Pitting Enemy Against Enemy
Seohye turned that day over in her mind. Even as her mind reeled from the shock of the siblings' incest, she had been dealt another blow. The way he had put his sister to sleep after having sex with her, only to casually and affectionately call Juran right after. 'A vulgar hypocrite.' The first beast had taken the bait. And now, the insolent female beast was right outside the door. A smile spread across Seohye's lips. With a press of the button on her desk, the lock clicked open with a clack—and slam! The door was thrown open, and Hayeon strode inside.
"What on earth is the meaning of this?" Seohye rose with unruffled grace to greet Hayeon. "How could you lift the restraining order so quickly on a girl who tied someone up and assaulted him?"
"First of all, since his penis was erect, sexual harassment is not legally established..." Seohye replied with a cold expression, repeating the exact words she had told Haun.
"Did... did my brother really consent?"
"That is correct."
Hayeon couldn't wrap her head around it. 'He consented? Oppa did? After getting a restraining order, now of all times?' She was utterly bewildered. Furthermore,
"Didn't you like my brother, President? This decision shouldn't be in your favor either." To think the Student Council President herself was the one who decided this.
"I have given up on him."
"What... did you say?" While having one less bitch targeting her brother was a relief, this didn't feel right. An ominous premonition kept swirling in her head.
"Why... so suddenly..."
"Why do you ask? You didn't seem to like me very much before."
"It's strange... this... it was only a little while ago... For things to be settled this quickly... It doesn't have anything to do with... Kwon Juran... does it? Right?" Her body trembled as if gripped by fear. Watching Hayeon crumble sent a bizarre, intoxicating thrill through Seohye's entire body. She did her best to hide it.
"Calm down. This is hardly something to be so flustered about. Why are you so restless?"
Hayeon flinched. Those eyes felt as if they were peering straight through her. She was terrified that her feelings for her brother would be exposed.
"Ah... is it because of student Kwon Juran? She does seem a bit dangerous." With Seohye throwing her a lifeline, Hayeon felt a wave of relief and quickly composed herself.
"Yes. I'm just... a bit concerned that something might happen between her and my brother."
'She has a hot temper, but with this level of emotional control, she's quite...' Seohye sized Hayeon up, evaluating if she was suitable for her plans. She would have to keep observing her, but for now, she passed.
"Wouldn't it be best to ask him directly?" To Oppa? If those two had gotten entangled, it must have been that night he didn't come home. If he lied to me... Hayeon grit her teeth.
"I know firsthand how protective you are of your brother's dating life, Hayeon. But you don't even know if the two of them are actually dating. I don't think there's any need to worry just yet." Seohye's words were cunning. Implying that 'Hayeon' didn't know—as if Seohye herself did. But if Hayeon asked her directly, she would surely dodge the question.
"Is the reason you gave up on my brother... because of Kwon Juran?" Asking about the President herself would likely yield an easier answer. But even this was playing right into Seohye's hands.
"It would be difficult for me to answer if you ask me that." A response designed to push Hayeon into a quagmire. Normally, if it weren't true, one would simply deny it. Saying it was 'difficult to answer' in this situation carried the nuance of an admission she couldn't openly disclose. Just as Seohye intended, Hayeon grew even more anxious.
"B-but..."
"Perhaps... you find it awkward to ask your brother." Seohye brought her curled hand to her lips and lowered her head, pretending to be deep in thought. In reality, she was struggling to suppress the mocking sneer tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"If I were you..." Seohye raised her head, delivering the line she had already prepared as if the idea had only just occurred to her. "I would start by getting close to student Juran."
'Are you insane? With a bitch like that?' Overwhelmed by Seohye's sharp gaze, Hayeon couldn't easily voice the screaming thoughts in her head. Her chest burned. The implication that she couldn't even get the truth from her own brother was humiliating enough to make her want to slap the President's face. Yet, completely unaware of how cunningly she was being manipulated, Hayeon was utterly powerless.
"That is, if you're worried about your brother but can't get a straight answer from him."
'That fucking bitch... Who does she think she is, trying to probe into our relationship?' Unable to hold back any longer, Hayeon's eyes flared with venom. Seohye found that vicious glare thrillingly beautiful. It was a flame of ruin, hot enough to consume Haun, Juran, and even Hayeon herself. Once everything was reduced to ashes, Seohye would pull a blackened, broken Haun from the wreckage. Of course, with that filthy body of his, he would never be worthy of standing by her side. He would have to lick her feet, begging for her favor. Good girl, good girl. Suppressing the urge to pat Hayeon's head in approval, Seohye pretended not to notice the murderous glint in her eyes.
"Despite appearances, student Juran hasn't caused any major trouble since entering Upper School, aside from that fellatio incident. She might actually be a better person than you think."
