WW | Chapter 23

With a whirlwind of thoughts in her mind, Yul spotted a tall man’s back in the distance. He was the guy who had, along with her, become the subject of those worthless conversations full of baseless rumors.

Like finding something she’d lost, Yul suddenly remembered something she’d overlooked. There was someone else besides the homeroom teacher who knew about her past—Kang Yoonjo.

Did he tell?

Even though Yoonjo was usually reserved, he sometimes spoke with the class president or mingled with the kids while exercising. Perhaps he had, maybe unintentionally, let her name slip during one of those brief interactions. Just a casual mention, perhaps.

No. No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t seem like Yoonjo would say anything about her. He was the type to live in his own world, never caring enough to talk about others.

A strange back-and-forth of trust and doubt rose and fell like a seesaw in her mind.

“Jieun, go on ahead to the classroom.”

“What?”

Leaving a surprised Jieun behind, Yul quickened her pace. She had to confirm it. Knowing wouldn’t change anything, but at least asking might ease her tension a bit.

“Kang Yoonjo.”

Without realizing her desperation, she grabbed his wrist before he could even respond. She knew this wasn’t polite, but there wasn’t time to worry about manners. Stopping Yoonjo and talking to him was the priority right now. His face turned cold as he looked at her, seemingly annoyed by the suddenness. Then, as if something crossed his mind, he gave an irritated sigh, pulled his bag off his shoulder, and reached for the zipper. Just as he touched it, Yul asked, trying her best to be polite.

“Did you… did you say anything about me?”

“What?”

Yoonjo halted, his brows furrowing.

“I’m asking if you… mentioned me to the others.”

“Mention what?”

“Where I transferred from.”

“Where did you transfer from?”

“……”

“Where are you from?”

Yoonjo’s indifferent question left Yul speechless. He hadn’t raised his voice, yet there was a certain authority in his tone, making her feel cornered. She couldn’t tell if he was genuinely unaware or just irritated by her approach. Either way, his unreadable tone made it impossible to guess his answer. It felt like sinking deeper into quicksand.

“What would you do if I had?”

When Yul didn’t respond, Yoonjo changed his question, looking at her with a piercing gaze. She glared at him, too flustered to mask her emotions. His tone felt needling, making her dislike his attitude even more. If he was just messing with her, he was downright terrible. Surely he could tell how desperate she was, both then and now.

“If you did… then you’re a real piece of trash.”

The moment she spoke, Yul realized her voice was trembling. Swallowed by her emotions, she heard his silence as a confirmation, feeling betrayed. Her grip tightened on his arm as the world seemed to blur and sway around her. Yoonjo just stood there, watching her in that silence, without a single word of explanation.

His gaze, indifferent as always, seemed colder than ever as it dropped to her hand.

“Seomun Yul.”

Calling her name, Yoonjo took hold of her wrist with his other hand. His large, firm hand wrapped around her thin wrist. For a second, she thought he’d pull her hand away, but instead, he held her wrist, as if feeling and restraining her trembling.

“Did you really think I was some kind of good guy?”

Finally, he slowly lowered her hand to her side. Watching her standing there dazed, he turned away with a cold expression.

Yul realized that her feelings had been laid bare to him. Whether he had said anything or not, it didn’t matter anymore. Perhaps, she’d just been looking for someone to lash out at. And Yoonjo had seen right through her and refused to play along. Her already dirty mood plummeted even further.

But this still wasn’t the end. Lost in thought, she noticed Jieun appear in front of her.

“What was that?”

Her vague question, lacking subject or object, irritated Yul. She pushed her emotions down and asked back.

“What was what?”

“You said you never talked to Yoonjo, right? Then how does he know your name?”

“He knows because we’re in the same class.”

“Are you kidding? Yoonjo doesn’t know any girls’ names. The only girl’s name he probably knows is Yoo Kahi’s.”

“The homeroom teacher mentioned it on my first day.”

“Doesn’t matter. He wouldn’t know because he doesn’t care!”

“Then I don’t know either.”

Yul, affected by Jieun’s intense reaction, responded more sharply than she intended. She wanted to ask Jieun how she even knew that about Yoonjo, but that would just lead to an argument, so she held back. Even if Jieun was right, Yul had no idea how he knew her name or why. And it wasn’t exactly something she deserved to be blamed for, either.

