Ha-neul’s supplementary lessons continued steadily afterward.
During every break, Ha-neul summarized and reviewed what was learned in the previous class, trying to cram as much information as possible into my head.
I’m sure if there was a physical way to shove all the study material into my brain, Ha-neul would have gladly done so.
“Still, the worst subject is just math.”
When school was about to end, Ha-neul gave me such a harsh evaluation.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was doing well in the other subjects.
The content I was learning after almost 10 years was far too distant for me to recall.
Even though the school teachers were former academy instructors known for teaching well, since my mindset was already “I don’t want to study”, everything just went in one ear and out the other.
The only reason I got the “math is the worst” evaluation was that I still had some basic common sense left from school lessons in my head.
I may have given up on math, but I had worked hard on Korean language studies and also focused on listening for English when preparing for the college entrance exam.
As for subjects involving research, there’s no need to even mention them.
If the material didn’t involve formulas, I could somewhat recall it.
Most of the content at the beginning of the semester wasn’t that difficult since it was introductory, so I could understand a little better.
“Then, let’s continue studying after the club activities. We can decide whether to study in the classroom or go home later.”
No matter whether I could understand the lessons or not, Ha-neul was sincerely determined to make me study.
Since I knew I couldn’t break his stubbornness by arguing further, I just nodded and let it go.
Well, it’s not a bad thing to have friends come over to the house anyway.
Soo-ah and So-hee are at home already, so it would be strange if Ha-neul were the only one not there.
Though I was a bit nervous, wondering if Ha-neul might say she would stay at the mansion as well, fortunately, she didn’t go that far.
“Looks like one more person has joined.”
When I got to the soccer club, Nam Da-un said that.
“I am Shin So-hee, who will be studying with them at this school starting today. I heard you’re helping with my lady’s physical training. I sincerely thank you.”
To such a comment from Nam Da-un, So-hee unexpectedly bowed slightly and said this.
“…”
Nam Da-un gave me a look as if asking, ‘What is she doing?’
Exactly.
What is she doing right now?
It seems she’s gotten into the habit of acting like this since morning and has been doing it continuously.
Could it be that cosplay is one of her hobbies?
…No, it couldn’t be that.
Judging by the way So-hee’s face almost burst into laughter as she lifted her head, it seemed like it was her version of a joke.
Although we only exchanged a few words last time we met, it seems she liked the soccer club quite a bit.
“They don’t ignore you, right?”
After the running session, I asked her why she liked it while sitting on the floor, exhausted.
Her answer was simple.
“The only people I ignore are the ones who ignore you. If they’re talking to us at this school, that means they’re normal enough to be worth interacting with.”
“Hey, isn’t that a bit harsh?”
Nam Da-un said to So-hee, though he didn’t particularly deny it vehemently.
He probably had a rough idea of how I was treated at this school.
For reference, the club captain, who was initially scared to even talk to me, quietly avoided making eye contact.
“Is it harsh? Even today, I kept wanting to hit every kid passing by.”
So-hee looked over at the group of soccer players gathered nearby as she said this.
They had been glancing at us cautiously, but when their eyes met So-hee’s, they quickly averted their gaze.
“How about you, senior?”
“About what?”
At my question, Nam Da-un responded with an expression that seemed indifferent.
“Do people avoid you because you talk to me?”
“Not really?”
When I widened my eyes at his response, Nam Da-un shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Guys don’t really care much. You’re in a different grade and in the girls’ class, so we don’t even see you that often. I’m not sure about the first-year students, though.”
Certainly, at the beginning of the semester, the girls seemed cautious when looking at me.
On the other hand, when I walked through the boys’ classroom corridor, the looks I got were slightly different.
Some avoided my gaze out of fear, but usually, it was more like they didn’t want to get caught having inappropriate thoughts.
“In the first year, everyone’s careful about everything, but you know how it is. There’s that kind of macho posturing between guys. If anyone tried to avoid talking about you, they’d probably get teased for being a coward.”
When Nam Da-un said “coward”, I noticed his gaze waver slightly.
It wasn’t that he was making things up—it seemed believable.
When guys talk openly, they probably use much more direct language than just calling someone a coward.
Of course, they’d be too embarrassed to say those things in front of me.
Rather than gossiping about how they were ostracized because of me, they were probably more interested in discussing whether the three of us were really in a romantic relationship.
