episode_0044

The main entrance of Orange High School was quiet on the holiday.

Since the main gate was open for students participating in self-study, entry was allowed even on holidays.

Normally, there should be few people on a holiday, but currently, there were people gathered at the main gate of Orange High.

There was one woman and two men, who seemed to be familiar with each other as they stood close together.

The woman had a baseball cap pulled down low and wore a black mask, making it difficult to distinguish her face.

Due to her oversized black T-shirt, her lower body was not visible.

While the woman was engrossed in her phone, one of the men with her struck up a conversation.

“Jihye, it’s been quite a while since we came here, hasn’t it?”

“……”

“…You don’t want to answer, I see. Alright.”

Moon Hyeongmin, a close associate of Lee Jihye, scratched his head and gave up on the conversation early on, knowing Jihye’s temperament well.

He then changed the subject of the conversation. The target this time was Ju Wonyoung, who had requested mediation from a teacher at TT Academy.

“Hey, Ju Wonyoung. Did Jihye ask you to bring some documents?”

“Uh, yes. Here…”

Having suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Kim Maru and his group earlier and experienced social disgrace, Ju Wonyoung handed over the documents to Moon Hyeongmin looking visibly dejected.

The documents included a report on the suppression of the Ban Ojak Bridge protest and scholarships and educational content received from the academy.

“Wow, the scholarship got cut in half. Is Eun Yoori going all out today?”

“Uh…!”

Startled by Moon Hyeongmin’s mutterings, Ju Wonyoung bowed deeply. Meanwhile, Jihye, who had been on her phone, suddenly raised her head.

Ju Wonyoung thought that Jihye might hit him like a mad dog the next time they meet, so he recoiled in fear.

However, Jihye didn’t even spare a glance at Ju Wonyoung.

“Why is that?”

Despite Moon Hyeongmin’s question, Jihye remained silent and looked across the street.

On the other side of the street, two slender women with long and short hair were approaching. They looked almost identical, like identical twins.

The woman with long hair was wearing a thin long-sleeved white shirt and skinny jeans despite it being summer. The woman with short hair was dressed in a sleeveless top and dolphin shorts.

Realizing they were the Jegal sisters, Moon Hyeongmin involuntarily sighed.

‘They’ll probably growl at each other again when they meet Jihye. Why did Eun Yoori ask them to wait in front of the main gate…’

After crossing the crosswalk, Jegal Yeonhwa greeted Moon Hyeongmin and Ju Wonyoung warmly with a smile.

“Hey, Hyeongmin, Wonyoung. Long time no see~.”

“…Hello.”

Moon Hyeongmin muttered quietly, seeming unenthusiastic.

“N-nice to meet you!”

Nervous, Ju Wonyoung stuttered.

As expected by Moon Hyeongmin, Jegal Yeonhwa noticed Jihye and approached her immediately.

Standing over 170cm tall, Jegal Yeonhwa looked down at Jihye as she had heels on. Jihye stared back at Jegal Yeonhwa without blinking.

“Our cute Jihye~. You’ve been through a lot of trouble near the academy, haven’t you~.”

As Jegal Yeonhwa smiled and elongated her words, Jihye’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re quite audacious. Are you trying to make fun of me? Saying you gave it to the sky-high near the academy.”

“Make fun of you? I was just genuinely worried about Jihye.”

“Enough. Stop scratching. There’s no room for leniency before the meeting.”

“You’re scary… Educating an unruly puppy is my specialty.”

An uncomfortable tension arose between Jihye and Jegal Yeonhwa.

Moon Hyeongmin didn’t dare intervene.

In the presence of these extraordinary ladies, even in the academic world, the two women in front of him were capable of overpowering him effortlessly. As a man, he knew he should keep his mouth shut and stay still in such situations.

Turning his gaze towards Jegal Harin, who had revealing attire showing off her fair skin, Moon Hyeongmin swallowed hard and discreetly approached Harin.

