Chapter 54
Chapter 54
Hwayeong High School's student council was famous for its unusually high level of autonomy compared to other high schools.
Of course, it didn't wield the kind of absurd power you'd see from a student council in a school drama. Ultimately, the student council was still a type of 'club' that operated under faculty supervision. But it wasn't a club just anyone could join either, and the work it handled, while still within a student's purview, was quite official, so it wasn't treated like an ordinary club.
For instance, the student council at Hwayeong had the power to decide the school trip destination.
Obviously, if it were decided unilaterally, students would resent it, so it was typically settled after a school-wide vote. Still, the student council chose the specific locations, the itineraries, and, most importantly, the 'candidates' themselves, so the autonomy remained very high.
And the student council also handled issuing penalty points to students....More precisely, they had the 'authority' to do so.
The Disciplinary Committee Member under the student council's purview could assign penalty points to students who violated school rules and report them to the Student Affairs Department. They could also report students who accumulated a certain number of points to the teachers to face disciplinary action.
But just because they had the 'authority' didn't mean they could use it all the time.
Hwayeong High School was a school for the children of the business world's most prominent families.
Naturally, a clear hierarchy existed among them. Even if they acted like equals or close friends on the surface, they often dismissed each other based on their counterpart's wealth.
If every Disciplinary Committee Member were a scion of immense wealth, there would be no major issues. But in this school, the wealthier the family, the less likely the child was to bother with the student council.
Then again, if a newly enrolled first-year was an 'Outside Admit' with a rigidly upright personality, they might not care about any of that at all.
"President, are you really planning to just sit by and watch this situation unfold?"
A female student with the word 'Discipline' emblazoned in large letters on an armband around her left arm asked a bespectacled male student just that.
Her long, blue-black hair swished down her back as she questioned him accusingly. The male student addressed as the Student Council President pushed his oval glasses up with his finger and replied.
"Even the teachers who were slighted are staying quiet. What exactly should we do?"
He said that, but his voice sounded more annoyed than resigned. Hearing his response, which seemed to ask why she was bothering him with the obvious, the Disciplinary Committee Member's face twisted with visible irritation.
"We're not just talking about the teachers here!"
"Oh? You're not talking about the incident where the bald teacher got rained on indoors during class because of some unidentified weather phenomenon?"
"There's no way such a ridiculous incident happened!"
The Disciplinary Committee Member slammed the President's desk with a bang, then immediately cradled her hand, wincing. "Ow..."
"That's a solid mahogany desk, you know. It's incredibly hard. If you want to break it, you'll need to swing something bigger and sturdier than your hand."
"No, that's not the point...!"
Frustrated by the President's leisurely advice, the Disciplinary Committee Member cried out.
"Then what about that! An improper relationship on school grounds!"
"The term 'improper relationship' is something people used ten years ago. The 'Dating Prohibition' school rule was abolished ages ago. This isn't the Joseon Dynasty."
The Student Council President let out a heavy sigh. The Disciplinary Committee Member clutched the back of her neck.
"Sitting on someone's lap during class! And that... princess carry! And face-to-face, they were..."
"Face-to-face?"
At the President's question, the Disciplinary Committee Member's face flushed bright red.
"You know perfectly well what I mean!"
"What I heard was different."
Even with the Disciplinary Committee Member shrieking in front of him, the Student Council President answered calmly.
"That student... Yu Ha-neul, was it? She's an Outside Admit like you, admitted on a full scholarship, and she's an excellent student. That day, she just sat in her seat and answered every single problem the teacher wrote on the board. The teacher praised her, didn't he?"
"I'm telling you, there was another person on top of her!"
"......."
The Student Council President, chin resting on his hand, stared silently at the fuming Disciplinary Committee Member. After stewing with a red face for a moment, she seemed to collect herself, bowing her head slightly and murmuring in a small, embarrassed voice,
"I'm sorry...."
"So, what exactly do you want? You want to punish that 'person who was sitting on top of her'? And preferably, the student who participated in that 'lewd act' as well?"
"......Yes."
The Disciplinary Committee Member answered. Then, after taking a deep breath, she continued as if the words were bursting out of her.
"It's true I'm one of the 'poorest' people in this school. But no matter what, aren't we all equal as students inside these walls? Whether your family is rich, poor, or somewhere in between, we're all students. I won't comment on whether the school rules are well made or not. But if rules exist, shouldn't they be applied equally to every student?"
"That's a sound argument."
The Student Council President answered with a sigh. But he still didn't look motivated.
"Even so, don't touch those three. There are rules written in books, and then there are matters implicitly agreed upon among people."
"...So, you're saying that not touching 'Ye Sa-ra' is also an implicitly agreed-upon rule."
