Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━
We couldn’t return to our daily lives.
There had been a major incident where I was kidnapped, and it wasn’t something that could be brushed over.
It also caused a huge trauma for both Sara and me.
Honestly, that’s the biggest reason for me.
I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I’m sure that it will be difficult for Sara and me to ever meet Choi Na-kyung again with a clear mind.
Of course, this was also a big deal for those around me.
Even though it might sound strange to say I caused it, the fact was that everything that happened was centered on Sara and me.
Ha-neul, Soo-ah, and So-hee all considered me their friend, and incidents were occurring around me.
Naturally, the incidents involving Sara and me had no choice but to be the core of our relationships.
However, things were a little different for those not close to me.
Strictly speaking, the incidents that happened to them were caused by either ‘me’ or ‘Sara.’
If you dug deep enough, it would all lead back to the name ‘Ye Sara.’
But to them, I wasn’t that important of a figure.
What mattered most to them was only money.
That’s right.
The people I’m talking about right now aren’t those around me.
I’m talking about the teachers.
…Well, in terms of ‘physical distance,’ they were relatively close to us.
*
I returned to school two days after being discharged from the hospital.
Naturally, Ha-neul, So-hee, and Soo-ah also missed school during that time.
“Are you really okay with this? Won’t unexcused absences have a big impact on your attitude score?”
I asked Ha-neul this question on the way back to school, after missing two… no, three days if you count the day I was kidnapped before classes even started.
Honestly, I was very worried.
Soo-ah and So-hee had ways to cover tuition regardless of their grades, but Ha-neul didn’t.
Ha-neul entered this school purely based on her grades and was covering the expensive tuition with a scholarship, so any impact on her grades could cause a big problem.
Although scholarships were awarded on a semester basis, and the first semester hadn’t ended yet, there was no telling what could happen.
She didn’t need to be first in her class, but there must have been a cutoff to maintain her scholarship.
Of course, I could cover the cost.
Even if I did, it wouldn’t affect my finances in the slightest.
But I didn’t think Ha-neul would want that kind of help.
After spending the past few months observing Ha-neul’s personality, it seemed she didn’t like receiving large amounts of help unilaterally.
Even if I didn’t see it as one-sided, there was a big chance Ha-neul would refuse, thinking that way on her own.
“It doesn’t matter.”
But Ha-neul replied in a very clear voice, without any hesitation.
“It doesn’t matter?”
I was a little shocked by her response and asked again.
“Yeah.”
Ha-neul smiled brightly and replied.
It was as if a burden had been lifted from her.
“…Why?”
I asked once more.
Ha-neul really wanted to attend this school.
I hadn’t heard her say it directly, but in the original game, it was clearly depicted at the beginning that she had come to this school with high expectations.
She had worked very hard to get in, even leaving her friends from middle school behind to enter.
Of course, in most of the routes, Ha-neul quickly realizes the reality.
At this school, the only students who seriously studied were other external entrants like her, while the rest maintained their grades through private tutoring rather than school lessons.
Actually, it would have been fortunate if the students at least maintained their grades, but most of them focused more on establishing connections than on studying.
It would have been fine if those relationships were healthy friendships, but most of them were about preserving wealth or maintaining social status after graduation, a sort of ‘class division.’
Students exchanged bribes under the guise of gifts, and their parents passed money to each other without a second thought.
The few students who genuinely studied did so with the hopes of eventually being hired by these ‘wealthy’ classmates, and they naturally became the lowest tier of the social hierarchy.
For Ha-neul, who had lived a normal school life with normal friends, this school was truly ‘disgusting.’
However, in all routes except So-hee’s, Ha-neul remains at the school.
That’s because the person she bonds with is at the school.
Ha-neul is the type of growth protagonist who overcomes numerous trials and finally connects with a seemingly impossible partner, which is why I was shocked by her casual reaction.
“Well…”
After thinking for a moment, Ha-neul replied.
“Maybe it’s because my illusions have been completely shattered?”
She smiled bitterly and continued speaking.
“I’m not saying that everyone at this school is the worst… but we’ve been through things.”
She didn’t go into detail, but her words held a lot of meaning.
That’s right.
We had ‘been through’ things.
And Ha-neul isn’t the type to just let that go.
If it were only happening to her, she would probably endure it and grow stronger to overcome it, but if both she and her friends were going through it together, it would be hard for even Ha-neul to hold back.
Of course, she wouldn’t have any attachment left to such a school.
And she probably wouldn’t want to follow the rules of a school like that either.
…Hmm.
So, does that mean she’s planning to transfer schools?
Like in So-hee’s route in the original?
However, Ha-neul didn’t elaborate any further after saying that.
She simply smiled brightly at me.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask her, ‘Are you thinking of quitting school?’ when she was smiling like that, so I just gave a bitter smile in return.
*
The reason why Ha-neul could be so confident without following the ‘school’s rules’ became clear as soon as we arrived at school.
“Huh…?”
When we entered the classroom, almost half of the students who should have been there weren’t.
While the students at this school might have been very lax in their attitude towards classes, they were always punctual when it came to attendance.
Naturally, attendance and absences couldn’t be solved with money.
In Sara’s case, the entire school, including students and teachers, was gripped with fear of Choi Na-kyung, which allowed her to skip school.
But for students who didn’t have that level of money or power, it was impossible.
The school’s hierarchy was determined by money.
But that hierarchy wasn’t absolute.
It wasn’t defined by law or clear school regulations, just a tacit agreement among the students.
So naturally, there was resistance.
Even if they weren’t from poor families, wealthy kids still felt jealousy and inferiority.
If word got out that a student had been marked present despite being absent, it would turn into a major scandal.
After all, it would be a scandal involving a famous student from a prestigious family.
That’s why the parents made sure to send their kids to school every day.
There were no excuses for tardiness or absence unless there was a special reason.
Even though I arrived at school fairly early, the classroom was usually bustling with students by the time I entered.
But that wasn’t the case today.
“…”
As soon as I stepped into the classroom, the atmosphere froze.
Well, honestly, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, so I wasn’t that surprised.
I’ve caused my fair share of chaos in this school.
‘It’s not like the time I went to meet the Chairwoman.’
Sara, who had succeeded in dropping the title of ‘Mother,’ made that observation.
Right.
What could have happened?
In fact, I still didn’t fully understand the situation.
Sara had explained it to me, but I didn’t have firsthand memory of it.
“…”
For now, I quietly went to my seat.
So-hee sat next to me, and Ha-neul sat next to her.
As I walked to my seat, the other students’ gazes didn’t leave me.
I wouldn’t say I was particularly sensitive to other people’s emotions, but I could clearly tell that their ‘stares’ were filled with fear.
It was that obvious.
When I glanced at So-hee and Ha-neul in confusion, they both sat there with strangely satisfied expressions.
Did these two do something?
Or did Yang Hye-in make some move behind the scenes?
Did she show up at their houses with a crowbar?
I sat there, lost in thought for quite a while.
The classroom was engulfed in silence during that time.
Then, the warning bell rang—
And the teacher entered the classroom.
But the teacher who walked in wasn’t the usual homeroom teacher.
It was a relatively young female teacher.
Since she was teaching this class, I recognized her face.
As soon as the teacher’s eyes met mine, her face turned pale.
…No, seriously, what’s going on?