Chapter 2
Cha Seokyung transferred on the first day of March, the start of the second year. Not to our class, but to Class 2 next door.
Even to someone like me—the officially acknowledged outcast of Myeongwon High—Cha Seokyung’s first appearance had caused a shockwave. As soon as first period ended and the break began, the school was thrown into chaos.
It wasn’t just the first-year students; even the third-year girls were pressed up against the windows of the second-year hallway, peeking in with curiosity. That alone said everything.
In just a single day, the newcomer had already outshone the school dance club, which had an established base of fans, as well as Kim Eunho. That part was ordinary enough; it didn’t concern me.
What I found a bit interesting, though, was Cha Seokyung’s reaction.
The boys in the dance club, who occupied an empty classroom to practice headspins and windmills every day, were extremely aware of the girls’ attention. Individually, they were unimpressive, but collectively, the cheers they received inflated their egos.
Even my ex-boyfriend—God, saying that still irritates me—Kim Eunho, was like that. He pretended not to care, but he was acutely aware of the attention, the glances, and the whispers directed at him, and he took it for granted. I had caught him countless times, his shoulders stiffening, his movements deliberately performative.
Cha Seokyung, however, was different.
Even I couldn’t deny that he had the kind of looks and presence capable of stirring a commotion. Any stranger would think he must be incredibly popular.
So even if he noticed the attention and acted a little aloof, no one could resent him for it.
But he didn’t seem to feel any pride or affectation from the admiration he received.
Not that I was so invested in Cha Seokyung that I observed him obsessively. We barely interacted at all.
So how did I know?
A person’s most unguarded moments are fleeting, yet revealing.
Sometimes in passing on the hallway or near the school store, or during transitional classes in the music or science room, those brief moments were enough to see.
Cha Seokyung didn’t care about anything. He treated nothing as extraordinary. Calmness clung to him, no matter the commotion around him. While other boys were turbulent currents, Cha Seokyung was a lake with a placid surface.
People naturally want to inflate even the smallest achievements to flaunt them, but Cha Seokyung remained serene.
Even though girls like Lee Hojung might have gushed about how handsome he looked playing basketball at lunchtime, he never sought the spotlight or behaved ostentatiously.
He was plain, almost unassuming. His distinct yet delicate features seemed drawn with a fine brush, usually fixed in the same composed expression.
On rare occasions, when he smiled and revealed his neat white teeth, that was a “plus N” day—another follower added to his admirers.
If he were deliberately aware of this subtle effect, he should have debuted under his father’s company already.
In any case, I just found Cha Seokyung somewhat fascinating.
Of course, I would never claim to know him merely for that reason.
By the time school ended, the sky had grown overcast.
Spring seemed to carry its own melancholy, raining off and on these days.
“I don’t have an umbrella.”
Though the rain hadn’t yet threatened to pour, I quickened my pace. The school had already emptied more than halfway, leaving no usual post-school chaos along the way I chose, deliberately slower than most.
Near the school gates, something hot grabbed my wrist.
“Yeonseo.”
Hearing his voice, irritation flared immediately.
Sigh. Really, couldn’t he have kept quiet for a while?
I twisted my wrist and freed myself from Kim Eunho’s grip. His dark eyes, stormy as the weather, were enough to command attention. I suspected that if I spoke, I might break into tears again. I nodded toward him, signaling to follow.
Instead of the crowded plane tree avenue, I took the sidewalk along the opposite fence. It was a detour to get home, but handling Kim Eunho came first.
Halfway along the fence path, I scanned the area. It was an industrial zone rather than residential, with few passersby and sparse traffic.
This should do. I crossed my arms and looked up. Kim Eunho flinched as if struck.
“What are you trying to do right now?”
“Yeonseo…”
“Speak. What exactly do you want from me?”
His eyes trembled uncontrollably, a look that would melt the hearts of girls our age—perfect for him.
My ex-boyfriend, Kim Eunho, was the so-called Myeongwon High celebrity: tall, handsome, famous. Photos circulated on messaging apps like BuddyBuddy.
Yet, standing before that face, my voice was as cold as a winter wind.
“How long have we been together? A few years? No. Two months at most, Kim Eunho.”
There were no real dates, just being dragged to hang out with his friends, where he fiddled with my hand and laughed foolishly. I hadn’t gone out with him after that.
Before last year’s winter break, I had clearly told him:
“We broke up. Do you find that funny? After all the chaos you caused at school, still not enough? What, do you want me to become a universally hated villain because of you? You know my nickname, right?”
“Yeonseo…”
There it was again—his familiar, sorrowful gaze. I wanted to punch something out of frustration. That expression only added to all the labels clinging to him: the pure-hearted Kim Eunho, brought to tears by a cold-hearted, ruthless girl.
“Completely heartless. Know that, right?”
He tried to explain, fumbling over words:
“That’s not because of me… it’s just your personality, Ji-Yeonseo…”
“Hey.”
I snapped, and he looked down, that same expression softening into apology. I sighed.
How many times had I broken up with him? In person, by text, by call, by note—over ten times. Was it the method? Did it leave room for misinterpretation?