"Yeah. I figured you should know that, since you're currently the only Disciplinary Committee Member at this school."
"...I know perfectly well that Ye Sa-ra is the successor to the largest business group in the country... no, in the world."
The Disciplinary Committee Member clenched her fist tightly.
"But I can't just stand by and watch someone with that kind of power hurt other students, openly disrespect the teachers' authority, and still be forgiven by everyone! Because there are rules in this world that must be upheld!"
"......Huh?"
Hearing that, the Student Council President finally felt something was off.
"Ah, wait. Don't tell me, you think that Ye Sa-ra is—"
"Yes! A student with the privilege of facing no academic penalty no matter what she does! I know because I saw her face! The other day, she barged in during class, disrupted it, and then left! She walked around, examining every student's face one by one...!"
In truth, she'd been a little scared back then. The expressionless Ye Sa-ra had such sharp eyes, it felt like she could stab someone with just her gaze. Thinking back now, that must have been a kind of warning. An implicit warning that said, 'If you defy me, I'll destroy you all.'
Why else would she go from student to student, staring them down like that?
That time... no, the fact that she hadn't been able to say a single word to such a delinquent student all day yesterday was a disgrace to her role as a Disciplinary Committee Member.
If only it hadn't happened during class...!
"If that's your position, President, I understand! I'll go handle this myself!"
And with that, she spun on her heel and headed for the door.
"Huh? Hey, wait, you idiot!"
The Student Council President, who had been sitting with a relaxed expression just moments before, shot to his feet with a startled look, only to slam his knee into the desk. In the process of jerking his leg back in surprise, his foot slipped forward strangely, causing him to stub his little toe hard on the desk corner.
"......!"
The Student Council President let out a silent scream and collapsed sideways. By the time he was rolling on the floor clutching his throbbing toe, the school's sole Disciplinary Committee Member was already out the door.
*
When the Disciplinary Committee Member reached the school gate, she came face-to-face with Ye Sa-ra, who was just entering.
Today, Ye Sa-ra again had a girl on each arm.
On one side was the outstanding Outside Admit.
On the other, the heiress from Class 6.
Seeing them cling to her from both sides, the rumors seemed to be true.
So those three really were in that kind of relationship, just as everyone said.
It wasn't just simple dating either; one person was seeing two people at once, an act that, by anyone's standard, was a Public Morals Violation on campus!
"Hold it!"
The Disciplinary Committee Member shouted.
As if she hadn't known anyone would dare address her that way, Ye Sa-ra stopped walking and looked at her with wide eyes.
"Improper relationships are prohibited here!"
Dating itself wasn't prohibited.
But if that dating could be seen as 'improper' on school grounds, then it was clearly forbidden by school rules.
No matter how open-minded the world becomes or how tolerant it is of public displays of affection, there are lines that shouldn't be crossed.
Facing the three who were still frozen, the Disciplinary Committee Member began to stride forward.
Unlike yesterday, today she definitely would—
But her confident steps gradually slowed the closer she got to Ye Sa-ra.
Because as the Disciplinary Committee Member approached the three of them, Ye Sa-ra was smiling brightly at her.
......It was a cheerful smile, without a hint of worry.
So much so that for a moment, she wondered, 'Could a person with such an innocent smile really be engaged in an improper, sexually promiscuous relationship?'
But the chill running down her spine came first.
If someone could smile so casually even after seeing her armband, it meant they had that much confidence behind them.
"......."
The Disciplinary Committee Member swallowed dryly.
Right, but even so, she was the one in the right.
Her resolve hardened, and the Disciplinary Committee Member quickened her pace again.
*
I thought to myself, watching the furious Disciplinary Committee Member stride toward me.
Ah, this is an opportunity.
I have no idea how she came to that conclusion about me. Maybe she's someone who knows absolutely nothing about my situation. She might even be an Outside Admit, like Ha-neul.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Since she was part of the student council, and its subordinate organization at that, the very act of speaking to me was already akin to the student council 'officially' addressing me.
"Since yesterday, you've been blatantly violating the school rules—"
"Yes, I did!"
I shouted, raising my hand high.
The Disciplinary Committee Member who had been advancing on me stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of my voice, looking bewildered.
It wasn't just her; all the other students walking nearby stopped too.
A silence fell over everything for a moment, as if time itself had frozen.
Ah, I think I saw this in John Wick.
Well, anyway.
"So, what'll the punishment be? Penalty points? Disciplinary action? Anything's fine!"
The Disciplinary Committee Member just stared blankly.
The other students arriving at school looked on in shock.
Lee Su-a looked a little worried, and Ha-neul looked like she was about to burst out laughing at any second.
And as for my expression, now that I'd finally gotten a proper chance,
I think I was probably grinning from ear to ear.