“Did everyone have a good summer vacation?”
I had such a good time that when I opened my eyes it was the start of school, can’t I go back to the past again? No matter how I look at it, there’s no way vacation passed by this quickly. Someone must have used some trick.
“Let’s all have a good second semester too.”
The teacher finished the morning assembly and left. Today is the opening ceremony. Kids whined here and there that they didn’t want to come to school. One of the kids who had been talking raised his voice and said.
“There are those who dare to impersonate the Five Great Kings?”
“Hey, I told you to speak quietly. We decided to tell them separately later, what are you going to do?”
The kids murmured. The report about the fake Five Great Kings from last time seemed to have already spread widely. I watched the kids and asked.
“Even passersby on the street knew about it, but none of you knew?”
“They only appeared recently. The Five Great Kings should hurry and punish those 5 people.”
The kids whispered while clasping their hands. Hee-ae, who had been quietly listening, poked me several times.
“Do you know who the impersonators are too, Shi-dan?”
“I happened to see them while walking last time.”
The atmosphere became unsettled. At the word impersonation, the Five Great Kings opened their mouths.
“Is that true?”
The Five Great Kings asked the kids to verify the truth and then kicked their desks and stood up. They left the classroom with extremely angry faces.
“It’s not just one or two people I saw during vacation. What is going on?”
“Who on earth thought to impersonate the Five Great Kings? No one can replace the beautiful and noble Five Great Kings. But Five Fake Kings, who came up with that name? It’s well done.”
I habitually praised them and then admired someone’s naming sense.
“Is now the time to compliment that?”
“But it is well done.”
“That’s true.”
***
The appearance of the Five Fake Kings was a good thing for Cho-yeon. Because the Five Great Kings were truly angry and were so busy going around trying to catch the Five Fake Kings. The Five Great Kings these days didn’t even come to school much and went around trying to catch them. They must have been really annoyed by the impersonation.
Cho-yeon became the most gentle personality in the world, saying he was liberated from the Five Great Kings. Fan club kids hovered around Cho-yeon saying they couldn’t leave Han Cho-yeon alone. I could gradually increase contact points using that as an excuse.
“Shall I lend you mechanical pencil lead?”
I turned around to look at Cho-yeon sitting behind me and said. Cho-yeon, who had been rummaging through his pencil case, received the mechanical pencil lead I handed him. He had been digging through his pencil case since earlier and it seemed like he didn’t have lead, so it must have been true. Cho-yeon hesitated and thanked me.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. It was something I should naturally do as a fan club member.”
I emphasized ‘fan club member’ as if for the other kids to hear. The kids agreed that it was a virtue of fan club members.
“A very proper fan club member.”
Lee Seung praised. From behind, Cho-yeon inserted the mechanical pencil lead and pressed it several times. Click, click, click. Hee-ae looked back and forth between Cho-yeon and me. Lee Seung spoke in a pitying tone.
“You’re good at noticing that he’s looking for mechanical pencil lead. Why don’t you know other things?”
“I know, right? I guess I need to try harder.”
Even Hee-ae joined in the conversation. You guys are talking amongst yourselves so I feel a bit excluded. What is Hee-ae trying to make an effort for?
“Is there something to make an effort for? What is it?”
“It seems like there’s a long way to go. Shi-dan, let’s make an effort.”
“Huh? Yeah, thanks. I’ll try hard.”
For now, I answered with a smile because I was grateful for the encouragement. Lee Seung crossed his arms arrogantly. He tapped the floor several times with his foot and said.
“You seem to have no idea what it is. Really make an effort.”
“Shi-dan.”
In-sae, who had come back from somewhere, entered the classroom and looked back and forth between me and the surrounding kids. Lee Seung whispered quietly with an expression of being generous.
“I’ll tell you one thing.”
“Shi-dan, I was surprised because you were close to the president. Are you whispering?”
Hee-ae intervened and asked. Lee Seung moved far away and raised both hands. Pretending not to notice the kids’ gazes, Hee-ae smiled with an innocent expression.
“Even Nam Hee-ae is like that. Anyway, Kim In-sae only drops the surname when calling you. Always Shi-dan, Shi-daan.”
Lee Seung pronounced my name with a long drawl. In-sae, who had come close, pushed Lee Seung aside and called me.
“Shi-dan.”
Having heard what Lee Seung was saying, In-sae stiffened his expression a bit and looked at Lee Seung. At my gaze, In-sae relaxed his expression again and placed both hands on my desk.
“They’re recruiting for after-school activities, let’s do it together.”
“I was going to say that too! Let’s do it together, the three of us.”
“After-school activities?”
