Chapter 143: Chapter 143
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‘Before Ban Yeo Ryung or the Four Heavenly Kings could fly into a rage, I should voluntarily speak about what happened,’ I thought, but as soon as Yi Ruda, who looked quite delighted today, came across my mind, I turned my head to see her.
Yi Ruda looked somehow tepid. Resting her chin on her hand apathetically, she was dropping her gaze at the sunlit schoolyard over the window.
Lee Soo Yeon and the girls returned to the cla.s.sroom waveringly after the morning a.s.sembly. The girls surrounded Lee Soo Yeon like bodyguards. Standing in the middle, Lee Soo Yeon looked as if she cried her eyes out. Feeling hesitant to say anymore to that tearful face, Lee Mina just clicked her tongue; however, she showed the edge of her tongue to Lee Soo Yeon while walking past her seat.
“Yeah, crying will help you out~ What a wonderful world.”
“…”
“Instead of the one who just got hara.s.sed for nothing, why is this b.i.t.c.h weeping after her s.h.i.+tty remark? How amazing it is to cry and to be forgiven for what she has done? Maybe I should also spread some gossip and cry after!”
Lee Mina was so sarcastic yet hilarious that Yoon Jung In, who tried to get up from his seat to stop any further arguments, just burst out laughing.
Those words that sounded seemingly offensive and aggressive changed into something funny and sarcastic when Lee Mina spoke them with her tone. It was one of her hidden abilities. Aside from Yoon Jung In, she was the next life of the party in our cla.s.s.
As Yoon Jung In giggled while bending his waist, those who sat beside him burst into laughter too. The whole cla.s.s then broke into loud and uncontrolled laughter. Some kids gazed at her with joyful eyes after saying, ‘Hey, Lee Mina, you’re mad funny.’ Lee Soo Yeo scowled at Lee Mina with blubbering eyes before shoving her face into her arms on the desk.
Taking my textbook out of my desk, I looked up at the ceiling and heaved a deep sigh. I felt a surge of the usual clamor within the cla.s.sroom coming over me. The rowdy atmosphere, the heartwarming words they gave me, and the gazes we share among each other suddenly turned out to be something real. Although I wasn’t the target of their intense attention, I knew how harsh it felt based on the experiences I had while standing in the limelight.
The beating of my heart suddenly hastened, for my fatigue had overwhelmed me after crossing a mountain. My tightly clenched fist turned wet with sweat. I opened and closed my hand before murmuring to myself, ‘Fine, everything’s over. At least, it’s the end for now. This is enough. I’m good.’ I took out my workbook to prepare for the upcoming mock exam. I had to study for the test that would commence within a couple of days.
However, it was after a few days when I found out that what happened wasn’t all over yet.
* * *
Ham Donnie’s conjecture was, in conclusion, completely wrong. Ban Yeo Ryung, who became the center of the rumor, was in Cla.s.s 1-1, which meant that she was the first person to hear what happened. The news reached Woo Jooin, who had the most extensive circle of acquaintances among the Four Heavenly Kings, at 9:45 in the morning, just almost at the end of the first cla.s.s.
The people who were mostly affected by this story were Kwon Eun Hyung, who didn’t know that there was a hate club for Ban Yeo Ryung, and Woo Jooin, who never expected that the rumor would hurt Ham Donnie. Ban Yeo Ryung had already gone through so many incidents like this, so she had the guts to shake it off while thinking, ‘Oh, great, someone else hates me.’ However, now that she heard the full extent of this rumor, she had also become genuinely outraged.
Ban Yeo Ryung and the Four Heavenly Kings gathered at the rooftop at their break time.
When Ban Yeo Ryung gnashed her teeth in anger, the air turned chilly, although it was spring. She then spoke with a fierce expression.
“So ridiculous! Was there anyone in Donnie’s cla.s.s who believed this bulls.h.i.+t?”
“Yeah, there was.”
Eun Jiho replied with a calm voice. It made Ban Yeo Ryung furrowed her brows.
She then asked back, “Was? Why is it past tense?”
Rolling his eyeb.a.l.l.s, Eun Jiho replied, “Well, a random girl said something to Ham Donnie since she believed that rumor. Fortunately, Ham Donnie’s friends spoke on her behalf and paved the way for Donnie to clarify the situation, so she explained her situation right away. You know, she would become at a loss of words when she’s angered or perplexed. Usually, the atmosphere is all that matters, so she’s lucky this time.”
