I Returned as a High School Girl

Chapter 57: Weakness (2)

Classes usually ended early on the first day of school. Choi Ro-Mi asked Kang Ra-Eun and Seo Yi-Seo after school, “Gyu-Rin and I are gonna go watch a movie. Do you guys wanna come too?”

“A movie? Why so out of the blue?”

“We’re third-years now. We’re gonna be studying nonstop from now on, so I was thinking that we should play while we still can. What do you think?”

Ro-Mi had a point. Third-years were examinees who had to overcome the trial that was the SATs. Although their lives weren’t decided just from taking it once, it still had quite a significant influence on their lives. Ra-Eun was persuaded by their views. And not only that...

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been to a cinema.’

Ra-Eun had been so busy over the winter break that she had no time to take some time to go to a cinema. She had also not gone to watch any movies because she had watched them all before, especially the fairly popular ones that were currently out.

‘I guess returning to the past has its downsides in this sense.’

Ra-Eun held in her bitter smile. She was disappointed that, unlike others, she knew exactly how certain movies were going to go. However, great movies were still great even after a second or third watch, and she had nothing to do at home. Since Ra-Eun was curious about what movies were out, she decided to accept Ro-Mi’s suggestion.

“Let’s go,” Ra-Eun said.

“Okay. What about you, Yi-Seo?”

“If Ra-Eun’s going, I’m going too,” Yi-Seo quickly answered as a best friend should.

Ra-Eun had decided to go to the cinema after a long time with friends that she got along with. If anything was different from the past, it would be her friends’ gender.

***

Ra-Eun’s phone vibrated on her way to the cinema. It was a call from Chief Jung.

“Just a sec,” Ra-Eun said as she slowed down to walk behind her friends.

They also walked ahead at an appropriate pace so that Ra-Eun did not fall behind too much.

“Hello?”

- Hey, Ra-Eun. Your classes are over, right?

“Yes, I’m free to talk right now.”

- Really? Actually, you got another music video casting offer...

Ra-Eun had made quite a profit from starring in Rita’s music video. That music video had instantly raised public awareness of her, when all she had in terms of work record was a minor role in a drama. Thanks to that, she had been receiving a few music video casting offers from other agencies now and then, with their intent being to receive the ‘Kang Ra-Eun effect’ as well.

- Don’t be too shocked when you hear this. The music video casting offer is from...

“It’s a casting offer for Bex’s music video, right?”

Ro-Mi’s ears perked up as soon as she heard ‘Bex’ while she was walking ahead. She was a huge Bex fan, especially of Je-Woon. Her hearing got scarily good whenever they were mentioned.

“Ra-Eun! You just said ‘Bex,’ right? Right?!”

“What are you doing? You’re disturbing Ra-Eun’s phone call.”

Yi-Seo and Na Gyu-Rin grabbed Ro-Mi’s left and right arms respectively. Ra-Eun continued with her call while they were holding Ro-Mi back. Meanwhile, Chief Jung was shocked that Ra-Eun had immediately guessed correctly.

- How did you know?

“Je-Woon sunbae told me that they’d be sending me a casting offer for their music video soon.”

Ro-Mi’s rampage became even fiercer once she heard ‘Je-Woon.’ They had unintentionally gotten people’s attention because of her, to which Gyu-Rin and Yi-Seo apologized in embarrassment.

Ra-Eun continued her call with Chief Jung in the meantime.

- Well, okay, since you already know... First, they’re going to be sending over the concept of the music video and how the shoot will proceed around tomorrow. I could have Ms. Shin deliver it to you as soon as I get it, so why don’t you take a look over it?

“Okay.”

Chief Jung felt a sense of abnormality from how accepting Ra-Eun was. Ra-Eun would not usually be so compliant. However, Ra-Eun was acting like this because she already knew that there were no revealing scenes, skinship nor kiss scenes included in the music video shoot.

Not knowing that, Chief Jung was dumbfounded. However, since everything was good, he quickly accepted Ra-Eun’s answer and ended the call before she could change her mind.

After ending the call, Ra-Eun sighed at Ro-Mi who was even more excited than herself. This was how scary idol fandoms could be.

***

Gyu-Rin expressed her surprise as soon as they arrived at the cinema.

“Oh no, I wanted to watch Leashed, but it’s sold out.”

The hollywood action blockbuster Leashed was an extremely popular movie that broke the total cinema attendance record in just one week of it being released. They had been planning on watching it today, but they had been too late.

“What should we do?” Gyu-Rin asked her friends.

It was too much of a waste to just go home after coming all this way.

“We can just watch another movie.”

“Yeah.”

