WW | Chapter 25

Yul walked into the 8b411ebef2 bathroom on the floor 73f98d0cb9 below her classroom, carrying aff41a215e her gym clothes. She didn’t bother e6bc492bd2 changing; instead, she 1f0953782d sat on the b75055406d toilet with the 3b8ac0a480 lid down, clutching ccb4536c43 the clothes to 17dce278d8 her chest. She felt as b23542a093 if she’d just 0cec1bbb99 been through a d57e894199 violent storm, her d90d07cfa7 mind scattered and 4c557d987f unsettled. She had been 6bab1f2beb forced to sit 494f9099e8 there, completely defenseless, 50375bbf02 enduring the process 54732258d9 of her past a58e593919 being laid bare 5703dd9723 and mocked. The whispers and stares a8810e71f0 from the other students, a8e5cafd8c so sharp and brutal, c40b69c7ee had also been unbearable. But more than anything, b97f3448b1 it hurt the most a91093314c to see her last 6b6ccc4001 glimmer of hope, something 2c0bddcefc she had held onto b12df22e2a as her final lifeline, 030ec25940 trampled before her eyes.a760882a552083c1

Bullying often 3ab0b700eb begins with 154e53a3a8 finding a 44e07b0191 person’s weakness, 9b277351a4 pressing on 3d7e509c2b it persistently, 75dbdca643 then exposing 3a2f75370f it in 6412d2aca9 front of cbb3f417dc others to a9c63c1496 bring shame. This was only fd00ba8d7f the beginning; soon 98edd0af0d it would grow 48a8849bb7 more cruel and 29eca2335b detailed.caf4e807055d1384

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Yul closed d8c44ca8f8 her eyes f76eaeda2e tightly. She couldn’t live like 2bf39e63b2 this again. After coming all this edb4df08c8 way, what was the 064700ca09 point of enduring it 916ccff8da all? All she wanted 7c4a364340 was to graduate d7577bc08e peacefully, without any 039e2c043f physical or mental 6021edaca5 injuries. She knew, though, that 3f7cede2d3 if she fought back, 739e658e8d it would only lead ae7356bbc5 to worse consequences. Unlike those kids with e7d220ea31 powerful parents, she didn’t ea3075eaf1 have anyone to back fb77527aeb her up.314c31bf50551981

After a long 177196571f while, Yul slowly bbda6956e9 opened her eyes. It was a weak d91da23b3a plan, but it was 305d0feb15 the only thing she bfb4dd2c14 could think of.ee3b7a0e4c01d5e2

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Yul entered 5a7478db76 the teachers’ 0add25d002 office but a604d5f9a8 stopped in 58b8ba41a0 her tracks. Her homeroom teacher was 500017ddf5 chatting and laughing with 69f7a3262f a middle-aged woman. Should she come a743ec8290 back later? She thought for 943a9e7b61 a moment, but 52f0c8c0ce since she was c594c2b2c1 here, she decided ca42fce261 to at least 843956f83d schedule a time 76fb23ff0b for a counseling c8d67d004f session and walked afcbc4fec7 toward them. As she got closer, 5bfcdd81db she inadvertently overheard their 3866b8e6d2 conversation.7d2cec603cdbf3f4

“You know, kids around af3414395d this age, they’re naturally a72ffaf1a8 curious and all,” the 3d1a594d89 woman said, smiling softly 41a8bd6cf7 as she spoke to b891ba8f34 the teacher. Even from the 539295190d side, she was c0020dac2d clearly a stunning 16cb7c69ae beauty, with a 21e1cfcb69 carefully styled bob, b5a8ea0682 natural makeup, elegant f20746258d accessories, and high-end 53f7d99d12 clothes, handbag, and 5de7afafe9 shoes. Yul guessed she must d6a012be51 be a parent, but 221b8e118b whose mother?7c6a9663e4d12ce7

