WW | Chapter 7

He was a tall male student with broad shoulders. In contrast, his small face was pale and smooth, but it didn’t leave a soft impression. Through his messy bangs, his smooth forehead peeked out now and then. With a straight nose, eyes with a subtle double eyelid, and lips pressed firmly together, he gave off a sharp, cold vibe. His tie seemed to be missing, and his shirt, sloppily tucked under his school jacket, was hanging out over his pants.

He slung his bag over one shoulder as if he was holding a trash bag, then started to walk toward Yul. With his half-closed eyes and lazy steps, he looked like a full and lazy predator. For a moment, Yul thought this must be how it feels to see a celebrity in real life—his looks were unreal, his gaze intense, and his atmosphere overwhelming.

As he got closer, the speck of him in Yul’s eyes grew larger and larger. Even when he stopped in front of her, Yul just stared blankly, unaware of her own reaction.

His gaze dropped to meet hers. His pupils, narrowed against the light, were pitch-black inside his reddish-brown irises. His stare, rough and seemingly free-spirited, carried a sense of boredom. For some reason, Yul felt like her reflection in his eyes looked just as dull and lifeless as the weather today.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

His sudden question made Yul flinch and ask back. She was so flustered that she didn’t even realize this stranger was talking down to her. All she noticed was the irritation in his expression and voice.

He tilted his head slightly, as if he couldn’t be bothered to speak further. It was a clear signal for her to move aside. Only then did Yul realize she was standing right in front of the narrow gate.

“Oh!”

She didn’t know why, but at that moment, her grandmother Kyeong Ja’s words suddenly came to mind.

“My child, you must graduate from this school, okay?”

“Just keep enduring; if you keep going, all the hard days will pass.”

Kyeong Ja’s voice, full of earnest encouragement that morning, rang in her ears, bringing Yul back to her senses. And in that moment, she realized how nervous and shaky she’d been. She thought she’d be fine, but she’d actually been scared. She feared that the nightmares from her previous schools would start again. She worried that everyone here had already heard things about her and were waiting to start tormenting her.

God, I’m such an idiot.

After coming all this way with so much hope, she found herself retreating out of fear. Realizing this, Yul let out a bitter laugh.

“Haah.”

The boy let out an annoyed sigh. Yul took a step back, giving him space to pass, but then spun around quickly and started walking briskly toward the school gate.

“Tsk!” She heard a cluck of his tongue, followed by the sound of his footsteps, eventually echoing behind her. Unlike Yul’s determined strides, his steps were slow and lazy. Yet, for some reason, Yul felt an overwhelming urge to walk faster, to put more distance between them.

“Well done. Late by two hours on your very first day.”

Her homeroom teacher, Song Taeseok, leaned back in his chair, giving her a crooked look.

“I’m sorry.”

Yul bowed her head apologetically, like a criminal, without any excuses.

“Ugh, never mind. Looking at your record, it seems tardiness is the least of your issues.”

The teacher smirked, flipping through her printed-out school record.

“At Mucheon Girls’ High, it was bullying; at Haemyeong High, theft. You sure know how to have fun, don’t you?”

He sneered, looking over her previous school records without asking how or why these incidents had happened.

Yul lowered her eyes with a bitter smile. She wasn’t disappointed, probably because she didn’t expect much. After all, she had long learned that not all adults, or even teachers, have a sense of responsibility. She remembered clearly how these so-called adults had treated her to protect their own interests.

Yes, this is the scarlet letter carved into my heart, Yul thought, trying to calm herself. The record of bullying and theft that would never be erased. The reason she had to come to this school. The unjust, lifelong shackle that adults and teachers had branded on her.

“By the way, how do you know Pastor Choi Giseok?”

“Oh, I’ve just been attending his church with my grandmother since I was young.”

“Ah, that’s it? He’s a great man. Very attentive in caring for lost lambs.”

The teacher chuckled as if it all finally made sense. He’d probably been curious. After all, it wasn’t common for a poor high school girl like Yul to know the head pastor of a major church that even some companies couldn’t rival. He must’ve wondered what kind of connection she had with Pastor Choi for him to have pulled strings with the school chairman, allowing her to attend without tuition fees.

