WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 145: Friend (1)
──────
“Are you saying you’ll help?”
“Yes. Well, I shouldn’t sound too generous, but…”
The class president gave a wry smile.
‘Had the class president always been this expressive?’
It felt slightly unfamiliar. Even though we had been in the same class since the first year, I had hardly ever talked to the class president.
“I’m running for student council president, you know. I’m doing it to get a university recommendation, but... anyway, a president is still a president. I should at least try to solve a problem in our class. I don’t know how I can solve it, but I’ll ask Kim Yul. Do you know Kim Yul’s phone number?”
“Uh… just a moment.”
While searching for the number, I realized something. The class president did not know Kim Yul’s number. Every classmate who had helped circulate the videos with me knew it. Which meant:
‘The class president isn’t the culprit.’
It could all be an act, but.
‘No way. The class president is just an ordinary goody-two-shoes. There wouldn’t even be a way to obtain the recording.’
The class president was a safe bet. Definitely.
As I nodded in agreement, the president suddenly said, "Ah.”
“No, wait. This is a little awkward to discuss over the phone. I’ll quietly ask Kim Yul tomorrow after I get to school. That should do it, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Calling might not be a good idea. Thanks for offering to help.”
“If you’re grateful, vote for me instead of your girlfriend.”
“……Sure.”
It was over with my girlfriend anyway. The president seemed unaware of my breakup, which also cleared him from suspicion.
‘Right.’
I felt hopeful.
‘It’s not over yet. Nothing is over! If there's one person who supports me, I can use them to devise a plan. This mood will lighten with time... My friends will return to normal soon.’
From that day on, the class president really began to act. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing, but he seemed to be actively using his [model student] image.
“Good. I talked to Kim Yul.”
The class president said this during lunch the next day. Once again, I had not gone down to the cafeteria. My classmates were still quietly ostracizing me, and I did not want to get caught up in it. The two of us held a secret meeting in the empty classroom.
“Really? What did he say?”
“Kim Yul says you have to make a formal apology in front of your classmates. A one-on-one apology is completely out of the question. If you sincerely apologize in a way that lets all the others know what you did and how badly you wronged him, he says he’ll forgive you.”
This crazy guy.
‘What kind of apology and forgiveness is that?’
He just wants to humiliate me. My classmates are bad enough, but Kim Yul is no different. He is pulling this shit because he wants a taste of even the tiniest scrap of power.
“If your apology lacks ‘sincerity’, he won’t forgive you, he said that three times. Hmm. He seemed really angry, even though his face was expressionless.”
‘I’m going crazy.’
Can't I just give him 1 million won and end this?
He's a pauper, he'll take it.
“What’s ‘sincerity’? How do you show that?”
“I don’t know. But it seems important to apologize in front of others. Why don’t you write a draft of your apology?”
The president suggested with a slightly bothered tone. Maybe he was realizing the situation was more complicated than he thought.
Damn it. My entire school life and even my future are at stake. My life is on the line. If you’ve decided to act kindly, then take responsibility till the end!
“Right. I should write an apology. Sigh…”
I made the most pitiable face I could.
Hwang Eun-Seo. It was time for the performance of a lifetime.
“Really, why did I stupidly bully Kim Yul? Just because others did it, I mindlessly joined in. Damn. I shouldn’t have.”
There. Now, sympathize with me. Pity me. I’m a humane person. I can regret and repent. But I haven't committed a mortal sin! Hurry up and feel sorry for me!
“Kim Yul has every right to be angry at me. I could have stopped the others anytime, but I didn’t... Now I feel sorry. If I could, I’d apologize in front of the whole school. Seriously.”
"......."
The president stared at me intently. Deep, well-like eyes. A face difficult to read. But it was clear he was listening to my words.
“I got an idea.”
The president suddenly stood up.
“What?”
“I've thought of a way for you to get Kim Yul’s forgiveness. Just wait a moment. I’ll be back from the staff room.”
The class president dashed out of the classroom. I was dumbfounded. What was that bastard doing? Alone in the empty classroom, I blankly tore open a peel-and-eat Go●s bread and started eating it. The class president returned when I had gnawed through half of it.
“Great! I got confirmation from the teacher.”
“About what?”
“About the student council president speech. I asked if a non-candidate can speak at the podium. There’s no rule against it, they said.”
The class president smiled confidently. He must have stopped by the restroom too, because there were drops of water around his mouth.
“You said you’d apologize in front of the whole school if you could. I was wondering how to structure my speech to beat your girlfriend, and this works out.”
“Uh…”
“Listen.”
The class president sat down and pulled out his notebook. Swish, swish! Old-fashioned handwriting danced across the page.
“Hwang Eun-Seo, you apologize to Kim Yul, stressing how sorry you are. Then I’ll take the mic and say, [The school I want to create as the student council president is one where we acknowledge our mistakes and forgive each other]. Get it?”
I didn’t quite follow.
“It’s about creating a story, not just listing promises!”
"......."
“Not sure about your girlfriend’s speech, but she’s rich, right? Obviously. She’ll probably use her own money to install perfume dispensers in school bathrooms or promise to never run out of toilet paper. If it’s about campaign promises, I have zero chance... So, let’s fight with a story.”
