Chapter 4: Schrodinger's Confession
TL/Editor: looloo
Schedule: 4/Week Wed-Sat
Illustrations: Here
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Early in the morning.
From the moment I woke up, my heart raced with excitement. My usual mundane life had gained an intriguing twist. It was a story I hadn't even shared in a message last night, preferring to say it out loud.
"Man, you won't believe what happened yesterday!"
"What now?"
Although the reply from the sleepy face wasn’t particularly pleasing, recalling yesterday's events brought a smile to my face.
I tried to hold back my chuckles and tapped the still drowsy-looking guy on his arm."You know the path I take home after splitting from you at the convenience store? That quiet stretch?"
"Yeah?"
"I was totally zoned out on my way, super tired after basketball. And then, you know the girl from that school? The one with the checkered skirt uniform?"
"From Seonghwa?"
"Yeah, that one! A girl in that uniform confessed to me."
"Wait, what? What the hell are you talking about?"
His sudden burst of interest caught me off guard.
"Well, did you see it happen?"
"Quit the bullshit. Is this for real?"
"Haha... I did get a confession."
"Really?"
Bang!
The guy, who until a moment ago looked as limp as a jellyfish washed ashore, suddenly bolted upright. He then jumped on his desk, striking an Elvis Presley-like pose, pointing dramatically to the ceiling.
What's gotten into him?
"Attention everyone!!! Han Yeonho, this bastard right here, got a confession from a Seonghwa High School girl yesterday!"
"Are you for real?!"
The previously dull morning atmosphere suddenly erupted.
The shout, the drama, it was like a jolt of energy in a room full of students who'd clearly spent the previous night either gaming, watching YouTube, or were engaged in their own world.
"Is that morning gossip true?!"
"It's a fact!"
"Are you sure?!"
"I've verified it myself!"
"Get the fuck out!!"
"Why the hell is everyone making a fuss now?!"
Chaos ensued.
Within seconds, a group of guys, who just moments before were drowsily slumped over their desks, swarmed me.
Though I wasn’t exactly small compared to the others, I was quickly overwhelmed by their sheer number.
Boom!
One of them grabbed me by the collar and pushed me against the wall near the window.
This is getting too real...
"Listen."
"Y-yes?"
"You better spill the beans honestly now."
"I, Han Yeonho, have never told a lie in my life..."
"He starts off with a blatant lie?"
"Damn it, just listen to the end!"
I wasn't trying to brag. I just wanted to share that I got a confession. But before I could, that crazy guy, Jung Yoonsung, went off the rails!
"Alright, alright, calm down. Let's get started. Who was the one causing trouble earlier?"
"It was me."
"Jung Yoonsung? Alright, you take the lead."
"Okay. I'll ask, and you answer. No bullshit, especially since I heard you earlier."
"What's this about?"
"Were you confessed to by a girl from Seonghwa High School on your way home yesterday?"
"I'm not sure if she was wearing a checkered shirt, but I'm not sure."
"Do it."
Crack!
"Aaaaargh!"
Damn it, don't break my arm, you psycho!
"So, did a girl from Seonghwa High confess to you?"
"Yes, yes she did!"
"She did."
"I feel like if I hear any more of this, I'l be pissed off all day. Should I just kill him now?"
"Let's listen a bit more. There might be a twist to this."
"Do you really expect a twist at this point?"
One of them was gripping my collar.
Suddenly, two others held onto each of my arms.7
Jung Yoonsung, that bastard, was smirking beside them.
The rest watched with predatory eyes. Why were they doing this, especially when some of them have girlfriends too?
Desperate, fearing they'd really break my limbs, I blurted out a justification.
"Look, damn it! I did get confessed to, but it was super weird!"
"What was weird? Did someone watch and laugh nearby?"
"Wasn't it a dare or a punishment from a bet she lost?"
"Alright, I get it. Sorry, Yeonho."
"No, no, it wasn't that..."
"Then?"
"She was insanely beautiful."
"Death sentence."
Smack!
Crack!
These psychos, breaking and beating, have gone mad!
"No... Damn it! She looked like one of those cultists!"
My desperate cry seemed to stop the beating that felt like countless blows.
It hurts like hell!
"Shincheonji? Are you sure?"
"You think he's just saying anything to save himself?"
"I think that might be it!"
"What do you mean 'might be'? Either she is or she isn't, dumbass."
"Damn it, judge, stop hitting me until I finish speaking!"
"Fine. Let's hear what he has to say."
Jung Yoonsung, that jerk.
"Yesterday, on my way home, a girl confessed to me. She wore a uniform, might've been from Seonghwa High."
"Go on."
"What do you mean 'go on'?!"
Do these idiots have no brains?!
"You morons! Why would such a beautiful high school girl confess to me? She's probably from that cult!"
At my frustrated and soul-filled scream, the pressure restraining me disappeared.
Simultaneously, eyes filled with pity and sympathy looked at me.
"Oh..."
"Ah..."
"That makes sense..."
"Do cults target high schoolers these days?"
"Aw, that's so scary..."
"Yeonho, are you okay?"
Damn, they're suddenly acting all sweet. Bastards.
I'm not okay, you jerks.
