I Don’t Want to be a Villainess – Chapter 97

A few days passed after that.

And nothing had drastically changed in those days.

Most of the students still ignored me, and while the teachers seemed more nervous watching my reactions, they didn’t treat me much differently than before.

I knew the reason.

It was because the frequency of my outbursts at school had noticeably decreased.

Occasionally, I would leave class confidently to meet Team Leader Han Garam and hear her report, and So-hee still placed her desk in a non-designated spot for class.

Ha-neul, during break times, would take the seat in front of me and teach me.

Aside from causing this minor inconvenience, I was certainly behaving quietly.

At least I wasn’t displaying affection in the classroom, pouring water on the teacher’s head, or disrupting class anymore.

The teachers felt both relieved and anxious when they looked at me, precisely because of that.

Their unease stemmed from the fact that, despite taking so many bribes, they hadn’t done anything for me yet.

But they were also relieved that I wasn’t openly causing them any trouble.

…Honestly, if they heard this, they’d be horrified, but if I considered that the billions were spent to ensure So-hee safely enrolled in this school and took the seat next to me, it didn’t feel like too much of a waste.

If I kept harping on the bribes, it would become tiring for me too.

I decided to be content with the fact that I had more solid allies at school, and that the teachers couldn’t treat me recklessly anymore.

Anyway, for now, nothing had ‘significantly’ changed in my life.

But that didn’t mean that ‘nothing’ had changed at all.

First—

“I’ve been thinking.”

Yes, the blue-haired girl who always occupied a seat at our round table in the cafeteria.

Son A-reum had joined our side.

…Hmm, maybe ‘joined our side’ isn’t quite the right expression?

We weren’t really gathering to pick sides in the first place.

It would be more accurate to say that she had ‘become a friend’.

Anyway, on the second day after she had shown tears in front of me, that earnest member of the Discipline Committee spoke up, as if suddenly struck by a thought while we were eating lunch.

“Isn’t it a clear violation of school rules to use violence or lead bullying?”

That would be true, right?

I had no idea that my school during my teenage years even had ‘school rules’.

It wasn’t because I was such a good person that I didn’t need the law, but because the presence of ‘school rules’ was just that insignificant to me.

Sure, if you hit someone at school, it would be a violation of the rules.

It’s not like they’d create a rule allowing a battle royale, where you could hit people freely.

Of course, leading bullying would also be something that shouldn’t be done, even if this was a school for rich kids.

When I silently nodded, Son A-reum pierced a piece of meat with her fork and continued.

“And bullying isn’t something that can just be handled with demerit points.”

Come to think of it, there used to be banners in front of schools saying something about a concentrated crackdown on school violence, though I never actually saw any real crackdowns.

“So?”

So-hee asked, urging her on.

“Do you have a plan?”

“We need to hold a disciplinary committee.”

“…”

At her words, the four of us, including myself, exchanged glances.

Every single one of us had doubt written all over our faces.

And with good reason—last time, even when we purposely followed Son A-reum’s lead, we were completely ignored.

Even the student council president acted as if I didn’t exist.

I had gotten somewhat used to this kind of treatment by now, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

That kind of treatment had been part of what broke Ye Sara, and personally, I didn’t like it either.

“Oh, but this time is different.”

It seemed Son A-reum knew what we were thinking, and she continued.

“This time, I’m not trying to give you demerits, but to give them to other students.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

I asked.

This school ignored anything related to me, so even if we tried to give demerits to students for bullying me, wouldn’t they just say, ‘That never happened’, and move on?

“Of course, they would.”

Son A-reum nodded.

“If you said they bullied you, that’s exactly what they’d do.”

The ‘you’ she was referring to was obviously me.

“If not me, then who?”

At my question, Son A-reum slightly turned her head to look at So-hee, who was sitting next to me.

By the way, even after Son A-reum became comfortable speaking with us, she repeatedly begged So-hee to button up her shirt, but So-hee stubbornly stuck to her style.

Although it was warming up now, she’d been like that even before the weather turned, so I guess she wasn’t sensitive to the cold.

…Or maybe it really was just because she felt stifled.

“Me?”

So-hee pointed at herself and asked.

“Yeah.”

“Was there ever a time when I got bullied?”

Exactly.

If anything, she’s the one who would be bullying others.

