Secrets

"Police are going to investigate you and the school board seems keen too," Hera said when I was busy revising for my English lit. class.

"I know, I received a call too," I said, kept going from line to line. She was of my least concern least for today, "I was going to take someone else out."

"Just say it wasn't intentional we were rehearsing for a school skid," she tried, again for my attention.

"But that's not true," I replied, closing my book and turning my gaze at her.

"Yaah! Do you think that's important now," she shouted over my face.

"I would take care of her," Da-eun said, approaching me.

"Just make sure she doesn't talk but dad arranged Deputy prosecutor on this case thinking it won't burst into a bigger problem," Hyun-woo said, after her.

Is he announcing it to me or her, it could be a topic of discussion.

"Don't worry, I'll manage it," she replied, with gleaming eyes.

"Let's go, we've to appear in front of the committee too," Ji-eun said, following after Hyun-woo.

"I'm curious how are you gonna do it?" I asked, resting my legs up over a desk.

"Yaah, what you're doing?" she flustered.

"What are you trying to pull off you're not thinking a prosecutor could help you?" she asked, glaring at me.

"I thought, you had a better argument?" I continued, putting my legs down and standing up to pack my bag.

She slapped, pursing her lips firmly together.

"You bitch," she cursed.

I rubbed my face staring at her, with a sigh.

"You shouldn't have done it," I mumbled, throwing my hand against her and a slap left a red gushing mark on her face, which would turn from red to crimson.

"Did you just raise," she asked.

"Bring it on, I hope you would act that almighty in front of my lawyer too," she said, bursting with anger.

"Really!" I scoffed.

"What to do, you can't tell anyone?" I said, taking my phone out of my pocket.

"Why don't you rethink again, these screenshots would be helpful," I replied, putting my phone on the bench after opening their pictures.

"What is this?"

"You're messing….," her face turned pale, as her eyes rested over the screen of my phone.

"Why what happened?" I asked, moving back to packing my bag.

"What's all this?" she scrolled through the pictures impatiently.

"What do you think?" I asked, curling my lips out.

"Why_why are you showing me this eh, what's wrong with these pictures," her voice broke as tried to argue.

"He is trash, you picked up roadside trash how dare you act as if you belong between them?" I taunted.

"Do you think you can threaten me this way?" She asked, curling her fingers around my phone.

"Uh, it's not intimidating then you wouldn't care about if your mom received these pictures too,"

"What would your friends say after seeing these photos uploaded on the school website," I asked, blinking rapidly.

"How about this?" she threw my phone on the ground, and thump over the screen breaking it into pieces.

"Yaah! I'm being polite with you," I shouted, stretching my neck sidewise.

"Do you think these are the only copies?" I asked, grabbing her chin.

"1000$ pay me back this is how much you've damaged,"

"Also don't you ever touch my bag, again!"

"Or next time I won't give you a heads up before sending anything to your mother," I ordered.

"Let's see how far this would go, you think you stand a chance against us," she pushed, my hands away.

"Us?"

"Who said, I'm going against them I'll say it was skid," I replied.

"What?" she asked, darting her gaze at me.

"Why are you angry?" I asked.

"You should leave, don't you have to present against the committee too," I said, blinking rapidly.

"Do you think it'd be easy," she asked.

"No way," I replied.

"Keep your guard up, I'll be watching your every move," she said, leaving.

"Really! That bitch broke my phone," I said, looking at the crushed screen of my phone.

"These are the files of expected questions, why don't we rehearse," Da-eun's lawyer asked as we greeted each other outside the Gangnam police station. He was an ex-judge someone even a prosecutor won't want to ignore.

"They are through," I thought.

"Don't worry, I'm well aware of what they could ask?" I replied.

"Please make sure, things go as planned," Da-eun's mother asked her lawyer.

"Don't worry mam, but we should leave now," he said, leading our way to the station.

"Why are lawyers and police can't get in touch with your father?" Da-eun continued the conversation in the possible lowest tone making sure her mother doesn't get the air of it, who was walking some steps ahead of us.

"You're looking for my father?" I asked, trying to maintain a firm voice.

"The firm says your father doesn't work there, he is not picking up his number either,"

"Don't tell me, you lied about your background isn't he some petty lawyer," she asked.