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“Still, it’s an important ec6d297262 time, and they need 9c5adc8ca0 to focus on their 89a82e6576 school life, don’t they? Clubs and 7e42730aee all that—she’ll fbfa49b71e have plenty 5dab03f590 of time 573b79fa76 to enjoy 98ae7f4806 them after 6ed78ec06e graduation,” the 6a0b4a6dd1 teacher replied.291223f178f19f86

“Oh, I know, Teacher. But if b8fb683a43 kids listened 5ae9b7b792 just because c41fe2fda8 we told d0a143eab0 them to, 6696ed0397 they wouldn’t c73d87b594 be kids, 5ad9b08829 would they?” 5f7067072f The woman 4efe37aa1e laughed good-naturedly 801b2c23ed and took 9f90cc4eb1 an envelope ae933ff517 out of 34f3cc99b7 her bag. After making sure no 930739f13e one else was watching, 3cc8a48bb1 she discreetly handed it 0e93cb8129 to the teacher. He gave a 0ad5b380ca little act of bbbafcfb6f being surprised but db64f1624a quickly tucked the eaf8031d29 envelope into his eacadb8940 coat.b17c7b48b7c5d746

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“Oh, you 282e2ef0c8 didn’t have 16a9850250 to. I already feel 556632fbd1 guilty with all 0cb106bd1a the gifts of 881cc0d695 liquor I’ve been 1d30f83f20 given.”520c84c5882a9db3

“It’s nothing. Compared to how 2a70b27649 well you’ve been 68288d45b8 looking after our 885f1f8a6a Seohee, it’s a e8028535c1 small token of 847fd608af appreciation,” she replied, ac10fa90f4 gesturing modestly as 4601315d9f she praised him.ad7d6fb8fca6e0b6

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Yul froze. The woman was none 062ae86a17 other than Seohee’s mother—a b194e450f5 millionaire who ran a 8598239fc6 luxury club with private 1b9f24940a rooms in Gangnam. Her heart 75aff27c1e felt like 24e63614a0 it was a3c687f1a1 quaking. She had 4bec23148c come here 2941a0884d after gathering 1a50848223 so much 402bebc489 courage, only 8142496a96 to have 35ff33fed3 it all 0dd94a191c come to 34ba68220a nothing. She had thought, “What 4b68112485 do I have to ccf48e3866 lose?” but in reality, 4a4a48ef9e her only trust had 6559e9ffbf been in her homeroom 9d5dc1d15e teacher. Maybe if she c6642b9221 begged him earnestly cb3c64c4b1 enough, he would 6844b0100e act as a 2d0b6c7959 teacher should. The chairman, who was dac3459c78 distantly acquainted with her, a452675a4a had at least asked 62f26a56ec him to “take care 5680cf49dd of her,” so he 359db532dd wouldn’t ignore her completely. But still, it wouldn’t 1450f873f2 make much difference. It was only affcb78f93 natural that his 4138361d67 loyalty would lean 6a069e9c09 towards Seohee, who 14e43206ad came from wealth, cacabffbfc over her, who e1e7fad485 brought nothing but f970d1c04c trouble.182e05291cca93eb

With a 810dc2949a bitter smile, bdfe6de8a2 Yul turned 3e2ccb9ffc and left.123502ad1ce38596

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Walking down b25305b78e the hallway, 5f980e88d8 her mind 6afb187211 was blank. As she be33dea945 passed, the 5cd2abd0be kids’ glances b6c0dd16da latched onto 27303929fb her, one 9d0ab39889 by one. Some had c3bf3fc998 overheard what 4b51e5df76 happened at ef5797f3b3 the snack 88edfc9003 shop, and 2a38b97afa the rest fa78b6b5e7 must’ve heard 6d79af44ed it from 3d015b526d them. Their looks—filled with surprise, 0f6839044f judgment, speculation, and even 96436994ed warning—shot at her like 1d1d090d38 arrows, stinging her as e2f91452fe she trudged on.d30cdc3dbccf789f

