episode_0033

“Hey, Mr. Choi! What a disgrace is this!”

In the middle of the hallway, managers and the vice principal were pointing fingers in a heated discussion. The complexion of the instructors involved in this incident, including Mr. Choi, looked rather grim.

The four of us from Haneul High, along with other students, watched this spectacle from a corner of the hallway.

“You leaked it the day before the exam!? Knowing how crucial the sample data for the mock test is? Essentially, this exam becomes meaningless!”

“This is unbelievable. The cost of hiring the examiners and printing alone… and they just let it slip to the students like that…”

“We’re getting a call from the Daechi-dong branch. They’re urgently requesting a change in leadership…”

The instructor addressed as Mr. Choi was trembling, looking around anxiously. He was probably searching for Ju Won-young.

However, Ju Won-young had already left the academy. Perhaps unable to bear the scrutiny of others, she hurriedly made her way to the elevator, feeling nauseous.

They’ll probably be surprised when the truth comes out. Veritas’s true attack will start tomorrow.

“You, all of you, go home right now! Hurry!”

“Don’t spread any strange rumors today and just go straight home!”

Despite the instructors’ strong recommendations to the students to leave, there was no way they would listen. While leaving, they spread the news on various social media platforms.

“It seems like things have been resolved in favor of Haneul High, considering the circumstances.”

At Han Do-ah’s words, Na Yuna let out a relieved sigh.

“I was so shocked… When I heard that Ju Won-young got a perfect score, everything seemed bleak.”

“….”

Unlike the two, Kim No-eul remained silent. She simply closed her mouth with a serious expression, lost in thought.

“It’s already 10 o’clock. Isn’t it time for curfew soon?”

“Oh, really? Well, I’ll head back first then!”

“You’ve worked hard today. Proud to raise the reputation of Haneul High.”

Na Yuna adjusted her fluttering bangs with her hand and ran towards the dormitory. Han Do-ah also walked in a different direction from Na Yuna.

“…Should we go too?”

“Yeah.”

Kim No-eul replied briefly to my question. Her serious expression made me hesitate to crack a joke. Nevertheless, I tried to lighten the mood.

“You don’t think I upset you by proceeding without discussing our plans, do you?”

“I’m not upset.”

“You sure seem upset.”

“I’m not.”

“That’s not the point.”

Kim Noeul stopped walking and bowed her head deeply. I instinctively stopped too.

“…Can I be of help to you?”

“What?”

Kim Noeul cautiously asked, raising her head slightly. It was an unexpected question, so I responded with a question.

“You’re the one who plans and executes strategies proactively, and I feel like I’m not doing anything. You said it yourself. We’re partners.”

“……”

“I feel like I’m not a suitable partner for you.”

From Kim Noeul’s perspective, it was natural for her to think that way. When Jegal Hwarin attacked the counseling department, she was participating in the competition, and this time, she didn’t achieve a satisfactory result.

But she was overlooking something.

Having won the gold prize at the competition, she brought many benefits to Haneul High, and there was a growing trend of Haneul High students admiring her fighting skills.

The current Haneul High students were no longer passive beings on Ojak Bridge; they had started to resist little by little.

Kim Noeul was a symbol of that resistance.

She had already built an excellent resume to the extent that it would be appropriate to consider her as the next student council president.

That was not my order; it was something Kim Noeul had achieved on her own.

“Do you know your approval rating is incredibly high right now?”

“Approval rating?”

“The Haneul High approval rating. There will be a school-wide presidential election at the beginning of the second semester.”

I entered Haneul High ETA and showed her “Haneul’s Ankhate.”

“Here, if you look, you’re the most popular in the women’s category. In Haneul High history, those who have ranked first here have mostly become the school-wide president.”

“President….”

“You’re already doing well, aren’t you? Why are you acting so unlike yourself again?”

“Acting unlike myself.”

Kim Noeul narrowed her eyes and retorted.

“Acting unlike yourself. There’s nothing more foolish than being anxious about yourself and tripping over it while you’re already doing well.”

I put my hand on Kim Noeul’s shoulder. She flinched and looked up at me.

“What lines did Kim Noeul’s colleagues say to her in the original work?”

After thinking for a moment, I spoke.

“You’re already doing well enough, and you’ll continue to do well. Why? Because I chose you.”

Kim Noeul’s eyes flickered.

“Kim Noeul, do you think I consider you competent?”

“……What?”

