episode_0016

Long ago.

When Siddhartha was trying to awaken to the truth, the three daughters of Mara, the temptress, descended to earth to seduce him.

The beauty of the three sisters was exceptional enough to sway even the hearts of saints.

With a single gesture, people brought forth gold.

With a second gesture, people betrayed their friends.

With a third gesture, people even sacrificed their lives.

Naturally, the three sisters were confident.

No man in this world had been able to resist their seduction, so Siddhartha thought he would be no exception.

But Siddhartha simply ignored them.

“Women filled with nothing but filth.”

He said dismissively.

And now.

I understood his feelings very accurately.

Kwon, Kim, and Lee.

The three women had come to create a rift between me and my teacher, all in the name of pure love.

Of course, there were differences.

First of all, there was only one person among them who had confessed to me and created a variable.

And their appearance was not at the level of Mara’s daughters.

“Although they have a universally accepted beauty…”

Such things were not important to me.

Contrary to Siddhartha’s words, they were nothing but women filled with filth.

At that moment, Kwon spoke to me.

“Hey, are you clueless?”

“What are you talking about.”

She was wearing a hoodie, so I couldn’t tell who she was. She spoke as if she was openly displeased.

“Didn’t you know that Hyeji likes you?”

“What’s her name?”

I said with a slightly annoyed expression. Trying to keep it as simple as possible.

“I already like someone else. It’s not her.”

“Who is it?”

“…”

I couldn’t say.

“Who is it. Tell me.”

Kwon and Kim started to stare at me intently.

There was curiosity in their eyes.

Normally, in such a situation, people would easily open up due to the fear of the crowd. Unable to bear the burden of others looking at them, they would quickly try to avoid the situation.

“It’s not a big deal.”

She twisted her expression. I tried to ignore her and walk past her, but-

“I heard a rumor that you like the homeroom teacher?”

An exceptional situation had arisen.

“Everyone seems to have a good sense…?”

A forced laughter escaped me.

Sometimes a person’s intuition was very sharp, easily discerning the truth without any evidence.

Predicting which stock to buy based on just the company name.

Staying at home out of anxiety and then an accident happening.

Or.

Falling in love just by looking at someone’s expression.

According to my experience working at an investment firm, this intuition was quite accurate.

When you had to take risks, intuition was more trustworthy than data.

“But there’s no real evidence.”

There was no chance of being caught.

I checked the CCTV every day, and there were only a few participants in the night self-study sessions. Whenever we planned to do something, we always closed the curtains and locked the door.

The door was thick. And Yoo Seoyoung’s moans were not loud enough to be heard easily.

“But-”

Everyone knew that Yoo Seoyoung and I were alone in the night self-study sessions every day.

“There’s a slightly friendly atmosphere between us.”

So, this speculation was just a game played by bored kids who had recently started school.

Normally, it could have just been brushed off as a happening, but Yoo Seoyoung’s mental state was a bit fragile, and the fact that she was a teacher made the situation more complicated.

If I denied this, I could hurt Yoo Seoyoung’s feelings.

Our relationship hadn’t properly started yet.

“When you see me, do you feel excited?”

Desperately hoping for it,

A slightly pained expression.

At that moment, I didn’t like the idea of leaving a scar on the bright red sincerity that was being expressed with a hint of hesitation.

“But, it’s risky to be positive.”

No matter how you package it as a one-sided crush, it was all the same.

As soon as she transferred to the school, there were rumors spreading about her getting into a fight with a male student, causing a commotion.

I didn’t care if her life became difficult.

In times like this,

“Who do you think you are?”

Attacking the other party was the best strategy.

I decided to play along a bit, scrunching up my face in a slightly scared expression. Kwun Yang didn’t raise a fist or make any threatening moves, but she seemed intimidating.

“Who do you think you are to talk to the teacher like that? Do you think you can mess with someone who just arrived a week ago?”

“Then who are you? Just tell me…”

“Are you friends with me?”

A look that seemed to say, “Keep pushing me and I’ll kill you.”

Of course, I couldn’t kill a student over something like this. That was the difficult part.

“I don’t want to threaten, but…”

Those kinds of people would defend their own opinions with emotions while using logic to persuade and manipulate situations to their advantage.

Using force was the best option.

“Who… What was her name? Tell her I’m not interested. Clearly.”

“You don’t even know her name? She’s Hyeji. Lee Hyeji. She’s the one you like.”

“…”

I didn’t want to continue the conversation any longer.

Normally, I wouldn’t cut off a conversation like this, but if I was rude, I could.

However, she kept shouting behind me.

“Do you know how annoying you are? She liked you! Since a year ago!”

“What do you want me to do about it?”

A one-sided crush.

If what Kwun Yang said was true, it was a pitiful situation.

But there was nothing I could do.

What could I do?

When someone’s heart doesn’t go in that direction.

This girl had been kind to me a few times in the past, asking me various questions when we were partners…

“I don’t even know her name yet.”

Her presence didn’t register with me.

I was too busy to pay attention to girls like her in the first place.

When I completely ignored her, Kwun Yang gritted her teeth and said,

“Is it right for you to date a teacher? You’re the one who’s wrong!”

That statement… it made me a little angry.

What was wrong?

What was the standard for being wrong?

Would Yoo Suyeong be considered a wrong person in their eyes?

Because she enjoyed diminishing her own dignity,

Because she turned fearful situations into love.

Was Yoo Suyeong a wrong person?

And was I becoming a similar person?

“I’m getting angry. She’s younger than me.”

There weren’t many people who had helped Yoo Suyeong in her past life.

Most human rights activists turned their backs, calling her a “rare case, an exception.”

