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It all began with a diary, a leak, and a riot involving three umbrellas, one carton of milk, and my father dressed like a secret agent.
Let's rewind.
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The Diary Discovery
It was a normal Tuesday.
By normal, I mean I was dodging autograph requests and getting strange offers to "bless" midterm scores in exchange for Yakult bottles.
Then Minji cornered me by the shoe lockers.
"Hey," she said, "someone found my diary."
"Wait—like your actual diary?"
She nodded, pale.
> "If anyone reads page 17, I'll move to another country and change my name to Egg."
Then she looked me dead in the eye.
"You didn't read it... did you?"
My phone buzzed quietly.
> "He's too scared to read it. But he's curious. Very curious. Also, he suspects page 17 holds a romantic confession."
I coughed and changed the subject.
Too late.
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The Diary Goes Public
Somehow—probably through Jun-Pyo, who never locks his backpack and uses bookmarks made of ramen wrappers—Minji's diary got posted in the class group chat.
Page 17 included this line:
> "I think Ji-Hoon is… interesting. He's weird, but in a way that makes my brain do jazz hands."
Suddenly, the entire class turned into a live audience.
"JI-HOON AND MINJI?!"
> "Is this the psychic romance arc?"
"Forget goat chases—this is real drama!"
"I ship it. I ship it so hard."
Jun-Pyo fainted in the background.
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Fan Club Meltdown
Turns out, my fan club (run by Bora, unofficially, but now including several 1st-year students and one teacher) did not like this development.
Inside the girls' bathroom, according to the phone:
> "We need to protest. If Oppa dates Minji, he'll stop being mysterious."
"This is a betrayal of the fan code. We need to release Statement 01: Emotional Denial."
Meanwhile, outside, a group of students made banners reading:
> "Our Prophet Belongs to the People"
"Down with Page 17!"
"Let Oppa Stay Single!"
It was a literal fan riot.
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Dad's New Job: Bodyguard
That night, Dad saw a blurry photo of me being followed by 6 girls holding matching notebooks.
He dropped his remote, looked at me, and said, "I knew this day would come."
"What day?"
"The day I become your personal bodyguard."
He returned an hour later, wearing sunglasses, black suit pants, and a Bluetooth earpiece he got free with a phone case in 2008.
"I'll walk you to school from now on. Call me... Falcon."
> "Falcon" tripped on Bora's slipper within 10 minutes.
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The Ending: One Quiet Moment (Finally)
That night, after the chaos, after Mom shouted at Dad to stop referring to her as "HQ," after Bora announced she was printing stickers with Minji crossed out...
...I sat on the rooftop with my phone and some banana milk.
Minji texted me.
Minji: So… you read it?
Me: I didn't mean to.
Minji: But you did.
Me: ...Page 17 has rhythm.
Minji: So does my shoe. Don't test me.
I smiled. And for once, the phone didn't buzz. It just displayed:
> "No thoughts detected. Just peace."
A rare moment.
A rare ending.
Until tomorrow.
Because this is my life now.
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[End of Volume 1: Mind Reader on Call]