Betrayal (2)
The words hit me like a slap. What? Drugs? No, wait… Had I misheard her? The claim from Han Gakyung was so absurd that I actually started doubting my own ears.
I’d been expecting something major, but… Sure, kids these days went wild, but this felt way over the line. While I was still reeling from the unexpectedly large scale of the incident, Gong Haeseon, who was sitting beside me, jumped in her seat and turned to Han Gakyung with wide eyes.
“D-drugs…? Are you serious…?”
She looked just as shocked as I was. Han Gakyung answered her question and continued explaining the situation.
“Recently, suspicious messages have been sent to random students.”
She took a phone from the female student standing next to her and held it out for us to see. The message glowing on the screen read:
♥ Academy Student Special Deal! ♥
Buy now and get 1+1 FREE!!!!
Love Potion 55, Aphrodisiac 25, Ovulation Inducer 10, Male Contraceptive 40
“This is…”
The moment I saw the message, I couldn’t help but frown. The poorly written sentences and the blatantly suspicious product names screamed scam. It was the textbook definition of spam… No, it was spam.
…And people actually fall for this?
I was wondering how anyone could be fooled by such a half-hearted message when Han Gakyung let out a long sigh and continued.
“They seem to be using bait messages like this to arrange deals. There have already been multiple victims.”
Multiple? There were actually that many?
I couldn’t hide my disbelief. “…Are there really students buying this stuff?”
Han Gakyung simply shrugged, which was answer enough. It was a yes.
Wow… I let out a low sigh and shook my head. Han Gakyung clapped her hands sharply, changing the subject.
“Anyway! I was really worried about how to handle this, so I’m incredibly lucky to have been introduced to both of you!”
For someone talking about a troublesome situation, her face was surprisingly bright. I quietly set the phone down and asked her a careful question.
“So, what exactly do you need us to do?”
Han Gakyung grinned and answered without hesitation.
“I need the two of you to catch the culprit together!”
“…Me too…?”
“Of course! I believe you two can handle it perfectly!”
While Gong Haeseon and Han Gakyung continued talking, I quietly considered whether I should take the job. Hmm… I’d need more details, but with so little information about the opponent, it didn’t seem easy. Selling to students like this, the culprit was probably just some low-level punk…
Beyond the difficulty, I didn’t like the idea of having to spend time on it. I was already short on time trying to train Soyeon properly. I had no spare moments to waste on some con artist chasing petty cash.
…
My mind was leaning toward refusal, and I was already planning to give my wife an earful for dumping this on me, when—
Knock, knock—
Someone rapped on the door, then immediately flung it open and shouted.
“President!”
The male student who burst in completely ignored both Gong Haeseon and me, rushing straight to Han Gakyung.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“I’ve obtained crucial information!”
“Crucial information?”
“Yes!”
He was an incredibly passionate student. Gong Haeseon and I, who had suddenly become background props, exchanged quick glances and silently watched their exchange.
“I’ve figured out the exact pattern of which students are receiving the messages!”
The boy clenched his fist and proudly recounted his achievement. Han Gakyung reacted with exaggerated surprise and smoothly kept the conversation going.
“Wow! Really?! What is it?”
His shoulders squared with pride at her reaction. He glanced at us, then declared triumphantly, as if putting on a show.
“Only students with crushes are receiving the messages!”
Huh?
“Crushes?! Oh my, I thought this was some terrible person, but they’re just a hopeless romantic!”
“Exactly!”
…Crushes?
As I quietly observed this slightly strange conversation, the boy finally acknowledged us.
“Ah! Sorry about that. I’m Yoon Hojae, the student council Vice President.”
Yoon Hojae emphasized his title oddly as he extended his hand for a shake. He didn’t seem particularly tall, but he had the neat, model-student appearance of someone overflowing with pride in his position.
“I’m first-year Yu Jihwan.”
“I’m Gong Haeseon…! Nice to meet you!”
After the introductions, he naturally joined the discussion and began passionately explaining his plan to catch the culprit.
“President, in my opinion, we should conduct surprise bag inspections and catch them all at once! If we do it by grade, the chances of missing them are high, so we should gather all students in the Grand Auditorium at the same time…!”
Despite his fiery speech, his plan was surprisingly inefficient. It was far too wasteful…
But since I had no intention of accepting the job in the first place, I simply observed their conversation from a distance, keeping my hands clean.
