Chapter 141 - The Latecomer (3)

★

Therefore.

Let us now speak of my defeat.

The protagonist's position.

Having only ever played the hero, I become, for the first time, a villain who deserves to be overthrown.

Until now, defeat had never been an option for me. Every single defeat would have been fatal.

Had I lost, the slums would have been engulfed in flames and burned to the ground. My defeat meant the empire's destruction. My defeat meant the end of the martial world. And my defeat, my defeat...

Now, for the first time.

My defeat does not spell destruction.

This is, at last, a story in which I lose. A story that can reach its ending only when the person called 'I' goes under.

[Your current immersion rate is 100%.]

Now then.

But 'I' am strong.

'I' am a thoroughly cunning person.

I do not know how you remember your school days. Were they happy? Were they fun? Was the classroom small enough to dress up in childhood ignorance and excuses, so that everything that happened there was prettily painted into a sepia-toned panorama?

Not for 'me.'

'I' am a little more subtle than you. More devious. Perhaps there was no one like me at your school. Or perhaps you simply do not remember. But 'I' am certainly here.

Someone who has framed a classmate.

Someone who has devised a plan and fabricated evidence to falsely accuse another.

Someone who has threatened classmates into keeping their mouths shut.

A person with those very memories. 'You' are my true comrade. At least 'you' will have some inkling of my existence, and, with luck, understand me.

Yes, while the other students defenselessly patched over their childhood with so-called [school days], you and I, 'we,' hunted those foolish minnows with ease.

Our hunts are secret.

That is why people do not remember.

Most people interpret our hunts, concealed because we are [skilled], in precisely the opposite way. All students are [inexperienced], they say, and therefore not clever enough to conduct sophisticated hunts.

Not clever enough? Who? 'Us'? What an absurd misconception.

They cannot even remember what happened right under their noses.

First, I shall confess the secrets of the hunt to those people.

This is a story from before someone possessed 'me.'

"Here at school, there are two ways students establish their standing. First, there are students who do well academically. But doing well requires effort. And students hate making an effort more than anything."

On the other hand.

"Looking down on others and laughing at them is easy."

It takes no effort.

"Since sneering takes no effort, every student can participate. This is the crucial difference between [studying] and [mockery]. What difference? How many students can easily join in."

To raise your test score by one point, you need to study for at least ten minutes.

But mocking and teasing someone takes less than ten seconds.

"[Who is better at mocking others] is far more entertaining than something like [who does better academically]. Far easier. And therefore far more powerful. Unlike studying, anyone can readily join this game. That is precisely why [mockery] is a standard that applies in every school."

This is where the dynamics of bullying take shape.

"First, the scapegoat must stand out."

Are they noticeably richer than the other kids? Or noticeably poorer? Does their face look strange to anyone who sees it? Do they smell strange when you get close? Is their speech painfully clumsy? Are they overly diligent? All good. Anything will do.

[Mockery] is powerful because it is easy.

Its scapegoat must be easy to mock.

"Kim Yul."

There is good reason Kim Yul was chosen as prey.

"He is poor."

Noticeably so.

"Unmistakably poor. He smells bad when you go near him."

Even a monochrome school uniform cannot hide poverty. It shows on the outside—that is the cruel thing about poverty. Anyone could see Kim Yul was poor. Anyone who approached him could smell how bad he smelled.

He was easy for anyone to mock.

"Hey."

So it is easy to begin.

"I feel kind of bad saying this, but when you go near him..."

"Oh, yeah. He does smell a little. Poor guy..."

Level 1.

Start lightly.

As 'you' know, you must not reveal your true intentions from the outset. That would be stupid.

"I heard he got in on a scholarship?"

"I've known Kim Yul since middle school, and even then..."

Chitchat.

It is best to make him nothing more than a topic of conversation.

"Want me to tell you guys a secret? Actually..."

Gradually increase the number of students participating in the chitchat.

"He lives there? Wow. That place is literally a dump."

"His dad collects wastepaper."

"Huh, could he be the same guy who collects the wastepaper from my house?"

