I avoided answering. “I ran into the Five Great Kings on the way home from school and was suspected of being a thug, and I got confused about the twins’ names so I did this to avoid the ‘how interesting’ route”—that’s too long. It’s better to just exercise my right to remain silent.
I fiddled with the bandage. My hand touched the bandage that was half torn off and tattered. I sighed and said to the teacher.
“Yes. Please reapply it. And can I rest here for a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
The nurse answered halfheartedly while busily rummaging through the drawers. You don’t even know where the medicine is, do you?
I looked at the teacher with eyes full of distrust. She discovered the bandage in the second drawer and let out a small exclamation. She definitely didn’t know where it was. No matter how you look at it, being a school nurse is an easy life. My future dream from now on is to be a school nurse.
“Ah, here’s the bandage. Can you come over here?”
I sat in the chair in front of the nurse and leaned my body forward. The nurse tore open the bandage with clumsy skill. Her skill is very questionable.
“I already applied medicine.”
The dangling bandage came off my forehead. The nurse was concentrating without looking away. Seeing her concentrate makes her seem like a proper school nurse after all.
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head in greeting. I plopped down on the nurse’s office bed. As the tension released, my legs were trembling so much it was hard to stand. I turned to look at the three staring blankly and said.
“It should be lunch time now. Hurry and go eat.”
At the word “food,” Lee Seung ran out saying he was going. Hee-ae didn’t seem that surprised, as if he already knew. In-sae looked at my wound once more before leaving. Looking closely, his eyes were the same gray color as his hair.
“I’ll go eat lunch first and come back.”
Hee-ae and In-sae also went to the cafeteria first, and I stayed in the nurse’s office saying I wouldn’t eat lunch.
***
After lying down in the nurse’s office for a bit, I headed back to the classroom. The classroom was utterly deserted as everyone seemed to have gone to eat lunch. I brushed off my hands for no reason. It felt a bit awkward being alone in the empty classroom.
Having nothing particular to do, I leaned my body toward the window. Kids started running and playing in the schoolyard. The kids gathered in groups, played rock-paper-scissors, and picked friends one by one. It seemed they were picking teams to play soccer.
I watched that scene for a long while. Doing that reminds me of my friends from before the possession. I played a lot in the schoolyard with those kids.
I pulled back and turned my gaze away from the schoolyard. I ended up feeling bitter for no reason. It seems better not to recall it unnecessarily. I’ve already possessed this body, so what can I do?
“Shi-dan?”
Hee-ae was standing awkwardly at the door. When I turned around, Hee-ae approached carefully. Hee-ae came close, brushed my hair back to look, then sighed.
Did he get a bit taller? He was slightly short before, but now his eye level is similar to mine. Hee-ae took his hand away and asked worriedly.
“How did you get hurt?”
“I hit my head against a wall and this happened.”
“By any chance, did you. Hit it multiple times? It just doesn’t seem like it came from hitting it once or twice….”
I nodded. I reassured him many times that I was okay, hoping Hee-ae wouldn’t worry too much. It wasn’t very serious, but I feel bad because he seems strangely downcast.
“I, I.”
He hesitated while still standing close. Then he dropped his gaze to the floor and said quietly.
“I was worried. Because you also fell and hurt your knee last time.”
“I’ll be careful. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
Since the kids are reacting like this, I should refrain from the “I’m a bad fan club bad fan club member” thing from now on. Thanks to it I avoided the “how interesting” route, but now it’s sealed. I patted Hee-ae with a bitter smile. Hee-ae kicked the floor once.
“I wasn’t going to say I was worried, but somehow I ended up saying it.”
“I could tell how you felt. I was really grateful that you were worried.”
“Mm, is that so.”
Hee-ae stepped back with a faint smile. He pointed and said in a voice less trembling than before.
“Don’t get hurt anymore. And I thought you didn’t eat, so I bought this—want to eat it?”
Hee-ae shook a piece of bread he’d been holding since who knows when. I sat down in my seat with Hee-ae.
***
I briefly came out to the hallway and ran into fan club members who exist everywhere. Aseon Boys’ High School is actually a place that cultivates fan club members, isn’t it? Wherever you go, there are fan club members.
“It’s Yu Shi-dan!”
Can you not shout so cheerfully like you’ve discovered some rare creature? At the proposal of the kids suggesting fan club activities, Hee-ae agreed and looked at me. When I said I’d join too, the kids’ expressions changed.
“It feels like you always refuse.”
“Really? You’re really doing it with us?”
“Yeah. I’ll do it.”
They asked multiple times like little children, so I spoke in a voice mixed with laughter. The kids walked down the hallway chattering noisily about something.
“Should I hand these out to the kids?”
I asked, picking up a handful from the pile of fan club promotional flyers.
“Yeah! Just give them to kids passing by. If Shi-dan does it, we’ll be able to hand them all out quickly.”
