Betrayal (3)
I stared at the flustered Yoon Hojae. “C-Chairman…? What are you even….”
Han Gakyung shrugged, a faint smile on her lips. “Isn’t it fine? As expected, the person Geomhu recommended is on another level!”
It sounded a little like lip service, but at least she hadn’t tarnished my wife’s name. I offered Han Gakyung a small smile in return for the compliment, then glanced sideways at Yoon Hojae, who was sitting across from us.
“…T-That can’t be….”
Yoon Hojae looked completely out of it. Apparently, being passed over by Han Gakyung had hit him pretty hard. Meanwhile, the person in question simply ignored his stunned state and turned to Gong Haeseon and me with a bright expression.
“From now on, the two of you will be operating under the name of the student council! It probably won’t happen, but if you run into any trouble or need extra funding for supplies….”
Wait. Student council?
I was slightly taken aback by how naturally she handed over the student council title. I had never intended to take on this job in the first place, and I certainly had no desire to get entangled with the student council. I was about to open my mouth and politely decline before things got any more complicated, when Gong Haeseon, who had been quietly listening, spoke up first.
“…U-Um, I have a question….”
“Yes? Feel free to ask anything.”
Gong Haeseon glanced nervously in my direction before carefully posing her question to Han Gakyung.
“…If we successfully complete this task, what kind of reward will we receive…?”
A reward. It was a surprisingly practical question. Han Gakyung’s lips curved upward with clear interest, and she answered in a smooth, suggestive tone.
“Is there something in particular you want?”
Her voice carried an odd confidence, as if she were saying just name it.
At that moment, Gong Haeseon glanced at me once more, swallowed hard, and made her demand.
“…I would like to officially join the student council…!”
…Oh.
I had wondered what she might ask for, but it turned out to be student council membership. I didn’t particularly care, but for Gong Haeseon it was actually a smart move that could benefit her greatly. However…
The student council was an incredibly exclusive organization. Someone with a mediocre background and average ability wouldn’t even be allowed to knock on the door. I held my breath, waiting to see how Han Gakyung would respond.
“Is that all?”
Surprisingly, Han Gakyung simply asked if that would suffice. Gong Haeseon answered without hesitation.
“…Yes…!”
Han Gakyung smiled in satisfaction at her response, then clapped her hands together brightly.
“Perfect! If this job is completed successfully, I’ll make sure both of you can join the student council!”
“Thank you…!”
Huh? Me too?
At that moment, Yoon Hojae, who had been staring blankly, suddenly snapped back to his senses and urgently protested.
“C-Chairman! There are no more open spots in the student council!”
“Don’t worry! Spots can be created, and I have the authority to do so!”
Han Gakyung boldly declared her use of power while Yoon Hojae desperately tried to talk her down. I tuned them out and fell into thought for a moment.
…Hmm….
My original plan had been to politely decline and step back. But now that Gong Haeseon’s membership in the student council was on the line, I couldn’t run away anymore. This was essentially tied to her future. Given Jeon Nando’s orders and the debt I owed her, I had no reason to refuse.
…Guess I don’t have a choice….
I would push Gong Haeseon into the student council somehow, then use my wife as an excuse to slip away later. Having unintentionally made up my mind, I leaned slightly toward the quietly seated Gong Haeseon and whispered.
“…Haeseon. Let’s make sure we pull this off.”
She gave me a shy smile and answered.
“…Y-Yeah…!”
Was it just my imagination? She already looked proud, as if she had already become a member of the student council.
After the short meeting, we headed home. From outside the building came a series of tremendous crashes—BOOM—! BOOM—!—loud enough to suggest someone was using the combat training room.
“…Wow… That person must be incredibly strong…!”
The moment Gong Haeseon let out an admiring sigh, an even louder explosion rang out.
KWAAAAANG—!!!
I didn’t know who it was, but the attacks were so overwhelmingly powerful that I almost felt sorry for whoever they were sparring with.
“…That’s brutal….”
We continued talking about how we hadn’t realized such a strong student existed, when Gong Haeseon spoke again, sounding slightly deflated.
“Do you think… I’ll ever become that strong someday…?”