It seemed Jieun was more upset by the mere fact they had spoken than by what they discussed. That sort of reaction was usually rooted in jealousy.

Could it be…?

“Jieun, do you…”

Yul almost asked if Jieun liked Yoonjo, but the words didn’t come out. If that were the case, all the things Jieun had said about him before would turn out to be lies.

“You’re pretty sly, Yul.”

“What?”

“You shouldn’t treat me like this.”

Jieun looked straight at Yul, her lips moving slightly as she spoke. The same eyes that usually sparkled with kindness now felt disturbingly cold. Her face and voice hadn’t changed, yet it felt as though she was someone else entirely.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m going first.”

Jieun smirked, lightly shoved Yul’s shoulder, and walked away. Yul stood there for a while before letting out a hollow laugh. She couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

The Bi Hyun Hall, located on the west side of the Bi Hyun High School’s main building, was connected to the central lobby, which led to a circular area. To the right were the gym and auditorium, and to the left, the snack bar and cafeteria. While a few tables were set up in front of the snack bar, the limited number led most students to use the cafeteria tables visible beyond the glass wall. As a result, lunchtime at Bi Hyun Hall became a chaotic crowd of students from all grades.

Yul quickly spotted Seohee’s group near the snack bar. Despite having food on their trays, they were barely eating, simply laughing and talking while holding their spoons. Yul took a reluctant step forward, somewhat comforted by the fact that the atmosphere didn’t seem too hostile. She told herself that this was inevitable—secrets never stayed buried forever.

Determined to keep things under control, she reminded herself that there was no point in escalating the situation. If she could just endure this, she’d eventually make it to graduation, even if it meant giving up a bit of her pride.

“Oh, here you are! Sit over here.”

Seeing Yul, Seohee smiled and motioned to the empty seat next to her. One of Seohee’s friends, who had been sitting there, shifted over to make space. Yul took her seat calmly, masking her discomfort.

She could feel the glances and hushed whispers from nearby students. As she averted her gaze, her eyes landed on someone unexpected—Yoonjo, who was sitting with Yoo Kahi nearby, watching her. Kahi’s gaze was one of amusement, while Yoonjo’s felt indifferent, like he was just observing.

To Yul, their attention felt just as unsettling as that of any other bystanders. Yoonjo probably found the situation pretty amusing, considering she’d confronted him about whether he’d talked about her.

“Haven’t you eaten yet? Sorry to call you over during lunch. Want some of mine?”

Seohee put on an exaggeratedly apologetic expression, pushing her tray toward Yul.

“No, that’s okay.”

Yul pushed the tray back, declining. She wasn’t hungry, and she knew Seohee’s offer wasn’t sincere.

Seohee’s expression turned colder.

“Seomun Yul, you’re so poor you’re eating sweet potatoes like a pig. Take the food when it’s given to you.”

“……”

“Actually, maybe it’s better if you don’t eat. I’m about to show you something, and I wouldn’t want you to choke from shock.”

“What are you talking about?”

Feeling uneasy, Yul gave her a hard look. Seohee ignored her and, with a grin, waved someone over toward the door.

“Geonju! Over here!”

“Why are you calling me over? Oh, there’s Munyul!”

Grumbling, Geonju’s face lit up when he saw Yul, and he approached her, tapping the shoulder of the student across from her to move aside. Though that student looked annoyed, they scooted over, and Geonju casually took the seat. Seohee watched with a smirk, saying nothing.

“Don’t hang out with these losers, Munyul. It’ll lower your standards.”

Geonju leaned forward playfully, an unpleasant mix of alcohol and cigarette stench lingering around him. Yul instinctively leaned back.

“I was going to visit you at work yesterday, but something came up. I’ll definitely drop by today or tomorrow.”

“Oh, shut up. Look at this instead.”

Seohee snickered at Geonju’s comments and pulled out her phone, placing it on the table. The sleek, shiny Apple logo caught Yul’s attention. In comparison, her old, outdated phone was ancient and cheap. After fiddling with a few things, Seohee found what she was looking for and smiled meaningfully. She turned the phone toward Yul’s face.

“Presenting Seomun Yul’s past!”