Some women’s rights groups spewed insults, saying, “Yoo Suyeong has undermined the dignity of women.”

I couldn’t hear what the sexual minorities were saying.

They all joined forces to attack an easy target, turning a blind eye to the truth.

“That’s common sense.”

Because of that common sense,

Yoo Suyeong died.

Anger rose up my spine. I looked at Kwun Yang. She had a loose tongue due to her arrogance.

She had a tendency to be extremely rude because she didn’t imagine being attacked by others.

“Fine. Let’s do something good.”

“You should live properly.”

“…What?”

“Why do you get to judge that my feelings are wrong? Are you smarter than me?”

“…Uh…”

It was taboo to attack someone sexually. In senior year, even if you didn’t study, your grades and future were something to be feared.

The surroundings fell silent.

“…Geez, Jihyun. Stop it…”

Kim Yang, who was next to me, comforted the trembling Kwun Yang. Quiet and looking scared.

Personally, I preferred someone like her as a friend rather than those who were confrontational.

“Your meddling will only cause harm to her in the end.”

“What do you know? Does studying well solve everything? Does having a lot of money solve everything?”

Kwon spoke as if on the verge of tears.

It was an emotional outburst.

“Jihyun! Let’s talk about this later… okay?”

“Be quiet!”

Ignoring Kim’s attempts to stop her, she shouted with a quivering voice.

“Hyegi and I are both from the orphanage! What do you know? At least more than you…”

‘Why is she like this? Seriously.’

Thinking that being in the 3rd year of high school meant being an adult, but they were all mentally younger than expected.

To the extent of revealing that a friend had been in an orphanage.

This needed to be pointed out. If they acted like this in society, they would definitely face consequences.

“You’re going to talk about your friend being from an orphanage?”

“…!”

How many people had fallen from grace with just one word.

“Be careful with your words. You might get stabbed with a knife someday.”

Unable to say anything, he said to Kwon, who was trembling with guilt and shame.

“Love requires mutual consent.”

Whether it’s love or friendship.

Both sides need to agree.

“Tell him. I’m not interested. I’ve made it clear to you. Got it?”

“Uh…”

‘This should be enough to clear things up.’

Kwon, trembling with guilt and shame.

He left her behind and walked away.

‘Please.’

Even if he wasn’t interested in anyone other than Yuseo-young.

He didn’t want to hurt them.

A returnee is a being that creates countless butterfly effects. I wanted to block negative things in advance.

‘So, don’t do anything stupid. Especially you.’

Kwon.

He earnestly pleaded in his heart.

From experience, the more such people are left alone, the more difficult it becomes for those around them.

I just wanted to quietly pass by, so I could remember it as a memory of my school days.

I thought.

After school.

Lee Hyegi. Kwon Jihyun. Kim Doha.

The three girls gathered in one place. It was a kind of strategy meeting.

“Hyegi, what is it that you lack?”

Kwon Jihyun was still fuming. Blaming everything on Baek Seonghyun for hastily criticizing her friend’s family background.

She was the type to create incidents due to her broad-mindedness.

“No, Jihyun… you saw his eyes too… love requires mutual understanding… no matter how you look at it, it seems difficult.”

On the other hand, Kim Doha was trying to stop her. The girl with glasses had helped Lee Hyegi a lot.

She was passive, but at least her judgment was careful.

“Sigh.”

Lee Hyegi swallowed her anger, tilting her head back.

She had lived like a villain.

She had learned that she had to win all the time, or else she would die. In society. In school.

‘Just for receiving chocolates.’

She wasn’t in a position to give chocolates to others.

Three or four boys would always compete with each other, deciding who would give chocolates to whom, and ultimately, Lee Hyegi would make the final decision.

“He likes the homeroom teacher? Did he say that himself?”

“No… that’s…”

“There are rumors about that.”

Lee Hyegi looked at her two friends, who were less pretty than her.

Kwon Jihyun had such a strong personality that the chances of successfully confessing to Lee Hyegi had decreased due to her revealing Lee Hyegi’s family background today.

Kim Doha was thin and passive. She always helped, but it didn’t excite her.

She considered them friends.

But in her mind, she always thought she was better. Especially in terms of appearance.

‘Does he really like the teacher? Probably just a crush.’

She thought about Baek Seonghyun.

Black curly hair.

Tall and muscular physique.

Sitting at the back with a seemingly cold gaze – rejecting all unnecessary attention.

According to rumors, he was also rich.

Why am I doing this in this alternative school?

Lee Hyeji has been interested in him since the second year.

Little by little, she created opportunities.

“But, he still hasn’t noticed me.”

However, the man continued to do his own thing without realizing.

She looked out the window.

Petals unable to withstand the rain were falling.

“How did I live like this.”

A girl in her teens wandered the streets and came to the alternative school with a scholarship. She shed tears when she entered. It was an act.

“I absolutely have nothing I can’t have.”

Although she felt a mysterious charm towards Baek Seonghyun, who ignored her-

She never thought of losing.

“Let’s go.”

“…What?”

Kim Doha asked.

“I’m going to ask.”

“What?”

Kwon Jihyun asked.

“To consult with the homeroom teacher. Whether Baek Seonghyun will accept my confession…”

A fierce determination filled Lee Hyeji’s eyes.

“A sensible teacher would obviously reject it. And he will probably consult with Baek Seonghyun first. But if…”

In the unlikely event, Lee Hyeji’s intuition was seeing through some truth.

“If they have feelings for each other, it should be spread as a rumor.”

She didn’t like it.

She didn’t want it to be taken away.

Even if it wasn’t hers.

She had no intention of enduring it.