# Chapter 39
After confirming that I had returned to my initial state before coming to school, I looked up at Jung Hyoin. I took a light breath and released it while watching his back as he was already looking elsewhere and leaving.
Soon, Jung Hyoin left the classroom too, and when no one was in sight, I sat down with a heavy sigh.
“Why is he giving me such suspicious looks?”
Maybe it was because I knew Jung Hyoin’s character, but I felt uneasy for some reason.
Not only Jung Hyoin, but running into Byeon Seungha from the morning was extremely ominous. It was surprising that Moon Seoheon had spoken well of me to them, but it was even more shocking that Byeon Seungha didn’t do anything when he saw me.
Well, it would be funny if he just started throwing punches out of nowhere at this point. The bruise on my shin still hadn’t faded, but it seemed fair to say that the incident had ended in Ace’s bathroom that day. Certainly, if I just stayed quiet, he wouldn’t pay much attention to me either. Although it was concerning that Moon Seoheon was acting so friendly.
Considering that he hadn’t rejected Yoon Taeho first in the animation, it didn’t feel strange. I just found it odd how overly friendly he was. I don’t know if my attitude over the past few days had impressed him that much… but contrary to my desire to maintain a proper distance, it felt like we were close friends, which made me uncomfortable.
I put aside my thoughts and opened my notes to study. As Moon Seoheon said, there seemed to be no need to run away or escape, so I decided to sit quietly and focus on studying today. Of course, if I felt uncomfortable, I would automatically get up.
That prediction was half correct.
Fortunately, they didn’t come every break, but when Jung Hyoin or Byeon Seungha entered and called for Moon Seoheon, he would get up and leave. I never had to stand up and leave the classroom.
I was still constantly wary, but I didn’t particularly clash with them. That was partly because I tried my best to ignore them.
But I couldn’t ignore them completely, like when they spoke to me and I had no choice but to answer. Maeng Moa, whom I had only briefly seen during lunch yesterday, came all the way to the second-year classroom today.
“Ooh, you’re studying harder than I expected?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Did you always study like this?”
“…Maybe?”
Maeng Moa cheerfully entered the classroom, greeted Moon Seoheon and me, and observed us studying. More specifically, he was staring at the English vocabulary Moon Seoheon was writing down in his notebook to memorize.
Then, seemingly curious about my review notes, he asked what I was studying. I showed him a page densely filled with key points about world history that gave me a headache just looking at it. The timeline format made it easy to view, but trying to memorize it all would soon overload my brain.
Anyway, Maeng Moa muttered as if it was unexpected after seeing that page. I responded nonchalantly while examining him as if trying to gauge what he was thinking.
Given Jung Hyoin’s behavior and Kwak Junhee’s actions toward me yesterday, I figured Maeng Moa wouldn’t just barge in and be aggressive either. But seeing that he actually wasn’t being hostile made me feel uneasy.
Even though they’re main characters and called The Four, does that mean they don’t share every little detail with each other? But still, how could they act so casually toward me? I had thought that at the very least, Byeon Seungha would have badmouthed me to everyone, but it didn’t seem that way, which was very strange.
Well, I decided not to think too deeply about it and looked away from Maeng Moa, who was smiling brightly. He always smiles a lot, but confirming that he wasn’t in a bad mood made me feel a little, just a little bit more at ease.
“Does your handwriting change with your mood?”
“…Huh? Me?”
“Yes.”
I heard Maeng Moa’s question but thought he was talking to Moon Seoheon, so I just stayed blank. Then I realized his gaze was on me and quickly pointed at myself. Maeng Moa glanced at my finger pointing at myself and nodded.
“Why my handwriting? Is there something strange about it?”
Unable to understand the intent of his question, I looked at where Maeng Moa was pointing. It was a part of the notes I had scribbled separately. I didn’t see anything particularly strange.
“It’s just that it’s a bit different from the handwriting in your organized notes, so I was wondering.”
“Ah…”
I felt a bit caught off guard, nodded slightly, and smiled faintly.
Yoon Taeho’s original handwriting was rather large and slightly crooked. It wasn’t exactly bad handwriting, but it wasn’t pretty enough to be called nice either. In contrast, my handwriting was small, neat, and had a soft appearance. I wasn’t always like this either, but as I got older, my handwriting became more mature.
When I was in high school, my handwriting was considered sloppy and bad, but it somehow corrected itself over time, and now even when I write unconsciously, it’s established as a fairly decent style.
“I guess it looks different because I was being a bit more careful with it.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Since I couldn’t say that the handwriting changed because I was a different person, I pondered what to answer and added a slight lie. Maeng Moa nodded lightly as if it wasn’t particularly important, checked the time, and got up.