“The competent person is the one who chose you.”

I patted her shoulder as I spoke.

“Woman needs confidence. There’s a saying that a brave person gets a handsome man.”

It was an attempt to encourage her as much as possible. However, it seemed like an inappropriate proverb for the situation. Kim Noeul seemed to have felt that too and smirked.

“Was that supposed to be encouraging just now?”

“…Even if I do, you make a fuss.”

Kim Noeul seemed to gather her strength to turn away, but my hand caught hers. I found myself looking at her again.

Kim Noeul’s smile came into my view.

For a moment, her face reflected in the moonlight looked truly radiant.

“Thank you.”

“……”

Her warm body temperature was transmitted through her hand. Her hand, smaller and thinner than mine, exuded strong confidence.

“Okay, you’ve gathered yourself. Let’s go now since it’s late.”

“Let’s go.”

“But are you going to let go of my hand?”

“This is how I recharge my confidence. Let’s go like this.”

“…Do as you please.”

That’s how we walked holding hands for a while. Until we parted ways.

“Extra! Extra!”

Students were running around the streets promoting newspapers. Those who had been in Hukdo for a long time knew them well as Veritas.

“Check out Hukdo Gal and Jogyoeta~! A student from Dowon High School has been caught cheating at the academy~!”

Ju Wonyoung and the academy instructor’s leaked problem spread throughout Hukdo in no time.

“This is insane. Did they really think they wouldn’t get caught? They’ve been doing this all along, haven’t they?”

“It’s a big deal. They’ve been getting away with it until now.”

“They say Dowon High School has convened a disciplinary committee.”

“I wonder how Lee Ji-hye will come out of this.”

Everywhere in Hukdo, it was all about Dowon High School.

The situation was similar in the online world.

[Oh, it’s you again… Damn Won High! (2,001 views) (1,866 likes)]

“Right now, I’m most curious about how Lee Ji-hye feels. Lol, first things first.” (1,822 views) (1,821 likes)

[Current situation summary.txt (508 views) (324 likes)]

[Haneulgo produces top scorer in premium real estate (449 views) (100 likes)]

On the rooftop of Dowon High School, there was a female student leaning against the railing, browsing Hukdo Gal. She was petite for a high school student.

She was a petite girl, yet despite this, several students bowed their heads in front of her, as if submitting to the girl before them.

She sucked on the straw in the juice pack and when she finished, she tossed the pack away. It hit a boy’s forehead, leaving a small amount of juice running through his hair. However, the boy whose hair got wet, Ju Won-young, couldn’t dare to complain. He was currently consumed by fear, trembling uncontrollably.

The girl who threw the juice pack seemed to be staring at the phone screen, rolling her eyes here and there.

-DT Academy is holding a more premium mock test. But there are 2 perfect scorers? However, one of them already knew the answers because of the academy teacher’s manipulation. The other one achieved a perfect score with genuine ability.

-Doowon High School, which used to have a high reputation in the academy district, has dropped in rankings, and Haneul High School students are gaining more power.

-Eun Yuri is planning to go blonde with that gentle expression. LOL

-Comments (221)

[MiddleAgedMistress: Honestly, those Doowon High School kids are getting what they deserve, it’s hilarious]

[YeahRight: Seriously, every time I meet them at the academy, they act so pathetic]

[Alice(223.68): Don’t sugarcoat it when talking about Doowon High School… “That’s an order”]

[YeahRight: Wow]

[InnerJujube: Yes, My Master]

[YeahRight: Is this really Alice?]

[PapangCucumberJo: Don’t make any contracts or anything like that]

[YeahRight: But what did the person who got a perfect score without looking at the answer sheet do, just eat and study?]

[YeahRight: It’s impressive, but you can kind of guess their appearance;; Seems like a life only focused on studying]

[Yuna(38.14): I’ve seen them in person, good-looking]

[PacificShoulderLick: I’ve seen them in person, not good-looking]

[Yuna(38.14): They’re good-looking]

[YeahRight: Science is objective…]

The girl turned off her phone and put it in the pocket of her windbreaker. Then she stood up from the railing she had been leaning on.

“I looked into it separately, and you all seemed to have misunderstood quite grandly.”

When her voice was heard, some students flinched. Ju Won-young was in a panic.

“I told you to cook, I didn’t say to be cooked.”

“Ji-Ji-hye! Let me explain! First, listen to me…!”

Ju Won-young shouted in fear, but couldn’t finish his sentence.

