1.
"You're going to help me?"
"Yeah. Well, don't say it like I'm being nice…"
The class president smiled wryly.
'Did this kid always have such diverse expressions?'
It felt a little unnerving. Thinking about it, we had been in the same class since first year, but we never talked much.
"I'm running for student council this time, remember? So that I could get college recommendations… But anyway, the student council president should act like it. I should at least be able to handle a problem in my class. I don't know how to resolve this, but I'll try asking Kim Yul. Do you know his number?"
"Yeah… Just a moment."
While I was looking for his number, I realized something. The class president didn't know Kim Yul's number, but all of my classmates who watched the video would know that fact. Therefore:
'Class Pres isn't the culprit.'
Though, there was still a chance that this was all an act…
'That can't be. He's such a square, and he had no way of getting hold of the recording.'
The class president was safe. I was sure of it.
While I was nodding my head, the class president exclaimed in surprise and said, "Nevermind. It's kind of rude to talk about this sort of thing over the phone. I'll just secretly talk to Kim Yul after school tomorrow. That should be fine, right?"
"Oh, right. Calling might be bad. Well, thanks for trying to help."
"If you're grateful, vote for me instead of your girlfriend, please."
"…Sure."
My girlfriend broke up with me today, anyway. The class president didn't seem to know about it, which was another reason he wasn't on the suspect list.
'That's right.'
I had hope.
'It's not over yet. Nothing has ended! As long as at least one person supports me, I can make a new plan using him. This atmosphere will only last a short time… After a while, my friends will come back to me and everything will be back to normal.'
From that day, the class president really started to act. I didn't know what exactly he was doing, but he seemed to be taking advantage of the [model student] image he had built up.
"All right. I've heard what Kim Yul had to say," the class president said the next day.
It was during lunchtime. I didn't go to the cafeteria today, either. My classmates continued to scorn me, and I didn't want to get caught up in the atmosphere. So the two of us were speaking secretly in the empty classroom.
"Really? What did he say?"
"He wants you to apologize in front of your friends. He'll never accept your apology if it's just you two. If you apologize sincerely about what you did and how bad it was in front of your friends, he'll forgive you."
That crazy guy.
'Apology? Forgiveness? Who is he kidding?'
He simply wanted to humiliate me. There was no difference between my classmates and Kim Yul. They were acting up for a little taste of power.
"He said three times that he wouldn't forgive you if he couldn't feel 'sincerity' from the apology. Mm. His face was expressionless, but I think he's really angry at you."
'I'm gonna go nuts.'
Couldn't I just give him a million won and call it done? He would accept it since he was poor.
"What is sincerity? What do I have to do for him to feel it?"
"Who knows? I don't really get it either… Anyway, the important part is apologizing in front of the other kids. Why don't you try writing out the apology beforehand?"
The class president sounded a bit irritated. He may finally have realized the situation was more complicated than he expected.
Dammit. My school life and future were at stake here. My life depended on this. If he was pretending to be good, he should take responsibility till the end!
"Yeah, I'll write an apology. Haa…"
I sighed, making the most pitiful expression I could.
'Hwang Eunseo, it's time for the performance of your lifetime.'
"Really, why did I stupidly torment Kim Yul? I thoughtlessly joined in since all the kids were doing it. Dammit. I shouldn't have done that."
C'mon, hurry up and pity me. Sympathize with me. I was a human being. I could feel regret and repent my mistakes. But it wasn't that big of a sin! So hurry up and feel sorry for me!
"It's natural Kim Yul is angry at me. I could have stopped the others, but… Now, I'm sorry. If I could, I'd apologize in front of the whole school. Really."
"..."
The class president stared at me with his eyes, deep as a well. His face was hard to read, but there was no mistaking that he was listening to me.
"I have an idea."
The class president suddenly got to his feet.
"Huh?"
"It just occurred to me how you can get Kim Yul's forgiveness. Wait a moment. I need to go to the teachers' office."
The class president sprinted out of the classroom. I was dumbfounded. What was that guy doing? I absentmindedly chewed on the G●stly bread in the barren classroom.[1] I had gnawed off about half of the bread when the class president returned.
"All right! I received permission from the teacher."
"For what?"
"The student council election speech. I asked if a non-candidate can go up to the podium. Nothing in the rules says you can't."
The class president smiled confidently.
Maybe he dropped by the bathroom on the way back, but there was moisture around his mouth.
"You said it. If you could, you would apologize in front of the whole school. I was already pondering what to write in my speech to beat your girlfriend, so this is great."
"Uh…"
"Listen carefully."
The class president sat down and took out a notebook. Swish, swish! An old-timey cursive danced on the page.
"Hwang Eunseo, you'll apologize to Kim Yul. Then, I'll take over the microphone and continue the speech, saying [The type of school I want to create as student council president is one where you admit your mistakes and grant forgiveness]. Got it?"
I didn't get it.
"We'll decorate it as a story. The speech won't just be a boring pledge of what I'll accomplish!"
"..."
"I don't know what your girlfriend's speech will say, but she's uber-rich. I can imagine it clearly. She'll offer her own money to put perfume in the bathrooms, make sure we don't run out of tissues, stuff like that to coax the students. If I make simple campaign promises, my odds are zero… Yes, let's fight with a story."
