A Close Friend
In a corner of the school cafeteria, there were two spaces partitioned by a thin wooden wall. The larger side was reserved for the faculty, while the remaining side was a spot set aside for intimate, one-on-one dining. It was a place where a student who wished to meet privately with the President outside of class hours could apply, and with the President's consent, they could share lunch together. The applicant currently sitting across from the President, enjoying a meal, was Su-ah.
"It's been a while since we had a meal together."
"Was the after-party for my election the last time?"
"Yeah, that's right. You've been incredibly busy since then, Seohye."
"I was truly grateful back then."
"Oh, come on, between us? I just found it fun."
For Su-ah, who had never doubted Seohye's victory, it had been a delightful time—blaring through megaphones to her heart's content, bonding with campaign staff while drafting strategies and flyers, and approaching unfamiliar students with easy, bright smiles. If there was one regret, it was that she hadn't been able to share those days with Haun.
"If Haun had accepted your invitation, we would have seen each other much more often."
Seohye's chopsticks faltered. It was actually Su-ah's recommendation that had prompted her to invite Haun to join the student council in the first place. Come to think of it...
"So the reason he only helped with the campaign and didn't join the student council was because Haun-gun refused?"
"Ding-dong~♬ Correct."
It was only natural that Seohye hadn't noticed back then. It was a time when she didn't pay the slightest attention to matters between men and women.
"What... were your intentions?"
"Well, I wonder if our President can easily define the state of her own heart."
"Fufu, indeed. Not knowing what lies in a person's heart sometimes applies to oneself as well."
Since Seohye herself had no way of knowing what her current feelings for Haun truly were.
"Exactly. Sometimes, others notice it first. Like when the three of us ran into each other in front of the school gate the other day."
"That... That was..."
It was a humiliating memory. To think she had behaved so restlessly, like a puppy wagging its tail in delight before a beast that couldn't even be called human, hiding its vulgar nature.
"That's why I was a bit surprised. You were so hostile toward Juran that sparks practically flew from your eyes, yet you lifted her restraining order in just a few days."
Su-ah finally brought up the real issue.
"Personal feelings must not interfere with the decisions of the student council."
Seohye explained her reasoning calmly, maintaining her composure, which actually gave Su-ah a sense of incongruity.
"Upholding the greater good even if it gives your rival an opening... As expected of our President. So cool."
"That is not the case. We are not rivals or anything of the sort."
"Hmm... Does that mean you didn't like Haun?"
"No... I mean... that is how it is now."
"You've given up on him?"
"Yes."
Having attended the same middle and high school, and having once served under Seohye's leadership in the student council, they were quite close. The sense of incongruity Su-ah felt grew clearer, gradually taking shape.
"You've always been the type of girl who would get whatever she wanted, as long as the method was justifiable."
Su-ah's high praise pierced Seohye's conscience like a dagger. What was justifiable was not the method, but the result. It was because she had manipulated things so that she would always remain in a righteous position. Normally, since she had never committed any wrongdoing in the process, she could have simply shown humility. However, a single transgression now froze her like stone.
"There's no way someone like you would give up on Haun so easily."
Su-ah assumed Seohye was merely hiding something trivial that could be easily brushed aside.
"It's not that you gave up, but rather that your feelings changed."
She was just probing for a crack to extract the information she wanted.
"You were disappointed in Haun."
The basis for her disappointment was the wiretapping. Feeling guilty, Seohye's eyes widened in alarm.
"It's because Haun lost his virginity to Juran, right?"
However, the words that escaped Su-ah's mouth were anticlimactically trivial.
"I'm going to get indigestion. Please stop."
Seohye let out a bitter smile, feeling a wave of relief. Though the bleeding wound on her conscience wouldn't heal until she finally possessed him.
"Ah... What a shame. Looking at your face, I thought I had you cornered right to the edge of admitting it. You really are a tough opponent."
A question arose in Seohye's mind.
"Come to think of it... Su-ah-yang, what makes you think those two had intercourse?"
"You can just tell by looking."
"Is it really that obvious in class?"
As Seohye asked with a look of disbelief, Su-ah merely giggled instead of answering.
"So you did know, President. About their relationship."
Only then did Seohye realize that Su-ah's anticlimactic question had been a trap. Setting aside whether she was disappointed by his loss of virginity, Su-ah's primary goal had been to find out if Seohye was aware of the fact. Seohye had let her guard down because of a far more serious matter. Conversely, to Seohye, this wasn't actually that important of an issue.
"Tsk, you got me..."
If the conversation dragged on any longer, she would only continue to be swayed by Su-ah.
"Since the President dislikes Haun now anyway, is it a case of 'I hope things go well for Juran'?"
"I never said I disliked him."
She had no intention of letting even her contempt for Haun slip.
"Whether things go well for Juran-yang or not has nothing to do with me."
