Chapter 41: Something Went Wrong

“My uncle went on a field trip abroad, so he’s not even home.”

“Field trip abroad?”

“Yes, it’s Eastern Europe this time. It’ll take a week.”

What?

That mister isn’t here for a week?

“Teacher, my stomach hurts, can I go to the nurse’s office for a bit?”

“Okay, get a diagnosis from the teacher, and if it’s hard, lie down and come back.”

“Yes.”

Now is the chance.

A chance to promptly get rid of that annoying girl.

The sudden theft commotion subsided for a while when the teacher came in.

But with Seo Hyerin finding all the stolen items in my bag, the public opinion of the class was directed at Seo Hyerin.

On the contrary, I, who was accused of being the culprit, was looked at with condemnation by many children.

In addition, one of the victims immediately contacted their parents, and people who seemed to be parents came during class, making this incident even bigger.

“This is why you shouldn’t come to a school that accepts these baseless orphans. You, know that you can go to jail!”

Parents shouting at me.

Some students were frightened by that commotion, and it was impossible to continue the class.

First, the homeroom teacher left the seat to the student teacher and took me, Seo Hyerin, and the parents to the principal’s office.

And the teacher made instant coffee for the parents who sat down and calmed them down.

“Mothers, please calm down a little. Have some coffee here.”

“How can I calm down when my child’s wallet was stolen! And I don’t drink instant coffee, so put it away!”

But their excitement didn’t subside, and the target of their anger was clearly directed at me.

Seo Hyerin was watching the situation comfortably, as if she was enjoying it.

“She’s the one who stole it, right? Tsk, this is why you shouldn’t have parentless brats.”

“Mother, please watch your words….”

“What! You should immediately open a school violence committee and transfer her or expel her! I’m well-versed in this area, so don’t think about glossing it over! Seeing you protect her like this, you have a problem too?!”

They pointed fingers at the teacher, who was much older than them, and did not hesitate to curse.

And she turned her head and asked Seo Hyerin, who was sitting, about the situation at the time.

“You said your name was Hyerin? Did you see that kid stealing things from the kids’ bags?”

“I didn’t see it directly…. It was during physical education class, and I saw Sua coming down from the upper floor where the classroom is.

So I thought it was a little strange, and when I heard that the children’s belongings were missing, I checked Sua’s bag just in case….”

“And you found the children’s belongings in her bag?”

“…Yes.”

Hearing that, they reignited their anger, even though they already knew the content.

Then she slammed her hand on the desk and shouted.

“Enough, call that child’s orphanage director right now! How on earth are they educating the children?”

“We called another guardian instead of the director, so please wait a little.”

“What? Who is your guardian?”

“Not all guardians are on paper. There are many people who protect me besides that.”

“She’s talking back…. Where did you learn that attitude!”

“I’m sorry that my upbringing is lacking because I don’t have parents.”

I was a little annoyed by listening, so I spoke first, replacing the teacher who was trying to resolve it as calmly as possible.

And I bowed my head and apologized as they wanted, but their anger still didn’t subside, and their voices continued to get louder.

“Did you see that, teacher? Isn’t this making fun of adults! She doesn’t show any signs of remorse!”

“Sua, just a moment….”

“I have nothing to reflect on, but I bowed my head to reduce your anger. But why are you so angry at me, who is like a daughter to you?”

“You impudent brat! Are you saying you don’t know after stealing our son’s wallet? You’re even shameless!”

“As I said before, I have nothing to reflect on. Because I didn’t steal it. In the first place, why would I steal other children’s wallets or belongings?”

“You must have stolen it because you were jealous of what the kids had!”

“Is that so? Then I’ll show you this.”

I take out my phone, ignoring the teacher who is trying to stop me.

And I opened the bank app and showed them the balance of the bank account I had.

“I’m working privately to earn money. It’s been about two months since I started. That’s how much I’ve earned. You can see that this account is my account here.

I don’t know how much allowance you give your sons and daughters, but it’s probably not less than the money I earn. But why would I steal children’s belongings?”

The bank account balance shown on the phone was a huge seven-digit amount with two commas.

Maybe it will increase by one digit next month.

The people who saw it showed a bewildered expression, saying, “W, what is this….”, but the one who was most agitated was Seo Hyerin.

No matter what, she wouldn’t have known that I had this much money.

But even though I proved it, their anger somehow grew even bigger.

“Where did you get such a huge amount of money! I thought you were a petty thief, but you’re a complete criminal?”

“Then, the deposit details….”

“Enough! They say kids are cunning these days…. Who knows if you changed the deposit details! This is not good, I should call the police, not the school violence committee!”

They don’t think that I earned the money.

I can admit that it’s hard to believe that a 13-year-old orphanage child earned this much money, but it wasn’t important to them what kind of crime a 13-year-old orphanage child could have committed to get this much money.

Then, when one of the parents picked up her phone and tried to report it to the police.

The door of the principal’s office opened and someone came in.

A black hat worn low, black sunglasses, and several piercings in her ears.

She was wearing slightly funky clothes and was a little tall.

Whether it was because of the dark circles under her eyes or because of her height, she exuded an intimidating atmosphere.

“Hello, I’m Kim Jina, Sua’s guardian.”

Jina has joined the battle.

“First of all, the amount that Sua showed you is not money obtained through criminal activity, but money earned through legitimate labor. If you find it hard to believe, I can arrange for you to consult with my professional lawyer.”

What’s going on.

Something’s wrong.

