episode_0052

Discipline.

The word uttered by Alice made the students uneasy.

Alice continued speaking, looking at the documents with a dry gaze.

“Everyone failed miserably without singling out any specific schools. If we delve into details, it will be insufficient even if we stay up all night, so in today’s meeting, we will only mention certain schools.”

Students from various schools felt a pang as they listened to Alice’s words.

“First off, Hanguk High School.”

Jegal Hwarin closed her eyes tightly as if she had come prepared, while Jegal Yeonhwa stood with her arms crossed, wearing an uneasy expression.

“The one who started demolishing the Ojak Bridge was Haneulgo… and it was Hanguk High School that caused the first large-scale clash with Haneulgo.”

Alice tossed a report with photos attached to the Jegal sisters. Jegal Hwarin grimaced upon seeing the photo.

It was a picture of her walking towards the dilapidated dormitory after the battle at the forefront led by Han Doa.

Alice looked at Jegal Hwarin.

“Jegal Hwarin.”

“…Yes.”

“Lift your head. Should I talk to you while staring at your forehead?”

“Oh, no.”

“In fact, if you had pressed the leadership of Haneulgo at that point, things wouldn’t have escalated this far. Even though there were collaborators within Haneulgo, they lost…”

Jegal Hwarin did not offer any excuses. Making excuses is something you do when dealing with someone who might listen, but there was no point in trying that with the blonde monster in front of her.

“Not only did you involve external parties in the conflict, but you still ended up losing. Thanks to that, the disgrace of Ojak Bridge leaked outside the school community.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Jegal Hwarin bowed her head and apologized.

“I told you to lift your head.”

Upon hearing Alice’s words, Jegal Hwarin raised her head again. She took a deep breath.

Alice’s dark blue eyes stared at Jegal Hwarin. Those eyes, reminiscent of deep abysses, gave Jegal Hwarin a suffocating sensation.

“Don’t engage in activities during the break. We will also cut off the activity funds provided to Hanguk High School.”

“…”

“…If you have any objections, speak up.”

“No, I don’t…”

When Alice asks for objections, it means not to voice any objections.

There was a student who expressed dissatisfaction to Alice at a previous meeting. It was a student from Choyeon High School like Seo Yoon, who decided to always yield to Alice after witnessing Jegal Hwarin being treated like a dog.

However, that didn’t mean there was no dissatisfaction.

For Jegal Hwarin, who had enjoyed a luxurious life during the break thanks to Ojak Bridge’s money and power, this was a very painful disciplinary action.

“And Yeonhwa.”

Alice now turned her gaze to Jegal Yeonhwa.

“Yes, what is it?”

“You participated in the fight that broke out at the rotary and now you don’t want to do more modeling?”

“I asked her to.”

Eun Yuri, who had been quietly listening, interjected. Jegal Yeonhwa glared at Eun Yuri with a puzzled look.

“You asked her?”

“Yes. At that time, the Haneulgo Union couldn’t handle it with just one officer. So, I had no choice but to call her.”

Eun Yuri nodded in response to Alice’s question.

“Seo Yoon could have been there too.”

“We didn’t call the freshmen because they were busy handling the half-Ojak Bridge rally near Choyeon High School.”

“…I see. Your judgment was probably more reasonable than mine, considering recent events in Hanguk.”

After hearing Eun Yuri’s response, Alice fell silent again as she sifted through the documents. The only sound in the cafe was the rustling of papers as Alice flipped through them.

“Yeonhwa, keep doing modeling activities during the break. Don’t get involved in anything else.”

“Sigh… Okay.”

Although Jegal Yeonhwa wore a discontented expression, she managed to contain herself with just a sigh.

“Continue Ojak Bridge activities with the rest of the students excluding Hwarin and Yeonhwa. Since I’ve already established the system, there’s no need for their approval. Eun Yuri will oversee them.”

During the vacation, Eun Yoori had essentially taken control of Hanguk High School. The Jegal sisters only murmured under their breaths, not daring to rebel further.

“Next is Dowon High.”

Upon hearing Alice’s words, Moon Hyeongmin and Ju Wonyoung’s expressions turned pale, especially Ju Wonyoung, who was on the verge of nodding off.

“The responsibility for the collapse of the school’s authority lies with you. If the rankings had simply dropped due to poor grades, it would be one thing, but resorting to cheating tarnished Ojakgyo’s honor.”