"Nah. No way..."

That is how you slowly draw more attention.

What the instigator must be careful about here is never revealing malice. Not yet! 'You' know this too. It is not time yet.

Look.

Rather than "Kim Yul's kind of unpleasant, isn't he?"

"Hey. Wow, it's true. The guy who collects the scrap from my house really is Kim Yul's dad!"

This is a much wiser thing to say.

"What, really?"

Of course, it is a lie.

"How did you find out?"

"I wasn't sure at first either. But on Sunday, he came to collect the scrap, so I casually asked, ["Are you Kim Yul's father, by any chance? I'm his friend from school."] He looked a little flustered and asked me to look out for him."

"Whoa..."

"Really?"

Lying is a basic skill for 'us.'

My classmates look at my face with shining eyes, still half doubtful. Those gazes, that attention, are proof of success. You have successfully drawn people into the topic called [Kim Yul].

"Kim Yul! Is your dad's job, by any chance..."

"Hey. Hey. Why would you bring that up? Don't say it."

"What, why? So it was bullshit after all?"

"That's not it. Anyway. Sorry, Kim Yul. It's nothing."

"..."

Level 2.

The observation stage.

From here, malice rolls along quite nicely on its own.

"Pfft."

No human being in the world never makes mistakes. Students especially. Now his classmates watch Kim Yul's every move, examining his mistakes as though through a magnifying glass.

"Pffft..."

And they laugh.

Perhaps he misses a volleyball in gym class and has to run a little farther to retrieve it.

Perhaps he dozes off during fourth period and is still asleep when lunch begins.

Perhaps he stammers a little when answering a teacher's question.

"Pff..."

It does not matter how trivial the mistake is.

Make it easy. Make it stand out.

Always remember the dynamics of [mockery].

"Hey, he goes behind the school every lunchtime, right? That's..."

"He feeds the chickens? Seriously?"

"Go look down from the window. I'm telling you, it's true."

Make it easy for anyone to see.

Make it easy for anyone to participate.

"Kim Yul! Look over here!"

"Oh, he actually looked."

"Do you think he gets the chickens for free once they're grown?"

"Eww."

Ultimately, create [a game everyone plays].

As 'you' know, the overwhelming majority of bullying stops at this line.

It can arise spontaneously up to this point. There need not be a clear ringleader. There need not be accomplices. Mere followers are enough for [Level 2] to happen easily.

Level 2 bullying amounts to the following.

Minor violence roughly once every two weeks. A group assault roughly once every three months. A public beating roughly once every six months. One small scar that remains on the body and never fades. One semester at the shortest. Three years at the longest. Occasionally, a student takes the lead in the violence temporarily, but there is no long-term instigator...

And as 'you' know.

"Hey."

'We' do not stop here.

"Let's test something."

We go a step further.

"What?"

"Watch closely. These are shoes I bought. Brand-new."

If you have successfully brought things this far, 'you' are undoubtedly an accomplished liar. From now on, you must perform a little magic for your classmates.

"You draw a star underneath here with a marker, like this. See? You guys saw it too, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"I'm going to throw them out in front of my house with the wastepaper."

"... What are you talking about?"

"Idiot. Kim Yul's dad collects the wastepaper from my house."

It is a lie. The wastepaper collector who passes your house is not actually Kim Yul's father. But it makes no difference. You know one spot along the route Kim Yul's father takes.

"If he finds brand-new shoes with the wastepaper, will he give them to Kim Yul or not? Watch. If the guy collecting wastepaper really is Kim Yul's dad, he'll come wearing these tomorrow."

"Uh..."

"Yeah, huh?"

"I bet Kim Yul comes wearing these tomorrow."

Now.

You secretly prepared two identical pairs of shoes.

"Okay, look. I threw them out here. See? I'm not touching them again."

You discarded one pair near your house in front of your friends.

"Hmm."

The other pair, you had already left along Kim Yul's father's route a day earlier.

Naturally, both pairs have ★ drawn on their soles.

