ALL NOVEL Chapter 178
“Well, I don’t have a hobby of dating a mutt. If it’s that great, why don’t you take him with you?”
Yeon Minha turned sharply and fired words at Baek Seoyeon.
“You two seem to match well. Seems like the level is just right too. Hey, Chun Harin, why don’t you introduce Baek Seoyeon to your brother? Stop bothering innocent people.”
“I already have a fiancé that I love. No matter how much you’re Minha, I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from saying such things. It’s disrespectful not just to me but also to him.”
“Exactly! That was way too harsh. What kind of uncultured behavior is this in the student council!”
Choi Ireh, who suddenly stood up from her seat, shot a glare at Baek Seoyeon. Like a starter pistol, the students on both sides began pointing fingers and shouting at each other.
The once dignified student council room instantly turned into chaos.
“Whoa…”
Jin Yeseo, sitting next to Baek Seoyeon, glanced over, trying to gauge the atmosphere.
If it were the old her, she would have thought that the fierce Yeon Minha was ignoring Baek Seoyeon’s heartfelt advice.
Maybe she was even actively participating in the fight more than anyone there.
But perhaps it was because she had eavesdropped on their conversation from behind a tree that day. Now, a scenery she had never seen before was unfolding in her eyes.
Jin Yeseo could see Baek Seoyeon’s hand clenching tightly under the table, trembling. The skin, now flushed red, made it perfectly clear to her.
That kind and elegant Baek Seoyeon was, in fact, feeling genuine hatred and anger towards Yeon Minha.
“Ugh, look at them barking away…”
Yeon Minha sneered. She lightly ignored the shouting student council members and glared again at Baek Seoyeon.
“Fiancé? Hey, Baek Seoyeon. You’re hilarious. Isn’t it you who’s being rude? Why don’t you say it yourself? Why is a girl with a fiancé poking into someone else’s business? Huh?”
“Yeon Minha! What kind of trickery is this again!”
“Are you just going to say whatever pops into your head now? Seoyeon, this won’t do. I’m going to file an official request for defamation…”
Most of the student council members close to Baek Seoyeon didn’t seem to be listening to Yeon Minha at all. But Jin Yeseo could see it once again.
The moment ‘someone else’s’ slipped from Yeon Minha’s lips.
Baek Seoyeon’s tightly clenched fingers dug in deep, with droplets of blood forming under her fingernails.
“Come on, say something? Or should I? It seems like they don’t know anything at all…”
“Stop, stop, stop!!”
Just as Yeon Minha was about to shoot another calm smile at Baek Seoyeon, a booming voice echoed throughout the meeting room.
It was unexpectedly the student council president who put an end to what seemed like an endless quarrel.
“…”
A moment of silence swept through the room. Yeon Minha glared at the student council president as if seeing a sworn enemy. The face of the glasses-wearing man, who had just realized what he had done, turned pale.
“Pl-please stop…”
The president, barely avoiding eye contact, started speaking in a timid voice.
“Chun Harin, that kind of report is problematic. A report of violence on school grounds requires a clear testimony from a third party, not the parties involved. You could even face punishment for wrongful accusations…”
He stumbled over his words, unable to look at Yeon Minha.
“Yeon, Yeon, Yeon Minha! It’s absolutely unacceptable to call fellow students such disrespectful names. This could be subject to disciplinary action for violating school rules…”
“Ugh?”
“Hiiik, but this time I’ll let both of you off with a warning as per the president’s discretion. Well then, this meeting is adjourned…”
But with a single tense movement from the tightly clenched Yeon Minha, he couldn’t finish his sentence and fled the student council room in a hurry.
Yeon Minha, similarly, stood up quickly and left the room without forgetting to cast a hateful glare at Baek Seoyeon.
The atmosphere in the meeting turned into one of immediate dissolution.
“Yeseo, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah?”
Jin Yeseo, who had been sitting in a daze, almost bit her tongue at the sudden voice. Baek Seoyeon was looking at her with genuine concern.
