How to Fix a Psychopath

Chapter 18

 

How to Fix a Psychopath Episode 18

 

[Soyoung’s name isn’t on the list of students admitted to Daeheon High School. Why? 10:01AM]

 

I pressed the next button.

 

[Soyoung, can you please answer the phone? AM 10:03]

 

And next.

 

[Where are you? AM 10:05]

 

Next.

 

[I’m coming to your home. AM 10:11]

 

My heart was pounding. It wasn’t because I was scared. It was just because I remembered that day and I started to feel nervous. Yes. It was the day when the list of students going to high schools was posted on the middle school bulletin board.

 

 

[I’m in front of the house. Open the door. AM 10:20]

 

I swallowed my saliva. The time he spent texting was not that long. He must have taken a taxi or something and rushed to the studio. Or, he might have come to the studio right after confirming that she was not on the list and waited. He pretended to have just arrived.

 

[Why aren’t you home? Why aren’t there any things? AM 10:23]

 

You opened the door and came in. It was a vague thought. It was only six months ago, but I still remember it.

 

Even though it was a studio apartment, it was no different from a goshitel, and you couldn’t see inside from the hallway. But that didn’t mean you could see from outside the room’s veranda. It was definitely high. It was a studio apartment on the 5th floor.

 

Moreover, there were many other studio apartments nearby, so there were no water pipes to climb up, and since it was a time when there were many air conditioners, there was no way to climb up through the ventilation duct.

 

It’s just that Eunwoo Lee had the key to that one-room house.

 

I calmly pressed the next button.

 

 

[I hate you. AM 10:30]

 

I hate you…

 

My heart skipped a beat at that word. Why on earth? It was Lee Eun-woo who scared me, going beyond the normal range. I tried to fix him, but when I realized that I couldn’t do it, I ran away.

 

And after doing that… …you hate me?

 

I couldn’t take my eyes off that text for a long time. I had been staring at it for so long that after a while, the screen went completely black. I slammed the phone folder shut. I didn’t want to look at it anymore.

 

“I hate you too.”

 

I muttered to myself in the dormitory where I was left alone, packed my bags, and left the room. Just as I was putting on my shoes, the final dismissal bell rang. Since I was the only student left anyway, I walked out slowly.

 

I thought the playground would be empty, but there were still a lot of students there. I thought they were waiting for their parents’ cars, but the large main gate through which cars came in and out was already closed.

 

“Soyoung!”

 

Then someone called me.

 

It was an unfamiliar face. I thought I had seen her in passing at the dormitory, but we didn’t call each other by our names. I looked at the female student with a puzzled expression.

 

“Come here! Someone is looking for you!”

 

My friend, with a very excited voice, was calling me while waving her hand. My eyebrows slowly furrowed. Who is looking for me?

 

I stopped dragging my carrier and quickly walked to the main gate. Knock, knock, knock, the sound of my unworn sneakers hitting the floor. Looking closely, I saw that there were students gathered at the small main gate who had not yet gone.

 

As we got closer, the female student who had been calling me linked arms with me with an excited expression. My body fell back due to the embarrassing physical contact, and the female student looked visibly embarrassed before smiling cheerfully and saying,

 

“Hey, your boyfriend is here.”

 

Boyfriend?

 

When did I have a boyfriend?

 

“Kids, Soyoung is here!”

 

“Soyoung is here?”

 

“Wow Soyoung- your boyfriend is really handsome.”

 

Soyoung, Soyoung. My ears were itchy. I went into the small group with a still bewildered expression. The eyes of the small group were fixed on me. The group naturally gave me a place.

 

But there was no one.

 

“……uh?”

 

“What?”

 

“Where did he go?”

 

It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who was confused. My friends who had pretended to welcome me were also looking for the whereabouts of my boyfriend, who I didn’t know about. However, there was a bouquet of flowers on the floor.

 

“Dude, he was definitely here.”

 

“That’s right! I’m sure Soyoung, he bragged to us that he would give you a bouquet of flowers as a gift.”

 

“Oh, that’s right! When I asked what kind of flower it was… … what did he say…?”

 

“Oh, what was it… … My, my flower? My flower, my flower!”

 

“Oh, that’s right! He just said it was my flower!”

 

[My lovely flower.]

 

I looked at the face of my friend who was handing me the bouquet. She had an apologetic expression on her face, as if she didn’t understand the meaning of his words. I rolled my eyes and looked at the bouquet.

 

Jiiing-

 

The cell phone in my pocket rang.

 

“Take it, its left by your boyfriend.”

 

“Huh, huh?”

 

The friend who had offered me the flowers smiled with a puzzled expression. The corners of her lips twitched as she asked if I was okay. I wondered if that fancy, useless bouquet of flowers could be that good.

 

“Soyoung, is that okay? I heard that these roses were custom-made by a famous flower shop.”

 

“Yeah. That’s right, Soyoung. Your boyfriend bought it for you, but it’s a bit strange.”

 

“Yeah. My boyfriend would be really upset if I bragged about this to him.”

 

“Oh, I feel bad too.”

 

As even her friends around her agreed, My face, who was able to received the bouquet became increasingly stiff. My hands, which had been fiddling with the flower petals, were now holding on it so tightly that the wrapping paper rustled, as if she didn’t want it to be taken away.

