Ch. 19 — 19
Thursday.
Cheol-jun’s fourth day of school.
After crossing one intersection, he saw two kids wearing the same uniform.
They were taller than Cheol-jun, but they were in 4th grade.
He had found out when they exchanged greetings yesterday.
“Hello?”
“Oh? Hyung. Hi!”
He also greeted the kids he met while passing the back road.
“Hello?”
“Hi!”
By the time the school gates came into view in the distance, more than half of the thirty-something kids had exchanged greetings with Cheol-jun.
It happened because he made sure to greet anyone he made eye contact with.
Occasionally, there were kids who just turned their heads away as if looking at a weirdo, but most accepted his greeting when he initiated it.
Cheol-jun loved the greetings exchanged on the way to school.
Even though they were kids whose names he didn’t know, just wearing the same uniform and walking in the same direction made him feel like they were on the same side.
Among them, the closest ‘same side’ were, of course, his classmates.
As usual, Cheol-jun greeted them energetically the moment he opened the classroom door.
“Hi guys!”
Girls making brief eye contact, boys giving a slight wave, Min-jun and Ha-rang shouting “Cheol-jjjuuun!” from the back row, and…
“Cheol-jun!”
…Si-woo coming running—udada—and grabbing his hand tightly?
“I told my dad everything yesterday! And he told me to absolutely bring you over! He said he’ll buy us something delicious! Wanna go to my dad’s Go institute together after class today? Huh?”
Cheol-jun blinked his round eyes, looking at Si-woo, whose temperature had completely changed from yesterday.
“I’m gonna sit next to you starting today!”
“…Huh?”
“I brought the game record from the instructional match we played yesterday too!”
“…Oh?”
“My dad was so surprised! When I was younger, I used to play Go very aggressively, you know? But as my skills improved, I gradually started copying the older guys who played well. And then…”
Cheol-jun was bewildered.
Was he originally a kid who talked this much?
Even when they conversed through Go, he seemed like a rather taciturn kid…
He had hoped they would become good friends, but for some reason, he felt a little overwhelmed.
Si-woo’s endless chatter finally stopped when the 1st-period class began.
However, throughout the entire class, Si-woo’s sparkling gaze made the left side of Cheol-jun’s face tingle.
For the first time since starting school, Cheol-jun was discreetly avoiding someone’s affectionate gaze.
He felt like he had truly become ‘his’ person, but getting this close so suddenly was a bit flustering.
Even during lunchtime, and after eating, Si-woo stuck right by his side, chattering away.
“The instructing masters at our institute are really great!”
“I told you I’m not going to play Go.”
“No! You absolutely have to play. I already told them all about it!”
“……”
“There’s a female master among them, and she used to absolutely adore me, but one day I…”
“……”
Once he fixated on something, he was completely stubborn about it.
But, thinking about it quietly, Cheol-jun realized he had that side to him, too.
Projecting his current feelings onto how others might feel, Cheol-jun decided to be careful with his future actions.
He had learned another lesson like this.
The world was full of things to learn.
While walking down the hallway listening to Si-woo’s chattering, he spotted a girl from his class.
‘A-rin?’
There were unfamiliar girls surrounding her.
Cheol-jun, who was about to greet A-rin after making eye contact, twitched an eyebrow.
A-rin’s state looked a bit strange.
Anxiously trembling eyes, fingers fidgeting with each other, a somewhat uncomfortable expression, and her toes and shoulders pointing in a different direction as if she wanted to leave immediately.
In contrast, the other girls had bright faces.
Particularly, there was one girl smiling so brightly it was almost uncomfortable.
She seemed to be enjoying A-rin’s distressed face.
‘Is she in a tough spot?’
Cheol-jun slowed his pace and perked up his ears.
*
*
*
“Hey. Did you hear Ha-eun got into PGM this time?”
A-rin gave a small nod.
She had heard that after taking lessons all winter break and going around auditioning only at large agencies with her mom, she finally got into PGM.
PGM.
Playground Music.
South Korea’s top entertainment company that raised the idol group K-Max, who were soon returning after successfully completing a European tour.
It was the number one agency kids dreaming of becoming idols or musicians lined up to get into.
“It’s PGM, not some no-name agency like yours.”
“Yeah! What are we gonna do? Our A-rin can’t even act cocky about becoming an idol anymore.”
At the children’s blatant hostility, A-rin’s shoulders shrank back entirely.
‘When was I ever cocky…’
They were kids she had always hung out with up until 4th grade.
Everyone had a huge interest in idols and music, which naturally brought them together starting in 2nd grade.
They all liked dancing and singing.
They practiced idol choreographies together and filmed videos of themselves singing.
They posted them on social media, and A-rin received a DM from a place called Pine Entertainment.
She had told the kids with pure joy back then, but ever since, A-rin had been alienated from the group.
They made a new group chat without her, went to coin karaokes by themselves, and only played the games they used to enjoy together among themselves.
The reason was that she fell out of favor with Ha-eun, the leader of the group.
