

Not too far away.

It was Jung Ayoung sitting diagonally across from me.

Our eyes met through the strands of hair covering her forehead.

“Hi.”

“Oh, uh, hi…”

What’s so surprising?

Jung Ayoung, who was startled, looked at me blankly.

[You have gained 3 points!]

She feels happy just from making eye contact?

As I tilted my head in confusion at the points increasing,

a hologram appeared.

[You have gained 5 points.]

[You have gained 8 points.]

What’s with the points going up?

At that moment, Jung Ah-young’s lips twisted slyly. It might look cute if she smiled. A sinister vibe could be felt all the way here, sending shivers down my spine.

[You have earned 10 points.]

Damn. What kind of imagination is she having!

In the end, I couldn’t help but avoid her gaze.

Although I was looking elsewhere, I could still hear the unsettling sound ringing in my ears.

The sound of points increasing.

It was a bit eerie to just like it blindly.

So about half a day passed.

There was a small storm in Class 3 of the first grade.

“Hey~ We’re going to change seats, so pair up with someone you want!”

It was a result made through voting in a democratic society.

It seemed to be the homeroom teacher’s consideration for students to partner up with someone they wanted to get close to, especially since it was the first month.

Originally, it was probably an effort to prevent students from feeling left out.

But since most of the class raised their hands, the current situation was created.

And then.

During a brief break, students began to look for someone they wanted to partner with.

I could feel the girls’ gazes, but it was hard to pay attention.

There wasn’t a brave enough girl to come up to me and suggest partnering up.

Besides, there were boys surrounding me from the start.

“Sein, let’s partner up. With me.”

“No, partner with me.”

I hate these guys…

With the academy being so free, there weren’t many strict rules.

They just let things flow naturally and advised not to cause trouble?

Feeling mentally confused by the attention from the boys.

If it was just pure kindness, it would be better.

The way they looked at me felt like… I was some kind of decoration.

Because I’m pretty and good-looking.

If you keep me by your side, you’ll attract more attention?

It might seem too twisted, but that was the impression.

What friend goes around gossiping like that.

Anyway, the unique tension still existed.

This was the homework of the odd-numbered group.

Since even numbers couldn’t pair up, eventually, there was someone left out.

Hyun-soo, the most approachable one, seemed to be the target.

Everyone’s eyes were on Hyun-soo.

Their gazes weren’t entirely friendly.

A cold and heavy atmosphere began to settle in.

Hyun-soo glanced around with a bewildered expression before looking down.

Just as he was about to speak…

“I’ll sit separately, you guys sit together.”

“No, what if our Seini is left out?”

Surprisingly, that was sincere.

However, the guys in the group felt a sense of relief.

The moment I volunteered to sit separately.

I could see their expressions change.

They had been cautious around Hyun-soo because…

Perhaps they were afraid of becoming like him?

Anyway.

I slowly got up from my seat.

We had been in the middle of a conversation, so some time had passed.

One could say I was lucky.

The new semester had arrived for Class 3 of the first grade.

It was a situation where everyone had to choose one person they wanted to get close to.

If I had rushed out from the beginning to find a partner, the girls full of jealousy would have swarmed in.

It was actually better this way.

“Jung Ah-young, right?”

“Uh…”

The stares of other students gathered.

There was only one student left.

It was Jung Ah-young.

The student everyone avoided.

Even if she wanted to get closer, she was afraid of being associated with Kim Hyung-min’s group.

To her, who was like that, I spoke.

“Haven’t found a partner yet?”

“Huh…”

I raised my head and looked around.

I could see students already paired up in twos.

There were no more stragglers.

Since it was a combination of those who were initially rejected and those who were alone from the start.

There was no reason why it wouldn’t work out.

“Then partner with me.”

“Huh…?”

[You have earned 3 points.]

Doesn’t she know how to speak?

She’s like a vending machine for points.

However, even without the hologram’s words, her emotions were perceptible.

She was smiling.

A tremendously somber and sinister smile.

“Sein… Let’s just tell the teacher.”

“What?”

At that moment, one of the male students who had been conversing with me approached.

He seemed somewhat concerned, hesitating.

But I wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away.

“Well…”

I couldn’t say it.

If I revealed Jeong A-yeong’s location here, I would become trash.

That’s how society fundamentally operated. It’s difficult to speak the truth.

“It’s okay. Thanks for worrying.”

“Yeah…”

[You have gained 2 points.]

‘Why now?’

[Self-reproach.]

I understood.

Even without a subject, surely anyone could grasp the intent of the conversation.

Slightly grim, she believed that she too possessed a normal way of thinking.

Anyway.

As time passed, the homeroom teacher entered.

Since the partners had already been chosen, the seating arrangement was at the discretion of the teacher.

To be precise, it was a system where seats were chosen according to a drawing using a cannon program.

As it was a simple luck-based system, there wasn’t a single student who resisted.

“Let’s get along well for a month, partner.”

“Uh… S-Se…”

“Hansein. That’s my name.”

“Got it. Sein.”

Good response.

It felt like she wasn’t inherently strange, despite enduring harassment.

***

“Hey, let’s go together.”

“You go alone.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Why are you getting mad? You said you’d do it.”

Kang Hyeon-a and Park Hyo-rin were bickering as usual today.

Kim Hyeong-min’s instruction to bring Jeong A-yeong along.

Hyo-rin volunteered again today to win his favor.

However, feeling like she was working alone, she found herself making contradictory statements.

From Hyeon-a’s perspective, the situation was understandably baffling.

But in Korean, you have to listen until the end.

“Hyungmin is coming too.”

“Ah, darn…”

This changes things.

As long as Kim Hyeong-min was involved, they had to move almost involuntarily.

Hyeon-a looked at her smartphone with a bitter expression.

[The general waited in the wheat field.]

She had to put down the novel she was thoroughly enjoying.