There was a clear note of envy in her voice.
…What’s going on?
Something about her expression felt strangely off to me. She had always been a model student who focused on her studies, but she had never shown this kind of desire for strength before. Suddenly wanting to join the student council, suddenly envying someone else’s power… Had she found some kind of goal?
Feeling the urge to encourage her, I carefully broached the subject while watching her reaction.
“…Did something give you a goal?”
She looked up at me with a gloomy expression and answered.
“Y-Yeah… There’s someone I want to beat now…! …Th-They’re really strong, though….”
Someone she wanted to beat?
Just how formidable was this opponent that she sounded so lacking in confidence? Seeing her completely demoralized, as if she had already hit a wall, made my heart ache a little.
“Haeseon. You have talent that others would envy. If you train hard and polish it, you’ll definitely be able to win one day.”
“…R-Really…?”
“Of course! I’ll help you too.”
“…Th-Thank you…!”
She murmured quietly to herself that she could do it, then clenched her fist with renewed determination. No matter how you looked at it, she really was an adorable kid.
After walking and chatting for a while, we eventually reached the fork in the road. I would have liked to walk her all the way home, but I needed to get back quickly to take care of Soyeon, so I planned to part ways here.
But right before we separated, Gong Haeseon hesitated, fidgeting as if she wanted to say something. Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut and confessed.
“…J-Jihwan…! Actually… I… I got that message too….”
“…What?”
I froze at her unexpected confession. At the same time, Yoon Hojae’s bold claim flashed through my mind.
‘Only students with crushes received the messages!’
His ridiculous theory—that only students harboring one-sided love had received the spam messages—suddenly seemed plausible.
…Wait, how did Yoon Hojae even figure that out? Don’t tell me this guy….
At that moment, Gong Haeseon hurriedly added, looking somewhat guilty.
“…B-But I didn’t buy anything…!”
Her eyes darted around as she gauged my reaction. She seemed anxious.
…Why is she acting like this?
Finding her subtle reaction a bit suspicious, I reassured her that I hadn’t thought that at all, so she didn’t need to worry. Then…
“…S-So…! I’ll contact the sender myself…!”
Now that she was relieved, Gong Haeseon declared she would reach out to the culprit directly.
“You’re going to do it yourself?”
“…Y-Yeah…! I can handle it…!”
…No way.
Looking at her strangely confident expression, I began to understand why she had demanded student council membership from Han Gakyung. She had already known about the spam messages and must have become convinced during today’s meeting that the matter could be resolved. That was why she could speak so boldly.
…Hmm….
But I had no intention of dumping everything on her. We had no idea how the scammer operated or how dangerous they might be. I couldn’t let her take the risk.
“…Haeseon. I’ll contact them myself instead.”
She looked flustered.
“…H-Huh…? But I’m fine with….”
I ignored her protest, pulled out the phone I had kept in my pocket, and spoke seriously.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just don’t want you talking to someone dangerous.”
“…Ah, aww….”
She covered her face, embarrassed by my concern. After wrestling with the scammer’s number for some time…
“…O-Okay…. You have to be careful, alright…?”
In the end, I managed to get the scammer’s contact information from her.
EEEEEEEEEE—
A sharp ringing pierced my ears.
“…Haa… Haa….”
I lay sprawled on the floor, my sword having slipped from my grasp. I gasped for breath, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Then—click, click—the clear sound of high heels cut through my dulled hearing.
Click.
The footsteps stopped beside my head. I turned my gaze and found myself looking up at my mother, who stared down at me with cold eyes.
…Ugh….
Unlike me, who was literally a wreck, she didn’t have a single hair out of place. The overwhelming gap in our power, which I had tried to ignore, now hit me like a hammer.
“…Will you stop now?”
This was already the fourth time she had suggested I quit. I clenched my teeth, intending to say I would continue the training.
But…
“…Ugh….”
My mouth wouldn’t obey. No matter how many times—dozens, hundreds—I challenged her, I couldn’t see any way to reach her. It felt like throwing my bare body against a massive fortress wall.
“…I’ll stop….”
I had finally sensed the insurmountable wall before me.