"How could she be? She's the bitch who tied my brother up in front of everyone to suck and lick his cock."
"Indeed... there is certainly no reason for you to view her favorably. The one incident she did cause just so happened to involve your brother." They are destined to be enemies.
"I'm sure you've heard the saying, 'Know your enemy.' While it's meant with an adversary in mind, even if she isn't an enemy, shouldn't you know who she is? Whether to build a relationship or to protect your brother for his own good?" Seohye spoke these words knowing full well that they could never have a good relationship.
'Enemy... To defeat an enemy... you must know them...' The rest of Seohye's words faded from Hayeon's mind, leaving only her enemy, Kwon Juran. As she processed this, Hayeon calmed down, and even the light in her eyes shifted. The anger she had felt toward Seohye for humiliating her by questioning her brother's honesty was redirected into a cold, distant hostility toward her true target. It was exactly what Seohye wanted.
"Hayeon. This is only our second time meeting, but I've taken quite a liking to you. Though I've moved on from my feelings for your brother, I'd love to build a friendship with you. Even if we can't see each other often due to my student council duties."
Seohye pulled a document from her drawer and stamped it with the Student Council seal. "This is a Student Council consultation certificate. You can submit it to your homeroom teacher anytime today. Since the second period has already been underway for a while, why don't you take a walk around the campus instead of heading straight to class? It might help you make a wise decision." So that all of you can meet your ruin.
Though her pride had been stung, Hayeon felt she had grasped a clue thanks to Seohye. "Thank you... President." Bowing politely, she left the Student Council Room.
The pinnacle of the student body. Now that her foolish feelings for Haun were gone, Seohye might have been a reliable ally, but Hayeon had no intention of relying on her. 'It's not true, right? Oppa... I trust you... But because of that... the price of betrayal will be agonizingly painful.' This was just a precaution. Pulling her phone from her pocket to ask her mother what time she would be home after work, Hayeon froze as she saw a message she had missed while inside the Student Council Room.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the second period. I checked my phone first. The read receipt '1' had disappeared. 'She saw it.' To keep Hayeon from getting angry, I had sent her a Kkotok message before class started, thinking it would be better to preemptively tell her about the Student Council's decision.
"Huh? Hayeon?" Oh, great. I must be hearing things because I'm so anxious waiting for her reply. Class had only just ended, after all.
"Haun." Su-ah thrust her face right in front of mine as I held my phone like a prayer book.
"Eek—!"
"Why are you so startled?" Because it's you, you jerk! "Sigh... Get out of my face, I don't want to look at you."
"Oh, come on, Haun." She smiled at my low whisper. Had her conscience completely vanished along with her sanity when the common sense of this world was rewritten?
"Hayeon is here."
"Huh?" Startled, I stood up to look toward the back door, but froze mid-turn like a statue. Sitting in a far corner with her legs crossed and her chin resting on her hand was Juran, glaring at Su-ah and me with a murderous intensity. 'T-those are the eyes of a killer...'
"Hmm... Juran's glare is terrifying. Did she catch us?" Stop whispering so close to me! Has she lost her sense of fear along with her conscience? I quickly pulled away from Su-ah and headed for the back door. Stealing a glance at Juran, I saw that she hadn't budged an inch; only her eyes tracked my every movement. I'm scared... so scared... And to make matters worse, Hayeon was waiting outside. A devil's triangle. A literal Bermuda Triangle of hell.
Stepping out into the hallway, I found Hayeon leaning against the wall right next to the door. "How did you get here so fast? Did you skip class?" Hayeon held out a piece of paper. "Student Council President consultation."
"Huh? You did?" It was unexpected. I could guess what it was about, but she was the type to interrogate me, not go looking for the President.
"I guess you didn't know. The President and I are actually quite close." In an instant, a dizzying tangle of thoughts flooded my mind. The two of them? Close? No way, did she tell her about Juran... No, Seohye isn't the type to gossip carelessly. Her attitude this morning was firm, too.
"Then... I suppose you heard the reason why the restraining order was lifted."
"Yeah. That's exactly why I went to see her. But you know..." Hayeon's brow furrowed. "I didn't hear the reason for the 'victim's consent' part."
"Because I thought the Student Council's judgment was correct." It was a simple reply, but I had mentally rehearsed this exact line countless times.
"Do you really think that bitch reflected on what she did?" She lowered her head slightly, her eyes flashing from beneath the shadow of her bangs as she glared up at me. I felt as if my heart, already scorched by the lasers shooting from her eyes, had been completely pierced through.
"I just... think the Student Council made the right call..."
"Is that so? Then I'll have to verify that myself." Without a moment's hesitation, she marched straight into the second-grade classroom, heading directly toward Juran.