The class president wrote in his notebook.
+
A student council that solves problems!
A council that helps you speak!
We will become all students' emergency mediators!
+
"Uhhh…"
The class president's eyes were gleaming.
"What do you think?"
It was really sappy.
"This is the era of storytelling! Bathroom fragrances, tissues—all that is overused. Students have heard those promises since elementary school. They'll eat this up. Let's use a story!"
"Um."
Well, student council elections were supposed to be cheesy. Candidates would slap on whatever to their speeches, mediating or communication and whatnot. The class president's idea didn't seem bad.
'But holy shit, this bastard…'
I looked at the class president with fresh eyes.
'He has no interest in anything but his election, huh?'
Even though he was the class president, I was wondering why he was going so far to help. This selfish bastard. He was thinking about how to use me to get elected from the start.
The class president didn't care about what was happening in class. He had no interest in what happened to Kim Yul or why my life was falling apart. He only got involved because he could use this for the race. And even his desire to be student council president was so he could get into a good college!
'That's right.'
But as I looked at the class president, I now had no suspicions.
'I can work with this kind of asshole.'
The class president and I were one of a kind. He looked toward the future. He was concerned about his prospects. He intended to enter a good university and live a good life. How many people went so far to become student council president just to get a letter of recommendation to Seoul National University?
'He's just like me.'
The class president was much more trustworthy than someone who acted nice for no reason. He was someone who would definitely succeed once we entered society.
"But there's only a few days left before the election. Are you sure you don't mind changing your speech because of me?"
"It's fine. Winning is all that matters."
The class president smiled.
"Counting the time I used making posters and such, I've spent 20 hours on this election. I gave up 20 hours of studying for this election, so I can't lose."
'This bastard. Really, we think on the same lines.'
I trusted him even more now. I felt a sense of camaraderie with him.
"All right, Class Pres. I'll help with what I can, for sure. In exchange, you have to help me too. Tell our classmates that I want to make up with them. In the meantime, I'm sorry, and I want to be friends again if we can."
"Sure. Sounds good. We've got to scratch each other's backs."
We shook hands.
"I'll be in your care."
"The same to you!"
I helped with the class president's election. I couldn't help him out in the open, but I looked over and coordinated his speech with my apology.
My classmates' ostracization didn't change, but the fact I had [something to do at school] stabilized me a lot.
"Oh? It's not half bad."
The class president was satisfied when he read over my apology and speech. It was after school. Only the two of us remained in the sunset-tinged Grade 2, Class 5 room.
"Now, if you just act it out well here, we'll win."
"Act?"
I tilted my head.
"What acting?"
"Huh? Hwang Eunseo, you aren't actually sorry to Kim Yul at all."
"..."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not accusing you. It's not the mindset of apologizing that's important but the attitude, in my opinion. In the first place, I don't even know what it means to have a sorry mindset."
The class president flipped through my written apology.
"You're risking humiliation by apologizing in front of the whole school. What apology can be more sincere than that? It doesn't matter how many times you say you're sorry or feel bad. You have to prove it with actions. In that regard, you're a thousand times better than the other kids, Hwang Eunseo."
Hm.
Hmm…
"I slyly asked Kim Yul yesterday whether anyone properly apologized to him. But nobody's done it, you know? You're the only one who even asked how you can be forgiven. Seriously, our classmates have no shame."
"Class Pres… You…"
He really got me. I was a bit touched.
"Ah, of course, it's good from my position. If you went around saying, [Vote for my girlfriend! No matter what, vote for her!] then I'd have lost dozens of points. While I feel bad that you're being ostracized, truthfully, it's advantageous for me."
"Wow. You're a piece of shit…"
"Yup. Thanks. Aren't humans shitty to begin with?"
I laughed. He was right. I hadn't laughed this much since my girlfriend broke up with me.
'This guy really knows how to talk.'
People were trash. They were beasts. If a human being looked tame, it was only because they had degenerated into livestock. Only those who quickly realize this survive.
[Currently, your immersion rate is 100%.]
Then, instead of being livestock, they could be a wolf. If they're lucky, they could even become a lion.
They could succeed.
Those who complained that relationships were difficult did so because they saw people as people. It was simple if you saw them as beasts.
You have no friends? It's because there's nothing to gain from being beside you. If you can't do anything else, you should at least be able to relieve someone's stress while hanging out. You have many friends? It's because there's a lot to be gained from being with you.
That was all.
True friendship only came from quid pro quo.
'If I stick with this guy, I don't think I'll lose anything, at least.'
I smirked.
"Class Pres. You wanna be friends?"
The class president snorted.
"First, I need to be elected student council president. The speech is fine now, but there's room for improvement. I'm working hard to talk you up to our classmates, you know? It'll all be for naught if I don't win."
"Fine, fine! Okay. I'll write you a great speech! It'll make you cry and tear up when you recite it! I, Hwang Eunseo, will give my all to make our class president into Shinseo High's president!"
"Yes, yes, I hear you. I'm counting on you, Eunseo."
We snickered.