“Hey, Rin. What’s up with your appearance?”

Due to their shared experience of assisting a boss with a dirty personality, the two quickly became close.

“…Don’t look.”

Jegal Hwarin covered her bruised lips with her hand and bit them.

“Is it because of Kim Noeul? Is that crazy girl causing trouble again?”

“No… most of it is from Unni…”

“Ah.”

Moon Hyeongmin watched nervously as Jegal Yeonhwa continued to argue with Lee Jihye from behind.

‘Rin has been on a downward trend due to consecutive failures in her recent work. Did Jegal Yeonhwa really resort to violence?’

“Then at least cover it with clothes, why expose yourself like this on the street?”

“Today’s outfit was chosen by Unni. Just wear this and follow along.”

“….”

Lost for words at Jegal Hwarin’s response, Moon Hyeongmin patted her on the shoulder. Jegal Hwarin didn’t react.

“Hey? Hyeongmin, why are you having such an intimate conversation with Rin?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just briefly about today’s meeting agenda…”

While the two were talking, Jegal Yeonhwa suddenly called out to Moon Hyeongmin. He distanced himself from Jegal Hwarin.

“Why? Worried about Rin?”

“Well…”

As Moon Hyeongmin hesitated, Jegal Yeonhwa approached her sister and gently touched the bruise on her shoulder.

As her sister’s hand made contact, Jegal Hwarin trembled as if reacting involuntarily.

“We were just having a heart-to-heart chat as sisters. There was nothing rough like you’re thinking. Right, Rin?”

“….”

“Rin.”

“Y-yeah. No problem.”

When Jegal Yeonhwa demanded an answer in a stern voice, Jegal Hwarin hurriedly nodded.

Watching the melodrama unfold with cold eyes, Lee Jihye pretended to gag.

“Ugh, it’s disgusting how women like you fight among yourselves. I told you to fix that nasty attitude.”

“I wish you wouldn’t interfere in our family matters.”

“It’s just disgusting. You, who vents on your younger sister, and you, who whines without resistance.”

“Our Jihye puppy is also one of my educational targets.”

“Oh, seriously.”

Unable to bear it, Lee Jihye grabbed Jegal Yeonhwa by the collar. Despite being grabbed, Jegal Yeonhwa continued to smile.

“Why? Ready to throw the first punch?”

“…Back off.”

“What a mess. Unlike you, I can distinguish right from wrong, so I don’t plan to confront you later during the meeting. I won’t hit you.”

The intense staring contest between them was interrupted by someone’s intervention.

“Hey, stop causing a scene in front of the school.”

The five students turned towards the voice. A delicate-looking girl with her hair tied up over one shoulder stood there, wearing her school uniform even though it was a holiday.

“Yuri, why did you gather us at the main gate? Thanks to you, the little puppy got upset.”

“Ugh. Can’t you get it together yet…!”

Despite Jegal Yeonhwa’s sarcasm, Lee Jihye was angry, but when Yuri gave a signal, Lee Jihye reluctantly released the collar she had grabbed.

“I didn’t want us to gather inside the school. If you caused a commotion inside, it would damage my reputation at school.”

Saying so, Yuri turned and walked away.

“Follow me.”

The five students followed Yuri to the student council room. Yuri sat in the president’s seat, and the other five sat on the sofa.

“So, why did you call us here?”

Lee Jihye asked, crossing her arms in a complaining tone. Yuri opened her mouth while reading the documents handed to her.

“Alice will be back soon.”

At that statement, the students fell silent.

“If we participate in the end-of-term meeting in this state, it seems we’ll only recite disciplinary procedures without making any progress. So, I called you here to practice before the meeting.”

Yuri took out two files from the drawer. Each file had a sticky note attached to it.

One was labeled Do Won High School, and the other was labeled Han Guk High School.

“Take turns and go through it.”

Ju Wonyoung and Jegal Yeonhwa each took a file and returned to the sofa.

