episode_0021

“Future, Seohu, have a safe trip!”

“Mom, you have to come to the daycare right away after school! You can’t go anywhere else!”

“Okay, I’ll go right away.”

A future that keeps looking back even as it moves away.

“The future is falling, so you have to look ahead and move forward!”

When he shouted because the sight seemed dangerous, Mirae finally looked ahead and walked side by side with Seohu.

“We’re getting along well.”

The man in the driver’s seat smiled happily as he looked at the children’s backs.

“You’re getting along well, Mirae and Seohoo.”

“No, two mothers and daughters.”

The old man glanced at me through the rearview mirror. It wasn’t much different from the way he looked at the children.

When I’m with Mirae, I feel like I’m an adult for a long time, but when I’m with my uncle, I feel like a child again, and I get playful for no reason.

“Are you jealous?”

“No, I’m also close with Seo-hu?”

“Does that kind of person fight like that over a slice of pizza?”

Yesterday, I went next door and ordered pizza. The old man always orders pizza on his days off or the day before he takes a day off. He thinks it’s a reward for himself or something.

In particular, the man who had come back from his wedding anniversary trip was very skinny, so he looked like he really needed to eat something.

Anyway, because he liked pizza so much, he got to the point where he would run around carrying a slice of pizza to eat it because he didn’t want his son to steal it from him.

“We fight because we are close.”

“That’s right… .”

And because he was so good at talking, there was no way I could dig into it. The two of them definitely looked like they were having fun chasing each other over a slice of pizza.

“Have a nice day, Haru.”

“Yes, sir, you too, get some rest!”

While we were chatting about this and that, we arrived in front of the school before we knew it. I nodded to the man who had given me a ride and headed to the classroom.

* * *

“Okay, gather in pairs. The performance evaluation is almost here.”

1st period, physical education.

It’s a hellish schedule. They even pair up and play volleyball to prepare for performance assessments.

Of course, since it was free practice time, no one would stay until the end, but the problem was that they had to pair up.

The students began to gather one by one, as if they were connected by telepathy. However, no one approached me. I couldn’t move easily because I knew that if I went first, they would feel uncomfortable.

These two people are the ones who have the upper hand in our class. We can’t go against their wishes.

Besides, since there were an odd number of women, I ended up being the only one left.

“Teacher… .”

“That… Anyway, the performance evaluation is based on the number of times you bounced off. Do you know what I mean?”

Maybe it’s because it’s morning, but the teacher looks very tired. It looks like he wants to go into the teachers’ office and rest right away.

Yeah, it’s easier to do it alone.

“Yes… .”

“Okay, then don’t slack off and practice well. When the bell rings, you’ll all go in!”

“Yes!”

The teacher yawned heavily and went into the teachers’ office.

“Then 1st period PE is really fun? What kind of basketball is this, Morning Go?”

“Okay. Stop it.”

Some of the boys looked around furtively and disappeared into a dark place, while the rest of the boys ran to the empty playground with soccer balls. The performance assessment was basketball, but the basketball court was empty.

“Hey, can you just go in?”

“If you get caught by Baekda, you’ll get in trouble.”

Baekda. Baek Da-jeong, the student council president. A teacher with a pretty name but a very scary appearance and a buzz cut.

“Well, it seems like the nagging will go on longer.”

The girls who had been grumbling in groups of three or five sat on the steps near the podium, fixing their makeup or taking out their cell phones.

In the meantime, I didn’t have the courage to just bounce a volleyball by myself, so I sat far away from the kids and watched the boys play soccer.

“Kim Chul pass, aaaah!! This kid is fucking triangular!”

“No, soccer shoes are like dogs!”

“What the fuck is wrong with your soccer shoes! I can do better than you even if I wear trash shoes!”

It hadn’t even been a few minutes since they started, but the students were already blaming each other and the other person. Watching them, I was reminded of my school days.

“Sigh… .”

I sighed when I thought about it. If I had known girls’ minds better, I might have been able to resolve the relationship a little better. In that sense, it was much easier when I was a boy. Boys don’t fight emotionally.

