NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42
Early July, right after the final exams.
There were only the carefree middle school students left to enjoy before summer break.
The students connected the movies they brought on USBs to the TV and watched them during class, while the teachers called each student one by one to check their written exam scores.
Our class was no different.
I was watching a movie when I went up to check my math written score.
As I approached the math teacher, she showed me my written exam paper.
It was completely filled with circles.
The teacher smiled and said to me,
“Do-hee got a perfect score again?”
I replied with a fake smile,
“I was lucky~”
These days, my mouth moves without my brain engaging.
Perhaps I really have become a humble person?
“Ah come on, you worked hard.”
“Haha, yes~”
“Oh, Do-hee is pretty, studies well, and I envy your mom.”
“Not really~”
“Enough with the humility. Now sign and go back.”
“Okay~”
I signed the verification section of my written exam paper and returned to my seat.
As long as there aren’t any issues with the remaining history and science written exams, I’ll ace this finals too.
Awesome.
Yay~
As I sat down to watch the movie, the movie that had been playing since morning finished.
Once the movie ended, the class president went to the front, pulled up the movie list, and asked the class,
“What do you guys want to watch?”
The classmates chimed in one by one.
“Let’s watch 007.”
“Oh, no, how about Twilight?”
“I heard Furious 7 is fun.”
The kids shared opinions, and finally, it was decided.
“How about we watch Gonjiam?”
A horror movie it was.
Ah.
I put on my wireless earbuds, leaned on my desk, and started looking at my phone under the desk.
While messing with my phone, my current seatmate, Bang Tae-hyuk, nudged me.
I briefly took out one earbud, turned my head to face Bang Tae-hyuk, and said,
“What?”
Bang Tae-hyuk replied,
“Why are you suddenly looking at your phone?”
“Just because.”
“Can you not watch horror movies or something?”
“No.”
Even though I said no, Bang Tae-hyuk announced loudly,
“Hey guys, Do-hee can’t watch horror movies~ Let’s watch something else.”
The gazes of my classmates focused on me.
What’s with this sweet guy, seriously?
I had no choice but to respond under their intense stares.
“No, I wanted to see it too. Let’s just watch it…”
“Well, let’s just see…”
Ha-ah…
I had no choice but to lift my head and start watching the movie.
The movie kicked off with people heading to experience some horror.
Seriously, who goes to a haunted mental hospital for a horror experience?
Why do horror movies always take you to places you shouldn’t go?
As I stepped into the abandoned hospital, ominous background music began to play.
The eerie music made my body shrink back without me even realizing it.
“Wah!”
“Ahhh! Dammit!”
Bang Tae-hyuk next to me startled me and then burst into laughter.
I almost cursed out loud.
“Look at you, you can’t handle horror movies~”
“Ugh, stop it.”
His every move was so transparently filled with malice that it was unbelievably annoying.
If it weren’t for this jerk, I wouldn’t even be watching this in the first place.
After entering the hospital, various scenes designed to trigger fear played out, and I kept screaming internally.
Suddenly, a ghost jumped out.
“Kyahhh!”
In the end, I screamed out loud.
Damn, that really surprised me.
Why is this so scary?
Fortunately, it seemed that the appearance of the ghost shocked not just me but also all my classmates, as everyone was screaming regardless of gender.
But that jerk, Bang Tae-hyuk, seemed to have missed the movie because he was just laughing at me.
Otherwise, he couldn’t have possibly laughed right after that jump scare.
Bang Tae-hyuk said,
“Look~ You can’t even watch it~”
Oh, I really want to smack him.
“Yeah, I can’t watch it. Got a problem with that?”
I gave up and plugged in my earphones, laying my head on the desk as I turned on my phone.
I needed to forget about the ghost that kept swirling in my head; if I didn’t, it would come to haunt me in my dreams tonight.
Bang Tae-hyuk didn’t give up though and started teasing me again.
“Ew, Do-hee is such a scaredy-cat~”
Go ahead and bark all you want; I won’t even react.
As I focused on my phone without moving, Bang Tae-hyuk took out his phone and started taking pictures of me.
“Do-hee, who can’t watch horror movies, just staring at her phone~”
“Ha… Delete that picture.”
“No way! I’m going to tease you with this for life!”
Ha-ah…
He’s trying so hard to get my attention.
I decided to just ignore him.
…
…
…
Lunchtime.
I headed to the cafeteria with So-hee and Su-jin to grab some lunch.
I wondered what the lunch menu was since it was Wednesday.
I looked at the girls and asked,
“Does anyone know what today’s lunch menu is?”
So-hee answered,
“Today it’s stir-fried pork, egg soup, kimchi, and pudding!”
“Of course, it’s Wednesday. I knew I could count on it.”
As I entered the cafeteria, I lined up.
It was my turn, and after getting my rice, I was ready for the stir-fried pork. I handed my tray to the lunch lady, grinning as I said.
” Auntie, please put a lot of pork bulgogi on my rice~ ”
The auntie served it overflowing and smiled at me as she said.
