21 Chapter 21 - Yun Woo is in Our School 4 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”Transcription? That's the original draft!” the impostor insisted. She was probably planning on responding calmly, but she had made a mistake.
Juho continued while smiling, ”I guess you did write it.”
The impostor became flustered by his words. She finally realized that she had made a mistake, and an implicit sense of anxiety came upon her like a wave.
'No, it's not over yet,' the girl tried desperately to think of a way to escape that situation.
Juho continued as if he were trying to comfort her, ”To someone who isn't familiar with transcribing, they might think that this was the original. Unless you're an enthusiast or an aspiring writer, you wouldn't come to think about copying a book.”
”I told you, this is the original!”
”And I told you, I'm in the Literature Club.”
The girl clenched her hands tightly under her desk, and they were turning pale. If he really was in the Literature Club, he would know. He would know that an original couldn't be that sloppy. He would know that a book couldn't be written from scribbles on a cheap notebook, with no traces of endless anguish and editing on its pages.
Still, she kept on, ”I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but if you're going to be unreasonable, you should leave. No, I will.”
The girl stood up, rattling her seat. Even then, Juho was still looking down from above. Her pride hurt from having to look up from below.
He blocked her on her way out, and she grimaced at him. Her composure was already lost. Juho replayed the events from a moment ago. Along with a crowd blocking the hallway and students keeping their cell phones to take pictures, the students had been impacted by Yun Woo in many other ways. It was only going to get worse.
Besides, the impostor standing in front of him didn't seem all that happy anymore. For the first time, someone had cast doubt on her. It was a firsthand experience. Though every person seemed to be worshipping her at the moment, it was certain that there were others who doubted her underneath the surface. It was just that for Seo Kwang and Mr. Moon.
The longer she stayed as Yun Woo, the more people's doubts would eventually rise to the surface to suffocate her.
Juho looked up to the ceiling for a brief moment and thought, 'It's probably best for everyone else if I stop her now.'
He moved aside and let her through. As she walked past him, Juho said, ”It was a lie that wasn't going to last from the get-go.”
The girl stopped in her tracks. Juho had camly declared her end.
”A lie? It's nothing like that!”
”It's not enough to trick your schoolmates. It won't cut it if you are to handle a name like Yun Woo.”
”...Why not?” Yun Woo turned around angrily. Her expression was filled with jealousy and a sense of inferiority. ”What's so great about Yun Woo that I can't handle? He's just an author. People might call him a genius or 'the youngest author to do this and that,' but he's no more than a writer at the end of the day.”
he bit down on her lips. It was over. She might as well have confessed the truth. Yet, Juho nodded with a smile.
”You're right. I don't understand why everyone's going crazy.”
”... Really?”
”Yeah.”
”Aren't you a fan of Yun Woo?”
”Nope.”
”...”
'This guy just agreed with me,' the girl thought in midst of surprise. 'This isn't the end. It's already impossible to trick him. He's the only person who knows that I'm not the real Yun Woo. As long as I keep his mouth shut, I can be rid of this anxiety.'
”Then, can you keep all of this a secret?”
”I don't think so.”
Juho turned her down immediately, but the girl continued to beg him.
”How come? I thought you weren't a fan.”
”I never said I dislike him.”
As she was about to continue, Juho raised his hand to stop her. At that point, there was no point in arguing whether he liked or disliked Yun Woo. He decided to set her free from her illusion.
”Like I said, this was a lie that wasn't meant to last. You're thinking that you just have to keep my mouth shut, right? But think about it. Do you really think I'm the only person you need to worry about?”
Her eyes moved restlessly. She was still having trouble understanding, and Juho calmly explained to her the things she would experience.
”The rumor spread to the teachers too. Your homeroom teacher will be looking for you soon because being Yun Woo is a big plus when moving up to college. You're going to need a document that proves your identity.”
”I'll just tell the teacher that I won't be going to college.”
Her voice began to shake. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.
”Your photo could be an issue too.”
”Photo? What photo? I've been telling people not to take pictures of me.”
”That won't stop these kids. Do you know how many kids are taking pictures of you from afar without you knowing? They're probably showing it around to their families and friends saying things like 'Yun Woo is in our school. I even got her autograph. This is her photo.' On top of that, do you think they'll stop at families and friends? If they upload their pictures to the internet, this becomes an even bigger issue. Reporters will come looking for you, and the publishing company will probably want confirmation. You'll come out on the news too. At that point, you'd havealready been caught, and then some. 'A female fellow high school student who impersonated Yun Woo - I just wanted to be Yun Woo.'”
Her face grew more and more pale.
”No way! That's not true!”
”Yun Woo is a celebrity already. On top of that, he's staying anonymous and refuses every single interview. The reporters are probably dying to talk to him. If your identity becomes known, these people will be in a race to get to you first.”
Juho wasn't merely trying to intimidate the girl. The name carried real weight and significance in reality. Having just understood the weight of her predicament, the girl trembled in fear.
”So, you should stop while you can. Your teacher hasn't called for you yet. You haven't had a reporter wanting to interview you either.”
”How can I!” lowering her head, the girl screamed desperately. ”How can I confess? What would happen to me if I tell everyone that I've was a fake all along?”
”It's probably going to be a tad embarrassing.”
”A tad!?”
She was writhing in despair. Being a genius was fascinating. He or she had left behind a beautiful piece of work and received praise from all over. The girl wanted to be a genius like that. One day, Yun Woo suddenly came into existence. Simply put, he was a genius. His work was innocent and pure. Before she knew, she had been captivated by it.
Then the girl began to transcribe his book. She had copied everything that could be found in his book onto her cheap notebook. It was hard to believe that her and Yun Woo were the same age. How could they be so different? She was swept into a storm that made her feel inferior and loathsome. So, she ripped up her notebook. She didn't want to live any longer.
It was a coincidence that her friend had found her notebook. No, she had actually hoped for it to happen. She wanted the name to be hers. She wanted everyone to think that she was the real Yun Woo. She had left her notebook on her desk on purpose and then left it unoccupied.
With the notebook in her hand, the friend asked, ”Are you really Yun Woo?”
The girl had hesitated, but her friend continued, ”I'll keep it a secret. Just tell me.”
So, the girl answered, ”Yes, I'm Yun Woo.”
It had been thrilling to say those words.
”This is it. It's all over.”
Just like that. It had felt so good, but it was all over. The life she knew had crumbled away.
It was a disaster. Her hair covered her face as her head lowered itself. It felt like she was surrounded by darkness. It was suffocating. Nobody could live like that. She wanted to jump off the school building. She wanted to run away. She wanted to end her life.
”Hahaha!”
Laughter.
There was sound of laughter. When she looked up, Juho was laughing with his hands on his belly. 'Is he laughing? Seriously? How can he laugh in a situation like this?'
”Are you laughing because this has nothing to do with you? How could you?! I'm even contemplating my life!”
”Over this? It's fine. You'll be fine.”
”What?”
'What is this guy thinking. Does he not know what I've been doing? How can he say that it's going to be fine?'
”You were just so shameless when you were giving out your autograph, so I thought you would have the guts to survive through the troubles of being a celebrity.”
Autographs. She felt a wave of heat traveling up to her face. Her illusion had shattered, and now she was back to reality. A chaotic storm of shame and humiliation had overcome her mind.