Chapter 119

Seventeen-year-old Tae-woo took a brief, deep breath in front of the main gate before entering a classroom he was seeing for the first time.

He was heading to high school for the first time in his life.

It was a new semester at a new school.

There would be few people who did not feel nervous.

If a close friend from middle school had been assigned to the same school and same class, the burden would have been a bit lighter, but he was assigned to a school far away from home.

Even if he didn’t know about the school, there was a high probability that there would be no one he knew in the class.

When he entered the classroom, it was almost fully seated. It was a natural outcome.

‘Am I a bit late?’

Despite making several round trips before the start of school to familiarize himself with the route and looking at the map built into the smartphone—a god-given benefit of civilization—Tae-woo had gotten lost several times during his commute today, and as a result, arrived late.

It was a stroke of absolute luck that he had not streamed until late the previous night, allowing him to leave with some time to spare in the morning.

‘Otherwise, I would have been late from the very first day.’

No matter how many times one traveled, there was no such thing as an easy, familiar path in this world! Therefore, one had to leave early! Even so, it was a close call!

That was Tae-woo.

At school, morning assembly started first at 7:40, and the first period began at 8:10.

The current time was 7:38.

Perhaps because of that, there were only three seats remaining.

He did not know how many more would arrive, but the choices Tae-woo could make right now were twofold.

‘Sit next to that guy, or sit without a partner just like that other guy.’

The only student sitting alone was, at a glance, extremely handsome.

Furthermore, unlike the students in the room who were meticulously scanning each other, he was reading a book peacefully with a straight posture.

An aura that made it difficult to approach was felt.

His being left alone was likely not for nothing.

However, the man named Kim Tae-woo was a homebody who liked games and felt comfortable being alone, yet possessed a contradictory personality where he couldn’t stand actually being alone.

Thus, he sat in the seat next to the remaining student.

“Hi?”

Tae-woo stammered slightly from greeting someone for the first time, and the handsome classmate nodded his head and replied casually.

“Hi.”

***

What on earth was he looking at?

‘A wuxia novel?’

Even though there were no classes since it was the first day of school, everyone still paid attention when the teacher spoke in front.

Even a delinquent was bound to be a model student on the first day.

However, this guy sitting next to Tae-woo was somehow different.

‘Did they say his name was Jin Seo-jun?’

Somehow, even his name sounded handsome. This was why looks mattered. Damn it.

Anyway.

This guy was something else.

Even during class time, he read with the book on his knees, and looking from right next to him, there was absolutely no awkwardness in how he managed his gaze.

‘What kind of art is he performing?’

Tae-woo thought that Seo-jun’s inner strength for secretly slacking off was no less formidable than his own.

‘This bastard was one of my kind?’

A hunch.

It was a signal sent by the subconscious of someone who handled vast amounts of information, which was no different from a sort of big data.

Such a hunch now signaled to Tae-woo that Seo-jun would be a friend who got along quite well with him.

‘No. What if he is worse at studying than me?’

***

It became 2 o’clock, and they headed to the auditorium for the entrance ceremony.

Tedious and sleep-inducing procedures were carried out, and the turn for the freshman representative’s oath approached.

And when the freshman representative stood on the auditorium stage for the oath, the eyes of the yawning Tae-woo widened.

It was Seo-jun.

No matter how uninterested he was in studying, he knew that usually, the student who studied the best stood in such a spot.

‘What the. How annoying.’

It was purely meant as genuine admiration.

Though a slight jealousy over his face had been added.

***

Three days had passed since school started.

Though busy adapting to the new environment, it was a period where things were gradually settling into place.

The teachers, whom they were now meeting for the second time, began their lessons.

And.

For three days, from the moment he arrived at school in the morning until the time he went home, Seo-jun did not rise from his chair even once and only read books.

Though he occasionally closed his eyes and fell into thought, the fact that he did not rise from his chair remained unchanged!

‘Is he indeed a model student!’

His ability to sit still was impressive.

During that time, no one approached Seo-jun first, nor did Seo-jun approach anyone.

He did not even eat lunch.

Even though he wasn’t studying, still.

Even though it looked like a mere wuxia novel rather than a humanities book, still.

Even though he kept reading it during class time, still.

‘Since he is the freshman representative, he must be studying with some kind of know-how.’

Could it have been training to cultivate concentration?

Tae-woo thought it was impressive, so every time he stopped by the school store, he bought a drink for Seo-jun and handed it to him.

A direct bribe was always the best.

“Hey friend, take this.”

“Thanks.”

Seo-jun spoke plainly as he received the fifth drink.

Then, in the next class, perhaps because he had finished reading, Seo-jun closed the book for the first time and put it into his bag.

Afterward, Seo-jun stretched and said softly.

“What’s for lunch today?”

The very question students blurted out the most! Today’s school lunch menu!

Tae-woo, who felt for the first time that Seo-jun was a student just like him, excitedly told him the menu and suggested they go eat together.

Seo-jun nodded in agreement, and Tae-woo told the friends he originally ate with that they should eat separately today, before heading down to the cafeteria with Seo-jun during lunchtime.

Today, chicken drumsticks, which were hard to fail as a school lunch, were served, and Tae-woo, who joyfully received his portion, headed toward an empty seat.

They sat facing each other, and while eating and chatting casually, someone who was suddenly going to discard their leftovers bent their waist at 90 degrees in front of their table.

“Hello!”

What was this?

And.

‘Who is that?’

Since there were only the two of them at the table, it was clear that they were greeting Seo-jun.

