Since that day, as if the students could read my mind,
speculation about why only Hwang Hyunjin was exempt from demerits
soon spread quickly as a school rumor
Because he was the son of a chaebol family and they didn’t want to interfere with the business he’d inherit
they said the school was keeping quiet about it,
they said it was because of the frequent complaints from overbearing parents,
etc. — they said a thug dad came to the school and threatened them
Amid all kinds of rumors flying around,
even after hearing those rumors, Hwang Hyunjin
without saying much kept quietly going through school life
I couldn’t help feeling a little frustrated inside
If it were me, I’d be annoyed enough to try to clear up the rumors
so I couldn’t understand why he kept his mouth shut
the way other people casually brought up talk about his family
whether it didn’t bother him that much
With a look mixed with a little concern and curiosity,
I looked at Hwang Hyunjin, but
thinking maybe those rumors were true,
I did partly half-believe them
Of course, that didn’t mean I had completely
cleared up my doubts about Hwang Hyunjin
A neatly dressed man and a gleaming Carnival
and Hwang Hyunjin rubbing his sleepy eyes as he got in and out of it
It was a scene strange enough that it wouldn’t be weird for the rumor to go in a totally off direction,
but if I told my friends I’d seen this scene
the rumor would turn even more absurd
and things would definitely get messed up,so I didn’t say anything
There were, of course, parts that seemed strangetoo
Whether he was there or not,
they kept gossiping about his name
and spinning all kinds of theories,
but none of the students ever asked the person himself directly
Hwang Hyunjin, at their whispering,
pointedly lay down and went to sleep
By the time school ended and I was leaving through the front gate,
the sun behind the buildingwas slowlysetting
The yellow-stained sky and pink clouds intertwined in all directions,
and the sky looked
as colorful as if it had been painted with pastels
I walked down the narrow alley as always
With AirPods in both ears, Hwang Hyunjin
was continuing a call with someone
I hesitated for a moment at his sharp tone
“I said it’s fine. You don’t have to come all the way to school and treat me to anything,”
“I want to live quietly, so stop sending the bodyguard hyung too.”
It felt like I’d overheard a conversation I wasn’t supposed to hear
Because a large back was blocking the alley,
I had no choice but to follow behind Hwang Hyunjin
but the call I’d inadvertently heard despite having nothing to do with me
left me completely flustered
Should I say I need to pass by,
or wait until the call ends
and ask him to make some room for me?
I turned it over in my head, but
the call showed no sign of ending
“Um..”
I poked Hwang Hyunjin’s back with my finger
“I’d like to get by for a second.”
When he lifted his head and looked up, his face had
an unreadable expression
Hwang Hyunjin pulled out the AirPods he’d had in and said lazily
“So a rat was eavesdropping.”