The president scribbled on his notebook.
+
A student council that solves problems!
A student council that keeps the conversation going!
We will be your emergency communication channel, students!
+
“Uhuhuh…”
The president’s eyes sparkled.
“How about that!”
It felt incredibly cheesy.
“The era now is all about storytelling! I'm tired of hearing about toilet perfumes and paper. These have been promises since elementary school. This will work. Let’s go with a story!”
"Hmm."
Well, student council elections are always filled with cheesy speeches. Any plausible-sounding rhetoric is attached. The idea presented by the class president didn’t seem bad.
‘But this guy…’
I looked at the president with newfound interest.
‘He’s completely disinterested in anything other than his election.’
I had wondered why the class president was going so far to help me. What a selfish bastard. From beginning to end, all he had thought about was using me for the election.
The class president was indifferent to what was happening in the class. He had no interest in what had been done to Kim Yul or why I was being ignored. He had only become involved after deciding he could use it in the election. Even the sole reason for running was to get into a good university!
‘That’s right.’
But looking at the president, I completely cleared my doubts.
‘This kind of person is easier to deal with.’
The class president was the same kind as me. He was looking to the future. He worried about what lay ahead. He had the will to get into a good university and live a good life. How many people would seriously pursue the student council presidency just to secure a Seoul National University recommendation?
‘We’re similar.’
That made the class president much more trustworthy than people who pretended to be kind for no particular reason. He was sure to succeed in society too. My trust in him grew stronger still, and the thought that we were alike even made me feel closer to him.
“But the election is just a few days away, right? Is it really okay to change your speech because of me?”
“It's fine. Winning is what matters.”
The president smiled.
“I’ve already invested about 20 hours in the election. I gave up that time of studying. I can’t afford to lose.”
‘This guy. He really thinks like me, doesn’t he?’
My trust in him grew even stronger.
‘We’re similar.’
The idea that he was my kind made me feel even more comfortable.
“Okay, president. I’ll help you as much as I can. In return, you need to help me too, alright? Tell the others I want to reconcile. I regret what happened and I want to get along again if possible.”
“Yeah. Let’s both win-win.”
We shook hands.
“Thanks in advance.”
“Likewise!”
I helped the president with his election. Although I couldn’t openly support him in front, I revised his speech and worked on campaign slogans.
Despite the ongoing ostracism from classmates.
Somehow, just knowing that [I had something to do at school] provided a lot of psychological stability.
“Wow, you write well?”
The president was pleased with my apology and my speech. After school, in the sunset-soaked classroom of 2nd year, class 5, it was just the two of us.
“If you act well, we will definitely win.”
“Act?”
I was puzzled.
“What acting?”
“Huh? Hwang Eun-Seo, you’re not actually sorry to Kim Yul at all.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’m not blaming you or anything. I think what matters isn’t whether you feel apologetic, but the attitude you show when apologizing. To begin with, I don’t even know what an ‘apologetic heart’ is supposed to be.”
The president flipped through my apology.
“You’re swallowing the humiliation and apologizing in front of the whole school. What apology could be more sincere than that? What good is it to say sorry over and over, or even to feel sorry, if no real action follows? In that respect, Hwang Eun-Seo, you’re a hundred or a thousand times better than the others.”
Hmm.
Hmm...
“I quietly asked Kim Yul again yesterday whether even one person had properly apologized so far. Apparently, no one had. You were also the only person who had even asked what it would take to be forgiven. Honestly, our classmates have no shame.”
“President… you…”
He really understood.
I was slightly moved.
“Oh, of course, I'm happy about it. If you had gone around saying [Vote for my girlfriend! Only my girlfriend!], I’d have lost dozens of votes. I feel sorry for you being ostracized, but honestly, I'm happy.”
“Wow, such a garbage person…”
“Yes. Thanks. Aren’t all people garbage anyway?”
I ended up laughing. It’s true. After being dumped by my girlfriend, this was the first time I laughed in a while.
‘He really knows a thing or two.’
Humans are garbage. Beasts. If they seem tame, it’s only because they’ve been domesticated from beasts to livestock. Those who realize this early are the ones who survive.
[Your immersion rate is currently 100%.]
Then, instead of being a goat, you could become a hyena. With luck, even a lion.
You can succeed.
People who complain about difficult human relationships are just trying to see people as people. It’s effortless when you view them as livestock.
No friends? They see no benefit in being with you. Even playing together should at least relieve stress. Many friends? They’re with you because there are benefits.
That’s all there is to it.
True friendship comes only from true benefit.
‘At least I won’t lose anything being with this person.’
I grinned.
“President. Want to be friends?”
The president snorted.
“After I get elected as the student council president. Your speech is good, but needs a bit more refining. I'm working hard to get the others to accept your apology. If I don’t get elected, it’s all for nothing.”
“Got it, got it! Okay. I’ll write you one hell of a speech! I’ll bawl my eyes out and let my nose run while I recite that apology! I, Hwang Eun-Seo, will burn myself up to make our class president the student council president of Shinseo High!”
“Yes, I’ve heard you loud and clear. I’m counting on you, Eun-Seo.”
We chuckled together.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
