Chapter 4 - You might just get by doing nothing (4)
“Ah, it’s cold…”
The place I headed straight to was none other than the men’s restroom. As the time for the morning assembly was fast approaching, there wasn’t a single student inside.
In fact, even if there had been a few, my actions would have been the same. After all, they’re all guys with peppers hanging, what’s the big deal about taking off my shirt? It was uncomfortable, but since the mornings in March are cold, I couldn’t keep wearing wet clothes.
"Wow. Truly the perfect Golden Sun.”
As soon as I took off my dress shirt, what greeted me was a muscular body tanned to just the right degree. Not so big that girls would be scared to touch, nor so small that I’d be called a sardine.
Perhaps because of the mix of Western blood, Lee Ji-woon’s body was incomparable to the other kids his age.
If we’re talking about physique alone, he could be compared to the students who are seriously aiming for professional sports and working hard in their athletic clubs. Moreover, his skin, tanned to a wheatish hue, made his body shine even more. It was the kind of body that would be catch the attention of men in the military.
I used to have a pretty good body when I was actively working out, but I couldn’t come close to this guy’s genetics. To be like this in his teens… I guess you can’t beat genetics. I’m envious, mixed-race…
“Hey! What if you suddenly leave like that… Aaahhh!!?”
While I was admiring Lee Ji-woon’s body and striking a pose, Lee Ye-ji, who seemed to have followed me, was startled and hid behind the wall. Even then, half of her face was still peeking out.
“You, you, pervert!? Why are you undressing!!”
“This is the men’s restroom.”
"What does it matter if it’s the men’s bathroom, Why are you undressing? You’re startling everyone!”
I'm... wet. I couldn't understand why Lee Ye-ji was angry when a man in the men's bathroom wanted to take off his top.
Ah, it’s because I was wet.
I couldn’t understand why Lee Ye-ji was getting upset when a guy was just taking off his shirt in the men’s restroom. Do kids this age always go through such turbulent emotions? Well, I suppose becoming a high school student is a time of emotional instability. Even if I’m a few years older, I should try to empathize.
Lee Ye-ji, with her flushed face, stared at me silently for a while. Yeah, I get it. Even if I were a girl, it would be hard to look away from this body. But could she tone down the blatant staring? I’m still an individual, even if I’m not Lee Ji-woon himself. Well, maybe I’m a proxy of sorts.
“Isn’t it a bit too intense, staring like that?”
“W-who, who said I was staring at anyone? I wasn’t staring…! It’s just… just…”
“Just looking wherever my eyes go?”
“Yeah! Naturally! Just like that!”
…Isn’t that the same thing? As I’ve seen in the story, Ye-ji isn’t exactly the brightest friend.
But no matter if it’s only Ji-woon around, openly staring in the men’s restroom is a bit much, isn’t it? Is this normal in the world of visual novels? Or has the culture changed without me knowing?
For me, a true Korean Confucian boy, it seems like a world that’s too early to understand.
“…But why did you run away? You weren’t like this before.”
“What was I like before?”
“After being discharged, you seems yo have changed, almost like a goldfish. It was a relief when you didn’t get into physical fights as usual! Do you know how worried I was that you might cause another incident?”
Ye-ji seemed to be recalling the recent events, clutching her chest and sliding down the wall as she leaned against it.
“So I deliberately raised my voice. I thought if I got angry instead of you, you might feel a bit better… The student council is already talking about disciplining you, and now with the assault on a classmate, it’s like the final nail in the coffin. You’re going to be expelled tomorrow, expelled!”
“Oh.”
Come to think of it, if I get expelled, I wouldn’t have to go to the juvenile detention center, right? As that thought suddenly crossed my mind, an exclamation inadvertently escaped my lips.
Of course, at the same time, I had to endure Ye-ji’s lightning-fast ‘cat punch’.
“Really, when will you ever grow up! You have no idea how serious it is to be expelled from Raon High School!?”
“How serious is it?”
“Well, for starters, being rejected by other schools is a given, and the case could be sent to the police, which might lead to punishment. And from my perspective, I won’t be able to go to school with you… Uh!”
Ye-ji, who had been rattling on, suddenly stopped talking. I wasn’t really paying attention, but what did she say that made her cover her mouth with both hands?
Her face, which was already red, now looked like a fully ripened apple.
“What did you say that made you suddenly cover your mouth…”
“Ah, anyway, you don’t even have clothes to wear right now! I still hqve the gym uniform I borrowed from you last time. Since I still have it, I’ll bring it to you right after the next class!”
“But I haven’t attended school for a week, so how can I have the gym uniform…”
“Don’t nitpick over trivial things! You’re always like that, and suddenly acting sharp…!! Well then, I’m leaving!”
With that, Ye-ji make a swift exit from the boys’ restroom. As for the mystery of how Lee Ji-woon’s gym uniform, which he didn’t come to school since the first day, was kept, will remained unsolved forever.
Still, it seemed that Ye-ji’s concern for Lee Ji-woon was genuine.
Even though she tormented the heroines in the story, it was partly because of Lee Ji-woon’s request and her easily influenced personality.
