episode_0038

Final exams are approaching soon. I had planned to stay in the dormitory over the weekend to study, but to prepare for Jegal Hwarin’s scheme, I made an appointment.

[Gumiho: I’ll send you the location on the map]

[Gumiho: (Map)]

[Gumiho: When you arrive here, you’ll see me]

I decided to meet Seong Nari, the head of Veritas, to make contact with Seoyoon. She was waiting at a quiet cafe on the outskirts of the school district.

To avoid being late for our appointment, I left the dormitory early. Riding the internal shuttle bus within the school grounds, I got off at the bus stop near the cafe and caught sight of Gumiho ahead of me.

She was wearing a short denim jacket over a white t-shirt and shorts.

“You’re here.”

“Oh? You’re early.”

She turned around, surprised, then observed me intently.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sorry. It’s a habit to observe people’s appearances.”

Come to think of it, when I met Seong Nari at TT Academy, she also glanced around at me. Must be a habit of journalists.

“That t-shirt color is nice. Where did you get it?”

“…It was sent to me by delivery, so I’m not sure. I’ll ask later.”

The daycare center director occasionally sends me clothes, and this t-shirt was one of them. Gumiho and I headed towards the cafe where Seong Nari was.

On the way, Gumiho suddenly sent me a file via chat.

[Gumiho: Full Marks Mock Exam Set.pdf]

Seeing the title of the file, my hands trembled slightly.

“What’s this?”

“A small gift from me and the boss… to continue our good relationship.”

Although Gumiho used the term “small,” her expression was confident. She had every right to look that way.

The Full Marks Mock Exam was a rare practice exam that was not widely available, only given to a few students. It was highly praised by Eun Yoori, a high-ranking member of Ojakgyo at TT Academy.

“Rumor has it that this premium mock exam guarantees full marks. I chose it as a gift because it seems like you’re dedicated to your studies. Do you like it?”

“…Honestly, I want to go home right now and solve it.”

“No! You have to meet the boss!”

She linked arms with me to prevent me from running away.

“Don’t run. Just try it since it’s just for fun.”

Finally, Gumiho let go of my arm.

As we chatted, we arrived at the cafe without realizing it. Gumiho stopped at the cafe’s entrance and didn’t go in.

“I’ll guide you up to here. Have a good time.”

“Aren’t you coming in?”

When I asked, Gumiho looked disappointed.

“To be honest, I really want to come in, but the boss wants to meet alone… I’m just here for coverage.”

“Do you work even on weekends?”

“Especially on weekends, you can find many discreet stories. Today, I’m planning to attend a rally near Ban Ojakgyo, close to Dowon High School.”

She still hadn’t changed her ways of not thinking about the aftermath. Gumiho nodded slightly and disappeared from my sight with light steps.

I entered the cafe and found Seong Nari. She was sitting in a corner far from the window, leaning against the wall, staring blankly at her laptop screen. As I approached, dark circles were visible under her eyes.

“I’m here.”

As I announced my presence, Seong Nari, startled like a robot receiving electricity, slowly raised her head to look at me.

“Oh, you’re here. Did you order a drink?”

“Yes. Just an iced tea.”

“I was going to buy you one.”

She stretched and rubbed around her eyes.

“You seem busy.”

“Tell me about it. It’s the end of the semester, and I have to deal with club matters and how the Student Council Union is pressuring me…”

Veritas is a sub-club under the Student News Network and is subject to its control. However, Seongnari is excessively free-spirited, causing tension with the Student News Network’s leaders.

Every time Seongnari stirs up trouble, it’s only the Student News Network that suffers.

Yet, despite this, the reason the Student News Network doesn’t expel Seongnari is solely due to her performance.

“Did you receive a gift from Miho?”

“Yes. I was very surprised.”

Perhaps my satisfaction was evident on my face because Seongnari smiled and rested her chin in her hand.

“I’m glad you like it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if giving something like this was appropriate.”

Giving a private room model as a gift to a male student of my age was far from normal.

The bell rang. I brought my iced tea and sat down.

“Shall we get to the point?”

Seongnari’s expression turned serious. She tapped on her laptop keyboard and began speaking.

“First, your request to hide your identity and make contact with Seoyoon… This can be divided into two main parts: concealing your identity and making contact with Seoyoon.”

“That’s right.”

“For the former, I can’t guarantee anything. Unless this is outside the school, there are no eternal secrets within the school. The School Integration System is a headache.”

The School Integration System records information about students’ affiliations, which academy they are enrolled in, and which dormitory they reside in.

Some student access is possible, making it difficult to keep secrets.

“I don’t expect to hide it forever. It can be revealed someday, but I want to conceal my identity while making contact.”

“During the contact… How about this? Instead of meeting directly, I will act as an intermediary between you two.”

“You, senior?”

“I am Veritas’s head. Considering my usual demeanor and reputation, if I were to approach Seoyoon, everyone would likely overlook it.”