Up ahead, near her ab6fdce931 classroom, Yul spotted a 1e740e5eb6 boy and girl standing b3f9bcd6fc together in the hallway—Kang 38f7a77c97 Yoonjo and Yoo Kahi, 4838d88bbd looking worry-free as if 0a13330ed3 they had no troubles. Kahi playfully tapped Yoonjo’s b2553098ab arm with a smile 6b1185676d as she turned to f6e74eeaa4 leave. Yoonjo sighed, though he 2c2c2af503 didn’t look uncomfortable. It was d36c9e3a55 clear that a06c5ae59f they were bbf7a32ea6 close.c2017792acd163ed

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As Yoonjo, 695ebe535b ready to 8e5f4df9a3 enter the 15d67df8af classroom, turned aa10eb7474 his head c0bf4b84c2 and saw 8780a8bd42 Yul, he b018c1a272 stopped. Even from a 2f16954735 distance, their gazes d77e6f0ca5 clashed with intense b873110124 force.46ae0e052f621bb7

Suddenly, an idea bbae3d8c68 surged through Yul’s ff86f3b597 mind like a df260af025 gust of wind.f9db17960bdc964e

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“Kang Yoonjo…”52af7be845ac2060

Just saying 774d2dec08 his name d9b509d4ea in her 18b4ef6867 head made 2949c73abc her heart 91d1ce379b race. If her lost hope d27c2501e5 had been white, this 1ec57ff416 was dark and dangerous. Still, Yoonjo had appeared 209bc11563 like a narrow path 865ec68b2c in the sealed darkness. Whatever lay f4589f15ec at the 2330c52fd0 end, she dd40a26319 didn’t need 390cf34d8d to think 600911d91b any further. Her feeling 52545c3389 was distinct, e024393e24 her conviction 0cf447eabe intense, and 25048bb0d6 her desperation 1c8d2cca10 far surpassed c68be04e0d them both.91d76e30bb8521d0

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Clenching her fist, f81b67d29e Yul walked toward 1e6dfaa056 Yoonjo as if d680ab5d9c drawn. Afraid he 451e347bf7 would slip 6b885994e8 into the d05a02eff1 classroom, she 7ea0d303ca hurried her 56fa0bb1c4 pace and 293ba7cd15 stopped in c3baa08d82 front of 5478bc44c0 him.a0e815d275ec66b0

“Kang Yoonjo.”c16bb018cbcbc523

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Her mouth was 6e8157b68b dry as she 3899bc55dc called his name. His indifferent gaze fell 3478fe0687 upon her, as it 012419683f always did. Even though he 1194eb98f6 had seen her dea90a03a6 breakdown at the 764177007a snack shop, he 20353ef911 looked as uninterested ea81eb479b as if it 91076a9e77 had nothing to d15fa205ef do with him. Yet, in this 125f4c98ee moment, his detached 2fb6ed0ba0 calmness oddly gave 11a3c88653 her courage.16db94a174279127

“Are you dating Yoo e1294c8554 Kahi?”9d376a7c7b7f82fc

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“What?”540ba12b18420cbd

For the first time, 5a396520c8 Yoonjo’s usually composed voice 73ca9b09db wavered. He was so 0925787c76 unshakable that her e7ecc3506c question must have 4dff1d0c24 seemed utterly absurd 44c95e5610 to him. He must’ve 90e8ae1c77 thought she 0c3c38713b was acting 0465f6150a strange, like bf383614de something had 631efa04e2 snapped after f0ae5d3b0e what happened 89b68f1af3 in the b0653b2f6b snack shop. But whatever he thought, 33eccd7e7a Yul needed his answer.ddb58964f028cda0

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“Are you dating Yoo e13e94c52c Kahi?”513a0c736f25ec7b

“What does that have 8d1a5fa516 to do with you?”30486881260d7ab9

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“It’s important to me. Are you dating her ff209f6479 or not?”ec04328b73e2d8d0

