Disciplinary Rule 3: The Committee Leader Watches Over the Freshmen
Every morning, a solemn atmosphere settled over the gates of Ahseong High School.
The reason was the inspection team members standing by the gates during arrival hours, clipboards in hand.
Beneath a clear spring sky, cherry blossom petals drifted down around Ahseong's Main Gate No. 1, where six Disciplinary Committee members wearing their armbands stood at intervals, each watching the students passing through the gate with careful scrutiny.
"Hold it right there!"
"Who, me?"
"Wearing track pants under your skirt is a clear violation of school regulations. Please state your class and year."
"Oops, my bad. I'll just take 'em off, no?"
"That much is a given. You've already violated the regulations, so penalty points will be assessed."
"Ugh, stingy much…."
Grumbling, the girl gave the committee member her class and year, then shuffled off.
Every morning at arrival time, hair and uniform inspections were carried out at all four of Ahseong's gates, with committee members rotating through gate assignments. Naturally, the process rarely went smoothly.
"You there! Where are your school cap and name tag?"
"The cap's in my bag, but I forgot the name tag…. Slipped my mind. Can't you just let something that small slide?"
"I cannot. State your class, year, and name."
"Cut me some slack. I left it in the classroom—I'll put it on the second I get there."
"I said no. Quit stalling and answer."
"Ha, seriously. A first-year with zero flexibility…."
"Excuse me? What did you just say…?"
"Look, junior. When you clamp down on people that rigidly, hm? Students can't breathe, can they—"
Just then, a dark shadow fell over the boy who had been snapping rudely at the committee member.
Sensing a murderous air, the boy cut himself off mid-sentence.
His survival instinct was screaming at him to shut his mouth. Immediately.
"D-Disciplinary Committee Leader…."
The first-year committee member's voice trembled.
Ahn Woo-jin, the Disciplinary Committee Leader—one of the strongest students in all of Ahseong High School—was standing behind the boy, radiating a frigid presence.
The authority Woo-jin commanded as leader was exceptional, and his temperament was famously strict and unyielding. There was even the absurd legend that on his very first day as leader, he had single-handedly subdued an armed group that hijacked a subway train.
He was, in a word, a monster.
It was impossible even to imagine how badly one's school life would unravel if this man took a dislike to you.
The boy stared up at Woo-jin with a terror-stricken face, caught sight of those piercing eyes, and dropped his head as low as it would go.
"Disgraceful."
At the fall of Woo-jin's ice-cold voice, the boy flinched.
"Class. Year. Name."
"Chrysanthemum Hall, second year, Cho Man-su…!"
"Record it."
At Woo-jin's order, the committee member barked "Yes, sir!" with crisp discipline and entered Cho Man-su, Chrysanthemum Hall, 2nd Year into the ledger.
"Cho Man-su."
"Y-yes…!"
"Regulations will be observed to the letter. And."
Woo-jin spoke with grave formality, leaning in to look down at the boy from close range. Man-su couldn't meet his eyes.
Woo-jin delivered his warning.
"If you ever treat one of my members this way again, next time it won't end with penalty points."
That cynical whisper froze Man-su from head to toe.
"I-I'm sorry…. I'll be going now…."
Man-su bowed hastily in apology and scurried away.
The committee member quietly watched his retreating back, while Woo-jin clicked his tongue softly. Then the first-year looked up at Woo-jin with unconcealed admiration.
"Thank you, Leader…!"
Disciplinary Committee Leader Ahn Woo-jin.
Though only a single year apart—Woo-jin being a second-year and himself a brand-new member—the boy seemed to live in a different world entirely.
Maturity, you might call it. Handsome, powerful, among the very top of the second-year rankings, and overflowing with charisma on top of it all. He was, quite simply, the most perfect man the boy had ever laid eyes on in his life.
"Rough day, huh."
"…Sir?"
The committee member was taken aback. He hadn't expected Woo-jin of all people to offer a word of comfort.
Woo-jin took hold of the brim of his peaked cap. In the shadow beneath it, his teal eyes gleamed with striking clarity.
"Types like that show up fairly often. They know committee members can't cross the line themselves, and if their target's an underclassman, a little intimidation usually gets them off the hook. On top of that, you're a first-year who just joined. You must look like an easy mark."
"I see…."
Having said his piece, Woo-jin felt a flicker of unease.
Wait. Isn't this… painfully obvious stuff?
Having watched the new member deal with a problem student, he'd felt a sudden urge to dispense advice here and there—the way a seasoned gamer instinctively tries to coach some fresh-faced newbie.
Somehow, it made him feel self-conscious.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat lightly. Best to wrap this up here.
A faintly awkward smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Anyway, it gets easier the more you deal with it. Keep at it."
"……!"
The committee member saw it.
On that face that usually held nothing but cool composure, the corner of Woo-jin's mouth had slid quietly upward.
That understated kindness stirred something in the boy's heart.
"Leader! I'll give it everything I've got…!"