Su-ah curled her lips into a sly smile.
"It's been a while since I've seen you in cutie mode, Min Seohye."
"I have no idea what you find cute about this..."
"I mean you and Juran. I guess it's because you've been friends since elementary school. Even though you actually care, pretending to hate her is so uncharacteristically childish and cute."
"That is not true! A vulgar delinquent like her...!"
"Look at that, look at that. Do you even know your own character, Madam President? When you dislike someone, you're usually cold and detached. You don't get worked up like this."
"Ugh... I really dislike her. Truly."
Realizing she was acting out of character, Seohye composed herself.
"Above all, there is absolutely no reason for me to like her even a single bit right now."
Su-ah's eyes flashed sharply.
"If it's not even that, then none of this makes sense. Juran reflecting? She didn't just use her mouth, she fucked him with her pussy too. There's no way she's reflecting. If anything, she'd be triumphant. As long as you know about their relationship, the justification you claimed as President to lift the order doesn't hold up. So I thought of another possibility. Maybe you wanted things to work out for Juran, since it already turned out this way. But that's not it either. So tell me. Give me something convincing. What is your real motive?"
Only then did Seohye realize that every conversation Su-ah had led up to this point had been a trap for this very moment. Bound hand and foot, any clumsy attempt to escape now would shatter their precious trust. In the end, instead of her true motive, Seohye had no choice but to offer a tiny fragment of goodwill from a corner of her heart.
"Please don't misunderstand. I did not do this out of consideration for Juran-student. I simply thought it might have a positive impact on the academic atmosphere."
Juran's social circle was narrow. She had almost no friends her age. Although a few delinquents hung around her, Juran merely tolerated their presence; she felt no trust or attachment toward them. Juran was going to lose Haun. A person who might be everything to someone as simple-minded as her. When that happened, who could she lean on? Even her grandfather was no longer in this world. Seohye hoped that, at the very least, there would be someone by her side to support her.
"I merely hoped that while she spent time with Haun-gun, she might also have opportunities to mingle with other classmates. I did drop a subtle hint to Haun-gun about it as well."
"Whoa..."
"Did I not tell you? It was for the sake of the academic atmosphere."
"No, it's not that. I actually had the same thought before. On the day those two became close. I was just surprised that we thought of something so similar."
She then beamed playfully.
"Look at you getting all defensive. You really are cute, you know?"
"Ugh... This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything, to avoid this kind of misunderstanding..."
Wiping away her slyness and maintaining only a smile, Su-ah raised her index finger as if pointing out a key detail.
"But there's a flaw in your logic, President."
"What kind of flaw?"
"Haun is more introverted than he looks. The only reason he's always surrounded by people is because of his doll-like, extraordinary cuteness. It's not because he wants to be."
If it were purely a matter of actively seeking relationships, Haun was actually closer to Juran than the two girls sitting here. It was just that Haun wasn't strong enough to stand completely alone. Not pushing away the kids who teased him and getting along with them easily was his own unconscious survival mechanism. This was the assessment of Su-ah, who had watched him with deep interest all this time.
"So it's hard for Haun to help her blend in with the other kids. That's why I was planning to help."
In truth, she intended to use this as an excuse to keep Juran in check and get closer to Haun.
"Do you... still intend to do so?"
Because she couldn't gauge the exact nature of Su-ah's feelings toward Haun, Seohye did not want her to get caught up in the destruction she was about to ignite.
"Yeah. Actually, I'm meeting up with the two of them later. Even Haun's younger sister."
"What!?"
"Surprised? That's my initiative for you."
Calming her startled heart, Seohye spoke.
"If I may offer my humble opinion, it would be best not to get involved."
"Hmm? Why?"
Seohye roughly pictured the scenario of Su-ah getting entangled.
"Kwon Juran-student is unpredictable. There is a chance you might get hurt, Su-ah-yang."
It was merely an excuse. Knowing this wouldn't be enough to make her lose interest, Seohye abandoned any thoughts of convincing her right now. She had to let her go for today. It was a problem she needed to ponder more deeply before addressing.
Before they knew it, both of their trays were empty.
"Thanks for making time for me today."
"Not at all. I am merely a close friend who, despite being the President, can barely manage to share a single meal with you."
"That's why I know you keep your distance even more. That's one of the reasons I like you, Min Seohye."
An unbiased, fair, and just President. That must be the image of her that Su-ah saw, but...
I am... no longer that kind of person.
Pricked by her conscience once again, she couldn't bring herself to look Su-ah straight in the eye.
"I'm just looking forward to the end of my term. Once it's over, we can say goodbye to that distant way of speaking of yours."
At that time, what will we... what will I look like?
For the first time in her life, seized by a desire so intense it was impossible to escape, Seohye could not even begin to picture her altered future.