Yul thought of her long-standing connection with Pastor Choi and her friendship with his son, Jung-woo, but decided there was no need to mention it. After all, it had been a while since she and her grandmother had last seen Pastor Choi. His help always came through someone from the church’s administrative office.

“But you seem to study quite well?”

“Yes.”

“Well, these days, it’s the smart kids who are the most dangerous. Just don’t cause any trouble here, okay? No matter how lenient this school is, we won’t tolerate a third strike.”

“Yes.”

Yul replied mechanically. She had thought that maybe, just maybe, her good grades would make the teacher view her with a bit of kindness. But that, too, was wishful thinking.

Note to self: Delinquents for classmates, and the teachers are just here to collect their paychecks. Don’t even think about asking for career counseling or help. The best plan: ditch as soon as possible.

The online reviews she’d read about this school weren’t just random rants.

“By the way, the other students….”

“The other students, what?”

“I was hoping they wouldn’t know about my past.”

At her previous schools, as soon as she transferred, students who had heard things about her picked fights. She had asked Pastor Choi several times to help make sure people didn’t know where she came from, which schools she had attended, or why she transferred here. He had assured her that he’d spoken to the chairman, who was a church elder, but she wanted to confirm it.

“Oh, that?”

The teacher responded as if it were nothing, then turned his head slightly, looking at something behind her.

“You heard that, right, Yoonjo?”

“…!”

Startled, Yul spun around. The boy from the gate was standing behind her. She had assumed he’d go to his classroom, not follow her to the teachers’ office. How had he managed to stand there so silently, like an invisible person?

So this is what it means to feel blood rushing to your head. She felt chills spread all the way to her heart, making her dizzy.

Did he hear it? Which schools I attended, why I had to come here? I heard him mention Mucheon Girls’ High, so he must know I’m from Mucheon City, too?

Anxiety tightened in her chest.

“Ah. You two should introduce yourselves. This is Kang Yoonjo. And this is Seomun Yul, who transferred here today.”

“….”

Yul was so dumbfounded that she was at a loss for words. Was it even possible for an adult, a teacher, to be this thoughtless? He had just exposed the private request she’d made, and now he was introducing them without a hint of remorse. Yul felt a surge of heat around her eyes, as anger welled up inside her. She bit her lip, glaring at Kang Yoonjo, who had heard her secret.

He, however, showed no reaction, as if he couldn’t care less. Casually brushing off her gaze, he looked at the teacher with a bored expression.

“You called for me?”

“Yes, I did. Do you plan to keep skipping school?”

“I’ve been coming regularly.”

“Just showing your face after arriving late doesn’t count as coming regularly. You know you’re barely meeting the attendance requirement, right? At this rate, you won’t be able to advance to the next grade.”

“….”

“Get your act together. I really don’t want to have to call your father, okay?”

“…Yes.”

Yoonjo finally responded, reluctantly, after the mention of his father. Until then, he’d seemed as if he was barely listening to the teacher’s words.

“And don’t say a word about what you just heard about Seomun Yul.”

The teacher finally acknowledged Yul again, as if her concerns were trivial compared to his own. Her chest tightened with resentment. To him, a poor girl with a tainted past like her was far less important than Kang Yoonjo, who arrived in a luxury car with a driver.

“Don’t worry. Yoonjo is discreet. As long as you don’t cause any trouble, no one will know who you are. Lucky you.”

“….”

“I have things to do, so head to your classroom for now. Yoonjo, take Yul to her classroom.”

So lost in her thoughts, Yul didn’t even notice the teacher mispronouncing her name. It wasn’t until Yoonjo nodded and turned around that she came out of her daze.

“What are you waiting for? Follow him.”

With a gesture from the teacher, Yul snapped to her senses and started following Yoonjo. Hands in his pockets, bag slung over one shoulder, he walked indifferently. Though he was aware of her presence behind him, he neither slowed down nor bothered to make conversation. He didn’t even show signs of irritation. It was as if she didn’t exist in his world. Yul realized he was ignoring her, but there was no room for wounded pride.

“Wait.”

Instead, she sped up to close the gap and called out to him, “Yoonjo.” He kept walking as if he hadn’t heard her.

“Wait, Kang Yoonjo.”