Suddenly brimming with morale, the committee member snapped to a crisp salute and shouted his resolve, his voice full to bursting with passion.
"Uh? Uh—right…."
Woo-jin nodded and walked away.
Unaware that he had just become a role model to one of his new recruits.
The new recruits had been on my mind, so I'd dropped by for a bit—and sure enough, the problem students' class was as consistent as ever.
At least the kid seemed fired up. That was a relief.
I should treat them well. They're the ones who'll be catching villains on my behalf, after all.
Projecting charisma and authority was one thing, but I also had to leave the impression that I looked after every single member. It was all in service of my goal.
In the year I became Disciplinary Committee Leader, applications to join the committee reportedly hit an all-time record high.
The applicant pool had always been decent—since the committee handled important work for the school, it looked great on a student record. But the reason for the sharp spike, I'd heard, was that far more students had caught wind of my reputation. I had no idea what exactly they were saying, but at least my image-building had paid off.
Thanks to that, my odds of recruiting one more good candidate had gone up. Which was why I'd thrown myself into the hiring process.
If I wanted to catch villains, I had to handpick talent worthy of the job, didn't I?
The staff in charge of personnel back then had been dead on their feet under the mountain of work. Deep shadows hung under their eyes, and they looked closer to zombies than students.
'Y-you're willing to review all of this yourself…? You, Leader?'
'Please, you don't have to! We can manage somehow! Even calling it an all-nighter is generous—we've only slept four days total! We just need energy drinks and we're fine!'
'You'd… take this burden for us…? Like this…?'
'*Sniff*… Leader, I'll follow you for life…!'
I'd expected them to be annoyed if I butted in. I'd braced myself to take a popularity hit.
Instead, they'd been so moved they cried.
Though I still don't understand what "follow you for life" was supposed to mean, given that I'd only be leader for a single year.
Anyway, I worked hard to sift out the promising applicants, focusing mainly on metrics that could estimate raw combat capability.
To catch villains, you wanted strong people first and foremost. And the stronger this year's committee was, the more weight my own authority would carry.
That was rough going….
With so many applicants, the process was far more grueling than I'd expected. There were moments I genuinely regretted sticking my nose in.
I only got to breathe again when the Vice Leader stepped in to help. Her work processing speed was terrifyingly fast.
Without her, I might have suffocated under the paperwork….
"Something on your mind?"
"!"
I was sitting at my desk in the committee's executive office, lost in memories of the past.
Just as I looked up at Oh Baek-seo, who was reviewing case files on the reception sofa, she turned to me.
As if she had eyes in the back of her head.
She turned toward me cradling her usual gentle smile.
"No, I was just looking. But how'd you know I was staring?"
"Want to guess?"
"…There was a mirror, wasn't there."
"Correct."
Sure enough, a small mirror sat on the table in front of Baek-seo. It had been hidden behind her until moments ago.
And here I thought she was just buried in her documents….
Had she been sneaking glances at me through the mirror this whole time?
…Nah. No way.
Overactive ego. She probably just happened to glance up and caught me.
Suddenly, Baek-seo picked up her papers and moved to the sofa across from me—putting her squarely in my line of sight.
"Why'd you change seats?"
"You seemed to want a look at my face. From here, you get a much better view."
There it was—that shameless, guileless smile of hers.
I'd taken the bait, and now she was toying with me again.
"It's not like that, so quit teasing…. Get back to work."
"Hehe, yes, sir."
Once we both returned to work mode, a comfortable quiet settled over the office.
Before long—bang!—the door flew open and shattered the silence.
"Ye-song reporting as summoned~."
A voice like something sagging in the breeze filled the office.
"There she is."
"Welcome."
Baek-seo and I turned to greet the girl in school uniform who had just walked in.
Her peaked cap perched on her head at a perilously modern-art angle, looking ready to slide off at any moment. True to the drowsiness in her voice, she stretched out a long yawn.
"Haaahm…. Leader, can Ye-song take a teensy nap before the meeting starts? I think I've got spring fever, I'm soooo sleepy…."
"If you don't stop referring to yourself in the third person immediately, your workload will be doubled going forward."
"That's an abuse of power!?"
If the alternative was listening to her butcher the language like that, I'd gladly abuse my authority.
She had crossed the line.
Ha Ye-song, second year, officer in charge of public decency enforcement.
I'd summoned her for the informal meeting scheduled today.
"Baek-seo unnie…! The Leader is so scary…!"
Ye-song pretended to be on the verge of tears, set her cap and the file folder she was carrying down on the table, and plopped down beside Baek-seo. Then—without a hint of hesitation—she wrapped her arms around Baek-seo's arm.
"Oh, I doubt that. Don't you worry, dear."
Baek-seo smiled with the beneficence of a saint and patted Ye-song's head.
Every time, Baek-seo indulged her antics without so much as a flicker of irritation.
"Unnie's hand, it's the besttt. So healing…."
Ye-song wore an expression of pure melting bliss as she luxuriated in Baek-seo's soft touch.