“My top priority goal is TT Academy for now. Soon, including me and Alice, the third-year students of Ojakgyo will have to prepare for college entrance exams. Our performance in these exams must be good for next year’s activities to run smoothly, and to achieve that, securing TT Academy’s rights is essential,” Eun Yoori said, touching her forehead as she spoke.

“But as you both know, Ojakgyo’s influence at TT Academy has significantly weakened this semester. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is; now is the time to strike back.”

“How are we going to do that?” Jegal Yeonhwa asked, flipping through the file with crossed legs.

“I will enroll at TT Academy,” Eun Yoori replied calmly.

“What…?”

“…There seems to be no other way.”

Lee Ji-hye was taken aback, while Jegal Yeonhwa muttered as if she had expected it.

“If we lost our influence due to grades, we can regain it by improving our grades. With the Summer School term starting soon, all I need to do is secure the top spot in the program’s entrance exam.”

Eun Yoori casually declared her intention to take the top spot, but no one challenged her statement.

When Eun Yoori declares she will achieve something, it becomes reality. At least in the world of academia, that was considered common sense.

“But even if I reestablish control within the academy, I won’t be able to cover the nearby Rotary. You two, Ji-hye and Yeonhwa, will handle that.”

“Two executives at once…”

Mun Hyeongmin mumbled, his heart racing.

Since the founding of Ojakgyo, there had never been an official collaboration of two or more executives. This would be the first instance.

“The student news club, Hakdo News… It has been revealed that Veritas, a key figure there, fully supports Haenggo. They are even assisting Haenggo’s activities at Yusin High School and surrounding schools.”

As Eun Yoori explained, she glanced down at the map of Hakdo. It was becoming increasingly difficult to contain Haenggo’s influence with just one executive.

“Do you think you can handle it?”

Ji-hye readily nodded at Eun Yoori’s question.

“I’m fine with it. I can finally meet Doa unnie.”

However, Jegal Yeonhwa wore a troubled expression.

“You seem dissatisfied, Yeonhwa.”

“I’m currently active as a model. If I openly get involved in violent incidents, it could damage my image.”

“Well… I understand your concerns. But consider this.”

Eun Yoori’s gentle gaze turned sharp in an instant.

“Who enabled you to reign as a model in Hakdo in the first place?”

“….”

“Could you have reached your current position without someone’s support, financially or influentially?”

Under Eun Yoori’s indirect threat, Jegal Yeonhwa closed her eyes slightly.

She briefly recalled an incident from the past.

During her peaceful days at Hakdo, a blonde woman suddenly approached her. The woman offered her the honor of becoming a celebrity in Hakdo in exchange for submission. Jegal Yeonhwa had scoffed and refused.

The subsequent outcome was obvious. She was now an executive at Ojakgyo.

“Alright, I understand. Given the circumstances, I guess I can’t refuse anymore.”

“You’ve thought it through well.”

As Jegal Yeonhwa opened her eyes and agreed, Eun Yoori smiled.

“The sooner, the better for execution. I’ll proceed with the academy registration process my way, so you two should go to the Rotary on the day of the Summer School entrance exam and cause a commotion.”

Eun Yoori finished speaking and gestured, indicating they should leave.

The Ojakgyo students silently rose from their seats, preparing to leave.

“Good luck.”

Eun Yoori’s calm voice echoed in the council room.

“You both know what will happen if Alice gets angry, right?”

“….”

“….”

Without denying her words, Lee Ji-hye and Jegal Yeonhwa quietly left the council room.

“Then I’ll inform the Student Council as well.”

“Please tell me the story well. The student population at Yushin High School is large, which will greatly help to compensate for the weakness of Haneul High School in terms of the number of students.”

“I came this far because I believe in Haneul High School. I also didn’t like seeing Ojakgyo acting recklessly.”

Kim Noeul was currently having a meeting with a member of the student council at Yushin High School.

