The Phone Doesn't Lie
"I unlocked the pattern, so go ahead and check."
"Is this bastard actually insane? He got caught and now he doesn't give a damn about anything?"
"Caught my ass, you idiot. And judging by how you're acting, you're way more like a spycam creep than I am. Seriously, the way you've been pathetically clinging to girls every single day is disgusting as hell."
"Ha!"
The tension kept rising until people around us stepped in to pull us apart. Especially one senior who took the lead in mediating the conflict. It was Lee Daesik, someone I'd always gotten along with. He first calmed Han Yuhyeon down before turning his gaze toward me.
"Seokhun. You calm down too. No matter how angry you are, you can't act like this. There are too many eyes watching, so show some restraint."
"..."
"First off, Lee Jihyun, Yoo Mihee. What exactly happened between you two and Seokhun? You know he's not the type to act like this. Unless you started something first, there's no way he'd get this worked up."
At those words, the two women who had been shouting earlier exploded again. They pointed fingers at me and started whining.
"We didn't start anything!"
"We just asked to see his phone for a second! But the bastard must've had something to hide because he completely lost it!"
"His phone? Why his phone all of a sudden?"
They launched into a heated defense, acting like they had done nothing wrong and were the victims.
"Because he was acting super suspicious, that's why. To be blunt as hell, we're a hundred percent sure."
"No, hold on. I don't get what you're saying. What was suspicious, and what exactly are you so sure about that you had to see his phone?"
"We think that bastard took pictures of Kang Ajin!"
At the sudden mention of her name, everyone's eyes turned toward her. Kang Ajin, who had become the center of attention, flinched for a moment before her eyes filled with confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
The two women were given the floor and added more details. Once their long explanation ended, the surrounding gazes shifted back to me. None of them were kind. On top of that, the way people were whispering among themselves felt like they were badmouthing me.
"Choi Seokhun. What are you going to do if what they said is true?"
"Whoa, holy shit. So the spycam creep was this guy all along?"
"But honestly, I've been feeling it for the past two days too. He's been sneaking glances at Kang Ajin nonstop. Straight-up creepy looks."
Before long, the crowd was siding with the senior girls. Even Lee Daesik, who had stayed neutral until now, looked at me with distrust. What bothered me most were the stares from Park Heena and Han Yeri. They were clearly uncomfortable, frowning deeply as they watched the scene unfold.
'...Ha.'
While I was quietly catching my breath, Han Yuhyeon held out his hand. Acting like he was someone important, he ordered me to hand over my phone.
"Bring it here."
"..."
I could see the ugly desire hidden behind his attitude. He was just stepping forward because he wanted attention and cared too much about how the girls saw him.
"Didn't you hear me? I said bring the phone if you understood."
"Hey, let me ask you one thing first."
"Now you're just casually dropping the formal speech, huh?"
"Shut up and listen, you bastard."
He took another step closer, narrowing the distance between us. I didn't back away. Instead, I leaned in and met his eyes.
"Why do you keep butting in? Who the hell do you think you are, acting like the main character and showing off? You have nothing to do with this situation, and you don't know a damn thing about me. Am I wrong?"
"...Watch your mouth."
"Watch my mouth, my ass. You should look at yourself first before saying that, you idiot. The way you rush at every girl you see like a dog in heat is disgusting as hell, so do us all a favor and control yourself."
"..."
"I get that you like girls. I get that you get excited the moment you see one, like some horny mutt. But you need to separate personal feelings from business, you bastard. Why does a so-called senior keep acting like a damn kid? Are you trying to show off in front of girls just because you've got a dick?"
"...You crazy bastard. From the way you're reacting, you must have a lot to hide."
"Bullshit. If someone dragged you out of nowhere and treated you like a criminal, would you not get pissed off?"
I turned my head and glared at the two senior girls.
"And you two—what are you going to do if I'm not the culprit? Can you take responsibility for what you're saying?"
"What? Responsibility? Don't make me laugh."
"Hey! Lee Jihyun!"
Lee Daesik quickly tried to stop them, but he couldn't shut their mouths.
"Why would we need to take responsibility? We just asked to see the phone. If you'd shown it, none of this would've happened. It would've ended as a minor misunderstanding, but you..."
"I'll take responsibility."
Once again, Han Yuhyeon stepped in for them.
"I'll take responsibility, so bring the phone. If you still refuse, I'm calling the police right now."
"Yuhyeon, you stop too. This is going to turn into a real fight at this rate."
"Then call the police already. Either way, one bastard here is definitely going to jail."
"..."
I was so dumbfounded I couldn't even speak. I took a deep breath and tossed my phone onto the floor.
Thud.
"Look at it."
I gestured toward the phone with my eyes.
"I already unlocked it, so check. And Han Yuhyeon—don't forget that promise about taking responsibility."
Han Yuhyeon kept staring at me with suspicious eyes. Eventually, he stopped glaring and picked up the phone. As his fingers moved across the screen, his expression gradually twisted in disgust. Seeing his reaction, the surrounding seniors and juniors started inching closer, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. It felt unpleasant somehow.
