Chapter 17: Disruption (2)

The person who tormented me mercilessly last night—Eunji, the troll—was now sitting next to me.

Of course, there were other trolls besides Eunji, and it was possible she wasn’t the one who’d harassed me, but as a moderator, she was definitely a target.

Do all the trolls look like this? Walking to the cafeteria, I glanced at Eunji. Honestly, her looks were wasted on trolling.

Seriously, if all the trolls looked like Eunji, I’d be more lenient.

But that didn’t mean I’d forgive her. The moment she appears on the gallery, she’s banned. Fueled by revenge, I arrived at the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was surprisingly unremarkable for a prestigious academy. The trays were the same aluminum ones I remembered from middle and high school.

I’d expected more. It wasn’t fancy, but I’d expected something like a cafeteria, not this.

Still, it brought back memories. How often would I see this after graduation? There’s a reason why minors in Korea are called “gyupshik” (meal kids).

The mapo tofu was surprising. After receiving my tray and sitting down with Yejin, I saw the menu.

Mapo tofu, sweet and sour pork, and strawberry latte for dessert. I take back what I said about being disappointed. The outside was ordinary, but the inside was full.

Mapo tofu was incredibly popular even when I was a NEET; even I knew about it. It was only natural that some people disliked it.

I was one of them. I don’t remember why, but I probably resented that it was popular among the popular kids. What’s so good about it? It must have caused some kind of discomfort.

The internet is an anonymous community. No one can verify my identity, so I’d been at the forefront of criticizing mapo tofu.

Looking back, my past self was pathetic. I stirred my mapo tofu, vowing to be better. Sadly, this brings up my inferiority complex; I’ve never properly tried mapo tofu before.

“Wow…”

My eyes lit up; I stirred the mapo tofu. Each spoonful revealed new ingredients. This must be noodles… is that rice cake? There were also sausages and enoki mushrooms.

“What? Is this Jia’s first time eating mapo tofu?”

“School mapo tofu is bland compared to restaurant mapo tofu. Let’s take you somewhere later, Jia.”

“You’re so cute. I have another reason to want to be friends with you.”

Ignoring Yejin and Eunji, I focused on the mapo tofu. It was like seeing a rare species. It felt strange seeing a dish I’d hated in my past life.

I stared at the mapo tofu, fascinated. Looking up, I saw Yejin and Eunji staring at me, not eating.

“Gu…guys. Aren’t you eating…?”

Feeling their gazes, I felt embarrassed. What did they think of my fascination with the mapo tofu? Did they think I was uncool?

I know I stared intensely. I couldn’t look them in the eye, and I urged them to eat.

“Eat your food…!”

“Okay.”

But they smiled at me. They were definitely teasing me. I could excuse Yejin, but Eunji hadn’t known me long enough to join in.

I’m furious. Especially Eunji; she’s a troll, so it’s doubly annoying. I glared at her, and she laughed out loud.

“You’re too cute!”

Cute? Shouldn’t a glare cause fear? My anger faded, replaced by bewilderment.

Maybe Eunji has strange preferences. She was the one who wanted to be friends with me, right? We’d only exchanged pleasantries after introductions.

I wanted to know why she wanted to be friends. It was difficult, but I mustered my courage.

“Uh… Eunji.”

“Yeah?”

“About… you… wanting to be friends…”

My voice trailed off. There must be a reason no one mentioned this.

I regretted it, but I couldn’t take back what I’d said. I looked at them nervously, my head bowed slightly. I shouldn’t have gotten so excited.

My hesitant tone and incomplete sentence made Eunji blink before saying casually,

“Curious why I want to be friends?”

“…Yes.”

I nodded cautiously. Eunji smiled.

“It’s because Yejin…”

“Hey!”

Oof. Before Eunji could finish, Yejin shouted, silencing her. She tossed her spoon aside in her haste.

I stared at their ridiculous poses. It felt like everyone around was watching us.

“We agreed not to talk about that in front of Jia!”

“But she asked! I can’t lie.”

“Do you want to die?”

I don’t think I was imagining it. It’s strange that no one was reacting to their loud argument in the cafeteria.

Their argument continued; nearby girls started whispering. My face burned; I quickly intervened.

“Let’s stop fighting and eat. Okay?”

Please. My earnest plea must have reached them; they sat down, looking embarrassed. They were embarrassed after calming down; they scratched their heads and nodded.

I finally picked up my spoon. What was that all about? I felt cheated; my curiosity had backfired. I reluctantly took a bite.

“Oh…”

The mapo tofu was even better than expected. It was spicy and flavorful, perfectly to my taste.

I hadn’t liked spicy food as a man; did my taste change after the transformation? Another spoonful confirmed it; I didn’t dislike it; I was addicted.

“Uh… Jia.”

Yejin spoke to me as I devoured the mapo tofu. Huh?

“What?”

Yejin looked apologetic. Eunji was urging her to apologize.

“I’m sorry…”

“Why are you sorry? I’m sorry for bringing it up without thinking.”

I thought I’d caused them trouble by asking without considering their feelings. It was my fault.

“Why are you apologizing…”

“Right, Jia. We shouldn’t have fought without considering her feelings. It’s not your fault.”

“I can’t explain now… but I’ll tell you later, once we get closer.”

“I was interested because of Yejin, but I genuinely wanted to be friends.”

I laughed at them frantically apologizing. What was so important that they’d go to such lengths? I nodded lightly.

“Okay. Let’s eat!”

Seeing my improved mood, Yejin and Eunji nodded in relief. I resumed eating.

The mapo tofu was delicious.

***

Lunch and afternoon classes went smoothly. I got Eunji’s number after school. Having three new contacts felt awkward.

I said goodbye to my friends after school. I walked home without incident.

I powered up my laptop the moment I got home. While I liked Eunji, she was a troll and should be banned. Honestly, I was mostly bored.

[Title: Looking at my sister’s picture at work makes me feel… hot.][17]

[Author: WantToEatMySister]

My sister’s at school; I miss her. I pretend to just hug her while she sleeps, then I want to touch her.

[Likes: 4 / Dislikes: 0]

[All Comments]

oo: Crazy b*tch.

00: Having a job alone makes me… aroused.

Should I ban this kind of post? It was creepy. Should I leave it as harmless gossip? Isn’t it abnormal to feel that way about your sister?

Suddenly annoyed, I gave it a 10-minute temporary ban. That should be enough.

My day of moderating had begun.