“That was shocking, huh…? I’m sorry for putting on such a spectacle in front of you, junior…”
“N-no, it’s fine…”
“What are you apologizing for? The spectacle was all Yeon Minha’s doing.”
As she wrapped things up, Choi Ireh answered for Jin Yeseo.
“I’ll head out first.”
“Is there something going on?”
“I need to keep the disciplinary committee kids in check before the social gathering. See you tomorrow.”
Following Choi Ireh, the other members began to leave as well. Soon, only Jin Yeseo and Baek Seoyeon remained in the student council room.
“Ireh really is working hard…”
“Y-yeah. But, um, Unnie…”
“Huh? What is it?”
Baek Seoyeon tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Swallowing hard, Jin Yeseo glanced at her and asked.
“Um… Is your fiancé coming to the social gathering?”
“…No.”
Baek Seoyeon’s eyes were filled with loneliness as she shook her head.
“He’s busy… I don’t think he can make it this time…”
It was a voice so gloomy that it was hard to imagine she was faking it. This made Jin Yeseo feel even more confused.
“Well, it can’t be helped. And I’ll be busy running the sub-group too…”
Then, Baek Seoyeon awkwardly tried to shift the topic as if to cheer herself up.
“I-I’ll make sure to drop by. Only if I won’t be a burden…”
“Hehe, I really appreciate that…”
“Hehe…”
“But… how’s Yeseo doing these days…?”
“Wha-what…?”
But at Baek Seoyeon’s sudden question, Jin Yeseo’s heart plummeted.
“I just wanted to check in on you.”
Baek Seoyeon trailed off awkwardly. Jin Yeseo knew that she was being forced into a situation where she had to enter a forced engagement. Baek Seoyeon had already offered her comfort several times.
“Is there really nothing I can help with…?”
“I-I’m fine, Unnie. It’s my problem…”
But Jin Yeseo always rejected her help in an indirect way. Of course, she didn’t want to be a burden to her beloved sister, but there was an even stronger reason.
Even now, feelings of guilt surged within her.
“But…”
All Baek Seoyeon had in her eyes was genuine concern.
‘Ah…’
And finally, Jin Yeseo realized in that moment the strong bond of friendship that connected her and Baek Seoyeon. No mere man could shake that bond.
‘So… my decision was right after all.’
Jin Yeseo thought her past decision was incredibly wise. While she was fully earnest, to Baek Seoyeon, that guy was just a passing fling or a momentary distraction. After all, a sister who cherished her fiancé so much.
Of course, it was out of the question to let that naive, bumbling guy fall into the hands of the wicked Yeon Minha.
She would stop the perfect Baek Seoyeon from committing negation. Furthermore, she would rescue the man from the clutches of the evil woman.
Only one person could bear this heavy burden.
That was none other than herself.
“…Um, Unnie.”
The determined Jin Yeseo finally spoke up. Her heart was pounding so loudly it made her voice tremble.
“Actually… I met someone not long ago.”
“Oh my?”
Baek Seoyeon gasped in surprise, covering her mouth as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Wow… Yeseo…?”
“Well, it just happened that way… heh…”
Jin Yeseo couldn’t bring herself to meet her eyes with Baek Seoyeon.
“I’m still keeping it a secret… but I plan to introduce him to my mom soon… so you don’t have to worry too much about that.”
“Oh wow, that’s great! I’m really happy for you…”
Baek Seoyeon’s voice filled with delight added to Jin Yeseo’s torment. She felt cold sweat break out like she had committed a major offense.
‘…Sure. This works out…’
Although she had no intention of giving up on the man.
“Hehe… I’ll be sure to introduce him to you later.”
“Fufu, I’m looking forward to it. I’m really curious…”
Only then did Baek Seoyeon seem to relax a bit as she nodded.
In the meantime, the door swung open suddenly, and an unexpected guest barged into the student council room.
“Seoyeon? Are you still here?”
“Kwon Yuri?”
A refreshing presence like a peach. A female student with attractive tear dots under her eyes. So innocent that she often gets teased by Choi Ireh about having her head in the clouds.
Second-year Kwon Yuri waved as she approached.
“Yeseo’s here too?”
