By the time almost everything about elementary school had become second nature to me—
That is to say, when I reached fifth grade.
"I nominate Lee Chae-won for class president!!"
In Favor: 32
Opposed: 0
The vote just steamrolled forward without any input from me whatsoever.
"Alright, then Chae-won's our class president. Everyone, give her a hand!"
Clap clap clap clap—
I didn't want the job, but since nobody else got nominated, I was drafted against my will.
'Wow… Mom's going to be thrilled….'
The reason I kept getting pushed into class president was dead simple.
"That's her, that's the one."
"Apparently she's never once lost the top spot in the whole school."
"I heard she used to model. Was on TV and everything."
"Wow, no wonder… she's pretty."
A lot of my memories and experiences from my past life had faded away, but the knowledge came flooding back the moment I encountered it again.
For someone like me, elementary school material was laughably easy.
Just skimming through the test range once was enough—there was no way to get anything wrong even if I tried.
Naturally, I'd been scoring perfect hundreds every time. At first, my conscience pricked at me a little, but watching Mom and Dad light up with joy made that feeling vanish completely.
'It's not cheating! I studied too!'
That said, it wasn't like I was putting in any real effort.
Time stretched out endlessly, and—
"Anyone wanna Duel?!"
Thanks to my grades being an excuse to lift the Duel King card-buying ban, I was living my best dueling life at school.
'Back then I didn't think much of it. Nope.'
But how must that have looked to everyone else…?
Always goofing around and somehow still topping every class—the legendary overachiever of the century.
I'd been saddled with class president in first, second, third, and fourth grade.
My school record was plastered with comments like "maintains excellent peer relationships—" and "academically outstanding—" and so on.
Word spread fast, and by the time fifth grade rolled around, anyone who'd had their eye on class president didn't even bother throwing their hat in the ring.
It wouldn't have mattered even if I'd kept my mouth shut at the start of the semester.
Because.
"Chae-won, we're in the same class again. Isn't this fate?"
Kim Si-yeon, beaming her biggest smile when we ended up in the same homeroom for fifth grade.
"Class president, apparently this kid likes Duel King too."
And a handful of others who'd been in the same class as me since first through fourth grade—all fellow alumni of Muji-gae Kindergarten.
"……"
Even before the class president election, there were already way too many kids calling me that like it was the most natural thing in the world.
'Ugh…. I went through all that trouble getting them to stop calling me "boss"…!'
I'd drilled it into the kindergarten kids from first grade onward and explicitly banned it.
"Class president! I heard there's a kid in Class 2 who collects Duel King cards?! Supposedly has a ton of rare cards too!"
It's just "boss" with one syllable swapped out. Nothing has changed.
"……"
Why does nothing ever go the way I want!
Grumbling to myself in a sulk, I still—
"There's a kid who collects Duel King cards?"
—had to do what had to be done.
Rare cards were non-negotiable.
"Who is it. Let's go."
"This way!"
I got up from my seat.
***
Kim Si-yeon followed Lee Chae-won, who had marched straight off to trade Duel King cards with a kid in the next class.
'I want to poke Chae-won's cheek.'
She watched quietly as Chae-won spread out a handful of cards and looked them over.
She was probably the only one who had been observing Chae-won for over six years, all the way back to kindergarten.
"Hmmmm…."
On the surface, Chae-won looked like she was just casually flipping through the cards.
'She likes that pink dolphin one.'
Si-yeon saw right through her.
Chae-won's gaze lingered on that card longer than the others and kept drifting back to it. And the corners of her tightly pressed lips gave a little twitch every time the pink dolphin card came into view.
'That's her "I want it but I'm holding back" face!'
The Chae-won Si-yeon knew was someone who loved cute, pretty, sparkly things more than anyone—
—and complained about it every step of the way while pretending she didn't.
Just look at her hair.
Magical Girl Lucy.
Chae-won would deny it to her dying breath, but at some point she'd started wearing her hair in twin tails, just like Lucy, her absolute favorite character.
She was probably right now trying to figure out how to smoothly snag just that one dolphin card without making it obvious.
'I should help her out.'
But helping her right away would be no fun—
"Oh! Chae-won, this one's so cute."
"Huh—? What, what what?"
"This one, the dolphin! The pink dolphin is adorable."
"I—is it? Hmm…. I mean, it's not that great."
"Really~?"
Si-yeon watched Chae-won's eyes dart around and smiled to herself, deviously.
"Then, can I have it?"
"Huh? That one? That card's garbage! I'll give you a different one."
"Aww, no no, I want this one."
"Oh…. Oh, you… do?"
Her lips instinctively jutted out in a pout.
