Provocation
Tap, tap-tap. Student Council President Kang Eun-seo. She kept drumming her fingers on her desk. Tap. Tap. Tap. Over and over, endlessly repeating. It was a kind of unconscious tic. A reflexive response to anxiety she couldn't let show on the surface. "Mm..." And she even let out a low groan. A far cry from her usual image as the poised beauty, refined in both talent and appearance.
Seeing her like that—
"You seem really anxious, huh?"
Haru approached her side. She was the current school vice president, a student named Haru. She'd been friends with Eun-seo for a year now. Since they were second-years, that made her Eun-seo's first friend from high school. And yet, despite that, the two were close. They shared some unspoken connection, and from there, their friendship had blossomed. They had become inseparable. So Haru knew exactly why Eun-seo was so on edge.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine."
All she could do was offer words of encouragement.
A few days earlier—
Eun-seo let out a sigh as she confided in Haru.
"Ha..."
"Why the sigh?"
"I've got something weighing on me."
A dilemma. For the perfect student council president, a dilemma. Haru was surprised that even she could feel such things, but she listened quietly all the same. Eun-seo made her swear to keep it secret before speaking gravely.
"I have a little brother I've fallen out with."
"And?"
"I want to make up, but things aren't going how I hoped, and it's tough."
Eun-seo sighed heavily again. Haru, who had seen her in action up until now, could only be shocked.
"Can't you just do what you always do?"
"What I always do? What do I even do normally...?"
"You soothe the students, persuade them, get them to reconcile."
It was what Eun-seo did every day. Listening to students' troubles, offering advice, stepping in when needed. That was the student council president she'd been all along. Haru hadn't expected her to struggle like this with her own issues.
Eun-seo stared blankly for a moment at those words.
"Just like always..."
She murmured softly. The approach she'd always taken. Understanding people, approaching them, persuading them, reconciling. It was literally her daily routine. She'd even gotten the knack for it, so it didn't feel all that hard. At least with others.
But Eun-seo shook her head.
"...That won't work."
She lowered her gaze.
"Why?"
Haru asked quietly.
Eun-seo fell silent for a beat, then gave a weak smile.
"Because... the other person is Sung-hoon."
At that name, the air grew heavy. Haru said nothing, just stood there as if to say she was listening. She already knew the name. The talented student the president had personally scouted, rejected once but still pursued. Honestly, Haru had no idea why she kept at it. But now, she thought she understood.
Oblivious to Haru's thoughts, Eun-seo continued quietly.
"With other kids, it's fine."
She went on slowly.
"Kids with problems, kids fighting, kids with misunderstandings... I can resolve all that."
And she had. She'd mediated countless conflicts. There had been tough moments, but she'd powered through with quick thinking. But—
"With him... I can't."
"...Why?"
"Because I'm the cause."
A short, firm answer. Tap. Her finger drummed the desk again. Slower this time.
"I made a mistake with Sung-hoon."
"......"
"I messed up, and our relationship completely broke off."
Regret laced her words. Outwardly the perfect president. But beneath it, one irreversible choice lingered. Only then did Haru understand. Ah, this isn't about methods. This was—
"Guilt?"
"...Yeah. That's probably it."
She didn't deny it. Eun-seo nodded, covering her face with both hands.
"That's why I can't approach him."
She closed her eyes softly.
"Anything I say would just sound like an excuse."
"......"
"And he won't even meet with me anyway."
Those words came from her as just one person, not the student council president—raw, honest emotion. Silence fell for a moment. Then—
"In that case... there's only one way."
Haru spoke up. Eun-seo looked up.
"What?"
Haru shrugged.
"You said the problem is that Sung-hoon won't meet you?"
"Yeah. He always avoids me."
"Then make him come to you. Not the other way around."
"..What do you mean?"
Hearing Eun-seo's listless response, Haru said plainly,
"Provoke him."
Short and to the point. Eun-seo's eyes wavered.
"Provoke... him?"
"Yeah. You said he pushes you away when you approach."
Haru continued matter-of-factly.
"So do the opposite."
"..."
"Make him seek you out."
