The bullying of Kim Young-hee by the delinquents in Park Yoo-jung’s class only got worse as the days went by.
“Hey, Young-hee! This time you really brought money, right? Huh?”
“Sorry… I forgot…”
“Ugh… What’s in that dumb head of yours?”
At first, the delinquents only bullied Kim Young-hee with words, but as she remained silent, they began to exploit her for money and hit her, resorting to more aggressive methods.
Initially, the classmates who stood by and watched began to stir, but…
“Isn’t that a bit too much…?”
“Well, Young-hee isn’t doing anything, so what can we do…?”
No one dared to step in. It was obvious that getting involved would only create more hassle.
And there was Park Yoo-jung, too.
Park Yoo-jung still wore her mask, merely watching Kim Young-hee suffer.
However…
“Is the girl an orphan, so she’s this dumb?”
“She didn’t learn anything from her parents when she was little.”
Among the insults hurled at Kim Young-hee were phrases that rubbed Park Yoo-jung the wrong way. The delinquents treated Kim’s lack of parents as if she were a sinner, and something rose up within Park Yoo-jung’s chest.
And what was most irritating was…
“Sorry… I did wrong.”
Hearing such baseless nonsense, Kim Young-hee nodded as if the delinquents were right.
‘If you think that way, it makes it seem like not having parents is a sin.’
Why isn’t she angry after being insulted like that? Why is she so quiet?
Park Yoo-jung found it incredibly frustrating and puzzling that Kim Young-hee stayed silent against the delinquents’ bullying and the insults about her parents.
Then she soon got a chance to clear that confusion.
“Alright, good job today! The on-duty person… is Young-hee and Yoo-jung, right? Please finish up well! The rest of you, don’t stray and go straight home! Good work!”
“Yes-!”
By chance, Kim Young-hee and Yoo-jung ended up having a chance to talk while cleaning the classroom.
“Hey Young-hee, I’ll wipe the blackboard. Could you move the desks back a bit?”
“…Okay.”
Kim Young-hee was so taciturn that she never opened her mouth first.
Park Yoo-jung quickly realized this trait and decided it was time to remove her mask and show her true feelings.
“Hey Young-hee.”
“…Huh?”
“Why do you stay quiet when the others bully you for not having parents?”
“……”
Kim Young-hee probably thought Park Yoo-jung was just a cheerful and funny girl.
But when Park Yoo-jung took off her mask and showed a cold expression, she looked shocked and dazed.
Park Yoo-jung poured out all her frustrations to her.
“I also don’t have parents. They passed away in a car accident, and I’m living with my aunt now.”
“…Oh.”
“So every time you get insulted because you don’t have parents, it makes me upset. Honestly, it’s a bit annoying. It’s not our fault that we don’t have parents, but when you act like that, it makes us feel like we did something wrong.”
“……”
As Kim Young-hee lowered her head, feeling pressured by Park Yoo-jung’s urging, she asked in disbelief.
“…Do you really think it’s our fault that we don’t have parents?”
“…! No! That’s not it! Absolutely not! Why would that be our fault!”
Seeing Kim Young-hee’s reaction, it seemed like she didn’t think being an orphan was a wrong thing.
“Then why are you staying quiet? Isn’t it making you mad?”
“Mad… Of course, but…”
As Park Yoo-jung kept pressing her, Kim Young-hee stuttered her response.
And then…
“…If I fight back, it’ll just make the bullying worse later… so I’m just enduring it. It’s just how it is.”
“…What?”
Kim Young-hee’s answer only added to Park Yoo-jung’s frustration.
“Enduring it, just like that?”
“…Yeah, if you just endure and stay passive, they won’t bully you too harshly. You can have some peace.”
“…Huh.”
The moment Park Yoo-jung heard that, she realized she couldn’t communicate with Kim Young-hee.
“…Alright, do your best.”
So she gave up on talking to Kim Young-hee any longer and focused on cleaning.
