Chapter 29: TT Academy Event Start

[It’s not like I suffered any direct harm, so why should I get involved?]

“W-Wait.”

Je Galhwarin knew Lee Jihye was extremely laissez-faire.
She wasn’t the type to throw the first punch unless provoked.

But she didn’t expect Lee Jihye to be so indifferent even when an incident occurred in her own territory.

[And I heard you got spectacularly beaten. Got slapped multiple times by a guy. Aren’t you just trying to cozy up to me to cover that up?]

“……”

Hit right where it hurt, Je Galhwarin couldn’t say anything.

[I can hear you racking your brain from here.]

Je Galhwarin’s expression twisted.
The lifeline she had barely managed to think of seemed about to snap before she could even grab it.

Just then, one of the demoralized female students muttered softly.

“Lee Jihye needs to help… With that disciplinary head at the academy too….”

‘…Disciplinary head?’

A flash of insight struck Je Galhwarin’s mind.
Right, the disciplinary head.
It seemed Haneul High’s disciplinary head had graced the TT Academy with her presence.

“Han Doa was there today too!”

[…What?]

From the change in Lee Jihye’s tone, Je Galhwarin realized she had hooked a big one.
Knowing the relationship between Lee Jihye and Han Doa, she couldn’t miss this chance.

“Apparently, Han Doa was there when the incident happened too! I don’t know why that kendo-crazy b*tch is at the academy, but that’s what the kids said!”

It was different from before.

Even when she had passionately argued, the voice had been dry, but now, Lee Jihye’s excitement was palpable, her rough breathing audible even through the receiver.

[Are you sure? Senior Doa was there?]

“…Probably.”

[If this is a lie, you won’t find it funny.]

Je Galhwarin quickly asked the female students.

“Hey, are you sure the disciplinary head was there?”

“Definitely! She was watching from behind when we got beat up!”

“They say it’s certain.”

[…Haaah.]

Hearing the sweet-sounding sigh, Je Galhwarin frowned and pulled the phone away from her ear.

[It’s my territory, so I’ll handle it. Don’t you interfere.]

The call ended with those words.
Je Galhwarin’s expression crumpled as she stuffed the phone into her pocket.

‘Crazy b*tch, she loses her mind whenever Han Doa is involved.’

Still, thanks to their relationship, she had found a lifeline, so she felt a little grateful to Han Doa.

After finishing the call, Lee Jihye put her phone away and gazed at the female student solving math problems in front of her.

She was a girl with her hair braided like a traditional pigtail draped over one shoulder, wearing a faint smile.

Her full chest, slender waist transitioning to wide hips.

Her distinctly feminine appearance was like looking at a goddess statue from the Renaissance era.

However, knowing her inner self was far from divine, Lee Jihye found the gap unsettling.

“If you called me, hurry up and give the orders. I don’t have time.”

“You seem quite anxious. Looks like Galhwarin gave you some good information.”

The female student had heard the entire conversation between Lee Jihye and Je Galhwarin.
Lee Jihye clicked her tongue at her bad habit.

“You kept smiling even after hearing Je Galhwarin curse you out? If it were me, I would have shot back immediately.”

“I have to embrace even kids like that. That’s my role in Ojakgyo…. I’ll reform her soon enough, so you don’t need to worry.”

Lee Jihye frowned further at Eun Yuri’s bizarre statement, defending Je Galhwarin with a benevolent smile.

This woman seemed to treat all students, except herself, like children.
Except for one person.

Lee Jihye hated being treated like a child but had grown used to it.

She glanced at the math problem Eun Yuri was solving.
Her head ached looking at the chaotic jumble of various metaphysical symbols.

“You and Alice, don’t you ever get tired of exchanging and solving problems?”

“We create them for each other and solve them…. It’s a competition like that. The score is 98 matches, 49 wins, 49 losses.”

“…It’s a draw?”

“It was originally best two out of three, but it went into overtime. It’ll end when one of us wins two in a row.”

Eun Yuri continued humming while solving the problem.
Lee Jihye was getting bored, but she couldn’t carelessly oppose the woman before her.

Feeling dissatisfied, Lee Jihye’s gaze fixed on the steamed potato Eun Yuri was eating.
Wanting to escape the tedious situation somehow, she spoke.

“What’s with the potato?”

“Alice sent it.”

“What? That woman?”

That was something unbelievable.

At least, the Alice Lee Jihye knew wasn’t affectionate enough to send food gifts to executives.

If anything, she’d send an empty lunchbox.

“She said it’s her favorite food. She brings it to school every day and eats it whenever she’s bored. It’s fascinating every time I see it.”

Lee Jihye agreed with the word “fascinating.”

