Swallowed - Chapter 26

Seyoung looked directly at the student council president, who was pressing her for answers. She could tell he was feeling troubled. His eyes were practically saying, “Couldn’t you have just let it go?” As Seyoung gripped her phone and moved her thumb, everyone’s attention turned to her, thinking she was about to offer some explanation or excuse.

But what came out of the speaker wasn’t the usual TTS (text-to-speech) voice.

[Can you stop using that thing?]

Woo-rim flinched and looked up, startled. Her eyes widened as she struggled to understand why her own voice was coming from Seyoung’s speaker.

[No one’s told you yet, but that sound is really weird, you know?]

“No, no… that’s not…,” Woo-rim stammered, but her muttering was drowned out by the speaker. The voice coming from it was cold and cruel, and it was clear to everyone that Woo-rim was mocking Seyoung.

[Just because you have a pretty face, you think you’re not pathetic?]

There was a long moment of silence as everyone tried to process what they’d just heard. Woo-rim, whose whole face had turned as red as her slapped cheek, suddenly screamed, breaking the silence.

“It’s fake! It’s all made up! She created that with some app! I never said any of those things…!”

Who was going to believe that? Even though most of the people here had been drinking, no one believed her words.

“You crazy b****! You’re Kim Woo-rim, right? I’ve heard you’ve been talking trash about Seyoung for a while now!”

Yoo-jung, who hadn’t been aware of what was happening until she heard the recording, rushed over. She hadn’t seen the earlier part of the confrontation, but she’d heard the words Seyoung had recorded loud and clear, and her anger boiled over.

“Sunbae, I’m innocent!” Woo-rim cried, shaking her head desperately, but Yoo-jung wasn’t the type to offer sympathy. She reached out, trying to grab Woo-rim by the hair, but the student council president quickly intervened and stopped her. While Woo-rim certainly deserved it, the situation would only escalate if she got beaten up. The professors wouldn’t want things to go that far, and they were purposefully staying out of it for now.

“Just wait. I’ll make sure you regret ever coming to school! If you take a leave of absence, you’re dead!”

Yoo-jung, yelling at the top of her lungs, was pulled back by other classmates. She was so worked up from the alcohol that it wasn’t easy to hold her back. She even kicked in Woo-rim’s direction a few times, making Woo-rim burst into tears again.

The student council president sighed and looked at Seyoung. She no longer had any reason to stay there, so she turned to leave. Jaeha, who had been glaring at Woo-rim with cold fury, clenched his jaw and followed Seyoung closely. The student council president was relieved, at least for now. Taking a deep breath, he quickly started calming the situation down.

“Seyoung.”

「It’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve heard stuff like that.」

Jaeha didn’t notice his own expression twisting in anger, while Seyoung even let out a small laugh. She had turned on her recording app when Woo-rim had called her out, thanks to advice from her friend Dal-ram, who had suggested it after Seyoung had encountered a hostile professor before. Seyoung had never thought to record people, even though she’d faced similar situations multiple times in the past. But this time, her hand had acted on its own.

Even though she knew it was painful to dig into her own wounds, she couldn’t stand seeing Woo-rim pretend to be the victim, so she had decided to play the recording. She wasn’t sure if she felt relieved, but at least she didn’t regret it.

Without realizing where she was going, Seyoung had ended up on the top floor where the rooftop garden was. Since she was already there, she decided to step outside and get some fresh air. The night wind was sharp and cold, a reminder that winter hadn’t fully passed yet.

“I’ve never once found your voice annoying.”

Jaeha stood tall, wrapping his arms around her as he spoke from the heart. Neither of them had brought jackets, as they had been indoors the whole time. The cold night air was hard to bear, but being in Jaeha’s embrace made Seyoung feel warm.

「I know.」

The cold had made her fingers stiff, and it was hard to type properly. Seyoung gave up on trying to write a long message and put her phone away. Whether she stuttered, struggled to speak, sang, or used TTS, it didn’t matter in front of Baek Jaeha.

“I like all of your voices. Because it’s yours, they’re all beautiful, and I love hearing them.”

Seyoung nodded, acknowledging what Jaeha said, though her cheeks burned. Baek Jaeha always managed to say such embarrassing things so easily.

Jaeha had to take deep breaths to calm the rage boiling inside him, trying not to upset Seyoung further. It pained him. Even back in high school, Seyoung had never shown her vulnerability. Though they had met in the music room, talked, and he’d heard her sing, Jaeha hadn’t realized how isolated and ridiculed she had been in her class. Seyoung had never once let it show, never exposed her hurt feelings. Even now, despite being clearly wounded, she was pretending she was fine. That killed Jaeha inside.

Whether she was with him or not, this woman had always suffered alone, endured alone. And even now, she was trying to bottle up her pain and shut herself off from the world.

Jaeha hated that. He wanted to be someone Seyoung could lean on.

“The wind is cold. Let’s go inside.”

Seyoung stepped away from him. As she raised her head, she saw Jaeha’s face twisted with worry and smiled softly. She lifted her hand to smooth out his furrowed brow and gently pulled the corners of his tightly-pressed lips into a smile.

Jaeha relaxed and smiled the way Seyoung wanted him to. What an absurd desire, he thought. Seyoung was trying to push him away, even while smiling. Despite smiling on the outside, his insides felt drenched with sadness.