Thanks to Jung Soyeon’s incident and the cooperation of Seong Nari, the student council at Yushin High School now had a favorable view of Haneul High School, and they finally signed a cooperative agreement with us.

Now, there would be no student in the entire school district who did not know Kim Noeul’s name.

The factions that were dissatisfied with Ojakgyo began to unite under the name of Kim Noeul. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that I had finally crossed a major hurdle.

‘How did I come this far?’

It was a successful first semester, showcasing overwhelming performance and even establishing a school union.

Things worked out better than I expected. Now, during the vacation, I need to prepare myself, and in the second semester, I will face Ojakgyo head-on.

“Ugh… it’s hard…”

Kim Noeul groaned as the table creaked. She turned her face, which was pressed against the table, to look up at me.

“…Did I do well?”

I nodded in response to Kim Noeul’s question.

“You did well.”

“Wasn’t I cool?”

“…Here we go again.”

Familiar with this pattern, I lightly tapped Kim Noeul’s head with my palm.

“Good job. Now, all that’s left is becoming the president.”

“The president… as in the student council president…”

Whether she was enjoying the term or not, Kim Noeul repeated the word ‘president’ several times. Then she looked back at me.

“Are you the vice president?”

“What?”

“Weren’t you? If I’m the president, then you’re the vice president.”

“I haven’t really thought about it.”

Kim Noeul had only focused on being elected as the student council president; she hadn’t considered other positions.

“The authority to appoint lies with the president.”

“That’s right.”

I started to feel uneasy at Kim Noeul’s words.

“I’ll just appoint you as the vice president.”

“…Do as you please.”

In fact, it wouldn’t be bad for me either. Supporting Kim Noeul as her right-hand person would lead to better results.

“So, are we the only ones in the student council room?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The president and vice president. Just the two of us.”

“Aren’t there other executives? Like a secretary or treasurer?”

“Do we really need to appoint them? According to the rules, it seems that holding multiple positions is possible.”

Come to think of it, I remembered such a rule. It was an impressive rule that demonstrated the autonomy of the students.

“Well, even so, having just the two of us feels a bit…”

“Is the vice president uncomfortable being alone with the president?”

Suddenly adopting a serious tone, Kim Noeul stared at me with a sly smile.

“The president’s orders are absolute. Starting from the second semester, Vice President Maru will obey my commands.”

“Don’t act so high and mighty.”

“What kind of attitude is that towards the president!”

Kim Noeul suddenly stood up and approached me confidently. Memories of being preyed upon by the wolf named Kim Noeul at the beginning of the semester in the classroom flashed through my mind, so I assumed a defensive posture.

However, my defense was futile against Kim Noeul.

She buried her face in my neck, but I wasn’t as flustered as before since I had experienced this before.

I could smell a faint shampoo scent from her hair.

“Are you trembling?”

“Sigh… It’s refreshing after a day’s fatigue… From now on, the vice president’s duties will be to please the president…”

“If I don’t acknowledge it this time, you won’t let it go, will you?”

“You know the president’s thoughts well… Indeed, you’re the vice president…”

Supporting her as she slumped, speaking in a hesitant tone, I sighed. Seeing her like this, she really resembled a big puppy.

At that moment, the door to the counseling office opened.

“Maru! During the vacation, there’s a SC shoot…”

With a bright smile, Nayuna entered and stared at Kim Noeul, who had nestled into my arms, with cold eyes.

“Noeul, what are you doing there? Maru looks uncomfortable. Besides, behaving like that in a public space can damage the reputation of the counseling office, so let

Without taking a breath, Kim Noeul clung tighter to me despite Nayeona’s acerbic voice. Her ample chest pressed against mine, contorting it.

“Why is the door open….”

Soon, Handoa also entered the consultation room and witnessed this scene.

Handoa’s face gradually twisted in disgust as he drew his sword.

“What insolence…! Oh, no. What are you doing in this sacred hall of learning! Get away at once!”