A woman who looked like a young lady from some European noble family munching on Korean-native steamed potatoes.

‘Did she eat a lot of steamed potatoes when she was young?’

Having finished the problem while eating the potato, Eun Yuri handed Lee Jihye a printout from her drawer.

“It’s about handling the remnants of the rallies. You know Seo Yoon is going around trying to stop the anti-Ojakgyo rallies, right?”

Alice’s first mission assigned after scouting Seo Yoon was to dissolve the rallies.

“Why doesn’t that girl finish things properly and leave such loose ends?”

As Lee Jihye grumbled, Eun Yuri added an explanation.

“She’s still a first-year, so there’s a lot she doesn’t know. Watch over her with a warm gaze. Anyway, there are many rallies around Choyeon High where Seo Yoon attends, so I judged it better for the nearby Dowon High to handle it. Dowon High is your territory, isn’t it?”

“Done.”

“Then can I move freely during the remaining time?”

At Lee Jihye’s declaration of freedom, Eun Yuri’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

“Is it because of the deal with Hwarin?”

“…You know well.”

She knew the relationship between Lee Jihye and Han Doa very well.

Eun Yuri was the woman in Hakdo who moved the least yet saw the most.
That’s why Alice trusted her.

“If you defeat Haneul High’s disciplinary head, the rebellion in that area will quiet down too. It’s been noisy lately… The Counseling Club, was it?”

“Yeah, the president is Kim Noeul.”

“I’ve heard of her. She’s mentioned occasionally in the community. And one male student too.”

“I don’t know his name. Didn’t seem very important.”

“Really?”

Eun Yuri questioned Lee Jihye’s words as if she didn’t agree.
Not wanting to get into a pointless argument, Lee Jihye pushed back her chair and stood up.

“Anyway, since you approved my freedom, I’ll run wild a bit after finishing your instructions.”

“If you’re confident you’ll succeed.”

Without answering, Lee Jihye disappeared from Eun Yuri’s sight.

Eun Yuri took out her phone and sent the solution process for the problem to Alice.
However, Alice didn’t check it immediately.

‘Her family situation must be quite complicated. She hasn’t replied much lately.’

Recently, her absences had increased too.
There were reasons, so it wouldn’t affect her attendance record, though.

‘If she’s this busy, it’s a bit awkward to report the Haneul High matter.’

Eun Yuri accessed the student database and examined the personal information of the two students she had printed out.

One was Kim Noeul, the other was Kim Maru.

Personally, the latter piqued her interest.
This male student had become the center of a storm of incidents as soon as he transferred to Hakdo.

Most students focused their attention on Kim Noeul, but Eun Yuri was different.

‘Kim Noeul is the face, perhaps the actual commander is this boy.’

A corner of Eun Yuri’s mouth lifted as she slightly shifted her heated body.
Meeting someone similar to herself sparked her interest.

‘The highest academic achiever in Haneul High’s history…. Can he satisfy me as much as Alice?’

“If you solve the equation there, it becomes an odd function. It implies it’s a sine function.”

“Hmm, then I should draw it symmetrically about the origin. Since it has periodicity, a pattern should emerge too.”

“That’s right.”

The study room at TT Academy had better facilities than expected.

Perhaps it was an S-class privilege, but very few students used it, so it was quiet, and snacks were displayed buffet-style.

‘It’s nice that there are individual rooms too.’

Especially since there were study rooms available for private use by reservation, it was the perfect place to tutor Han Doa.

Right now, Han Doa and I were studying alone in a study room.

Kim Noeul and Na Yuna had protested, demanding I tutor them too, but Kim Noeul’s grades were already good enough, so I refused, and Na Yuna had separate academy classes, so I refused her as well.

‘Yuna-sunbae(senior) aside, why is Kim Noeul like that….’

She was an unpredictable woman in many ways.
Having read the original work, I thought I had a decent understanding of her, but perhaps I was mistaken.

I sighed, and Han Doa reacted sensitively to my sigh.

“What’s wrong? Did I solve it incorrectly perhaps?”

She misunderstood, thinking I sighed because she gave the wrong answer.
I shook my head to clear up her misunderstanding.

“It’s not that. You’re solving it well right now.”

“That’s a relief. This is the first time I’ve been able to solve problems of this level so smoothly.”

“Really? They say math skills improve in steps.”

“…It’s thanks to Maru-hubae teaching me well.”

She lifted her head and looked at my face.
Since we were both looking at the same book, when she raised her head, the distance between our faces narrowed.

We were close enough that I could see individual strands of her eyelashes.

Han Doa carefully increased the distance and cleared her throat.

“Maru-hubae, you have really good skin. Your features are neat too.”

