Chapter 9.4 - Act 9: Whimsically 4 (1/2)

To be honest, I already had a rough idea of what the results would be. Although I got the same mark in the prac test which had the highest weighting, my opponent was the Lee Suh-ah. She had never missed out coming first in her three years of middle and three years of high school in my previous life.

Despite getting the same mark in the prac test and the final results being decided from the mid-sems, finals and schoolwork; I did not see myself defeating Lee Suh-ah.

I mean, how long had it been since I graduated high school?

Languages and music theory were okay because I studied them regularly but how would I remember factorisation, cells et cetera? Even though I felt I had become smarter and studied hard, the finals’ result was a fifth place.

In the end, I had only been studying for a semester. Thus, when the results were going to be announced, I let my expectations down calmly and waited.

It would’ve been great if I could receive the scholarship but it can’t be helped because Lee Suh-ah was just better than me at studying.

With an empty smile I stared at the teacher when my eyes caught sight of teacher Kang Heewon turning towards me with a bright smile.

Why’s she looking at me?

I tilted my head when the teacher bellowed while reaching out with her arm.

“This term’s highest achiever is… none other than our student Yunjae!”

“Wow~”

Matching myself with the crowd giving insincere applause, I clapped before suddenly realising that the situation was slightly strange.

Wait,

Did she call my name just then?

“Nn…?”

Thinking that perhaps it was my ears playing tricks on me, I glanced around but the surrounding reactions were weird as well. Without even sparing a look at Lee Suh-ah, they all stared at me. Noh Jusup apathetically gave words of congratulation while Han Dasom clapped passionately with a bright smile. Chloe was throwing glances at both me and Lee Suh-ah and Jun Shihyuk pointed his indifferent gaze towards me.

Finally, when I looked over at Lee Suh-ah, I found her deeply lowering her head. Her hair covered the expression beneath like black curtains.

“The highest achiever will have the full scholarship and the certificate given during the holidays so please be prepared, student Yunjae~”

“…Yes.”

I listened to the teacher’s explanation that continued but it felt somewhat dumbfounding.

Was it really me? Not Lee Suh-ah?

Of course, it was something I wanted because our household wasn’t very well off financially. Even in my previous life, that short time I was in Future Arts High had turned the faces of my parents darker. Although they acted nonchalant before me, I could tell now that I had become an adult that a sudden additional expense was very taxing on the household.

However, I wasn’t expecting myself to get the scholarship in this manner.

I was expecting something like, a proper, frontal fight between Lee Suh-ah and me… Whether I would be completely defeated or I would suppress the prideful Lee Suh-ah and make fun of her – that was the future I was thinking of.

And yet I just suddenly received an award saying that I won?

…Dumbfounded was a fitting word.

“Ha…”

Even whilst I stayed blank, congratulatory words continued falling.

“You little guy. Are you happy getting an award you got by studying instead of playing with me?”

“Ohh Yunjae~”

“Congratulations!”

Noh Jusup shoving my shoulder with a smile, warm hands touching my arms and my body being pushed and shoved. In the midst of that, I received their compliments with an awkward smile when the corner of the classroom entered my sight.

Behind the slightly opened back door, familiar black hair twitched before hiding itself. It was a ponytail that appeared somewhat downcast.

I stared at that blankly like I had been possessed before shooting out of my seat.

“…One sec, let me through.”

“Uh? Are you going to the bathroom? The teacher said we still have a meeting left…”

“One sec.”

Leaving behind Noh Jusup and his tilted head, I quickly carried my feet across. The classroom flicked and got pushed away from my sight. When I quickly left through the back door, an empty corridor welcomed me.

A quiet corridor with not a single passerby.

Rapidly I turned my head to the opposite direction when I saw a shadow of a girl vanishing behind the corner.

“…”

I walked quickly.

The tapping sound of my steps gradually quickened and soon turned into a running sound. The hot summer air clogged up my chest as the slowly setting sun blurred my vision with its red light.

Raising my hand, I blocked the sunlight and turned as a silhouette entered my sight.

It was the back of a girl which I had seen a lot.

Her ponytail flicked temperamentally, and the school skirt and her clean clothes reflecting her tidiness fluttered in the wind.

Lee Suh-ah.

“Oi Lee Suh-ah.”

“…”

Perhaps she hadn’t heard it, but she trudged in silence. In the end, I had to run up and place my hand on Lee Suh-ah’s shoulder to turn her over.

“Why aren’t you…!”

Finally, when I saw her face, I stopped my words – I had no choice but to.

“Hkkk…”

Because it was my first time seeing Lee Suh-ah cry.

*

I don’t know if this will sound weird but I had almost never made anyone cry because my entire life was centred around songs. I had never fought fiercely enough to see the tears of others and stayed relatively distant even when going out with a girl. They met me, despite knowing that I was crazy for music so there was nothing in particular to fight about.

Well… the only fights I ever wanted to have were probably with composers that made super difficult songs. There were times I wanted to ask them if their songs were made for people to sing.

…So what I wanted to say was simple.

I’ve never made people cry so I don’t know how to stop kids from crying either.

It was nice that I chased after Lee Suh-ah because she gave off a weird vibe. She just suddenly ran out in the middle of the end-of-the-day meeting and appeared like she was in a precarious situation. That’s why I came running after her.

However, the moment she saw me, she started tearing up and now she was just openly crying while crouching down.

People would think she lost her country or something.

“Huaaaaaang…!”

“…”