Chapter 16

"......"

Let me start by explaining the current situation.

"What the…?"

...There’s nothing to say. Really, what the…

"Ha-Eun, you’re here?"

Ha-Soo-Yul stood up from her seat and approached me.

Normally, we’d have come to school together. But today was my regular check-up day, so I came separately.

"How’s your body feeling?"

"Same as usual. But more importantly, what’s with the mood in here?"

It’s lunchtime. Usually, kids would be running around and playing.

But why is the atmosphere so gloomy? Did someone die or something?

Even the lively kids are quietly sitting at their desks.

‘What’s going on? Am I seeing things?’

"There was an incident this morning. Everyone got scolded, so… don’t even ask."

Choi Ye-Seo scrunched her face in frustration as she muttered.

"The homeroom teacher and the vice principal both came in this morning."

It must’ve happened during the morning assembly.

"And before you arrived, the teacher came in and gave us all a lecture."

So that’s why everyone looks like they’re ready to cry. What did they even say?

"So, what happened?"

I asked for an explanation.

Choi Ye-Seo looked like she didn’t know how to put it into words.

Ha-Soo-Yul, who had been listening silently, stepped in to explain.

"School violence."

"Oh."

Was it about what happened yesterday? But was that really something serious?

Didn’t they make that up as a bluff?

"Wait, do you know something?"

Choi Ye-Seo looked at me with curious eyes.

I deliberately shook my head and brushed it off.

"Not really. I haven’t heard much about it."

"Ugh. That’s disappointing."

What’s disappointing about that?

"But is it just our class that’s like this?"

Is it the same in the other classes? It was quiet when I came in, though.

"It’s not just our class. All the grades got scolded."

...Was the school violence really that serious?

As I tried to piece things together, I accidentally locked eyes with someone in the corner of the classroom.

"...?"

The kid I saw yesterday. The one with the chubby face in the teacher’s office.

As soon as he noticed me, he quickly turned his head away. Hold on.

‘What’s up with his face?’

Yesterday, at worst, he looked a little swollen.

Now his face was covered in bruises and cuts. What the hell happened?

He looked completely fine just yesterday.

Following my gaze, both Ha-Soo-Yul and Choi Ye-Seo turned to look.

Then they nodded and led me to my seat.

Once I sat down, Ha-Soo-Yul leaned in close and began explaining in a low voice.

"That kid’s name is Kim Byung-Jun. He got beaten up on his way to school today."

Byung-Jun? That’s his name?

Half the semester had already passed, and I hadn’t bothered to learn anyone’s names.

Why would I? I only knew the names of kids the teachers frequently called on.

Kids like me, who stayed in the back corners of the classroom, didn’t often get mentioned.

And Byung-Jun’s seat was right by the back door, near the cleaning supplies closet.

‘Oh no, I’m tearing up for no reason.’

But seriously, who gets beaten up on their way to school?

"You know there’s a middle school right next to ours, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

Choi Ye-Seo made a gloomy face.

"Apparently, Kim Byung-Jun has a habit of lying a lot."

"...And?"

"He lied to some middle schoolers, and unfortunately, they caught him."

What on earth were you doing, Kim Byung-Jun?

Neither of them knew the full details. Only Byung-Jun, the middle schoolers, and maybe some teachers knew what had happened.

"I can’t believe this is happening right before the end of the semester."

"Seriously…"

Ha-Soo-Yul didn’t seem particularly affected, but Choi Ye-Seo looked completely deflated.

"Why do you look so down?"

"Because of this, the end-of-term ceremony got postponed to next week."

Yeah, that’s a reason to be upset.

They probably had to delay it to hold a disciplinary committee or something. It’s only postponed by a few days, from Friday to Monday.

What’s the big deal? Just come to school one more day.

As we continued chatting, lunchtime passed.

"Ha-Eun, you’re back? Feeling alright?"

"Yes, no issues."

That was a lie.

"Good. But if you start feeling unwell, make sure to visit the nurse."

The homeroom teacher gave me a concerned look as the bell for the fifth period rang.

Since exams were over, it was probably going to be a movie period.

According to Ha-Soo-Yul, they had been watching a movie just before lunch.

By then, the tension from the morning had eased, and the kids were enjoying themselves.

But then the vice principal came back after the movie ended.

Once again, we were subjected to one of his ‘motivational speeches.’ Or was it scolding? I wasn’t there, so I couldn’t say.

Something must’ve happened with the middle school next door. How would I know?

Anyway, the kid who got beaten up was from our school. No matter how much he lied, hitting a 10-year-old like that?

Kids protected under juvenile law are terrifying. Ugh.

As expected, the teacher started the movie again, and the kids either watched or chatted.

At this age, kids can bounce back pretty quickly once the tension eases.

Not that everyone does, but most of them do.

We didn’t have much to do either, so we just watched the movie.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the classroom door, and an elderly man entered.

He whispered something to the teacher and then called for Kim Byung-Jun.

"Huh, what’s going on now?"

We watched him leave with the two men, but it wasn’t any of our business.

After a brief moment of silence, the classroom was lively again.

I was starting to get into the movie when—

"Ha-Eun, can I see you for a moment?"

The teacher returned and called me out.

"...One strange thing after another."

Both Ha-Soo-Yul and Choi Ye-Seo gave me puzzled looks.

They stayed silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Go on."

"I’ll fill you in on the movie later."

That’s a spoiler, you idiot. I couldn’t help but laugh.

I waved my hand casually and left the classroom.

The homeroom teacher gave me an awkward smile and said,

"Um, Ha-Eun, you’re not being called out to get scolded, okay?"