"..."
With those words, I turned and walked out. Just as I was about to step through the door, someone grabbed my arm.
"...What?"
"A-Are you okay?"
"...Thanks to you, senior, I feel a little better now."
Most of the people in the room had been desperate to check my phone to see if I was the culprit. But Han Yeri, Park Heena, and Kang Ajin hadn't tried to look. Instead, they had stopped me from leaving and were looking at me with sympathetic eyes.
"I'm sorry, senior. I ruined the mood for no reason."
"No. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who should be sorry."
"..."
I silently pulled my arm free from her grip and walked out the door again.
#
After the heated argument, the room fell silent. No one spoke up first; it was just quiet. The silence was broken by none other than Han Yuhyeon.
"Shit. Where did he hide it?"
"Yuhyeon, check the trash folder too. You never know."
"Wait a second..."
He scrolled up and down countless times. No matter how much he searched, there wasn't a single trace of Kang Ajin in Choi Seokhun's gallery. If he really was the rumored spycam creep, there should've been at least one photo. But the gallery didn't contain a single picture of any woman, let alone the victims. The only photos filling it were shirtless gym bros, which only made Han Yuhyeon more flustered. How could there not even be pictures of female celebrities?
"...Give it here. I'll look."
Lee Jihyun reached out and snatched the phone. Feeling self-conscious under everyone's stares, she turned her back so only she could see the screen. Of course, that didn't change the result.
'Shit! Did we really get it wrong?!'
At this point, even if Choi Seokhun was a decent person, she just wanted to brand him as the spycam creep anyway. No, she wished he actually was the culprit. Since everything had already been exposed to the people around them, that was all she could hope for. She was desperately searching through the photos when—
Whoosh!
The phone she was holding disappeared. Han Yeri, who had been standing beside her, had taken it.
Just as Lee Jihyun was about to demand what she was doing, Han Yeri spoke first.
"This doesn't feel right."
"What?"
"I'm saying we should stop here."
"What are you talking about? Just give the phone back—!"
"Yeri."
At Han Yuhyeon's firm voice, Lee Jihyun's words were cut off.
"Sorry, but can you step aside for a moment? Given the situation..."
"No? If anything, you should be the one stepping aside first, don't you think?"
"Yeri, can't you see how serious this is? If you butt in recklessly, you'll only get in the way."
"That's why I'm telling you to step aside."
"...I don't get why you're doing this. Han Yeri. You have nothing to do with this, so just back off."
"Bullshit."
Han Yuhyeon, who usually had plenty to say, suddenly went blank. It made sense—Han Yeri was someone who never cursed. The vulgar words coming out of her mouth one after another were completely unlike her.
"Is it fun for a bunch of people to gang up on one guy and make him look like an idiot? But you know what? Out of everyone here, you look the most like an idiot."
"..."
Han Yeri smirked slightly as she glared at him. Han Yuhyeon found himself averting his eyes without realizing it.
"Jihyun, Mihee. How about we make a promise first?"
Han Yeri asked the two girls. When their names were called, they frowned deeply, clearly confused.
"What? What promise?"
"Like Han Yuhyeon. A promise that you'll take responsibility for what you've done."
"W-What?"
"Why are you surprised? Did you really think you could cause all this and then just run away like it never happened? You're making a huge mistake right now. Labeling someone as a criminal without solid proof is actually a serious crime."
"Huh? You're talking weird. A criminal?"
"Yeah. A criminal. If we're being technical, you could be punished for false accusation."
"Hey! Han Yeri!"
Even though Lee Jihyun shouted, Han Yeri's expression remained relaxed, which only made Lee Jihyun angrier.
"We only asked to see the phone! He got defensive and started swearing at us. If anything, we're the victims here!"
"If you'd asked nicely, Seokhun wouldn't have gotten that angry. I know what his personality is like."
"Bullshit. What, are you his girlfriend or something? Why are you covering for him?"
"Because I know him best here. Anyway, you two tried to brand Seokhun as a criminal without any real evidence, right?"
Realizing the situation was getting serious, Han Yeri's friends tried to stop her one after another. But she didn't back down.
"I'll ask one more time. Can you take responsibility for what you've done so far?"
"Haa. Fine. We'll apologize or whatever. Are you satisfied now?"
"Do you have no conscience? This has gotten way too big for a simple apology to fix. Be straightforward and clear. Tell me exactly how you're going to make Seokhun feel better and how you're going to take responsibility."
There was no answer. They just opened and closed their mouths, struggling to find the right words, but nothing came out.
"..."
Han Yeri relaxed the tension in her eyes. Her loosened pupils were filled with disgust, as if she were looking at something filthy.
"Pathetic. Especially you, Han Yuhyeon. You'd better keep that promise about taking responsibility."
"...Huh?"
"It's a bit awkward to say this, but I agree with Seokhun a hundred percent. Judging by how you're acting, you look the most like the spycam creep."
Those words came out laced with deep revulsion. Then, saying she would return the phone, Han Yeri also left the room.
"..."
After the commotion, the inside of the room became as quiet as a mouse.