"You… want it…?"
She pulled the card out with a sulky look and held it out to Si-yeon with a limp, drooping arm.
'Ugh, she's so cute!!'
She couldn't drag the teasing out too long. When Chae-won got sulky, it was a whole ordeal.
"Actually, never mind! That other one looks better to me. Can I have that one instead of the dolphin?"
"Oh!! S-sure? Hehe. You've got good taste. This one has a special effect, see. When you take damage——"
Si-yeon watched warmly as Chae-won instantly brightened up and started chattering away without a care in the world.
From the very first time they'd met in kindergarten, something about Chae-won had sparkled and caught her attention.
Her bold, decisive way of doing things was so cool that Si-yeon had just started following her around—and in doing so, she'd discovered that Chae-won was genuinely kind and thoughtful.
And above all, she was pretty as a princess, which was reason enough.
She could be oddly exceptional in the strangest ways sometimes, but even that was part of her charm.
"But the dolphin is cute too, so. Can't Chae-won keep that one?"
"…Should I? Hmm. Sure, I guess it's not bad. Heh."
More than the Duel King card trading, the kids who'd come to see the legendary top student who'd supposedly been on TV must have witnessed it.
That smile she couldn't hide, no matter how hard she tried.
Si-yeon hurried over and linked arms with Chae-won, who was busy flashing her people-charming smile at everyone while obliviously flipping through cards.
'She's MY friend! What are you all staring at!'
Grrrrr!
'It's not like I can put a bag over her face. Ugh.'
Si-yeon stood guard around her on Chae-won's behalf, since Chae-won hated anything complicated or bothersome.
Why?
Because now that they were getting older, Si-yeon could see boys gearing up to confess.
There had been signs even before this. They just hadn't acted on them yet.
Chae-won might be oblivious, but Si-yeon was not. She had a sixth sense for it and made a habit of quietly steering Chae-won away before anything could happen.
'She thinks she's popular because she's a good student. That's hilarious. What kind of girl is this dense…?'
If Si-yeon had to say it plainly, Chae-won's popularity came down to one thing: her looks. And they only got more radiant with each passing year, which was honestly astonishing.
Her way of speaking could seem a little sharp at first, but she was easygoing and cool about things. She'd always played the same games as the boys. And she was good at them. Her athletic ability was off the charts too.
Chae-won had every single trait that made someone the number one target for confessions—
"Chae-won, let's head back to class when you're done."
"Hold on. Hey. What's your name. Kim Cheol-su? Right, you—next time you get good cards, let me know. We'll trade if we've both got extras, yeah? I'm always looking for good cards. If you need something, just say so."
"Yeah. Sure…!"
—and yet most of them just got flustered and couldn't bring themselves to approach her.
Well, of course. Working up the courage to push through that level of adorableness felt like a task that required a truly extraordinary amount of nerve. They might as well have been a different species.
All in all: the top student beloved by every teacher, and the idol of the entire grade.
'Kind of like this, I guess?'
Which was probably why, by the time fifth grade came around, Kim Si-yeon had been confessed to multiple times while Lee Chae-won had never once experienced anything of the sort.
And whenever Chae-won teased her without knowing any of this—'Ooh~ Si-yeon got rejected again~? Such a heartbreaker~'—Si-yeon really did feel the urge to flick her on the forehead.
She could be a little annoying sometimes, and suspiciously single-minded about cards, but she was still a good friend.
—We're going to be best friends for life, okay!
They'd even pinky-promised on it.
'One day I'm going to put her in something I made myself!'
Getting good enough to make clothes that suited that face of hers was Si-yeon's small, quiet dream.
While Si-yeon was lost in her usual daydream—
Slide—
"Hey, is there a girl named Lee Chae-won in here?"
An unfamiliar boy poked his head through the back door and looked around the classroom.
"Chae-won."
"Someone's asking for Chae-won."
The students who heard turned their heads toward Chae-won almost automatically.
"Oh, there you are. Huh, so the rumors weren't exaggerated. You're pretty."
A boy with a slick smile looked over toward where Chae-won and Si-yeon were standing.
He had a bit of a swagger to him, was slightly bigger than the other kids his age, and was a face Si-yeon had never seen in their grade.
Si-yeon grabbed Chae-won's arm tight.
She shook her head. It was a signal: don't go, let's get a teacher.
Chae-won was still caught off guard by the sudden situation when—
"Ha, I'm Jang Jin-sol, the top dog of sixth grade Class 1 at Eunha Elementary. Good fighter, good-looking. I heard the prettiest girl in fifth grade was the prettiest in the whole school, so I came to check it out."