However, the color of the name tags of the people who bowed was different from theirs.

The fact that their name tag color was different from theirs, who were freshmen, meant that these people were seniors.

Were they playing a joke because they were close?

However, the atmosphere did not feel like a joke at all.

When Seo-jun accepted their greeting while eating the chicken drumstick, they disappeared.

However, this was only the beginning.

The place they were sitting was in the back near the leftover disposal area, and it was about time for the seniors who had taken seats in the front and were eating to finish and go discard their trays.

Consequently, many people passed by that spot, and seniors who greeted Seo-jun continuously appeared at a rate of about one out of ten.

“Hyung-nim! Hello!”

Intimidating faces, and

“H-Have you come here?”

large builds.

What they all had in common was that their expressions were grim without exception, and that they greeted Seo-jun with sharp 90-degree bows.

Every time that happened, Tae-woo’s expression went sour.

‘I’m doomed.’

A junior whom seniors continuously greeted like gangsters?

He had to doubt whether he was even a junior in the first place.

‘Did he repeat a grade after causing trouble?’

This was the most likely possibility.

If so, he felt like he now knew why Seo-jun had been so calm and composed until now.

For this bastard, high school was not his first time.

Also, seeing how he was extremely famous, the probability was high that he had caused an immense incident.

Tae-woo became extremely quiet from that point on.

After they finished eating, Seo-jun spoke to Tae-woo.

“Hey, friend. Want to go to the school store?”

Seo-jun was trying to return the favor.

However, Tae-woo took it differently.

‘I got involved with the wrong guy. I’m doomed.’

Recalling that he had brought up the word ‘friend’ while bringing Seo-jun drinks over the past three days, he interpreted Seo-jun’s words like this.

‘Is he telling me to buy something at the school store if I want to at least remain friends?’

What was already done was done. If so, what should he do to at least spend his remaining school life well?

Tae-woo exercised a moment of wit and made the best response he could at the time.

“Since a drink isn’t enough, how about bread for dessert?”

“Sure. Then I’ll…”

“No! You go up to the classroom first and wait! I’ll be right back!”

From that day on, various breads, which were popular items at the school store, were added to the types of food Tae-woo bought.

***

[‘ㅇㅇ’ donated 50,000 won!]

[How did you and Tae-woo first become close?]

Tae-woo, who saw the donation, wept inwardly as he recalled the past.

‘I really offered up a lot of bread for a while.’

There was such a memory.

Such a memory of not even being able to stream properly while worrying about how he would spend the remaining three years of high school.

Did that bastard remember it?

Tae-woo glared at Seo-jun.

The middle school Seo-jun graduated from was right next to the high school he attended, so Tae-woo could easily hear about Seo-jun.

Fortunately, he learned that it wasn’t repeating a grade or causing incidents, but the reputation was still bad regardless.

Those who weren’t close to Seo-jun said that because he hung out with delinquents, it would be best not to get close to him.

And those delinquents who were dragged around by Seo-jun said this.

‘Don’t get involved. Just don’t ask and don’t get involved if I tell you not to.’

‘Have you ever seen hell?’

‘I didn’t know I would end up studying either.’

‘We are Seo-jun’s friends? No, we’re not.’

‘Exactly. If we were friends, he could never do that.’

At that time, Seo-jun was listening to their conversation from behind, and in that way, Tae-woo became his only friend.

The next day, the guys who had been Seo-jun’s friends—who were definitely dragged to that gym looking back now—visited during every recess, begging for mercy and pleading to be considered friends.

A guy who openly didn’t study –> 1st place in the entire school with crazy concentration –> a delinquent who repeated a grade after causing trouble –> ???

Having gone through these shifts in perception, Tae-woo gave up trying to figure Seo-jun out and diligently visited the school store.

“Hmm. Tae-woo here was quite generous. He bought bread and shared it every day, so I was like, ‘What’s up with this weird guy?’ and we just became close.”

-Winning him over with bread omg

-Is that friendship fee? Lolol

-Lolol is it true that he just bought it?

-Is this bastard Tae-woo a born bread shuttle lolol

-The bread shuttle thing might actually be controversial?

“Bread shuttle? No, I told you I didn’t say anything? And I don’t particularly like bread.”

Unable to listen any longer, Tae-woo said a word.

“Then why on earth didn’t you tell me to stop buying bread?”

“Well, a friend I’ve seen for less than a month keeps buying it for me, so it would be weird to reject it for no reason.”

Indeed.

“That makes sense.”

It really makes sense.

Tae-woo looked up at the ceiling, hiding his tears.

He was truly curious why this guy was so normal in thinking about useless things like this, while everything else about him was strange.

He was truly curious.

“Oh? Did the chicken arrive? Good work, everyone.”

“I’ll go get it quickly!”

The habits ingrained in Tae-woo’s body reacted immediately.

***

The next day.

On his way to attend a lecture, Seo-jun smiled warmly as he recalled his high school days for the first time in a while.

‘I was wholesome, diligent, quiet, kind, and ordinary.’

Furthermore, he was also a student who exerted a good influence.

Instilling model behavior and guiding juniors was naturally the duty of a senior.

There was no violence or selfish interest. Really.

It was not because he felt guilty.

‘By the way, why did Director Oh Ji-hye call me?’

Normally, they were scheduled to meet a few days later, but she asked Seo-jun if he could come today.

Since it was near the university, it didn’t really matter much when she called anyway.

‘Is it because of LiOS?’