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Chapter 20: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

 Chapter 20



As soon as I stepped out of the motel, I noticed Yoon Si-woo staring at me.


I wondered why he was here again but decided to walk past him. However, he suddenly blocked my way.


Standing in front of me, staring intensely, I felt a bit intimidated and flinched.


Feeling embarrassed by my reaction, I snapped at him to save face.


"What do you want?"


"...What were you doing inside?"


"Why should I tell you?"


Responding curtly to Yoon Si-woo, who was trying to create a serious atmosphere, I felt a bit annoyed.


There was no way I could tell him that I was posing and getting photographed while performing a flame stance show for some men who found it cool.


Yoon Si-woo glanced at the envelope of money I was holding.


"Is it because of the money...?"


Why else would I be working part-time if not for the money?


I nodded.


"...You're not doing something you don't want to, right? No one forced you to do something difficult?"


"I did it because I wanted to. It wasn't hard at all; in fact, I liked it."


It wasn't hard at all; this was a sweet gig.


Considering the minimum wage I earned dealing with countless difficult customers at the convenience store, it felt almost unfair to earn this kind of money.


Ugh, at least clean up after yourselves!


I could never forget the horrific mess left by customers.


...Honestly, earning 60,000 won per hour felt more like a superpower than shooting flames from my body.


For the first time, I realized my supposedly useless superpower was quite amazing.


Lost in thought, Yoon Si-woo continued questioning endlessly.


"...Will you do this kind of work again?"


"Well, if the opportunity arises. There's no other easy way to make money like this."


I genuinely wanted to do it again if possible.


Just playing around with some older guys, and the money just keeps coming!


Is there any other job where you can relieve stress and make money?


Lost in my thoughts, Yoon Si-woo, with a distorted expression, spoke up.


"Can't you stop doing this?"


Yoon Si-woo, almost in tears, pleaded.


"If you need money, I can help you. So please..."


"What help? Who do you think you are to me? I don't need your help."


Did he think I was some kind of beggar?


I'm currently a millionaire with 143,000 gold!


Besides, I hate owing anyone anything.


After giving a cold reply, I walked past the stunned Yoon Si-woo and headed home.


---


**Flashback: A Debt to Repay**


"Dad left us with debts to pay off."


When I was young, I woke up to find red papers posted all over the house.


When I asked my mom what they were, she smiled painfully and answered that way.


I once envied my friends' houses, realizing how spacious a house could be.


Back then, I thought it would be great to have a big house.


Mom, Dad, and I.


For a family of three, our house seemed too small compared to my friends' homes.


But I loved Mom's cherished vanity, always shining clean, and the big wardrobe my parents inherited from Grandma, where I used to hide during hide-and-seek. After the red papers took everything away, I realized that having a big house wasn't necessarily a good thing.


The house, empty after the red papers took everything, felt too spacious for just Mom and me.


"Son, you must always repay your debts."


In our now empty house, my mom held my hand and said those words as we shared a blanket.


If you don't repay, it could make others' lives difficult.


So, I decided to live without incurring debts if possible.


---


**Present: At Home**


I heard footsteps behind me.


Turning around, I saw Yoon Si-woo following me.


I glared at him slightly, and he started explaining.


"It's dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night..."


I'm a superpowered person, though.


I gave him a brief look of disdain, but it seemed he had no intention of leaving.


Knowing his stubborn nature, I continued walking home.


The building where I lived in a one-room apartment looked shabby from the outside.


Though it appeared ready to collapse, the inside was surprisingly solid.


Reaching my room via the seemingly fragile stairs, I noticed Yoon Si-woo's eyes darting around nervously.


Scaredy-cat, it's not going to collapse, so don't worry.


After opening the door, I intended to send Yoon Si-woo away, but he lingered at the doorway.


...Since he brought me here out of concern, I sighed and gestured for him to come in.


"Come in for a bit."


His eyes widened.


He hesitated but eventually stepped in, legs trembling.


His reaction was like someone entering a haunted house in a horror movie.


Guys like him usually end up saying, "It's cleaner than I expected in here."


I turned on the light and unfolded the small dining table we used for meals.


I gestured for him to sit, and he quietly took a seat at one end of the table.


With the table set up and another person in the room, it felt quite cramped.


I opened the fridge, thinking I should at least offer him tea.


But there was nothing inside.


No tea, not even food for tomorrow's breakfast.


I should have bought something at the convenience store, but meeting Yoon Si-woo threw me off, and I forgot.


Damn Yoon Si-woo.


I sighed, closed the fridge, and walked to the sink.


Fortunately, there were exactly two cups.


I filled them with tap water and brought them to the table, placing one in front of Yoon Si-woo.


"Sorry, but this is all I can offer."


After saying that, I took a sip of the tap water.


Having sweat so much earlier, the water tasted incredibly refreshing.


I thought to myself... this tap water is... sweet...


I drank the tap water, gulping it down to forget my struggles for a moment.


Ah, that hit the spot. As I placed the cup down with a satisfied sigh, I noticed Yoon Si-woo staring at me with a complicated expression, not touching his water.


Is he one of those people who only drink bottled water?


A rich bourgeois who won't drink anything but Evian?


I glared at him, daring him to look down on Arisu water.


Come on, give it a try! It's amazing.


Eventually, seeming to accept Arisu's quality, Yoon Si-woo picked up his cup and drank the water in one go.


