[We raise suspicions of fraudulent commendation and school violence allegations against Do Mo, a student from the Charity class.
I was bullied by Do Mo, a student who received a commendation at this morning's mass. During middle school, Do Mo left an indelible scar on me, and I am still struggling in that pain.
While it is true that Do Mo used a miracle to bind the magical beasts, the circumstances of how the magical beasts appeared are also suspicious. To get to the point, I would like to raise suspicions that Do Mo released the magical beasts in order to receive a commendation. In other words, it was a self-staged act—]
"What kind of bullshit is this?"
"Huh, really. What the hell?"
Gu Jun-hyeok, who had been reading the text, cursed. Jeong In-ah had the same reaction. She just didn't curse.
First of all, I'm the only student with the surname Do in the Charity class. This post was blatantly targeting me.
Also, I never committed school violence in middle school. If anything, I was the one who suffered it.
Moreover, saying I released magical beasts to receive a commendation. It would be a talent if creating such nonsense could be considered a talent. I don't know who wrote it, but.
"We'll start morning assembly. I'm glad everyone seems to have received proper treatment. While having award recipients in our class is certainly joyful, we can't be purely happy about the situation."
Even while Ha Ye-jin was conducting the assembly, I only read that post. Ha Ye-jin's voice didn't reach my ears at all.
I read that post over and over again, several times. The more I read it, the more anger built up, but I couldn't stop even knowing this.
My stomach felt nauseous and my head was dizzy to the point where I could no longer read the text, and only then did I put down my phone.
The post was uploaded to an anonymous community called 'Granche.' Students shared the post through SNS, messengers, texts, and so on.
Whether the content of the post was true or not didn't matter. They just needed something to talk about, and I was designated as that sacrificial lamb.
Even after the first period class started, my scattered mind showed no signs of returning.
"Now, as you all know, sacred material studies is…"
The first period class was
It's commonly called 'Sacred Material Studies' for short.
There's a story that it's simply an abbreviation of sacred material studies, and another story that it got that name because listening to it makes you so bored that you feel like throwing up. Either way, it was certain that it was incredibly boring.
I ended up falling asleep as if fainting in the middle. I couldn't tell if it was because I was mentally disturbed from earlier, or just because the class was boring.
"...Do Seon-woo!"
"Huh. Yes? Yes?"
What woke me from my sleep was the sacred material studies teacher. Other students were looking at me and laughing.
Normally, such gazes wouldn't have bothered me, but now they made me feel terribly nauseous. It felt like they were all mocking and cursing me.
"Your school life is over, completely. Huh? Won't you come to your senses?"
"Ah, I'm sorry."
"Well, since you're up anyway, here's a question. If you answer it, I'll let you sit down."
The sacred material studies teacher swept the blackboard clean with an eraser as he continued speaking.
The teacher's head was half bald, and the bald part reflected light and shone. Several students were desperately trying to hold back laughter at the sight.
I didn't really understand what was so funny about that.
"Divinium. The most fundamental substance in sacred material studies. Explain the three phenomena that occur when divinium reacts with divine power."
Ah, this.
It's content I studied before. Certainly when divinium and divine power react, that phenomenon occurs.
That phenomenon, that phenomenon...
What phenomenon was it? I don't know.
Distracting thoughts kept multiplying endlessly. The multiplying distractions cut off my memory.
I couldn't remember anything and couldn't think of anything.
[From now on, just repeat what I say. Got it?]
Through my dazed mind, someone's voice leaked in.
[First, expansion or contraction. Second, heat emission at 40.1 degrees. Third, luminescence. And that baldy said three things, but there are four. The last fourth one. In case of supersaturation, explosion.]
"First, expansion or contraction. Second, heat emission at 40.1 degrees. Third, luminescence. You said three things, baldy, but there are originally four. Fourth, in case of supersaturation, explosion."
"..."
Strangely, the classroom atmosphere became cold. I had clearly just repeated what I was told to repeat.
