The fortune teller was taken away by the police.
No matter how famous she was in the neighborhood for her supposed abilities, no one is above the law.
Especially now that she'd been exposed as a fraud trying to scam people.
No one was willing to take her side.
Who would defend someone who tried to hit another person?
If it had been a fight between two ordinary people, that would be one thing, but this was a one-sided attack against a disabled person.
Hmm, saying it like that makes it sound like I used my disability as bait to trap the fortune teller.
I'm clearly the victim here.
I came to find out about Yeseul's sister's identity, but it turned out to be a waste of time.
Well, I did feel a tiny bit guilty about claiming I was hit when I wasn't.
When I went to the hospital, they gave me a medical certificate for two weeks of treatment because of a bruise on the inside of my arm.
It wasn't from being hit—it was just a bruise that inevitably forms when using crutches.
"Come to think of it, when I was hit and fell down last time, they also gave me a two-week certificate. Do they just give two weeks for anything that heals quickly?"
I mentioned this casually, but then:
"Noel... It's good that you stood up for justice, but aren't you being too reckless with your body? I heard some strange person came looking for you before and you ended up in the hospital."
"That wasn't Noel's fault. I was careless with my filming... I never imagined someone would analyze the sidewalk pattern in the video to find Noel's address."
Out of nowhere, Gabi scolded me, and Jaemin responded with a worried expression.
Why did they have to bring up something from the past?
Now I feel self-conscious about being so excited about today.
It wasn't even my fault.
"Ugh... I wasn't really hurt back then anyway."
My awkward response was met with more criticism from both of them.
"Noel, what are you saying? Not really hurt? You passed out and were taken to the hospital. Do you think I don't know about that just because I rarely watch internet broadcasts?"
"That's right. All kinds of online communities were buzzing about it for a while. Stalking, hate crimes—so many people tried to connect it to everything from the media to interest groups."
"Well... I wasn't knocked unconscious from being hit. I was just pretending to collapse, but I fell asleep because I'd been up all night. I wasn't even hit hard. If I had been, my cheek would have bruised. And this time... I wasn't hit hard enough to be injured. The bruise on my arm is just from using crutches."
I told them the facts of the incidents.
It was difficult to tell the complete truth since the fortune teller had been arrested for assault.
There's a difference in punishment between "I wasn't injured but was hit" and "I dodged everything and wasn't hit at all."
But the two of them didn't believe me.
"Noel, you know that's not credible at all, right? The doctor wouldn't have diagnosed a concussion without reason."
"That's right. You don't have to pretend you're okay. That woman has been arrested anyway, and you're safe here."
Is this what they call the frustration of misunderstandings?
I'm really fine, but everyone around me is making a fuss.
It was so frustrating that I tried explaining again.
"Look, it's not like getting hit is something to brag about... And I dodged everything. Even with my condition, I don't just stand there and take hits."
"It's not something to brag about, but it's nothing to be ashamed of either. You did well. I'm upset that you got hurt, and I'm angry at the person who hit you, but there's a saying that avoiding fights is the wise choice."
But no matter how much I protested, the two of them had already decided I was the victim.
Jaemin scolded me like a child.
"There's that Michael Jackson song, 'Beat It.' Who wants to lose a fight? But it's better not to see blood, and people who resort to violence first tend to have messed-up lives. They talk about getting paid for settlements, but some people think prison is better than society and don't even try to settle. It's wiser not to get hurt."
Gabi, who had been quiet, suddenly chimed in with a foreign song reference as if afraid someone would say she hadn't studied English with pop songs.
"Wait, isn't that song about fighting? The melody is really intense. It has macho lyrics too. Like, you can't lose, that kind of thing."
"It means you don't want to lose, but you don't need to be a tough guy. 'Beat it' also means to leave the place."
"Oh, I thought it meant to beat someone down."
Was it such a famous song?
Even Jaemin, who I thought only played games, was showing off her knowledge.
It actually hurt my pride a bit that I didn't know about it.
It reminded me of something I heard when I was young.
If you don't go out and socialize, you'll become a bookworm who only knows how to study.
Back then, I thought if I just studied hard, everything else would follow naturally.
I dismissed those who said otherwise as immature.
But now I see they were half right.
I focused only on studying, and when that fell apart, I had nothing else I knew how to do.
If I hadn't played games, I would have been completely lost.
After becoming a woman, I might have just wasted away in my room with nothing to do.
It's chilling to think about, but that didn't happen, right? So there's no need to dwell on it.
I was just jealous of how well the two of them got along.
My voice naturally came out sounding sulky.
"I didn't fight because I wanted to. I just called her out because she was trying to scam people."
"Yes, yes, I understand. But there are already plenty of people in this world who pick fights for all sorts of reasons. Especially for streamers like us, we need to be extra careful. Since we're more famous than ordinary people, it's easier to attract strange individuals."
"And if a fight breaks out, it's harder for you to get away, Noel. That's why we're more worried."
But no matter what I said, the two of them continued to show off how well they got along by saying the same things.
Of course, I understand. They're saying these things because they're worried about me.
I should just say I'll be more careful, and that would be the end of it.
But somehow, seeing how well the two of them got along made me not want to give in so easily.
"Are you telling me to avoid fights because I'm disabled and can't run away? Should I just back down even when I'm right?"
"Noel, that's not what we're saying..."
"Isn't it? Nothing changes if you just keep avoiding confrontation. My feet ended up like this because I just curled up and took it. If I had actively resisted back then, I might have gotten beaten worse, but at least I could have received proper treatment. I might have left home earlier and been living a different life by now. With functioning limbs."
As I spoke, I became increasingly emotional and ended up revealing things I'd never mentioned before.
After letting it all out, I suddenly realized what I'd done.
These two had come along just to help me find out if Yeseul's sister might be a ghost.
They endured this heat for my sake.
Of course, it was fun until the incident at the fortune teller's house.
We were all laughing and joking around.
But the heat was definitely making things difficult.
They went through all that trouble because we're friends.
And here I was, saying such things to them.
So I closed my mouth, but it was too late to take back what I'd said.
My words must have sounded like nothing but sarcasm to them.
I was just being petty because seeing them so close made me jealous.
Both Gabi and Jaemin looked at me with shocked expressions.
I found it difficult to say anything, so I just moved my lips awkwardly.
Of course, I knew what I should say in this situation.
I'm sorry, I misspoke.
Just like I told the fortune teller earlier, I should apologize.
It was my mistake.
But no words came easily.
Whatever I said, I had already hurt them with my selfishness.
Still, twenty years of education helped me manage a difficult apology to them.
"...I'm sorry. I think the heat got to me for a moment. It's absolutely not because I have any resentment toward you, so I hope you won't take it too badly... Yes, you're right, I'll really be more careful from now on, okay?"
It might sound pathetic.
But Gabi and Jaemin just stared at me with slightly distorted expressions.
They didn't say anything in response.
Had I hurt them that badly?
Yes, they gave me advice with good intentions, and I responded with such thorny words.
How bad must they feel?
In the end, I had only one option.
"...I'm sorry, everyone worked hard today. You came all this way in this heat because of me. And I ruined everything..."
I needed to give the two of them some space.
When feelings are hurt like this, people need time to cool down.
So I turned my wheelchair to move away from Gabi and Jaemin.
"Noel, if you leave like this, you might never reconcile with Gabi and Jaemin."
Yeseul's voice came from beside me.