34-32

Chapter 32: Kim Minji 

This is a story from the early days after the Ja-Ae Cult was founded. 

My name is Ha Jungwoo, 

Just an ordinary male student you could find anywhere. 

I had just entered 00 High School as a new freshman. 

“Ah, hi, how have you been? It’s been a while... D-do you remember me...?” 

The person I ran into there was a girl who was sort of a childhood friend. 

Kim Minji. 

She was a girl who used to be bullied back in elementary school. 

Back then, I was the kind of kid obsessed with superhero stories. 

I got carried away with the idea of appearing heroically at the scene of bullying... 

I gained one friend, but ended up getting bullied along with her. 

Of course, she soon transferred schools and it was as if nothing had happened... 

She hadn’t changed at all since elementary school. 

What I mean is... 

“Ah, of course I remember you... haha.” 

Just like before, she was overweight, her hair so unkempt you could barely see her face, and her clothes looked about to burst she was exactly the same as back then. 

I’m not the same as I was as a kid. Back then, I stepped up out of a naive desire to be a hero, but I wasn’t going to do that again. 

“Hey, is she your friend?” 

“Ah... just someone I knew from elementary school...” 

“....” 

Honestly, she was someone I didn’t want to get close to. 

‘Of course, we’re in high school now, so no one’s going to outright bully her...’ 

But even without direct bullying, there are all kinds of malice in the world. 

“Um, d-do you want to eat lunch with me today...?” 

“Ah....” 

The thing I was worried about happened. It’s only natural not to have friends as a new student. If Kim Minji had been even a little more normal, I would have gladly said yes... 

‘But that’s a bit much...’ 

It was really awkward. To have a good high school life, you have to be cold and decisive. 

I was just an ordinary guy, but being ordinary meant I knew how to act to avoid trouble. 

“Ah, today... I’m eating with these guys... Sorry! Next time, okay?” 

I hadn’t actually made any plans. It was just an excuse to avoid her. 

“N-next time? O-okay...” 

  Hey, you’re popular, huh? Hehe 

  Quiet. 

She slumped her shoulders and walked away. 

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little guilty. But... 

‘I have to look out for myself.’ 

Call me selfish if you want, but ordinary guys have their own survival strategies. 

But the real problem came next. 

Just as Kim Minji was leaving the classroom... 

Thud! 

“Ah, what the hell...” 

‘Ah... this is bad.’ 

She’d bumped into the so-called “delinquent” kids. 

“S-sorry...” 

“....” 

The group stared at Kim Minji. 

She shrank back and glanced at me. 

But I pretended not to notice her gaze and turned away. 

I definitely saw her eyes, but I deliberately looked away. 

‘...I have no choice.’ 

I’m not the naive kid I used to be. Back then, I just got lucky. 

It only ended as “teasing.” 

“...Hey, be careful next time.” 

“...O-okay.” 

Luckily, the delinquents let it go. 

But I knew. 

‘They’re definitely going to talk about this behind her back.’ 

Their thing is to form cliques and gossip. 

Bumping shoulders is something everyone experiences, but if they talk about it, it’ll snowball into something huge. 

Almost as if they’d been seriously wronged. 

As if to justify whatever they do next as “self-defense.” 

I felt bad for Kim Minji, but all I could do was wish her well. 

“...Hey, let’s go eat.” 

“Jungwoo.” 

“?” 

“So, what’s up with you and ‘her’?” 

“Nothing. We’re not anything.” 

“Really? That’s a shame~ I thought you might have found a good match...” 

“...You wanna die?” 

‘Just talking to her and I get this reaction...’ 

It was similar in elementary school, but back then it was innocent teasing. Now it was more sly, almost sexual harassment. 

All I could do was insist that there was nothing between me and Kim Minji. 

But even my friend1 didn’t seem serious, just laughed it off. 

A week later  

Weird rumors about Kim Minji started. 

  Hey, don’t you smell something weird? 

  Is it pig poop? 

  Huh? There’s a pig at our school? 

  Don’t you know? There’s one. “Her.” 

  Ah~ 

Even students who didn’t know her were talking about Kim Minji. 