“I-I’m sorry….”

As Ju Wonyoung stuttered out an apology, Moon Hyeongmin hastily intervened.

Watching the scene unfold quietly, Alice sighed and took a sip of her Americano.

“Exercising wisdom to prevent such incidents is your role.”

“….”

Unlike usual, Lee Ji-hye clenched her fists tightly on her knees without putting her hands in her pockets.

“You selected Ju Wonyoung from the list of top performers. But didn’t I also tell you to pay attention to character? By fixating only on visible numbers, these loopholes arise.”

“…Sigh.”

Lee Ji-hye let out a quiet sigh. Her sigh made the atmosphere even more tense.

Moon Hyeongmin’s mouth hung open, and the Jegal sisters stared at Lee Ji-hye as if she were a fool.

Alice half-closed her eyes and spoke calmly.

“If a subordinate makes a mistake, it becomes the responsibility of the superior. You must be aware of this simple rule.”

“By that rule, isn’t the mistake yours?”

When Lee Ji-hye bluntly retorted, Eun Yoori touched her forehead with her hand.

However, Alice unexpectedly continued speaking calmly.

“So, I’ve decided to supplement the lacking school scholarships, content, and extracurricular activities. That’s how I will take responsibility this time. And you?”

“….”

“How will you take responsibility?”

“…I’ll take responsibility.”

“Get the list of top performers from Yoori again and choose properly this time. Make up for this semester’s losses next semester.”

Lee Ji-hye bit her lip.

“If you have any objections, speak up.”

“…None, none at all.”

Lee Ji-hye abruptly turned her head. Without any further reaction, Alice returned her gaze to the documents.

The students’ expressions slightly softened as they witnessed the surprisingly smooth progression of the meeting.

“They don’t underestimate the officials after all.”

“Despite that, they’ve even devised a plan to recover the losses. I heard they were busy due to family matters…”

The students looked at Alice with a gaze that did not consider her an ordinary student.

However, their softened expressions began to harden once again. It started when Alice looked at Seoyoon.

“Lastly, Choyeon High.”

In a chilling tone, Alice muttered as she placed the documents on the table. She then began cracking her knuckles.

Thud.

Seoyoon’s pupils shook upon hearing the sound.

“The cases of the two schools mentioned earlier are different from yours.”

While stroking her hand, Alice reached out towards Seoyoon’s neck. Her movement was so swift that no one, including Seoyoon, could react.

Seoyoon groaned at the shock she felt on her neck.

“Tsk!”

“If you thought I would just overlook your actions, you were mistaken.”

Alice has strict disciplinary rules.

Even if the outcome of the work wasn’t good, as long as there was a justification that benefitted Ojakgyo, Alice would postpone violent discipline.

Although Lee Ji-hye acted rudely, there was a justification that they were trying to surpass Haneul High, so Alice let it slide.

But Seoyoon was different.

“You clearly acted against Ojakgyo’s operations. Why did you attack the collaborator when Jegal Hwarin allied with an outsider?”

“Gah! Th-that’s…!”

“If it’s for the reason I suspect, it’s too obvious and boring.”

As Alice’s grip on Seoyoon’s neck tightened, Seoyoon instinctively grabbed Alice’s forearm to free herself.

As Seoyoon’s grip strengthened, veins began to bulge on Alice’s otherwise fair arm.

Seo-yoon couldn’t release her arm from Alice’s grip and whimpered incessantly.

“Be careful not to cause harm to the group by acting impulsively. Have you forgotten our agreement? If you remembered correctly, you wouldn’t have resorted to such actions.”

Watching Seo-yoon gasping helplessly as Alice held her by the throat, Jegal Hwaryun broke out in a cold sweat.

‘Trying to overpower that bear-like woman with sheer strength…?’

Outwardly, it seemed like Alice should be pushed back by Seo-yoon, but the actual outcome was the opposite.

Just by tightening her grip on Seo-yoon’s larger frame, Alice effectively neutralized her resistance.

As Seo-yoon’s complexion began to pale, Alice finally pushed her away. Collapsing next to the sofa with a loud thud, Seo-yoon gasped for breath, retching.

“Ugh…! Hah…!”

