There wasn’t anything particularly difficult about executing the plan.
From the start, my ultimate goal wasn’t to strike down every student in this school with the hammer of justice, but to make it impossible for them to deny my presence here.
Of course, it would be great if they received proper punishment, but for now, I thought it was ideal to resolve things one step at a time.
Trying to handle too much at once could ruin everything.
That’s why, in truth, I didn’t really care about the way So-hee was treating the other kids.
The only thing that mattered was ‘creating suspicion against the other kids’.
“So, what would be the best way to go about it?”
Even during class, So-hee boldly asked this question.
“If I just say ‘they started it first’ with my usual expression, it wouldn’t have the right impact.”
So-hee’s argument did make sense.
Even if it didn’t lead to the culprits being punished, the more convincing the situation looked, the better.
Hearing So-hee speak, the teacher glanced at us.
The classroom was unusually quiet, like a mouse.
Everyone was being cautious.
Yes, that was one of the changes I had noticed.
Normally, students at this school didn’t focus much on class.
Most of them had already studied ahead at home or through expensive tutors.
Some even managed their grades with money if necessary.
Usually, they would chat with the kids next to them or kill time on their phones by browsing the internet or playing games.
The classroom was rarely this quiet.
But now, things were different.
Everyone was staring at their desks.
Many were looking toward the teacher.
And some were sneaking glances at us.
Even the teacher, who was supposed to be conducting the class, occasionally glanced our way while speaking.
Because of this, the atmosphere in the room was so subdued that our conversation could be heard clearly.
It felt as if all the kids in the class were closely watching to see what we were planning.
Well, I didn’t really care about that.
“Can you pretend to cry?”
“…….”
When I asked, So-hee frowned slightly.
She seemed to be questioning why I was asking such a thing.
“How about it?”
Actually, it wasn’t that she was questioning me—So-hee was just trying to make a crying face in her own way.
“……You wouldn’t make a good actress.”
I thought she could at least manage a basic level of acting since she’d hidden her true personality all this time, but on second thought, that’s something anyone can do.
The real challenge is ‘creating emotions that don’t exist’.
If everyone could do that, actors wouldn’t get paid to act.
“How about getting angry instead?”
Ha-neul, who had been silently watching our banter, made a serious suggestion.
“If making a crying face is hard, wouldn’t it be convincing enough to get mad and yell, ‘Why did I have to endure this?’ or ‘Where did all the money you took go?’”
At Ha-neul’s words, the teacher’s shoulders twitched.
The chalk screeched across the blackboard.
Though it didn’t stop the class.
In reality, the teacher had no idea what we were talking about.
After all, the only time we discussed it was briefly over lunch.
The cafeteria wasn’t silent just because we were there, and we were seated more than one table away, so it wouldn’t have been easy for anyone to eavesdrop on our conversation.
Being isolated like this made it easier to plan things.
“Try making an angry face.”
“Uh…….”
At my words, So-hee hesitated for a moment, then made the same face as before.
Come on, she was so good at scaring the kids last time, why is she like this now?
Is it that she can’t do it when she’s consciously trying?
“Well, it’s a little better.”
Still, her ‘annoyed face’ suited her more than her ‘crying face’.
Anyway, for anger, all you really need to do is scowl and raise your voice, and it’ll look convincing enough.
If it’s not enough, we can just break a few things.
After all, they received more than a billion won, so they can manage.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ll all help you as best we can.”
Ha-neul reassured her.
“Yeah, we have to stick together as ‘victims’.”
So-hee emphasized the word ‘victims’ on purpose.
“Ahem!”
The teacher cleared his throat loudly, almost as if to make sure we heard him.
Coughing that loudly must have hurt his throat.
“……Yoo Ha-neul, come up and solve this.”
His hoarse voice made it clear he intended to interrupt us.
See what I mean?
“Yes, teacher.”
Ha-neul stood up, answering as if nothing had happened.
*
“…….”
The student council president gaped at the pile of documents stacked on his desk.
There had to be at least hundreds of sheets, and though the content seemed simple, checking each one would take hours.
“What is all this?”
Pushing up his glasses, he looked up to see Son A-reum standing across the mahogany desk.
“This is the list of students to submit to the disciplinary committee.”
“…….”