“Yeah, thank G.o.d,” said Woo Jooin. It was worth seeing him saying those words since he did not show even a small fragment of the usual smile he would have on his white face.
Yoo Chun Young, who just remained on the sideline while listening to their conversation, suddenly opened his mouth.
“Strange.”
He would rarely be in cla.s.ses because of his busy shooting schedule these days; however, he looked quite calm despite learning about such a thing after returning from a moment of absence on his schooling.
“In what way?” Ban Yeo Ryung asked back.
“How can such a trivial thing escalate into something this big?”
Yoo Chun Young’s words were still vague enough to leave out some details, as usual, so most people wouldn’t even know what a ‘trivial thing’ and ‘something this big’ meant. Luckily, Woo Jooin, who almost had an IQ of 160, was here, and Kwon Eun Hyung, who knew him since they were born, was next to him.
Kwon Eun Hyung then questioned back with an expression that showed he understood his statement.
“Ban Yeo Ryung has a hate club that targets her. Are you saying that the person who created that club is related to Ban Yeo Ryung and attends this school? You’re confused about how these facts leap into people believing that ‘the one who created the club is Ham Donnie,’ right?
Yoo Chun Young nodded. The significant proposition that ‘Ban Yeo Ryung has a hate club that targets her,’ which came out of Kwon Eun Hyung’s mouth, made the Four Heavenly Kings turn their heads to look at Ban Yeo Ryung. They, at last, realized that there’s no way she would =be okay after knowing this.
However, Ban Yeo Ryung looked like she was more concerned about the fact that someone tried to harm Ham Donnie instead. With no signs of vulnerability on her face, she clenched her fist in a fury.
Well, it made sense, though. Thinking about it, Ban Yeo Ryung had gone through these things many times already, but this was the first time that Ham Donnie had encountered the same. She could, therefore, hardly neglect the fact that she was the reason why these people involved Ham Donnie in this unwanted situation.
Woo Jooin’s pure gold eyes were on Ban Yeo Ryung for a while. Showing his innocent smile, Woo Jooin opened his mouth.
“It’s truly a big leap. Besides, from what I’ve heard, these people said that ‘Those who were close friends to Ham Donnie during middle school would later turn their backs away from Ban Yeo Ryung,’ to prove the authenticity of the rumor, but how many people in this school knows about what happened between Yeo Ryung and mama in middle school?”
“…”
Those who were listening to him darkened. Woo Jooin heaved a sigh and continued his words.
“Someone put mama between the story intentionally or else, they couldn’t exactly use this rumor to target mama. Also, this person knows some information about mama and Yeo Ryung during middle school somehow.”
“So?” Yoo Chun Young asked. Woo Jooin added a few more words with a grin.
“Didn’t we all agree now that the one who created the club knows Yeo Ryung and mama well during middle school? Someone who knows these girls during middle school and someone else who attends this school… This can’t be two different people.”
“Then what you’re saying is…”
Woo Jooin intervened Kwon Eun Hyung’s words with cold eyes.
“In my opinion, the one who created the club and spread these bad rumors that are now targeting mama is the same person.”
A heavy silence enveloped them. After a moment, Ban Yeo Ryung opened her red lips while showing an intimidating look on her face.
“Who the f.u.c.k is she?”
“…”
Kwon Eun Hyung couldn’t say anything to Ban Yeo Ryung, who had become outstandingly abusive with her choice of words. Instead, he just swallowed a sigh. What she just said was, at least, better than any other words they could express to show what they were feeling right now.
While Kwon Eun Hyung swept his red hair back with his eyes shut, the bell rang. Ban Yeo Ryung and the Four Heavenly Kings ended their conversations and returned to the cla.s.sroom. When Ban Yeo Ryung stepped in the cla.s.s, Choi Yuri welcomed her with a face full of worry.
“Yeo Ryung, are you okay?”
Holding Ban Yeo Ryung’s hand, Choi Yuri asked out of nowhere. ‘Why would I be not okay?” Ban Yeo Ryung was about to ask that in return; however, she suddenly raised her head to look at everyone in the cla.s.sroom. The next moment, Ban Yeo Ryung frowned painfully.
To Ban Yeo Ryung, having a hate club and listening to all kinds of negative comments from strangers was nothing unusual. She was so used to those things.
She felt that she’s finally gaining her cla.s.smate’s pity. Despite those concerns, she still didn’t feel comfortable at all.