He seemed slightly breathless, perhaps impressed by the taste of Arisu for the first time.


"If you're done, you can go now."


I waved my hand dismissively at Yoon Si-woo.


He hesitated, as if wanting to say something, then got up silently.


He put on his shoes, opened the door, and then, after a brief pause, turned his head slightly and gave me a small smile.


"See you tomorrow."


I nodded, and he left, closing the door behind him.


After cleaning up the cups and folding the table, I took off my uniform and showered.


Once dry and changed into pajamas, I opened the fridge.


In a barely visible corner was a misshapen chocolate bar that had melted and solidified again.


I took out the chocolates I received from the class president in the morning and placed them in the fridge corner.


It's better not to incur debts you can't repay anyway.


I closed the fridge door.


---


**The Next Morning**


I slowly opened my eyes.


Thinking I might have woken up early, I checked the time on my phone.


8:20 a.m.


...What?


Oh no, I didn't hear the alarm!


Panicking, I quickly put on my uniform and rushed out.


But then I realized I was already late, so I decided to compromise by walking quickly instead of running.


Smoking, skipping class, and now being late—I'm turning into a delinquent student.


Feeling sad about my tarnished reputation, I opened the classroom door.


The classroom seemed unusually quiet today.


It was silent as usual during class, but the atmosphere was different.


It felt like speaking out loud would be inappropriate, so I quietly entered and took my seat.


Once seated, I realized the cause of the tense atmosphere.


In front of me, where everyone's attention usually focused, Sylvia and Yoon Si-woo were glaring at each other fiercely.


Both had naturally charismatic looks, and seeing them with such intense expressions made everyone around them tense up.


Even I felt it, sitting right behind them, exposed to the icy atmosphere. I trembled slightly.


At lunchtime, for some reason, Sylvia ate separately from Yoon Si-woo.


Seeing Sylvia's ears perk up, I quickly ran to the snack bar and bought some macarons.


I handed them to Sylvia, but she coldly refused, her face hardening with anger.


"I don't need them."


When I tilted my head in confusion, Sylvia spoke again.


"Didn't you hear me? I don't need them. From now on, you don't have to bring me macarons. I have no reason to accept them from Scarlet."


"But... we're friends..."


I spoke with a trembling voice, and Sylvia, with icy eyes, looked straight at me and said,


"I'm sorry, but I need to be honest from now on."


Her lips moved slowly.


"I never considered you my friend."


Each word felt like a blow to my head.


My hands and feet trembled, and I struggled to breathe.


My plan had failed.



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Comments

  1. Alright Sylvia I have had enough, I wish you the worst.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sylvia probably tried to confess and Yoon Si-Woo rejected it by saying he loves Scarlet
    Poor mc has to deal with this just because Sylvia got jealous

    Thanks for the chapter !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nooo la ruta Yuri colapsa! Por otro lado los malentendidos se están acumulando nice

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  4. That just... Awful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How tf is the author going to redeem this character?

    ReplyDelete
  6. ahhahaha the misunderstanding keeps getting heavier each chapter. Hopefully they'll spiral out of controll soon. I love this chaos so much

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  7. For me, more like a confession like others said, it sounds more like this stalker told Sylvia something he shouldn't have.
    Like i wrote on another chapter, doing shit without being asked isn't a good thing, it can have terrible consequences.
    That band-aid about fake friendship did have to be ripped but not in this manner.
    Especially considering the current MC's mental health status.
    About the flashback, it explains MC view on debts, but, it feels weird that MC's so bad at managing money considering that.
    Also, why not eat the chocolate... MC already accepted it... what's the point of leaving it there.
    More so if there's no food around, i don't get it.
    I don't like Sylvia, but if i'm right about what that stalker told her, it makes sense she's rejecting it. The problem is how it was done. This can be expected considering what we know about her but still... badly handled.
    Kids needs to get their shit together, all of them... but especially the stalker.
    I want to punch him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Calling him a stalker when we haven't seen his pov yet is crazy.
      Not to add, him snapping at Sylvia is long over due. The senior was planning to that for the mc if she let her, and with the added misunderstanding that the mc is selling herself because she can't make ends meet, seeing someone taking advantage of what little that person has, will get anyone angry.
      As someone who has seen bullied people protecting and speaking for their bullies, I'd rather have Si-woo violently ripping the band-aid off than letting this idol worship and bean sprout arc continue.
      Sylvia is a mess, she's entitled, spoilt and ungrateful, and the sooner she's told that, the better not to add that the mc who worships the ground she steps on is no better.
      God, seeing all of this is reminding me of why I dropped this earlier on.

      Delete
  8. Goodness the author really knows how to invoke the feeling of pity and sadness…

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  9. MC have too many trauma tf but with that personality somehow is make sense now

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  10. Aah finally!!! I was waiting for this idiot to be b*tchslapped by the reality that Silvia is a haughty brat and hasn't thought of him/her as a friend. I still can't understand how any grownass man could be so desperate to (simp)befriend a literal teenager((especially one who knows the future and knows sticking to the orgFL or orgML is pretty much useless since the orgNovel had a bad ending)). While I don't approve of orgMl's stalker tendencies, I'm glad he did what I think he did(tell the bratty orgFL to treat MC with the respect she deserves as another human being.) Tbh I was expecting the Class Prez to intervene first but this is better since this would hit that entitled ass right where it hurts(yes I don't like her one bit)

    ReplyDelete

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