Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: The Mayor's Remorse
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The parents around them wore expressions of utter bewilderment, wondering what on earth was going on.
Those who were somewhat acquainted with each other glanced at one another and began whispering.
‘So, the Suwon Mayor’s daughter bullied the director’s niece and made her life hell?’
‘That’s what it sounds like.’
‘……What if our kids were involved too……?’
‘This is bad, isn’t it?’
The parents’ faces grew pale in unison.
Jae-hyun had naturally overheard it all. Despair flickered across his ashen features from time to time.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
He had stopped by the school in high spirits, eager to see how his daughter was doing during a rare break—and he never could have imagined running into something like this.
There was one thing he had always drilled into his daughter.
Do whatever you want, but never do anything that would put you in people’s mouths.
For a politician, raising children properly was a crucial virtue.
Hadn’t one politician’s career ended because of a thoughtless remark by their child?
Family risks were fatal for politicians.
But he never dreamed it would happen to him.
Especially since what his daughter had done was school bullying.
The severity of the violence didn’t matter much.
The very fact that his daughter had stabbed someone with a knife was the problem.
And the fact that the victim happened to be the bureau director’s niece made it an even bigger issue.
Beyond that, he was shocked simply by the fact that his daughter had committed school violence.
He himself had gone through hell in school because of bullying.
The bully had been a politician’s son, who tormented him relentlessly.
His drive to seize power had stemmed from that backlash.
He had gritted his teeth and climbed the ladder precisely because he never wanted to see that happen again.
And yet…… this was the result.
He looked at his daughter’s face.
Seeing her standing there pale and dazed, Jae-hyun felt his strength drain away.
What an irony.
He had clawed his way to power to protect those around him, only for his own flesh and blood to wield that power like a knife against someone else.
He felt hollow—and betrayed.
The axe he trusted had chopped his own foot.
There was only one thing he could do in this situation.
If he stiffened his back out of pointless pride, nothing awaited him and his family but ruin.
The Suwon Mayor was a rational man.
He knew that every choice besides apologizing led straight to suicide—whether political or literal.
His opponent was someone even those doddering old fools in the National Assembly feared.
They received direct reports on her capabilities and had witnessed them firsthand.
No politician was foolish enough to doubt her claim that she could conquer the world.
They knew exactly what happened with a twitch of Seo-hyun’s finger.
All status and rank meant nothing before her.
She could perform miracles that transcended human rules, and in an instant, reduce everything humanity had built to nothing.
In a way, she was a god descended to the present world.
Jae-hyun exhaled and spoke to Ji-yu.
“……Is this true?”
“D-Dad! I mean……”
“No excuses. Answer straight. Is it true? Did you bully that girl? Did you curse at her, scribble on her, throw filth at her?”
His demeanor was quite intimidating. He looked like he wanted to slap her right then and there but was holding back because of the crowd.
Ji-yu felt betrayed by this side of her father she’d never seen before.
She had always assumed he would take her side unconditionally.
“N-No, it’s not……!”
“Not? Do-yeon, right? Can you tell us exactly what Ji-yu did to you?”
Jae-hyun suppressed his anger and asked the victim, Do-yeon.
What his daughter had done.
Seo-hyun watched the scene with considerable interest.
* * *
This was a first.
Usually, they’d puff up with pointless pride to protect their own blood no matter what.
It seemed picking the Suwon Mayor as an opponent hadn’t been a mistake after all.
He judged situations remarkably quickly.
Of course, given that I was now the figure politicians feared most…… it was only natural.
Apologize versus suicide. If forced to choose, obviously the former.
That said, considering how many couldn’t even make that judgment…… even if Ji-yu herself lacked any sense, her father seemed like a decent man.
Though he had clearly failed at raising her.
Still, kids that age often slipped out of parental control, so it was hard to pin it all on the mayor.
Seeing that softened my heart a bit.
“……Unnie, is it okay if I speak?”
Do-yeon glanced at me after the mayor’s words and asked.
She probably planned to start from the very beginning of the incident.
How it had all come to this.
Without knowing the trigger, no one could understand why things had escalated this far.
“Yeah.”
I nodded readily.
As Do-yeon spoke, the Suwon Mayor’s expression turned devastated.
