Chapter 68
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Cigarette (4)
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The second week at the Hope Education Academy dawned, but nothing really changed.
It was like a hamster wheel, repeating the same routines over and over. Morning drills consisted of parade ground runs and ballet, while afternoons were dedicated to sex education.
The only difference from last week was that Ha Yoon's punishment had finally ended.
Shortening a full week's sentence to just four days— was it Kim Seon-ah's sheer determination, or had Teacher Gan fallen head over heels for her?
"Ha Yoon."
Ha Yoon was rubbing the back of her neck where the collar had been, lost in thought, when someone quietly called her name and approached.
Turning her head, she saw Jin Si-won standing there, her face clouded with worry.
"What's with that look?"
"...I told So-hyeon. That we probably... can't go together."
"Figured as much."
Ha Yoon replied with a calm face, as if it was no surprise at all.
Even without Jin Si-won coming to tell her, it wouldn't have been hard to guess that she'd decided not to stick with Shin So-hyeon.
After all, the two who had been glued together all through drills were keeping their distance today. If their physical separation had grown, their emotional distance must have widened just as much.
Jin Si-won hung her head and mumbled in response to Ha Yoon's casual reply.
"...Should I have tried harder to stop her?"
"If words would've worked, she would've backed off when I told her."
The fact that she hadn't listened even after that meant Jin Si-won trying to dissuade her wouldn't have made a difference either.
Besides, this wasn't just anyone— she was someone who'd come here after doing human rights activism.
Even setting her convictions aside, her stubbornness had to be off the charts. Without that kind of grit, no one would bother with victim rights campaigns in this day and age.
"You gonna tell a trainer?"
If they got caught before she could escape, it might count as an attempted escape and earn her a lighter punishment. But Jin Si-won shook her head.
"No... Better to pray she doesn't get caught. Staying as a trainee or not, it's all the same in the end."
Ha Yoon nodded instead of replying.
She wasn't wrong. The difference was only in degree— in the end, they were both just used like objects.
Though whether your limbs stayed intact did make a pretty big difference in its own way.
Well, she'd made up her mind to escape after all. Ha Yoon thought as she glanced at Shin So-hyeon, who was fidgeting busily with something near her bunk.
'Three days... no, maybe even one before she's dragged back.'
Not my problem anyway. Ha Yoon turned her attention away from Shin So-hyeon and smirked at Hong Ryeon approaching down the hall.
"Hey, trainer's lackey."
"...Tch."
Hong Ryeon clicked her tongue in disgust at the sight of her— back to her cocky self now that her punishment was over— and walked past.
Baek So-ra followed behind her, shooting Ha Yoon a dirty look, but Ha Yoon just snorted and stared her down smugly.
Watching the two disappear down the opposite hall, Jin Si-won muttered,
"Looks like Ryu Jin-ah's split off from the group now. I figured those three would stick together until graduation."
If Ha Yoon hadn't enrolled at the Hope Education Academy, that's probably how it would've played out.
No, even if she hadn't actively sided with Hong Ryeon like Baek So-ra, as long as she'd kept her mouth shut, it might've been.
But no, she had to butt in with her "that doesn't seem right" nonsense.
It had ended up benefiting Ha Yoon, but she sneered anyway.
"She's just an idiot."
"You too..."
Jin Si-won turned to her in disbelief, but Ha Yoon had no intention of taking back her words.
Ryu Jin-ah had helped a little in the end, sure, but ultimately, she'd coordinated with Hong Ryeon to torment her.
Her belated guilty conscience helping out didn't make Ha Yoon grateful— it just pissed her off even more than Hong Ryeon had.
Especially since her bunk was right across from Ha Yoon's, forcing her to stare at that moping face before bed every night.
If only the bunk assignments were different. As Ha Yoon thought that, her vision suddenly went black.
"Who is it?"
"...Kim Seon-ah."
"Correct!"
What is this, elementary school? Ha Yoon grumbled internally but had already said the name aloud, making Kim Seon-ah beam.
"What were you two whispering about?"
"Eh, just extending last night's chat."
"Extending last night... You mean Shin So-hyeon? What'd she decide?"
"Nothing major— planning to escape today or tomorrow if nothing comes up..."
"Did you try talking her out of it?"
Jin Si-won shook her head darkly at Kim Seon-ah's question, and Ha Yoon chimed in.
"Forget it. Don't worry about Shin So-hyeon anymore. Once someone's that set on it, words won't change a thing."
And we've got one of those right here. Ha Yoon eyed Kim Seon-ah pointedly, and she caught on, hugging her tight.
"Why the look? Like you're talking about me."
"Then listen for once."
"Pfft, if I'd listened, would we be chatting like normal people right now?"
"Well... no, probably not."
She'd probably be surrounded by Hong Ryeon's crew, getting bullied like on the first day of pet punishment.