I’d rather pretend to be crazy and run with you.

Wouldn’t they like it if I suddenly barged in? Even if they called me a crazy bitch, wouldn’t they be able to get over it cheerfully?

In the end, it was all a delusion. I guess I’ll just stand there, helpless in the chilly atmosphere. It’s fortunate that the soccer game doesn’t get interrupted.

“Haaa… .”

“Why are you sighing like that?”

“Oh, no… .”

As I was sighing as if the ground was falling apart, a male student sat down next to me and spoke to me comfortably.

He had black hair that reached down to his eyebrows. His skin was white and clean-cut, and he was tall and slender. He looked like a boy who would appear in a book called ‘The Classics of Handsome Men.’

“But who… .”

“2nd class Do Hyung-seok. Do you remember?”

A kid who introduced himself as Do Hyeong-seok suddenly started talking. Class 2 was our class, but… At least in my memory, Do Hyeong-seok didn’t exist.

“… I’m sorry.”

He asked so confidently that I couldn’t help but apologize.

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about. Naricho Iharu. Right?”

“Huh, huh? It’s true that Naricho came out… .”

“Class 2, Grade 4. The teacher with glasses! Don’t you remember?”

Do Hyeong-seok continued speaking with a bright smile.

“You had really long bangs back then. You must have had a hard time recognizing me.”

My heart started to feel anxious as my past was revealed. It looks like we were elementary school classmates… .

Shape stone, shape stone… .

“Ah… !”

I clapped my hands together. When I thought about who Do Hyeong-seok was, I vaguely remembered something.

“The kid who ran away while teasing me, saying I looked like a ghost!”

When I gathered up my courage and greeted him, he suddenly ran away, saying I was a ghost, and then asked me with a serious expression why I was acting so friendly. That kid’s name was Do Hyeong-seok. I remembered it because it was so unfair and shocking.

“Did I do that?”

“You were just running away when I asked you seriously why you were acting friendly!”

“That’s what happened? Really?”

“Really. It was the first time I said hello.”

I think I was in elementary school. I didn’t do anything in particular, but when I look back, I remember a lot of things. At the time, the kids weren’t avoiding me openly, and I think I was just avoiding them because I was so serious.

“But honestly, back then, you looked like a ghost. Your hair was really long.”

“But it’s not a ghost.”

“You… were hurt a lot?”

“No, that’s not it. A little bit… .”

So we talked about various things, bringing up anecdotes from our elementary school days.

The story of a kid who ran away in fear during a choir competition and was caught.

The story of a child who broke his nose while playing dodgeball and had to have plastic surgery.

Stories about rabbits raised behind the school, etc.

Since we were just sharing memories, I was able to enjoy a comfortable conversation for the first time in a while. Maybe I found someone I could talk to comfortably after Hanna Yeon.

“But why are you here? You’re not even in our class.”

“I’m out of the gym and picking up trash right now. What the heck does a tech home economics student have to do with volunteer work?”

“Whether it matters or not, if you pick it up, you have to pick it up.”

“Oh, is this Haru being sincere?”

In the voice of the clever Do Hyeong-seok, I could feel a part that was hard and crumbling like stone powder.

“… This day.”

“Why.”

“It’s so much fun being with you.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Because it somehow felt like it matched my expectations exactly, I ended up blurting out an answer without realizing it.

“Leeharu.”

“… Why.”

“I think we’re a good match. Should we try dating?”

And, as expected, my prediction was not off the mark.

Why is it so easy for kids these days to confess? Do good-looking people just believe in their looks? Are they men who don’t know failure?

“Sorry, let’s stop talking here. We’ll be done soon.”

I want you to think about my position as the one who has to give you your first failure… .

Thanks to Do Hyeong-seok, I somehow managed to get through the painful gym class, but the ending was quite bitter.

“Yeah, it’s a bit sudden. But think about it a little more.”

“No, I’ll decline. No matter how many times you ask, it’s the same, so don’t waste your energy… .”

“I know. But I’m telling you to think about it. Then let’s go.”

Dohyeongseok said what he wanted to say and ran towards his class.

