episode_0031

In truth, to properly educate Ju Won-young, a pen is better than a fist.

Ju Won-young, based on outstanding grades, has established a position within the academy and is a student who helps at Ojakgyo.

With excellent grades, Ju Won-young has been spreading the content of TT Academy to students at Dowon High School, which other school students are not pleased about.

The academy is not a volunteer organization. Because it focuses its investment on schools with potential, there are many privileges for Ojakgyo-affiliated students.

To abolish this discrimination at the academy, an overwhelming achiever must appear and crush Ju Won-young with exceptional grades.

The problem is that such an achiever has not appeared until now.

But it doesn’t matter.

I will take on the role of that achiever.

“I’ll be the achiever…”

“Did they say Kim Maru? That good-looking kid.”

“Oh, him? He aced all the written tests this time.”

“He solved the last question? Living life solo for real….”

“Then, is the academy ranking going to change this time?”

The students buzzed as they looked at the bulletin board. The board displayed a list of top-performing students.

It was written that the students listed would receive a limited quantity of practice exams or supplementary materials directly produced by instructors.

I looked up at my name at the very top. Below were familiar names like Kim Noeul and Ju Won-young.

“Wow, Maru is totally divine. He’s going to solve a lot of content this time, so he should donate a lot to the less fortunate students.”

“That’s right. Learning opportunities should be fair to everyone.”

This statement was a provocation aimed at Dowon High School.

Whether she overheard my conversation with the teacher or had been watching us from afar, Ju Won-young snapped at us. It was loud enough to hear the grinding sound.

Nearby Dowon High School students also looked at me disapprovingly.

But they couldn’t touch me. That’s because rumors about me had spread among the male students at Dowon High School.

It seems that two Dowon High School boys who confronted me while smoking got leaked. Since then, no matter how much Ju Won-young tried to persuade them, the guys didn’t lay a finger on me.

Female students were in a similar situation. I couldn’t recklessly approach them because Kim Noeul and Han Doa formed an unyielding duo by my side.

Han Doa was always famous, and Kim Noeul gained prominence as the head of the counseling department, who made Jegal Hwarin’s gang step back.

Students at Dowon High School couldn’t openly complain to Haneul High School, so they gathered among themselves to vent their frustrations.

“Why is Han Doa hanging out with Kim Maru?”

“Don’t you know? The counseling department and the leadership teamed up and took down Jegal Hwarin. Now, no other faction can mess with Haneul High School.”

“Aren’t Ojak Bridge resisting? If the academy’s influence is taken away, Eun Yoori will throw a fit, right?”

“I don’t know. What’s Ju Wonyoung doing… They said she has a direct line to Lee Jihye, so I thought she’d use her brains, but she’s not doing anything and just falling behind.”

They even began to redirect their dissatisfaction towards their own upper ranks instead of Haneul High School. Ju Wonyoung couldn’t come to his senses in the face of the public opinion that had suddenly turned against him.

His ordeal didn’t end there.

“Today is the day for the preliminary mock exam before the final exams, right? Since this and one more mock exam to be taken later will be combined to calculate your grades, study hard.”

The Premium Mock Exam, a very important test that determines TT Academy’s rankings. A good score on this mock exam is needed for Ojak Bridge to maintain its position.

“Darn it, I can’t afford to fall behind Haneul High School.”

As Dowon High School’s academic ace, Ju Wonyoung felt a heavy sense of responsibility. He glared at the back of Kim Maru, who was taking the test in the same class.

“Still, Dowon High School has received far more study materials so far. What can you do?”

With a confident smile, Ju Wonyoung took the mock exam.

After the mock exam, students wandered around the corridors until the grades were calculated.

“Hey, Ju Wonyoung. You can get first place, right? If you fall behind here, you won’t be able to show your face to Lee Jihye anymore.”

“Don’t butter me up. With all those materials we’ve received, how could we fall behind those Haneul High School guys? Just focus on yourselves.”

Ju Wonyoung held onto his phone, shooting back at the dissatisfied female student. The grade report would be transmitted through the academy app installed on his phone.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. We’ve solved so many problems.”

Beep.

“Oh, I got a notification.”

“Darn it. Looks like I marked it wrong.”

