Liar and Liar - Chapter 8

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 8

“Who knows? Maybe one of us is Danielle’s type? I’m curious what she’d be like if we started dating. The side of Triel that no one knows—doesn’t that sound tempting?”

Joshua giggled.

“Dating Danielle…”

Frederick’s voice trailed off slowly, as if he was thinking about something.

Danielle squeezed her eyes shut and jerked her head back.

‘Ah, seriously…’

Bastards. Fucking assholes.

‘Should I just flip everything upside down?’

Since I can’t attend school anymore anyway, should I just dump sewage on those bastards’ faces and drop out?

‘What? A love confession to me?’

Like I’d ever fall for pieces of shit like you with your fucking terrible personalities?

Danielle raised one hand, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose and breathing through her mouth instead. She was trying to muffle her ragged breathing.

‘Are people just toys to you guys?’

No, not everyone’s like that, right?

‘Is it because I’m a bottom-tier scholarship student that I seem easy?’

Danielle let out a silent, bitter laugh. Of all people, Frederick’s group was the same one she had encountered yesterday after school when she was crying.

Of course, she had no way of knowing that her crying had seriously caught their attention and that’s how this whole thing started.

‘They saw me crying and the next day they’re saying shit like this.’

“Ha…”

With her eyes still closed, Danielle turned toward the stairs. She could hear voices behind her, but they no longer reached her ears.

Perhaps she was running away. From the cruel answer Frederick Bastia would have given.

Feeling powerless, all the strength drained from her body. Whether she confronted them right now, brought sewage to pour on them, or formally complained to the school—whatever she did.

She knew reality wouldn’t change one bit.

‘How long do I have to keep struggling like this…’

Gripping the stair railing, Danielle slowly descended the stairs one by one on legs that felt ready to give out.

‘I know it’s my decision, my responsibility.’

I understand it all in my head.

Danielle’s grip tightened on the railing.

Danielle had transferred to America when she was in 5th grade of Lower School. Back then, she wasn’t a scholarship student.

But in 7th grade, when her younger brother was diagnosed with a rare disease, her parents could no longer afford private school tuition, and Danielle faced a crossroads.

The only way for Danielle to stay at Elmir Westlake was to voluntarily descend to the bottom of the pyramid.

Logically, transferring to a public school would have been the right choice. No one had pushed her to live as a scholarship student. But Danielle even convinced her parents herself and voluntarily descended to that bottom tier.

“I’ve never seen a kid work as hard as you.”

“…”

“Not all Koreans are like that, right? It’s just who you are?”

Danielle’s hazel eyes, clouded with contemplation, were murky gray.

There was a time when she believed she was ‘equal’ to Frederick Bastia. Because they attended the same school and wore the same uniform.

“There are plenty of empty seats. Why are you sitting there?”

“I like this seat.”

“I don’t have the talent to accommodate you like the other kids do. I’m not planning to entertain you either.”

“Just having you here like this makes me laugh, so you don’t need to do anything.”

The image of a much younger Frederick smiling brightly appeared vividly before her, as if he were sitting right in front of her.

Back in those childhood days, they had sat together in the same space, on the same sofa, looking at books he offered and laughing together.

So…

‘…How foolish.’

Danielle’s hand pressed against her forehead. As she closed her eyes, her breathing gradually returned to normal.

When she opened her eyes again, the phantom image across from her had completely disappeared.

‘No, no.’

Get it together. Danielle exhaled a long breath through her nose.

‘I’m attending here for myself. For my goals, my future.’

The scholarship essay? That’s just something I can write. If I can’t get the scholarship anymore, then there’s nothing I can do about it.

‘I’ve done my best as much as I could, so there’s no need to be so gloomy.’

I’ll just get off the fast track and go the normal public school route like other Korean international students.

It’s not like the path to college is completely blocked, and everything I’ve worked for and built up won’t disappear.

After taking a deep breath that filled her chest and exhaling, Danielle finally opened her eyes and went down the stairs.

‘Can’t I just write a desperately moving essay that they absolutely can’t refuse to fund?’

One that would force anyone reading it to give me the scholarship if they had even 1g of conscience.

Having organized her thoughts this way, Danielle’s tightly pressed lips curved upward into a faint arc.

It’s okay.

“It’s okay.”

Danielle muttered to herself like a vow.

No matter how much Frederick Bastia annoys me, whatever bet he’s making or intentions he has, it doesn’t matter. It’s none of my business.

That’s what she thought, but Frederick Bastia did something Danielle absolutely couldn’t believe.

The hallway was chaotically noisy as students poured out after class ended.

Danielle was thinking about the essay. What content to include, how to organize it, and when to finish it.

‘Maybe it would be better to write the content more specifically by year…’

She also needed to go back and get the Math Club group photo. Lost in thought with her head full of complications, Danielle was walking down the hallway when she stopped at the shadow cast before her and looked up.

“…What?”

There stood Frederick Bastia like a gatekeeper, blocking her path. His usual smile was even more irritating than ever.

They were just facing each other in a standoff, but students immediately turned their attention, sensing the strange atmosphere.

Stella, who had been leaning against the lockers with friends, unfolded her arms and leaned forward. The tie she wore was a male student’s.

“Hello, Danielle.”

He smiled gently at her, as if he were some innocent saint.

“…What’s with the greeting? Do you have business with me?”

In contrast, Danielle couldn’t manage her expression at all. After all that talk about seducing her and getting a love confession, it seemed he had decided to take action.

‘Whatever he babbles, I should just ignore him and go…’

Don’t mess with me, Frederick Bastia. Seriously. Just as Danielle glared at Frederick’s eyes with that thought.

“Danielle, You’re the person I can’t stop thinking about. Will you be my girlfriend?”

“…What?”

“WHAT?!?!”

Danielle’s mouth hung open and wouldn’t close. The strange silence that had settled was quickly overturned by someone’s shock into chaos. Students in the hallway each added their voices as if shouting.

“Did I hear that right? Was that a public confession just now?”

“And it was Frederick Bastia? To Triel?”

“Jesus, what is happening.”

The surroundings buzzed noisily. Among the students who were shocked and in chaos, the most shocked was naturally Danielle.

Did I hear that correctly? My ears aren’t wrong?

Frederick Bastia really just asked me to be his girlfriend?

‘Wow…’

Danielle, who had been frozen in surprise for a moment, soon let out a silent, bitter laugh.

‘He really will do anything to win that bet. Scary guy.’

Well, he’s a human scumbag who just follows his whims and acts however he wants, so he could certainly pull this kind of stunt for mere amusement and momentary interest.

Thinking that way, Frederick’s confession made sense.

‘Does he think I’ll accept? What’s wrong with his head?’

Danielle’s mouth slowly opened. As she raised her gaze to answer, her eyes naturally met Frederick’s.

Danielle couldn’t interpret the meaning of his smile. Not in Lower School, not in Middle School, and not now in Upper School.

‘He’s smiling so confidently.’

Go ahead and confess all you want—like I’d ever accept. A public confession, no less—where does that confidence come from?

Ridiculous.

“Oh, did I make you angry again?”

“I was just stating the facts.”

As she recalled how their last conversation had ended, she felt beyond absurd—she was seething with anger.

What kind of mockery should she respond with to make that arrogant Frederick Bastia, who lived so smugly, swallow a bitter taste?

However, Frederick’s words came a bit faster than Danielle’s response.

“I don’t know if you realize this, but you’re special to me.”

Danielle’s heart dropped with a thud. It was because of the strangely serious look in Frederick’s eyes as he faced her directly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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