I was just flustered by In-sae and Hee-ae’s proposal. Do after-school activities that didn’t exist even in the first semester suddenly appear in the second semester?
“Weren’t there such things in the first semester?”
“The instructor who teaches separately said their schedule would be free starting in the second semester. So it was postponed to the second semester.”
“Class president, thanks for letting me know. What kind of activity is it?”
“Cooking.”
That answer just now didn’t suit In-sae at all. Just when I thought it was unexpected, In-sae added.
“I’m good at it.”
Did he emphasize that he’s good at cooking? If In-sae says it like that, he must really be good at it. Hee-ae also smiled brightly and said.
“Let’s do it together. I want to do it together.”
I’m not confident in cooking, but my heart weakens because Hee-ae and In-sae say they want to do it together.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
“Is there a limit on the number of people?”
Cho-yeon and I spoke at the same time. Cho-yeon also made side dishes by himself last time and seems to be good at cooking. He must be interested in cooking after all. Cho-yeon squinted one eye at the focused gazes.
“H-Han Cho-yeon is also going to do after-school activities?”
“What? Join right away.”
The class president calmed the kids down and answered.
“The limit is probably under 20 people. I know the application forms were distributed last time.”
“I’m glad I didn’t throw it away.”
I was relieved while rummaging through files. My friends asked to do it together for once, so if I couldn’t because I threw away the application form, I would have really been sorry. But if kids crowd like this, they’ll probably do it by lottery.
“If the number of people exceeds, will there be a lottery?”
“Probably.”
As expected. It would be disappointing if even one of us gets eliminated. Hee-ae muttered while looking for the application form.
“If Shi-dan gets eliminated, I won’t do it.”
“But wasn’t it something you wanted to do?”
“I was going to do it together with Shi-dan.”
“For now, I’ll write it and submit it.”
I wrote the application form and gave it to the class president. Kids who had thrown away their application forms long ago almost cried and screamed. At this rate, even trading of application forms will happen.
“I knew only 1 person had applied until yesterday, but did something happen?”
The teacher looked at the pile of application forms and asked. It seems like about ten people applied from just our class. If rumors spread to other classes too, application forms will almost pour in. Cho-yeon is really quite popular.
***
I opened my locker. There were two more things in the locker where books and gym clothes should be. One was a letter and the other was chocolate milk. Why is milk in the locker? It could go bad if not careful. I took out the letter.
It was a letter decorated with care. I thought maybe it wasn’t for me, but my name was written in neat handwriting on the envelope. It was definitely a letter for me, no doubt about it.
“Shi-dan?”
In-sae came next to me and called. At this point, isn’t it almost a verbal habit? Shi-dan, Shi-dan. I answered while putting away the letter.
“A letter. And milk?”
“Who is it?”
In-sae’s complexion darkened. He looked strangely angry. I don’t know what’s going on either. I smiled awkwardly and answered.
“I’m not really sure either.”
Seon-yoon even sparkled his eyes at the word letter and shouted.
“Hey, isn’t that a love letter? Love letter.”
“No way.”
“A love letter?”
Hee-ae ran over urgently. Hee-ae looked down at the letter sharply. The kids who had been gathered and talking turned their gazes to me. Would I really receive a love letter? No matter how I look at it, it’s more likely to be a duel request or a complaint.
Even Cho-yeon showed interest in the letter. The letter is going to be torn to shreds by gazes. It’s scary because all three are looking at me with fierce eyes at once.
“I don’t know yet. Stop it now. If it’s really a love letter, isn’t it rude to keep making a fuss like this?”
I put away even the chocolate milk and closed my locker. The kids watched us with interested eyes. Cho-yeon even turned around as well. I put away the letter and placed the milk on my desk.
“Do you have any idea who sent it?”
“Not at all.”
Isn’t it a chain letter? This letter started from England in 18xx and brings good fortune to those who receive it… I didn’t dare think that it could really be a love letter. Who on earth would send me such a thing?
It doesn’t seem like friends played a prank. I can recognize the handwriting of kids I hang out with often, but this is handwriting I’m seeing for the first time. Is it some kind of threatening letter, we have kidnapped something of yours? I became troubled.
Before possessing this body, when I attended a co-ed school, something like this did happen. Still, I can’t get used to it at all. My heart feels strange and restless. Hee-ae’s eyes look anxious.
“I’ll go read it.”
I got up from my seat. In-sae followed my every movement. I keep making eye contact with Cho-yeon too, so he must be concerned about the letter.
I went to a place where no one was and tore open the letter. The first sentence saying they had been watching for a long time caught my eye. I read through the text and then quietly put the letter back in the envelope. It’s a love letter after all.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