I don’t know what they mean by saying if I do it we can hand them all out quickly. Seeing that I didn’t understand, one kid seriously held up a bundle of papers and answered instead.
“Because you’re clean-cut and handsome.”
“That joke was funny just now.”
I quickly cut him off. The kid glared as if dumbfounded, then let out an empty laugh. In-sae, who had come back from eating, naturally took a bundle of papers from the side. He looked down at me and asked.
“Where were you?”
“I was in the nurse’s office for a bit then went to the classroom. Were you looking for me?”
“Yeah.”
Oh dear, you were looking for me. I felt sorry. I smiled with an ambiguous expression and looked around. Hee-ae was holding a pile of papers.
“Isn’t it heavy?”
“Mm? It’s manageable.”
“Well, Hee-ae just has a strangely delicate image. He’s not skinny though.”
Someone chimed in from the side. Hee-ae is pretty, but he’s definitely not frail. But why did he naturally have that image? I thought as I went out through the door he held open.
Anyway, it seems like Hee-ae will grow taller in the future, but I haven’t grown and have stopped. How sad. Meanwhile, the fan club kids started chatting.
“The skinniest one here is me.”
“Ah, I see. Hey, this kid didn’t wake up properly today.”
“Splash cold water on him to wake him up.”
The kids moved systematically, even dividing up sections for themselves. In-sae, Hee-ae, and I were assigned the first floor hallway.
After handing out papers for a while, when the hallway became deserted, Cho-yeon was unusually walking down the hallway alone. It seemed he had barely escaped from the Five Great Kings’ clingy clutches. In the moment I looked at him in surprise, one paper fell to the floor.
Cho-yeon was about to step on it carelessly but stopped. Thank goodness. If you step on it, it feels unpleasant when picking it up, you know. Since I saw Cho-yeon, I should at least say something.
“This is a promotional flyer for the Five Great Kings-nim fan club. Would you like to take one?”
When I immediately approached and spoke with a bright smile, Cho-yeon looked at me with a strange expression. That reaction is funny no matter when I see it. After picking up the flyer that fell on the floor, Cho-yeon, whose eyes met with the Five Great Kings photo, stopped just as he was about to slam down the flyer.
After showing signs of briefly pondering, Cho-yeon returned to his sullen attitude and glared at me without malice.
“No, I’m fine. It’s okay.”
Cho-yeon answered in a considerably reluctant tone. It seems he was going to just say “I’m fine” but thankfully also added “it’s okay.” I guess he gave me some credit for being friends.
Good kid. He folded it neatly, put it in the trash can next to the vending machine, and left. Some people throw them on the floor. I don’t know who on earth installed a vending machine in the school’s first floor lobby.
“Shi-dan. What did you do?”
“I just fulfilled the fan club’s mission. I hesitated and my heart pounded too, but that’s my duty. The president also said to greet every kid we run into with all our heart and hand them out.”
I made the excuse I’d been thinking of while putting on an expression full of the world’s sorrow. There were no Five Great Kings around, so I played a little prank on Cho-yeon.
“Shi-dan is amazing. I could never do that.”
“No, you can do it.”
“Are you a fan of Han Cho-yeon-nim?”
“Yeah.”
Not at all, but let’s pretend for now. If I say I’m not a fan, it’ll be trouble later. Aha, Hee-ae nodded and rummaged through the flyers.
The vibration from my jacket pocket seemed to be Cho-yeon immediately sending a text. I took out my phone with one hand and looked at the text. Cho-yeon’s name was still saved as Mom.
[Mom] [1:24 PM] Why are you doing Five Great Kings fan club marketing to me
[Mom] [1:25 PM] I mean why are you doing Five Great Kings fan club marketing to me
[Yu Shi-dan] [1:27 PM] Mom what’s wrong.
I sent that much and started marketing again. Thanks to the crowd that came in following the Five Great Kings, we were able to hand out all the flyers quickly. When kids occasionally asked something, I passed them to In-sae saying I was new and didn’t know well.
One kid came running with quick steps and asked me.
“Do you happen to know the Five Great Kings-nim’s numbers?”
“Wouldn’t that be an invasion of privacy?”
“Then do you know any other numbers?”
“What numbers are you talking about?”
Hee-ae whispered and asked. The kid made a desperate expression and moved restlessly.
“Like the Five Great Kings-nim’s siblings’ numbers.”
“I know one. 112.”
When I said it kindly, the kid left. In-sae quietly grabbed my wrist and ran, saying the bell would ring soon. I also grabbed Hee-ae’s wrist and the three of us ran together.
Before entering the classroom, I confirmed I’d received a text.
[Mom] [1:33 PM] Are you crazy?
[Yu Shi-dan] [1:36 PM] I’m sorry. I did it because I wanted to try talking to you. I apologize.
I replied while watching Cho-yeon sitting quietly in the classroom. Cho-yeon immediately checked the text but didn’t react at all. I was relieved since he didn’t seem angry.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