“What? Just endure? How ridiculous.”
Park Yoo-jung mulled over Kim Young-hee’s words as she returned to her aunt’s house.
Endure? No, enduring will never be a solution.
The more Kim Young-hee endures, the worse the delinquents will make her life.
‘Just like wounds fester if you endure them. The bullying will only get worse. How can she not see that?’
Feeling frustrated with Kim Young-hee, Park Yoo-jung opened the door to her house.
“I’m back from school.”
“Yoo-jung, you’re back?”
“Yes, Aunt.”
Ever since she started wearing a mask, Park Yoo-jung always brought a smile when entering her aunt’s house.
Of course, when she was alone on her way back, she wore a cold expression, but smiling when she entered her home made her aunt very happy.
“Are you hungry? Want me to get you something?”
“No, I’m okay.”
After bowing her head to her aunt, Park Yoo-jung headed to her room.
Her aunt and uncle were very kind people.
They even gave her a personal room, though she wasn’t their biological child.
Knowing her aunt and uncle were kind, she didn’t want to burden them any further.
In her room, there was already a guidebook for civil service exams on the shelf.
Park Yoo-jung planned to quickly become a civil servant and leave this house as soon as she turned 20.
Swish.
For becoming a civil servant, school grades didn’t matter much.
So rather than opening her textbooks, Park Yoo-jung opened the TOEIC workbook for the first civil service exam and started solving problems.
Then…
Knock, knock.
“Yoo-jung, I cut some apples. Can I come in?”
“…Yes, come in.”
Surprised by her aunt’s sudden request to enter, Park Yoo-jung dropped her cold expression and greeted her aunt with a bright smile.
“Wow! Apples! Didn’t you finish them all last time?”
“Since my Yoo-jung likes apples, I bought some more this time.”
In reality, Park Yoo-jung didn’t like apples that much.
She only pretended to enjoy them because her aunt liked them.
Of course, her aunt had no idea and placed the apples on the desk with a smile.
And…
“…Yoo-jung, are you studying TOEIC right now?”
“Yes, preparing for the first civil service exam.”
“……”
Seeing that Park Yoo-jung was preparing for civil service exams, her aunt showed a worried expression.
‘…Oh?’
Noticing her aunt’s concern, Park Yoo-jung couldn’t help but feel unsettled.
‘Are they unhappy that I’m preparing for civil service? Why? I just want to be independent quickly and not be a burden.’
Confused by her aunt’s expression, Park Yoo-jung tilted her head.
And just as expected…
“Yoo-jung, please step out for a moment. I need to talk with your uncle.”
“…Yes.”
That night, her aunt and uncle called Park Yoo-jung in with serious expressions.
As soon as Park Yoo-jung sat in front of them, her aunt spoke first.
“…Yoo-jung.”
“…Yes?”
“I’ve had a feeling about this for a while… Do you want to become a civil servant?”
Definitely… She hadn’t directly told her aunt and uncle that she wanted to be a civil servant.
Thinking this was her chance to reassure them, she nodded.
“Yes, I plan to take the civil service exam right after graduating high school and become independent.”
“…What? You’re not going to university? You’re gonna become independent right away…?”
Her aunt and uncle looked even more surprised than she expected. Park Yoo-jung tilted her head and continued.
“…Yes, I don’t want to be a burden to your family anymore…”
“…Burden? …Yoo-jung, have you really thought that you’ve been a burden to us?”
“……”
Oops.
Seeing her aunt’s tearful expression, Park Yoo-jung realized her mistake but couldn’t take her words back.
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence settled between the three of them…
“…Yoo-jung.”
“Yes, Uncle?”
This time, her uncle let out a small sigh before speaking.
“We hope you think of us as your family.”
“……”
“A civil servant? That’s a good job. But is that really what you want?”
Wanting to become a civil servant… Well, honestly, that wasn’t the case.
It just seemed like the best path for Park Yoo-jung given her current situation.
