Chapter 144: The Fall (3)

First things first, I should console my friends.

Some bastard was trying to destroy my friend group.

I won’t go down like this.

I had to skillfully regain control of these cowards who were very scared after receiving threatening emails. Easy. I could do it.

As soon as I returned to the classroom, I approached my friend group. “Hey, I know why you guys are doing this, but stop it. We’re friends, aren’t we? Man, I’m sad. If you have something to say to me, just go ahead. I’ll listen. Isn’t that what friends are for? Right?”

But their reaction was odd. Without any response, they kept glancing at my desk, so I went and checked. There were dozens of crumpled notes in the drawer. Each and every one contained an insult directed at me.

—LMAO. You really loved it when I said hi to you in the hallway yesterday. Hey! I only did that because I lost at rock-paper-scissors! Don’t delude yourself. T.T

Anyone would know this was just a lie. These messages contained nothing but malice and ridicule. I hadn’t been at the teacher’s office for too long, but a mountain of notes had piled up on my desk.

“Y-you bastards...”

“

Ha.

”

Someone laughed. I immediately looked straight in the direction the laughter came from, but I couldn’t tell who did it because there were too many students in that spot.

“Who did this? Who did this to my desk?”

“W-we didn’t do it,” one of my friends said. “Just a few minutes ago, someone from another class came and left a bunch of notes...”

“Another class?”

“Yeah, he asked me to tell you never to contact him again.”

So one of my customers had dumped all these notes. This mysterious mastermind was messing not only with my classmates, but also with my customers.

“Eun-Seo,

um...

”

“What?”

“On your back...”

“On my back... what?”

“Well,

umm. Uhh

...”

I turned right and left, trying to catch a glimpse at my back, but I couldn’t really see anything. Laughter leaked out from all over the classroom.

“

Ha...!

”

“

Haha.

”

I reached out to check my back and caught something. Someone had taped a piece of paper to my back. I quickly peeled it off to see what in the world was written on it.

—Shinseo High School’s official trash!

It was written in a cute, round font.

When did this happen? Who put this on me? Had it already been on me when the homeroom teacher called for me? Or did someone secretly tape this to my back after I entered the classroom just now?

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to find out.

“L-let’s start class... ”

The first period began. It was math, and the math teacher was the biggest pushover in school. My classmates would have normally chatted among themselves for quite a while, but all of them immediately sat down, as if they had all decided to be model students this time.

I gritted my teeth.

Shit.

I’m the weird one if I raise hell right now. Shall I storm out of the classroom? No, no. That’s really not the right move. Who knows if they’ll trash-talk me after I leave? Fuck, fuck...!

In the end, I had no choice but to stay at my desk quietly. When I looked around, I could see some guys laughing under their breath. Kim Yul was looking at his notes expressionlessly. The class president returned to the classroom late, so he excused himself to the math teacher before returning to his seat.

Everyone was going about their daily lives as if nothing had happened.

Fuck.

I felt anger boiling in my chest. Of course, I was angry at the mastermind behind this elaborate plan. However, my anger was now soaring because of my friends and classmates.

You guys are on it too!

It was unfair.

Are they really going to back out now? They also made fun of Kim Yul, beat him up, and did everything they wanted to him. It’s not like I ordered them to bully the dude. They did everything out of their own volition.

So unfair.

Every single person in this classroom laughed at Kim Yul at least once. Many have begged me to show them my videos. Why are they now pretending they don’t know anything?

This was very unfair. I had worked hard to achieve something that others couldn’t. How difficult was it to plan out someone else being ostracized by an entire collective? My subtle bullying turned Kim Yul first into an outcast and eventually into the school’s official punching bag. Did they think they could also do what I had done?

They’re maggots—no, leeches.

I at least tried. I created a system using the student council box and built connections with kids from rich families. When my classmates studied and lived their average lives, I at least thought and planned for the future! But what had these leeches done?

They just hitch-hiked the system I worked so hard to create!

Because the others laughed and ostracized Kim Yul. These bastards only had one reasoning for their actions.

—Others do it too.

