chapter 02
“You’ve had a rough time.”
Even with the partition, it was practically an open passage—he must have heard everything. Isu clenched the hand that had been gripping Miranda’s desk.
This guy, that guy…
Why is everyone suddenly talking to me?
In a situation like this, the last person Isu wanted to run into was Frederick Bastiat.
There had been times they laughed and talked together, but those memories had long since been completely buried under contempt.
Shooting him a sharp glare, Isu turned away first.
But as Frederick passed her and picked up a red marker from the whiteboard, writing something on it, her gaze was inevitably drawn to the board.
[ TRASH TEACHER ]
(Trash teacher)
Startled, Isu shifted her gaze from the words to Frederick, who had written them. A faint smile lingered on his lips as he looked down at her.
Frederick Bastiat.
There wasn’t a single person in Elmir Westlake who didn’t know that name.
And unfortunately, Isu hated him. A lot. Deeply. Intensely.
Her terrible situation, her sinking mood, and her resentment toward Frederick Bastiat—
All of it combined, turning her voice icy cold.
“What are you doing right now?”
As if the concept of “reading the room” didn’t exist in English, Frederick answered casually.
“Hmm… I guess that’s too abstract, isn’t it?”
He added more words beneath it.
[ BULLY IN A CHAIR.
GO EDUCATE YOURSELF FIRST. ]
(The bully acting as a teacher.
Go educate yourself first.)
Something in Isu’s head seemed to snap open—like a lid popping off.
Her body reacted before her thoughts did. She strode up to the board and snatched the marker from his hand irritably.
“I asked what you’re doing.”
“Protesting an unqualified teacher?”
It wasn’t like he was stupid.
That only made his refusal to give a proper answer more irritating.
“If you’ve got a personal issue with Miranda, go handle it properly. If you write something like this here, they’ll think I did it.”
“Me? Of course I wrote it for you.”
Isu, who had been scrubbing the board hard with an eraser, turned her head at his voice. Somehow, they were standing unnecessarily close.
“What?”
“You worked really hard to get that research internship, didn’t you? Doesn’t it feel unfair?”
You worked really hard?
Her brows furrowed sharply.
“You don’t know anything about me, so stop acting like you do. And stepping in like this? It’s not something I’m grateful for—it’s just ridiculous.”
Strictly speaking, the reason she failed to get the internship was because of people like him.
Even as her hazel eyes glared fiercely, Frederick’s gray eyes remained completely unmoved.
There were very clear reasons why Isu hated Frederick Bastiat.
First, he was an insufferable trust fund baby.
There were even rumors that he had already inherited his trust fund despite not having graduated yet.
Because of that, he was widely considered the most carefree loafer at Elmir Westlake—the kind who could nap in the lounge during class and stroll out like this.
Second, everything came easily to him, and he belonged to the privileged class that believed the world revolved around them.
No matter how wealthy someone’s family was, openly writing something like this on the board was beyond Isu’s understanding. How easy must life be to act like this without a second thought?
And one more thing.
“Oh? Sorry. My mistake. But what about the fact that you’re upset?”
So annoying.
Every now and then, he would act like he cared about her—like this.
His gentle words only made her angrier.
Pretending to sympathize…
Instead of spilling out the chaos inside her, Isu closed her mouth and steadied her breathing.
She realized she had been too emotional. She shouldn’t be like that.
After all, who was Frederick Bastiat?
Someone who stood at the very top of the pyramid—someone who could make her life even more miserable than Emily Holt or Miranda ever could.
“We’re not even on greeting terms, yet you’re going out of your way to involve yourself in my situation. I appreciate the thought, but I’d like you to stay out of it. This is my problem—it has nothing to do with you.”
When Frederick didn’t respond, Isu found herself staring at his face.
But even looking straight into his gray eyes, she couldn’t read his expression. His gaze drifted slightly as he raised a hand to cover his mouth.
…Is he smiling?
On second thought, it looked more like he was trying to hide his expression.
“Greeting each other… we can start doing that from now on, don’t you think?”
His glass-like gray eyes turned gently toward her.
“Let’s end this here. I have to get to my next class.”
Isu cut him off cleanly. She had no intention whatsoever of getting swept up, entangled, or exchanging more words with him.
Without waiting for his reply, she turned and left the classroom—missing the real expression he had tried to hide.
Frederick lowered his head, covering his mouth, staring at the door where she had disappeared. His eyes darkened.
Bzzz.
At the vibration, Frederick pulled his phone from his blazer pocket.
A text message was displayed on the screen:
Young master, it seems the upper school scholarship budget is being reduced.
Frederick stared at the message for a moment before turning off the screen and closing his eyes. Then, with the hand holding the phone, he pressed his fingertips against his brow.
From the moment Isu had been selected as a scholarship student at Elmir Westlake, she had expected school life wouldn’t be easy.
And it wasn’t.
Everything she had vaguely imagined—every kind of mistreatment—had unfolded in reality as if it were only natural.
Even so, back when she was just a seventh grader, Isu hadn’t been shaken by most things. She had already prepared herself for all of it when she accepted the scholarship.
Did she think getting free financial support would be easy?
Whether she was ignored or humiliated, she had thought of it as the “tax” she had to pay.
But sometimes, disasters went beyond what she had imagined.
Like right now.
“Danielle, could we talk for a moment?”
“Yes?”
At Ms. Emma’s gesture, Isu, who had been hurrying down the hallway, turned and approached her.
“Um… it’s a bit difficult for me to say this… um…”
Ms. Emma, a Christian, was kind and always warm toward Isu. Seeing her hesitate made Isu feel an ominous sense of unease.
“With the budget being reorganized this time… it looks like the scholarship budget might be reduced…”
Isu’s heart sank.
“…What? Does that mean my scholarship might be cut off?”
Just the living expenses? Or the tuition too?
Either way, it would be a disaster for her.
“We’ll try to prevent that as much as possible, but the situation isn’t good.”
She had endured all kinds of humiliation as a scholarship student over the years, but this kind of blow was a first.
“Could you write an essay to help persuade the school board to maintain the scholarships? Something about how useful and necessary they are. I know it’s a difficult request—it’s not mandatory. But if possible, I’d like you to help for the sake of future students. Could you do that?”
Separate from her respect for Ms. Emma’s kindness and dedication, Isu internally translated the request into something much sharper:
We need you to officially beg. As pitifully and desperately as possible—a poor scholarship student’s plea.
She had thought she’d already paid enough for receiving the scholarship.
Apparently, there was more “tax” to pay.
Things that were natural for other Elmir Westlake students—but barely granted to her.
Like dignity.
“…When do you need it?”
At her response, Ms. Emma’s troubled expression quickly brightened.
“Will that be okay? Could you show me a draft by next week?”
“Yes. I will.”
Even pride required qualification.
For someone at the very bottom of the pyramid, pride was an unaffordable luxury.
Knowing that all too well, Isu showed no sign of displeasure.
She simply walked down the hallway alone, taking a deep breath in—and out.
Ah, my head hurts….
Entering the science lab, Isu pressed a hand to her forehead.
In just half a day, she’d been hit with three consecutive blows—and on top of that, her locker items were still missing. At this rate, she’d have to skip lunch and dig through every trash can in the main building.
The research internship…
She’d have to give it up.
Isu let out a silent sigh.
In America, not having connections was practically a crime. There was nothing she could do but accept it.
Even though she knew it was more rational to focus on what remained instead of what was lost, she couldn’t help feeling deeply unsettled.
She had truly given it everything she had.
Brushing back her hair, Isu walked to her seat—
And at the sight that greeted her there, her eyes widened in shock.