Ha-eun was prettier, Ha-eun sang better, and Ha-eun danced better.
She was jealous that A-rin had stepped into that world first.
“Guys. Stop it. It must be hard for A-rin too.”
Ha-eun stopped the kids with a smile that reached her eyes.
“I heard from the older girls at my agency that Pine Entertainment is completely irrelevant… I heard trainees there have to pay all the lesson fees themselves?”
She didn’t have to pay all of it—it was 50%—but A-rin just listened silently.
“I heard it’s a place where you buy your way into the debut lineup? Or else you have to do ‘other’ things?”
A-rin desperately wanted to leave this spot.
She wished the bell signaling the end of lunchtime would ring quickly.
“Cherry Pang Pang is their main group, right? The ones who have to strip down just to barely get on music shows.”
Cherry Pang Pang was a girl group under Pine Entertainment that at least occasionally showed their faces on music broadcasts.
And, their reputation wasn’t good.
‘Just how far are they going to go…’
A-rin squeezed her eyes shut.
In the pitch-black darkness, Ha-eun’s voice continued.
“Our A-rin will probably end up later…”
Right then.
“Hi, A-rin?”
It had only been a few days, but hearing it every morning made the voice familiar. A-rin opened her eyes and turned her head.
“Uh… Huh?”
Ha-eun and the other girls tilted their heads.
“Who is that? He’s really small.”
“Is he a 5th grader?”
“Have you ever seen him?”
“Was there a kid like that here?”
The gazes of the girls whispering about Cheol-jun shifted slightly to the side.
Then, their expressions changed completely.
Ha-eun gave a small wave.
“…Hi, Si-woo?”
“Yeah. Hi.”
Si-woo gave a nonchalant nod.
For some reason, the girls’ ears seemed to turn slightly red.
Si-woo was quite popular at Hanyoung Private Elementary School.
He was tall, had a slender jawline, was much more mature than his peers, and his uniquely unapproachable, chic vibe seemed incredibly mysterious to elementary school girls.
Cheol-jun, standing next to Si-woo, spoke up.
“A-rin, Ji-ah was looking for you.”
“Uh, huh?”
A-rin blinked her eyes.
A kid she hadn’t spoken a single word to for the few days since the semester started is suddenly looking for her?
It was obviously a lie, but seeing Cheol-jun blinking his round eyes at her, A-rin quickly nodded.
At that, the girls whispered among themselves.
“What. Are A-rin and Ji-ah close?”
“Birds of a feather flock together. I heard her mom is a total Karen, right?”
“Yeah. I heard the reason our 4th-grade homeroom teacher quit was because of her mom.”
“All the kids in that class are weirdos anyway. My mom told me…”
In the eyes of the girl speaking, Si-woo appeared.
Si-woo was in that class too.
So, hastily trailing off, she averted her gaze and saw the tiny kid who had first greeted A-rin.
He was staring at her intently with round eyes.
So she awkwardly changed the subject.
“Who is this kid? Must be in the same class? He’s really small.”
Cheol-jun smiled brightly and spoke.
“You’re really big.”
“…Huh?”
“Your arms are thick, and your legs are thick.”
“…What?”
“And your face is big, too!”
The girl’s face turned bright red and her expression crumpled instantly.
“Hey!”
*
*
*
—Violence is the last resort, but you have to use it when necessary. However, the best outcome is resolving the situation without violence. Still, when you absolutely must use it, keep this in mind. If the opponent is a man, think ten times; if it’s a woman, think a hundred times more. You have to ponder and ponder whether you have a truly justifiable cause. Swinging your fists just to protect some flimsy pride is something only an idiot would do. Unlike here in China, in South Korea, where security and laws function relatively well, it is often much wiser to just take a few hits unless it’s a particularly dangerous situation. So, never act hastily…
*
*
*
It was true that the girl’s frame was quite large, but Cheol-jun also knew very well that what he had just said was incredibly rude.
He had also anticipated that she would get this angry.
But for some reason, he just wanted to say it to her.
Because she was a kid who was bullying a classmate he had defined as his closest ‘same side.’
Still, since he’d have to feign ignorance later, he smiled brightly, pretending to not know anything.
“You… You! What did you just say?”
“Uh, sorry. I meant you look healthy.”
“What?”
“Um, did I offend you a lot?”
“Hey!”
“I’m sorry. I apologize.”
Cheol-jun quickly bowed his head.
“You little!”
The girl tried to shove Cheol-jun hard, but because Cheol-jun lowered his shoulder, she missed and lost her balance.
Something slammed hard into Cheol-jun’s small head.
‘…Huh?’
Startled, Cheol-jun quickly raised his head, and…
-Smack!
The girl’s face collided with Cheol-jun’s head.
“Aaargh!”
Ha-rang, who was running down the hallway after playing in another class, saw it.
“Wow! Epic! Cheol-jun hit a girl!”
The girl clutched her face and started crying, while Cheol-jun swallowed hard in panic.
