“The name is strange? Let me see.”
In-sae took out a piece of paper from his bag. Cho-yeon received the autograph and frowned. He really did write the name wrong.
“It really is. Can you do it again? …Then I’ll tear this up and throw it away.”
“You drew a picture during art class before. You wrote the name wrong on that paper too.”
Seon-yoon, who was watching from the side, spoke as if suddenly remembering. He continued while looking at the autograph.
“Yeah, I think it was this name?”
The kids looked at Cho-yeon and Seon-yoon with eyes full of curiosity. Cho-yeon asked in an aggressive manner.
“How do you know that?”
“The teacher told me to hand out the pictures again. I saw it then?”
Seon-yoon clumsily used informal speech. Cho-yeon must have been going around telling all the class kids to use informal speech with him. At Seon-yoon’s answer, Cho-yeon showed signs of softening.
He always tells me I’m careless. Did you write your real name from before the possession when giving an autograph? I casually interjected and asked.
“Cho-yeon, do you use a pseudonym by any chance?”
Hurry up and make an excuse that it’s a pseudonym, please. Cho-yeon hesitated as if flustered. I decided to push it as if it were a pseudonym.
“What’s the big deal about using a pseudonym that you’re so surprised? But what if you get confused with your real name?”
“That can happen, what’s the problem?”
Cho-yeon immediately shouted and turned his head away sharply. It’s a bit unnatural, but it seems like we got through it pretty smoothly. The kids fell for it and murmured.
“As expected, modern people should have at least one pseudonym.”
In-sae listened to Cho-yeon and my conversation and made an indecipherable expression. I suspect he noticed something strange. Cho-yeon signed a new piece of paper and stood up abruptly.
“Where’s the trash can?”
“Were you that embarrassed about using a pseudonym? That can happen.”
Cho-yeon glared sharply. Still, I’m taking your side, you know. As if Cho-yeon knew that too, he relaxed his expression again and gave a bitter smile.
“Then let’s have an impromptu auction. How much do you want to start with?”
***
“You just go out on that stage. Just follow what the host tells you to do.”
“Is there nothing else besides that?”
“Yeah, I’ll trust Yu Shi-dan’s sense.”
“My sense died long ago, but I’ll try to revive it even if I have to become a dark wizard.”
I responded to the kids’ words while waiting for the upcoming recreation. Then I made a tearful face and asked once more.
“How about taking me out even now? Do I really have to do this?”
The kids stared at me wearing a short black skirt. I was flustered by their gazes and hunched my shoulders. The kids shouted playfully.
“It suits you well. Everyone, applause!”
I wanted to make a tearful face from embarrassment, but my state was too funny. I made a strange expression that was neither laughing nor crying and crouched down as much as possible. The kids chattered noisily and patted my shoulders telling me to cheer up.
“We’re making memories that will last forever even when we become adults.”
“I want to make memories for you too.”
I answered while pulling down the skirt that was fluttering at my knees. Can’t I at least wear a mask when I go out? A classmate was startled and scolded me.
“Don’t you speak properly? I almost misunderstood.”
“If you’re going to do that, you wear a skirt too so we can make memories together.”
When I spoke properly, the kids praised me saying I did well. While chatting with the kids, In-sae suddenly burst through the door.
“Shi-dan.”
“If you’re not going out for the recreation, don’t come in.”
The kid who was fixing my outfit spoke shrilly.
“In-sae, did you really want to see me like this?”
I looked at In-sae and asked pitifully. In-sae looked at me indifferently and then held back laughter. Even I can only let out an empty laugh seeing my state.
“Anyway, Kim In-sae, you get out. I said you can’t come in?”
A large male student chased In-sae out.
“It’s your turn next, go quickly.”
Seon-yoon gestured for me to go out on stage. I covered my face and went out on stage.
“Choi Seon-yoon! They say the lighting over there is weird.”
“The lighting? Why, is the light not coming out?”
“They say it keeps shaking precariously.”
I could hear the kids talking from behind. Is there some problem with the lighting? It’s probably nothing serious.
“Next is the performance from Class 1, Grade 2. Hello?”
It’s the kid who was the host last time. We’re acquaintances, right? I’m kind of glad. I greeted with an expression where I didn’t know if I was laughing or crying.
“Hello.”
“That’s quite an impressive look. Please sit here.”
“Yes, it’s too shocking.”
Cho-yeon, who was in the front row of the audience, made an expression where I couldn’t tell if he was laughing or sneering. I’d rather have a sneering expression, this is too embarrassing. I covered my face again while sitting in the chair the kids had prepared beforehand.