What? What did I do wrong again? Why is everyone looking at me like that?
[How could you repeat even the word 'baldy'! The baldy got angry and his face turned bright red. He's become a self-reflecting octopus.]
He laughed heartily.
"Do Seon-woo. You have quite the guts. Baldy, he says. I'd like to consider this a violation of teacher authority, but since your answer was perfect, I'll let it slide just this once."
Fortunately, the teacher forgave me with a generous heart.
Still, his anger hadn't completely subsided, so his face was still bright red. He really did look like a self-reflecting octopus.
"Well, anyway. As that guy explained, divinium shows four different reactions when it reacts with divine power, depending on the situation. First…"
The teacher continued the class by adding explanations to what I had said.
It was still boring. Watching the teacher's scalp shine in the sunlight was the most interesting part.
At that moment, I suddenly felt something was off.
Was the voice that just rang in my head Legba? No, while Legba is deeply knowledgeable in metaphysics like history and religious studies, he's virtually ignorant when it comes to physics like sacred material studies and sacred mechanics.
The one who is deeply knowledgeable in physics isn't Legba but...
Baron Samedi.
The moment I thought of that name, his image flashed through my mind.
A suit. A cigar. A silk hat. Rum. Purple smoke. Red eyes gleaming through it.
[I came today because I have something to say. You seem to be having too hard a time. Oh, this content will be helpful if you take notes.]
His usually playful tone was serious and solemn today. I swallowed nervously for no reason.
Then I took out an unused notebook from my bag, opened it, and picked up a pen. I intended to take notes of Baron Samedi's words.
[8 o'clock, go to the city park. Watch for slippery surfaces. Don't be late. Don't lose your composure. Now, and most importantly.]
Baron Samedi paused for a moment.
[Be careful of fire.]
With those final words, Baron Samedi disappeared. As always, they were vague and roundabout pieces of advice.
Right now, I couldn't tell exactly what Baron Samedi's words meant.
The answer would probably become clear if I went to the city park at 8 o'clock.
* * *
After school ended and she returned home, Kim Jin-seo was particularly tired today.
It was because of that monstrosity located in the corner of her room. It was a huge box measuring 1 meter by 1 meter.
"When am I going to eat all of that..."
Kim Jin-seo sighed and stuck her hand into the box.
There was a rustling sound of plastic bags bumping into each other.
She took out one bag of jelly from the box and stared at it with dismayed eyes.
That huge box was filled with jelly. The same jelly she had given to Do Seon-woo this morning.
Even after giving some to Do Seon-woo and distributing them to all her friends, there were still so many left. Now there was no one else to give them to.
But eating all of that by herself... she thought she'd gain weight.
'Should I just give them all to Do Seon-woo?'
Originally, this jelly was ordered to give to Do Seon-woo. She had planned to give him a small gift along with words of gratitude.
But giving them only to Do Seon-woo felt somehow, somehow embarrassing. She thought other kids might think strangely about it.
Students at this age are mostly the type who mistake any conversation between boys and girls as romantic interest. Moreover, if they exchanged jelly, really absurd rumors might spread.
High school students, exhausted by academic schedules and with their romantic cells dried up, were that kind of species.
So what Kim Jin-seo chose was the 'gave it because there was extra' strategy.
As if there was too much jelly at home. As if there was so much that giving it out here and there wouldn't reduce it. If she gave some to friends, teachers, and finally to Do Seon-woo, she could deliver the gift very naturally.
As a bonus, she could also convey her thanks.
Therefore, Kim Jin-seo asked her father to buy some jelly.
"But I never thought he'd buy a whole box."
She thought he'd buy about one bundle.
Her generous father ordered a whole box. Even a super-large box measuring 1 meter by 1 meter.
This was enough to distribute jelly to the entire school and still have some left.
Vroom…
While pondering how to dispose of hundreds of surplus jellies, a messenger notification sounded.
