Chapter 37: The First Major Update
Lee Doun was determined to catch the student who was bullying him.
With Kim Sujin, he started gathering evidence.
Lee Hanmin.
A student who had been speaking to him since the beginning of the semester.
He had been following him around, so now he was ignoring him.
Was it because of him?
He was worried.
So he became more proactive.
“Teacher, look here.”
“Hm?”
He pointed to the student who had placed a tack on Doun’s chair in the CCTV footage.
“That kid is in our class. And call the student who poured water on Doun and ask him.”
“Got it!”
Kim Sujin called the two students and interrogated them.
And she secured the testimony that Lee Hanmin had ordered it.
“Good! This should be enough. Na-eun, you worked hard.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
If it were just me, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.
Thanks to Kim Sujin, who moved as if it were her own business, I was able to obtain various evidence.
“Good. Let’s take this to the Class 1 homeroom teacher.”
“Yes! Teacher.”
It was done.
We submitted the materials we collected to the Class 1 homeroom teacher, and they would impose a strong punishment.
“This is our class’s student matter. I’ll handle the rest. Go back.”
“Yes. Please take care, teacher.”
“Thank you.”
We submitted the evidence to the Class 1 homeroom teacher.
Now he would receive a strong punishment?
School violence, right?
He would definitely receive a heavy punishment.
Would he be expelled?
Or suspended?
Either way was fine.
As long as he didn’t bully Doun anymore.
But.
It was quiet.
Even though we had delivered the evidence and detailed school violence content, it was quiet.
“Teacher, why is there no progress?”
“Indeed…”
Kim Sujin seemed not to know the progress of the school violence incident either.
“Shouldn’t we go to the Class 1 homeroom teacher again today?”
“Got it! Let’s go together.”
“Yes!”
The Class 1 homeroom teacher was in the staff room.
Together with Kim Sujin, we went to the Class 1 homeroom teacher’s seat.
“Teacher, can you tell me how the school violence student I mentioned earlier is doing?”
“Ah, that? You handled it well. Don’t worry.”
“What!? You handled it? If they did wrong, you should punish them.”
“Hmph… Kids fighting each other is possible. Things like that.”
Fighting?
This was one-sided bullying.
Yet the Class 1 homeroom teacher spoke as if it were mutual assault.
As if both sides were wrong.
“Teacher, that’s…”
Just as I was about to confront the teacher with courage,
Kim Sujin blocked my way in front.
“Teacher! Please handle the matter properly. This is a clear case of school violence. If you can’t handle it, I’ll report it to the police.”
“What!? Hah… Really, because you’re a non-regular teacher. You can’t distinguish between when to speak up and when to back out.”
I covered my mouth without realizing it.
Non-regular teacher…
How could a school teacher discriminate like that with such words?
I had taken the subject from the Class 1 homeroom teacher during class.
Yet he had such a personality.
The shock didn’t fade.
“What did you say!?”
Kim Sujin said in an angry voice.
I couldn’t see her expression from behind, but she was probably scowling.
“What is what? This is something regular teachers handle among themselves. I told you to back out.”
“If you don’t go to the school violence countermeasures self-governing committee within a week, I’ll have my own ways.”
Kim Sujin didn’t support her at all.
“Hmph!! If you’re a non-regular teacher, act like one!”
The Class 1 homeroom teacher was getting angrier, voice rising.
“Hmph! I said a week. Then, non-regular teachers, I’ll escort you out of the staff room.”
We left the staff room together with Kim Sujin.
“Teacher, are you okay?”
“It’s not right for someone like that to be a teacher. I’m fine, don’t worry.”
“Teacher…”
“I should move more proactively!”
Kim Sujin said even more enthusiastically.
I was worried about such a teacher.
As the Class 1 homeroom teacher said, Kim Sujin was non-regular.
“Teacher, don’t push yourself…”
“It’s okay~”
Kim Sujin smiled her usual bright smile.
** **
“Sigh…”
Recently, it seemed Na-eun and Kim Sujin were moving regarding school violence.
I asked Na-eun a few times, but she only said she didn’t know.
“Eunhye, where did Na-eun go?”
“I don’t know…”
“I see…”
Ding dong. Ding dong.
Only after the class start bell did Na-eun return to the class.
The teacher’s class started…
Whoa whoa.
“What’s this! Why are you all noisy. Concentrate!?”
The teacher said irritably at the small disturbance.
And some students turned their heads and glanced at me.
What?
Unfamiliar students.
In fact, I hadn’t had conversations with them.
The ones who talked in class were only Eunhye, Na-eun, and Su-min, my roommate.
Yet, until class ended, some kids occasionally looked back at me.
“Doun!”
“Why?”
Right after class, Su-min approached.
“Look at this! Who wrote a strange post on the school anonymous bulletin board!”
Su-min showed the phone screen.
『Title: Is this Lee Doun from Class 2 of 1st year?
Poster: Anonymous
Content)
Lee Doun was bullied in middle school.
During breaks, he was said to be busy as a bread shuttle.
… Whenever bored, he would go to the rooftop and get beaten, it was daily life. Completely pathetic. … This is a fact known to all who graduated from middle school with Lee Doun.』
It was a malicious post slandering me.
Was this the reason?
Why did some students glance at me during class?
“Sigh…”
A small sigh escaped.
In high school before regression.