“Hey, don’t cover your face. You came all the way out here.”
I barely removed my hands from my face. I crossed my legs out of awkwardness and avoided eye contact.
“Can you introduce yourself?”
“I’m Yu Shi-dan.”
“Please tell us more.”
“Class 1, Grade 1, Yu Shi-dan.”
I can’t say any more. Looking at Cho-yeon’s expression, he’s going to tease me about this to his heart’s content from now on.
“Shi-dan, I can’t see well. Come out more to the front.”
“What do I do if they say they can’t see even though you’re sitting in the front row? Come forward.”
I was about to go forward according to the host’s words but stopped. I suddenly remembered the conversation between Seon-yoon and the kids before coming out.
‘Didn’t they say the lighting was shaking?’
When I looked up, there was lighting that anyone could see was shaking precariously. The host urged me to come forward quickly.
“Now that you’re standing, let’s bring a friend. Who do you want to bring?”
If that lighting falls, both the host and I will get quite hurt. Of course, it could be counting chickens before they hatch. But since I possessed into a web novel, there was plenty of possibility for that. I should be careful just in case.
“Should I step on it and then get out right away?”
“What? Hit and run? Are you perhaps a master of push-and-pull?”
The host misheard my muttering and made a comment. I’m used to such ridiculous words now. I laughed roughly and reacted to the host’s words.
“Still can’t see? What to do. You’ll have to come out a bit more.”
The host gestured for me to come forward. I took a deep breath and stepped forward one step.
A creaking sound was heard frighteningly loud. It felt like my ears were splitting. I immediately grabbed the host and quickly pulled back. Hee-ae shouted in surprise.
“Shi-dan!”
With a bizarre sound, the lighting fell. The sound of glass breaking was loud and the broken lighting rolled around on the stage. The fallen lighting rolled on the stage for quite a while before stopping. Glass shards grazed my leg, leaving a chilling sensation.
The surroundings instantly became quiet and a suffocating silence flowed. The kids fixed their gaze on the stage with extremely surprised eyes.
“I told you I don’t like when it suddenly gets quiet.”
The broken glass shards sparkled and shone in the light. The kids who belatedly grasped the situation screamed or raised their voices in commotion.
“I knew this would happen, really.”
I pointed at the broken lighting and said quietly. My voice came out quite trembling. Thanks to me grabbing and pulling him out, the host was also unharmed and fine. The host looked back and forth between the broken lighting and me and shouted.
“What is this? What. Did lighting just fall in front of us?”
My leg stung. A scratch appeared on my leg where glass shards must have flown. I squinted my eyes at the dazzling lights and sat down. Maybe because I’m a side character, even accidents are out of context. Does this even make sense?
“What’s that? Why would lighting suddenly fall?”
In-sae and Cho-yeon came up on stage and lifted me up. I pointed at the lighting that was distorted into a mess and spat out.
“I don’t even want to look at that lighting.”
I was so surprised just now that I don’t even have the strength to stand up again. I barely stood up relying on Cho-yeon’s hand. Hee-ae was standing among the kids with a hardened expression.
“Yu Shi-dan. Yu Shi-dan?”
After spacing out for a moment, I hurriedly came to my senses at In-sae’s call.
“Sorry, why did you call me? But it’s been a while since you called me with my surname?”
“To get you to come to your senses.”
I roughly nodded and frowned. In the midst of confusion, Hee-ae slowly approached and called my name.
“Shi-dan.”
He stayed still as if not knowing what to say. Cho-yeon brushed off the dust on my clothes and grimaced. I spoke casually as if not surprised at all.
“I thought the most that could happen in an accident on stage was falling. But lighting falls?”
“How can something like this happen? Are you okay? You’re okay, right?”
“Of course I’m okay. I’m fine except for being slightly scratched.”
Only then did Hee-ae feel relieved. He bent his waist briefly to check my wound, then straightened. In-sae carefully examined my expression. My mind is completely scattered.
After being confused for a moment, the host picked up the microphone to organize the situation and said.
“For now, today’s recreation will end here.”
The teachers who were watching us from the very back tried to calm the kids down. The homeroom teacher approached through the kids with an expression full of guilt. In-sae helped me exit the stage.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“My leg is just slightly scratched and I’m fine.”
The teacher looked down at my leg with a worried expression. The kids swarmed like bees and murmured while throwing questions at me.
“Yu Shi-dan, what just happened?”
“Totally whoa. Amazing, amazing!”
“Are you both okay?”
I half-listened to the kids’ questions. Lee Seung, who had been quietly watching me, clapped his hands.
“Look how calm he is.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