"If I didn’t do anything wrong, then I wouldn’t be, right?"

"Exactly~."

To reassure me, the teacher ruffled my hair gently.

"You just need to go, listen, and figure things out."

It sounded like Kim Byung-Jun and some middle schoolers would be there.

But why would they need me? My question was answered as the teacher continued.

"...Byung-Jun dragged your name into this."

It wasn’t a literal "dragged" situation.

In other words, he’d mentioned me somehow. But had I even had any interaction with him?

‘Wasn’t yesterday the first time I ever talked to him?’

Well, I’d figure it out once I got there.

The teacher took me to a place I had never been before: the principal’s office.

She knocked twice before opening the door, and inside were several people.

There was the old lady I’d seen yesterday, Kim Byung-Jun, a man who looked like his father, the principal, and the vice principal.

There were also important teachers from each school, middle school students, and their parents.

The first sound I heard was Kim Byung-Jun’s mother. Just like yesterday, she was absolutely furious, yelling at the top of her lungs.

The only difference was that her face was now so red it looked like it might burst.

Surprisingly, the man who seemed to be Byung-Jun’s father sat silently.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward me as I entered.

Wow, this is kind of scary.

So… are they just going to make me stand here?

Luckily, the principal approached and spoke to me at just the right moment.

"Are you Ha-Eun?"

"Yes, I’m Ha-Eun."

The dignified principal continued.

"You’re not here to be scolded. We just want to confirm some facts, that’s all."

"Sure… I’ll answer anything I know."

"Thank you."

The principal began asking questions, one by one.

None of the questions were particularly noteworthy.

‘How am I supposed to answer when I don’t know anything about this?’

Most of my responses ended up being, "No," or "I don’t know."

As I was answering, though—

"Stop lying! You’re the one who did it!"

Kim Byung-Jun suddenly shouted. What did I supposedly do now?

I asked with genuine confusion.

"What are you talking about? When did I—"

"It was you! Last week, you told me—"

"Speak clearly, my friend. This is the first time we’ve ever spoken."

"That’s bullshit! You—you told me last week to bring a phone!"

…Last week?

"When last week?"

"On… Wednesday—no, Thursday evening!"

What a shame. If you’re going to lie, at least make it convincing.

"I was at my little sister’s daycare performance that evening."

"L-lies—"

"Byung-Jun, that’s enough."

The man behind him—his father—stepped in and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"This has nothing to do with this student. Byung-Jun kept bringing him up, and I’m truly sorry for that."

The man bowed his head apologetically toward me.

"It’s fine," I said, raising both hands to stop him. "I’ve got nothing to hide."

I helped him back up. Despite having a wife and son like that, he seemed like a decent person.

Byung-Jun probably thought I was an easy target to pin this on.

After all, I’m weak, quiet, and always sitting in a corner.

The perfect prey, at least on the surface.

But what can I say? There’s a 20-something-year-old man living in my head.

No matter how elaborate a 10-year-old’s schemes are, they don’t scare me.

If you’re going to lie, at least think about the consequences.

"Ha-Eun has nothing to do with this," the teacher confirmed. "We already figured everything out this morning."

So why drag me into this? Why even entertain Byung-Jun’s baseless claims?

"I thought if Ha-Eun clarified everything, it might finally get through to him," the homeroom teacher sighed.

"Instead of stopping, he’s…"

She didn’t finish her sentence, but I could tell it wasn’t a good sign.

"I’m sorry, Ha-Eun. I didn’t mean to put you through all this. But he kept demanding to see you…"

"It’s fine. Can I head back to class now?"

"Of course. I’ll walk you back."

Since Byung-Jun is in my class, he’ll have to come back down anyway.

Even so, my teacher took on the extra trouble of escorting me.

Getting dragged into something I had no part in.

You don’t experience this every day~.

"Huh?"

As we walked back, the teacher suddenly checked her phone.

"…Ha-Eun. This might be getting bigger than we thought."

"What do you mean by that?"@@novelbin@@

"Here, look at this."

She handed me her phone.

[Mom: Your dad says he’s taking a half-day off to come. He wants to hear what’s going on himself.]

[Mom: It’ll take about 30 minutes for him to get there. See you soon.]

The tone was so formal. Since when was Mom this cold?

Scrolling up, I saw the previous texts. It seemed the teacher had already informed her about yesterday and today.

"Um… this feels like trouble."

"Watch your language, Ha-Eun. But yeah… you’re right."

We exchanged a look and sighed in unison. Why couldn’t things just go smoothly?

The teacher finished texting my mom back.

"I guess we’ll have to go back down, huh?"

"Yeah… I guess so."

She escorted me back downstairs.

As soon as we re-entered the principal’s office, all eyes turned to me again.

The principal and vice principal gave the teacher puzzled looks, and she quickly explained the situation.

After hearing her explanation, both of them smacked their foreheads in frustration.

"Of course, we needed to inform Ha-Eun’s parents as well."

The principal’s face darkened as he spoke.

When I thought about it, was this really something worth notifying my parents about?

"Regardless, Ha-Eun is also a victim here."

…Me? A victim?

‘Well, in some ways, I guess I am.’

Lost time. What a waste. Ah, and now Choi Ye-Seo’s probably spoiling the movie.

"I’m fine, really," I said.

But my words didn’t seem to make much of an impression.

Once the adults got involved, there was no room for me to interject.

‘…Dad’s probably going to be pissed about this.’

I slumped into a corner of the noisy principal’s office.

No point in saying anything further.

Once Mom and Dad arrived, they’d talk it out, and that would be that.

At least, that’s what I thought.

Turns out, I was wrong. Very wrong.