Exactly before regression.
Even then, high school students knew.
The fact that I was a victim of school violence in middle school.
But the funny thing was.
I was the victim, but they avoided me.
Naturally, I was isolated.
“Doun! This must be the work of that Lee Hanmin!”
Su-min was angry.
“True. True.”
“How could this happen…”
Eunhye and Na-eun were also angry.
I had already graduated from university and experienced social life.
High school three years.
Now it seems long, but looking at the whole life, it’s just a short moment.
So, instead of the fear that high school life was ruined,
The fact that people were angry for me felt bigger.
“Thank you.”
“Hm?”
“Doun, that’s not the situation for such words.”
“True. We need to request from the school to find out who wrote the post.”
As Su-min expected, I thought it was Lee Hanmin’s doing.
But.
So what to do.
If I report to the school, would they resolve it?
Would they not act like the middle school homeroom teacher who called me and Kim Juho to the staff room for reconciliation?
Would they not quietly hush it up without letting the school know?
Lee Hanmin’s parents are National Assembly members, would they stay silent?
Anyway…
The school wouldn’t be on my side.
The country wouldn’t be either.
Because the parents of the school violence perpetrator are National Assembly members.
“I can’t stand it!”
“Na-eun?”
Na-eun ran out of the classroom.
I hurriedly got up from my desk and left the classroom too.
“Huh?”
Na-eun wasn’t there.
I searched the hallways everywhere but couldn’t find her.
Ding dong. Ding dong.
Finally, the class start bell rang, and I returned to the classroom.
“Na-eun didn’t come?”
“Yeah…”
Even after the teacher entered and class started, Na-eun didn’t return.
“Teacher!”
“Hm? What?”
“I suddenly feel dizzy, can I go to the infirmary for a bit?”
“Hm? Sick?”
“Yes… Sorry.”
“Go ahead.”
I left during class.
I went looking for Na-eun.
“Na-eun.”
“Shh!”
Na-eun in front of the staff room signaled me to be quiet.
I moved stealthily and stood next to Na-eun by the staff room wall.
“Teacher! A week has passed. But why hasn’t the school violence committee been held?”
“Hmph! Kim Sujin! Still talking about that!”
“Teacher, as far as I know, when school violence occurs, even if minor, the school violence countermeasures self-governing committee handles the case, isn’t that right?”
“What!? Really, what does a non-regular teacher know.”
The argument between Kim Sujin and another teacher in the staff room was audible in the hallway.
“Teacher! Because you didn’t handle it properly. Now there’s even a strange post on the school anonymous bulletin board!”
“What!? Why is that my fault.”
The argument continued for over ten minutes.
“This is not something a non-regular teacher should worry about, get out!”
“Better not to be a regular teacher like you than to be a regular teacher!”
Kim Sujin, angry at the continued non-regular teacher remarks, retorted.
“What!!! What did you say!!! You think you’ll be fired!!!”
“You think you’ll be fired!!! You school violence supporter teacher!!”
“What!!!”
Bang!
Kim Sujin opened the staff room door forcefully and came out.
“Teacher…”
“Teacher…”
“What are you doing here?”
Kim Sujin asked with her usual bright smile.
“Let’s go~. Doun, Na-eun, I’ll buy you something delicious.”
“Yes…”
Was Kim Sujin being fired?
Was it not that people around me were suffering because of me?
All kinds of worries were making me suffer.
A few days later,
Bang!
While playing Hero Game in the club room, Kim Sujin entered.
“Guys! The Class 1 homeroom teacher has been fired!”
“Yes!?”
“Really!?”
How could that be?
It was a fight between regular teacher and non-regular teacher.
No matter what justice was, the group would side with the regular teacher.
That’s Korea.
So I had been worried for days that Kim Sujin wouldn’t be fired, but…
“Of course! Where do you think you’re hiding school violence. You were fired right away!”
“Good…”
I didn’t understand the situation, but it was good that it was good.
“And the school violence countermeasures committee has started investigating!”
“Waa!!”
“Hooray!!!”
Eunhye and Na-eun were happy as if it were their own business.
I was worried…
“Teacher.”
“Doun, aren’t you happy?”
“Teacher, Lee Hanmin’s parents are National Assembly members.”
“So?”
“I… I don’t want people around me to suffer because of me.”
“Doun, why are you worrying so much…”
Kim Sujin lightly hugged me while I was sitting on the chair.
“But… She’s a National Assembly member.”
I wasn’t a regular high school student.
I had lived until 35, and I vaguely knew how strong the power of a National Assembly member was.
“It’s okay. Doun. The chairman of Human Games has acquired the Forest High School foundation.”
Ah… That was the reason.
The reason Kim Sujin wasn’t fired, and why the Class 1 homeroom teacher was fired.
Even so.
“But even against a National Assembly member…”
I said with sincerity.
Even the high school president would be nothing in front of a National Assembly member.
“It’s okay. The Human Games chairman is a strong person. Stronger than a National Assembly member… Even stronger than the President of the Republic of Korea.”
“What?? Yeah…”
Kim Sujin exaggeratedly said to reassure me.
Even a regular high school student wouldn’t believe such words… to me.
A small laugh came out, and the tension eased.
Kim Sujin’s words were that unbelievable.
“Doun laughed?”
“No… Thank you, teacher.”
I was really grateful.
Extremely grateful.