episode_0029

[I wasn’t directly affected, so why should I get involved?]

“Hey, hold on.”

I knew Ji Hye was an extreme laissez-faire person. If you didn’t strike first, she was not the type to throw the first punch.

But I didn’t expect her to be indifferent even when something happened in her territory.

[And you got all flashy about it. Getting slapped by a guy several times. You think covering that up makes it okay to pick on me?]

“……”

Ji Hye’s words pierced Jea Gal Hwa Rin, leaving her speechless.

“I can hear the sound of someone rolling down the mountain from here.”

Jea Gal Hwa Rin’s expression contorted. She had barely managed to come up with a plan for salvation, but now it seemed she couldn’t even try to catch it.

At that moment, one of the quiet female students, who seemed to have lost her spirit, murmured softly.

“Ji Hye needs to help… But the disciplinary head is at the academy….”

“…Disciplinary head?”

A revelation flashed through Jea Gal Hwa Rin’s mind. Right, the disciplinary head. It seemed like the heavens and the disciplinary head had descended upon TT Academy.

“Apparently Han Do Ah was there today too!”

[What?]

Jea Gal Hwa Rin realized that Ji Hye’s tone had changed. Knowing about the relationship between Ji Hye and Han Do Ah, she couldn’t miss this opportunity.

“It seems Han Do Ah was there when the incident occurred! I don’t know why that crazy girl obsessed with fencing is at the academy, but that’s what the kids said!”

It was different from before. Even if she vented her anger, it was a dry voice, but now, Ji Hye seemed so excited that rough breathing could be heard even through the phone.

[Are you sure? Han Do Ah was there?]

“…Probably.”

[It wouldn’t be fun if you were lying.]

Jea Gal Hwa Rin quickly asked the female students.

“Hey, are you sure the disciplinary head was there?”

“We’re sure! She was watching us from behind when we were getting slapped!”

“They’re certain.”

[Sigh.]

With a lukewarm sigh, Jea Gal Hwa Rin narrowed her eyes and removed the phone from her ear.

“This is my territory, so I’ll handle it. Don’t interfere.”

With that, the call ended. Jea Gal Hwa Rin grimaced and pocketed her phone.

“That crazy girl, she loses her mind whenever Han Do Ah is involved.”

Nevertheless, thanks to their relationship, Han Do-ah felt a sense of camaraderie. After ending the call, Lee Ji-hye stared at a female student solving math problems in front of her. The girl had long, braided hair draped over one shoulder and wore a faint smile. Her well-endowed chest, slim waist, and widening hips made her outer appearance resemble a Renaissance goddess. However, knowing the stark contrast within, Lee Ji-hye found the disparity disconcerting.

“If you called, you should’ve given me instructions right away. I’m short on time.”

“You don’t seem too upset. Looks like Lin gave you some good information.”

The female student had been listening to Lee Ji-hye and Jegal Hwa-rin’s entire conversation. Lee Ji-hye chuckled at her morbid fascination.

“Hwa-rin heard you cursing at her and still kept smiling? If it were me, I would have retorted immediately.”

“Even those kinds of people need my protection. It’s my role at Ojak Bridge… Don’t worry, I’ll tame her soon enough.”

Eun Yoo-ri’s peculiar comment, praising Jegal Hwa-rin with an affectionate smile, narrowed Lee Ji-hye’s gaze even more. This woman seemed to treat everyone but herself as children, except for one person. Lee Ji-hye disliked being treated like a child, but she had grown accustomed to it.

Lee Ji-hye glanced at the math problem Eun Yoo-ri was working on. The jumble of various metaphysical symbols was giving her a headache.

“Don’t you get tired of exchanging and solving problems with Alice?”

“We set problems for each other and solve them… It’s our way of competing. 98 matches, 49 wins, 49 losses.”

“…A tie?”

“It was originally a best-of-three series, but it went into overtime. If someone wins twice in a row, it’ll be over.”

Eun Yoo-ri continued to hum while solving problems. Lee Ji-hye was getting fed up, but she knew better than to confront the woman in front of her.

Frustrated, Lee Ji-hye’s gaze fixed on the steamed potato Eun Yoo-ri was eating. Wanting to break the monotony, she struck up a conversation.

“What’s with the potato?”

“Alice sent it.”

“What? That girl?”

