Chapter 12
I lifted my troubled eyes from my smartphone. Today marked the third day.
The internet was abuzz with news of the Do Eun-seok terror incident, and my mood soured along with it.
“What the hell! How does a captured terrorist just escape like that?”
As if voicing my thoughts, an indignant Seo Eun-sol slammed her desk. I let out an unconscious sigh I’d been holding in.
That day.
Right after exchanging brief goodbyes with Do Eun-seok, the real bodyguard Kim Ja-hye appeared, and in the moment I was granted an unprecedented paid leave, the terrorist escaped.
It was absurd. We were just about to hand him over to the police. But against the stun gun the terrorist had hidden, we were helpless.
Fan communities relentlessly criticized the security team’s incompetence. Despite CCTV coverage everywhere, the police’s failure to arrest the culprit was also heavily condemned.
‘Will he be okay…?’
Do Eun-seok’s face flashed through my mind.
He must’ve been shocked to hear the person who tried to harm him had escaped.
As I traced my finger over Do Eun-seok’s autograph filling the album page, Seo Eun-sol sighed and said:
“How is there not a single photo of his left side out of seventy-nine shots?”
Her blunt review summed up the photos I’d painstakingly taken of Anthony.
I rambled out a weak excuse—that Martin kept stealing the focus, and that probably no one had captured Anthony’s left side.
“Well, even a golden-handed photographer like me would struggle with Anthony’s side profile. How could someone with butterfingers like Hae-bom manage it?”
“…Thanks for the acknowledgment.”
“Anytime!”
“Oh, right. What happened with the confiscated camera?”
At the sudden question, the playfulness vanished from Seo Eun-sol’s face.
“They said they’ll return it after my next test scores come out…”
“Ah…”
Seo Eun-sol had recently bombed a mock exam, leading her parents to confiscate her camera.
“Seriously, what’s going on with you, Hae-bom?”
Seo Eun-sol’s face suddenly scrunched up.
“I’ve never seen you study. You were always running around like a wild horse, obsessing over idols—with me, of course. So how did you pull off those scores?”
“Ahaha…”
I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
When I’d checked my answers, I was sure I’d failed.
Distracted by preventing disasters, I’d misaligned my answer sheet—something I only realized after getting my results.
‘I knew the scores seemed too low…’
Unlike my usual mid-tier ranking, landing in the top 9% of the school was nothing short of a miracle, considering my effort.
“This might sound obnoxious, but… I don’t even know how it happened.”
“It is obnoxious.”
“I guessed a lot too…”
“Ugh! That’s obnoxious enough.”
Amused by her irritated reaction, I giggled. Seo Eun-sol puffed her cheeks and tore into a chocolate bread.
Just as she took a big bite—
“Hey.”
Eun Su-mi set her bag down at the desk in front of us.
“Su-mi, hi!”
“You okay? You still look pale.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Seo Eun-sol’s voice softened with concern as she watched Eun Su-mi, her face pallid, unpack her bag.
“Summer colds are supposed to be rare, but you caught one. Su-mi, you’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.”
I laughed along with Seo Eun-sol’s bright smile, but Eun Su-mi, who had been silently observing, spoke up.
“What’s the point of pushing myself? I still failed.”
Her oddly flat tone was sharp. Stunned by her quiet remark, Eun-sol’s eyes flicked to me.
Belatedly realizing the reason, Eun-sol pressed her lips shut.
While someone (me) had miraculously climbed the ranks in the recent mock exam, others (like Eun Su-mi) had crashed just as hard as Seo Eun-sol.
Of course, Eun-sol’s slump—despite her steady progress—was nothing compared to Su-mi’s fall from her usual top rank.
Rumors spread fast: Eun Su-mi had dropped below 20th place in this exam. Since then, she’d looked unwell, and her sharp reaction was likely because of that.
“Su-mi, it’s just a mock exam. Don’t sweat it. You probably just weren’t feeling well.”
“Right! You’re smart, Su-mi. You’ll take first place next time for sure.”
Normally, Seo Eun-sol would’ve fired back at Eun Su-mi, but this time, she backed me up.
“Though seeing someone like Hae-bom, who never studies but still scores higher, makes the world feel unfair… Oof.”
Oops. As Seo Eun-sol mindlessly blurted this out while chewing her bread, Eun Su-mi turned to her.
“Eun-sol. Did you see it?”
“Huh?”
“Did you see Hae-bom not studying?”
At Su-mi’s calm question, Eun-sol blinked.
“Uh… Well… I’m not with her 24/7…”
“If Hae-bom was just obsessing over idols like you, there’s no way her grades would’ve jumped like that.”
“Huh? Hey, what’s with that tone…?”
Su-mi’s pointed remark left me just as flustered as Eun-sol.
Wait, so now I’m someone who acts like they never study but secretly works harder than anyone else?
Uh…
This sudden twist was baffling. If I said it didn’t bother me at all, I’d be lying…
“Hey, Su-mi, hold on. I…”
But outright denying it felt awkward too.
Ugh. This is tricky.
As I floundered, Seo Eun-sol relaxed her stiff expression.
“Hey, hey. I was just joking. Obviously, grades don’t improve without effort. I know Hae-bom worked hard for this.”
Though meant to lighten the mood, Su-mi’s expression remained icy as she excused herself to the restroom.
“……”
“She’s really on edge, huh?”
“Yeah, seems like it.”
“Hae-bom, sorry if that hurt your feelings. Su-mi’s right. I shouldn’t have dismissed your hard work.”
“No! It’s fine, really!”
Knowing Eun Su-mi wasn’t usually this warm, we agreed to give her space and wait for her to cool off.
As Seo Eun-sol opened her math book for first period, she suddenly clapped.
“Oh! Did you hear? Heidi’s making a comeback.”
“Heidi…?”
I took the smartphone she handed me.
[Heidi’s Comeback Imminent? Stretching Her Wings in a Two-in-One Dress]
“Wasn’t she just in a scandal for cursing? I thought she’d be gone for good this time.”
“Right? After that leaked recording, she went into hiding.”
“How does she keep getting away with these short ‘reflection periods’?”
In the SNS photo, Heidi sat cross-legged in a pink dress, flashing a heart with her fingers.
She got even prettier during her hiatus.
Already stressed about the escaped terrorist, seeing Heidi reminded me of another uncomfortable truth, making my head throb.
Heidi.
Just seeing her name made me realize what the next NeverAgain scandal would be.
To idol fans, Heidi was nothing short of a disaster.
The only daughter of a wealthy family, she debuted under a management company chaired by her uncle, enjoying full support and skyrocketing to fame without a struggle.
Despite her cute face, her mature figure quickly earned her the title of “nation’s little sister.” But rumors of her instigating school violence in middle school were just the start—she’d been mired in scandals ever since.
“Her family must really be loaded. Any other celebrity would’ve been ruined by now, but Heidi’s untouched.”
Seo Eun-sol sounded unimpressed.
Indoor smoking, underage drinking, cursing controversies, personality scandals, poor acting…
Heidi’s endless scandals had earned her the nickname Grim Reaper.
Any celebrity associated with her inevitably got dragged into nasty rumors and career ruin.
Another nickname? Rookie Killer.
Every time a promising young male actor emerged, she’d flaunt their friendship, tarnishing their reputations too.
Unsurprisingly, no fans welcomed her connections.
With a heavy heart, I scrolled through comments praising Heidi’s beauty—some even asking about her next project. As a singer-actress, many were eager for her next role.
Knowing what that project was, I grimaced. Because it was through that very work that Cha Yuk’s next scandal would erupt.
