Chapter 9.5 - Act 9: Whimsically 5 (1/2)

Act 9: Whimsically 5

Lee Suh-ah stared at the ceiling in silence.

She could see various strange patterns drawn. There were holes in the shape of stars here and there on the dormitory ceiling.

Staring at that, an abrupt thought popped up in her mind.

‘That’s how the ceiling looked huh.’

Until now, she had never realised it. The only time she laid on the bed was right before sleep, dark with the lights turned off so there was no time for her to see how the ceiling looked.

Despite living three years of her middle school at a similar dormitory, she never had the time to lie down on the bed with leisure.

“…It’s comfortable.”

After murmuring once, she hugged her pillow and enjoyed her rare rest time.

It was really strange.

Normally, she would’ve immediately started preparing for next term’s mid-sems but she currently didn’t want to. Perhaps the body wanted some rest which was understandable considering how so many things happened today. It was natural.

‘Today…’

Her face was buried into the pillow as her body stiffened. Everything that happened during the day flashed past her head rapidly.

In despair, she listened to teacher Kang Heewon’s announcement, as self-condemnation overflowed her from within. Unable to hold it in, she ran outside to escape it as a hand touched her shoulder.

And the tears that couldn’t help but fall.

Thinking up to that point, Lee Suh-ah raised a scream and bashed the pillow with her fists.

“Ahhhhh. Out of everyoneeee!!”

Why was it him that saw her crying? He’ll probably tease her for it, or rather, it was certain because they always bickered and nitpicked whenever possible.

Pulling her hair out, Lee Suh-ah lamented at the upcoming future.

How long would it last – one month? Two months? Six months or maybe one year? Since it was Jo Yunjae, he might tease her for life.

She was in despair, thinking back on how her crying face might’ve looked like when a voice suddenly reached her ears.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Suddenly coming to her senses, Lee Suh-ah raised her head up with a flick. On the other side of the bed, she could see Song Mirae with her body half-raised up.

‘Ah, right. Mirae was here.’

Lee Suh-ah scolded herself inwardly before quickly racking her brain.

“Uh? Ah, umm… ah! Yeah, I suddenly remembered the thing I got wrong during the finals…!”

“Finals? It’s already over so don’t bother~ we’re humans so it’s possible to make mistakes.”

Hearing Song Mirae’s carefree words, Lee Suh-ah let out a small sigh of relief while Song Mirae asked again nonchalantly.

“By the way, where were you during the end-of-the-day meeting? The teacher was looking for you. Yunjae also went missing for some reason.”

Stiffened, Lee Suh-ah halted before unconsciously giving a reply.

“J, just went to the bathroom.”

“Ahah I see.”

Lee Suh-ah felt something prickling her heart when she saw Song Mirae nodding her head.

‘Why did I lie? I could’ve just told her I cried because I was sad about the scholarship. It’s nothing to hide from Mirae.’

Biting her lips, Lee Suh-ah thought.

However, if she said that, she needed to tell Song Mirae about the promise she made with Jo Yunjae regarding the plans over the holidays – the fact that they had decided to attend a contest with just the two of them.

In the end, she decided to stay silent with her lips closed.

She was just doing it for money so she didn’t want her best friend to be pondering because of her.

‘Right, I’m just going to be working…!’

Thinking that, she hugged the pillow as hard as she could with a firm resolution but when Song Mirae saw that, she tilted her head.

‘…Suh-ah’s not feeling good today.’

Song Mirae thought before suddenly clapping her hands and opening her mouth.

“Ah right! When you weren’t there, our teacher told me to give this to you.”

“What is it?”

“Wait…”

After searching through the bag with a hum, Song Mirae suddenly raised something up. It was a rectangular paper in a blue cover.

Lee Suh-ah was quite familiar with it – it was a certificate. Blankly, she received the certificate from Song Mirae and opened her mouth with a stutter.

“What… is this?”

“So although the highest achiever this time was Yunjae, they decided to give you the scholarships as well because you studied hard. I think your marks were similar or something.”

“…What?”

When she quickly opened the cover with a dumb expression, she realised that it was true. There was her name printed in bold at the very top, as well as words beneath saying that she received a full scholarship and support in music equipment.

Seeing her read the certificate agitatedly, Song Mirae carefreely continued her explanation.

“It’s written on the scholarship announcement as well~ The student that came first place, or had a result very close to that. It’s obviously possible for you.”

“…But… I was for sure the only one during middle school…”

“Maybe it was because there was no-one as good as you during middle school?”

Slowly, Lee Suh-ah embraced the certificate as a faint smile appeared on her face. Even though she had given up on the scholarship… it was true that there was always a way out.

She smiled but a thought suddenly popped up.

‘Then what was I crying for…?’

A humiliating scene replayed itself inside her mind.

In front of the annoying Jo Yunjae, she was crying like a little child in the middle of the corridor and baffled him. Then, she fell on her bum herself in an unsightly manner.

“Uuuk…!”

Her ears turned deep red.

*

After the finals were over, the school only had one last event to go. It was the end-of-the-term ceremony… but there was actually another event which I had forgotten about.

It was master class, the visit of Timothy Dickson.

‘Master class…’

Posturing myself in my seat, I glanced around. Within the dark interior, only the stage had bright light shining down. On top of that stage, the teachers were making adjustments and configurations to something while the students talked amongst each other in the audience seats.