Ha Yoon's half-hearted response made Kim Seon-ah giggle as if to say "told you so."
"Sometimes you gotta ignore the voices around you and push forward. Shin So-hyeon's probably the same."
"But unlike your case, the risk here's insane. Getting caught is as good as a death sentence."
"Then don't get caught."
"If it was that easy, every trainee would bail, and the academy would be empty."
Escapees always got dragged back within a week at most. Rarer cases took longer, but the vast majority didn't.
And someone like Shin So-hyeon with an obvious destination in mind? A day or two, tops.
Though she might take longer to return. As Ha Yoon pondered, Kim Seon-ah piped up like she'd just remembered something.
"Oh, what about this?"
"What?"
"Tell one of the trainers on the sly."
"Tell them Shin So-hyeon's planning to escape?"
"That'd just get her shipped off for another punishment. Something lighter instead. Like, say, badmouthing the trainers...?"
"As if that'd work..."
Jin Si-won muttered in disbelief, but Ha Yoon shot back,
"No, it would."
"Something that minor?"
"Anything inside the academy, punishment or reward— it's all up to the trainers' whims. Pinning you down for something trivial and making your life hell? Piece of cake."
And it'd definitely land a light punishment. She'd suffer for a bit, but nothing major.
"Eh, keeps her in the academy without a heavy penalty. Not a bad idea."
"But to do it your way, one of us has to tell one of the three trainers. Who's doing it, and to whom?"
"That's your job, so you—"
"Cut the bullshit and get ready for roll call."
The three jumped and turned to Hong Ryeon, who had sneaked up holding the roster, her voice sharp with irritation.
"Jeez, make some noise, you bitch."
"Don't yap in the middle of the hall."
"...You hear us? What we were talking about?"
"I don't care what schemes you're cooking up. I won't say it twice— get in formation for roll call."
Was she pretending not to have heard, or had she really missed it? No way to tell.
But roll call time was approaching, so the three exchanged suspicious glances but complied.
The others inside the barracks began filing out too, lining up in the usual formation and waiting for Hong Ryeon's orders.
"No one's missing, no one's sick. Moving straight to trainer duty— called trainees, head out."
She glanced at Ha Yoon as she spoke.
"Ha Yoon, Teacher Park."
"Tch."
"Phew..."
Ha Yoon's tongue-click mixed with Yoon Se-rin's sigh of relief.
"Kim Seon-ah, Teacher Gan."
By now, it was common knowledge among the trainees that Teacher Gan only called Kim Seon-ah for duty.
Thanks to her, two of the remaining eight dealt with the trainers, letting the rest coast through the night unscathed.
Kim Seon-ah nodded silently, and Hong Ryeon shot her a dirty look before turning away.
Her gaze landed on Shin So-hyeon, standing there tense-faced.
"Shin So-hyeon, Teacher Choi."
"...Me?"
"Why the face like something impossible happened?"
Hong Ryeon smirked.
"Evening roll call over. Duty trainees, find your trainers. Rest of you, dismissed."
The gathered trainees broke into their cliques and scattered.
Ha Yoon, Kim Seon-ah, and Jin Si-won were no exception.
"Teacher Choi calling Shin So-hyeon for duty? Something's up, right?"
"What's so special about that bastard calling her?"
"But it's Teacher Choi, of all people."
"He's just another beast who loves pounding pussy."
At their core, academy trainers were nothing but lust-driven animals, no matter how you dressed it up. No need to read deep meaning into every summons.
"...Anyway, since Teacher Choi called her, she won't try escaping tonight. So-hyeon's not that tough stamina-wise."
"More suspicious to me is Teacher Park calling Ha Yoon instead of Yoon Se-rin. Why her all of a sudden?"
"Oh, that."
Ha Yoon ruffled her hair at Kim Seon-ah's question.
"Got a thing with a VIP, and Teacher Park's handling it as proxy. So we're kinda tangled up."
"A VIP...?"
"You too..."
Ha Yoon just tsked at the two pitying stares instead of answering.
"Anyway, with Ha Yoon on Park duty, can't we just do what we talked about earlier?"
"Tell Teacher Park about Shin So-hyeon?"
"Of the three, he's the least bad. Doesn't hit— just fucks you senseless."
True, if picking from the trio, Teacher Park was the best option. At least he didn't use his fists.
Ha Yoon nodded reluctantly.
"Fine, I'll tell Teacher Park about Shin So-hyeon. We split here for tonight."
"Thanks, Ha Yoon."
"Shut up. This is the last time. We agreed from the start."
Jin Si-won had made a deal with Kim Seon-ah, which was why Ha Yoon was helping this once— but after this, no more obligations.
But Jin Si-won just smiled and nodded.
"It's fine. Buys us one more shot to talk So-hyeon out of it."
"Tch... You too, Kim Seon-ah. Hang in there."
"Hehe, you too, Ha Yoon!"