Yul asked again, 6af3781f2f struggling to keep 87669d57c7 her emotions in 83a2597608 check. She feared he 960ec1bbfb would just brush cb6a52513a her off and 260731ad1a leave, so her 7192170d43 legs trembled. She braced herself, c4cacbe299 but now her 6470b45452 hands shook as d92185030b she held them 4006bada01 tightly. Her lips 38d218bdf0 quivered, and 12cedc4ce1 her dampening dfc0ed204e eyes flickered d31dc8d4b0 uncontrollably. Why, at c4ec70cfe0 a time 81ef99eeab like this, 754ab8063f wouldn’t her bad4e9b459 body cooperate? She wanted 2ccf8dc95a to pull b10be066ec herself together, c962422fe8 but instead, 77cce2ebe0 everything seemed 6aee398b3a to be 26ef7f404f falling apart. It was pitiful and e840988518 humiliating, but she had 84ce983c44 no choice but to 5522292294 stand there.fa8302ff853c5c1d

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Yoonjo’s gaze found her f36a6dd825 trembling. Her legs, hands, d6dd7fd04e lips, eyes, and cd9c566e41 maybe even her cbf1eaa5ea wavering intentions—he could d8daeaa4e7 have read it 702f245dd6 all.31de0839e1c841aa

“I’m not dating her.”3cff7aa77a7fbe0c

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Maybe he sensed 9cf0eb6353 her desperation, for 4535f0ca0a he replied calmly. Relief washed over her, f175639f32 though inside, she felt 7ffc2e9156 as dry as a cf5af1c2df desert.ba409749e70985dc

“Then…”f039eb1d80775823

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Gathering her courage, she 170d708d5c looked straight at him.13e2f49dcfacbbae

“Date me.”b8499a0e8123828c

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She had 6e01429519 finally done b5d9b0c01b it. She had 31354a766e blurted out 5a01461f8b the most 7aad76d2aa absurd, ridiculous, 741e1c79b4 and insincere 9554b70b53 confession in 0c46506ffd the world.ad234a9bf90914d7

For the first 6239813169 time, Yoonjo’s mouth bf52a436b7 opened in shock. A brief 241963c713 sound escaped 17f0d9f92c him, as 7ab89e570d if he 85c9b66a6b was so b8b015638e stunned that 2511dc8b9f he couldn’t 2d417ecec4 form words. He had 32825066c3 probably received 9b13ead055 countless confessions a1bae03f95 before, but f27c469362 hers must’ve 137b7a2cf2 struck him 45e9838aca as distinctly 096a12b08a different.e00b722ab2131418

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After a long moment, 1512959d92 he finally regained his b33b4ca10d composure and let out 19dc4f9cd0 a small, incredulous laugh.8f6a8793c3509c05

“Well, that’s… a 41a9dcd7be refreshing confession.”99457103ab2bdc88

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“I’m not doing 6d0805308d this because I d8961a972d like you. It’s just c79bff239a that if f6664476a2 I’m next ca9b7d1c44 to you, bca91f44b4 no one 0f035ac45e will mess 5ec2fceaaf with me, d6fbae0f48 so just 1f9b654338 until graduation… 620fc6fd80 let me 6982901265 stay by fccce31e41 your side.”5724863ebf01c5cf

“So, you’re planning cc380aa62a to use me 00b4b7c080 as a shield?”1f65985f0469589a

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“I won’t f00339a1c8 bother you. Just…”fdd00f680bbb29c7

“What, does c50e54c3cf anyone and e0d510ad0b everyone think 55879e3052 they can 5b93e3d302 just hang 32246ad484 around me?”5310e7771555b619

