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Chapter 3

In-yeop

In my life, the only people whom I trusted was Se-min, Seon-hyuk, and even Eun-seok. I do know that Eun-seok truly cares for me, so I never really get mad, even though I may seem so. "You killed your mother." "You're a murderer." My father says. He has repeatedly told me that same line over and over again.

It was... because when my mother gave birth to me, she passed away. No matter what anybody says, that was a fact. The truth. Though I went to parties, banquets, I never talked to anyone. I didn't need to. They would all come flocking to me, asking me to put in good word for them. No one knows about this fact as my father told the public that my mother passed away due to a heart attack.

I distance myself from society, making sure that I would be alone. I mean, if I were to have friends, one day I would have to tell them the truth. In the past, I did. To my 3 best friends. When my father found out, he scolded me, and told me that if I did that, his reputation would fall. I was still young, and I thought that my father would love me as much as he loves my older brother if I exceled in my studies.

I tried really hard, and when I finally scored the top score in my whole level, I told my father first. "Father! I got the top score!" I grinned as I said. "Ok? But did you get the top in the nation? No, right? So go and do your things." He scolded. That night, I cried so much, that I could not sleep. I decided to get some food, and went out of my room.

I was about to step into the kitchen, when I heard my father bragging, "My second son got the top score in his level!" It was on video call, and he did not plug any earpieces, so I could hear their conservation. "Amazing, but I need to leave now!" A voice boomed, before the call ended. My father kept his phone, and muttered loud enough for me to hear, "That old geezer! I already know that his son got the highest score in the nation!"

At that moment, I stopped being delusional, and immediately decided to rebel against him. I stopped studying, and did the paper just enough to get 80. I knew that no matter what I did, I would never be recognized by him. If I get the top in the nation, he will blame me, saying that I wasn't the top in the world. And if I really score well and become the world's top, he would definitely find some other thing to compare me to.

The only thing that I have ever been interested in, was watching my brother fail. But it still pains me when that happens, as my father would turn a blind eye. It was plain favouritism. After middle school, my father seemed to finally realized that I was useless and threw me into a normal public school like this school, Oak hills high. Despite that, he still needed to keep up his reputation, so he sent me to multiple tuition.

My older brother, In-tae also hated me. He resents me as much as my father. I also know myself that I have terrible trust issues, but what can I do? When I first met that girl, she was looking at us with a look of jealousy and envy. Without a doubt, she was jealous of Hwa-seol. It surprised me even further when I found out that they were friends. So, I walked pass her when she bowed.

"Can I see that book?" She asked me. I felt something inside me snap, and I got even more irritated. Due to skipping breakfast, I was already in a bad mood. I glared at her, and in my eyes, she was like a prey cowering in fear. Yet, that prey bravely asked me that question. "Sure." I responded, curious as to what's so good about that book. Ah... I understand now... That book, she must not know...

Anyways, when I was so close to see her reaction, that teacher snatched the book away. That was also the moment when that teacher got on my hate list. Why did she have to butt in at the crucial moment? We started our exams. During the exams, a certain noise bothered me. I realized that that girl was clicking on her pen repeatedly.

While my hate for her rose, my respect rose too. Did she not notice? All the students had eyes on her, and they were unquestionably angry. "You're laughing?" Eun-seok asked. I regained my composure, and ignored him. But... did I really smile? I didn't right... Even if I did, it was probably just because her actions are funny.