“Then I’ll be going now. It’s boring when everyone’s just studying. I’ll come back later.”
“See you.”
“Yes, hyung. See you at lunch time~”
After confirming that Maeng Moa was leaving the classroom with the same bright smile he had when entering, I asked without any particular meaning:
“Doesn’t he study? The evaluation is the day after tomorrow.”
Since the main characters with hexagon stars maintain their rank until graduation, they didn’t particularly need to worry about the monthly evaluation. But it would be absurd to completely fail the test, and I unconsciously blurted this out because his tone suggested he wasn’t studying at all.
“Moa will do fine. Since he’s going to be an entertainer, things other than evaluations are probably more important to him.”
“…Yeah.”
He was an aspiring entertainer? I was surprised to learn something I didn’t know. Still, I thought it suited Maeng Moa well, so I nodded and gave a perfunctory answer.
Just then, I remembered hearing piano music on my way back from the infirmary after getting my injured hand treated. The memory of that day, when I was surprised that Jung Hyoin had played that beautiful melody, came to mind, and I wondered if he was into something similar.
Anyway, if I had known it would turn out like this, I should have paid more attention to character introductions or something. If only the animation had a proper story, I would know more. At least the sports festival and school festival days were clearly remembered.
As I was about to sigh, I stretched widely and took a breath, and noticed Moon Seoheon staring at me. I turned my head and stared back at him. He always seemed to be observing me whenever he got the chance.
His face soon turned forward as it met my deliberately calm gaze. I also looked forward and continued organizing the notes I had been reviewing.
* * *
“This is comfortable.”
Today was definitely a very comfortable day. Except for meeting Jung Hyoin and Byeon Seungha in the morning, and Maeng Moa coming to sit briefly, the day passed without any special incidents.
On my way home after the final homeroom, I was just thinking how nice it would be if every day could be like this. As if it were heaven’s will not to let me get too comfortable, or perhaps God’s trick, an uncomfortable silhouette appeared in the distance, almost like a lie. My body stiffened, and my back straightened.
Even though I only saw the back view with black curly hair fluttering in the wind, the memory of being thrown onto the field that day came to mind, making my mouth feel dry and gritty. Feeling like I had eaten sand, I walked as far away as possible from where he was standing.
Yoo Wono, what the hell is that bastard doing standing in the middle of the road? Despite not wanting to think about him, my head automatically turned, and I flinched involuntarily at what I saw.
Whether he’d been in a fistfight with someone, a large bandage was stuck on his face, and a bandage was wrapped around his neck. Not only the bandage on his face but also the one around his neck was quite dirty. In contrast to his messy appearance, his expressionless face revealed no emotions.
I couldn’t peer into his brain either. Thinking it would be impossible to gauge the thoughts of a lunatic, I was about to ignore him and leave when I noticed Yoo Wono’s lips curving into a smirk. Following his gaze, I saw familiar faces.
“Those are the High Class students who made a scene at the social club meeting.”
They were the guys who made me run errands, forcing me to act like a waiter. They even did the absurd thing of handing me food with various ingredients mixed together to eat.
Sensing that trouble was brewing, I headed for the main gate, keeping as far away from them as possible. Other students also sensed the ominous atmosphere and began to huddle in corners. Thanks to that, I could walk without being noticed.
That’s when one of the High Class students shouted at Yoo Wono:
“Hey, you son of a bitch! You tore up my exemption pass, didn’t you?”
At the word “exemption pass,” the students looked at the High Class group. I also felt slightly curious and observed them.
Students of High Class level should easily pass tests even without exemption passes. They would likely be among the top students in the school.
The class ranking was mainly determined by monthly evaluation grades, but attendance rates were also included. Unless one was constantly absent like Yoo Wono, it was unlikely for points to be deducted. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be a concern. Getting on the wrong side of the homeroom teacher and being labeled a problem student was also important.
Therefore, students in higher classes would be more likely to attend classes seriously rather than skip them. Those High Class guys didn’t seem like they would often play hooky, and if they weren’t confident about the monthly evaluation and needed exemption passes, there could be only one reason.
They obtained their class rank by making donations to the school. Or they might have just bought it. In any case, they didn’t seem to have raised their class rank through fair means.
Understanding the situation, I turned my attention to them, then hid among the crowd of students and quickly exited through the main gate.
I thought I heard shouting and fighting sounds from behind, but it wasn’t my concern. My job was to get good grades to at least maintain my three stars.
Thinking that I should study while drinking an energy drink today, I hurried home.
