Moon Phase
“Mm?”
Jeon Namyeon’s eyes, still bright with his usual greeting, fixed on Chayeon’s face.
Her cheeks were streaked with tears and snot, her features a complete mess. One side was puffed up and flushed bright red. Behind her stood a tall man whose right eye dripped blood steadily.
Namyeon knew that face.
It was the first-year valedictorian who had been chosen to repeat this semester alongside Chayeon—the same man named Ju Jihyo.
As the dean’s secretary, Ju Jihyo already knew every detail of academy operations.
Yet here he stood, radiating oppressive authority behind Chayeon. Chayeon, normally the picture of calm, was now trembling violently with an expression of pure terror that no one had ever seen from her before.
Namyeon understood instantly.
“Chayeon-ah, come here. The dean is looking for you.”
Namyeon reached out to her, but Chayeon remained rooted in place, unable to move.
Namyeon flashed Ju Jihyo a polite smile.
“I’m sorry. It seems we were together. Mind if I borrow a friend?”
“Eh?”
Ju Jihyo’s lips twitched. The way his eyes bulged gave away how excited he was.
“We’re busy right now. Got somewhere to be.”
“Haha, sorry. The dean asked me to come right away.”
“Didn’t we just run into each other? Now you’re suddenly looking for the dean?”
Ju Jihyo clearly knew Namyeon too.
He had passed the dean’s office enough times to become familiar with the place.
The mysterious man who had suddenly appeared last month as Dean Lee Yeongyeong’s personal secretary and her pet. The one who had seized real power inside the academy the moment she showed up.
“Did I say that?” Namyeon answered without a flicker of unease, perfectly calm.
“You look like you’ve taken worse damage. How about heading to the hospital first?”
Namyeon glanced at Ju Jihyo’s right eye.
The swollen socket with blood steadily dripping down was an image that would have made anyone in broad daylight look away in disgust.
“…”
Ju Jihyo weighed his options for a moment.
What should he do? Just hand this bitch over like this?
If it had been up to him, he would have killed this useless bastard in front of him, dragged the arrogant girl back, and made her cry until her voice gave out—then broken her completely, turning her into a slave.
But the risk was far too great.
Chayeon was just one student. Ju Jihyo, however, was the favored man of the academy’s highest authority.
On the day of her disappearance, the entire academy would launch a thorough search.
No matter how powerful Ju Jihyo was, he could not afford such danger.
The scales tipped toward releasing Chayeon.
“Ha, Chayeon-ah. Let’s save the conversation for later, okay? Come on.”
Ju Jihyo gestured, and Chayeon’s body swayed as balance left her.
Namyeon stepped forward quickly and steadied her.
Ju Jihyo turned and began climbing the stairs, blood still dripping behind him.
***
Clack.
“Are you feeling calmer now?”
Namyeon skillfully poured tea and set the cup on the table in front of Chayeon.
Chayeon lifted it carefully, took a slow sip.
The break room inside the academy’s main building education wing.
Normally filled with teachers, it was empty now except for the two of them on this weekend.
Slurp—
“…Sniff. T-thank you.”
Chayeon set the cup down and spoke.
Her voice was wet, tears still glistening in her eyes and nose.
“Thank you? I never expected to hear such honest gratitude from you, Jeon Chayeon.”
Creak.
Namyeon pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.
“How did it happen?”
“…I was drugged. When I woke up, I was locked in there.”
Chayeon’s face twisted in disgust.
The memory was one she never wanted to revisit.
The sour smell and the salty aftertaste still lingered on her tongue, souring her stomach even now.
“…Ha, fuck. I’m such an idiot. Almost getting raped by that piece of shit.”
Fortunately, the danger had passed. His mind quickly recovered its usual cold clarity.
“Hm. This isn’t ordinary. You need help.”
Namyeon spoke and pulled out his phone, typing rapidly.
Before he could press send, Seohee appeared without warning from beside him.
“…! Chayeon! What’s wrong? Why does your face look like that?!”
Seohee stared at Chayeon’s face, then rushed over in shock, examining every detail.
“How? Your cheek is swollen so much! What happened? Who did this to you?”
“I’m fine, just give me some space.”
Chayeon barely managed to calm the clinging Seohee before she spoke.
“I almost… got assaulted. So… sexual assault.”
“W-what?!”
Seohee’s face froze instantly.
“Who the hell did this—?!”
The crude curse that normally never passed her lips burst out raw and unfiltered.
Chayeon flinched as she met Seohee’s eyes.
The image was terrifying.
The exact face she had once seen in the hell painting from the temple she visited on a school trip in middle school.