Even after that incident, So-hee had picked fights with a few people.

She didn’t grab any collars, but she almost did when a student bumped into her without apologizing, and she even grumbled openly when a teacher didn’t call my name during roll call.

Her behavior was the textbook example of a rebellious delinquent.

Not that she seemed to care much.

What surprised me was that some students still managed to ignore So-hee despite her teary glares.

Considering the rumors circulating, getting a few punches from a delinquent would probably be the better outcome.

Of course, So-hee never actually did anything like that.

“Isn’t that a bit forced? I don’t really feel like I’ve been bullied.”

So-hee, who didn’t care much about how others saw her, probably didn’t give a second thought to being ignored.

Bullying is usually recognized as such when the victim feels tormented.

She’d just scoff at the thought if we mentioned it to her.

“Exactly, that’s the blind spot.”

But Son A-reum shook her head and disagreed.

“Whether or not it feels like bullying isn’t something the perpetrator decides; it’s the victim’s call.”

“…”

Her words made us all pause and think.

Son A-reum let us reflect for a moment.

The first to break the silence was Ha-neul.

“But even if we think that way, won’t others just ignore it?”

Ha-neul was one of the people directly ignored.

To claim this ‘ignoring’ as group bullying, we would need testimonies and evidence.

Gathering all that wouldn’t be as easy as it sounded.

I had thought about filming a video, but capturing ‘someone being ignored’ didn’t seem like something people would care about.

Besides, to an outsider, it might look like I was the one bullying others.

Son A-reum herself was an example of this misunderstanding.

“That’s why she’s the victim.”

Son A-reum pointed specifically at So-hee.

“…Oh.”

Soo-ah, who had been listening, seemed to realize something and exclaimed.

“What’s going on?”

So-hee glanced at Soo-ah and asked.

“…It feels a bit awkward to ask this outright.”

Son A-reum took a deep breath.

“You spent a lot of money to get into this school, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

When So-hee acknowledged it so casually, Son A-reum placed her hand on her forehead.

“Isn’t it a bit too easy to admit that?”

“If you’ve heard about it, then it’s not like I can hide it. Besides, I laid everything out on the table on the very first day I came to this school.”

That’s why the teachers were so nervous whenever they saw So-hee or me.

Ah.

I could vaguely guess what Son A-reum was getting at.

“But why does that matter?”

“Because you spent that kind of money, no one can treat you lightly. From what I’ve heard…”

She had spent over a billion won.

For most people, that amount would be their entire life savings, including their real estate.

“Aha.”

Only then did So-hee mutter, deep in thought.

Then, she smiled wickedly.

“What’s this? You’re smarter than you look.”

“‘Smarter than I look’…?”

Son A-reum mumbled, seemingly hurt by So-hee’s words, and I silently apologized to her in my mind.

Sorry, I thought the same thing.

I had wondered if she was a bit clueless, especially after seeing her try to hide behind things in the hallway.

…Well, I guess she was a scholarship student, after all.

Her brain might not be as quick as Ha-neul’s, but she’s definitely smart.

There was a reason we hadn’t thought of this method until now.

It was because we didn’t have someone from the school’s central administration blatantly siding with us.

Even the student council president, who was presumed to be a key figure, had ignored me when I was right in front of him.

But now, the person suggesting this plan was none other than a member of the Discipline Committee.

Someone who could directly issue demerits and recommend disciplinary action to teachers.

“…Why are you all looking at me like that?”

When the four of us gave Son A-reum a new look, she asked, momentarily flustered.

“No, I just think it’s quite plausible.”

When I said that, Son A-reum gave an awkward smile and cleared her throat.

“…Actually, all that stuff about bribes and everything should technically be dealt with too, but…”

“Hm.”

So-hee propped her chin on her hand and smirked at Son A-reum.

“Are you going to let it slide because we’re friends now? Isn’t that a bit too corrupt for a righteous Discipline Committee member?”

“…”

Son A-reum glared at So-hee, who smiled at her sweetly, but it wasn’t very intimidating.

Her face was naturally cute, after all.

“I’m just dealing with the evil in front of me right now!”

“Aren’t we the evil in front of you?”

So-hee said with an expression as if she was about to burst into laughter.

“Uh, no, that’s not what I meant…”

Son A-reum glanced at me, panicking again.

…She’s going to cry again.