Disgusting bastards.

And they were going to pretend they didn’t know what had taken place. They would make excuses like “Others also did it,” “I didn’t think much of it,” or “I didn’t mean to do that,” forgetting that they also enjoyed playing the Kim Yul Game.

No, they really don’t know what happened, they’re not just pretending.

These guys were just stupid. They couldn’t even remember what they had said or done. If they weren’t imbeciles, then why were they doing this? They were just idiots who blindly followed what someone else told them. And yet they were acting as if they did nothing wrong...

It’s unfair. So very unfair. Why is this happening to me? Why only me? These bastards are worse than me. It’s unfair!

If someone truly righteous who had been living an upright life ever since they were born was here to slay me as if I was the villain in a story, I would at least accept the consequences, but this wasn’t the case right now.

Even now, no one has apologized to Kim Yul, right?

Yes. I was sure of it. Therefore, what they were doing to me wasn’t fair. The mastermind was just using these guys and inciting them to backstab me, so it was unfair. That wasn’t how I wanted to go down. Those inferior bastards! I was greater than all of them!

Brrrrrr—!

My phone rang in my pants pocket. I received a text from my girlfriend.

—Hwang Eun-Seo, what did you do? Don’t ever come and talk to me again. We’re done.

Time passed by helplessly. I had no time to think of a way to fix everything. The mastermind had been non-stop pushing me, not giving me a single chance to fight back.

I contacted my girlfriend, but she didn’t answer. Even when I visited her during recess, she just glared at me coldly. Just yesterday, she smiled at me and said she had fun when we spent time together.

What’s the matter... I’m supposed to be the funny guy...

After that, even during recess[1], I was too afraid to even go to the bathroom. What if someone came and put notes in my desk drawer again while I was away?

Fuck.

Even at lunchtime, I just lay down at my desk and pretended to sleep. I wasn’t an idiot. There was no way my classmates would eat lunch with me right now. I would rather pretend to sleep than go to the cafeteria and eat alone.

Still, at least someone will ask me to eat together, right?

I thought, putting my head down on the desk.

Then I’ll say right away that I feel sick today. If I refuse like that, everyone would know that I wasn’t that affected by what they’re doing, but I am sulking a bit. Then they’ll know that they need to comfort me.

They would do that.

I’ve looked out for them so much until now. I paid for their meals regularly and even let them appear in my videos. When they fought among themselves, I mediated for them. And, and...

But no one invited me to go to the cafeteria. The classroom became quiet after all the students left at lunchtime.

It was 12:45 P.M.[2] The silence was eerie. No one was wandering around in the hallway. The wind blew through the windows, swaying the white curtains.

I sat up, muttering, “Bastards... It won’t kill them to say something, even if it’s just for pleasantries...”

Suddenly, I felt shame consume me. I had walked around without knowing that there was a note on my back and been dumped over a text message. Those leeches had laughed at me. I felt ashamed in every way possible.

“Demons...”

I searched through my classmates’ desk drawers one by one, thinking that I would maybe find some evidence about the mastermind. Perhaps there were specific instructions lying around, such as what to write in the notes or when to give them to me.

Please let there be something. Please!

“Hwang Eun-Seo, what do you think you’re doing?”

I looked up in surprise. Since I was in the middle of searching through a desk drawer, I turned around awkwardly. Four of my classmates were standing at the back door of the classroom.

I stammered. “

Uh...

I-I was just...”

“Just...? Just what?”

“I was just trying to see...”

“You were just trying to see what’s in someone else’s desk drawer? Are you crazy?”

No.

“Hey, Hwang Eun-Seo looked through our desk drawers while we were away!”

“What?”

No, I...

“Why is he searching through other people’s desk drawers?”

“This may not be his first time.”

“Wow, that creeps me out...”

It wasn’t like that.

Listen to me. You should listen to me. Someone is manipulating you all. Whoever is behind this is taking advantage of you all without you guys even knowing it. You should know that since you guys have participated in the game too.

