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Chapter 41: "Mum, can I Drop Out of School?"
Ju-kyoung leaned her head backward, still pressed against the door.
"What's wrong with my life?" she muttered weakly.
Meanwhile, Soo-ho had just arrived home.
He pulled out the suit Ju-kyoung had stained earlier—though she had cleaned it before returning it to him. His brows furrowed deeply as he stared at it.
"I just got this," he muttered, "and she decided to ruin it."
He almost threw it away but stopped midway, then walked to the laundry room and tossed it into the washing machine. He switched it on and walked off.
Inside the washroom, a large mirror hung on the wall. He had just finished drying his hair when his eyes fell on the hair clip around his wrist—the one Ju-kyoung had worn. Two tiny skeleton charms dangled from it. He stared at it for a long moment, his mind drifting back.
He remembered the day she had given him a bag.
When he opened it later, a note had been stuck to the front of a small novel inside.
> Thanks for keeping a secret about my no-makeup face.
That was when the pieces began to connect.
From the beginning, when she tried to stop him from checking the bag, claiming she had accidentally packed her sanitary pads instead—he had known she was lying. But he had played along.
Later, when Su-ah's boyfriend walked by, he'd casually asked,
"Do you know Ju-kyoung's number?"
And that same night, when he called to tell her to bring a comic, she had answered using that very number.
He also remembered the day he insisted she take off her helmet, and she'd nervously suggested she'd do it inside the restroom. Coincidentally, the male and female restrooms were next to each other, separated by only a wall.
He remembered seeing a few women rushing out, pale as ghosts.
One had gasped, "What was that? Isn't being ugly bad enough?"
Then, from inside, he'd heard her crying softly.
> "What's wrong with my life?"
Now, in the present, Soo-ho's expression didn't change as he stared at the hair clip again. He placed it gently inside his small wardrobe and closed it.
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At home, Ju-kyoung finally pulled herself up from the floor and trudged to the living room. She glanced at the couch before collapsing flat on the carpet.
Her mother almost stepped on her. "What are you doing there? I thought I sent you home to study!"
Ju-kyoung looked up faintly. "Mum… can I please drop out of school?"
Her mum blinked. "Oh, is someone calling me?" she said, pretending not to hear, and walked away.
Just then, Hee-Kyung was about to grab her car keys when she noticed Ju-kyoung lying on the floor.
"You startled me!" she exclaimed.
Ju-kyoung sighed weakly. "Hey, sis. Can you just step on me and end my misery?"
Hee-Kyung sighed, carefully stepped over her, grabbed her keys, and left the house.
"No one even cares to know what happened," Ju-kyoung whispered.
"They never do."
Too lazy to move, she stayed sprawled out for a while.
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Later, she set the dinner table lazily—six spoons piled into a single plate.
Her mum stared at her. "Ju-kyoung, do you realize you just placed six spoons in one plate?"
Ju-kyoung blinked at her without replying.
Her mum sighed, taking the spoons from her. "Just go and call your sister. I really don't have time for this tonight."
Ju-kyoung nodded slowly, took the spoons again, and began crawling upstairs, one sluggish step at a time.
Her mum turned to her husband, frustrated.
"What's gotten into her? She's not even studying! She's just like her father—always finding ways to upset me."
Her dad looked flustered. He poured a glass of water and gently held it to her lips.
"Honey, you're getting heated again. Here, have some water."
She took a sip and immediately frowned. "It's too cold!" she snapped.
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Ju-kyoung finally reached her sister's room, the door—as always—wide open.
She didn't bother knocking. "Hee-Kyung, Mum says dinner is ready," she said and collapsed on her sister's bed.
Hee-Kyung, wearing her headset, sat before her computer, playing an online game.
Ju-kyoung absentmindedly stared at the spoons still clutched in her hand.
Hee-Kyung muttered into her mic, "I told you not to dive in like that," to her game partner. "Ridiculous idiot."
The voice from her headset replied, deep and calm:
> "Don't be afraid. The end of fear is ruin."
Ju-kyoung's eyes widened slightly. For a second, it felt like the voice was speaking to her.
"Ruin?" Hee-Kyung repeated, determination flashing across her face.
"You think I'll end like this?" she smirked. "Fine then. I'll go for solo kills."
Her fingers flew over the keyboard. "Darn it!" she muttered as she hit the keys faster.
"Fear is ruin—and only ruin," the voice repeated, stronger this time.
Ju-kyoung slowly sat up. "Yes," she whispered. "Let's not be afraid."
Hee-Kyung grinned. "Feel the weight of my blades!" she shouted, slamming the final command.
"Boom!" The enemy fell. Victory music played.
Hee-Kyung jumped up, cheering.
Ju-kyoung also leapt to her feet, raising her spoons in triumph, smiling like she had just discovered something she'd been searching for all along.
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