.

‘Before Ban Yeo Ryung or the Four Heavenly Kings fly into a rage, I should voluntarily speak about what happened,’ I thought, but as soon as Yi Ruda, who looked quite delighted today, came across my mind, I turned my head to see her.

Yi Ruda looked somehow lukewarm. Resting her chin on her hand apathetically, she was dropping her gaze at the sunlit schoolyard over the window.

Lee Soo Yeon and the girls came back to the classroom waveringly after the morning assembly. The girls surrounded Lee Soo Yeon like bodyguards. Standing in the middle, Lee Soo Yeon looked as if she cried her eyes out. Feeling hesitant to say anymore to that tearful face, Lee Mina just clicked her tongue; however, she gave the edge of her tongue to Lee Soo Yeon while walking past her seat.

“Yeah, crying will help you out~ What a wonderful world.”

“…”

“Instead of the one who just got harassed for nothing, why is this bitch weeping after her **ty remark? How amazing it is to cry and to be forgiven for what she has done? I should also spread some gossips and cry after too!”

Lee Mina was so sarcastic yet hilarious that Yoon Jung In, who tried to get up from his seat to stop any further arguments, just burst out laughing.

Those words that sounded seemingly offensive and aggressive changed into something funny and sarcastic when Lee Mina spoke them with her tone. It was such a hidden ability. After Yoon Jung In, she was the next life of the party in our class.

As Yoon Jung In giggled while bending his waist, those who sat next to him burst into laughter too. The whole class then broke into loud and uncontrolled laughter. Some kids gazed at her with smiley eyes after saying, ‘Hey, Lee Mina, you’re mad funny.’ Lee Soo Yeo scowled at Lee Mina with blubbering eyes then shoved her face into her arms on the desk.

Taking out my textbook to the desk, I looked up at the ceiling and fetched a deep sigh. I felt a surge of the usual noisiness inside the classroom coming over me. The rowdy atmosphere, the heartwarming words toward me, and the gazes shared among us suddenly turned out to be something real. Although I wasn’t the target of cold attention, I knew how harsh it was from the experiences I had while standing next to the person in the center.

My heart suddenly beat fast as if I was overwhelmed by fatigue after crossing a mountain. My tightly clenched fist turned wet with sweat. I opened and closed my hand then murmured to myself, ‘Fine, everything’s over. At least, it’s the end for now. This is enough. I’m good.’ I took out the workbook to prepare the upcoming mock exam. I had to study for the test taking place within a couple of days.

However, it was after a few days that I found out the happening wasn’t all over.

* * *

Ham Donnie’s conjecture was, to tell the conclusion, completely wrong. Ban Yeo Ryung, who became the center of the rumor, was in Class 1-1, which meant she heard what happened at the earliest. The news reached Woo Jooin, who had the widest circle of acquaintances among the Four Heavenly Kings, at 9:45 in the morning, just when the first class was about to be over.

Those who got angry the most were Kwon Eun Hyung, who didn’t know at all that there was an anti-fan club for Ban Yeo Ryung, and Woo Jooin, who never expected the rumor would even hurt Ham Donnie. Ban Yeo Ryung, who went through so many happenings like this and had guts to just move on while thinking, ‘Oh, there’s another one who hates me,’ also became deeply outraged this time.

As soon as the break came, Ban Yeo Ryung and the Four Heavenly Kings gathered at the rooftop.

When Ban Yeo Ryung gnashed her teeth in anger, the air turned chilly despite the spring season. She then spoke in a fierce face.

“So ridiculous! Was there anyone in Donnie’s class who believed that bull**?”

“Yeah, there was.”

Eun Jiho replied in a calm voice. It made Ban Yeo Ryung furrow her brows.

She then asked back, “Was? Why is it past tense?”

Rolling his eyeballs, Eun Jiho replied, “Well, a random girl said something to Ham Donnie as she believed that rumor. Fortunately, Ham Donnie’s friends spoke on behalf of Donnie and created an atmosphere for Donnie to explain the situation, so she did right after. You know, she becomes at a loss of words when she gets angry or perplexed. Usually, what matters is the atmosphere, so how lucky she is.”

