Aftermath of True Beauty
by Outsider ยท 2026-10-13
The next morning. Inside the sedan on the way to school.
Yu-ri silently shoved her smartphone in front of my eyes.
Yesterday, on the sports field. Me, getting up after being drenched in water.
Whoever took it, the angle was incredible. The number of views was... huh?
Seol-ah: Thirty thousand?
Yu-ri: It passed fifty thousand at dawn. It spread to the communities of kids from the neighboring school too.
Yu-ri sighed and pulled her phone back.
Yu-ri: Do you know what the title is? 'There's a goddess at Hanbit High (True Story)'.
Seol-ah: ...Ask them to take it down.
Yu-ri: Se-rin spent all night taking it down. But it's spreading faster than she can take it down.
Chief Choi in the driver's seat glanced at the rearview mirror.
Chief Choi: Seol-ah.
Seol-ah: Yes.
Chief Choi: The school gate looks different than usual. Prepare yourself before you get out.
Seol-ah: ...Prepare for what?
Chief Choi: It'll be easier if you think of it as your debut as a celebrity.
The school gate was, indeed, different.
At least three times more students than usual were loitering near the school gate.
A strange sight where no one was actually entering, pretending to go to school.
The moment I got out of the car, the air stirred.
"She's here."
"It's her in person, in person."
"Hey, she's wearing glasses again? Still pretty though..."
I pressed down my new horn-rimmed glasses (Unit 2) and walked quickly with my head bowed.
Two female students, who looked like juniors, bravely stepped out.
Female Student 1: S-senior! You were so cool yesterday!
Female Student 2: Um... can I call you unnie?!
Seol-ah: ...Do as you please.
"Kyaaah! We got permission!"
No, what did they get permission for?
Yu-ri, walking beside me with her shoulders hunched, made eye contact with a girl from another class.
"Oh? You're Baek Seol-ah's sister, right?"
It was a title she would have hated in the past.
But Yu-ri paused for a moment, then straightened her shoulders and replied.
Yu-ri: Yeah. I'm the younger sister.
...Look at that kid?
The classroom was even more of a spectacle.
Unidentified objects were piled on my desk.
Three chocolate milks, two vitamin drinks, four envelopes, and a doll.
Seol-ah: What is all this?
Kim Se-rin: It's an offering, what else?
Se-rin stood with her arms crossed. There were dark circles under her eyes. It seemed she had been taking down photos all night.
Kim Se-rin: As of today, I'm your unofficial manager. Any objections?
Seol-ah: Yes. I don't need a manager...
Kim Se-rin: No objections? Good. First task instruction. Don't drink beverages given by people you don't know. Check for signs of tampering. I'll do the first screening of letters.
Seol-ah: Hey, that's an invasion of privacy...
Kim Se-rin: Second. You must always go to and from school with Han-na.
Next to me, Han-na rolled up her sleeves and grinned.
Choi Han-na: Bodyguard on duty.
Kim Se-rin: Third. If you get your picture taken, report it to me immediately. I'll protect your portrait rights.
Se-rin had already pulled out a notebook.
It was the moment the informant transitioned to a manager.
[System: Party member 'Kim Se-rin's' profession has changed from 'Informant' to 'Manager (Self-proclaimed)'.]
Min-ji asked cautiously.
Lee Min-ji: But Seol-ah... are you okay? Suddenly becoming so famous.
Seol-ah: Okay? I'm dead tired.
I slumped over my desk.
In my 36 years of life, the only fame I'd ever known was being featured in a corner of a martial arts magazine.
But overnight, I was going to be simultaneously called "unnie" by high school girls and stared at by high school boys.
'God. Wasn't one lightning strike enough?'
During every break, faces were plastered against the hallway windows.
Not only other classes, but even first and third graders came on an expedition.
"Over there, over there. The window seat."
"She's sleeping? Even sleeping, she's pretty."
"Hey, run! Choi Han-na's coming!"
Just Han-na casually walking towards the window was enough to scatter the onlookers.
It was the dignity of a tank.
And then it began.
What was bound to happen, happened.
It was a [confession rush].
The first one was during the second period break. A third-year senior.