“…Thank you?”

Suddenly complimenting my looks.

“That’s why I think it’s even more commendable. You must have faced many temptations, yet you maintain a wholesome school life. As the disciplinary head, I am pleased.”

“Is that so?”

Meaning, unlike my delinquent-like appearance, I act like a model student.
Of course, Han Doa didn’t mean it maliciously, so I didn’t mind at all.

“You’re similar, sunbae.”

“Me?”

“Yes. When I first saw you, you seemed like a chaebol heiress(someone who is wealthy, elegant, and comes from a prestigious family)… dignified, should I say.”

Yes, just like Alice.

“But then I found out you hold a position that involves frequent physical exertion. Since you’re the disciplinary head.”

“An heiress….”

Han Doa covered her mouth with one hand and rested her chin on it.
Looking at her profile, I could tell the corners of her mouth had slightly turned up.

‘Actually, her hobbies are static ones like tea ceremony or playing the danso, not kendo.’

As we talked, I suddenly remembered my promise with Kim Noeul and Na Yuna-sunbae.

‘Weren’t we supposed to meet at the vending machine outside the building after class?’

I lifted my head and looked at the clock.
It was almost time for Kim Noeul and Na Yuna’s classes to end.

“Shall we get some air for a bit? Kim Noeul and Yuna-sunbae’s classes are about to end.”

“Alright.”

Han Doa and I stretched and left the study room.
As a boy and girl emerged together, two female students studying nearby inadvertently made eye contact with us.

The female students quickly lowered their heads and focused on their studies again.
As I approached the study room exit, I faintly heard their voices.

“Sh*t, I’m jealous. Wonder what they did inside.”

“If you study hard too, you’ll get a boyfriend like that in college.”

“Bullsh*t. Looking at my mom, definitely not.”

Leaving behind the girl making a self-deprecating joke about her mother, we went outside the study room.

We waited for Kim Noeul and Na Yuna, whose classes were ongoing, but they didn’t arrive even when the promised time came.

“They’re a bit late.”

“Just a moment.”

I took out my phone and entered the Counseling Club group chat.

[Kim Noeul: Class seems like it’ll end a bit late, I’ll be there soon]

[Na Yuna: My teacher said she’ll teach just up to the next page too]

“Their classes ran a bit long, let’s go ahead first.”

We left the academy building and went to a nearby vending machine.
Han Doa stood in front of the machine and took out her wallet.

“Is there a drink you like?”

“Are you buying? Then I’ll have fruit juice.”

“Think of it as tutoring fees. Though it’s too cheap….”

Han Doa trailed off, thought for a moment, then spoke.

“No matter how I think about it, I feel uncomfortable being indebted. I’ll repay you greatly someday.”

“I’m not expecting anything that big.”

Even if I said that, Han Doa wouldn’t listen.

In the original work too, she invited Kim Noeul’s group, who had helped her, to her family’s villa.
As mentioned before, her sense of chivalry is too strong to refuse.

“Fruit juice is….”

As Han Doa looked for the juice, two female students approached from behind her.
They were wearing Dowon High uniforms.

Having been through the wringer in Hakdo, I could roughly guess what was about to happen.

“Are you Han Doa?”

As the Dowon High student spoke, Han Doa, who was selecting juice, stopped and turned around.

When Han Doa’s gaze landed on their uniforms, her expression contorted.

“What are Dowon High’s rules like, that you wear your uniforms like that?”

“Just like the rumors. Quite the concept….”

“Whatever, we just came to deliver something. We have no intention of fighting you guys, so tell that guy over there to calm down too.”

Seeing me cracking my knuckles in preparation for any contingency, the female student stopped me.
She looked at the letter in her hand and muttered.

“Lee Jihye is quite the character too. Writing a letter?”

At the mention of Lee Jihye, Han Doa’s eyebrows twitched.
The Dowon High student tossed the letter at Han Doa.

Han Doa snatched the letter flying like a shuriken.
It was contained in a white envelope.

“What is Lee Jihye plotting?”

At Han Doa’s question, the female student looked at Han Doa, then shrugged.

“Dunno. She just told us to deliver the letter and withdraw quietly. Don’t you know her better than we do?”

After saying that, the Dowon High students tried to leave.
But Han Doa stopped them.

“Stop. I will read it here and judge immediately.”

“Huh?”

Han Doa took out the letter and read the neatly written contents on the paper.
As she read, her breathing grew heavier, and her hands trembled slightly.

“Hoo….”

Han Doa closed her eyes gently and folded the letter again.
She had finished reading it. And then….

Rip!

She tore the letter instantly.
The Dowon High students were bewildered by her bizarre action.

“This is my answer.”