Realizing the bullying stemmed from mere jealousy, he rubbed his face with his hand and spoke coldly to his daughter.
“Is this true?”
“D-Dad, that’s……”
“Is that how I raised you? To grab some innocent kid and torment her? Over what? Petty jealousy?”
The Suwon Mayor was properly furious. Anyone who wasn’t angry at that…… wasn’t human.
“……We’ll talk properly at home later. I can’t just let this slide. And…… Director. I’m truly sorry for this incident. It seems I failed to raise my daughter right.”
With that, the Suwon Mayor bowed to me at a right angle in apology.
“Apologize to Do-yeon, not me. She’s the clear victim.”
“I’m truly sorry. I spoiled her too much.”
The Suwon Mayor bowed ninety degrees to Do-yeon as well.
Do-yeon, evidently not expecting someone of his position to humble himself so much, nodded in a daze.
“I-I’m okay. But…… I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
“Of course it won’t. And if my daughter caused you any material damage, tell me without hesitation. I’ll compensate for everything.”
I liked the Suwon Mayor’s attitude.
Most politicians would hit the suicide button in a situation like this, but he didn’t.
Just then, the classroom door opened, and the homeroom teacher entered.
Seeing me, Do-yeon, Kim Ji-yu, and the Suwon Mayor, she trembled violently.
She seemed to have grasped what had happened.
Of course, it’d be weird if the homeroom teacher didn’t know what went on in her class.
She probably knew about the whole situation.
……Maybe I’d have a word with her after parent observation ended.
Still, I didn’t particularly want to blame the teacher.
The situation was too harsh.
Her opponent was the Suwon Mayor’s daughter.
Even if she stepped up to help Do-yeon, there wasn’t much she could do.
It would only cost her her livelihood.
Knowing that, I had no desire to say anything to her.
A mere teacher couldn’t do much against such immense power.
Besides, my information wasn’t listed in Do-yeon’s records…… so for her, touching Kim Ji-yu meant betting her entire life.
Anyway, parent observation began amid the chaotic atmosphere.
* * *
Parent observation ended more smoothly than expected.
The students occasionally stared at me in curiosity, but I just smiled at them.
Probably because of what had happened earlier, no one was tone-deaf enough to pester me with requests.
So, after class ended…… I confronted the homeroom teacher.
Homeroom teacher Lee Hye-seon bowed her head before me, looking ashamed.
“I’m sorry……”
“It’s fine, really. I knew it was an impossible situation for you to do anything about.”
My words only seemed to make her feel more guilty.
Even without some grand sense of duty, seeing kids fresh into middle school act like that must have bothered her.
After chatting with the teacher about this and that, I left the staff room with Do-yeon.
There, waiting outside, was the Suwon Mayor, Kim Jae-hyun.
He had apparently sent his daughter home; he was alone.
“Once again, I’m truly sorry.”
“You’ll need to be more careful with your child’s education. The next election isn’t far off.”
“……It’s not just about that. Even if you weren’t the director, I’d be the same.”
“Is that so.”
“Though I’ve never spoken of it…… I was a school bullying victim myself. I truly never imagined my daughter would do this. I’m shocked and deeply disappointed.”
He gave a bitter smile.
He said he’d been furious going through it himself, never dreaming his daughter would be the perpetrator.
“I’ll discipline her strictly, and as punishment for today’s misdeed, she’ll accept whatever penalty the school imposes. I’ve even requested a bullying committee meeting.”
That was unexpected.
“And…… she’ll transfer schools soon. After the penalties, of course.”
“Is that necessary?”
“Having been bullied myself, I know how chilling it is to share space with your tormentor. It’s not about severity; just having someone who harbors malice nearby creates trauma. It really feels like…… the axe you trusted chopped your own foot.”
He looked somehow deflated.
“My deepest apologies. I’ll apologize properly to Do-yeon’s parents separately later.”
He remained humble to the end. Not because of who I was, but because it was his daughter’s fault.
Honestly, I was surprised.
This was the first sensible politician I’d seen since the National Intelligence Service Director.
Anyway…… one major issue seemed resolved.
That’s what I was thinking.
“Kyaaack!”
A scream rang out. Looking outside, the sky was splitting open.
What a pain, seriously.