Seongnari turned her laptop towards me, showing me the screen. A simple drawing was sketched on the paint program.

It was a caricature with Seongnari inserted between caricatures of me and Seoyoon.

“You draw well… Is this how Seoyoon looks in this world?”

“You can convey any messages or information you want to Seoyoon through me. I will protect your privacy by using the excuse of being an information provider.”

“That’s fine.”

This method is suitable for Seoyoon. She is different from other leaders.

If the counterpart were someone like Jihye or Yeonhwa, this method would be useless. Those crazy women would threaten Seongnari as soon as she made contact, forcing her to reveal my identity.

“Making contact with Seoyoon should be easy. If I connect with her, I’ll contact you. It won’t take long.”

“I’d like to finish before finals if possible.”

“Um… It should be possible.”

Seongnari checked her calendar app on her phone. Even a quick glance showed a very tight schedule.

“Seoyoon isn’t very active. She’s a first-year, so maybe Alice doesn’t use her much. She rarely leaves her main school, Choyeon High School, except when going home.”

That was the case in the original work as well. Unless given instructions, she led a normal school life without causing trouble.

“But now Seoyoon is suppressing the Half-Bridge gathering. Rumors are spreading throughout the school.”

“It should be easy to make contact.”

“Exactly. Moreover, it seems more than just suppression; there might be some delays due to persuasion or simple threats.”

After finishing speaking, Seongnari checked a text on her phone and showed me the content. Surprisingly, it was a map pinpointing Seoyoon’s current location.

“My subordinate just sent this. Does this prove my abilities?”

“I never doubted your abilities. That’s why I asked for this favor.”

“Okay. Now tell me.”

Seongnari turned off her phone and looked at my face.

“What do you want to say to Seoyoon?”

“……”

I didn’t speak right away because I was deeply contemplating.

From now on, I must expose the past of Seoyoon and her acquaintances. It’s to stand against Ojakgyo, but…

Nevertheless, it’s necessary, so I’ll endure it.

“…Please keep what I’m about to say a secret.”

“Sure. I won’t even write it as an article.”

Seongnari is trustworthy. In the original work, she has never betrayed Heaven’s High.

With a heavy heart, I began to speak.

“Do you know Senior Jung Soyeon?”

“I do. We went to the same school.”

“…Then you must also be aware of what happened to Jung Sohye, Senior Jung Soyeon’s younger sister.”

“……”

Seongnari’s face darkened.

“Jung Sohye, Senior Jung Soyeon’s younger sister… She’s currently hospitalized due to bullying incidents during middle school.”

“I’ve heard about that. It’s a tragic situation.”

“Then did you also know that Seoyoon and Jung Sohye were close?”

“…I heard they went to the same middle school, but it’s external information, so I don’t know the details. I didn’t realize they were that close.”

“Seoyoon was originally a judo prodigy, but when Jung Sohye was hospitalized, she didn’t stay silent about the perpetrators. The situation escalated, leading to her disqualification as a prodigy.”

I took a sip of iced tea.

“Most of the perpetrators received light punishments, with only the ringleaders ending up in a juvenile detention center.”

“A juvenile detention center?”

“But when Jegal Hwarin tried to attack us, the guy who led the bullying against Jung Sohye will cooperate with him. That girl should have been released from the detention center by now.”

“If you specify it like that, I can easily figure it out. Just a moment.”

She tapped on her laptop for a while in silence. Then she cautiously spoke.

“Yoo Hanna. This name.”

‘In the original, it was Yoo Hajin, but here it’s Yoo Hanna.’

“I think I know your plan. You intend to involve Seoyoon to deal with Jegal Hwarin and Yoo Hanna’s faction, right?”

“Yes. Seoyoon and Yoo Hanna still have unresolved issues.”

“…But suddenly, I have a question.”

“What question?”

“If what you say is true, Seoyoon should hate the bullies. Yet, she’s part of Ojakgyo?”

I recalled the background story of Seoyoon joining Alice in the webtoon.

“There’s a reason for that, and you might want to find out for yourself.”

“I’ll look into it when I have time.”

Seongnari didn’t press me further.

“It’s really a complicated situation. I had some knowledge, but it was incomplete since it was external information. Thanks to you, I now have a complete understanding.”

“Please keep this a secret.”

“I will. I’m too busy dealing with the article that just came up.”

“I’m going to leak the information to Seoyoon that Yoo Hanna might come to the school. And I plan to involve Jegal Hwarin’s gang in our fight.”

“If Seoyoon ends up sympathizing with Yoo Hanna, who is from Ojakgyo, despite her hatred towards the bullies?”

“That won’t happen.”

The original plot proves my point.

“You seem quite certain. Is Seoyoon’s trauma engraved so deeply?”

After finishing her notes, Seongnari closed her laptop.

