TSESHR 07

Chapter : 07

Seo Jae-gyeom only liked things that he was into.

No matter how good something was, if it didn’t suit him, he didn’t even look twice.
He drew a harsh line between what interested him and what didn’t.

And in Jae-gyeom’s eyes, Kang Da-hye was—

“No fun.”

He knew she was pretty, but that was it.
She carried herself so boringly that even her pretty face barely registered.

More than anything, it was way too obvious she liked him.

Always glancing over, nervous, tense.

Pretending not to notice her awkward tries to get his attention only worked once or twice.

But even putting all that aside—

He just wasn’t interested.

To Jae-gyeom, Kang Da-hye was simply “Han Ji-su’s friend.”

Even though he’d known Da-hye longer than Ji-su.

“Hey, don’t you think Kang Da-hye is pretty?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Ugh, Seo Jae-gyeom. Why do you sound so half-assed?”
“’Cause I don’t care.”
“She’s super smart too. Should I ask what academy she goes to?”
“She doesn’t go to an academy.”
“Then does she get tutoring?”
“Nope.”
“Then what, how does she study?”
“She studies alone at the teen study room in front of Heightsville.”
“…What the hell. You say you don’t care but you know everything.”

The girls close to Jae-gyeom transformed into idol-level makeup and outfits the moment they stepped outside the school gates. But even bumping into Da-hye outside school, she was almost always in her uniform.

“Where’s Kang Da-hye going?”
“Library.”

Ask her anything, and the answer was always: library, or study room.

Maybe reading books was because she didn’t have money?

Books were free at the library, after all.

“Actually fits. A timid, boring kid like Kang Da-hye and a library.”

Jae-gyeom thought that—even though he himself read sometimes.

But there was one thing Jae-gyeom didn’t know:

People who are always reading usually have the loudest, wildest minds.

Cafeteria

Today too, every seat around Woo Do-yeon was empty in all directions.

Anyone could tell the space was deliberately left open, while Do-yeon calmly ate in that island of emptiness.
A few girls glared and whispered, calling her “a fake princess.”

“If they had to stand in front of Woo Do-yeon, they wouldn’t utter a word.
They only talk because the mood is on their side.”

Jae-gyeom knew the bullying came from inferiority.

And that every rumor about Woo Do-yeon was nonsense.

But that didn’t mean he planned on stepping in to protect her.

“Do they have no brains? How could anyone believe that crap?”

He still remembered how one casual comment from him early on had made things worse for Do-yeon.

He was the one who’d said they had no brains, yet only Do-yeon got attacked for it while he escaped untouched.

So he sighed and took a seat far away.

“Ugh, why is lunch so trash today!”

The mood soured further as Song Yeoreum’s group strutted in—skipping the line, having ditched all morning classes.

“She’s even pretending to be pretty while she eats.”

Yeoreum plopped herself into a seat someone had vacated and started directly insulting Do-yeon.

“Ugh, there she goes again.”
“So loud.”
“Jae-gyeom, wanna play basketball?”
“Yeah.”

He planned to shovel food and bounce.

He could grab something at the school store later if he got hungry.

He was in the middle of wolfing down rice when—

Quietly, Kang Da-hye walked over and sat across from Woo Do-yeon.

At the eight-seat table Do-yeon was sitting at alone.

Just that changed the atmosphere.

Song Yeoreum, who’d turned her whole body to face Do-yeon while harassing her, let out a dry laugh.

“Kang Da-hye, what are you doing?”

As if Da-hye’s behavior wasn’t even funny—just absurd.

Seriously.

Da-hye, what are you doing?

As far as Jae-gyeom knew, Da-hye was scared of Yeoreum too.

Back in middle school, he saw Yeoreum squeeze money out of broke Da-hye—1000 won here, 2000 won there.

Sometimes Jae-gyeom helped when he felt like it. Other times he ignored it because it was a hassle.

Did she lose her mind after I rejected her?
Or is she doing this to get my attention?

Fighting with the transfer student all day in class like she wanted him to see, and now she’s standing up to Song Yeoreum?

Is she going to get dragged off and beaten?

