The Minority Faction
I'd made a colossal mistake. Last night I'd only half-caught what Harin said and assumed she was naturally joining Eunju's team—that was the root of all this trouble.
Turns out she was the sole minority faction in the class supporting Thuy. Completely oblivious, I'd gone and spouted the ambitious campaign promises Harin had prepared right in front of Eunju's group, effectively handing them over like a thief.
"You okay? Ah... are you sick again?"
"I almost wish I were. What am I supposed to do about this?"
"What's going on? Tell me everything. Maybe we can find a solution together."
"..."
I couldn't say a word. And it didn't seem like she'd be much help anyway.
I knew that when something beyond a student's reach cropped up, you were supposed to ask a teacher for help. But the other party was Eunju-ssaem!
Without meaning to, I'd solved two of her requests and steadily stacked up favorability points. If this came out, those points would vanish in no time.
She was already tearing her hair out over two kids from the same class running in the election. The moment I said something like, "Hehe... things just got crazy," she'd ditch class and spend the whole day sighing in the back courtyard.
"It's nothing, so please don't worry about it, teacher. I'll figure something out somehow."
"Fig...ure it out? I haven't even said anything yet today."
"Huh? Don't tell me more worries have piled up already? What is it this time?"
"N-no? Things have been going pretty well for me lately, so I don't really have any worries. It's all thanks to you..."
Eunju-ssaem beamed at me with a soft, grateful smile. Just knowing the woman I loved(?) was relying on me was happiness enough—I couldn't ask for more.
So I'd resolve this without her finding out. They say a thousand words can't be taken back, but I'd only let one slip so far, right?
Tap-tap-tap!
I headed back toward Eunju's group. Mokhwa, sharp-eyed even without words, spotted me first and jabbed Eunju in the side. Poke, poke!
"Didn't you say you had something to do, sunbae?"
"Yeah. Just finished it."
"...?"
I'd only been gone maybe three minutes. I'd come back so fast that Eunju's running mate still hadn't arrived. Wonhui picked up on the suspicious vibe too.
"Oppa, something's fishy... I got it! You had to pee real bad, right?"
"Huh? Hey, it's not like that... Actually, yeah. Thought my bladder was gonna explode."
If she was volunteering an excuse for me, no point turning it down. Right now every brain cell had to go toward figuring out how to scrap that campaign promise.
"Guys, about that promise from earlier..."
"Whoa~ Sorry! I'm a little late, huh?"
But before I could get the words out, a new face cut me off. The name engraved on the green name tag: Oh Yuna.
This was definitely the running mate Eunju had mentioned last time.
Height around 170, about the same as Hyunji? Compared to her solid build, this girl was quite slender. But her head was so small that her shoulder line stood out especially sharp.
Long straight hair parted neatly to both sides, captivating eyes—classic actress looks. Being surrounded by second-years probably played a part, but the faint lines at the corners of her mouth when she smiled made her look particularly mature.
"How can you show up now, unnie!? We were supposed to meet right after lunch!"
Wonhui frowned, scolding the presidential candidate for her lack of responsibility. Even if senior-junior manners had gone to hell these days, this was a bit much...
"Cut it out, Wonhui. We just got here ourselves, unnie."
At least the well-mannered Eunju was lying to give her senior proper respect. Fair enough—this was the benefactor who'd thrown her a lifeline when she'd been on the verge of dropping out of the race, so of course she'd treat her specially.
"Ah, I'm really sorry. You know how much I love konjac salad, right? I just thought I'd grab one more plate—really, just one—and the line got so long, hehe..."
Oh Yuna seemed like the airheaded type who kept smiling despite her cool image. It wasn't my place to say anything on first meeting, but could they really trust a girl like this with an election?
"Haa... It happens, unnie. Anyway, have you thought about the campaign promises?"
"Ah, that? That, well, umm.... But who's this guy?"
The moment "promises" came up, Oh Yuna smoothly changed the subject and pointed straight at me. Mokhwa immediately jabbed her in the side. Poke, poke!
"A third-year? How come I've never seen you before?"
What was this? Eunju and Mokhwa had known each other a long time, so that made sense.
But Oh Yuna was from a different grade—how was she already understanding the poke-poke language?
"Uh... I transferred this year, actually. And I never leave the classroom, so you wouldn't know who I am."
"Really? What's your name..."
"Just call me Teemo. Reason being, before I came to this school I always played top Teemo in five-man queues, and I'm changing my name soon anyway so no need to remember the real one."
Tadadada! I'd explained the reason I couldn't reveal my name so many times that it now came out in one breathless automatic reflex.
A normal person would show a little more curiosity about a fellow student. But Oh Yuna was no "normal kid."
"I see? What about you, then? Got any good promises?"
"Me? I'm not even on your campaign team, so why would I—"
"Actually, sunbae just came up with a pretty good one and we were talking about it. How about [Casual Clothes Day once a month]?"
"That's awesome!? I'm totally for it, Eunju."
Why that promise of all things? I needed to scrap it somehow, but now even the student council president candidate knew about it—more people to convince.