You merely wanted to show your friends a convincing magic trick. That is why you pretended to draw ★ right before their eyes. If you are more meticulous, you will spend the entire day hanging out with your friends to establish a perfect alibi.

"Hey, hey. Check!"

The next day. Lunchtime. The classroom.

"What if we get caught looking?"

"Just hurry up and look!"

"We're only taking a quick peek..."

While Kim Yul is downstairs in the cafeteria, we flock over. Kim Yul's desk. A bag for his indoor shoes hangs from its hook.

The students' eyes shine. Giggling as though to demonstrate that [this is just a prank], they lift Kim Yul's shoe bag. Then they take out shoes that are a little cleaner than usual.

"Wow."

Naturally.

"I-it's true?"

There is a ★ on the soles of the shoes Kim Yul wore to school.

"Wow. Shit, then Kim Yul took what you threw out..."

"You didn't set this up with Kim Yul, did you?"

"No, he's been with us the whole time yesterday and today."

"Then it really..."

The students look at you with the eyes of people who have just witnessed an amazing magic trick. There are many lines you could choose here. It depends on your personality and tastes. You could boast, "See? I told you." You could start revealing your malice: "That's kind of gross."

"Wow."

But I recommend this line.

"It really is true..."

Blend in with those around you.

"I mean, that guy could've been lying about being Kim Yul's dad."

Act as though you did not know either.

"So I wasn't a hundred percent sure it was true."

Laugh as though dumbfounded. Check the shoes again and act as though you have seen something unbelievable. Adjust your tone as though you have only just realized a truth you never knew.

"But wow, it really was true..."

Then take a step back.

"Hey, hey. I don't know anything. Forget the bet. I'm not collecting. You guys just pretend you don't know either. This stays between us. No, forget it. Anyway, I don't know anything."

Inexperienced instigators try to create their masterpiece all by themselves from beginning to end. As 'you' know, this is foolish impatience. They become impatient because they sense how crude their fabricated evidence is, how unimpressive their magic.

That is why you must perform flawless magic from the outset.

"What's going on?"

It is conveniently lunchtime.

Classmates return to the classroom one or two at a time.

"Hey, Kim Yul actually..."

"Huh? What? What?"

Of course, you deliberately scheduled your magic show for lunchtime. You could hardly waste your magic on a mere break between classes, could you?

At lunchtime, classmates return in succession, in groups of three or four. There is plenty of time. Perfect for whispering about the 'incident' that just occurred and spreading the contagion.

"Whoa."

The classmates pass Kim Yul's shoes around.

"Holy shit. It was true?"

'True, my ass.'

You sit in the back with your eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

You have become cautious.

You never spread the story yourself. You do not show off. You know the virtue of a lion that shares its prey with the pride instead of keeping it all to itself.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Come here, quick."

"What about Kim Yul's shoes?"

Give others the pleasure of spreading rumors. Plant the illusion that they personally unearthed and 'discovered' the 'truth.' Let them enjoy chewing on chunks of meat dripping with blood.

"Ugh. Then does he pick other things out of the trash to use too?"

Believe in human malice.

"Yeah. I didn't say anything before, but Kim Yul's dad really does collect wastepaper. We went to the same middle school. We had a time when we talked about our parents' jobs..."

Trust the power of mockery.

"That's kind of filthy..."

Believe in the magic of ★.

"Wow, so he just recycles everything?"

"Recycling. He's Recycling."

"Pfft."

★

"I feel bad for him, but it really is filthy."

"Ugh, they smell like feet. Didn't you say these were new?"

★

"Hey, Recycling's here. Hide them."

★

"Kim Yul, did you feed the chickens?"

"Your shoes looked pretty clean today!"

"Heh."

★

"...?"

After school.

You form a pack and head down to the main gate, following Kim Yul. Not knowing what is going on, Kim Yul tilts his head, but pays it no mind. And the moment Kim Yul takes his shoes out of his indoor-shoe bag and changes into them.

"Pffft!"

★ is complete.

"Pfft, heh..."

