Chapter 15: Power struggle (2)

The atmosphere instantly turned icy. It was early, so not all students were present, but several early birds were watching us.

More specifically, they were watching Jihyun and Yejin’s standoff, and I was caught in the middle. It was like being a shrimp caught between warring whales. How did this happen? I looked at them with dull eyes.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why should I leave?”

Yejin smiled brightly. Her wild hair and clothes, sharp features, and aggressive tone didn’t seem to bother her.

“Don’t ruin my morning; scram.”

“So, why?”

“Are you f*cking kidding me?”

“This isn’t a joke. Objectively speaking, two students are socializing, and some delinquent is interfering.”

“What?”

“Oops, wrong wording. Seeing your short skirt made my true feelings slip out. You’d suit that kind of attitude. Sorry!”

“Funny?”

“Yeah, very.”

Is this a power struggle between girls? Their words were sharp and cutting. Yejin was particularly skilled at subtle insults.

Jihyun seemed furious. Seeing her clenched fist, I worried she might get violent.

“Try being even more provocative. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered someone who only talks trash.”

“But attendance is starting soon; we need to sit down. Oh, right, you wouldn’t understand that. Try harder next time.”

Yejin, singing the last line with a cheerful tone, sat down without lingering.

Yejin… why would you plant a bomb like that and then leave? I swallowed, watching Jihyun, who looked like she was about to kill someone. Sitting next to her was terrifying. Save me.

“Good morning, everyone!”

As I watched Jihyun, our homeroom teacher entered with the same energy as yesterday. Her bright eyes and cheerful tone didn’t show an ounce of worry. Her appearance was a godsend in this tense situation.

After checking attendance, she cheerfully announced the start of regular classes. A wave of groans followed. I just need to sleep. That old man pic is still burned into my mind.

After the teacher left, a new teacher entered. Even though I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t lie down while the teacher was present.

The teacher introduced herself and passionately lectured. Her ponytail swayed with her movements; I thought she was cool. She’s doing what she loves.

…Time to sleep. I rested my chin on my hand, trying to subtly doze. Is Jihyun okay? Did she think I was part of Yejin’s group?

I couldn’t rule out the possibility. But we only had a few conversations. If I was targeted, I, a mere civilian, couldn’t handle it.

I don’t know. My eyes were getting heavy. The exhaustion from the night before hit me all at once. I closed my eyes, lulled by the teacher’s soothing voice.

“Kim…”

“Kim Jia!”

Oof! A loud voice startled me awake. My heart pounded; I looked around. Students were moving freely, so it was probably break time.

Who called me? It wasn’t the teacher. I turned towards the sound.

And froze. Jihyun was looking down at me, a smirk on her face. Her expression was unreadable.

Help me. I trembled instinctively. This was too much for a civilian like me. My head drooped.

Seeing my hesitation, Jihyun sighed impatiently. In a flat tone, she said quietly,

“Come with me.”

What…? This felt like the beginning of a cliché scene. Was she going to yell at me? Or extort money? Both were terrifying.

Seeing Jihyun’s unwavering gaze, I resolved myself. Fine. I’m not reporting her, so if it’s extortion, I’ll just consider it a donation. I stood and followed her.

Yejin, who was talking to someone, glanced at me, showing concern. I waved reassuringly and even smiled. Whether it was a convincing smile was questionable given my trembling lips.

I followed Jihyun silently to the first floor. Where are we going? Was she taking me to a secluded place to avoid witnesses? The possibilities flooded my mind.

As I walked with my head down, Jihyun stopped. I stopped too. Wow. I almost bumped my nose into her back; she turned to me.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Uh, huh…?”

“What do you want to eat?”

I realized there was a vending machine behind her. Oh. They use vending machines instead of school stores now? That’s new. Why is she asking?

“Uh… chocolate?”

Extortion and violence hadn’t happened yet, so I answered honestly. My tastes remained unchanged. I loved sweets and hated bitter things. I only ordered chocolate lattes at cafes.

Jihyun nodded and approached the vending machine, inserting a bill and pressing a button.

Clink

A can dropped with a satisfying sound. Jihyun crouched, opening the dispensing slot and reaching in. Oof. Her short skirt rode up as she crouched. I froze, taking a sharp breath.

She retrieved the can and approached me. Seeing my frozen expression, she looked puzzled and offered me something.

“Here.”

What?

Jihyun offered a can of chocolate drink. Seriously? Was this for me? I stared blankly at her outstretched hand.

“My arm hurts.”

“Ah… yes!”

Feeling guilty, I quickly grabbed the can. I held out both hands to politely accept it.

Why is she giving this to me? Is this some kind of extortion? Give me this, and I’ll give you the change?

I looked at her impassive face and couldn’t help asking.

“Why…?”

“You looked really tired.”

Oof. Was it that obvious? The old man pic was still haunting me. I was utterly exhausted; it was constantly torturing me, even though I wasn’t looking at it. I nodded subtly.

…g.”

“Eat this and cheer up.”

“Huh…?”

“I’m leaving now.”

She turned and walked away, seemingly finished. One hand in her pocket, the other casually raised in a farewell gesture. It was… cool.

So, she saw I was struggling and bought me my favorite chocolate drink to cheer me up? Jihyun might be a good person after all. She didn’t even ask why I was upset, probably to avoid causing further discomfort.

I revised my opinion of Jihyun. I felt bad for assuming she was just a typical bully.

“Wa…wait!”

I held the can tightly, my voice trembling slightly. The can was cold, but her kindness warmed me.

Jihyun stopped walking, turned slightly, and said,

“…Fine.”

Yes. She seemed genuinely nice. We walked back to class together; the bell rang as we arrived.

Rushing to my seat, a new teacher entered. I’m sorry, teacher, but this is incredibly boring.

I took out my phone and decided to discreetly use it. Everyone else was doing it. I considered it partially the teacher’s fault for making the lesson so uninteresting.

But I still needed to be discreet, so I held my phone close. Yejin had messaged me since arriving at school.

[Yejin: Everything okay?]