Seohee noticed Chayeon’s gaze and snapped back to herself in an instant.
Just like that, the beautiful woman she always was returned.
…What am I even looking at right now?
“Um. Um. Who exactly did this?”
“Ju Jihyo.”
Just saying his name made Chayeon’s stomach churn with disgust.
When people saw him, they felt something off—not just a feeling, but a gut instinct. The first impression he gave was always accurate.
“…Ju Jihyo. That bastard…”
Seohee frowned.
“Always?”
“He’s done this before. There have been several cases of sexual harassment against students. Not just first-years—upperclassmen too. Arena almost fell victim as well.”
“A-Arena?!”
“Yeah. Fortunately, Arena pulled out her sword and fought back, so he backed off. But…”
Chayeon didn’t need to imagine it. The scene of Arena yelling at the top of her lungs—‘Hey you, what do you think you’re doing?! I’ll kill you if you come any closer! Get lost!’—played vividly in her mind.
Unlike Chayeon’s temporary katana, Arena’s broom sword could be summoned anywhere, at any time, by her own will.
It wasn’t something she would have let happen.
“My bad. I never expected the dean’s office to be the next target. Sorry.”
“But why did you just leave that bastard alone?”
“…Hah. It’s embarrassing, but it’s the grown-ups’ problem. A large portion of the academy’s operating budget comes from Ju Jihyo’s family. Plus, he’s a talented student in his own right. It’s hard to kick him out without causing trouble.”
“Even the dean—Lee Yeongyeong—is uncomfortable with Ju Jihyo.”
Namyeon cut in.
Sure enough. It was the logic of capital.
“Disgusting.”
“…Right? I feel terrible.”
A long sigh escaped.
“Besides, this isn’t something that can be discussed openly. The victims are probably being blackmailed. Teachers already know, but…”
Multiple reasons overlapped into silence.
Public punishment was impossible. They had no choice but to sweep it under the rug.
“There’s no way we can let that happen.”
Chayeon’s eyes blazed.
She had no intention of letting anyone who dared harm her walk away untouched.
An eye for an eye.
If public justice was unavailable, she would take care of it privately.
“Teacher, the Ranking Match starts next week, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Seohee answered slowly, surprised by the random question.
Ranking Match.
The midterms for the semester—internal ranking between classmates within the same year group.
Students moved to the gymnasium with special barriers, fought mock battles, and received rank-based evaluations of their abilities.
Since it was only a mock match, attacks serious enough to cause real injury were forbidden.
Judges were there to declare the winner when the fight ended.
If danger arose, they could stop the match. Above a certain power level, judges could also restrain excessive attacks.
Interestingly, there was no such thing as forfeiting in the Ranking Match.
The decision and ending of the match rested entirely with the judges.
And those judges were the class homeroom teachers.
In other words, Seohee was Chayeon’s judge.
“Teacher, are you still participating in the Ranking Match?”
Chayeon asked, and Seohee immediately sensed what she wanted.
She widened her eyes, then smiled like a mischievous child.
“I can’t originally, but I’ll swap the paperwork. Since it hasn’t been digitized yet, I just need to check the box and sneak it in.”
Seohee could move any object in her mind.
Living beings could only move themselves, but non-living objects were no problem at all.
She stretched her hand out, and a sheet of paper appeared with a pop.
A Ranking Match entry form.
It looked like she had taken it from the administrative office.
Truly absurd ability.
If she wanted, she could probably conquer the world.
“Sign here?”
Chayeon took the pen without hesitation, checked the participation box, and signed.
Seohee tossed the paper into the air, and it vanished.
She gestured again, and a fresh sheet appeared.
The original application Chayeon had submitted.
Crack, crack.
Seohee tore the paper into pieces without mercy, then scattered the fragments into the air.
The fluttering pieces disappeared one by one.
“Where did you send them?”
“To different garbage dumps. I couldn’t send them too far, so I limited it to inside the academy. That should be enough—no one will find them.”
Perfect evidence destruction.
Sixteen pieces. Trying to recover one sheet of paper from a distant garbage dump would be impossible.
“And this too—could you prepare it?”
Chayeon took the pen, tore off a blank memo from the desk, and scribbled something quickly.
Seohee and Namyeon’s eyes widened at the words Chayeon wrote.
“W-why…?”
“Hoo~”
Unlike Seohee, who didn’t understand, Namyeon caught on and grinned, whistling.
As expected, old friends are old friends.
“That’s why I can’t just do whatever I want with you.”
“I’ll collect the debt.”
A smile tugged at Chayeon’s lips, still wet with tears.
I’ll make sure he dies thoroughly.
Those who toy with my body will end up destroyed by it.