Middle School Days (4)
The school erupted into chaos right away. Group bullying, knife fights, outsiders breaking in—everything exploded at once. The school tried desperately to bury it all. It wasn't quite like the military, but the place itself was a festering pit of decay. But—
"Whoa, over there?"
"The world's gone so rough."
"Do they think it's still the wild '90s or something?"
They couldn't contain it. Right after Sung-hoon went berserk, rumors spread like wildfire outside the school. Like a dam bursting, the flood of gossip just kept surging. The next day, the school rushed out a statement.
"This incident was orchestrated by outsiders infiltrating the school!!"
They pinned everything on the intruders. Adults who broke in and tricked innocent students, they claimed. The school figured this spin would stick. After all, the adults circling Da-eun were the kind branded as trash with electronic ankle monitors—criminals who couldn't adapt to society. Poor victims manipulated by those lowlifes. That's the frame the school pushed to sweep it under the rug as outsiders' doing.
But an unexpected problem cropped up.
"What was the security guard doing?"
"Isn't stopping this his job?!"
"We can't send our kids to a school like this! Do something!"
Out of nowhere, the guard uncle took the heat. By the school's logic, it was his failure to stop them. He got fired soon after. Later revelations showed he'd really taken a bribe—500,000 won—to look the other way, paying off gambling debts. But back then, on firing day, no one knew.
And the school didn't grasp one thing: cornered people will do anything.
Two days later, the guard called the cops, declaring he'd kill himself. Location: the school rooftop. Students were sent home, and a crowd gathered—teachers, protesting citizens, police trying to talk him down. All eyes locked on the guard standing on the rooftop.
Confirming the masses below, he grabbed his prepared megaphone and bellowed:
"The masterminds behind this incident are XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX...!"
He named every single perp on site, no holds barred. Those names burned into everyone's ears via megaphone, and then he jumped from the rooftop.
"Aaaahhh!!"
Freefall from the fifth floor. Luckily, the guard survived. But he was paralyzed from the neck down, never to wake fully again.
Day three. The school went up in flames—figuratively. Everyone knew the bullies' names now. Suspicion festered among the staff, and parents' complaint calls flooded nonstop.
"What the hell are you doing right now?"
"Say something, quick!"
"My kid! My son's not being bullied, right?"
Rage, fury, anxiety—emotions poured in. The teachers' lounge had to unplug the phones just to survive for a while. Still, the school stayed mum. One of the named bullies was the son of a major donor. Big money involved. They couldn't risk a statement that might cut off funding.
And that was why Da-eun got tormented so viciously. Some bullies had the school's protection, so they acted without restraint.
The school wanted to bury it all. But the public demanded a reckoning. Cover-up and punishment couldn't coexist.
Day four. A call came from the donor.
"Settle with the victim fast. I'll make it die down."
Put out the fire. A few bribe-taking teachers huddled quick.
"Let's settle with the victim ASAP on this mess."
"Lee Da-eun, right? She in class now?"
"She's... refusing to come to school. What do we do?"
Da-eun was boycotting school entirely. Nothing they could do there. But another victim lingered.
"Kang Sung-hoon. Him?"
"He's still attending, yeah? What's he up to?"
"Word is, he's just zoning out."
Sung-hoon differed from Da-eun. Both victims, sure, but he wasn't pure victim. Some might call bullshit—who wouldn't be after swinging to protect his sister? But words twist: "ah" to "eo."
Among the rotten staff, the chatter started.
"Slap a perp frame on him."
"Mix public and private duty."
"He hit bullies, so he's guilty too."
Right after that corrupt meeting, a teacher rumored to have some decency sidled up to Sung-hoon with a hint. His response?
"Give me time to think."
On hold.
Day five. Morning, a doctor visited the school. In the lounge, he introduced himself as Jeon Young-ha and flashed medical charts. Some heads bowed low. Photos showed the knife piercing Sung-hoon's hand—pain leaped off the page.
The doc roared that he might never use his left hand again. He bellowed in the lounge:
"Public duty, private grudges? Have you all lost your damn minds?!"
Word was he screamed for a solid thirty minutes. Jeon Young-ha stormed out after, and the school blocked his return that afternoon. They thought that settled it.
Day six. The school was no longer a school. It was a courtroom, a battlefield, a meat grinder for lives.
And Eun-seo watched it all, powerless.
"..."
Her hands wouldn't clench. Her mouth wouldn't open. Words wouldn't come.
Because the point where she could've intervened? Long gone.
This was adults' war. Money, power. Law, accountability. Kids? Just fodder for the case.
"...Ha."
A short breath escaped. Then—
A familiar silhouette by the lounge. Suit. Neatly combed-back hair. That gait.
"...Dad?"
Kang Eun-seo's gaze froze. The man strode straight, unshakable as ever.
The lounge door swung open.
Bam—not loud, but every eye snapped over.
"...Who are you?"
A teacher ventured cautiously. The man didn't answer. Instead—
He scanned the room slowly.
Then.
Thud.
A single document hit the desk.
"I'm Kang Eun-seo's guardian."
Short words. But the air shifted.
"..."
A few exchanged glances. That name—in this mess? No lightweight.
The man continued.
"And."
A pause. His gaze pinned each one, precise.
"One of the stakeholders in this incident."
"...What do you mean?"
He didn't smile. Not once.
"Exactly that."
He slid the papers forward.
"This is—"
A beat.
"A draft settlement agreement."
"...!"
Several faces stiffened.
"Proposed by the victim's side."
That line flipped the script. Until now, the school was pushing settlement.
But—
"You can refuse."
His voice stayed even.
"However—"
Tap.
Finger drummed the desk.
"Criminal proceedings... will proceed as is."
"..."
Silence. Air too thick to breathe.
"One more thing."
He added.
"On Kang Sung-hoon."
That name dropped—eyes averted. They knew what was coming.
"We'll push self-defense."
Declarative. Final. No room.
"...That's—"
Someone started, but—
"Evidence is ample."
Cut off.
"Scene reports, testimonies, and—"
Pause.
"Medical opinion."
At that, some teachers paled white.
Outside the door. Eun-seo heard everything.
"..."
Her hands shook. Mind blanked.
Until moments ago, she'd thought she was central. Tried protecting Da-eun, clashed with Sung-hoon, made choices.
But—
"...I was nothing."
She murmured softly.
She was nothing. No decider, no stopper, no savior.
Just another student swept in the current.
That instant. The door creaked open again.
The man emerged.
Their eyes met.
"..."
A beat of quiet.
"Eun-seo."
His usual voice. Too usual—choking her more.
"Let's go home."
"..."
Those words. Eun-seo couldn't budge an inch.
Because right then.
She finally realized.
Her place was utterly, completely nothing.
And how that "nothing choice" of hers.
Had wrecked so much.
Seeing her like that, her father spoke.
"That kid, Kang Sung-hoon. He's something else."
He smiled, like watching a child's playful antics.