Perhaps it was my fault for ever accepting his confession. My mouth tasted bitter.
“Tell me, Kim Eunho. Why are you doing this?”
“I want to be with you again.”
“……”
“Hold hands, go to the movies, visit an amusement park.”
“……”
“Buy you dolls, do couple rings, make up for all I didn’t do before.”
His voice was earnest, remorseful. Months ago, I might have been swept away by this.
“I want to give you my best, Yeonseo.”
But I already knew the truth behind that face.
“Also want to be a celebrity?”
He faltered. I wasn’t pleased.
“You want to debut under my dad’s company, don’t you?”
“No friends to pass messages, so I’ll hear it straight from you,” I didn’t need to add.
I’d suppressed my pride, reciting the reasons for our breakups, but now I was done with this exhausting cycle.
Kim Eunho straightened, exhaling irritably. A bicycle rolled past, its rider barely visible. I recognized him immediately—so many times had I seen him that he was familiar.
Kim Eunho’s pleading tone vanished, replaced by a clear, smooth voice:
“Yeah, honestly, I did think that way.”
“……”
“I’m too good-looking to waste as a high schooler, right? I thought maybe your dad’s company could notice me.”
I glanced at the slowly fading figure, the bicycle, and the large black sports bag.
The bicycle slowed and stopped at the start of the crosswalk.
“Yeonseo, what are you looking at?”
“…So what?”
“Let’s get back together. I admit I wanted that, but I also truly had feelings for you.”
I looked up at his shameless insistence and wondered: why did he become the pure-hearted boy and I the villain?
The day after I said we should break up, he knelt and cried in front of almost the entire school during the closing ceremony.
After refusing him, my reputation plummeted: ruthless, entitled, heartless.
Raindrops began to fall. Feeling them on my nose, I asked:
“Kim Eunho, did you ever truly have feelings for me in the first place?”
He shrugged and answered confidently:
“You’re the only one who can compete with my face.”
“……”
“Your looks, your body—no one else compares.”
He grasped my hand and fiddled with it as if everything were fine.
“Let’s try again. Couple idols are popular now, you know?”
I really shouldn’t have dated him.
“Honestly, are you going to ruin the rest of your school life like this? When we dated, at least people talked to you. You don’t want to remain an outcast forever, do you?”
I should have avoided getting involved at all. Foolishly, knowing everything.
“I really, really like you.”
And he said it so painfully.
“Enough. Stop teasing. You’re starting to annoy me.”
Even with someone like Kim Eunho.
“If you get back together with me, your school life will be easier. I’ll treat you better. My mom says, ‘Good is good.’ So you too—ugh!”
I kicked him so hard in the shin that he collapsed forward. New sneakers and their hard toes made it sting. He groaned, clutched his leg, and glared.
He already knew I didn’t attack girls, only boys.
“I’m not a pet. I don’t ‘treat’ anyone.”
“Hey, are you seriously not going to school like this?!”
Like I was instructing a kindergartener, I lowered myself and explained clearly.
“Eunho, one last time. I won’t get back together with you. If you pester me again after this, I’ll make sure you never work in entertainment. Understand?”
Of course, I couldn’t really do that. I was eighteen. My relationship with my father wasn’t close, and he never listened anyway.
Kim Eunho flinched. He left me sprawled on the ground and walked ahead.
The bicycle was still there. Rain now poured, yet he acted as if he had some appointment.
I hurried without looking back at his calls.
The rain intensified. From around the corner, Cha Seokyung’s bicycle appeared, cutting through the downpour.
Looking back, Kim Eunho, with his bag over his head, ran off in the opposite direction.
On this rainy road, I was alone.
Perhaps it was relief. My eyes finally burned, and I hastily covered my face. There was no one to see me anyway.
“……”
I had given Kim Eunho my reason for breaking up, but honestly, I had no right to lecture him. I had used him too, out of loneliness.
Life without friends at school was never easy. Lunch was always alone. After second year started, it was always just a strawberry milk to get by.
Forgetting gym clothes or textbooks felt catastrophic. There was no one to lend them.
I thought quiet solitude suited me, but that was self-deception. I had been lonely.
I now regretted wanting a relationship I could label and cling to.
“…I guess I’m just me, Ji-Yeonseo.”
In that moment, the rain intensified.
Water splashed against my calves. My soaked uniform clung to me tightly. Talk about bad luck—why did Kim Eunho have to grab me today?
I quickly wiped my eyes. The rain now masked whether it was tears or not.
I wanted to get home fast. Enough misfortune for today, please. Even if such days were endless, everyone reaches a breaking point.
Shivering in the cold rain, the twenty-minute walk home felt like carrying waterlogged weight in my chest.
Rounding a left-hand corner, I noticed a blue umbrella lying in the middle of the empty sidewalk. Neatly, as if waiting for someone to pick it up.
“……”
No cars, no people. Luck, at last. One small blue umbrella had lifted a chain that had dampened my spirit.
I hesitated, then picked it up. A small roof opened with a cheerful pop, bravely shielding me from the downpour.
I continued walking along the deserted sidewalk, less trembling than before.
Much later, I recalled that the only thing that had passed on that corner was a single bicycle.