Leashed?was not the only movie being screened. They held an emergency meeting about which movie to watch. Ra-Eun also flipped through the pamphlet to recall which movies were released around this time.

However, they could not easily come to a conclusion. The next screening time of one movie was too far away, and another movie did not fit the preferences of one of the four. It was difficult to match the preferences of multiple people.

At that moment, Gyu-Rin presented another option like the class president she was.

“Then how about this one?”

The movie that she gestured at was...

“Hell Kree?”

“Isn’t this a horror movie?”

Hell Kree was a horror movie that was also made in America like Leashed, and it was rumored to be extremely scary.

Yi-Seo and Ro-Mi were okay with Gyu-Rin’s suggestion, and the only person left to give her thoughts was Ra-Eun.

“I-I’m okay with it too. L-Let’s watch it,” she suddenly stuttered.

Ra-Eun had never been this flustered even in front of a camera, so they had never expected her to be so shaken over picking a movie.

The quick-witted Gyu-Rin narrowed her eyes.

“Are you perhaps scared of horror movies, Ra-Eun?”

Ra-Eun yelled in anger, “Of course not! It’s all fake anyway, so what’s there to be scared about? Let’s go buy the tickets already.”

Ra-Eun denied Gyu-Rin’s question completely, but something smelled fishy.

***

The four high school girls entered the theater and sat with Ro-Mi, Gyu-Rin, Ra-Eun and Yi-Seo lined up in one row. Unlike Leashed, there weren’t many people in the theater watching Hell Kree; there were only about twenty people.

Ro-Mi said while trembling, “It kinda feels scarier when there aren’t that many people.”

“That’s the charm of horror movies.”

Gyu-Rin and Yi-Seo with high tolerance for horror movies were sitting nonchalantly in their seats. However, only Ra-Eun was not smiling. Gyu-Rin lightly laughed as she looked at Ra-Eun looking away from the screen with a face completely frozen.

“Ra-Eun, the movie hasn’t even started yet, so you don’t have to be so scared.”

“I said I wasn’t scared.” Ra-Eun said while glaring at Gyu-Rin. However, her glare today was rather cute instead of scary.

The movie began after the ads ended. Like most horror movies, it started at a dark abandoned house to leave a powerful impact on the audience. Ra-Eun flinched vigorously as soon as she saw the abandoned house. She fanned her face with her hands in embarrassment.

“Wh-Why is this theater so damn hot?”

“It’s still winter, Ra-Eun,”

Ra-Eun shut her mouth at Gyu-Rin’s sharp response.

The group searching the abandoned house looked around with a flashlight. At that moment, a female ghost with hollow eye sockets jumped into the frame.

“Kyaak!” Ra-Eun screamed.

Her friends were more surprised by her scream than the jumpscare. Yi-Seo stared at Ra-Eun in amazement. She had never known that Ra-Eun could make sharp screams like this.

Gyu-Rin’s suspicions had been on the mark. Ra-Eun had absolutely zero tolerance for horror, even in her past life. Even when people suggested they go watch a horror movie, she absolutely refused. She could not play horror games either. One could say that Ra-Eun just couldn’t do anything horror-related.

She was lost for words at her easily-frightened self who ended up here after putting on airs for no reason. She was slightly trembling with her eyes glued shut. Yi-Seo held her hand, and noticed that it was drenched in sweat despite it being winter.

“Are you okay, Ra-Eun?”

“T-T-T-T-T-Totally! I’m totally fine, s-so don’t mind me!”

She did not look fine at all. She slowly opened her eyes back up once she had instinctively realized that the scary part was over. However, horror movies put jumpscares where the audience least expected it.

She mustered up the courage to open her eyes, but another ghost jumpscare occurred under an anxiety-inducing BGM. She had unwittingly made eye contact with the ghost.

“...!!!”

The theater echoed with Ra-Eun’s screams because of the unlucky timing.

***

Ra-Eun wiped her sweat-drenched forehead, neck and the area under the neck with a handkerchief. Her friends who came to the bathroom with her looked at her in amazement.

“I can’t believe our Ra-Eun had a weakness like this.”

“Yeah, what a surprise.”

Their image of Ra-Eun was someone who would punch or kick even ghosts, but they found the image of a powerless and trembling Ra-Eun amazing and somewhat cute.

Ra-Eun warned her friends with a glare, “You’d better not tell anyone what you saw here today, got it?”

She was threatening them with a face as red as a tomato, but they weren’t really scared, considering they just saw her screaming in fear from a horror movie.

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us.”

“Yeah, trust us.”

They decided to bury what had happened in the cinema in the name of friendship, because they thought that Ra-Eun would actually get mad if they didn't.