Chapter 48: The Curse

A curse, whatever its form, always has a way of following someone. Wherever they step and wherever they are, it clings to them.

That also applies to Alvin and Ari.

I am absolutely certain that they have been cursed, no matter by whom. The proof is simple. Every time I am between the two of them, I always end up humiliated. In the end, I have to accept a series of misfortunes as the aftermath of that curse.

Like right now. At first, their seats were in the very back row. But somehow, the two girls who had been sitting behind us suddenly switched places with Alvin and Ari. I only realized it after Alvin’s laughter exploded shamelessly, even though the funny scene on the screen had ended five minutes ago.

Crazy. No one laughs alone inside a movie theater, especially not at a scene that is not funny at all.

“Hi, Frel,” Alvin greeted, patting my shoulder from behind and flashing his row of teeth.

My eyes widened for a moment, then I turned back to face forward with an expression that pretended I did not know him. It would be a curse for seven generations if I indulged a guy like Alvin.

“You’re so arrogant, Frel. So now it’s really a date, huh?”

I chose to stay silent and not respond to his words.

“Frel.”

I remained quiet, until Kevan finally turned around and stared at Alvin with a sharp look.

“Easy, Kevan. Sorry,” Alvin said lightly.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Not long after, booming laughter erupted from the audience as they watched the funny antics of the movie characters. I laughed along without realizing it, until the popcorn in my mouth almost sprayed out.

“Frel, you’ll treat me later,” Alvin whispered from behind. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be on a date with Kevan.”

Nonsense. He was the one who gave the dating challenge, but he was also the one who ruined my date.

“Frel. Frel.”

“Ouch!” I yelped reflexively when Alvin pulled my hair from behind.

All eyes in the theater immediately turned toward me. I could only force a stiff smile and apologize while raising a finger in a peace sign to everyone.

I hissed in annoyance at Alvin’s behavior. He only grinned wider. Did he think I was one of his fans?

That would never happen. Ever.

“Alvin, can you be quiet?” Kevan warned softly but firmly. “You’d better leave than cause a disturbance here.”

I laughed to myself. Finally, he shut up.

Truly an annoying upperclassman. I could not understand how a guy like that could be called a playboy.

He was irritating, disrespectful toward underclassmen, acted like a know-it-all, and had a mouth more talkative than a woman’s. As for that last remark, I hoped no one would take offense, because that was simply the reality.

Just look. Only a few minutes after Kevan gave a warning, Alvin was already acting up again, committing three violations of theater rules at once.

“How ridiculous that guy is! This is really funny,” he shouted, followed by explosive laughter. “I knew he’d fall after this. See, I was right!”

Oh God. This guy truly had no shame.

I immediately turned around and stuffed his still-gaping mouth with a handful of popcorn. Alvin instantly started coughing, then reflexively grabbed Ari’s drink, while its owner himself was fast asleep, snoring soundly.

The situation instantly became noisy and chaotic. Various curses rang out from all directions, until a theater staff member turned on a flashlight and swept its beam across the room to find the source of the commotion.

The beam stopped right on the four of us. The blinding LED light made Ari wake up with a start when it shone directly into his eyes.

“You four, please leave immediately. Your actions have disturbed the comfort of other viewers,” the staff member said in a firm tone.

“I apologize for myself and my friends, sir. We truly regret disturbing the comfort of the audience here. Once again, I sincerely apologize,” Kevan said politely, full of remorse.

“What’s going on? Why is it so noisy?” Ari, who had just woken up, clearly did not understand the situation.

“Sorry, you are also considered to have violated the rules here,” the staff member continued.

Ari’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“You violated the rules by sleeping and snoring while the movie was playing.”

Alvin chuckled softly, then immediately covered his mouth after receiving a sharp look from Kevan.

In the end, like it or not, all of us had to leave the theater. More precisely, we were unceremoniously kicked out while bearing an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.

Oh, right, I have not explained what those three violations were. Actually, anyone who is used to watching movies in a theater could easily guess them, aside from the violation of sleeping and snoring committed by Ari, of course.

Even though this may already be obvious, I will still explain those three violations. First, laughing at a scene that was not funny at all. Second, talking loudly inside the theater. In fact, the word talking feels inaccurate. Alvin was not talking earlier, he was shouting while commenting on the movie. Completely insane.

The third and final violation was that he felt the need to act like a film prophet, arrogantly predicting that a character would fall.

The core of the problem was only one thing, do not speak too loudly so as not to disturb other viewers. However, everything Alvin did earlier was done with a booming voice that filled the room. It was extremely disruptive.

Just look at the consequences now. Is it not obvious that their curse affected all of us? Yes, I am increasingly convinced that they are indeed being cursed by someone. There is no way I am wrong.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea crossed my mind. This time, I was sure that Kevan and I would truly be free from the two of them. Yes, this plan would definitely work.

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