“Now that we have a rough idea of how to contact Seoyoon, let’s discuss the details through text. It’s risky to continue this conversation outside.”

“Okay.”

After packing up, Seongnari put her laptop in her bag and spoke to me.

“I’m about to leave. What about you?”

“I haven’t finished my iced tea yet.”

“I’d wait for you to finish out of courtesy, but I’m a bit busy. I’ll leave first.”

“Alright. It was a good deal today.”

“It sure was. Ever since Miho asked about you, every day has been enjoyable.”

Smiling, Seongnari left the cafe with her bag. Alone at the table, I checked my messages.

[Na Yuna: Maru!]

[Na Yuna: Maru?]

[Na Yuna: Maru, I’m ready!]

[Yuna: If the boss is interested, come to write a profile for a long time!]

[Me: That’s great.]

[Yuna: And]

[Yuna: I have something to tell you separately…]

[Yuna: Can you spare some time later?]

From Yuna’s reaction, it can be inferred that she will probably confess to me about her broadcasting.

As a model, Yuna’s true identity would inevitably be revealed sooner or later through her activities, so it seemed like she wanted to inform me before that happened.

[Me: Call me when you’re free.]

[Yuna: Okay]

[Me: What are you doing now?]

[Yuna: I’m with Soyeon. She’s teaching me how to write a profile and take photos.]

[Me: I should learn well.]

[Yuna: I’m taking detailed notes.]

After ending the chat, I got up from my seat. I had mostly finished what I needed to do today. Now it was time to return to the dormitory and fulfill my duties as a student.

*

*

*

“Who’s there? Laughing so carefreely.”

“Huh!? Was I laughing?”

“Yeah. Kind of silly.”

Jung Soyeon teased Yuna, who was texting on a park bench. Yuna’s lips curled up when she texted.

“Is that good-looking junior from earlier?”

As Jung Soyeon guessed correctly, Yuna’s face turned red.

“W-What are you talking about.”

“Your expression gives it away. I can’t be fooled.”

Yuna fell silent, rubbing her cheek with her hand. Jung Soyeon sighed.

“He seems popular. Shouldn’t you approach him more actively?”

“Well, but…”

Yuna stared blankly at the park scenery, trailing off at the end of her sentence.

“It won’t work. I’ll help you. Can’t stand that pitiful look on your face.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Yeah, not to brag, but I’ve received confessions before.”

As Jung Soyeon calmly revealed the truth, Yuna’s face twisted in disbelief.

“What’s with that expression?”

“I feel like you’re living in a different world than me.”

In Yuna’s memory, the only time she received a confession was when boys lost at rock-paper-scissors and had to make a false confession as a penalty.

“Stop joking. When I first saw you, I thought you deliberately covered your face with bangs to avoid attracting attention.”

“Thank you for saying that… I’ll show him your changed appearance while building your modeling career. While at it, show off those two nuclear weapons on his chest.”

“What are you talking about!”

“If it were me, I would have already cleverly used those nuclear weapons. Once men get their faces buried in chests, it’s game over.”

“…Get their faces buried?”

“Yeah, just suffocate them so they can’t breathe…”

As Jung Soyeon demonstrated a hugging posture, Yuna swallowed nervously. In her mind, Kim Maru was about to suffocate buried in her chest.

Imagining him struggling in her arms, Yuna bit her lip while rubbing her thigh.

“That female face right now! Suffocate him with that expression!”

“…Let’s stop. Maru is not that perverted guy.”

“Are you saying men are just like us?”

While giving a lengthy speech, Jung Soyeon received a call.

Checking the caller ID on her phone, Jung Soyeon’s expression stiffened.

Jung Soyeon seemed agitated, unintentionally revealing the caller’s name to Yuna.

‘Seo Yun…?’

Forgetting that Yuna was beside her, Jung Soyeon immediately answered the call.

“You…!”

[I’ve made the deposit, senior.]

“I don’t need that dirty money. I’ll manage the money myself.”

[I’m sorry the amount is small. I’ll send more next time.]

“Instead of doing that, why not visit Sohye at the hospital! Do you think Sohye would like it if you act like this?”

[…I don’t deserve to see Unni and Sohye. This is my way of atonement.]

“We’ve talked about this multiple times! Why are you…!”

“Please use the money.”

The call abruptly ended. Jung Soyeon stared at her phone screen with a helpless expression.

Yuna couldn’t breathe, watching Jung Soyeon’s side profile.

With a trembling voice, Jung Soyeon spoke up.

“Yuna, I’m not feeling well today, so I’ll head back.”

“…Sure, let’s do that.”

Jung So-yeon struggled to get up from the bench. Without looking back, she muttered.

“Don’t ask…?”

“It seems complicated…”

“…Thank you. I’ll talk about it someday.”

With feeble steps, Jung So-yeon moved away from Yuna’s view. Yuna blankly stared at the bench where Jung So-yeon had been sitting for a while.