After a month, her belongings started getting vandalized. 

  ... 

  Hey, who drew that? It’s pretty good~ 

  Hehe, that’s so mean. Minji, I’ll find out who did it and scold them! 

One day, her desk was covered in nasty graffiti. 

There was no bloody violence, but the psychological bullying was brutal. 

‘...I can’t believe this is happening in high school.’ 

I was surprised. 

‘Aren’t high schoolers supposed to be more mature? This is so childish...’ 

But I couldn’t say that out loud. 

If I did, my social life would collapse, and the hate would just shift from Kim Minji to me. 

‘...Or maybe we’d both get targeted.’ 

My chest felt tight. 

‘Was I always this righteous...?‘ 

Standing up is hard. Overcoming malice is even harder. 

Especially for ordinary people. 

And I’m just an ordinary person. 

‘That’s what I thought...’ 

Bang! 

“W-why am I standing in front of Kim Minji like I’m protecting her?” 

“Ugh, you bastard...” 

The delinquent I kicked glared at me. 

“Hey, are you crazy?” 

My friend1 tried to stop me. 

“...Yeah, I think I am crazy. Stay out of it or you’ll get dragged in too.” 

Logically, I should have just let Kim Minji fend for herself and acted like nothing happened. 

I’d already saved her once; there was no need to do it twice. 

“...You bastard.” 

“Hey! Get him!” 

The other delinquents jumped me. 

Thud! 

But as I said, I’m just an ordinary student. 

I couldn’t win or even hold out against several at once. 

“...Ugh!” 

“Ha... you weakling... Who do you think you are?” 

‘Damn... right in the solar plexus...’ 

Thump 

I couldn’t breathe. 

My vision faded. 

That was my last memory. 

“Ha... did he pass out?” 

“Hey, the teacher’s coming!” 

“Ah...” 

Someone must have called the teacher, because the homeroom teacher burst in. 

“Hey!! All of you, to the office!” 

“Damn... you’re dead meat.” 

“Take the unconscious kid to the nurse’s office!” 

The delinquents who beat me were all dragged off to the office. 

And the ones helping me weren’t Kim Minji... but my friends 1 and 2. 

Kim Minji just stood there. 

  ...Damn, he said they weren’t close 

  Why’d he get involved if he can’t even fight? 

So I ended up in the nurse’s office. 

And Kim Minji faced another ordeal. 

“...Hey, don’t you have any conscience?” 

“H-huh?” 

“I mean, shouldn’t you at least have gone with him to the nurse’s office?” 

“....” 

There was a girl who liked me for my easygoing personality and friendly image! 

And even if not, there were girls who admired the “hero” who saved someone in trouble. 

They were just upset it wasn’t them. 

And even more upset that I’d stood up for a girl like “her.” 

“I heard you used to get bullied for being like this as a kid?” 

“...!!” 

“What, you thought we didn’t know?” 

“If you came back after transferring, you could have at least changed your look.” 

“What makes you so confident to come back like this?” 

“....” 

“...Say something!” 

“Hey, forget it. Let’s go.” 

“Jungwoo, poor guy....” 

Whisper whisper  

Everything I did only made things worse for Kim Minji. 

After that incident  

Kim Minji was absent without leave for a week. 

And I... 

‘...I’m doing okay, actually?’ 

I just went about my school life. 

Sometimes the delinquents would pick fights, but... 

Maybe they got punished, or maybe they just let it go, but there was no more violence. 

We just ignored each other. 

“Honestly, Jungwoo, you were pretty cool back then.” 

“Hehe... really?” 

“Yeah!” 

‘...At least someone noticed.’ 

I was relieved. I’d worried I’d get teased or ignored like in elementary school... 

Thud! 

Someone slapped my shoulder. 

“Hey, you’ve got guts. I see you differently now.” 

“Hehe! But don’t get cocky.” 

“....” 

Turns out, even among the delinquents, there were factions. 

‘Is high school just politics...?‘ 

I was thinking about that when  

Creak  

Someone came to our class. 

Wearing “gal” fashion, famous even in subculture circles for being a niche taste. 

“Jungwoo!” 

I only realized later that it was Kim Minji.