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Ben, who also taught history, was Jiyu's favorite teacher. Ben himself had experienced the loss of his wife to a chronic illness the previous year.
"The school will do its utmost to be considerate and provide care so that you can navigate this difficult time," he promised Ae-jeong in a sincere tone. When she asked about tuition assistance, he called the administration office, stating he would inquire about the details and inform Jiyu separately.
"We've donated ten thousand dollars a year to this school since you were in preschool, so if they just return that to you, you'll be able to attend for free for the remaining two years," Ae-jeong whispered to Jiyu, as if to reassure her. Ae-jeong, who usually looked down on children receiving tuition aid and boasted about her status, was now acting supportive.
As Ben had promised, the staff were incredibly considerate of Jiyu. The school counselor called her in privately, comforting her and telling her to come by whenever she faced any difficulties.
However, the reaction from the students was cold.
While she was away, Beatrice and Sienna had reconciled. They had become inseparable best friends once again. The thing that brought them together was none other than the Ponzi scheme scandal.
Coincidentally, Beatrice's father was one of the small-scale victims. Sienna, who had already viewed Jiyu as an eyesore, had found the perfect excuse and justification to attack her.
Among the students, Jiyu's image had solidified as the daughter of a Ponzi scammer, thanks to the relentless chatter of Sienna and Beatrice.
If before she had been treated like an invisible person—someone whose presence in school was barely acknowledged—she was now treated like a homeless person whose foul stench filled an entire subway car.
Being invisible had actually been more peaceful; enduring the malicious side-eyes and the blatant, mocking glares was truly horrific.
Whenever she walked down the hallway with her head bowed, the sound of whispering invariably followed her.
[That's her, right? The Ponzi scammer's daughter?]
[Yeah. How shameless, attending a private school with the money she stole from Beatrice's dad.]
[I heard her dad committed suicide because he thought he was going to jail.]
[Really? I heard his accomplices killed him because he knew too many secrets.]
[But isn't she a pauper now? How is she paying tuition?]
[Who cares. But wait, is the donation my family made going toward her tuition? Ugh, I hate that.]
At lunchtime, Jiyu stopped by her locker to organize her books before heading to the cafeteria, only to find several colorful Post-it notes stuck to it. A quick glance revealed that the content wasn't much different from the whispers she'd heard behind her back.
Seeing Jiyu standing there with a pale face, Chloe rushed over, tore off all the Post-it notes, and crumpled them up in her hand.
[Olivia, you can't just keep taking this. Tell your mom. And let's report this to the vice principal and the counselor. They're being truly vicious.]
Jiyu leaned weakly against her locker and shook her head. She had neither the will nor the strength.
Sienna was cunning. Unlike in movies or dramas, private schools punished violence and bullying most severely. Knowing this, Sienna stayed just within the line to avoid getting caught while manipulating the other students from behind the scenes.
In science lab and French class, Jiyu was always the last one left without a lab partner. Consequently, the teacher would pair her with whoever remained. Even those last remaining students made it painfully obvious that they didn't want to be her partner.
She remembered bringing a water bottle in the morning, but when it went missing, she found it rolling around behind a trash can. When she asked about the progress of the lessons or homework from the week she missed, everyone claimed not to know, forcing her to go to each subject teacher individually.
Whenever Jiyu passed by, Sienna would pretend to sneeze and shout, "Ponzi!" Then, everyone would burst into laughter, finding it amusing.
If she told Ae-jeong, it was certain that she would turn the school upside down. But doing so would be like pouring gasoline on a fire.
Just as the bullying had stopped after the Spring Fling because she hadn't reacted, she desperately hoped it would subside with time. All she had to do was endure a little longer.
It seemed there was a limit to the amount of grief a person could handle. She was still in a bit of a daze, a lingering aftereffect of the trauma she had experienced.
Unable to overcome Alan's death, blood continued to flow from an unhealed wound every day. While being ostracized was painful, it was less impactful compared to her father's death and the fear of an uncertain future.
The awareness that she was in no position to cause trouble also played a part.
Since she would need tuition assistance starting next school year, she didn't know how making a scene over bullying would affect her financial aid.
The children in the Popular Clique, including Sienna and Beatrice who led the bullying, were mostly from the highest social class, and their parents had made generous donations to Aster School. Since it was a fact that she would have to attend school using the money they provided, she had no choice but to endure.
Jiyu almost skipped lunch, but after heading down to the cafeteria with Chloe, she immediately regretted it. Someone was sitting in her usual spot, and as soon as she set her tray down at an empty seat at another table, the students sitting next to her abruptly stood up and moved to a different table.
Sienna's high-pitched laughter pierced through the cafeteria noise and stabbed into Jiyu's back like a dagger. Her shoulders instinctively hunched.
Chloe told her not to worry, forcing a smile despite her obvious discomfort. Feeling as though she would throw up if she ate, Jiyu just poked at her food without really eating. Then, Chloe asked cautiously.
[Um... I'm only asking just in case, but your dad wasn't actually the mastermind behind the Ponzi scheme, right?]
Jiyu fought back the tears welling up and shook her head firmly.
[No. My dad was just one of the managers in the accounting department. He passed away from a heart attack while staying out of sight because of the press. It wasn't suicide, or murder. Nothing like that.]
At that, Chloe nodded thoughtfully and suddenly spoke up loudly.
[Right? Your dad had nothing to do with it! Your dad was such a good person, I knew there was no way!]
For a very brief moment, silence fell over the cafeteria.
Jiyu could see Chloe's hand trembling as she gripped the handle of her fork. As soon as the noise returned, Jiyu bowed her head low, struggling not to let her tears show.
After swallowing her tears several times, she looked up and mouthed to Chloe.
[Thank you.]
Chloe, whose eyes had also turned red, nodded back.
However, after that moment, Chloe also became a target of the Popular Clique. She had committed the "offense" of defying the trend and defending the daughter of a criminal.
After school, Jiyu called Chloe to the library to talk for a moment.
[Chloe, let's stay apart for a while. I can't stand to see them bully you because of me. I'm sorry...]
[Olivia, what are you talking about! I'm fine.]
Chloe tried to act composed, but in the few days she had been treated as an untouchable alongside Jiyu, she had become so haggard that her once chubby cheeks had sunken.
She couldn't let her only kind and gentle friend get dragged into her mess.
[I'm asking you. Let's hang out again once this... madness settles down. Thank you for being by my side when things were hard, Chloe. If it weren't for you, these past few days would have been truly, too difficult. I'll never forget it.]
Jiyu spoke from the bottom of her heart.
With a red nose and drooping lips, Chloe reluctantly nodded. However, she couldn't hide the flicker of inevitable relief and guilt in her honest eyes.
Once Jiyu began walking alone, the collective ostracization of Chloe gradually faded. When they crossed paths in the hallway or by the lockers, they would share short, secret conversations while glancing around, but no one except the teachers spoke to Jiyu at school.
Whenever she had a chance, she rushed to the grand library and tucked herself away in a corner where she wouldn't be seen, doing her homework, reading books, and studying.
'Just two more months until spring break. Please, let's just hold on until then.'
She had attended Aster School for eleven years, and only two years remained until graduation. Yet, the two months remaining until spring break felt longer than the previous eleven years combined.
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