episode_0011

Episode 10: An Unordinary Man, A Woman Striving to be Ordinary.

Friday was a day that brought joy to someone.

To the office worker, it was like a golden weekend.

To the student immersed in studies, it meant a more leisurely tomorrow.

A day of joy that most could relate to.

That day was none other than Friday.

However, for Kang Hyeon-a, it was a day that didn’t quite apply.

Kim Hyeong-min was unusually more sensitive than usual.

Although there was nothing particularly wrong, Park Hyo-rin heard something unnecessary.

It wasn’t as if she had scolded Kang Hyeon-a directly.

It was more like a scratch of sorts.

Isn’t that so?

Doing well at work and handling tasks without issues as usual.

But then, facing unexpected problems due to trivial reasons.

For Kang Hyeon-a, that time was now.

It would take quite a while before dawn broke.

So, what now?

The only variable was none other than Han Se-in.

Two days had passed since she first saw him.

However, his life had changed completely.

Just like the others.

Kim Hyeong-min had marked Han Se-in as more than an ordinary toy.

His household and background.

Where he lived and the environment he was in.

Compared to other toys, one could say he progressed very rapidly.

As evidence, his academic life began deteriorating in real-time.

Students who used to be close now ignored him.

From Kang Hyeon-a’s perspective, it was a bitter experience.

Love at first sight?

Something she had seen in many novels, something she longed for had actually happened, but she couldn’t express her feelings.

The cold reality was such.

Han Se-in, the toy marked by Kim Hyeong-min.

It was definitely an unchallengeable fate.

He would surely suffer, and collapse endlessly.

Human suffering could be broadly divided into two categories.

First, physical pain originating from the body.

And second,

Mental anguish stemming from the mind.

Kang Hyeon-a often experienced the latter type of pain.

It was natural. The man who made her heart flutter for the first time was destined to be an ‘owner’ she couldn’t resist.

Like everyone else,

Kang Hyeon-a didn’t want to endure mental suffering.

Thus, a natural rationalization began.

In reality,

Kang Hyeon-a had never been infatuated with Han Se-in.

He was just a mysterious man she happened to see.

They had never even had a conversation.

In other words, Kang Hyeon-a began organizing her feelings.

She tried her best to calm her troubled heart by attaching various reasons to sort out her affection for him.

However,

“Oh, sorry. Are you okay?”

Somewhere not too far away,

Kang Hyeon-a looked towards a secluded spot with Kim Hyeong-min.

Han Se-in and Jeong Ah-young were having a meal together.

Just as a sense of envy started creeping into Kang Hyeon-a’s heart,

Under Kim Hyeong-min’s direction, Park Hyo-rin began pouring milk.

On Han Se-in’s forehead,

Apple juice spilled as if by accident.

It was a fact known to everyone that it wasn’t an accident.

Should we say the genre itself is changing?

Silence fell over the previously ordinary cafeteria at the academy.

An evident scene of school violence.

Yet, no one said a word.

Everyone knew who orchestrated the current situation.

Who was behind it all, but no one voiced it out loud.

Kang Hyeon-a gently closed her eyes.

It wasn’t because she couldn’t bear to see Han Se-in in pain.

It was just a momentary closure.

Was it a coincidence?

Amidst the chaotic situation, Kang Hyeon-a’s mind began filling with the contents of a novel.

The most recent one she had read and one that had left a lasting impression.

[Boogoon waited in the wheat field.]

The heroine and protagonist of that novel.

The story of a man who was the main character.

The time when the female protagonist ran away.

In other words, for ten years, he lived as an outsider in the family.

Despite unfair treatment and persecution,

he maintained the dignity of a noble and that of an outsider.

Kang Hyun-ah found the most impressive figure and situation.

It’s the unwavering spirit that a man who is weak and almost feeble can show.

“Okay, it’s okay.”

“…?”

Kang Hyun-ah opened his eyes.

He doubted the sounds he heard

and the situation he saw.

Han Se-in’s voice remained steady.

Han Se-in’s expression did not falter.

A situation that seemed to torment anyone.

In the face of Park Hyo-rin, a person stronger and more intimidating than himself,

Han Se-in confidently asserted his will.

Like a true heroine and protagonist from a novel,

holding a dignified position as the protagonist’s spouse.

