Chapter 30: Hajin takes charge [3]

Choi Sungkyu sat in the cold, sterile disciplinary room, his hands clenched into fists. His eyes were glaring at Nam Dohyun, and cursing him repeatedly in his head. If only Nam Dohyun wasn't stronger than him, he would have knocked him down and run away.

Next to him, on a chair two meters away, sat Hajin who glared at him, her eyes burning with anger. The guidance counselor looked on, indifferent as if this were just another routine issue.

"Choi Sungkyu," the guidance counselor began, "What did you do this time?"

Sungkyu leaned back on his seat casually, as if he was a king or he owned the place. "She attacked me. She slapped me in the face when I was just chatting with my friends in the hallway."

Hajin's voice cut through the room like a blade. "He deserved to be slapped, sir. He insulted my family and he's been spreading malicious rumors about my brother, Yujin. I couldn't just let it go!"

Mr. Jung, the guidance counselor, frowned. "Calm down, Kim Hajin. No need to shout. This seems like a personal matter. Rumors are unfortunate, but not something we need to handle. If you let it die down, it'll be forgotten. It's not a big deal."

Mr. Jung looked at Kim Hajin, expressing his grievances for wasting his time. Choi Sungkyu felt a wave of relief, but it was short-lived.

Hajin met his eyes directly. "My brother is an athlete and he can't concentrate on his training. On top of that, exams are closing in. He keeps pestering my brother—

"When the f—did I pester your brother? I don't even talk to him!" Choi Sungkyu interrupted.

Hajin yelled back, "Then, why are you spreading rumors about him? Oh, right, you got paid. You're even going to go drinking and smoking after classes using the money you earned for running stupid errands for someone. How pathetic, Choi Sungkyu."

"Why, you little—

"Silence!" Mr. Jung shouted, his loud voice echoing in the room. "This is just a minor issue. As I said, we can't do anything with the rumors now. Choi Sungkyu, just apologize to Kim Hajin and her brother."

Hajin was about to complain again, when Lee Hoon stepped forward, his expression stern. "This is not a minor issue, Mr. Jung. Spreading rumors that harm someone's reputation is a serious offense as well as harming a student warrants a punishment, not mere dismissal and apology."

Choi Sungkyu, "What? When did I harm her? You even came before I—

Nam Dohyun came forward, "You grabbed Kim Hajin's arm and gripped it tightly, now look at it."

Mr. Jung and Choi Sungkyu turned to look at Kim Hajin's arm.

It was bruised and already showed irregular patches of purple, blue, and black spreading on the skin— forming where the fingers dug in, creating distinct marks that resembled the shape of a hand.

Nam Dohyun then added, "If her parents saw that and inquired about the cause, and Kim Hajin here decided to tell the truth, then her parents will surely barge here, and then they will learn that the matter is simply dismissed because it's not a big issue at all. And, aren't Kim Hajin's parents, a journalist and a university professor?"

The room fell silent. Mr. Jung scratched his doubled chin and avoided Lee Hoon's gaze. Meanwhile, Hajin was beginning to wonder why the old teacher seemed docile when it came to the student council's president, and she was also feeling a little bit giddy hearing that Nam Dohyun knows about her family.

Lee Hoon's authority was undeniable and he looked like he would ensure that Choi Sungkyu would be punished. Choi Sungkyu knew this, so he was filled with contempt.

Mr. Jung had no choice but to concede, given that what Nam Dohyun said was reasonable.

If Kim Hajin's parents were to complain and later write what happened in an article, the reputation of the school, which had been clean and honorable, would be tarnished. And as the guidance counselor who dismissed the issue will be the one earning the brunt.

Mr. Jung cleared his throat, his expression resigned. "Very well. Choi Sungkyu, you will serve a two-week suspension. During this time, you are to reflect on your actions and understand the gravity of what you did. Furthermore, apologize to Kim Hajin."

Choi Sungkyu gritted his teeth. A two-week suspension doesn't scare him, what made him angrier was to apologize. Lee Hoon eyed him. He cursed the student council president a hundred times in his head already.

Their attention was caught when Kim Hajin stood, the legs of the chair scraped the tiled floor as she did. She glared at Choi Sungkyu and spat, "I don't need an insincere apology. Is it okay to go back to class now, sir?"

Mr. Jung nodded, rubbing his forehead.

Kim Hajin left the disciplinary room. She wished that Nam Dohyun would come out so they could go back together, but instead of him, Lee Hoon was the one who appeared.

"Thank you," Kim Hajin mumbled as they walked back. "If you weren't there, Mr. Jung wouldn't even consider changing his mind."

Lee Hoon looked down at the woman walking next to him, whose height didn't even reach his shoulder. "You do know that Choi Sungkyu didn't get punished because of spreading the rumor, but because of hurting you."

"I know…" Hajin muttered.

Lee Hoon grimaced, "So, you bravely approached him, provoked him, and let him physically harm you, so you can indict him because you're aware spreading rumors won't be enough to get him suspended."

Kim Hajin looked away. Lee Hoon hit the mark. She heard an exasperated sigh from the president after that. Her uninjured arm was grabbed then and before she knew it, she was being pulled to the infirmary already.

Kim Hajin, "Hey…it's just a bruise…"

Lee Hoon didn't answer. Hajin sighed and let him drag her. They arrived at the infirmary and Lee Hoon quickly asked the attending nurse for an ice bag. He gently pushed Hajin onto the couch and sat next to her, propping up her arm on the couch's backrest and putting the ice bag on the bruise.

Hajin winced after putting pressure on her wound. Lee Hoon gently lifted it, before putting it back as softly as possible. Hajin couldn't help but stare at the student council president. Her mind wandered to what happened in the disciplinary room.

She was about to ask him why Mr. Jung easily complied with his words when Lee Hoon spoke first. His tone was playful but his expression seemed a bit annoyed, "What, are you wishing that Dohyun should be here with you instead?"

Hajin flushed. Lee Hoon knew her feelings for Nam Dohyun, but she immediately refuted his claim. "No! I was thinking how about you!"

Lee Hoon's eyes widened slightly. His annoyed expression softened and the corner of his lips curved up. "That's rare."

"What do you mean?" Hajin furrowed her brows at the president. "Anyway, I was thinking how did you do it."

Lee Hoon, smiling, answered. "Did what?"

"Mr. Jung changed his mind after you spoke."

"Dohyun gave him a reason to. If the daughter is this fierce, imagine the parents. I'm sure they won't stay silent," Lee Hoon replied.

Hajin raised her brow. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

Lee Hoon chuckled. He wiped the drop of water that trickled down on Hajin's arm. "Compliment. You're perfect, Hajin, there's nothing to insult about you."

Hajin froze. Her eyes fixated on Lee Hoon's grinning face, an expression she had never seen from the friendly and kind top student. Lee Hoon added, maintaining that teasing grin on his face and the sparks in his eyes, "Oh, maybe there's one. You're too dense. Don't just focus on Dohyun, but look around you as well."

"What…" Hajin's words were cut off when the door of the infirmary slid open quite loudly, and two second-year students appeared, catching their breaths.