‘I-Is this violence too?’
I didn’t think a hundred times…
*
*
*
“Teacher Go. The kid’s nose burst, you know!”
At the words of the Class 2 homeroom teacher, Lee Hyun-ja, Go Chang-ho let out a low sigh.
“How could he do that to a girl’s face…”
“Um, Cheol-jun says he just lowered his head and then raised it back up…”
“No. I heard he headbutted her? All the kids next to them said so.”
“Si-woo watched the whole situation unfold. Ga-young lost her balance trying to shove Cheol-jun, and…”
“Come on, how can you trust a friend’s word?”
“Well, the kids next to them were Ga-young’s friends, too.”
“Hoo… Do you know what Ga-young’s parents do for a living?”
“How would I know?”
“They’re both lawyers. Lawyers. I sent Ga-young to the hospital earlier and spoke to them on the phone, and they said they won’t let this go.”
“Hah… To the hospital for a little nosebleed… Are the parents threatening us just because they’re lawyers?”
“What?”
“Anyway, it’s not a matter to call a school violence committee over. It’s a one-off accident, and she’s not severely injured either. You saw Cheol-jun constantly apologizing earlier, too, Teacher Lee.”
Lee Hyun-ja scowled deeply.
If they’re the perpetrators, they should act like perpetrators; why are they acting so bold?
“Hoo, regardless, Ga-young’s parents said they’re preparing for a civil suit or whatever, so please inform Cheol-jun’s parents in advance.”
“Jeez… They must have a lot of free time.”
Go Chang-ho shook his head with an incredulous look, and Lee Hyun-ja glared at him before returning to her seat.
‘Hah… So overbearing. Too overbearing.’
Because of people like this, kids who actually suffer from school violence get lumped together and treated unfairly.
‘This has become a headache…’
Of all things, he was blocked by Si-woo, so it wasn’t caught on CCTV, leaving them with purely the victim’s side’s testimony.
Si-woo and A-rin said it wasn’t true, but they were outnumbered.
Usually in these situations, the victim’s side’s voice holds more weight.
A civil suit?
There’s no way they could claim damages for a nosebleed, but since the parents are lawyers, they’ll surely make it annoying somehow.
Chang-ho let out a deep sigh, grabbed his phone, and left the staff room.
*
*
*
“Hah… Such a thing happened… Oh my. Don’t worry. I will prepare a response as well. B-But, Cheol-jun didn’t actually hit her, right? …Of course. Of course. Yes. I understand. Yes, goodbye.”
After hanging up, Hyung-man chuckled.
Hearing the words “violent incident” out of nowhere had startled him, but to think such a ridiculous thing happened.
‘Let’s see…’
He tapped his phone and brought it to his ear.
“Hey, Seok-hyun. Uh, something came up. A civil suit for assault… Hey. No, you punk! How old do you think I am… Hah. Seriously… You see, something ridiculous happened to Cheol-jun at school…”
*
*
*
“Epic. Isn’t Ga-young the one Min-jun couldn’t even beat in 2nd grade even when he went all out?”
“Sh*t! I was way smaller back then! I’d win now!”
“Cheol-jun is way smaller than Ga-young too, you know?”
“……”
“But, I heard she even went to the hospital.”
“Over a nosebleed? What do we do? Ga-young’s mom and dad won’t just sit still.”
“Uh, what happened in 2nd grade? When you two fought? You pulled out all of Ga-young’s hair, remember?”
At Ha-rang’s words, Min-jun narrowed his brow slightly.
“We got past it using my maternal grandpa’s connections. He was a judge. The adults settled it nicely amongst themselves.”
“Ah…”
The gazes of the two looked at the small back sitting in the very front row.
“Does Cheol-jun have connections?”
“I know, right…”
They had heard Cheol-jun was an orphan on the first day of school.
Which made the two of them even more worried.
*
*
*
“Hey.”
Cheol-jun, who was calming his mind while looking at an open 5th-grade math textbook, raised his head.
A-rin was standing in front of him.
“Did you do that because of me?”
Cheol-jun smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yeah.”
A-rin let out a sigh and narrowed her brow.
There were kids like this.
Kids who beat up boys bullying them, or acted overly helpful for no reason.
“Um, I don’t make boyfriends or anything like that. So…”
“Why?”
“Uh, that’s…”
“Having lots of friends is a good thing.”
“…Huh?”
“And, I didn’t do it just because of you.”
“……”
“I’m just the honest type, so I said what I saw.”
When Cheol-jun grinned, A-rin, blinking her widened eyes, also gave a small smile.
Smiling without realizing it, A-rin quickly erased the smile from her face and discreetly avoided Cheol-jun’s gaze.
He always stares so intently like that.
Doesn’t he get embarrassed?
“Um, …thank you.”
Cheol-jun smiled radiantly.
“Don’t mention it!”
Watching the two of them blankly from the back row, Min-jun and Ha-rang whispered, “What’s with their vibe?”