“Ah, h-hello… Senior Yuri. What brings you here…?”
“Hehe, it’s nothing major, I just wanted to talk to Seoyeon for a moment.”
But today, Jin Yeseo felt particularly uneasy around Kwon Yuri. If she started talking about ‘boyfriends’ again like last time, she feared she wouldn’t be able to keep her sanity. Even if it was just a joke.
Baek Seoyeon looked at Jin Yeseo, who seemed hesitant, with a gentle smile. It was a promise to keep the secret.
Finally, Jin Yeseo felt a bit more at ease and slowly made her way out.
“W-well, I’ll be going then…”
“See you~”
“Take care, Yeseo. Let’s talk again soon.”
Thud.
As soon as Jin Yeseo left the student council room, she let out a big sigh.
“Whew…”
And then, she glanced back.
Through the window leading to the hallway, the scenery and sounds inside were faintly reflected.
“So about this time…”
“What? No way…”
“Just watching… to see what comes up for sale…”
She caught a glimpse of the last scene in the meeting room. Kwon Yuri whispering with an inappropriate grin, and Baek Seoyeon, looking startled, hurriedly checking her surroundings.
Perhaps due to the afternoon sunlight, Baek Seoyeon’s face was now slightly flushed, like a blooming flower.
*
Yeon Minha heading to the dormitory was filled with a dark aura. Even those who couldn’t get a partner for the social gathering until the very end wouldn’t dare approach her.
As she returned to the dormitory, someone else’s presence was already felt.
“Senior?”
A guy descending from the second floor stairs greeted her.
“Is something wrong? Why does your expression look…?”
“…”
Yeon Minha glared at him with a sulky look instead of responding. Then, she extended her arms forward as a non-verbal signal.
“I just trained and haven’t showered yet.”
“…”
“Oh my…”
As Yeon Minha’s eyes darkened, the male student let out a resigned sigh.
As he walked closer, she leaned into him, burying her face in his chest.
The scent was so stimulating that it sent shivers through her. Yeon Minha hugged him tighter, rubbing her head against him.
“…Pet me.”
“…”
He complied with her request. His heavy palm felt reassuring on her head.
Yeon Minha often released stress from the student council like this. Though the guy had initially been awkward about it, it seemed to have become a routine for him now.
Of course, just because they hugged every day didn’t mean anything had to happen.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yeah.”
After a while of patting her hair, the male student hesitated before starting to speak.
“I heard you’re going to run a sub-group for the social gathering this time.”
“How did you know?”
Yeon Minha, who had nodded while buried in his embrace, looked up in surprise.
“I saw the list posted.”
“Uh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it…”
Yeon Minha averted her gaze, feeling embarrassed.
“I was a bit shy… I didn’t think many people would show up…”
“Who knows.”
He indirectly rejected her statement.
“Maybe there will be more people than you think. It’s better to be well-prepared, right?”
“If you say so…”
Yeon Minha nodded at last. She didn’t really believe there was any credibility in his words. After all, she understood the circumstances surrounding Jeokhwa better than anyone.
What mattered more to her was just the fact that she had received some comfort.
As her mood lightened, she finally noticed something different about him.
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
He looked like he was deep in thought. Yeon Minha sensed his complex feelings: hesitation, anxiety, and remorse.
‘…Does he think we have to stay apart throughout the social gathering?’
Only one clear reason popped into Yeon Minha’s head. Slowly, a smile crept to her lips.
“…Hmmm, it’s okay.”
She held back her impulse to ruffle his hair and said.
“Just because I’m the group leader doesn’t mean I have to stick there the whole time. Even if it’s little, there’s some free time too.”
“…”
“B-but I might be a bit busy. Still, if you want, I could at least give you a tour…?”
“…”
“I figured you’d think like that, so I already made some plans. But don’t feel too touched. I’m just doing my duty as your senior…”
“…”
“No way. What else would you do without me…”
“Um, senior.”
“Hm?”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Why? What do you suddenly feel sorry for…?”
The male student’s voice was still filled with confusion.
“This time… I think it’s going to be a bit hard for me to go around with you.”