"Why do you care?" I murmured.

"No! We do if he's not as great as you claim he is, I would have already gotten rid of you," she continued.

"If you do have something to hide, just wish Woo-jin and Hyun-woo's investigators won't find it,"

"No, I don't have now shut your trap and let me focus," I said, barring my teeth.

"Don't worry they wouldn't find anything that ajumma did a good job at hiding your identity," I kept going through the same sentence to keep myself calm.

"Are we ready," Woo-jin asked Da-eun as he was waiting for her in the hallway.

"Uh, we're," she forced a smile.

"Just a min!" he said, giving a slight nod to her and shifting beside me.

"Dasom, don't mess things up," he asked, tightening his grip around my shoulder.

"If you want me to behave, let go of me," I said, trying to get my hands out of his grip.

"Woo-jin we're in a police station, behave," Da-eun, meddled, after him.

"Sure," he let my hand go with a forced smile.

"You are,"

"What you are talking about?" I asked.

"No just do it properly we'd talk later," he said, leaving in a hurry.

The staff sergeant led me to their investigation room. It was a dark room with a dim light shining, a camera was rolling beside the only table in that room. I rested over a chair putting my bag down.

The chief inspector followed after us and sat on the chairs opposite my chair.

"Lee Dasom, do you know why you're here," the chief inspector asked, opening his laptop.

"Of course," I replied.

"What do you've to say about this particular video," he said, turning the screen of his tablet towards me.

"We're rehearsing the skid," I replied.

"What was the topic?" he asked, knocking the table with his knuckles.

"How destructive someone's little actions can be?" I replied.

"If it was skid why you weren't practising at the theatre," he asked.

"We wanted a natural environment," I replied, with a sigh.

"Do you acknowledge you're not saying it under someone's influence," he asked.

"No sir," I replied.

"We'll call you for further questioning if needed," he said standing up from the table and closing his tablet.

"Sure," I said, forcing a smile.

"We've been trying to contact your parents, but no one is answering our call do you have any other guardian," he asked.

"No, I'll ask him to talk to you he must've been busy," I replied, standing up from the chair.

"Close the case and let all of them leave," he ordered, the staff sergeant.

"Then, I would take my leave," I replied, leaving the investigation room with my bag.

"You did an exceptional job," Da-eun's mom commented as soon as I got out of the interrogation room.

"This is a little token of favour, Kim Yuk-jo," Da-eun 's mother handed her card.

"Thanks," I replied, crushing it in my fist.

"Have a good day," I said, bowing a little.

"What a rude girl, didn't someone teach her manners?" she shouted, after me.

"Mom let's go, we have a press conference," Da-eun replied, grabbing around her arms.

"How could they have someone like her in their school?" she commented.

"Mom let's go," she continued.

"Let's get it over with," I sighed, moving out of the station, and put my hands inside my pocket walking slowly out of the office.

***

Woo-jin, kept staring at me until I walked down to him.

"Do you need a ride?" he asked, throwing his cigarette butt on the floor.

"Don't fall to her standards," Hyun-woo meddled, getting out of his car.

"No need," I replied.

"Why do you always walk away, when I'm talking?" Woo-jin asked, grabbing my arm.

"Stop touching me," I said, throwing his hands away.

"You must hate it, after all, working in the host bar," he said.

His word felt like a thunderbolt falling over me, my mind went blank. I stared at the ground, trying to think of an answer but my mind failed to form a sentence.

"What you're talking about?" I asked, using every muscle of my mouth to pose a smile.

"Your aunt has a lot to say about you," he said, taking another step toward me.

"You're talking rubbish," I said, starting to leave, nothing is better than running away.

"You even got convicted, was it scamming,"

My legs froze on the ground.

"You're beautiful aren't you, they must have paid a lot for you why scam," Woo-jin continued.

"Shut up,"

"Shut up,"

"Shut up," I shouted.

"I had no idea what someone like you are doing at our school, move out and we won't be dragging this thing to the school's reputation is important for us too," Hyun-woo said, moving towards the car which was waiting for him.

"My people will visit you soon, hand over the original video and get over with," he said, opening the back door of his car.