Is that a compliment?
“That flashy lens, that spiky hair, those panda eyes… I really couldn’t stand that look. Ugh. It was so hideous.”
Joel giggled. …I guess it’s an insult.
Joel didn’t kidnap me or take me to a secluded place to rough me up as I’d expected. He just safely dropped me off at home.
“You live in a nice house?”
Tilting his head crookedly while holding the steering wheel and peering into our house, he looked just like… someone scoping out a place before robbing it. Or like he was extorting money saying, “Hey, you live in a nice house, how about helping out your less fortunate neighbors? Huh?”
I studied well and was tall and well-built, so I’d never been extorted. Instead, I’d received quite a few offers to join their gangs. Saying I looked like I’d be perfect talent for their work. What kind of talent is needed for extortion? Well, I guess it would be a disaster (人災).
“Hey, Number Seven.”
“Ugh!”
Contrary to my suddenly surging anxiety, far from being extorted, I actually received something instead.
“Take it.”
What Joel suddenly threw was…
“What’s this?”
“Go throw it away.”
It was trash in a convenience store bag.
“…”
“I gave you a ride. You should at least pay for that, right? It’s not like I’m not charging you for gas.”
Joel, who tore into the jelly like a beast again, crumpled the empty jelly wrapper crinkle crinkle! in his hand and threw it outside. Thud, the bag fell at my feet.
“Throw it away properly. The Earth is hurting, right? Isn’t it? This damn Earth, I don’t know if it’s really going to hell or what, fuck.”
Joel twisted his jaw as if suppressing anger and muttered profanities starting with F several times. I didn’t know why he was suddenly acting like this, but I flinched nervously, when vroom! The car suddenly started and drove away.
“Kek, kuk, cough, kuk!”
Black, hazy exhaust fumes happened to get into my nose, making me cough like crazy.
“Is he insane?”
Grabbing people out of nowhere the moment we met, saying weird things, and also…
“My bicycle…”
It was a broken bicycle, but still, with my family’s help, it might somehow come back to life. My bicycle… That’s right. I ended up being extorted by Joel Gomez for a completely broken bicycle.
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The system mockingly laughed at me in Korean-style expression, so annoyingly.
* * *
When Mom asked where her bicycle went, I quickly changed the subject and asked where my bicycle was. My bicycle did exist. The one I rode when I was nine. With training wheels attached, much too small, with an animated character drawn on it—I couldn’t ride that bicycle.
In the end, I started commuting to school by borrowing my older brother’s black bicycle. When my parents worried that bicycles could be more dangerous than cars, I laughed haha and answered that I wanted to ride a bicycle for morning exercise. But damn, commuting to school by bicycle was incredibly hard.
“It’s so hard…”
When I arrived at school, I was dripping with sweat like it was raining. My heated face was even hot. Right. Neither me, who sat in a chair studying every day, nor July, who was supposedly holed up in his room listening to weird music, could have had such good stamina. Might as well build up my stamina while I’m at it. It’s better than wasting time learning to drive when I’m busy as hell.
<Status Window>
【Quest】
- Secure broadcasting rights for Season 2 of ‘Pizza Saver’!
- Greet 100 students [87/100]
【Rotten Pineapple】
Current [40]%
◈ High-teen: 100%
◈ Romance: 1%
Thanks to all my efforts at the party, Quest 2. Greeting 100 students was almost complete. My popularity also increased a bit more after the party.
<Character Status Window>
◈ Name: July Baek (Korean name: Baek Woogeon)
◈ Age: 18 years old (12th grade)
◈ Popularity: 8%
◈ Nickname: ???
◈ Special Notes: EMO tribe, extra in the drama ‘Pizza Saver’
“Ah, July? I saw him at Harper’s party. He’s pretty good-looking.”
From -31% to 8%. It was tremendous progress. I was proud and pleased with myself. Ah, come to think of it, doing morning exercise felt really refreshing and good…
“July, hi. Good morning.”
“…Hi.”
No. Whether it’s morning exercise or whatever, it’s better to be fresh and handsome. That’s what I thought when I saw David Evans. The guy who came driving a car hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat.
“Did you buy a new bicycle? What about that one with the wheels?”
“…That one’s at home.”
Instead of answering that I got extorted by Joel Gomez, I told an easy lie.
“Then what about the car?”
“It’s being repaired.”
Again, instead of saying I forgot how to drive, I lied.
“Okay. Well… That bicycle’s cute too. Have a good class then.”