Simple words, but their weight was anything but light. Eun-seo couldn't respond. Provocation. Stimulate the other side into action. Logically, it made sense. Maybe the only option in this situation. But—
"...That."
She couldn't get the words out. She'd thought of it herself once, so she fell silent. Her fingers stopped. And then, very faintly—
"...Is that something I should do?"
Her voice trembled. Laden with guilt, it shook more than ever before.
"I hurt him first."
Eun-seo averted her gaze. Like fleeing from something, giving up on facing it.
"Is it right for me to poke at him again...?"
Provocation was, ultimately, stabbing at the other person. No different from touching an old wound again.
"If I mess up..."
Her words trailed off. Imagining the future ahead.
"...He might drift even further away."
That terrified her most. Their bond had already snapped once. Fail now, and it might truly be over. Haru thought for a moment, then said,
"Then think of it this way."
"...How?"
"What if you do nothing?"
"......"
"Things stay like this."
Eun-seo shut her mouth. "It could backfire if you provoke him," Haru said honestly. "But it could also work."
"Work...?"
"Right now, your chances of talking to Sung-hoon are zero percent, aren't they?"
Spot on. Unless she did something, Sung-hoon would never approach. Eun-seo closed her eyes. Tap. Tap. Tap. Her fingers moved again. And then—
"...Provocation."
She repeated the word quietly. Once. Twice. Three times. Her expression hardened gradually. After what felt like hours to her, she spoke.
"Sorry. I'm really sorry."
To whom, unclear. And—
Eun-seo opened her eyes.
"...I'll try it."
In the end, she chose. Not as the perfect student council president, but as the older sister who wanted to see Kang Sung-hoon. A risky path. From that day on, Kang Eun-seo—
began deliberately inserting herself into incidents. Especially—
problems in the first-year class where Sung-hoon was.
Hot-blooded boys' squabbles, the shady dramas of girls. She intervened one by one. Gradually expanding her scope. She resolved them cleanly enough. Then, she moved on her target issue.
Bullying. What they called ijime overseas. Eun-seo jumped right in. She separated victim from perpetrators, supported the victim wholeheartedly, and handed the bullies over to the violence committee. There were twists and turns. It was a big case, with pressure from third-year seniors and even moments where she got caught in the violence. But Eun-seo handled it flawlessly. It took a few weeks, but she wrapped it up neatly. The victim tearfully thanked the president; the bullies got suspended. No one got hurt. No suicide attempts, no blades drawn. This was her chance to provoke Sung-hoon. Eun-seo was convinced, waiting with bated breath for days. Emotions tangled—guilt, excitement. Like mixing all colors into black. She couldn't pin down her heart precisely. And then—
"May I come in?"
A knock echoed at the student council room door. The voice from outside was the one she'd longed to hear. Eun-seo replied, forcing calm, steadying her voice as best she could. Right after—
The door opened, and Sung-hoon appeared.
Haru stared straight at Sung-hoon. Tall stature. Neatly styled hair. Sharp, striking features to match. Handsome. But to her, that was all. She looked at his face. A slight smile, the calm expression she'd glimpsed in passing. But—
"Wh...what brings you here?"
Eun-seo froze solid. Her practiced voice cracked immediately. Dark emotions seeped through the gaps in her fractured tone. Haru picked up on Eun-seo's feelings.
She's scared? Of this guy right in front of her?
Haru couldn't comprehend. He was tall. That was it. No hostility, just a serene face. Sure, there was a size difference with Eun-seo. But the president worked out, so Haru figured she could handle him if push came to shove. She'd taken down delinquents before, after all—bigger ones than Sung-hoon. So surely this would be easy. As if to prove it, Eun-seo's hands on the desk were clenched into tight fists. Sung-hoon looked at her. Eun-seo stared back at Sung-hoon. A suffocating standoff. After a long, endless silence, Sung-hoon spoke first.
"Student Council President. Didn't you lecture me last time? Said fists are bad."
Laced with malice. Hurling it at her with all his might.
"And yet here you are, looking just like that."
A conversation Haru knew nothing about—between Sung-hoon and Eun-seo—began.