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“……!”cad3268851398a53

Yoonjo’s blunt dcb52eae37 response left 264ae45772 her speechless. It felt 1159f221c1 as if c77e0041c1 a fog c6f22bb094 had cleared, 3fdf61fc22 revealing the a6af4cccd2 harsh reality d1c057e7ec she now 4e87096440 faced. She’d known what kind 83a633c115 of person Kang Yoonjo c1f3eb9e78 was; what confidence had cdfad166c2 made her come here 08171af859 and do something like b5dc515299 this? She hadn’t 8beabb9493 even considered cb506e1c57 the possibility 2dc9d3ad1d of being 2332c643a9 rejected, let dd6e07cfa7 alone such d0cc0a77bd a humiliating bc82276f4b response. That’s how desperate she’d aa6136be84 been. So now, there 1128ee6f59 was no reason cd397f2afa to resent his 0126372c2b coldness. She had discarded her e64d4a8884 pride the moment she 455b2f0c2c decided to approach him.fdad83d6c658284c

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“Didn’t you hear b81bd92af6 me?”e98bc72f3610e5d1

As Yul remained 172afbb2c4 silent, he tilted aef72fe991 his head to a0dde07564 one side, his bc0af7c3f7 gaze growing even 2b8edb283d chillier as he 9b71e7ce3d pierced into her.29464d7ded18009d

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“Aren’t you scared of 078677700b them, but not of f07e832756 me?”9a8d45ae679e32bc

His changed a46e79c1d9 gaze was f71bc8f356 colder, tearing 3debb78225 through her c90da60150 resolve. Her dry 323fc12ba0 mouth quickly b99dbb35d7 froze. Though he hadn’t said 9e203ac052 it outright, Yul understood 2a25f6334c what he meant. He was 9362fa85ae basically saying, 30243b522a “I’m rumored 842b8d677b to have d16ef178e1 killed someone. Do you 8bb4c15a6d still want 045bff3482 to come 2764ef7efa near me, 7b9013b2bd knowing that?”fed80500d3fbe272

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A shiver ran 0de91d1774 down her spine, 264b6974a9 but she didn’t 6688965878 avoid his gaze.8ba2b9f5a27f1d60

“I’m not afraid.”57374962a0a8e0f4

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“…….”368227e369884223

“I’m not afraid d57eeaf4cc of you.”1b51f122d95142a8

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What I’m afraid e5c2c3258c of is not 54502ed259 being able to c600cfeadf graduate.2bfc928d80c2dbce

Yoonjo’s words had startled dbc9b21bfb her because the rumor fbd0b7a266 itself was chilling, not e419ad65a2 because she thought he’d b4912634dd actually done it. While others feared and b31aa8cff1 avoided him, she had f3571b15a9 never truly been afraid f98a7fb56b of him. He didn’t ce245bb22d give off 14f1e9e20f the slimy, 42e532749b unnerving vibe dea409aa48 of Park e3483ce436 Geonju or bf2ad338d8 the delinquents; 5f16d93de5 she never 4e275346f9 felt that f9617587fa her safety e016ba6596 was threatened 7638ca3fe5 by him. The unease of b87478942a approaching him was ef58914560 something entirely different.34c8266d972f164a

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At her response, he 7f26a8d490 fell silent, then finally 996783b955 let out a small cf1773078e laugh.1b9cebb9ee2e6cb6

“You’re fearless.”a78fbdca928aa9c6

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“If the rumor’s true, 6d9b09e003 there must have been 8d6f3a2cf8 a reason.”538f94f00f6d6185

Yul replied calmly. This time, his eyes 1362cd0aba widened in genuine surprise. Even if the rumor de142ca2e1 were true, the fact 7713860434 that he was still a513bbc2f8 here, unscathed, suggested it 9765675a37 had either been self-defense 1a89fdbbdf or an accident. If so, people shouldn’t 4faee3b9af be afraid of him b07909abdd but rather pity him, a847f6b562 since he would carry a083b50423 that burden for life.202391960bcef7c6

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“So, help me.”6cbb82a3d301c0a5