I’m in the same boat as you! We’re on the same team! Same team! You get that? If you backstab me, you guys will be in real trouble. I’m serious. Who else will take care of you all like I’ve done? I created the Kim Yul Game for your entertainment. I made you happy. Who did all this for you? I did!

Protect me, you idiots! Don’t get manipulated like a bunch of imbeciles. Wake up and see who is on the same side as you! This is a conspiracy. I’m the victim, you scummy bastards! I know that you’re incredibly stupid, but can you not distinguish between friend or foe? Or do you just have no sense of loyalty?

We’ve made some good memories together so far. You guys also had fun tormenting Kim Yul. He lives in a garbage dump and collects trash with his single father, so you laughed as hard as you could at him once you found this out! You scumbags, how can you bite the hand that has been feeding you so far!

The rumor that I had rummaged through the drawers during lunchtime quickly spread among the students. Yes, I had done just that, but it wasn’t a big deal. However, my classmates seemed to think that me searching through their desk drawers was much more serious than how they had bullied Kim Yul.

This is so unfair...

They had always smiled around me and called me Director. However, they betrayed me just because the mastermind had made a slight threat, even after how much I had contributed to the class’ joy.

I’m so frustrated that I feel like dying.

Even after school hours, nothing changed. My friends had at least pretended and said they were sorry this morning, but after what happened at lunch, they glared at me coldly, as if I deserved to die.

Crazy bastards. It’s not like I committed a crime. It’s unfair. It’s soooo unfair.

***

The classroom was now empty. The class president asked, “Hwang Eun-Seo. I’m sorry, but do you have a minute?”

He was the only one who had maintained a poker face throughout the day.

“What?”

“I tried not to intervene as much as possible. The homeroom teacher and even the classmates told me various things since I’m the class president, so I feel like I should at least try.”

“

Ha...

”

I couldn’t even be sarcastic and reply, “You’re shoving your nose into someone else’s business.” The class president was the first classmate to talk to me after lunchtime. To put it in a good way, he was a model student, but he wasn’t a part of any of the friend groups in the classroom. Maybe that was how he could ignore what was happening around him.

“What’s wrong?”

At that moment, I saw a way out of this hellish situation.

That’s right. He’s the class president.

The class president had good grades, so the teachers subtly adored him. Even my classmates rarely messed with him. Maybe he had been born with it, but it seemed that he had a certain air about him that made it difficult to talk to him.

I could turn the situation around step by step. First things thirst, I needed to persuade the class president.

“

Uh

, actually...”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

I told him that I had been treated unfairly by my classmates.

“I may have been rude to Kim Yul just a little bit, but someone has been spreading ridiculous rumors. Maybe they don’t like that I’m dating a girl from a rich family. It’s unfair, but our classmates won’t even listen to me. Please help me...”

The class president calmly listened to me ranting for about thirty minutes without stopping me. He didn’t counter my claims, he simply just listened to me. I was grateful for that.

He finally nodded. “I see. Eun-Seo, I understand why you think this is unfair. It really is. There are times when people act coldly about stuff that doesn’t personally concern them.”

“Indeed!”

“But I’m not sure how to help. What should I do...”

The class president was deep in thought. Even I, who was not very close to him, could sense that he was quite concerned. We both fell silent.

After a while, he raised his head and tapped on the desk. “Ah, Eun-Seo, what about this? I think this kind of problem can only be resolved if Kim Yul forgives you.”

“Kim Yul...?”

“Yeah. To put it bluntly, the other students don’t really have anything to do with this, so if Kim Yul forgives you, they won’t have any more reasons to be mean to you.”

I would have never thought about this solution, but now that I heard it, it felt right. No matter what the students said, they would stop being rude to me if Kim Yul said he forgave me.

“

Uh...

But...”

There was a problem.

“Will Kim Yul accept my apology? I don’t think he will...”

The class president smiled softly. “Don’t worry. It’ll be quite troublesome, but I’ll try talking to him. Let me help you, Hwang Eun-Seo.”

His smile was very kind.

1. Korean schools have recess after every class. But it's short. It's around ten to minutes. ☜

2. Korean school lunchtime usually begins at 12:30 P.M ☜