Chapter 9
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During the summer break, I found myself a part–time job to earn some extra cash to pay for my living expenses. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but I constantly felt like someone
was watching me. Yet every time I looked back, no one was there, so I dismissed it as
nothing.
My salary was paid to me on a bi–monthly basis, and I realized that I had received a thousand dollars more than what was promised. A thousand dollars was a large sum of money during those days.
My boss, Jerry Little, explained, “Business has been going great recently. It’s your bonus.”
I happily accepted the extra cash upon hearing his words.
When I finished my shift, I further rewarded myself by purchasing a fried chicken drumstick. When I stopped by the shop, I noticed that they were running a promotion where if one purchased one drumstick, the buyer would receive another three for free.
Lady Luck must have been smiling down on me that day.
However, the thought had barely finished forming in my mind when I realized that the customer who was behind me had only received one drumstick from the owner of the fried
chicken shop.
The customer was bewildered and asked, “Why did you give me only one drumstick when you gave her four? Isn’t there a promotion?”
The owner looked oddly at me before saying, “The promotion ended.”
The customer muttered unhappily under his breath as he left with his single drumstick.
I finally realized that something was amiss. I retraced my footsteps but didn’t detect even a hint of Joseph’s shadow. I pulled out the one thousand dollars from my bag and carelessly threw it on the ground before preparing to take my leave.
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Finally, Joseph showed himself. He called out to me as he bent over and scooped up the
discarded wad of cash.
I glared at him and said coldly, “Didn’t I tell you to disappear from my life?”
Joseph started crying. “I can work to take care of you. I just want you to have an easier life.”
I retrieved the drumstick that I had paid for before tossing the other three in Joseph’s face. “You disgust me! I told you to stay away from me!”
His face turned pale. “I never went to university. Now, I’m just like you were in your previous life.”
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I scoffed inwardly. I recalled how he had spent his university days. He had enjoyed the benefits of being a university student to the fullest while watching me fall to the bottom rung of society.
I could have lived a comfortable life despite not being a university graduate. But Joseph had spun a lie that he was in debt. He had intentionally forced me into a corner where I would
never succeed in life.
“So what?” I sneered.
I shot him one last disgruntled look before I turned on my heel and left. I resigned from my part–time job and found another job involving more manual labor. The pay wasn’t as good, but it was enough to keep me afloat. After all, my goal was to lessen the financial pressure on my family.
I let out a sigh of relief once Joseph vanished from my life. Just seeing him had always reminded me of how pathetic I’d been in my past life.
A month later, the new semester began. Mom and Dad applied for leave so they could send me off. They wore bright smiles throughout the entire day.
When I made it to my dormitory, they helped me unpack my belongings while also gifting local delicacies to my roommates. One of them recognized me from the news and asked, “Are you the study ace that was almost replaced by someone else?”
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I nodded in response.
She immediately became outraged. “I had to study like crazy to qualify for Clairefield University. If someone had taken my place, I would have killed them.”
I smiled. “Fortunately, they didn’t succeed.”
She patted my shoulder and said, “You’re too kind.”
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Nothing would have changed even if I were unkind. In my past life, they had succeeded in replacing me. Madison had assumed both my name and identity. She had lived a spectacular life while I had been in the dark the entire time. It was insulting to say the least.
A leadership camp was held on the second day of the semester. After half a month of getting used to my new surroundings, I finally adapted to life as a university student.
The high school group chat was still active. Everyone was excited to share their own university experiences. Suddenly, someone sent a message that read, “Joseph committed
suicide.”
The group chat went silent for a few moments before the messages flooded in. I was briefly stunned when I read the message, but I accepted the truth easily. It was a relief that he was dead, as it meant that I no longer had to carry a thorn in my heart.
If murder weren’t a crime, I would have taken care of him myself. But because it was illegal, I knew that I couldn’t dirty my own hands. I wasn’t going to involve myself with vermin in
this life.
The class president sent another message. It read, “His last words were ‘I’m sorry‘.”
Everyone knew who he was apologizing to. I didn’t say anything after reading the message.
I had nothing else to do but dedicate myself to my studies.
Life as a university student was great. I participated in different activities nearly every day,
making for a fun and refreshing experience.
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I would even camp in the library in the early mornings with my roommates. There was limited space in the library, so some students would get up at 4:00 am to save themselves a
spot.
Half a year passed by in the blink of an eye. I had forgotten entirely about Joseph by then.
One day, I suddenly came upon Madison at the university entrance. She had lost a lot of weight.
When Madison noticed me, she dropped her head and scurried away. Since she had served time in prison, her future was bleak. But her fate didn’t concern me. She had to face the consequences of her actions.
I had finally reclaimed justice for myself in this life.
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