“Which room should we go to? It’ll be noisy everywhere…”

As they left the rooftop garden, Seyoung realized there wasn’t anywhere they could go. Everywhere would be loud because of what had just happened. She checked her phone. Since she’d left with Jaeha, no one had been trying to contact her. Group messages were piling up, but she didn’t feel like reading them.

“I’ll go grab our coats. Stay here.”

Seyoung agreed to Jaeha’s suggestion. Rather than going back down and getting caught up in more chaos, she decided to wait until things calmed down a bit. Watching Jaeha quickly descend the stairs, she ran a hand through her heavy hair.

The speaker around her neck suddenly felt cumbersome. It had become such a part of her that she thought of it as one with her body. After a brief moment of hesitation, she took it off. These days, Bluetooth speakers were lightweight and well-designed. It was an important tool for her to communicate, but hearing people say she was just using it to get attention made her feel bitter. Seyoung rubbed her now bare neck lightly with her hand.

***

“Ah, instant noodles are the best when you’re outside.”

“Boil more water. The ones at the back will be lukewarm.”

Because everyone had drunk so much the night before, the morning started late, leaving everyone pressed for time. The students gathered in small groups to clean up, and those in charge of breakfast poured water into dozens of instant noodle cups. The electric hot water dispenser couldn’t keep up, so they had to boil water in a large pot to make sure everyone got hot noodles.

Seyoung, along with Yoo-jung and Dal-ram, also grabbed some ramen. She had spent the early morning hours sitting on a bench in the rooftop garden with Jaeha. They hadn’t really done anything—just leaned against each other in silence. They hadn’t talked much or slept, yet time seemed to flow by like water. When Jaeha suggested they head back to get some sleep, Seyoung had felt a twinge of regret.

“This year’s finally over,” Yoo-jung said, slurping up the last strand of her noodles. The event had ended relatively quietly, thanks to Seyoung leaving before things escalated.

Kim Woo-rim, unable to bear the humiliation she had faced, had called her parents, and they had come to pick her up without even meeting with the professors. Despite this, she wouldn’t be able to avoid disciplinary action, like probation or community service. And beyond the punishment, she had already alienated the entire student body, so it was doubtful she would be able to continue her school life comfortably. In fact, it wasn’t even certain she would stay in school at all. Since it was still early in the semester, there was a good chance she might decide to repeat the year instead.

“You won’t be here next year, right, Han Se?”

「We’ll see. First, I have to pass my interview next week.」

“How’s your English speaking coming along?”

Yoo-jung knew that Seyoung had been working hard on her English speaking skills. Given that her IELTS scores were out, there wasn’t much to worry about, but Seyoung was a perfectionist by nature, and Yoo-jung hadn’t heard her speak English firsthand yet. Seyoung hadn’t taken the optional course on English pronunciation in her major.

「I’m still not quick with it. I got too nervous during the test and couldn’t do well.」

For the exam, she had to sing her sentences, but because of her nerves, she spoke instead of singing. When she tried to speak normally, her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Whether it was one sentence or ten, Seyoung needed to sing everything. If she didn’t consciously adjust the melody with slight variations, her singing quickly turned into regular speech.

By comparison, singing her sentences in Korean was much easier. Since it was her native language, any tune could fit her words. She could even use the melody from “The School Bell Rings Ding Ding Ding” and still manage a conversation.

“That sounds tough… But, Han Se. There’s something we’ve all been curious about.”

“Hey, Park Yoo-jung.”

Dal-ram cut her off, which was unusual considering Dal-ram usually didn’t interfere and would only comment later. Seyoung, who had been quietly watching them battle it out with their eyes while sipping her hot broth, told them to go ahead and ask.

「Ask me. What are you curious about?」

Yoo-jung shot a glance at Dal-ram as if to say, “See, I told you,” and smirked. Dal-ram sighed in resignation.

“Do you use that thing when you talk to Baek Jaeha, too?”

Seyoung had already guessed that the question would have something to do with Jaeha. The events of the previous night had likely sparked that curiosity. It made her want to laugh a little, seeing how spot-on her guess had been.

“If you don’t want to answer, it’s okay!”

Yoo-jung added, sensing the tension. But Seyoung didn’t feel the need to hide anything, so she answered honestly.

「I use it, but… I also use words, songs, gestures, nods, and hand signs. We communicate in every way possible.」

Yoo-jung had asked the question lightly, but she had genuinely been curious about how Seyoung and Jaeha communicated. She had wondered if Seyoung, out of pride, might not use the TTS app with Jaeha. But she also knew it was impossible for Seyoung to have her phone on her all the time, so she had asked, just in case. Hearing Seyoung’s answer made her heart race.

The expression on Seyoung’s face as she spoke about communicating with Jaeha in every possible way was so beautiful.

It was clear they didn’t need to protect their pride around each other. Whether Seyoung stuttered, sang, or used the TTS app, Baek Jaeha didn’t find any of it strange. Suddenly, Yoo-jung felt embarrassed for asking such a pointless question.

「Was that such a tough question that you had to hesitate to ask it?」

Seyoung chuckled as she started to clean up her noodle cup. It was time to move, as the bus would be leaving soon. Yoo-jung quickly started packing up as well, while Dal-ram clicked her tongue at her. Yoo-jung pouted and justified herself by saying at least her curiosity had been satisfied.

When they went downstairs with their bags, Jaeha was waiting for them. He approached with a bright smile, and Seyoung felt happier than ever, as if there were an invisible wagging tail behind him.