I admit the courage it took to come down to our classroom with a bouquet of flowers.
"Baek Seol-ah! Go out with me! It was love at first sight!"
The classroom buzzed. Se-rin took out her notebook.
I stared at the bouquet. Roses. At least 50,000 won worth.
Seol-ah: Senior.
"Uh, uh!"
Seol-ah: These flowers will wilt in three days anyway. But with this money, the orphanage kids could have five chickens.
"...Huh?"
Seol-ah: I'll just accept your feelings. Please refund the flowers and do something good with that money. That's all for now.
The senior froze, holding the bouquet.
Se-rin wrote something in her notebook.
Kim Se-rin: Rejection Type 1. 'Orphanage Chicken'. Scoring... 8 out of 10 points. It's touching, but a bit like an old man.
Seol-ah: Don't score it.
The second was during lunchtime. It was a letter.
A male student from the class next door, a second-year, trembled as he handed me the letter and ran away.
After Se-rin's initial inspection (she didn't open it, just shook it), I read it.
[To Seol-ah. From the first moment I saw you, my heart has been beating for you. I hope these feelings reach you. Will you go out with me?]
Seol-ah: ...go out.
I took out my ballpoint pen.
"Go out with me." Not "go out." And "๋ฟ์์ผ๋ฉด" (da-at-sseum-yeon) is more natural than "๋ค๋ค๋์ผ๋ฉด" (da-da-rat-sseum-yeon).
I corrected it with a red pen and sent it back via Se-rin.
I added a line at the very bottom.
[Thank you for your feelings. But let's study Korean first. You need to go to college. - Baek Seol-ah]
Se-rin delivered the letter and came back to report.
Kim Se-rin: He's hugging the letter and crying right now. But he's crying with a smile. Saying, 'The goddess edited it for me.'
Seol-ah: ...I really can't keep up with kids' mentalities these days.
Kim Se-rin: Scoring. Rejection type 2, 'red pen'. 9 points. Cruel but educational.
The third was the most troublesome.
After school, I was called to the rooftop.
The note said, [I'll wait on the rooftop. If you don't come, I'll keep waiting].
I had no choice but to go up, as he seemed determined to wait all night if I didn't.
A third-year, who was the captain of the soccer team, was leaning against the wall. He was completely imitating a shonen manga character.
"You came. I'll be direct. Go out with me. Even though I look like this, at this school..."
Seol-ah: Senior.
I looked around.
Seol-ah: There's no CCTV here, right?
"Huh? Oh... no, there isn't. That's why I called you here."
Seol-ah: You know I have a heart condition, right? It stopped three times last year.
"...Th-then what?"
Seol-ah: If I suddenly get a confession here and my heart starts pounding, I'll collapse. Then you, senior, will be the person who made a female student collapse on a rooftop with no CCTV. It'll be on the news, right? 'Soccer team captain, on the rooftop...'
"S-sorry! I wasn't thinking!"
The senior apologized with a 90-degree bow and ran down the stairs.
Se-rin, who had been hiding on the landing and listening to everything, emerged, closing her notebook.
Kim Se-rin: Rejection type 3, 'heart condition threat'. 10 points. Perfect. But you used that heart condition card on Hye-jin too. If you overuse it, it'll lose its effect, you know?
Seol-ah: Effective medicine is meant to be used sparingly.
However, about a week later, the repercussions hit an unexpected target.
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
I wasn't the only one captured in that video.
Baek Yu-ri, the person I threw myself to save, was also in it.
'The goddess who risked her life to save her younger sister.'
With a story added, Yu-ri also became famous. Comments like "The younger sister is pretty too?" and "What's with the sisterly narrative?" were attached to every post.
And a new strategy began to trend among male students.
'The goddess is out of reach. But if it's the younger sister...'
Baek Yu-ri.
The younger sister whom the goddess protected with her own body, and whose beauty was outstanding in her own right. Plus, she was also a daughter of the Baeksan Group.
Tributes and letters began to pile up on Yu-ri's desk.
At first, Yu-ri was haughty.
Yu-ri: Hmph. I was popular to begin with, you know? It's not because of my sister's halo, you know?
