"Wait."
Eisenhower let go of me in front of the boys' locker room and went inside alone. A few minutes later, he came out holding a large hoodie in his hand.
"Change into this."
He forced the hoodie into my hands. The hoodie had the word "Eisenhower" embroidered on it in bold letters. Then he pointed to his left.
"That's the girls' locker room over there."
For a moment, I was torn. Wearing the hoodie was a hundred times better than my ruined clothes, but the problem was whose hoodie it was…
Of all people, it had to be him.
I glared at Eisenhower sullenly.
"What?"
As expected, the idol of Hampshire High School replied curtly. I sighed.
"Thanks. I'll wash it and give it back tomorrow."
Then I went into the girls' locker room.
* * *
He had handed over the hoodie, so he could have just gone back. But for some reason, his feet wouldn't move.
Why do I even care?
Aaron let out a small sigh and shifted his weight. Just as he was about to stop thinking about it and leave, he heard the sound of the door opening.
"What, you're still here?"
Kim asked bluntly, but Aaron couldn't answer. The hoodie that fit his large frame was far too big for her, and seeing her fidgeting while nearly swallowed up by the clothes was unbearably cute.
Crazy.
He couldn't believe he actually thought the girl who always snapped at him was cute.
"Hey, when someone asks you something, you should answer. Or at least stop staring like that."
See? Even now, she was looking at him with that disapproving glare.
I must have lost my mind for a second.
Otherwise, there was no way Kim could look like a little squirrel. Aaron clicked his tongue and walked away.
* * *
"What the hell…"
Eisenhower clicked his tongue irritably and walked off, ignoring me completely. Seriously, he was impossible to deal with, no matter how hard I tried to see him in a good light.
Bri, please, think again.
I sincerely prayed that our female lead would choose a guy who was kind and cool on the inside as well as the outside, and headed to the Literature III classroom for fifth period.
"What's that…?"
"Why is she wearing Aaron's clothes?"
"You didn't hear? She got something on her clothes like a klutz, and Aaron lent her his hoodie."
"Oh, so she's the one who fought with Kyle in the cafeteria that time?"
The whispering around me erupted like wildfire. Seriously, didn't the teacher just tell us to write our essays? Why were they all gossiping about me? But that wasn't the end of it. During break time at my locker, in the next class, and even after that, I kept feeling the sting of everyone's stares and murmurs.
"Aaron's so nice. He even helps out a total loser like her."
In the end, the kids were practically worshiping Aaron for helping me. What the hell did I do wrong?
Clang!
I slammed my locker shut, making no effort to hide how pissed off I was. I slung my bag over my shoulder and was about to walk down the hall when someone stuck out a foot.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
"Ahaha, look at her!"
Laughter erupted from all around as I hit the floor hard.
"If Aaron helped you, you should be grateful. How dare you walk around acting so shameless?"
"Exactly."
"She looks better lying flat like that!"
The sting on my scraped palms and knees was nothing compared to the pain of my wounded pride.
"If you're a nerd, act like one."
No one came to help me. Surrounded by accomplices and bystanders, I stood up alone in the hallway, feeling hollow.
"Hey, learn your place from now on."
One of the guys who had been in Aaron Eisenhower's car yesterday threatened me.
"Seriously, know your limits."
The others clicked their tongues as they followed him past me. Once the amusing little scene was over, what remained was laughter and the noisy chatter of the crowd.
"…Are you okay?"
After everyone left, only one person came to ask how I was. Looking at the uneasy Scott, I gave him a faint nod.
"Well, it's not like I'm not okay. I even learned a lesson from it."
"A lesson?"
"Something like that."
I brushed off his question and headed toward the school gate, where the bus was waiting. Then, as I naturally took a front seat on the bus, I thought, As expected, not getting involved is the best.
I'd just live quietly as a nerd, study hard, and let the teen protagonists dream about their high school romance.
That was perfect.
* * *
"Chloe, it's dinner time."
As soon as the dryer beeped to signal that Eisenhower's hoodie was done, a middle-aged man's voice called from downstairs.
"Coming!"
I carefully folded the hoodie, placed it into a paper bag, and hurried to the kitchen. The air was already filled with the delicious smell of food.
Oh wow, this is a pleasant surprise.
I scooped up a spoonful of savory doenjang stew(1) and tasted it. Ever since ending up here, I'd been eating nothing but greasy American food, so the familiar taste of home brought a tune to my lips.
"Now this is what I call flavor."
My mother laughed in disbelief.
"At the beginning of the year, you said it smelled like feet and refused to eat it…"
So that's what the original Chloe must have said. But I was a true descendant of the Hongik Ingan spirit(2). In other words, I couldn't just ignore Korean soul food.
"Yeah, six months ago, I was a fool to think that. How could I pass up something this good?"
As I cheekily replied and prepared to mix rice into the stew, my parents exchanged glances. What? Did I do something wrong?