“Hey, Iharu.”

At the same time, two girls from the same class blocked my path. Kang Min-jeong and Jang Ju-hee. They were the girls who had recently started hanging out with Hyun-seo.

What the heck, is this a tournament?

Even at first glance, the atmosphere was not good, and the gazes of Hyunseo and Minji glancing from a distance were not at all pleasant.

“Why…?”

“Are you crazy?”

It looked like they were going to slap me right away. But I hadn’t done anything wrong to deserve this treatment from them.

“No. I’m not that crazy… .”

“Ha, this is crazy.”

I tried to speak my mind, but it ended up having the opposite effect. Still, I felt a little better.

“Look at Joohee’s shameless behavior while flirting with her boyfriend. Do you like it? If you give it to her, men will crawl to you, so do you think you’re some kind of person?”

… What the hell are you talking about now?

I began to doubt whether we were really speaking the same language.

I know that the kids are whispering behind my back that I’m a rag. Of course, it would be a lie if I said I didn’t care, but it’s also true that there’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m putting up with it. Above all, I’m able to endure it because there are people who know that it’s not true.

But what the hell does this mean? Whose boyfriend am I flirting with?

“Ugh… You fucking bitch… What are you going to do with Do Hyung-seok…!”

Jang Joo-hee couldn’t speak because she was so in love. I wanted to cry too, but I held it in.

“Do Hyung-seok is a piece of trash too, so if you’re going to do it, do it nicely. Don’t harm others.”

There is no disagreement that Dohyeongseok is a piece of trash. However, I felt so wronged that I wanted to grab him by the hair and have a big fight.

“Why are your eyes so wide? Well, you’re a slut who lives off of your pride, so you’re going to get screwed. Why, you’re getting cursed at? That’s why you should’ve watched your opponent carefully and then swung your tail.”

Just ignore her. She won’t listen to me anyway. Even if I grab her by the hair and bang her in the ear, she’ll pretend not to hear.

“That rag bitch… .”

But humans are not creatures that can only move according to reason. Anyway, there is nowhere else to fall. What’s the point of fighting here and going home and hugging the future and sleeping?

First strike, first kill. If I overpower him with momentum, I can finish him off without getting hurt.

“Leeharu.”

As I woke up with that thought, a familiar voice came from above my head.

When I raised my head, I saw cold, sunken eyes. Today, too, Hanna Yeon, who had her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, was staring blankly at the girls standing in front of me.

“Fuck, look at how you’re taking care of Hannah Yeon and running a school together… .”

◦ Let’s go.

The girls backed away with their faces distorted. When I turned my gaze back to the second floor window, I saw Hanna Yeon lowering her head as if she was being scolded for being noisy.

“Hanna Yeon… .”

If it weren’t for Hanna Yeon, we would have fought right there.

Overpowering them with momentum? That’s ridiculous. What’s more, there are two opponents, and if anything, there will be more children. Did I plan on facing the future with bloodshot eyes?

A future where I would be greeted with tears after being beaten up so badly. Thinking about that future made my heart swell with chills.

I’m really glad that Hanna Yeon stopped me. Thinking about it that way, I felt a little better.

“Don’t talk loudly during class, idiot!!”

I waved my hands wildly and shouted. The kids were startled by my sudden loud voice and started muttering at me, but I didn’t really care about what other people thought.

Because Hanna Yeon was watching me. Because Hanna Yeon caught me when I almost went astray. Just knowing that fact gave me great strength.

A pure white arm suddenly popped out of the window and swung up and down. It looked like it was patting me on the back, so the corners of my mouth kept twitching.

Ding, dong, dang, dong~♬

Just then the bell rang.

I ran inside the school as soon as the bell rang, because I wanted to meet my lovely friend as soon as possible.

Ah, should I stop by the store and buy one Chuchu bun? No, let’s buy five. Today, for Hanna Yeon, no matter how many Chuchu buns you buy, it won’t be a waste.

But as is the case with most things in life, not everything went as I expected.

“Lee Haru, follow me to the student guidance office.”

The bullies are really fierce today.