CH42

It's their second meeting after breaking up.

I had worried it might be awkward to meet again, but when our eyes met, it didn't feel strange at all.

No jealousy or resentment arose. Was everything settled that day?

Seon-ah greeted first.

"Hello."

"Oh, hi."

We awkwardly greeted while attracting people's attention.

The man with Seon-ah reached out his hand after looking at me.

"We've met before, right?"

I shook his hand and replied.

"Yes, briefly at the festival."

"Nice to meet you. The kids talked a lot about you."

"I'm glad to meet you too."

"Why did you come to school?"

"A friend wanted to take a look around the school."

I looked at Go Jun-hyung.

He was the son of GH Construction, a leading domestic conglomerate.

Tall and handsome, with broad shoulders as if he worked out, he had a good physique. Regardless of being from a wealthy family, he had a charming appearance that captivated people's attention.

Strong confidence was evident in his gestures and gaze.

He held the car keys in his hand. I wondered who came to school driving a car worth 300 million… That's a house price for ordinary people.

I might have been surprised in the past, but now I felt indifferent.

Hye-mi casually said to Seon-ah,

"Have you seen Jinhoo's car? Isn't it really something?"

Originally, the two weren't very close. The reason being, ever since they were freshmen, Hye-mi unilaterally guarded against Seon-ah who received more attention than herself.

Seon-ah asked, "Interesting car. Is it yours?"

"It's my friend's car. I borrowed it for a while."

Go Jun-hyung said, "No need to make excuses. Tastes vary."

He subtly shifted the conversation into an excuse.

Instead of arguing, I just smiled and nodded. "That's right. Tastes should be respected. It's a problem when people pick on others for their tastes."

Junhyung also smiled. "Who does that?"

Although he was smiling, the look in his eyes as he gazed at me was meaningful.

"There are people like that."

I too looked meaningfully at Jun-hyung.

Suddenly, as if stung alone, Hye-mi chimed in, giggling. "Hilarious, really. I understand that it's tough with your parents' business failing, but still, driving to school in this kind of car is a bit over the top."

I tried to hold back my annoyance, usually trying to stay calm, but I couldn't resist this time.

"What did you just say?"

When I glared at her with a stern expression, Hye-mi flinched and backed away.

"What, what did I say?"

"Hey, Hye-mi!"

"Wow, are you yelling at me right now? This is what gender violence looks like."

Suddenly, Kyeongil stepped forward as if to protect Hye-mi.

"Jinhoo, just hold on a bit."

Why is he stepping forward?

"Why should I endure this?"

"Because she's a woman."

"······."

Even this guy who only cares because she's pretty is a problem.

I told Kyeongil, "Step aside. I need to talk to her alone."

Seemingly agitated by Kyeongil's arrival, Hye-mi spoke from behind him, "He tries to hit a weak woman just because he's a little angry. That's the problem with our country."

Then she took out her phone. "I'm going to report you."

"What are you reporting?"

"You raised your voice and tried to hit me."

"I never tried to hit you."

"It doesn't matter what you intended. What matters is how I felt. Don't you know that if a woman feels threatened, it's considered violence?"

"······."

Where do people learn such audacious logic? Is there an academy that teaches this kind of thing?

Go Junhyung, along with Seon-ah, observed the situation with an intrigued look. Even if it's not them, there are too many juniors around.

Fighting with her here would only tarnish my image, but what does it matter anyway?

Let's consider properly educating her as a way to contribute to society.

"Do you not think bringing up my family's issues has crossed the line?"

At that moment, English was heard from behind.

"Hey, Jinu! What's happening?"

I turned my head to see Ellie walking towards us. It seems she came looking for me when I didn't return after a while.

Ellie naturally approached and stood next to me.

"Who are these?"

"My classmate."

Looking at Ellie, who seemed to have popped out of a fashion magazine, my colleagues and juniors couldn't hide their surprise. Seon-ah and Go Junhyung were equally astonished.

Minyoung asked me, "Is she your companion?"

"Yeah. Ellie wanted to tour the school, so I'm showing her around."

Suddenly, the gaze of my juniors towards me completely changed. It felt like I had transformed from an otaku to an outstanding senior in an instant.

"How do you know each other?"

What should I say to this?

Ellie was sent from the Golden Gate Asia office to Korea to help me with my work. But I couldn't reveal this fact directly.

Minyoung asked Ellie in English, "What brought you here?"

Ellie smiled and replied, "I got kind of so bored after a couple of days in the hotel with Jinu that I asked him to take me around."

Everyone was taken aback by her words.

"A hotel?"

"For how many days?"

Kyeongil exclaimed.

"Really, with Kang Jinhoo?"

"Ah, well…"

It wasn't entirely false, but it was a statement open to misinterpretation.

Colleagues and juniors, without distinction, looked at me with looks of admiration and praise.

"What are these crazy guys thinking right now?"

As if wondering what had just happened, all eyes turned to Ellie. She exuded such an overwhelming presence.

Not pleased with the situation, Hye-mi piped up, "Hotel? How can you casually talk about such dirty stuff in front of others? You're that kind of woman. It's embarrassing for a fellow woman."

I was taken aback.

"Are you crazy?"