Hearing that, the president looked down at the documents again.
Sure enough, each sheet had a student’s name written on it.
Carefully, their ID photos from the school server were attached one by one.
It was impossible to know how long it took to put this together, but considering Son A-reum made it, there were likely no errors.
Despite sometimes appearing clumsy and having an overly rigid sense of justice, she was thorough when it came to her work.
The president pulled the hefty stack of papers closer and flipped through a few pages.
……Most of the first-year girls’ names were neatly arranged in Korean alphabetical order.
The reason for their report was written in simple terms.
[Participation in Group Bullying]
“…….”
The president took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
His head throbbed.
Not too long ago, she had been chasing down Ye Sara, determined to uncover her misdeeds.
Even when hearing the truth, she didn’t believe it.
But after experiencing the injustice firsthand, it seemed her perspective had changed.
Once she realized she’d misunderstood who the real culprits and victims were, she acted immediately.
……Though he had personally selected her to be a disciplinary committee member, he never imagined she was this narrow-minded.
“You know as well as I do that even if we do this, the teachers will just ignore it. No matter who stands there, nothing will change.”
“No, I don’t think that’s going to happen this time.”
“Huh?”
Usually, Son A-reum would get all worked up and start shouting in response to such remarks, but this time, she didn’t.
Instead, she smiled slightly and pulled out another document from her folder.
She placed it next to the stack of papers.
The name on the document was ‘Shin So-hee’.
The transfer student who had become the subject of rumors recently.
People were gossiping that she was incredibly rich, that she had bribed the school, and so on—but—
The main rumor circulating among the boys was, ‘There’s this really pretty first-year girl with an amazing figure who always leaves her shirt unbuttoned’.
Whenever her name came up, the conversation always drifted toward her appearance.
Most agreed that Ye Sara was prettier, but that So-hee’s figure was incomparable.
The discussions never went anywhere, though.
They quickly moved on to talking about movies, dramas, or something funny that happened the day before.
If Ye Sara had been a male student, the atmosphere might have been different.
But in a school where boys and girls were segregated into separate classes, gossip about girls from other grades was just a brief source of amusement.
So the president couldn’t understand why Son A-reum was showing him this document.
Was she saying that Shin So-hee was involved in this?
“She’s the victim in this case.”
Son A-reum stepped forward and pointed at the reason column with her finger.
[Victim of Group Bullying]
That’s what it said.
“…….”
The president stared at that part for a moment before raising his head to look at Son A-reum.
Perhaps feeling a bit more relaxed now, Son A-reum appeared much more at ease than usual.
“What are you thinking?”
At that question, Son A-reum replied.
“It doesn’t matter what I’m thinking. The fact is, the incident really happened. You know that.”
“Ye Sara is the victim.”
“No, it’s not just her.”
Son A-reum’s expression hardened slightly.
“The other kids around her, and some of the transfer students, they’re all being ‘bullied.’”
“…….”
She wasn’t wrong.
Though he hadn’t heard of any violent bullying severe enough to make the news, it was true that those students were being ignored and treated as if they didn’t exist.
To escape that situation, they’d have to abandon their pride and grovel in submission.
Only then would they be considered ‘useful’.
It’s not like they’re being bullied outright.
That kind of bullying carries too much risk.
“But there’s no evidence to punish anyone for all of this.”
There was no physical violence.
No visible disadvantage.
Naturally, there was no real evidence left behind.
And the perpetrators were kids from wealthy families.
Even if it went to trial, they’d hire good lawyers and likely get acquitted.
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
For the first time during their conversation, Son A-reum showed a slightly annoyed expression.
Then, as if she were bringing up something unpleasant, she said, still with that same expression:
“They say she spent over a billion won to get into this school.”
“…….”
The president’s mouth dropped open slightly.
He had heard the rumors.
But it had only been at the level of ‘she bribed the school’.
No one knew the exact amount.
And he certainly hadn’t imagined it was that much.
It was an absurd sum, far too large to be just a bribe to the teachers.
Actually, it was enough to bribe just about anyone.
“So…… it’s like this. This time, I don’t think we’ll need any evidence. The teachers won’t be able to ‘ignore it’.”
“…….”
The president was left speechless, his mouth hanging open for quite a while.