"What do you mean you're 'for it,' unnie! While oppa was coming up with promises, what were you doing? You're the one running for president, not oppa!"
Wonhui clearly didn't like how Oh Yuna was just freeloading on someone else's idea. Oh Yuna scratched her head with an awkward laugh.
"W-well, you guys know I never planned on running for student council president. Eunju asked me so I got dragged into it. So I guess I'm just not feeling very motivated? Hehe..."
"Not motivated? If we lose the election because of this, are you going to take full responsibility, unnie?"
"Wonhui, stop! Unnie really went out of her way to do me this favor!"
The senior-junior duo was one step from disintegrating into powder. At this rate they might self-destruct before the plagiarism even came out?
Still, I couldn't relax. I immediately stepped between them.
"Anyway, about that promise from earlier—after thinking it over carefully, I don't think it's such a good idea after all."
"Thinking it over carefully...? You said it five minutes ago, sunbae."
"Y-yeah? Uh... but you know how your head clears up after a good pee? It just hit me—this is way too unrealistic, isn't it? What school on earth would allow casual clothes?"
"I wouldn't be so sure. Our school is flexible enough to allow off-campus meals once a month. I think it's totally doable."
"..."
When an adult speaks, you're supposed to just go along with it—why the backtalk? But Eunju knew the school's ways better than I did, and her reasoning was solid.
"B-but is this really the right thing? Think about why free dress codes vanished overnight during the Fifth Republic. If kids start wearing casual clothes, some will definitely show up in luxury brands, and that'll just create class tension and make everyone feel the wealth gap."
"The Fifth Republic...? You have a point, but isn't that already true now? Bags, shoes, winter coats—those already show it plenty."
"I think Eunju's right on this one. We all wear casual clothes for outside activities anyway, right? Don't we, Wonhui?"
"Exactly! This is so good—why are you suddenly against it, oppa?"
"..."
Why was this Oh Yuna girl, who wasn't helping the campaign at all, butting in to sabotage me? Even Mokhwa was jabbing my side now—poke, poke!—which I took as a signal to shut up the nonsense.
It was hopeless. As long as Oh Yuna, the presidential candidate who hadn't even brought a single promise of her own, kept pushing this one, majority rule meant I could never get it withdrawn.
So to break this open, I had to skip the underlings and go straight for the back door. I turned to Eunju right away.
"Haa... Eunju, which academy do you go to?"
"Me? Why all of a sudden?"
"I want to go there too. I was hoping to get a consultation today—can I come with you after school?"
"..."
Eunju clamped her mouth shut, looking flustered. And at a moment like this, Wonhui was supposed to go nuclear.
"What's this? Oppa, why do you suddenly want to go to the same academy as Eunju?"
"Because in Korea if you don't graduate college they don't even treat you like a person. I can't spend my thirties scraping by on three thousand a year at some no-name company, working overtime every weekend."
Why did that suddenly make me feel so pathetic? Anyway, like Jinho hyung said, if I'd gone the maritime university route I wouldn't be at this company now, so it wasn't wrong.
"Classes start at seven, so I'll head over around then."
"Yeah? Then let's meet at the bus stop in front of your place."
"You know where Eunju lives?"
"..."
This Oh Yuna girl couldn't come up with a single promise, yet she was all ears for other people's business. Thanks to her, Wonhui was thrilled again.
"S-see? Just now you said you'd go in front of Eunju's house so naturally!"
"What are you talking about? Didn't it occur to you I was about to ask where it is, Wonhui?"
"Then how did you know you'd take the bus to the academy? There could be a shuttle, or you could take the subway. Look, you're totally busted!"
Poke, poke! Mokhwa was jabbing Eunju's side too, demanding to know what was going on. In the end Eunju had to step in and mediate herself.
"It's just a coincidence. I'll tell you where the academy is, so go after school. I'll be in a meeting with the others and leave in the evening."
Eunju drew a firm line, apparently not wanting anyone to know we'd run into each other outside school. Fair enough—if I was just getting a consultation, there was no real need to go with her.
But Eunju? I couldn't care less about the academy. I just needed time alone with you to talk.
"Haa... Where are you holding it?"
"Holding what?"
"The meeting—where is it? I'll time it so I can join."
"S-sunbae? You don't really need to do that, do you?"
"How can I just sit back and watch you guys work so hard when I'm the sunbae? I'll run errands or whatever—please just let me in."
If Eunju refused, I'd have to tag along by force. Once I was in the meeting, we'd naturally head to the academy together, so somehow I'd carve out time for the two of us.
"Let's do that! Looking at him, he seems full of ideas—if Teemo helps, we'll finish way faster."
And this time even Oh Yuna was useful. There, even Eunju couldn't refuse.
"Haa... It's a café near the station called Syndrome. Can you make it by four?"
"Of course. See you there then."
I finally managed to get agreement. Of course I hadn't moved an inch closer to solving the actual problem, but at least I'd secured time alone with her—that alone counted as a win.
Haa... But how did it come to this? One slip of the tongue and I'd casually planted a foot in Eunju's team.
Harin with Thuy, me with Eunju. The father-daughter rift had now escalated into an ideological conflict.