The moment the visitor opened his mouth, the bridge of Chae-won's nose and the space between her brows creased ever so slightly, and contempt quietly seeped into her expression.
'Oh wow, that expression is good too.'
Si-yeon momentarily lost her train of thought.
***
What on earth did this kid just say.
Goosebumps crawled up my arms.
Prettiest girl? The prettiest girrrrl?
I know I'm cute and pretty. I'm not blind.
'How could I not know, I have eyes.'
But so what.
I just look the way I look.
Living with that mindset was exactly why I never made a big deal of it.
Prettiest girl, my foot.
Who's been going around saying things like that.
"Oh. Okay."
The words came out less than graciously.
'You've had your look. Now leave.'
Good grief, I'm not a zoo exhibit.
While I was forcing my face to smooth out, the sixth grader's eyebrow gave a little flick.
"I like you. Go out with me."
'Oh my GOD.'
This is the first crisis of my life.
I feel absolutely disgusting.
The way he's trying to act cool is revolting.
His cocky way of talking is revolting.
Every part of me wants to put my fist through his face.
'I shouldn't do that, right? Wait—why not? Isn't this basically picking a fight?'
I pushed down the boiling feeling inside me and took a small, quiet breath.
Right. Korea is a nation of civility and propriety.
He's a year above me, so let's handle this calmly and decline.
As class president, no causing a scene.
'Hmm…. How do I turn him down….'
Conveniently, I remembered watching Kim Si-yeon turn someone down once.
What did she say. Something like—
"I'm sorry, but you're not my type."
"…That can't be right."
"……?"
I almost said 'Are you out of your mind?'
Phew— good thing I held back.
I endured it one more time with superhuman patience, and then a question came.
"What is your type?"
I don't have one.
Worried that taking too long to answer would look weird, I grabbed the first vague thing that came to mind and threw it out there.
"Oh! Someone who's jaw-droppingly good at games."
I grew up around gaming, so I'd always had a kind of admiration for people who were really good at games.
Not that it was romantic admiration, but, well, whatever.
After I said it, the classroom seemed to go briefly quiet.
'Hm?'
Was that my imagination?
Or maybe I'd spoken too softly.
"Heh, alright, noted. I'm Jang Jin-sol, top dog of sixth grade at Eunha Elementary. I'll go work on my gaming skills just for you."
"…Top dog, what a joke, ugh."
"What was that? Didn't quite catch it."
"Nothing. Just—urp. Feeling a little nauseous."
"Not feeling well, huh. Go rest before something happens."
I was hoping he'd disappear fast because if I had to keep listening to those revolting lines, my lunch was going to make a comeback—
Thankfully, the guy turned to leave.
That gesture made me drop my guard for just a second.
He stopped walking and turned only his head back toward me.
Wink—
"Oh, and one more thing. Next time, feel free to just call me oppa. Tell me if anything's bothering you. Cute little sis."
I witnessed him wink at me with one eye.
"Hey."
"…Me?"
"Yeah you, you—what is this, is your blood made of butter and margarine or something, why does every single thing you say make my skin crawl."
I couldn't hold it in anymore and just let it out.
'Ahh, that feels so much better. Like a weight off my chest.'
I said it to save myself, and honestly—the guy took it surprisingly well.
Oh, unexpectedly mature…?
Maybe I should feel a little bad—
"Ha. Feisty, aren't you. Little kitten."
The moment I met that insufferable face of his, eyes narrowed in that trying-to-be-lethal way—
Something inside me snapped.
Hisss—
I shot my left hand out and grabbed him by the collar.
"Huh?"
"Bite down."
THWACK—! CRACK—! CRACK CRACK CRACK—!
"Ugh—! W-wait. Ugh—!"
"Kitten? KITTEN?? How DARE you insult cats like that!!"
I just started swinging at whatever I could reach.
I was fully prepared to go down with him, but it turned out he was way weaker than expected.
"Hisss— hisss— you little punk. Ugh. I thought my eyes and ears were going to rot off."
"Gack—! Hngh—"
After about five or six hits, the self-proclaimed top dog was crawling on the floor.
'What the heck, he's completely useless.'
Top dog, please. I almost got fooled by the bluster.
His friends dragged him off to the nurse's office.
I stood right where I was in the hallway and crossed my arms.
'Hmm.'
I'd actually been about to head back, but I'd made eye contact with a familiar teacher way down at the far end of the hallway, so I couldn't move.
Running away would look suspicious.
"You've gone and done it, Lee Chae-won."
"…."
Yeah.
What am I going to tell Mom….
Maybe if I say I discovered a talent for martial arts, she'll let it slide.