"Why? Did I say something wrong?"

"Just because your mouth is a gateway doesn't mean you can say anything. If you think your brain isn't working properly when you speak, then just don't speak at all," I chimed in.

Seemingly not satisfied, Minyoung also got angry.

"You were too harsh, Hye-mi! Stop it!"

"Wow, are you taking sides just because you're a guy?" Hye-mi exclaimed.

I turned to Kyeongil, who was protecting Hye-mi.

"Step aside."

"Uh, okay."

Seeing my expression, Kyeongil seemed surprised and stepped back.

With her human shield gone, Hye-mi was flustered.

"Don't come closer! If you come near, I'll report you to the police!"

She's really making a fuss.

"Go ahead and report. Let's see what happens."

"I-I really will!"

Ellie grabbed my arm.

"Jin-hoo, hold on."

Then Ellie stepped forward in front of me and spoke to Hye-mi fluently in Korean.

"It's been a while since the introduction. I'm Ellie Kim. What is your name?"

Hye-mi, who was sneering, was taken aback. Apparently, she didn't expect someone to understand Korean so well.

"I-I am Hye-mi Lee, a 3rd-year student majoring in Business at Korea University. And may I ask what you do?"

Despite feeling flustered, Hye-mi emphasized her affiliation with "Korea University" in a confident manner—a classic move of flaunting the prestigious university label.

Ellie smiled and said, "I am a lawyer at Golden Gate."

Upon hearing this, everyone let out exclamations of amazement.

"Wow! Golden Gate, the American IB firm?"

"A lawyer…"

No one could have thought that a woman with a model-like appearance would be a lawyer. Furthermore, working at Golden Gate was unexpected.

Golden Gate, is the world's largest IB firm with top talents competing for positions. How rare is it for a Korean university graduate to be hired, perhaps once every few years across all undergraduate departments?

Pushing the Korea University label in front of Golden Gate was like turning on a flashlight in front of a searchlight.

"Is that true? Do you have any proof?"

Ellie took out a business card from her wallet and handed it over. The card displayed her name and job title in English and Chinese.

Hye-mi's eyes widened.

At this point, it was hard to deny, but her expression still conveyed disbelief. Maybe she just didn't want to admit it.

Ellie looked straight at Hye-mi and asked, "But what does it mean when you just told me 'a woman working in that area'?"

All eyes turned toward Hye-mi.

"Th-that's…"

Ellie hardened her expression and spoke in a formal tone.

"Do you know that it is extremely rude and disrespectful to say such things to someone you've just met?"

"W-what?"

"And are you aware that under Article 311 of the Korean Criminal Code, you can be punished for defamation?"

When the topic of punishment came up, Hye-mi became flustered.

"W-when did I defame anyone? I never intended to do that."

I reiterated what she said earlier. "It doesn't matter what your intentions were. What matters is how Ellie felt. If the woman felt that way, wasn't it true?"

"…"

The usually vocal person suddenly fell silent. Not knowing what to do, Hye-mi rolled her eyes and then suddenly took out her phone, muttering, "Oh! I forgot I have plans. I have a friend waiting for me. I'll go first."

I blocked her path. "Where are you off to? You should apologize first."

Ellie crossed her arms and said, "If you apologize, we can forget about this. If you don't want to, should I formally raise this issue?"

Hye-mi looked around for support. Apparently deciding she could no longer stand by, her female juniors all stepped forward together.

"Hey, girls…"

Hye-mi's expression brightened when she believed she had allies on her side. However, the words that came out of her female juniors' mouths were completely different from what she had expected.

"Please apologize, senior."

"That's right. Senior, you were in the wrong."

"You've been too harsh since earlier."

"What will happen to the image of the Business Administration Department if you keep this up?"

"I'm thoroughly disappointed."

It was as if a demand for an apology was pouring down, reminiscent of a congressional hearing.

In the end, Hyemi, pushed by public opinion, reluctantly bowed her head.

"I-I'm sorry. I take back what I said earlier."

The insincere apology came to an end.

"Uh, well, I have plans, so…"

I gestured for her to go.

"Yeah. Of course, you do."

Hye-mi bit her lip slightly and glared at me. Seeing her eyes welling up with tears, she seemed quite angry.

What can you do when someone glares at you?

"You're late? Hurry away."

"S-see you later, everyone."

Hye-mi fled as if escaping somewhere.

Even after all that, she would probably show up at school the next day as if nothing had happened. That's quite a talent, isn't it?

One of the female juniors stepped forward as a representative and bowed to Ellie.

"We'll apologize on her behalf. We're truly sorry. Did you feel really bad?"

Ellie smiled and shook her head.

"It's okay. It didn't really bother me that much."

"Why then…?"

Ellie said to the junior who was asking for a reason.

"I watched her as she walked, and the way she treated Jinhoo was too harsh."

So, did she intentionally step in because of me?

Ellie narrowed her eyes slightly towards me.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For apologizing on my behalf."

"It's the least I could do."

Then Ellie jokingly said, "It's not important why Jinhoo acted that way. What's important is how I felt. If a woman feels that way, then it must be right, right?"

Upon hearing that, laughter escaped me involuntarily.

"Well, I guess so."