” Do-hee only acts cute when the side dishes are delicious, it’s so annoying. ”
” Hehe, thank you~ ”
The pork bulgogi is totally worth it.
No matter where you eat outside, this school lunch pork bulgogi does not taste like army-style pork bulgogi!
After getting my lunch, I sat down and started mixing the pork with my rice.
While I was eating, Su-jin looked at me and said.
” But Do-hee, is it okay for you to eat like that? ”
” What’s wrong with it? ”
” Doesn’t the company tell you to diet? ”
” Pfft, where would I lose weight? Even if I could, I’m in my growth period anyway. ”
But… lately, I’ve been eating a lot under the excuse of growth…
But what can I do?
The doctor said I should eat a lot of protein for breast growth.
I saw it on YouTube.
///
Bang Tae-hyuk liked Do-hee Lee.
In fact, not just Bang Tae-hyuk, but most of the boys in the class liked her.
Other boys from different grades would sneak over just to catch a glimpse of Do-hee during break time. She was already a celebrity at school.
From Bang Tae-hyuk’s perspective, Do-hee’s looks were on a completely different level than any girl he had seen before.
Even without makeup, her skin was whiter than girls who did wear makeup.
Her facial features were distinct yet soft and feminine rather than harsh.
Even just looking at her, you could tell she was gorgeous.
Her figure, probably due to the repeated exercise and practice, was not just pretty but stunning.
Naturally, any boy would fall for her at first sight.
That’s why, since the entrance ceremony, rumors about her had spread, and she was treated like a celebrity just because of her looks.
But Do-hee was not just about her appearance; she had many talents as well.
When she auditioned for the band club, rumors spread among kids from the same elementary school as Do-hee.
First, the rumor that she was a trainee to become an idol.
Second, the rumor that she had never missed a question on her exams throughout elementary school.
And third, the rumor that she had won countless awards in piano competitions.
At first, kids from the same elementary school thought they were just exaggerating because they liked Do-hee so much.
But on the day of the midterms, when she got a perfect score on her exam, the credibility of those rumors skyrocketed, and they all gradually turned out to be true.
Although Do-hee was treated like a celebrity at school just for her looks, when the rumor that she was an idol trainee spread, she received treatment beyond that of a celebrity at school.
Every student, regardless of gender, couldn’t help but glance at her at least once.
Honestly, it made sense.
If a girl like that isn’t aiming to be a celebrity, then who is?
I felt like she was already a child living in another world.
That alone made me give up on Do-hee.
There was.
And despite being a guy, Bang Tae-hyuk was feeling jealous of Do-hee.
It dawned on him that guys can feel jealousy towards girls.
But when he paired up with Do-hee, her cheerful “Nice to meet you” wiped away all his negative feelings.
From what he observed as Do-hee’s partner, she was really kind.
Sure, she had a rough side and talked harshly at times, but she didn’t curse like the other kids.
He thought she’d be a spoiled brat or stubborn since she was raised with lots of love, but she acted maturely and took care of the other kids, even if it was unnoticeable.
Yet when she played with So-hee, it revealed a playful side to her.
The more he watched her, the bigger his already massive feelings grew.
Now, when he thought of Do-hee at night, tears would sneak out, and he’d softly call her name, letting out a sigh.
Then the next day, thinking about meeting Do-hee at school would make him smile, and he’d drift off to sleep daydreaming about her.
Despite these huge feelings, Bang Tae-hyuk didn’t have the courage to confess to Do-hee.
Countless kids had confessed to her, and she would always decline with just a “Thank you.”
He couldn’t help but worry that if he confessed like everyone else, he might end up not being able to speak to her at all, so he kept his feelings bottled up and opted to tease Do-hee instead.
So today, when he joked around with her, he felt overjoyed at every word she spoke.
Even when he playfully startled Do-hee and subtly touched her, the happiness he felt was beyond words.
With her grown-up demeanor and yet being too cute to watch horror films, he felt like his heart could burst.
Finally, he took a photo under the pretense of teasing her… He would cherish that picture for a lifetime.
.
.
.
Ah, who’s talking about me? My ears are itching to death.
After finishing practice, I returned home, took a shower, turned off the lights, and lay down on my bed.
Lying on my bed, recalling today’s practice, suddenly the face of the ghost from the horror movie I watched in the morning popped into my mind.
Ah, why am I suddenly thinking of that ghost’s face…
I picked up my phone and turned on YouTube, playing some funny shows at full volume.
However, the louder the show got, the more I couldn’t shake off the image of the ghost’s face.
Ah…
I got out of bed and went to Do-ah’s room.
“Do-ah, are you sleeping?”
Do-ah replied.
“No? Why, unni?”
“Shall I sleep with you today? I feel like hugging you tonight.”
“No way, you’re being uncomfortable, unni.”
I said in a pitiful voice.
“Then let’s just hold hands while we sleep… okay?”
Do-ah sighed, bouncing on her bed.
“Ugh… fine. Come here.”
“Yay~”
It’s not that I’m particularly scared; it’s just that I had a ghostly dream and didn’t want to lose sleep over it, fearing it might mess up tomorrow’s practice.