Perhaps bickering all the time ultimately meant being best friends. It was one of those moments when my heart felt a little tugged. While I might not treat other heroines the same way, I vowed to be there for Ye-ji. Today, I solemnly declare the first day of Lee Ye-ji’s ‘Escape from Gyaru’ project.”
“…By the way, what do I do now?”
//After the storm had passed, all that remained was the ruins of my heart. I was in a situation where I couldn’t come up with an answer.
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"Although I managed to escape for a while, ultimately, I’ll have to return to class. So, it wasn’t the most efficient course of action.
As the saying goes, ‘Even if you enter a tiger’s den, you’ll survive as long as you keep your wits about you.’
Despite my initial surprise attack, in retrospect, the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed. If anything, it was Park Ha-eun who was in the wrong, and I was closer to being the victim.
Even if the protagonist harbored some resentment toward me, there was no sudden reason to retaliate. Perhaps Yoon Dong-gun had approached me earlier, anticipating my escape. Without knowing the reason, I had retaliated against the bully.
So, there was no need to be afraid. Even if my usual behavior resembled that of a model student, in this moment, I was the victim. It was time to receive an apology and extend mercy, as befits a victim.
“Please, just stop the twitching in your buttocks…”
For some reason, whenever the protagonist and heroines were involved, my buttocks felt uneasy. I couldn’t quite explain the sensation, nor did I want to understand it.
It felt like becoming a PTSD patient over something I hadn’t even experienced yet. Shaking off the discomfort, I adjusted my clothes and hurriedly left the restroom."
***
“Sigh…”
Inside the classroom, Park Ha-eun was staring at the wide-open back door, letting out a deep sigh.
Yoon Dong-gun, who was nearby, tried to comfort her, saying everything would be okay, but strangely, it didn’t bring her much solace. Usually, his words would ease her anxiety, but today, his reassurance didn’t quite resonate with her.
Of course, the anxiety she felt wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t the fault of Lee Ji-woon, who had just run out the back door either; everything was entirely due to the trouble she had caused.
“Who would have thought I’d slip there…”
From the moment Lee Ji-woon burst into the classroom, Park Ha-eun couldn’t take her eyes off him.
He was one of the people with whom she had spent her childhood, the happiest time for her. Although they had grown apart, Ha-eun always wanted to become close with Ji-woon again, just like before.
Just like when the three of them used to roam around the neighborhood. Just like when they took care of each other like family and played every day. Just like when they used to visit each other’s houses almost every day and shared meals together.
But ever since he returned from studying abroad, he changed drastically, and quickly distanced himself from her.
The once innocent face was now sharp and fierce, and he started hanging out with bad company, even beginning to smoke and drink. He tanned his once clear skin and completely abandoned his studies, which he used to be quite good at.
She couldn’t just leave Lee Ji-woon, who was once a close friend, to go down the wrong path.
Despite numerous attempts, even dozens of times, to talk with him alongside their mutual childhood friend Yoon Dong-gun, Lee Ji-woon’s attitude remained unchanged. He even became angry and caused quite a bit of friction with Yoon Dong-gun, who had been a long-time friend.
Eventually, the two completely fell out, and Park Ha-eun found herself standing alone between them, unable to take anyone’s side. This was the case during middle school and even now, as they had just become high school students.
“Did you hear? That troublemaker from the first day, he got into a motorcycle accident.”
When Park Ha-eun first heard this, her heart sank. She tried to contact Lee Ji-woon several times to verify the rumor, but all that returned was the echo of silence. Time passed without even knowing basic details like which hospital he was admitted to.
"And now, just a week later.
“…Ah.”
Lee Ji-woon appeared in the classroom, looking no different from usual.
Next to him was his best friend Lee Ye-ji, chattering as usual, but the only person Park Ha-eun could see was him.
Is he okay? Was he hurt badly? Does he have any pain? What did he do in the hospital? There were a mountain of things she wanted to ask, but she knew the answers would be harsh and painful, so she couldn’t rashly start a conversation.
However.
“Your legs are completely visible. What kind of girl acts so foolishly?”
It was a kind word that seemed unbelievable to have come from Lee Ji-woon. Even though the target wasn’t herself, Park Ha-eun was certain that the person named Lee Ji-woon had changed to some extent."
"From that moment, she couldn’t stop her steps. Unknowingly, she kicked away her chair and stood up, closing the distance towards Jiwoon, one step at a time.
Of course, she did regain her senses midway and pretended to water the plants in an awkward act, but having come this far, she couldn’t help but try to speak to him.
“Ji… Jiwoon.”
She mustered up her courage. It was the most courage she could gather, being timid and introverted.
And perhaps because that courage had its limits, Park Ha-eun ended up slipping on the wet floor and inadvertently dousing Jiwoon with water.
It was a disaster. A complete one.
Just when she thought their relationship couldn’t be salvaged and was about to sink into the abyss of despair.
“I’ll go dry off my clothes and come back.”
"What came out of his mouth was not profanity or curses, but just a simple phrase.
Instead of blaming her, she watched him walk towards the restroom with an indifferent expression. At that moment, Park Ha-eun was certain.
For some reason, she knew that Jiwoon had changed.
‘Again… like before…’
Park Ha-eun tightly clutched the hem of her skirt. Even amidst the anxiety, a glimmer of hope sparked in her wide eyes, filling them with a faint strength."
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