"Hey, Kim Yul! Those..."

"Those are the shoes Eunseo threw out in front of his house yesterday!"

"Look underneath!"

The young beasts immerse themselves in the pleasure of exposing a 'truth' Kim Yul did not know. You are actually a filthy child. There is no point denying it. We have 'evidence.'

"..."

The truth is that Kim Yul's father found new shoes and brought them to his child. The truth is that Kim Yul's father held those shoes, carefully examined them from every angle to see how new they were, decided they ought to be good enough, and cautiously gave them to his child. The truth is that Kim Yul knew all of this, but silently accepted his father's gift. The truth is his father's deliberation, his silent expression, and Kim Yul's silent eyes.

But the beasts lack the imagination to envision any of that.

They do not even try.

"..."

Because mockery is so much easier.

With the evidence you created for them, the beasts easily enjoy ★.

"Got nothing to do?"

Kim Yul speaks with an expressionless face.

"Having fun?"

He is calm.

"If you're bored, mind your own business. Leave other people alone."

Then he turns his back and leaves school.

"Uh..."

"..."

The classmates fall silent for a moment.

If, in this silence, someone said just one thing—"Hey, this isn't funny. Let's stop"—a great deal might subside. "We're in high school, and we're still bullying people?" All it takes is steering the mood. As 'you' know, saying such things requires courage.

"What? What's his problem?"

"We were just joking around..."

When no one says what ought to be said.

"What a jerk."

"Walking around wearing trash."

"I didn't know he was like that..."

Level 3.

Violence against the scapegoat is sanctioned.

"Hey, someone buy some indoor shoes and throw them out. Let's see if he wears those too."

I do not know how you remember your school days.

"He leaves his bag at lunchtime. Put this pencil case in then."

"You're seriously evil."

"Bite me."

Were they happy? Were they fun?

"Huh? That's the pencil case I threw out yesterday."

"What? Kim Yul recycled again?"

"Pfft."

Was the classroom small enough to dress up in childhood ignorance and excuses, so that everything that happened there was prettily painted into a sepia-toned panorama?

"Ugh. That rotten-milk smell..."

"Quick, hide it under his desk."

"Hurry! Class is starting!"

Not for me.

"... Doesn't something smell weird?"

"You smell it too?"

"Yeah. It was awful all through math."

"Wait. I'll look for it. Sniff, sniff."

"I think it's coming from the back row."

I am a little more subtle than you.

More devious.

"Yul, why wash a rag? It's still a rag even if you wash it."

"Poor guy. He must feel sorry for the rag..."

Perhaps there was no one like me at your school.

Or perhaps you simply do not remember.

[Your current immersion rate is 100%.]

But I am certainly here.

"..."

In this city.

In this school.

Sitting in this classroom, holding a mechanical pencil.

"Class president, what are you looking at?"

The class president looks at me strangely.

"... Gongja."

"Huh?"

"..."

The class president trembled. It was a small shudder. She seemed sickened by something, and seemed to be lamenting it. But her strange behavior soon ended. She steadied her voice and spoke.

"No, it's nothing. Your name just suddenly slipped my mind. What was it again?"

"What? Dementia already, class president? Hwang Eunseo. Hwang Eunseo."

"Oh, right."

That was your name, the class president murmurs.

She never has much to do with our group anyway.

"I hear your girlfriend's running in the student council election."

"Yeah, why?"

"I think I'll run too. Tell her I look forward to a fair contest."

"What, you want to be student council president? All you do is study."

"I need a recommendation to get into Seoul National University. I hear it's easier if you're student council president."

Is that so? Sounds plausible.

It is kind of funny how openly she says she wants to become student council president to get into Seoul National University. Well, she is the class president. An honest girl. I decide not to think much of it.

"Nice. Good luck, class president. I'm voting for my girlfriend, but hang in there anyway."

The class president nods expressionlessly.

"Yes, thank you."

I am strong.

I am a thoroughly cunning person.

Therefore.

"... I was planning to give it everything I have anyway."

Let us now speak of my defeat.