Chapter 49 Part 19: Connivance.

I knew it was an emergency.

I also knew it was no ordinary matter.

Normally, I should have taken sick leave a long time ago.

Or I should’ve somehow made some medicine and taken it.

But there was nothing I could do.

Mixing and taking medicine?

My aunt probably already disposed of all the drugs in this house.

Even if there were any drugs left, there’s no way I could mix them myself.

The things I usually took weren’t available in the open.

In the end, I had to somehow endure the hallucinations.

“Puhut.”

Only a hollow laugh escaped me.

I thought I had barely managed to solve one big problem.

But now, an even bigger problem appeared and seemed to be choking me.

Well, it was obvious.

I should have already thought that something like this would happen when I overused my power.

I was foolish to forget that my regenerative powers would greatly increase, of course.

And that my detoxification would also speed up.

That drug I take periodically… in the end, my body would have detoxified it.

“Huu…”

I took a deep breath and moved my body.

And I saw my younger self standing in the mirror, waving, as I slowly prepared to go out.

A bitter smile naturally came to my lips, but there was nothing I could do.

Should I take sick leave… I don’t have a guardian, so there’s nothing I can do.

So I opened the door and went out, hoping that everything would end without incident.

I couldn’t really remember what happened after that.

“…Um.”

I blankly let out a groan and belatedly realized that I was sitting in the classroom.

As I turned my head with half-blurred eyes, I saw my friends gathering in groups of three or five and going somewhere.

I thought it might be time for a moving class, but fortunately, it seemed to be break time.

And since the next class was also in the classroom.

I was about to lie down on the desk, but I flinched and stopped for a moment.

There were many notebooks piled on the desk, filled with someone’s handwriting.

It was a strange feeling, as if it resembled my handwriting but also didn’t.

It felt very strange to think that I had taken notes even while I was out of it.

“Haha…”

After letting out a hollow laugh, I neatly organized the notebooks and put them in the drawer.

And I slowly laid down on the desk, trying to blankly pass the time.

Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to sleep throughout the class.

Since I’ve been a model student all this time, I thought it would be okay to rest for a day, saying I wasn’t feeling well.

If it hadn’t been for the words of a friend I didn’t know.

“Yeji, if you’re not feeling well, why don’t you go to the nurse’s office?”

“Ah, should I?”

There was a difference between taking a break in the nurse’s office and in the classroom.

Above all, I could lie down and rest in the nurse’s office.

So I got up.

Trying not to see the white coats all around me.

I staggered and opened the door and went out.

I think I heard a worried voice from behind.

I think I also heard a question asking if I could walk to the nurse’s office.

But I moderately dismissed it, saying I was okay, and started walking slowly.

Glass windows shimmered before my eyes.

I couldn’t even tell if what I was seeing was real or not.

If I stopped walking, I felt like I would be stuffed inside a glass tube, so I hurried my steps.

As I was heading to the nurse’s office, a familiar face suddenly appeared.

“…Ah, Yeji.”

“Oh, hi.”

Kim Aram awkwardly smiled and waved her hand.

As if she had a lot to say but couldn’t get the words out.

After making a complicated expression for a while, she opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

“Thank you.”

“…Suddenly?”

“It’s not sudden. It’s just…”

Kim Aram took a short breath and continued as she exhaled.

“I heard that you saved me.”

“From who?”

“Who do you think I heard it from? Of course, I heard it from the vice-principal. Of course, I didn’t hear the details… but I just felt like you saved me.”

After pouring out those words, Kim Aram hurriedly started walking.

Only the trite excuse that it was almost time for class remained.

I watched her back for a moment and then turned around.

I didn’t do it for gratitude, but it felt like my heart was relieved.

At least the person involved was thankful for my meddling.

Maybe it was because my mind was somewhat relieved.

The previous helplessness and hallucinations seemed to be a little better than before.

So I headed back to the classroom to continue the lesson.