“Don’t engage in any activities during the break. Since you hardly did anything, it shouldn’t be such a big blow anyway.”

“Haa… haa…”

“Of course, no activity fee will be provided.”

Shameful and resentful, Seo-yoon glared at Alice upon hearing she wouldn’t receive any money. Alice looked down at Seo-yoon and asserted,

“Just follow the contract. If you act against my wishes, there’s no need for me to allocate my resources to you.”

Approaching Seo-yoon, Alice grabbed her by the collar. The hefty Seo-yoon was led by Alice’s hand without resistance.

“If you have any objections.”

She stared into Seo-yoon’s eyes.

“Speak up now. Whether with words or fists.”

Seo-yoon stared back at Alice for a while, grinding her teeth. Meeting Seo-yoon’s gaze with a cold stare, Alice confronted her.

In the end, Seo-yoon was the first to show submission.

Seo-yoon’s head slowly, very slowly, lowered. Eventually, her gaze fixed on the ground.

When Alice released her grip, Seo-yoon’s upper body hit the floor. All eyes of the students turned towards the fallen Seo-yoon.

Some wore expressions of satisfaction, while others showed pity.

Seo-yoon trembled under the weight of the complex gazes directed at her.

“We’ll conclude the disciplinary action here.”

Alice declared in a dry voice, as if nothing had happened, looking at the other students.

“You’ll go through a simple procedure at another school. Officers, accompany me to collect the reports.”

Following Alice’s instructions, the officers collected the students’ reports. After completing the process, the officers signaled the end of the meeting.

“Now, go home.”

Lee Ji-hye dismissed some students.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

Eun Yoori addressed the students.

“We can manage well even without us, right?”

Jegal Yeonhwa advised the students.

“Just report to me.”

Seo-yoon, with a disgruntled expression, collected the reports with dirtied hands and wandered around the cafe.

The bustling cafe now only had five officers left. Alice and Eun Yoori were sorting through the papers collected by the officers.

While sorting, when Alice gestured to Eun Yoori, she quickly caught on to her intention. Looking at the three officers, Eun Yoori spoke up.

“Wisdom, Yeonhwa, Seo-yoon. You can leave first. We have something to discuss.”

“What’s going on? You’re not assigning us menial tasks.”

When Jegal Yeonhwa questioned, Alice glared at her intently.

“Got it. Let’s go then.”

Reluctantly, Jegal Yeonhwa left the cafe with the officers.

Alone together, Eun Yoori took out a copy of a student identification card she had been holding in her arms and handed it to Alice.

“I accessed the Scholar Integration System to obtain this. It’s legal, so I could only view the information that has been fully disclosed.”

“That should be enough.”

Alice glanced at the copy of the registration card. She gazed intently at it, reading the contents.

And then, Eun Yoori hesitated.

It had been about two and a half years since she had spent time with Alice at the Scholar. Alice was wearing an expression that Eun Yoori had never seen before.

‘What kind of relationship does she have with him?’

As Eun Yoori curiously stared at her face, Alice, who had finished reading the copy, muttered in a trembling voice,

“…Angel’s House.”

“Oh? Ah, the daycare center where students are going for volunteer work? The recent volunteer activity location is also written on that copy.”

“Do you know the application procedure?”

“It’s simple. I’ll send it to you later via text.”

“Thank you.”

Expressing gratitude, Alice stared blankly at her identification card for a while. Eunyuri stood up from her seat, perhaps trying not to disturb her.

“I’ll go first. I don’t know what this is about, but I hope it gets resolved well. You’re definitely needed at the Ojak Bridge right now.”

With Eunyuri leaving as well, the only customer left in the cafe was Alice. She was enveloped by the gentle music flowing from the ceiling speakers.

Her hand trembled as she attached the ID card.

She gently stroked the familiar face of a male student attached to the ID card with her trembling hand.

Though she could only feel the texture of the paper, the sensation was so vivid that it evoked nostalgia from the past.

“I can’t just… ignore it…”

Even after more than ten years had passed, even as the memories were beginning to fade, the face of the boy who had found a place in Alice’s heart still came to mind from the photo.

Alice, who used to have a stern expression during meetings, now had slightly reddened eyes and a faint smile on her lips as she looked at the photo.

“I’ll go meet him.”

Quietly murmuring, Alice gazed at the photo in the cafe for quite a long time.