Since we were in different grades and genders, it was more like idle gossip to them.
It would be more entertaining to spread rumors like that.
The girls in my class didn’t openly talk in front of me either, but I’m sure they gossiped about me behind my back.
And if it was about women’s romantic relationships…
Well, I could imagine the kinds of things the more aggressive students might say.
I stared at the captain intently.
Embarrassed by the reaction he had shown earlier, the captain cleared his throat and turned his gaze away.
“But senior, aren’t you scared?”
“Huh?”
When I asked Nam Da-un this question, feeling a little off, he looked back at me as if he hadn’t expected such a question.
“You must have heard rumors that talking to me brings disadvantages, right?”
I started talking to him because I knew he was the “original male lead”, but whether he responded was a separate issue.
For example, one of the original male leads was the student council president, and he couldn’t even hold a proper conversation with me.
He didn’t even have that glow on his face.
But even now, Nam Da-un was emitting a faint glow from his face.
I think I’m starting to understand what this means.
It seems like Ye Sara instinctively recognized people who would be helpful to her life.
So far, everyone whose face glowed had been helpful in Ye Sara’s life.
But then, why did things turn out the way they did in the original story?
…Maybe it was because this ability allowed me to see the glow, which was due to my knowledge.
Since I inherited Ye Sara’s abilities, this phenomenon could be the result of a combination of my knowledge and Ye Sara’s intuition.
I can’t be sure yet since I haven’t had a conversation with Ye Sara or recovered those memories.
“Oh, that.”
Nam Da-un folded his outstretched legs into a cross-legged position and said.
“That’s just a rumor.”
He gave an answer that was different from what I expected.
…So it wasn’t just because he was a fearless “male lead”?
“A rumor?”
“Yeah, a rumor. Don’t you know what that is?”
Uh… so…
“You don’t think it’s true?”
“Exactly.”
At my question, Nam Da-un nodded.
“…Why?”
When I asked again, Nam Da-un looked at me, seeming surprised by my question.
“Do you really think it makes sense to destroy an entire family just because someone spoke to their daughter? In the 21st century? If it were a rumor about a middle-class guy ruining a poor person, I’d understand, but a rich person who’s well-known for their wealth doing something like that? It would immediately become a national issue.”
“But with money…”
“Sure, money can cover things up to a certain extent, but what about outside of school? Is he going to bribe the entire country?”
“Uh…”
So he wasn’t just suppressing things to keep the rumors contained within the school…?
“Has anyone gone missing, gotten beaten up, or had their house burned down? It’s all just rumors. Bad things just happened at unfortunate times, and those stories grew into ridiculous rumors. Or maybe someone fabricated them.”
“…”
Well, if we’re talking about possibilities, that might be true.
But this isn’t just the real world—it’s a world where fiction has become reality.
No, wait, that’s not the point right now.
“By the way, what do you mean by ‘gone missing’?”
So it wasn’t just about covering things up with money?
At my question, Nam Da-un stared at me.
“What, you didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Then just keep living without knowing. There’s no benefit in finding out.”
But saying it like that only makes me more curious!
*
Even though Ye Sara repeatedly asked Nam Da-un to tell her more detailed stories afterward, he refused every time.
He figured it was better for her not to know.
Believing in something that wasn’t even true would do her no good.
…Well, judging by Ye Sara’s reactions, she’d probably find out the full story soon enough.
“Do you know anything about her background?”
As usual, after helping Ye Sara climb over the fence, the captain asked Nam Da-un cautiously.
Despite his large build, he had a surprisingly timid personality.
However, his personality changed 180 degrees when it came to soccer.
If only he could be like that all the time.
“Not really.”
Nam Da-un did know.
But knowing that things would get complicated if he admitted it, he answered like that and brushed it off.
Luckily, the captain didn’t pry further.
He was quite perceptive in this regard.
Well, some of the rumors were true.
But not everything was.
After all, “rumors” are just that—rumors.
If everything had been true, would he really have decided to come back to this school?
Nam Da-un considered himself pretty brave, but he didn’t think he was “that” brave.
If anything, it was Ye Sara, running around without knowing the full details, who truly had guts.
“Well, I’ve always had good instincts.”
Nam Da-un simply said this and continued rolling the soccer ball with his foot.