Ji-hye raised her index finger to her lips. “I’ve been feeling really good lately. I’ve been waiting for the connection to be made, waiting for the stage to be set… like a crazy person, looking up at the sky,” she murmured.

Watching Ji-hye muttering like a madwoman while gazing at the sky, Ju Won-young swallowed hard. “That stage has been completely shattered. When I came back after dealing with the protesters, the stage I was supposed to leap on simply ceased to exist.”

Approaching Ju Won-young briskly, Ji-hye grabbed him by the hair. “Did I ask you to do something that difficult? Is it so hard to suppress those few brats at the academy?”

“Well, there’s a student with excellent grades…”

“Ha… are you using that as an excuse?”

With a firm grip on Ju Won-young’s hair, Ji-hye flung him to the ground. He instinctively knelt, and Ji-hye squatted down to meet his eye level.

“If your head is screwed on wrong, shouldn’t I educate you even if it takes a punch? Why did you come to Ojakgyo? Did you come here to whine like a defeated dog?”

“Alright, I’ll do better. Just give me one more chance…”

“A chance? A chance? Ahahaha!”

“….”

“I have to report this crappy result to Eun Yoo-ri. She’ll probably blame me for my mistake and discipline me. Is that all? How much will Je-gal Yeon-hwa, that insane sadistic woman, torment me? Who will comfort me as I endure all the physical and mental suffering?”

Ji-hye laughed cheerfully and spat out her words like a lament. Then she looked closely at Ju Won-young’s face. He whimpered as he met Ji-hye’s gaze, which filled his field of vision.

“I… I didn’t hit you first. If you guys do your job well, I’ll be an angel too. Have you ever seen me use my fist on you first?”

“Oh, no…”

“That’s the problem. I really hate that Je-gal woman, but there’s still one thing I need to learn from her. That’s not sparing the underlings from my fist.”

Silence fell. No one present misunderstood the meaning of Ji-hye’s words.

“Please… next time, this won’t happen, I promise…”

Ju Won-young buried his head in the ground and grasped Ji-hye’s ankle. With a resolute voice, Ji-hye said, “Hit me.”

“…What?”

“I’m going to hit you. Quickly.”

“Okay, okay! I was wrong! I was short-sighted! I’m stupid…!”

“This is your last warning. I’m going to hit you.”

“Ugh, ughhh…. stop…!”

With a sobbing fist, Ju Won-young struck Lee Ji-hye’s shoe. In that moment, Lee Ji-hye delivered a kick right to Ju Won-young’s face.

“Ouch….”

Ju Won-young, spitting blood, staggered backward and fell.

“You struck first.”

Lee Ji-hye never hits first, but the current situation was an exception. Yet, no one present dared to challenge her deviation.

Amidst harsh sounds, Ju Won-young trembled. Lee Ji-hye relentlessly rained down punches upon him, as if crushing rice cakes, until he was drenched in sweat.

As male students stifled their cries and shed tears, female students kept their eyes shut, refusing to look up.

After a long beating, Lee Ji-hye, panting heavily, rose from her seat. Beneath her, Ju Won-young lay motionless, his face covered in bruises.

“Hey, move him.”

In response to Lee Ji-hye’s command, two female students lifted Ju Won-young and moved him.

“Listen up. I’ll end it here, but that Yankee girl won’t.”

Yankee girl. The only girl Lee Ji-hye referred to as a Yankee at school.

The leader of Ojak Bridge, Alice.

“I’m telling you this because she’s about to return to school soon.”

“……”

“If we leave the Rotary Academy in its current state until then, you know what will happen to us, right?”

“We’ll be in trouble.”

“We need to recover.”

Some students timidly replied. Lee Ji-hye stretched and turned away.

“I haven’t caught all the protesting girls yet, so I’ll focus on that for a while. In the meantime, clean up your own mess. Everyone, disband.”

The students rushed off the rooftop. Alone, Lee Ji-hye took a deep breath and raised her bangs.

Then, she took out her phone and checked the group chat.

There were five members in the chat, but aside from official conversations, no one engaged in personal chats.

Among the chat members, Lee Ji-hye focused on the profile at the top.

It was a profile picture of a blonde girl in a dress standing on a foreign coastline.

Status message: I miss you.

Looking at it, Lee Ji-hye furrowed her brow, mumbled under her breath, then spat on the ground.

“Darn it, I don’t want to get slapped again….”