Although soaked in milk,

Han Se-in did not yield to Park Hyo-rin’s momentum and shone brightly.

“It’s okay, go.”

“Uh, uh…”

So flustered,

even Park Hyo-rin moved with a bewildered expression.

Milk dripped through his black hair.

From head to neck.

Even though his clothes were getting wet, he forced himself to swallow the food.

His expression remained unaffected.

Kang Hyun-ah couldn’t say anything.

However, in her mind, numerous toys flashed by.

Kim Hyung-min’s toys.

At least nine years.

Countless people were broken and worn out.

He stood by them and witnessed many people.

However, Kang Hyun-ah had never seen such a shining presence.

Everyone trembled with anxiety and fear,

eager to escape this pain as soon as possible.

Confidently, like the male protagonist of the novel she read,

the dazzling person stirred a great wave in Kang Hyun-ah’s heart.

-Thump, thump.

The effort to rationalize things

began to fluctuate again.

Kang Hyun-ah, 20 years old.

As an adult and student in South Korea,

she began to dream of an unrealistic romance.

***

“Oh, ugh…”

The pungent smell rising.

The smell of sour milk was hard to get used to.

No matter how much it was spring, it was still cold.

Inside the academy was warm, so no problem there.

The issue was returning home.

-Shhh.

First, tie up your hair lightly.

Rather spill water than waste expensive milk like this.

Thinking back to the cafeteria work still made her teeth chatter.

If her points hadn’t gone up, it would have been prime “outcast” time.

Anyway.

A sigh echoed in the quiet restroom.

What to do with the clothes.

Regretting not taking precautions, now faced with damp shirts and sweaters.

Not all were wet, but the milky smell made it hard to wear them.

The only fortunate thing was that the infirmary was nearby?

“…Will it be okay?”

Not really.

Se-in, who had lived in this world, nodded his head doing his best.

Of course, the remaining knowledge said so,

but the subject was the previous life’s Se-in.

Wasn’t there a short-sleeved shirt?

Wiping off the milk, removing the slightly damp part would solve the problem.

Wearing a uniform with a sour smell?

Oh, just the thought of it is repulsive.

Nevertheless, there were solutions.

Since there was a health room on the first floor, he decided to head there first.

He felt awkward for no reason.

Well.

The current world and body were completely reversed.

Even if he had lived in a past life, it was difficult to say it was entirely him.

The flushed cheeks felt unnecessarily warm.

It was also shiver-inducing cold.

[Please be careful not to catch a cold. You have a weak body.]

Oh, really?

So it was just because it was cold?

Well, the restroom itself tends to be cool.

That could be the reason.

Anyway,

With one hand still in my school uniform, I open the door and head down the hallway.

During the remaining lunch break, the eyes of female students are fixed on me.

However, I paid no attention to that.

To be precise, it’s more like I didn’t show any reaction.

Regardless of what others may think or say,

I simply head towards the infirmary.

Ignoring the murmurs and stares from the boys.

– Knock, knock.

It was the longest two minutes ever.

Some girls were looking at me blatantly, and even a few teachers seemed to space out, blinking their eyes.

Anyway,

After entering the infirmary, I successfully borrowed a blanket as originally intended.

When I mentioned that it got wet by mistake, the male nurse just handed me the blanket without saying a word.

Rumors spread more than one would expect.

Wasn’t he just another typical adult?

My steps back to class were quite light as it was already Friday.

No need to worry about what to wear tomorrow.

The problem was that there were still about three classes left to finish.

Lost in various thoughts as I returned to class, the whispering voices of the male students stopped.

Were they talking about me?

Seeing the displeased expression on my dear partner Jung Ah-young’s face, it seemed to be true.

As I slowly approached her side, a worried voice reached my ears.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“What is it?”

“T-The milk…”

“It wasn’t your fault though?”

“Still…”

Her rising tone reflected her feelings.

She probably thought it was her mistake.

I didn’t correct that thought.

Just continued the conversation.

“It’s okay. You can do the laundry at home, and I’ve got the blanket.”

“T-T-T-That…”

“Yeah?”

“H-Hurry and close…!”

I gently unfolded the blanket to reveal the inside.

A damp, uncomfortable t-shirt.

Although it wasn’t nudity, Ah-young’s reaction was beyond imagination.

-Drip…

The sound of dripping nose mucus.

I couldn’t help but be flustered as well.