 

The loose-lipped crowd quickly turned to accusing me of being a mean person. Some even gathered together to criticize me, asking how I could be like that. Since when did they become so interested in me?

 

I was annoyed. Why did Eunwoo Lee suddenly come to school and do something like this?

 

It felt like a crack had suddenly appeared in my world that had been quiet. Lee Eun-woo was always like this. No matter what he did, the aftereffects he brought were visible to those around him.

 

I felt like my whole body was shaking like a tooth that was loose because of a cavity. How unpleasant it is to live in a world where you are shaken by others.

 

“Why do you worry about me?”

 

The mouths of the friends who were trying to return the bouquet to its owner closed simultaneously.

 

“……what?”

 

Amidst the suddenly quiet crowd, one friend asked back in a bewildered voice.

 

“It doesn’t matter to you whether I throw away this bouquet, give it to someone, or take it.”

 

“… … Ha, this is funny.”

 

“Look at the way you speak.”

 

 

“I’m so shocked at your response that I can’t even speak.”

 

“Hey, hey, why are you suddenly like this… … .”

 

The atmosphere quickly became tense. The first person to step forward and attack me aggressively was that friend from earlier. She tried to link arms with me as if she was friendly, but when I pulled away, she looked embarrassed.

 

“Hey, isn’t this you taking out your anger on us after fighting with your boyfriend?”

 

“I guess so.”

 

“Hey, hey I get why you were fighting – you’re really a shitty person, aren’t you?”

 

Ha, a ridiculous laugh erupted.

 

The laughter was met with cold reactions from those around her. Some even called her a crazy woman.

 

No, it’s funny. It’s funny how they get mad over nothing, but Eunwoo Lee, who I’ve never dated, pretended to be my boyfriend to appease me when I’m angry? And he even brought me a bouquet of flowers.

 

“Hey, what’s so funny?”

 

I stopped thinking about Eunwoo Lee and looked up at the person who had tapped me on the shoulder with those words. I opened my mouth while looking at the female student who was persistently picking on me.

 

“It’s funny. You guys pretend to be close to me when you’re not.”

 

“What? Hey, hey, is that all you can say?”

 

“Do you think you’re so great?”

 

“Hey, you’re funnier. Do you think I’m pretending to be close to you because I like you?”

 

When I hit the nail on the head, several mouths moved busily as if they were whining in pain and making excuses for what I said. Was I this immature in high school?

 

“… … It’s funny to get angry over something like this.”

 

“You bitch!”

 

Slap!

 

“Hey, why are you hitting me!”

 

 

“oh my god…….”

 

“I’ve never liked you since you were a fucking kid. You always ignore people, huh?! Hey, hey, what if I hit you like that! I am just crazy!”

 

“Don’t you remember? You ignored me like crazy last time I talked to you! Ignoring people is something you can only do if you’re a bitch!”

 

“Yaaa… … But still… … .”

 

I didn’t feel like she had hit me hard, but I felt my cheek swell up quickly. Something sour flowed out of my mouth.

 

I spat on the floor and thick blood mixed with saliva fell. When I raised my head, the face of my friend who had slapped me was also red and blue and she was squirming with excitement.

 

Was this a friend who had many complaints about me?

 

“Ouch, hey, she’s bleeding!”

 

“Hey, are you okay?”

 

Some of the kids who had been just watching approached me.

 

Instead, they looked like they were apologizing to me.

 

On the other hand, the friend who had grabbed my hand didn’t seem sorry at all. Rather, she was busy glaring at me with her eyes wide open, saying, “Let go. You’re such an unlucky girl,” while getting irritated at the friend who was stopping her from attacking me more.

 

All sorts of emotions swirled around. The emotions that had been suppressed for so long created a sandstorm in the blocked areas.

 

I always thought I had to endure. I was much older than the characters in the novel, and they were innocent, so I thought I had to always understand. I thought it was stupid and useless to waste my emotions on anything other than Lee Eun-woo in a place like this.

 

That’s how it was. Now, the thought of why I have to do that? came to my mind. Didn’t I stupidly endure it and almost make Seungchan Kim crippled, and didn’t Eunwoo Lee do increasingly worse things?

 

“Huh…….”

 

“Well, what’s the point of you sighing, that too at something like this?”

 

“No, stop it!”

 

“Seriously, she is weird too! What is there to hit at something like this?”

 

“Hey, are you taking Soyoung’s side now?”

 

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you say things like that?”

 

The anger that had been directed at me was once again directed at other children.

 

I relaxed my clenched fist. My anger also turned onto someone else.

 

“That’s what I’m saying. Oh, I think she is doing this to gain her favor and connect herself with your boyfriend, right? Huh?”

 

“You crazy bitch, you have something to say again? Are you done talking?!”

 

Another fight broke out. I was sick of it. I didn’t transfer to avoid Eunwoo Lee and to see this. Wherever Eunwoo Lee visited, there was always a fight. As if he was a destroyer, wherever Eunwoo Lee passed by, there were only negative emotions like hatred, anger, distrust, and misunderstanding.

 

Yeah, it was all because of Lee Eun-woo.

 

Something hot was bubbling inside her, as if there was lava inside her body. It was anger, and it was an aggressive feeling toward Lee Eun-woo.

 

I held it in. I held it in, but there was no need to do so anymore. My hot, swollen cheeks felt sore even in the cool breeze.