.

Besides, it was already a winning game even without her remark just now. Most of the kids in the school were thinking Ham Donnie did something wrong to Ban Yeo Ryung, so Ham Donnie couldn’t resist that long. Although she denied the rumors, there wouldn’t be any proof to reveal the truth at all. It was the moment when Choi Yuri smiled with that thought in mind.

Ham Donnie, at last, showed a change in her facial expression. Her eyes furrowed as if she was about to cry. Perking the corners of her lips upwards, Choi Yuri waited in a relaxed attitude for Ham Donnie to open her mouth and respond that she will.

However, out of the clear blue sky, what Ham Donnie said through her opened mouth was something completely unanticipated.

“I thought you would say sorry to me.”

“What?”

“I have nothing to talk further to you. After calling me here, all you’re saying is, transfer to another school… geez, what a piece of advice.”

Ham Donnie looked as if she was in a bad mood but not that mad. That was all she said. She then shrugged with a smile and turned back. Her unexpected reaction made Choi Yuri blank out.

‘What’s going on?’ having that thought in mind, Choi Yuri called her in a loud voice unconsciously.

“Hold on, where are you going?”

“Didn’t you finish your last words? I’m leaving.”

Ham Donnie looked shameless as if asking Choi Yuri, is there any more left to talk about.

‘Gosh,’ Choi Yuri felt ludicrous. Standing with her feet on the ground, she stared at Ham Donnie blankly. It was not a joke. Ham Donnie half-opened the door to leave the rooftop.

Pulling herself together, Choi Yuri asked, “You… where are you going?”

“Going back home,” Ham Donnie replied, still, with a nonchalant face.

‘How… how can she…?’ Feeling perplexed, Choi Yuri pouted her lips then asked her back.

“I mean, how can you be that shameless? Are you really gonna go to our school?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Don’t you feel guilty? If I were you, I couldn’t even stand here. You’re already known for your true colors, and when you get along with other kids, you couldn’t stop the controversies spreading out. You don’t want that, do you? It’s stressful and exhausting. Even other kids would hate that too.”

“What if I say things aren’t true at all?”

She still sounded tranquil. ‘A-ha, there’s something that you trust yet,’ Choi Yuri thought as she burst out a small giggle involuntarily. ‘How naïve you are to believe there’s someone who will still trust you when you say no!’

Choi Yuri suppressed her laughter and continued her remark.

“No matter how many times you deny, the rumor is already spread out. Come on, why do you think the rumor circulated in the first place? It’s because everyone also thinks the same. Just admit it.”

Ham Donnie still looked fatigued. Listening to Choi Yuri’s conclusion quietly, she crossed her arms. ‘Is she now ready to talk?’ Choi Yuri thought.

She would confess how troubled she was or blame her for spreading all those rumors; however, Ham Donnie was so nonchalant that it was Choi Yuri who felt disconcerted. ‘Once she has a conversation with me, her mind will change. If she still doesn’t realize her situation and just thinks that she’s innocent, I’ll utterly break her down,’ murmured Choi Yuri.

It was then when Ham Donnie opened her mouth.

“What’s the reason for you to talk determinedly like this to me? Just because the rumor spread out and everybody gossips about it? Or the people around you consider it as a truth?”

“What?”

“The power of the rumor that you trust so much… I don’t believe that. Rumors are less potent than you think.”

Tilting her head to the side, Ham Donnie was staring at Choi Yuri slightly askew. With a yet composed face, she continued her words.

“Didn’t you already hear from Ban Yeo Ryung? The rumors about her that swept the school every year such as she loves boys, only cares about guys, lives up to her looks, steals boyfriends of the girls who are prettier than her, bitchy, arrogant… Don’t you think I didn’t get involved in any of those rumors? I’m next to Ban Yeo Ryung intentionally as a maid to beg something from her, or, at least, to get along with the Four Heavenly Kings. In fact, Ban Yeo Ryung and the Four Heavenly Kings don’t regard Ham Donnie as a friend…”

“…”

Choi Yuri clenched her fist.

Ban Yeo Ryung, sometimes, confessed those stories to her in a nonchalant tone. ‘What did I say to her at those moments?’ Perhaps, Choi Yuri might have said it would’ve been tough.

How did she look back then? Was it a tearful face? No, it wasn’t. Ban Yeo Ryung just shrugged her shoulders and said, she’s fine.

Choi Yuri opened her lips, involuntarily. She spat out a shrill voice through her open mouth.

“So?”

“Think. If the rumor was that strong as you’ve mentioned, our friends might have turned away from us and we wouldn’t be able to make new friends, but look at me now,” said Ham Donnie, slightly raising her chin. Her brown hair waved through the breeze.

“Have you ever heard from Ban Yeo Ryung that she trusts the rumor or so? Did the Four Heavenly Kings ever talk about me? No, because they don’t give a ** about those fake gossips. And many of my classmates also don’t believe them because they know who I am from having me as their friends.”

“…”

“Those who later became close to me and who were hesitant to approach me told me afterward that before they knew me well, they thought about those bad rumors first when looking at me. Some kids even apologized for talking about such things carelessly.”

Giving a pause, Ham Donnie drew in her breath. She then lifted her eyes to see Choi Yuri. Inside her dark-brown eyes, the rays of sunset permeated and tinged them with crimson. Her gaze somehow looked determined than before, which discomforted Choi Yuri.

Ham Donnie continued, “And that’s why I don’t care about your rumor. That ain’t true. I always did and will live to prove that.”

Gosh… Choi Yuri twisted the corners of her lips upwards. She nearly laughed out loud, thinking, ‘How ridiculous she is right now.’

“Is that why you didn’t say anything so far? Why don’t you just say you are at a loss of words, huh?”

“If there was something I should say, I did to my friends. Your words were groundless; besides, those who had trusted those fake rumors weren’t my people from the beginning.”

“…”

“I just get to know who my real people are. All I get to know is what I have around me. Your rumor, at least, can’t risk the relationships among my friends. The rumor and you are just nothing to me, get it?”

‘What?’ Choi Yuri opened her eyes widely. What she just said was, for Choi Yuri, never anticipated.

Ham Donnie would be in such pain. She would have thought transferring to another school would be better than suffering from those rumors; thus, Choi Yuri could provoke her with just a few words. Ham Donnie, however, said that the rumor was nothing to her and even Choi Yuri herself.

Ham Donnie’s remark continued unperturbedly.

“I’m just gonna forget about it, so I have nothing to say to you. Just do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter. Whatever you talk about me, I’ll just forget about you and this situation. Ignore me too, if you want.”

“How can you forget about it when you did such things to Ban Yeo Ryung? How can you be so selfish?” Choi Yuri shrieked unconsciously.

‘It doesn’t matter, so she’ll forget about it? How much effort did I put in to create this situation? How can she just say she’ll move on? That won’t work,’ Choi Yuri thought, clenching her fist tightly.

As if she heard Choi Yuri’s mumble, Ham Donnie paused her steps and looked back again. The response that came after smashed Choi Yuri’s head like a bombshell.

“As a response to what you’ve just asked, Ban Yeo Ryung doesn’t believe your bull** at all. Stop acting like you’re her spokesperson and just mind your own business.”

“…”

“Do you know how hilarious you are from earlier? The reason why I’m talking like this is that you’ve done something wrong. The reason why I want you to transfer is for Ban Yeo Ryung and other kids… It sounds as if you’re devoting yourself disinterestedly to the good of the people; however, the way you speak doesn’t mean you’re irrelevant to and irresponsible for all these.”

‘Bitch…’ thought Choi Yuri with her jaw dropped.