As Park Yoo-jung remained silent, her aunt and uncle exchanged glances and pulled something out.
Park Yoo-jung couldn’t help but gasp at what they revealed.
“Aunt, Uncle…, what’s this…?”
Having always possessed outstanding beauty since childhood, Park Yoo-jung often received trainee offers from various agencies while walking down the street.
[Levi Entertainment]
The business card in front of her was from the agency that had recently offered her a trainee position.
She had clearly turned it down at that time, so why was it here…?
“Aunt and Uncle secretly got the card for you.”
“…Oh.”
“Yoo-jung, your dream as a child was to become an idol. You really wanted it.”
Swish.
Her aunt warmly held Park Yoo-jung’s hands and continued.
“I still remember how your eyes sparkled when you saw idols on TV as a child.”
“…Aunt, that was a long time ago.”
“You’re still the same. The only time your eyes shine like that is when you’re watching idol videos on your phone!”
“……!”
…Did she know?
At that time, Park Yoo-jung’s hobby was watching girl group videos on her phone.
She thought she was hiding it, but it seemed she couldn’t escape her aunt’s sharps eyes.
“Yoo-jung, think carefully about what you truly want to do.”
“……”
“Your Uncle and I will support your dream to become an idol. Okay?”
Feeling pressured by her aunt and uncle’s gazes, Park Yoo-jung vaguely mumbled that she would think about it and exited the room.
Then, lying in bed, she thought it over clearly.
‘Yeah… Being an idol is not for me.’
Being an idol carried too high a risk.
Sure, if it worked out, she could make a fortune, but… what if it didn’t?
Her aunt and uncle ran a small toast shop.
They managed to get by for now, but if Park Yoo-jung failed as an idol, it could become a huge burden.
She didn’t want to be a burden to her aunt and uncle any more than she already was.
‘Even now, it’s only when Yoo-jung’s eyes shine that she seems focused on watching idol videos on her phone.’
…Admittedly, she still admired idols.
However, admiration was just admiration.
Just because the shining idols on stage looked cool didn’t mean anyone could just try it.
‘Yoo-jung, think carefully about what you truly want to do.’
‘Your Aunt and Uncle will support your dream, so… okay?’
…Honestly, she did have a bit of greed regarding what her aunt said.
But greed was just greed.
If she couldn’t suppress a moment’s greed, her peaceful life would be destroyed.
It was a peaceful life she had achieved after losing her parents and wandering for so long.
Park Yoo-jung didn’t want to shatter that.
‘…Yeah, I’ll just decline tomorrow. It’s a matter of me alone being greedy… and if I wear my mask again and act like it doesn’t bother me, everyone will be happy.’
With that thought, Park Yoo-jung closed her eyes.
But then…
At that moment, in the ears of closed-eyed Park Yoo-jung….
‘…If I fight back, it’ll just make the bullying worse later… so I’m just enduring it. It’s just how it is.’
‘…Yeah, if you just endure and stay passive, they won’t bully you too harshly. You can have some peace.’
“……!”
She remembered Kim Young-hee’s words.
And just like Kim Young-hee was enduring, she realized she was doing the same.
“……”
If Kim Young-hee was enduring the bullying, then Park Yoo-jung was suppressing her inner dreams.
Her dreams, desires, even her true feelings, were all hidden behind a mask for the sake of living a peaceful life.
…Wasn’t this exactly the same thing she found frustrating about Kim Young-hee earlier?
“……”
As soon as she realized she was the same as Kim Young-hee, Park Yoo-jung opened her eyes with a blank expression.
‘It’s not our fault that we don’t have parents, but when you act like that, it makes us feel like we did something wrong.’
It wasn’t Park Yoo-jung’s fault that her parents had passed away…
So why was she giving up on her dreams and enduring?
Unable to answer even that question herself, Park Yoo-jung gazed blankly at the ceiling.
That night… she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
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