The lesson was…

Well, it was always the same.

Since I already knew everything, waiting was actually torture.

But today, I was ready to welcome even that boredom and tedium.

“Now, the material we covered from last time to this time is very important, so make sure to mark it with an asterisk…”

As soon as the teacher finished speaking, I could hear the sound of sharp pencils and pencils moving across the notebooks.

Continuing notes and memorization.

As always, I already knew the content, but for review, I kept writing in my notebook and trying to solve problems.

I used to think I would never want to do this, but now, for some reason, I found it quite fun.

Somehow.

I also thought that I could somehow endure it well.

But on the other hand, I couldn’t help but think that I might be overlooking this.

I also had thoughts like, what should I do if something happens again later?

“Today’s lesson ends here. Everyone did a great job. Class president, dismissal.”

“Attention, bow to the teacher. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Alright.”

I watched the teacher leave and then got up.

I was thinking of walking around the hallway to get some fresh air.

And if I was lucky, I might be able to tell if what I was seeing was a hallucination or not.

How long has it been?

As always, I went out to the terrace for a while and stared blankly at the academy buildings.

“Ah…”

A slight breeze blew for a moment, and I felt a strange freshness.

My short-cut hair fluttered here and there for a moment.

At some point, a glass window as tall as I am appeared before my eyes.

Inside the glass window was me.

It looked a few years younger, and also it did not.

With a smile that seemed to ask if I had enjoyed not seeing myself all this time.

“Puhut.”

I couldn’t help but laugh in vain.

It felt like it was asking if I could somehow endure it well.

The answer was already decided.

Something happens again later?

Some nasty things suddenly appear and try to interfere with my happiness?

It’s simple. No matter what happens, I just have to crush them with all my might.

Right after thinking that, I took a short, deep breath and punched the air.

I thought I heard a shattering sound.

But the glass window in front of me was imaginary, so it disappeared as if nothing had happened.

“…Whoa.”

I don’t know what happened, but Gong Jinhoo, who had just entered the terrace, seemed surprised.

I greeted him as if nothing had happened.

“What’s up?”

Gong Jinhoo looked at me as if to ask what I was talking about.

He was probably asking what I wanted to say, being the person who caused that ‘what’s up’ a moment ago.

Fortunately, Gong Jinhoo let out a deep sigh and said what he needed to say.

“I was looking for you. We have to finish the preliminaries that we didn’t do for a while because of the field trip…”

“Ah, the sports festival?”

“Don’t tell me you completely forgot? Be thankful. If it had been scheduled on the filming date, you would have been disqualified by now.”

“Haha…”

“I can’t believe you forgot it, I will lose face because of you.”

I didn’t really have anything to say.

Whether I wanted it or not, I benefited greatly from Gong Jinhoo.

“Well, I’ll buy you ice cream and call it even.”

“Okay, I’ll let it go with ice cream.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I couldn’t really remember what happened after that.

I remember that a senior, one grade above me, rushed at me aggressively.

I was spacing out and when I counterattacked, I had already won.

So I moderately comforted that senior and then went to eat dinner.

Listening to Siwoo and Xia bickering for the first time in a while.

Watching Jang Yuna and Kim Aram happily being picky eaters together.

After eating all of my food, I started walking slowly.

Normally, I would go to the terrace and keep looking at the academy, but today, I felt like walking on the road.

So I walked around and watched the students walking around the academy grounds for a while.

Then I remembered that I hadn’t cleaned my glasses in a long time, so I took them off.

Normally, I should use a special cloth, but I think I left it in the classroom.

So, I was about to use my uniform cloth to clean my glasses when someone suddenly handed me a cloth for cleaning glasses.

“I thought you might need it, right?”

“Yeah, thank…”

I froze in place.

Although the hair color was different, familiar eyes sparkled with a mischievous look.

A person who shouldn’t be here, no.

A person who must not be here was wearing the academy uniform and smiling at me.