At least, Ji-hye wasn’t the type of woman to send food gifts to her superiors. Instead, she sent an empty tray. “It’s your favorite food. I used to bring it to school every day and eat it when I was bored. It’s amazing every time I see it.” She agreed with the word “amazing.” A woman who looked like a European noblewoman on the outside was eating Korean native potatoes. “Did you eat a lot of steamed potatoes when you were young?” Solving the problem while eating potatoes, Eun-yuri handed Ji-hye a printout from the drawer. “It’s about handling the remnants of the meeting. You know that Seo-yoon is going around trying to stop the Ban Ojakgyo meeting, right?” Alice’s first mission scouted by Seo-yoon is to disperse the meeting. “Why doesn’t she finish it clearly and leave such a trail?” When Ji-hye grumbled, Eun-yuri supplemented the explanation. “She’s still in her first year, so she doesn’t know much. Watch over her with warm eyes. Anyway, since there are many meetings around Seo-yoon’s school, we judged that it’s better for Do-won High School, which is close by, to take charge. After all, that’s your territory, isn’t it?” “Then, if we defeat those guys, is it over?” “It’s over.” “Can I move freely during the remaining time?” Eun-yuri’s eyes curved like a crescent moon at Ji-hye’s free declaration. “Because of the deal with Lin?” “…You know well.” She knew well about the relationship between Ji-hye and Hando-ah. Eun-yuri was a woman who saw the most while moving the least in the school. That’s why Alice trusted her. “If you break the leader of the Heaven Division, the rebellion in that area will also quiet down. It’s been noisy lately… Did you say it’s the Counseling Department?” “Oh, the head is Kim Noeul.” “I’ve heard. It’s occasionally mentioned in the community. And one male student too.” “I don’t know his name. It doesn’t seem very important.” “Is that so?” Eun-yuri responded as if not agreeing with Ji-hye’s words. Ji-hye got up, pushing the chair, as if she didn’t want to argue for nothing. “Anyway, since you allowed me to be free, I’ll fly around after the instructions are done.” “If you’re confident of success.” Without answering, Ji-hye disappeared from Eun-yuri’s sight. Eun-yuri took out her phone and sent the solution process of the problem to Alice. However, Alice did not look at it right away.

The household issues seem quite complicated. Lately, there have been many absences without any response.

Recently, the number of absences has increased. There shouldn’t be any problem with attendance due to valid reasons.

“When things are this busy, it’s hard to focus on trivial matters.”

Eun Yoori accessed the student database and examined the personal information of two students she printed out. One was Kim Noeul, and the other was Kim Maru.

Personally, she found the latter more interesting. This male student became the center of attention like a storm as soon as he transferred to the school.

Most students focused on Kim Noeul, but Eun Yoori was different.

“Kim Noeul is the face, but this guy is probably the real mastermind.”

With a raised corner of her mouth, Eun Yoori shifted her body slightly. Meeting someone from a similar department piqued her interest.

“Will he satisfy me as much as Alice, the best student in the history of Haeul High…?”

***

“If you differentiate there, it becomes a cosine function. It implies the sine function.”

“Hmm, then if we draw it symmetrically around the origin, considering its periodicity, we should discover a pattern.”

“That’s right.”

The self-study room at TT Academy had better facilities than expected. Despite being a privilege of the S class, it was quiet due to the very few students using it, and snacks were displayed buffet-style.

“It’s nice that there are individual rooms.”

Especially with the option to reserve a private study room, it was the perfect place for Han Doa to tutor. Currently, Han Doa and I were studying alone in the study room.

When Kim Noeul and Na Yuna protested about not receiving tutoring from me, Kim Noeul was rejected because her grades were already good enough, and Na Yuna was turned down because she had separate academy classes.

“Even if Na Yuna senior is understandable, why Kim Noeul…?”

She was an incomprehensible woman in many ways. I thought my understanding of her was quite high as I read the original work, but perhaps it was my misconception.

As I sighed, Han Doa sensitively reacted to my sigh.

“What’s wrong? Did I solve it incorrectly?”

She mistook my sigh for her giving a wrong answer. I shook my head to dispel her misunderstanding.

“That’s not it. You’re doing well right now.”

“Good. It’s my first time smoothly solving a problem at this level.”

“Is that so? They say math skills improve in a step-by-step manner.”

“…It’s all thanks to Maru, my junior, for teaching me well.”

She raised her head and looked at my face. Since we were both looking at the same book, when she lifted her head, the distance between our faces became closer.

It was close enough that I could see a few strands of her eyelashes.

Handoa cautiously backed away and cleared her throat.

“Maru is really good-looking with great skin. And very neat in appearance.”

“…Thank you?”

Suddenly complimenting my appearance.