Dave patted my shoulder thud, thud, then headed toward the school refreshingly.
NEW!
Popularity increased by 1!
NEW!
Popularity increased by 1!
Wow, my popularity went up by 2 just from talking with David where others could see. A celebrity with 97% popularity was indeed different.
* * *
I headed to the classroom according to the schedule the system told me. It was drama class. America was really different. Drama class. In Korea, I always just solved math problems during arts and physical education class.
Since there were only chairs without desks in the classroom, I went to the very back seat and sat quietly. Maybe I came early—there were no other students. And just as I was about to look through David Evans’s Stargram account in detail,
“Hello, Number Seven. Cyber stalking is a clear crime, you know.”
Thud! Someone plopped down in the seat next to me. I couldn’t turn my head, my gaze fixed on my phone.
“You like that bastard? Were you gay?”
“…Hi, Joel.”
Hahaha… I awkwardly laughed while putting away my phone and waved my hand. Joel, sitting in a crooked posture with his arm on the backrest and legs crossed, let out a pfft, snort.
“No matter how much you like that bastard, he won’t be interested in guys. He’s crazy about things wearing skirts.”
It was a statement full of malice.
“It’s not like that. I was just… curious, that’s all.”
“Right. Love and interest both originally start from curiosity. Ha! Love, it’s called love!”
His attitude of mocking ‘love’ after saying it himself was absolutely ridiculous.
“Number Seven. Do you think that kind of thing exists?”
“…I don’t know. It exists, so that’s why everyone talks about it like that, isn’t it?”
Actually, love—I didn’t really know what it was. Love between family, love between friends, love between lovers… I’d never experienced any of them, so I didn’t dare wish for them.
“Then what about those who crazily believe in God who doesn’t exist in the world?”
Someone sitting in the front seat who heard Joel’s crooked words looked back disgruntled, then made eye contact with Joel and quickly turned their head back straight.
“But do you know what my name means?”
“…What?”
“‘Jehovah is God.'”
Joel giggled as if it was funny. I forced myself to pull up the corners of my mouth to smile, then stopped smiling and looked at someone coming in. The person who sat right in front of me was,
“Hi. We greeted each other yesterday. Remember? I’m July.”
“…Yeah. Hi.”
It was Natalia Newton. When I bowed to greet her, Natalia turned toward me and waved awkwardly. Natalia Newton had an introverted personality and had ophthalmophobia and stage fright. I had to approach carefully.
“I didn’t know we were taking the same class. Nice to see you.”
“Ah, yeah…”
She was even more passive than yesterday when she was with her friend. I eventually gave up trying to talk more and leaned back against the backrest, and I heard giggling laughter.
“Oh no. You got rejected.”
It was Joel. This time I ignored him, pretending not to hear.
* * *
“I’m the teacher who will be conducting this drama class. Some of you have seen me a few times, some are seeing me for the first time… Right, how about starting with the friend sitting over there, come up here and introduce yourself and tell us what you want to gain from this class?”
“M-me?”
The person the drama teacher pointed to was Natalia. When everyone’s eyes turned to her, Natalia’s face turned bright red and she lowered her head. Since people around her urged her on, Natalia had no choice but to stand up and hesitantly approach the teacher.
“I, I’m… Na, Natalia New, Newton…”
“NaNatalia NewNewton? That’s an unusual name!”
The moment some nasty person giggled, Natalia’s ears turned even redder. Just when I was worried she might faint standing like that, Natalia suddenly! raised her head and music started flowing from somewhere.
― I’m afraid every day, of others’ gazes. My face turning red, always embarrassing.♪
Just as I was flustered by Natalia suddenly starting to sing along with the accompaniment, the status window rang.
NEW!
The ‘musical’ keyword has been added!
What, musical?
― I always dreamed. Of being confident in front of others! But I always fail!♪
Can only I hear this? Is that it?
No matter how much I looked around, everyone was acting as if they couldn’t see Natalia. They were each doing their own thing, but their actions were quite exaggerated. Just like actors on stage.
― When will I be able to be confident in front of people!♪
Natalia pulled both hands to her chest with a desperate expression, then spread them wide like wings. And she danced hard while spinning around the entire classroom. It was quite absurd and bewildering, but I had no choice but to also pretend to use my phone,
― Woo, woohoo! Shy Natalia! Natalia who’s always made fun of! Natalia!♪
The teacher, the mischievous student who teased Natalia, and various others added chorus in harmony with Natalia’s song.
what the hell oh my god 😭😭😭 yea this would 109% be cancelled