That was when—
“…J-Jihwan… Is this really okay…?”
Gong Haeseon, sitting beside me, whispered softly. Her brows were furrowed with clear concern. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who found the plan inefficient. I gave her a gentle smile to reassure her.
“What do you two think?”
Han Gakyung, having finished her discussion, turned the topic back to us.
“Um… well…”
Gong Haeseon looked flustered and at a loss. …Sigh.
Eventually, I couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up.
“I think a different approach would be better.”
Both Han Gakyung and Yoon Hojae reacted with interest.
“A different approach? What do you mean!”
“Hmm… Let’s hear it.”
…Look at this guy.
I knew he was much younger than me, but Yoon Hojae’s blatant disregard was irritating. You’re disqualified as a potential boyfriend for Haeseon.
“If it were me, I’d start by buying something from the culprit. As the Vice President mentioned earlier, if they’re only sending messages to specific students, it means they have accurate information about us, right?”
In other words, there was a high chance the culprit was an insider.
“I believe it would be enough to open a trade, confirm their method, and then narrow down the suspects.”
At my answer, Han Gakyung smiled with satisfaction and looked at Yoon Hojae.
“Isn’t that too dangerous? How do you know how they’ll react…”
Yoon Hojae threw in a jab, clearly displeased with me. Given that he’d risen to Vice President of the student council, he likely came from a powerful family or possessed superior abilities compared to other students. From his perspective, it was only natural to view us—chosen by the Sword Queen and the Chairman—with distaste.
“Don’t you agree, President?”
Yoon Hojae sought Han Gakyung’s approval. He looked like he desperately wanted her validation.
But Han Gakyung simply said,
“I don’t know… I think the junior’s idea is pretty good too?”
She took my side.
Bang—
I flung open the office door. Mom, who was sitting at her desk, looked up at me.
“…You came quickly.”
After confirming she was alone, I slammed the door shut with a heavy thud and rushed over to her.
“Mom! What exactly did you ask Jihwan to do?”
She answered with a perfectly calm face, as if wondering what the problem was.
“…Is there some issue?”
“Is Jihwan joining the student council?”
“…Who knows? Isn’t that up to Jihwan?”
…What?
Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, I placed my hands on her desk and pressed her.
“Then what exactly did you ask him to do? What if he actually joins the student council…?”
Mom stared at me quietly for a moment, then let out a short sigh and spoke to me in a careful, admonishing tone.
“…Soyeon. Do you not want Jihwan to succeed?”
“Huh?”
“…That child has talent. That’s why I decided to help him. If Jihwan does well, isn’t that good for you too?”
“Ugh…”
I was at a loss for words. Of course I wanted Jihwan to succeed. He had the qualifications and the ability. But…
I didn’t want other people seeing how capable he was. What if a bunch of crazy bitches started swarming around him? Jihwan wouldn’t abandon me, but there was no guarantee there wouldn’t be more insane foxes like that old one trying to snatch him away.
Unable to reveal such ugly feelings to Mom, I desperately hid my expression and answered vaguely.
“…I-it’s good, but… we’ll have less time together…”
Mom gave a small laugh and continued.
“…If Jihwan joins the student council, you can just join too, can’t you?”
…Me?
I was slightly flustered by the suggestion I hadn’t even considered. Mom spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“…Soyeon. Have you forgotten who your mother is? Where do you think your talent comes from?”
Talent. Jihwan had told me the same thing. That I had the talent to surpass even Mom. That I just needed to work like I was going to die to achieve it. But…
“…Can I really do it…?”
I lacked confidence. Even with this outstanding talent, I still couldn’t beat Jihwan. Could someone like me really stand beside him? It would be better if Jihwan just stayed by my side instead…
“…I’ll help you.”
…Huh?
I was genuinely shocked by Mom’s words. She was going to help me?
“…So you can stand beside Jihwan. I’ll help you. But in return, you’ll have to make a few promises with me… Can you do that?”
“…Promises?”
I asked what kind of promises, but Mom simply gazed at me steadily. It seemed she wouldn’t tell me until I gave a clear answer.
“…Ughhh…”
After agonizing over it for a long time, I finally made my decision.
“…I’ll do it.”
“…Please help me.”
Not Jihwan staying by my side, but me choosing to stand by his.