“So, I think it’s even more commendable. Despite being so attractive, you’ve managed to lead a wholesome school life, probably surrounded by temptations. As a student leader, I’m quite satisfied.”

“Is that so?”

In other words, it means behaving exemplary despite looking like a playboy. Of course, Handoa didn’t mean any harm, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

“You’re similar, senior.”

“Me?”

“Yes. When I first saw you, you seemed like a chaebol daughter… or something along those lines, with your grace.”

Yes, just like Alice.

“But then I found out that you often use your body for your duties. Because you’re a student leader.”

“A lady, you say…”

Handoa covered her mouth with one hand and propped up her chin. From the side, I could tell that the corners of her mouth had slightly lifted.

“In reality, her hobby is not kendo but something more serene, like playing the gayageum or practicing calligraphy.”

As we continued talking, suddenly, I remembered the promise with Kim Noeul and Yuna Seonbae.

“Weren’t we supposed to meet outside the building by the vending machine after class?”

I raised my head and glanced at the clock. It was almost time for Kim Noeul and Yuna’s class to end.

“Shall we go get some fresh air for a moment? Kim Noeul and Yuna Seonbae’s classes will be over soon.”

“Sure.”

Handoa and I stretched and left the study room. As the two of us came out together, two female students who had been studying nearby were taken aback when they unexpectedly made eye contact with us.

The girls quickly bowed their heads and focused on their studies again. As I approached the entrance to the self-study room, I could faintly hear their voices.

“Dang, I’m jealous. What do you think they were doing inside?”

“If you study hard too, you might get a boyfriend like that in college.”

“Nonsense. My mom would never allow it.”

Ignoring the self-deprecating remarks of the girl, we walked out of the self-study room.

Kim Noeul and Na Yuna hadn’t arrived even though it was time for their meeting.

“They’re running late.”

“Just a moment.”

I took out my phone and entered the counseling department group chat.

[Kim Noeul: I think the class will end a little late. I’ll be there soon.]

[Na Yuna: The teacher said he’ll only teach up to the next page.]

“The class seems to be running long, so we should go ahead.”

The two of us left the academy building and headed to the nearby vending machine. Han Doa stood in front of the vending machine and took out her wallet.

“Is there a drink you like?”

“Will you buy it for me? Then I’ll have the fruit juice.”

“Think of it as extra tutoring fees. It’s too cheap, but…”

Han Doa trailed off, hesitating for a moment before speaking again.

“No matter how I think about it, it feels like I’m in debt. It makes me uncomfortable. Someday I’ll repay it in a big way.”

“I’m not expecting something that big.”

Even if I said these words, Han Doa probably wouldn’t listen. In the original work, she invited the group that helped her, including Kim Noeul, to her family’s villa. As mentioned before, she is deeply loyal, so she couldn’t refuse.

“As for the fruit juice…”

As Han Doa searched for the juice, two female students from Dowon High School approached from behind, wearing their school uniforms.

Knowing the situation at the school, I had a rough idea of what might happen next.

“Are you Han Doa?”

When the Dowon High School student spoke, Han Doa, who was choosing juice, stopped and turned around. When Han Doa’s gaze fell on their uniforms, her expression twisted.

“What kind of school rules does Dowon High have that you walk around in such shabby uniforms?”

“It’s really as rumored. Quite the concept…”

“Enough, we just came to deliver something. We don’t intend to play with you, so tell that guy over there to calm down.”

The female student stopped me as if she had noticed me preparing for any eventuality. She murmured while looking at the letter in her hand.

“Lee Ji-hye is quite the busybody. What kind of letter did she write?”

At the mention of Lee Ji-hye, Han Doa’s eyebrows twitched. The Dowon High School student threw the letter to Han Doa.

Han Doa caught the letter as it flew toward her like an award. It was contained in a white envelope.

“What’s Lee Ji-hye’s intention?”

In response to Han Doa’s question, the female student looked at Han Doa, then shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know. Just deliver the letter and quietly step back. Don’t you know better than us?”

After saying that, the students from Dowon High School tried to step back. However, Handoa stopped them.

“Stop. I will read it here and make a judgment right away.”

“Huh?”

Handoa took out the letter and neatly read its contents written on the letter paper. As she read, her breathing became increasingly rapid, and her hands trembled.

“Phew….”

Handoa tightly closed her eyes and folded the letter again. She had finished reading it. And then…

Rip!

She tore the letter to shreds in one go. The students from Dowon High School were taken aback by her actions.

“This is my answer.”