I wanted to hurl insults at those punks who hit me without even listening to a word I said, but then...
Gulp.
"Is everyone here? Why all the commotion? What happened?"
"Nothing, teacher."
"Good. No one's late, right? Focus on today's lesson."
Just when the timing couldn't get any worse, the classroom door swung open and the teacher walked in.
Nothing happened my ass. The very definition of school bullying unfolded right here in this room.
Ugh. It hurts like hell.
These bastards immediately lost interest since they realized it wasn't about some heartfelt confession.
Trashy bastards.
---
Raei Translations
---
Another day of monotonous classes came to an end, and predictably, basketball before evening self-study. During that time, I casually surfed the web on my phone. While I was at it, the jerk who had earlier tossed me into a fight approached me, tapping my arm.
"Hey."
"What do you want?"
"That thing you said this morning. Was it for real?"
"And you, with no conscience, bring that up even after what you did?"
Is he truly this despicable?
"No, I mean, was it really like some cult thing?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it seemed like it."
"So, it was a genuine confession?"
"As much as I'd like to believe so, she was astonishingly beautiful."
"That beautiful?"
"Yes, that beautiful."
"Wow..."
"After I told that cult-like group to get lost yesterday, I doubt I'll see them again."
"Bold move, man."
And with that, our conversation stopped. He probably raised the topic to merely kill time towards the end of the self-study session, not out of genuine curiosity. I, too, wasn't particularly concerned about it anymore.
'Do you want to go out with me?'
"......"
Although I tried not to dwell on it, the image of that high school girl, smiling playfully as she posed the question, was hard to shake off.
I dismissed it thinking it was too absurd. But had I been the slightest bit weaker, I would've been swayed in a fraction of a second. I was that certain.
Because she was undeniably stunning.
What would it feel like to date someone like her? Honestly, I'd probably treat her like royalty for the rest of my life. But why would someone with a face like that be involved in something so cult-like?
Her charm is off the charts, seriously.
---
Raei Translations
---
"...How can this be?"
Just like yesterday, my mind was blank on my way home from school. I never thought that a high school girl's confession would be such an intriguing episode in my life's narrative.
I never imagined it would continue today.
"Hello?"
Her shy smile as she greeted me was so disarmingly charming, I thought, 'Should I just be taken in by it?'
Her long, black hair slightly parted at the front.
Delicate facial features.
A slender frame.
Today, just like every other day, I parted ways with Yoonsung near the convenience store and was trudging my way home alone when, at almost the same spot as yesterday,
She suddenly appeared.
Unlike yesterday when she briefly turned and ran, today I got a clear view of her. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
"I... um..."
Caught off guard, seeing her again was the last thing I expected, and seeing her up close, she was even more beautiful than I imagined. This caught me off balance, but she was the one to break the silence.
"I'm not part of the Shincheonji."
"..."
Right. Hearing that snapped me back to reality. I've read online that Shincheonji members don't introduce themselves as such when proselytizing. Still, feeling a bit wary, I kept my distance while observing her.
In the midst of this, my rational side told me that there didn't seem to be anyone else around. Even if I'm not the best at fighting, I doubted I could be overpowered or abducted by the girl in front of me.
Up until now, I never believed her confession yesterday was sincere. However, since she's here, I figured it might be worth hearing her out.
Maybe it was all cause of a bet? Given how I panicked and fled yesterday, maybe she felt bad and wanted to apologize today?
Lost in these thoughts, she resumed speaking.
"I waited for you. Both yesterday and today."
"Wait... me?"
"Yes. I'm sorry for surprising you like that yesterday."
"No, I... Was it some kind of bet?"
"No, it wasn't."
Darn. I thought a bet was the most plausible explanation, but that got debunked right away. Still, I wasn't bothered by her informal way of speaking.
It felt natural.
As if we've always conversed this way.
"I've been watching you. Once I realized you took this route, I waited."
A chill ran down my spine. While it sounded somewhat sweet, it was also a bit unsettling.
Been watching me? Why? We're practically strangers.
In that moment, it didn't matter how pretty she was. The eeriness of her words overwhelmed everything else, sending shivers down my spine.
I instinctively stepped back.
"Ah..."
Noticing my reaction, her eyebrows furrowed in distress, and she let out a regretful sigh. As she took a step forward...
Wondering if I should run away, I turned my body.
No matter how much I pondered, she wasn't someone I recognized!
If I had known such a face, I couldn’t have forgotten it!
As I decided to take a different path tomorrow, I was about to dash away when,
"Don't go!!"
Hearing that shout mixed with sobs, I froze in my tracks.
In that moment, I subtly turned my head to look behind.
"Don't go... please... just listen to me.."
Seeing her tearfully plea in such a pitiable state,
It felt as if my feet were glued to the ground.
I just couldn’t bring myself to leave.
Whether it was because she was so beautiful or some other reason, I wasn't sure.
But a thought struck me - I couldn't just leave her like this.
Author's Note:
Holy moly, thank you all for the immense attention, comments, recommendations, and support.........
The atmosphere will shift quite a bit from Heena's reflective narrative. This was the original writing style I intended..
I wanted to highlight the contrast with Heena's segment!