The way she haughtily accepted the letters was an imitation of a queen, a pose seen many times before.
But that haughtiness crumbled in exactly three days.
Because half of the confessions were like this:
"Yu-ri, what kind of gifts does your sister like?"
"Hey, Yu-ri. If I get close to you... I can have a meal with your sister too, right?"
Guys trying to use a younger sibling as a ladder.
A vein throbbed on my forehead as I watched from afar.
That crossed the line.
The uncle was about to stand up to teach them a lesson, but there was no need.
Because Yu-ri exploded first.
Yu-ri: Hey.
In front of the male student holding the letter, Yu-ri crossed her arms and spoke clearly.
Yu-ri: Are you confessing to me right now, or are you trying to get to my older sister through me?
Male Student: Huh? Th-that is...
Yu-ri: If it's the former, come back with sincerity. If it's the latter, get lost. My sister wouldn't even put someone like you on her scorecard.
The male student vanished, still holding the letter.
I rested my chin on my hand and enjoyed the scene.
"My older sister," she said, "my older sister."
She didn't seem to notice it herself, but it came out very naturally.
Se-rin opened another notebook that day.
On the cover, it read [Baek Sisters' Shared Scorecard].
Kim Se-rin: Younger sister's rejection type 1, 'bridge cutting'. 10 points. They really are blood relatives, aren't they?
Seol-ah: We're not blood relatives.
Kim Se-rin: Then it must be the dinner table that's mixed.
...That was somewhat true, so I couldn't refute it.
But the real problem wasn't inside the school.
The rumors crossed the school walls.
A few days later, after school. Unfamiliar school uniforms began appearing outside the school gate.
At first, two or three. The next day, five or six. The day after that, they came in groups.
They were kids from nearby boys' high schools. So-called 'expedition viewing'.
"There she is, Hanbit High's goddess."
"The one with glasses? Eh, she's a bit different from the picture..."
"No, look closely. She's insane."
"The one next to her is her younger sister. I heard her sister is also amazing?"
The targets doubled.
Yu-ri clung close to my side. She maintained her haughty expression, but her pace quickened.
One brave guy among them approached and held out his phone.
"Hey, I go to the school next door. Can I get your number...?"
The guy next to him moved closer to Yu-ri.
"You're Baek Yu-ri, right? I saw you on SNS..."
That was the moment.
Swoosh.
The window of the black sedan waiting in front of the school gate rolled down.
Chief Choi slowly took off his sunglasses.
That was all. He didn't even get out of the car.
He just took off his sunglasses and looked at them with his eyes.
"...Uh, we were just... trying to ask for directions..."
The two guys disappeared, backing away side by side, and the expeditionary force was cut in half that day.
As they got in the car, Chief Choi started the engine and asked.
Chief Choi: Listen carefully, both of you.
Seol-ah: Yes.
Yu-ri: ...Yes.
Chief Choi: Should I tell your father, or should I not?
Seol-ah: Please don't tell him.
Yu-ri: Please don't tell him!
For once, the sisters' voices united as one.
Chief Choi: Then, starting next week, come out 5 minutes earlier after school. Let's leave before they arrive.
Seol-ah: ...Thank you.
He's a professional, as expected.
It wasn't quiet at home either.
At the dinner table, Auntie smiled brightly as she placed down the side dishes.
Auntie: So our Seol-ah has become famous? Seo-jin unnie said photos are even circulating online!
Seol-ah: ...Enough of that story.
Auntie: Oh, why~ Is being pretty a crime? If it were me, I'd be bragging about it.
Father's eyebrows, as he read the newspaper, moved subtly.
Baek Do-hoon: ...Photos are circulating?
Oh, dear.
Seol-ah: It's just among the kids at school. It's nothing much.
Baek Do-hoon: Chief Choi.
Chief Choi, who was standing by the door, replied.
Chief Choi: Measures are already being taken. For both of you. The legal team is sequentially taking down posts infringing on portrait rights, and we've adjusted your routes to and from school.
Seol-ah: ...The legal team?!
When I asked again in surprise, Father casually said, flipping through the newspaper.
Baek Do-hoon: I cannot stand to see my daughters' faces circulating anywhere.