The surrounding students became noisy as they checked their grades. Ju Won-young nervously opened his report card and then widened his eyes.

“Huh…?”

Third place. He, who had always been first, was now pushed to third. Ju Won-young looked around with a bewildered expression.

“My grades improved thanks to Maru’s help.”

“Me too! I’m thinking of getting tutoring from now on.”

The gloomy-looking Jeolso girl and the Sky High Student Council President were praising Kim Maru. Kim Noeul, who was standing nearby, pursed her lips as she looked at Kim Maru’s grades.

“You’re first again.”

“I didn’t make any mistakes. You’re second?”

“…I’ll be different next time.”

It seemed like Kim Maru and Kim Noeul had secured the top two spots in the context. This would cause a lot of trouble. The system established by Lee Ji-hye and Eun Yoo-ri in the academy was crumbling.

“Hey… Won-young? We seem screwed. How do we tell this to Lee Ji-hye?”

“I can’t speak up. I know what will happen if I say that to her.”

“…Forget it.”

“What?”

“Just shut up!”

Nervously, Ju Won-young left his seat. Everyone looked at him as he moved away in the midst of the commotion.

Startled, the students of Dowon High frowned.

“Why the hell did he say ‘shut up’ so aggressively? He told us to trust him, but in the end, he got screwed.”

“Oh, if we don’t get the final exam materials, we’re done for. I don’t understand why Ju Won-young is in Lee Ji-hye’s line.”

“Isn’t Ju Won-young trying to stand up to Lee Ji-hye?”

“Is he out of his mind?”

Laughing among themselves, the Dowon High students glared at Ju Won-young.

Han Do-ah frowned as she overheard their conversation. Kim Noeul stared dryly at Ju Won-young’s retreating figure.

Then, I took out my phone and sent a message to someone.

[Me: Contacted you after seeing your business card.]

[Gumiho: Huh? Maru senior?]

Gumiho replied immediately.

[Me: Looking for a scoop.]

[Me: About Ojak Bridge. If it’s scary, you can run away.]

[Gumiho: Nureongi eats anything well! Please feed me quickly!]

[Gumiho: (An emoticon of a dog sticking out its tongue)]

[Me: I’ll give you a rough map and time frame, so try some undercover reporting.]

[Gumiho: Woof woof!]

After finishing the task, I put my phone away.

“Dowon High… They won’t do anything strange, right…?”

Nayuna muttered with an anxious expression. I gave a simple answer to that muttering.

“I wish you would.”

* * * Joo Won-young entered the men’s restroom far away from the classroom and entered the cubicle in the far corner.

I locked the door, sat down on the toilet, and chewed my lip.

‘Why did this happen?’

I was definitely confident.

He belongs to Ojakgyo and has received a lot of support from the academy. I didn’t lack anything, but I was pushed into this corner.

Joo Won-young, with a dejected expression, looked at the message Ji-hye Lee last sent to him.

[Lee Ji-hye: I cook it so it’s easy to eat]

I don’t know exactly what Jihye Lee wants, but you have to think about it yourself.

This is because one person had doubts about Lee Ji-hye’s order and was very upset by her.

Cooking ultimately means suppressing reactionary forces like Heaven. However, rather than being suppressed, Dowon High School ended up being suppressed.

Lee Ji-hye’s face appeared in Joo Won-young’s mind.

A woman who usually has a quiet rabbit-like face, but when she gets angry, she turns into a crazy lioness.

Witnessing her bright smile as she indiscriminately charmed people of all ages, anyone would be intimidated. Who wouldn’t mistake themselves? If even she lost her value, she would suffer miserably at the hands of Lee Ji-hye.

“Why is this happening to me…?” Suddenly, his eyes welled up with tears. Being disliked by the girl he liked, ridiculed by students, sexually outdone by a man he used to ignore, and being hit by Lee Ji-hye.

“Damn, what did I do to deserve this!”

Gritting his teeth and swallowing his tears, he pondered ways to find a way out. Ultimately, the key lay in content. In this academy setting, grades were crucial.

He could no longer see reason in Ju Won-young’s eyes. Pushed to the extreme, he scanned the academic forum with frenzied eyes.

Then, he found a familiar post.

