Chapter 8: Female Bully

I stared blankly at the yellow sticky note before crumpling it in my hand.

For some reason, I felt like I’d lost a psychological battle. The useless scrap of paper was tossed into the trash can. I wasn’t desperate enough to contact the head mod. My interest in the Yuri Gallery was purely casual.

The crumpled note bounced off the top of the trash can and landed on the floor. My luck is terrible. Today isn’t my day.

I stood up, bent down, and retrieved the trash. This time, it went in. As I straightened, I noticed the skirt.

…Right. That’s still here.

Looking at the cute school uniform hanging on the wall made me furious. I really don’t want to wear it. Even though I wanted to complain, I had to wear it tomorrow, and it made me even angrier.

What kind of school had uniforms and was exclusively for women? Or was it even a university? I kept questioning it.

After much deliberation, I gave up and lay on my bed. It was inevitable; what difference did my worries make?

I tossed and turned, trying to clear my thoughts. The soft, warm feeling of my bed was a welcome change.

But even this wonderful bed had its downsides. It was incredibly tempting to sleep. I shouldn’t fall asleep yet… But my willpower was no match for my overwhelming desire to sleep.

Alright… I’ll just sleep for 30 minutes.

I set an alarm on my phone. The setting of the alarm calmed me, and I closed my eyes.

“Ji-ah, wake up!”

At the sound of my name, I opened my eyes and saw my mother. She was wearing an apron and opened the door to wake me.

This was a rare sight. Before I moved out, she’d wake me every morning, but living alone changed everything.

I briefly reminisced but then refocused. Even my mother couldn’t disrupt my sleep. I pulled the covers over my head and mumbled:

“Five more minutes…”

“It’s already 7:20! You need to get ready for school and eat!”

“…What?”

Startled awake, I threw off the covers and looked at my mother. My expression conveyed my shock at the time. She entered the room and pulled me up.

“Our Jia, even as an adult, you haven’t changed a bit. I hear mothers are upset when their children move out and become distant… Should I be happy or sad about this…?”

Mom, channeling her ‘perfect mom’ persona, picked up the uniform hanging on the wall and effortlessly dressed me. I was flustered by the skirt and couldn’t speak.

My alarm was set for 8:00, meaning I’d slept for nearly 11 hours. My precious weekend had vanished.

Before I knew it, I was sitting at the table. I stared blankly at the rice and seaweed soup before taking a spoonful.

As a man, I would laze around on weekdays without a care in the world. I started missing those days.

“My, Jia. You’re actually eating breakfast properly.”

Nom nom.

Even so, my mother’s breakfast was delicious enough to make me cry. So, I’m satisfied for now.

I wanted to make a fresh start, not live like a recluse. Even though it was annoying, I vowed to diligently attend school and washed my dishes.

“I’m leaving, Mom!”

“Have a good day. Be careful.”

“Yes!”

I waved brightly at my mother, who was worriedly waving goodbye at the front door, assuring her I’d be alright.

Mom really worries too much, even though I’m not a child anymore. I suddenly realized how unfilial I was as a man. This time, I’ll make friends and be a good daughter.

I quietly resolved this in my heart.

I’m sorry, Mother. I don’t think I can keep that promise.

My initial impression of the school was that I wanted to take a leave of absence, or even drop out.

First, the school’s official name was not a school but the Yuri Academy. It sounded like something from a Japanese light novel, but it had a surprisingly long history.

Second, the skirt my mother had forced me to wear was incredibly uncomfortable. As a man, I’d barely worn shorts outside of kindergarten. A skirt was unbearable.

Third, the girl sitting next to me was the main reason I wanted to drop out.

The discomfort of the skirt made me fidget with my legs as I walked to school, causing me to be late. There was only one seat left since students could choose where to sit on the first day.

And the problem was…

“What are you staring at?”

“Ah… nothing…”

The girl next to me was terrifying.

She had bright yellow hair and hair rollers in her bangs. She wore her uniform unbuttoned, without a tie, and her skirt was ridiculously short, barely covering her thighs. The typical delinquent.

“Hey. I said, what are you staring at?”

I was terrified. A typical delinquent was sitting next to me. I’d never experienced bullying, but I’d always been quiet and kept to myself.

“Hey. Are you deaf?”

All I could do was pray for a seat change. Surely this wouldn’t be my seat. Even so…

“Hey, f*ck.”

“Uh… yeah?”

Only after hearing the curse did I register the atmosphere. The silence, the girl’s glare… I froze.

“Why the hell were you staring at me, you brat? You’re making me furious.”

“Ah… I…”

“If you don’t give me a good reason, I’ll kill you.”

Oh god. I’m screwed. My mind went blank. Overwhelmed by the delinquent, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“I… I wanted to be friends…”

66 99

My voice trailed off, weak and trembling. The delinquent said nothing, making it even more frightening.

I placed my hand, partially obscured by my oversized shirt, on my skirt and looked up at her, like a guilty criminal awaiting sentencing.

“Hey…”

“Good morning!”

As the delinquent opened her mouth, a teacher entered. She was young and energetic, instantly changing the atmosphere.

Teacher, perfect timing…!

I might have gotten away with it this time, but the delinquent’s intense stare made me want to pee myself.

My school life is definitely ruined. Please let me drop out.

Han Jihyun had been perpetually single her whole life.

It wasn’t a question of looks; she was objectively quite pretty.

She had a romantic ideal: meeting a pure, kind girlfriend and living happily ever after.

Life, however, didn’t go as planned. People were only ever polite, never letting her see their true fear.

She’d thought things would be different in high school, but that hope was crushed in elementary, middle, and high school.

One thing did change: she became friends with a group of delinquents.

Her school fantasies shattered, she joined their ranks. She dyed her hair and smoked, becoming one of them.

Then, she realized: continuing this lifestyle would prevent her from achieving her dream.

She set a goal: enrolling in Yuri Academy. Getting in was incredibly difficult, but she studied until she bled.

She’d heard that if you studied hard enough, you could have a happy life there.

After relentless effort, she succeeded.

But on the first day, no one approached her. She was furious; her fantasies were destroyed.

She hadn’t realized that her dyed yellow hair and hair rollers, due to her sleeping in, were problems, but she had no reason to know that.

Then, a girl sat next to her. Constantly being stared at was incredibly annoying.

Initially, she tried to speak kindly. She liked the girl’s looks. But the girl ignored her, infuriating her, leading her to curse at her.

The startled girl, who’d been nervously watching her, whispered something that stunned Jihyun into silence.

“I… I wanted to be friends…”

The shy girl’s small hand, peeking from her oversized shirt, and her red cheeks as she spoke made her think:

This adorable girl is my type.