Daughters.
It was plural.
Yuri's fork, which had been poking at her salad beside me, stopped.
Yuri: ...Me too?
Baek Do-hoon: Then aren't you my daughter?
Father said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and then returned to his newspaper.
Yuri bowed her head deeply. Her earlobes were red.
A child who had lived for ten years as an adopted daughter was touched by the words, 'my daughters.'
Stepmother briefly looked at Father over her wine glass. Her gaze was softer than usual.
I don't know if it was overprotection or tsundere, but thanks to it, Se-rin's all-night work ended.
Se-rin was genuinely upset when she heard this story later.
Kim Se-rin: The legal team... that's cheating. It was the first achievement of my manager career.
Two weeks, as tumultuous as a storm, passed.
Humans are creatures of adaptation, they say.
School life after the great catastrophe settled down, surprisingly, not as exhausting as one might have thought.
The reason was simple.
If the gap becomes too wide, one cannot even approach it.
The male students who witnessed the 'Goddess's Descent' on the sports field that day treated me like some 'sacred sanctuary.'
They would gaze at me from afar with eyes of admiration, or their faces would turn red in front of me, and they would awkwardly make way.
Things with Yu-ri also settled. An unwritten rule, not quite a school regulation, emerged: 'If you bring up the topic of her older sister to Baek Yu-ri, you will suffer social death.'
And at some point, the title of the rumor had changed.
It was no longer 'There's a goddess at Hanbit High School.'
It was 'The Two Goddesses of Baeksan Group.'
Even their surname was attached. Now everyone knew whose daughters they were.
Yu-ri occupied one of the 'Two Goddesses' spots, not just 'the goddess's younger sister.'
Yuri: Who said I'm the second? Why am I the second?
She bristled, but Sister Seo-jin apparently saw her capturing that post on her phone in her room that night.
Se-rin rewrote the cover of her notebook. From [Baek Sisters' Common Scoring Sheet] to [Twin Goddesses Management].
Kim Se-rin: It's business expansion. Got a problem with that?
No. You'd do it anyway, even if I stopped you.
The rush of confessions also subsided. Se-rin's grading sheet being leaked at school was a big factor.
The rumor that 'if you confess to Baek Seol-ah, you'll be graded by type' was more effective than any iron wall.
(It's no secret that Se-rin herself leaked it. She said, "This is management.")
Moreover, although my body was broadcast live to the entire school during the dodgeball catastrophe, I still stuck to the combination of [black horn-rimmed glasses unit 2 + baggy uniform two sizes too big].
Showing it once was enough; walking around like a billboard every day doesn't suit my temperament.
Kim Se-rin: Hey, Baek Seol-ah. What you're doing is a real sin.
Se-rin would beat her chest every time she saw me.
Kim Se-rin: It's a national loss! To confine that face, that figure, in that sack! Beauty becomes national power the more it's flaunted! At least take off your glasses!
Serin-ah rushed at me, trying to take off my glasses, but I easily dodged her and clicked my tongue.
Seol-ah: Quiet. For a student, neatness is the best.
Kim Se-rin: Ugh! That Confucian girl mindset! You're totally an old fogey!
Se-rin's nagging flowed past me like background music.
I'm too busy making a living; where would I find time to doll myself up?
And as that commotion died down, the midterm season began, and our party no longer had time for chitchat.
"Seol-ah, can you tell me this?"
"Hey, how far does the physics range go?"
During every break, my seat was fully operated as 'Baek Seol-ah's Tutoring Room.' Even Hannah, who had always avoided studying, stuck by my side for a last-minute cram session. And then there was an unexpected dark horse, Baek Yu-ri. She wouldn't leave my side, whether at the library or at home. She'd ask, "Hey, how do you solve this?" with a fierce look in her eyes. It was because her competitive spirit, 'I can't lose to my sister,' was burning brightly. It was that competitive spirit that had been building up since Yoon's tutoring during the winter break. The exam period at private high schools in South Korea is no different from a battlefield. The entire school became as quiet as a temple. And in that temple-like school, an unexpected visitor came to find me. The man from the dodgeball court. Wearing a baseball team jacket, with a very serious expression.