Jae-gyeom watched Da-hye, Do-yeon, and Yeoreum—ready to jump in if needed.

But he was way off.

A walnut cookie Da-hye tossed landed squarely in Yeoreum’s soup bowl. Soup splashed onto Yeoreum’s hoodie and hand, and Yeoreum shrieked.

“HEY!”

Yeoreum immediately stood and hurled her lunch tray at Da-hye.

CLANG!

A sharp crash, food scattering everywhere. The cafeteria ladies looked over, startled.

“What is going on?!”

Teachers burst out from the staff dining area.

“Song Yeoreum! What do you think you’re doing?!”

A burly middle-aged male teacher boomed.

“Why are you standing there like that! You dropped that, didn’t you?! Huh?!”

“I said I dropped it!”

Yeoreum snapped back, muttering curses under her breath, just low enough the teacher wouldn’t hear.

“Be careful, will you?! Pick it up! And apologize to the staff, they’re cleaning up after you!”

Out of steam, the teacher cleared his throat and walked back inside.

The moment he disappeared, Yeoreum stormed toward Da-hye like she meant to kill her.

Seeing Yeoreum approach, Da-hye stood too.

Jae-gyeom thought absently that Da-hye had great posture.

“Hey. Kang Da-hye, come outside.”

“No. Why should I?”

“Why? Just step outside a sec. I’m not gonna hit you.”

“No.”

“What, scared, psycho?”

“Yup. I’m scared, so I’m not going. What are you gonna do about it?”

Wait by the school gate after class and drag her to a playground?
Like you did to my friend in middle school?

Da-hye went on.

She never gave Yeoreum a chance to talk.

Da-hye’s words rolled out like she’d prepared a script.

“I remember. Second year of middle school—you shoved my friend into the cleaning cupboard and kicked her. No one told the teacher ‘cause everyone was scared of you. And you knew that, laughing and daring us to report you, saying you were under the juvenile law. Well guess what? You’re not under that law anymore.”

“What—”

“Still not getting it? If you hit me, you won’t just walk away. Maybe you get expelled, maybe juvie, I don’t know. I’ve never lived that kind of trash life.”

But you don’t have the guts to handle that, do you? Da-hye smiled.

“You can’t even curse loudly in case a teacher hears.”

“You—”

“You’re only acting big because everyone avoids you. Not because they’re scared—because you’re gross. If anyone pushed further, you’d back off because you’re scared too. Scared of ruining your precious life.”

“You crazy—”

“While we’re at it, want me to say more? You hate Do-yeon because your ex said she was pretty, right? We call that ‘jealousy.’”

Da-hye rattled off like she’d rehearsed this a hundred times.

Like she’d replayed what she should have said, again and again throughout her life.

The “boring loser” no one cared about was spitting fire inches from Yeoreum’s face, and Yeoreum couldn’t fight back—just stammer curses.

The cafeteria was the quietest it had been since Jae-gyeom enrolled.

Even the kids who’d pretended not to see Do-yeon getting bullied were watching now.
Some who were about to leave stopped at the exit to listen.

And no wonder.

Hating Do-yeon was a trend formed by a few.
But everyone hated Song Yeoreum.

Da-hye gently pushed Yeoreum back, just enough to make space.

“You said you want to be a celebrity, right? Be careful. The world’s changing. People who bullied others in school don’t get to be celebrities anymore.”

“What the hell are you—”

“Maybe use your time to apologize to the people you bullied. Pray they don’t expose you after you debut.”

“….”

Is today the last day of Kang Da-hye’s life?

Did she get drunk?

Is she transferring schools tomorrow?

How does she plan to survive after this?

Everyone had the same thoughts.

Hidden behind her chair, Da-hye clenched and released her fist once, then looked past Yeoreum—at the girl in the flashy hoodie always stuck by her side.

Then she threw her final punch.

“And you. Any guy in his twenties dating a high schooler isn’t normal, so break up already. Try not to end up pregnant before graduation and starring in High-Teen Mom & Dad.”

“Hah!”

Jae-gyeom finally burst out laughing.

Wow.
This is fun.