"…What is it?"
When I asked, Chloe's father cleared his throat.
"Chloe, since you're a junior now, shouldn't you start preparing for the SAT and ACT?"
"Uh… Yeah?"
The SAT and ACT were both college entrance exams.
"We were hoping you'd go to Princeton. What do you think?"
At my mother's cautious question, I nodded casually.
"Sounds good."
Princeton.
Even back in Korea, I'd heard of it, so it had to be a prestigious university. I'd already decided to aim for a good university anyway, so whether it was Princeton or Princess, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
"Really? That's wonderful."
Delighted by my answer, Chloe's mother clapped her hands.
"In that case, let's work on building your résumé toward applying to Princeton."
"Sure, whatever…"
Leaving Chloe's mother, who looked more excited than I, I focused back on my meal.
* * *
During the physics test, I read the questions and marveled at how quickly my brain worked as I began writing down the solutions. Thanks to that, I was the first to finish and hand in my paper, walking out of the classroom early.
Here it is.
Then I went to my locker and took out the paper bag.
Inside the paper bag containing Eisenhower's hoodie, I had also slipped in a thank-you note. Since he did me a favor, it was only right to show some courtesy. Before anyone could see me, I quietly went to Eisenhower's locker and hung the paper bag there. Then, as I turned the corner of the hallway and headed toward the stairs—
"Hey, you!"
A voice echoed down the hallway. I turned around to see a tall boy pointing at me.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. You're Chloe from the junior year, right?"
When I nodded blankly, the boy spoke again.
"You look free right now. Can you help me out with something?"
I was about to wonder why I should help a complete stranger when he continued, "There's no one from the student council around at the moment, so I have to ask you for a favor. Sorry about that."
Ah, so he was part of the student council. Then it must be some kind of school task. Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to help.
"What do you need me to do?"
The boy grinned and handed me the box he was holding.
"Just help me put these up around the school."
When I opened the box, colorful posters came into view.
「 Frolic
Show off your talent! 」
Frolic.
I'd never heard of it before. Judging by the slogan, it sounded like some kind of talent show. I nodded nonchalantly and looked at the boy.
"Lead the way."
He chuckled softly.
"You've really changed, haven't you?"
Huh? What was that supposed to mean? I was sure I'd never seen this guy before, yet he was talking as if he knew me.
He wasn't here last semester, was he…?
While I was trying to recall, the boy spoke again.
"You look good."
Not sure how to respond, I grabbed one of the posters and handed it to him.
"Thanks."
As I watched him tape the poster to the wall, I asked, "Is anyone allowed to sign up?"
"Why? Are you thinking of joining?"
"What?! No!"
I grimaced, scrunching my brows.
"Why not? You're good at plenty of things, Chloe."
I was confused because of the boy who kept talking as if he knew me well from earlier. Since it wasn't a situation where I could outright ask, 'Do you know me?', I decided to stay silent.
"You play the flute well."
His compliments started filling the silence.
"You're good at math, too."
"..."
"Oh, and two years ago, you even joined the school play."
Hearing him list it all out like that made it clear that Chloe really had lived the life of a complete nerd. In American dramas, it was always the geeks and nerds who joined things like theater or choir…
"Your acting was actually pretty impressive."
"…Thanks."
At that moment, Chloe's memory surfaced, and the embarrassment became mine to bear.
The role of the extra nerd was just passerby number three.
〈 Y-you're an amazing person! 〉
That was her only line, and even then, her voice cracked from nerves. And yet, he called that impressive? Was this guy sick or something?
"Ah."
Then the boy smiled playfully.
"Of course, your goat-like voice was quite unique, too."
Never mind. Not sick, just annoying.
"We still have to put these up over there. Can you pass me a few more posters?"
"…Here."
As I thrust the poster at the boy who casually extended his hand toward me, he stared at me intently.
"You really seem like a completely different person."
At his words, my heart skipped a beat.
⚬───────────────✧───────────────⚬
TL Note:
1. doenjang stew - Doenjang stew, or "doenjang-jjigae" (된장찌개), is a traditional Korean stew made with fermented soybean paste called doenjang. It is a hearty and comforting dish featuring a rich, savory broth often combined with tofu, various vegetables like zucchini and radish, and sometimes meat or seafood. It is a staple in Korean households and is enjoyed with rice and kimchi as a daily comfort food
Hongik Ingan spirit - A foundational philosophical principle in Korean culture, meaning "to broadly benefit humanity." It originates from Korea's ancient founding ideology and reflects the ideal that the purpose of education, human life, and society is to contribute widely to the welfare of all people and living beings. In the context of the sentence, it implies the speaker cannot ignore the importance of doenjang stew because it embodies this spirit of honoring and uplifting Korean cultural heritage and community through actions that benefit others broadly and foster harmony.
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