“[What kind of deal did Lee Ji-hye make with a teacher from the academy? (1,921 views)]”

It was a post he had seen before. Back then, he had casually dismissed it, thinking that maybe Lee Ji-hye had done something under Eun Yoo-ri’s orders. But what if it wasn’t something insignificant after all?

Ju Won-young sent a text to one of Lee Ji-hye’s gang.

[Me: Hey]

[Moon Hyeong-min: ?]

[Me: You’ve met a teacher from DT Academy with Lee Ji-hye, right? You must have been there too.]

[Moon Hyeong-min: Yeah]

[Me: Tell me about that teacher.]

[Moon Hyeong-min: Why? Curious? Just tell me, show your face.]

[Me: Just tell me quickly.]

[Moon Hyeong-min: Okay]

After a brief wait, Ju Won-young successfully saved the phone number. Using the number she obtained, she called the academy teacher. It took quite a while before the other person picked up.

“Hello?”

“You’re the teacher who contacted Lee Ji-hye, right?”

“…Who are you.”

“Ju Won-young, direct line to Ji-hye. If you don’t believe me, cross-check my number.”

For a moment, a rough voice was heard from the other end of the line, then soon after, another voice echoed.

“The academy ID matches, and the contact number for Ji-hye is correct. So, why did you call?”

“I won’t beat around the bush. I have to be first in the next mock exam.”

“Asking for content? Dawon High should be enough already.”

“That won’t do. To confront a monster, I need a special weapon.”

“It doesn’t seem like something to discuss over the phone. Also, your identity isn’t completely verified, so I want to see your face.”

“Then let’s meet today. I’ll send you the time and place.”

Having made the appointment, Ju Won-young wiped away her tears and left the restroom.

“Heaven and bastards, you’re the ones who made me like this. If I had just lived cowering, I wouldn’t have to resort to this.”

Dark night.

On a street illuminated only by streetlights, Ju Won-young met a certain female teacher.

“…Ju Won-young. The photo matches.”

The teacher compared the photo she brought with Ju Won-young’s actual appearance and nodded.

“So? Tell me in detail. You want to be first?”

“Yes. Just give me the test answers.”

“Is this agreed upon with Ji-hye?”

“…I heard from Ji-hye to tidy up the academy. That’s the deal.”

She didn’t lie.

“But there’s some risk involved… I shouldn’t get caught.”

“No one else knows within Ojak Bridge except us. So, will you give them to me?”

“Hmm….”

The teacher hesitated, and Ju Won-young pushed forward her account details. The teacher’s pupils trembled as she checked the account.

“This is the down payment. If it goes well, there will be more.”

“…I can accept this.”

The teacher felt inwardly satisfied. Yes, it was for this kind of gain that he had forsaken his ethics as a teacher and cooperated with Ojakgyo.

“So Ojakgyo will cleanly handle the aftermath?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll send the files by the end of today. I know a few teachers, so it’ll be easier than you think.”

The two men and women finished their business and went their separate ways. Only the sound of the quiet night breeze swept through the streets.

Some time later, the sound of someone’s footsteps could be heard. It was a student wearing headphones, watching a video on their phone through an app.

Jitgwech was a female high school student, and she sat on a bench, adjusting her phone’s camera position. As she did, the phone screen and the scenery changed together.

“Oh… this is too awesome… the scoop is too awesome….”

Perhaps overly excited, her words became muddled at the end.

Trembling and blushing, she sent a message to someone with trembling fingers.

[Me: Senior! I’ve secured it!]

[Me: (avi), (gif)]

[Me: If you need more data, please let me know!]

[KimMaru: The sound quality is good and the video quality is nice too.]

[KimMaru: Does Veritas have a lot of this equipment?]

[Me: Compared to Director-nim, I’m just a rookie!]

[Me: Oh, Director-nim is also a TT Academy student. Would you like to collaborate with Director-nim too?]

[KimMaru: Nothing wrong with that.]

[Me: By the way, how about time and place? Smelling out a scoop is amazing. Are you considering joining Veritas?]

[KimMaru: Stop talking nonsense and spread this article right after the academy’s mock exam. I’ll handle it within the academy.]

[Me: Okay]

After finishing the conversation, Gumiho hummed and left the spot.

“Looking forward to tomorrow.”