She looked exactly like a puppy that had claimed Baek-seo as its owner.
A dog, basically.
…
"Here! Proof that Ye-song worked very, very hard!"
The three of us got the meeting underway.
Seated beside Baek-seo, I took the file Ye-song passed across the table—a report she had compiled herself.
"I've drawn up a list of the notable names among this year's incoming freshmen."
The meeting's agenda: identifying individuals the Disciplinary Committee should keep an eye on, and deciding at what level to surveil them.
It was an informal meeting topic that had passed down among the executives like an unwritten tradition.
It didn't violate any school regulations, but by the standards of fairness it was dubious enough that it had to stay behind closed doors. And yet the tradition persisted because, by all accounts, it produced visible, tangible results.
'How they verify that is a mystery, but.'
Well, I endorsed the spirit of it.
Managing every single Ahseong student was an impossible task—over two thousand new students enrolled each year alone. There was a real need to single out the ones who warranted focused surveillance.
Besides, in this world, students could wield mana, a mysterious power besides. A person with ill intent was exponentially more dangerous than in my previous life.
There were even statistics showing that students with disciplinary records had high rates of reoffense.
So I had chosen to carry the tradition forward.
She put this together neatly.
I paged through the report Ye-song had handed me.
It recorded the incoming freshmen who had carried—prior to enrolling at Ahseong High School—particularities that made them worth watching from a disciplinary standpoint.
They said fifty-four students last year, so this year should be about the—huh? It's not?
I'd noticed the folder was thin, but I hadn't expected a mere ten names.
What is this?
I'd braced myself for worse?
"Fewer than you expected, right? Way fewer."
Ye-song answered with total confidence.
"We actually had a pool of sixty candidates, but I already investigated all of them. The rest just need a reasonable level of casual attention—I'll show you the list separately later! Anyway, these ten are the ones I judged most critical. So this Ye-song dug into them extra deep!"
The reason I'd given Ha Ye-song an executive seat when I became leader was that, contrary to appearances, she was diligent and genuinely good at her job.
The information she'd compiled on the ten was thorough yet cleanly organized. Some of them were problem children I remembered from the game. None were on the level of the great villains destined to become Geoeok-class menaces, but they were undeniably people the committee needed to watch.
Once again, it was a trustworthy report. It saved me considerable effort.
"Good work."
"Heheh."
I scanned the watchlist.
One name in particular seized my attention before any other.
A party involved in the subway incident from a while back.
Lee Se-ah. So she's on here too.
In her ID photo, a girl with narrowed fox-like eyes smiled prettily.
The next boss of the mafia…. I never imagined she'd be a student at our school.
Lee Se-ah was the person destined to lead the mafia syndicate 'Dohwapa' in the future.
Which was why the mafia treasured her so.
She'd become one of the Black Market's great evils in time—but she was also fated to die a mysterious death, all on her own.
Her mafia affiliation is already public knowledge, too.
After we pressed Anomia for information, it came to light that the person they'd been targeting in the subway incident was Lee Se-ah. The committee had summoned her, and extracted the statement "I am affiliated with the mafia."
She hadn't even bothered to conceal it. Apparently she'd judged there was no harm in disclosing it.
And in truth, there wasn't.
The mafia, as it stands now, hasn't done anything overtly problematic.
The syndicate's dirty dealings hadn't yet surfaced into the open.
Ultimately, the subway incident was closed as an inter-organizational turf dispute that had escalated into armed conflict. The captured Anomia members, shuttled through several district jurisdictions on charges of carrying out a terror attack in a public subway, were handed over to the Court Academy.
Regardless.
A shadowy organization formidable enough to clash with Anomia—membership in a self-styled "mafia" syndicate, meaning a criminal enterprise.
On top of that, factoring in how the middle school students who had badmouthed Lee Se-ah behind her back, or quietly bullied her, had abruptly withdrawn from school one after another… it was little surprise she'd made the watchlist.
A veiled existence. Multiple suspicious circumstances.
That was the phrase written in the report—Ye-song's assessment of Lee Se-ah.
She does become a villain eventually, but she's not one yet. Best to keep her under surveillance and see if anything suspicious turns up.
Whether she was laying groundwork for her future villainy, already committing villainous acts in the shadows, or doing nothing at all—I decided to put eyes on her.
If we caught evidence of her instigating a crime, it would pay off handsomely. We could strike preemptively and stop the crime before it ever happened.
"Leader?"
"What?"
Out of nowhere, Ye-song called out to me.
She was looking at me with deep suspicion written all over her face.
"Why are you staring holes into that girl's photo? Looks like love at first sight. Is she your type, Leader?"
Flip.
In an instant, Baek-seo turned the page of the report she was reading, expression utterly unchanged, landing squarely on Lee Se-ah's page.
It was so swift and precise I never even saw her hand move.
Apparently her curiosity had been piqued.
"…."
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Ye-song in silence.
"It's a joke. Hehe. …Sorry."
Ye-song apologized, reading the room.