[What are you doing?]
It was Go Jun-min.
He had been contacting her occasionally since the demon race extermination practical, and Kim Jin-seo always replied to Go Jun-min no matter how annoying and tired she was.
If she didn't reply, thousands and hundreds of texts from Go Jun-min would torment her. She wasn't replying because she wanted to either.
[Just hanging around]
[Did you order the jelly?]
Go Jun-min's influence was significant in her decision to give jelly to Do Seon-woo. Go Jun-min really liked jelly and said if he were to receive a gift, he'd want to receive jelly.
She didn't know about Do Seon-woo, but she could only hope he'd like it.
Kim Jin-seo was having these various thoughts when she belatedly sent a reply to Go Jun-min.
[Yeah]
[I see]
Conversations with Go Jun-min always ended briefly. It was very painful and frustrating to have to keep sending replies out of obligation when there was nothing to talk about.
Before long, Kim Jin-seo came to think of contact with Go Jun-min as frightening.
After that, there was no contact for a while. It was comfortable. She even felt a sense of liberation.
[Did you see this? It's a post uploaded to Granche]
[(Sent a photo)]
However, the liberation was brief, as contact from Go Jun-min came again immediately.
The photo Go Jun-min sent was a screenshot of an exposé post uploaded to an anonymous community called 'Granche.' Kim Jin-seo scrolled down and read it carefully.
"...What is this?"
Do Mo student from the Charity class. There was only one person with the surname Do in the Charity class.
Do Seon-woo.
The exposé post was blatantly targeting and criticizing Do Seon-woo. The criticism had no basis and was all just agitation.
What was even more shocking was the content of the comments. Comments like 'expel him' and 'die' were relatively mild.
There were even malicious comments asking 'aren't his parents cult members?' No matter how you looked at it, this crossed the line.
[I'm worried you might get involved too. Kids like this should be expelled immediately.]
[Do you happen to know this kid called Do Seon-woo?]
Go Jun-min seemed to believe this ridiculous post. Do Seon-woo was clearly not someone who would commit school violence or release magical beasts to receive a commendation.
Anyone who knew Do Seon-woo even a little could easily tell that this exposé post was false.
[I do know him]
[But no matter how I look at it, he's not that kind of person]
Kim Jin-seo courageously defended Do Seon-woo. Go Jun-min didn't reply for a while after seeing the message.
Kim Jin-seo suddenly felt afraid.
[There's no such thing as someone who would or wouldn't do that]
[You're not defending the perpetrator right now, are you?]
"..."
Her breath was completely blocked. It seemed like no matter what she said, it wouldn't get through.
Kim Jin-seo reread the post using the screenshot Go Jun-min had sent.
No matter how she looked at it, it was a post written by someone with malicious feelings toward Do Seon-woo, with malicious intent. At least Kim Jin-seo knew that.
While reading the post for a long time like this, she finally saw it.
The ugly truth behind this absurd false exposé post.
Kim Jin-seo silently picked up her phone and sent a text to Go Jun-min.
* * *
I came to the city park in the evening as Baron Samedi advised. There were still about 10 minutes left until 8 o'clock.
The cool evening air brushed against my nose. The park was very quiet. There was only silence filling it.
I sat on a park bench and read the false exposé post about me again. I had read the post so many times I could memorize it, so I decided to stop reading it and read the comments instead.
There were hundreds more comments.
The most common malicious comments were 'aren't his parents cult members?' Since my parents were actually cult members, it didn't have much impact.
Reading these also seemed to become familiar gradually. At first, my hands trembled and I couldn't breathe, so I couldn't do anything, but now I just read them while laughing.
Finally, it became 8 o'clock.
Someone was trudging into the park from a distance.
Even though I couldn't see their face clearly, their distinctive features were so clear that I could recognize who it was at a glance.
"Ha, who could it be."
I sighed deeply and got up from my seat.