“Yeah, thanks God,” said Woo Jooin. It was worth seeing him saying like that as he had no pieces of a smile on his white face, unusually.

Yoo Chun Young, who just listened to their conversation until now, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Strange.”

He was rarely in classes due to his busy shooting schedule these days; however, he looked quite tranquil despite being caught up in such a thing as soon as he came to school after a while.

“For what?” Ban Yeo Ryung asked back.

“How can a trivial thing leap into something that far?”

Yoo Chun Young’s words still left out many details, as usual, so most of the people wouldn’t even guess what a ‘trivial thing’ and ‘something that far’ would be. Fortunately, there were Woo Jooin, who almost reached IQ 160, and Kwon Eun Hyung, who knew him since they were born, next to him.

Kwon Eun Hyung then questioned back in an understood face.

“You mean, Ban Yeo Ryung has a hate club that targets her. The person who created that club is related to Ban Yeo Ryung and goes to the same school. How do these facts leap into ‘the one who created the club is Ham Donnie,’ you’re talking about this, right?

Yoo Chun Young nodded his head. The big proposition, ‘Ban Yeo Ryung has a hate club that targets her,’ that came out from Kwon Eun Hyung’s mouth made the Four Heavenly Kings turn their heads to look at Ban Yeo Ryung. They, at last, realized she could also not be fine.

However, Ban Yeo Ryung looked as if she got angry with someone hurting Ham Donnie. Without any signs of vulnerability on her face, she just clenched her fist in fury.

Well, it made sense though. To think about it, Ban Yeo Ryung had gone through these things many times, but it was the first time for Ham Donnie. She could, therefore, hardly neglect that Ham Donnie got involved in this unwanted situation because of her.

Woo Jooin’s pure gold eyes were on Ban Yeo Ryung for a while. Putting his innocent smile on his lips, Woo Jooin then opened his mouth.

“It’s truly a big leap. Besides, from what I’ve heard, they say, ‘Those who were close friends to Ham Donnie during middle school later turned away from Ban Yeo Ryung,’ to prove the rumor, but how many in this school knows about what happened between Yeo Ryung and mama in middle school?”

“…”

Those who were listening to him became dark. Woo Jooin heaved a sigh and continued his words.

“Someone put mama between the story intentionally or else, mama couldn’t be pointed out exactly as the target of the gossip. And the person knows well about mama and Yeo Ryung during middle school somehow.”

“So?” Yoo Chun Young asked. Woo Jooin added a few more words with a grin.

“But didn’t we all agree just now that the one who created the club knows well about Yeo Ryung and mama during middle school? Someone who knows well about the girls during middle school and goes to this school… I guess there can’t be two.”

“Then what you’re saying is…”

Woo Jooin intervened Kwon Eun Hyung’s words with cold eyes.

“In my opinion, the one who created the club and spread out some bad rumor targeting mama is the same person.”

A heavy silence prevailed the space. After a moment, Ban Yeo Ryung opened her red lips while putting an intimidating look on her face.

“Who the ** is she?”

“…”

Kwon Eun Hyung couldn’t say anything to Ban Yeo Ryung, who became outstandingly abusive in words. Instead, he just swallowed a sigh. What she just said was, at least, better than any other words to express how they were feeling right now.

While Kwon Eun Hyung swept his red hair back with closed eyes, the bell rang. Ban Yeo Ryung and the Four Heavenly Kings discontinued their conversations and went back to the classroom. When Ban Yeo Ryung stepped inside the class, Choi Yuri welcomed her in a face full of concern.

“Yeo Ryung, are you ok?”

Holding Ban Yeo Ryung’s hand, Choi Yuri asked like that out of the blue. ‘Why would I be not ok,” Ban Yeo Ryung was about to ask back like that; however, she suddenly raised her head to look everyone in the classroom. The next moment, Ban Yeo Ryung frowned her face painfully.

To Ban Yeo Ryung, having a hate club and listening to all kinds of negative comments from strangers were nothing unfamiliar. She was so used to those things.

She felt herself drawing pathetic attention from the class. Despite those concerns about her, she didn’t feel comfortable at all.