“And let’s solve the theft case right away. First of all, it seems like it can be solved immediately by looking at the CCTV outside the school…. Since this requires a procedure, let’s solve it in a different way.

Sua went to the restroom during class, and Hyerin also went to the nurse’s office during class. Teacher, do you know the time when they left the playground?”

“We record the time when they go to the nurse’s office because it’s related to safety, but the exact time….”

Who on earth is that person?

Sua’s guardian?

Didn’t she say her guardian went on a trip for a week?

She looks a little scary, is she really her guardian?

“Then, do you know how long Sua and that child were absent from class?”

“Yes, I know that. Sua came back before one game of dodgeball that the children were playing was over, and Hyerin… I told her to lie down in the nurse’s office if it was hard, so she came back to the classroom after class.”

“Well…, I think I’ve said everything I need to say.”

The adults’ gazes turn to me.

I couldn’t stand up, bowing my head under the heavy gaze.

What’s going on?

I just wanted to get rid of Seo Sua.

Why did this happen?

Is that huge amount of money really what she earned?

A personal lawyer, is that person amazing?

The gazes of the adults are heavy.

They said they would call the police earlier, am I really going to be taken to the police?

“You all seem to be thinking the same thing, right? Then this case has nothing to do with our Sua. Then, I have to hold you accountable for something else.”

“W, what did we do!”

“All the insults you said to our Sua are recorded. Orphan, parentless brat. This alone is enough to be indicted, but the level of profanity was also quite high, wasn’t it?

Aren’t you ashamed to say such things to a child who is like a daughter to you?”

“No, recording that…!”

“I will consult with my lawyer about this case and file a separate case. Then, we’ll leave now since we’re not involved. Teacher, I’m sorry, but please excuse Sua for the day.”

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry. Sua, I’m sorry this happened.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Then we’ll get going.”

Seo Sua and the woman who said her name was Kim Jina make a simple greeting and leave the principal’s office.

The sliding door moves.

The door closes with a thud.

And at the same time, the adults turned their heads to me.

“Thank you for coming right away.”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, even if it’s because of work, I’m surprised her uncle is away. Didn’t you contact Osorin?”

“It seems like she was sleeping, she didn’t answer.”

“I’m also about to die because I’ve been awake for 23 hours.”

“That’s why those people didn’t say anything when they saw you.”

“Are you saying I look haggard now?”

“You have dark circles under your eyes, so you look a little dangerous.”

Even normally, she likes to wear funky clothes and doesn’t have many expressions, so she can’t help but feel a little intimidating,

but because she couldn’t sleep due to the no-sleep game clear content and came right away, she exuded a very haggard feeling all over her body.

Maybe it was because of that intimidating atmosphere, but there were a few cases where the people who were so angry flinched and swallowed their words when they saw Jina.

“Anyway, what’s with her? Is the child editor being bullied?”

“Until last year…, no, relatively recently, but not these days. Seo Hyerin was one of the ringleaders. I don’t know why, but she bullied me not only in the orphanage but also in school.”

“Hmm, I see. She’s a bad kid.”

I casually started talking and looked at Jina’s reaction, but she reacted as usual with no expression.

She must have heard what I recorded.

That means she would have noticed that I grew up in an orphanage.

Therefore, she would have realized that PD Lee Seongbeom is not my real uncle.

Even though she knew all that, she didn’t ask me any questions.

I felt a little ticklish feeling in my heart and managed to keep my lips from going up.

“By the way, are you serious about the lawyer you mentioned earlier?”

“Well, yes. When you’re in my position, you need it for tax purposes and legal advice. So I’m employing a few. Of course, they’re not experts in school violence or crime, but they can still do the basics.”

“You’re amazing. Then, what will happen to Seo Hyerin?”

Jina thought for a bit about my question and answered.

“Hmm, it will probably be decided after consulting with the orphanage director. It’s elementary school, so she won’t be expelled, and if it’s severe, she’ll be transferred, but it’s rare to transfer for this kind of thing.

It’ll probably end with community service at school.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

“But if there has been continuous bullying until now, and with this incident, if you formally protest, the school can change classes. If it gets a little more severe, she can be moved to another orphanage.”

That doesn’t matter to me.

Anyway, I don’t go to the orphanage often, so I only see her at school.

If this incident spreads in the school, Seo Hyerin will no longer bother me.

“Then I should just stay still.”

“You’re very magnanimous.”

“I’m not that free.”

Even if I don’t try to solve it, the various people who remained in the principal’s office will hold Seo Hyerin accountable and punish her.

That kind of punishment is enough.

‘It wouldn’t have become such a big deal if it was a personal fight with me.’

She involved the children around her and framed me.

Unlike Seo Yebin, this case is not something that ends when I forgive her.

‘You’ll have a hard time in the future.’

It’s not something to worry about.

I’m busy doing my own thing.

“By the way, are you working on what you’re trying to do this time?”

“Ah, I recruited an excellent illustrator. It will take some time, but it’s progressing.”

“Then you’re not that busy right now, right?”

“Well…, that’s right?”

“Then, let’s go play with me.”

“What?”

“You caught someone who was about to sleep after barely finishing the broadcast, shouldn’t you at least do me this favor?”

Jina, gathering tears in her eyes and sniffling.

It was quite a performance.

But it worked well for me, who had a conscience.

“…Anyway, I have a lot of stock and time, so it doesn’t matter. What do you want to do?”

“I haven’t been able to wash for 23 hours, so I’m very uncomfortable. Let’s go to a place where I can wash and get some sleep.”

“A place to wash and sleep? A hotel?”

“You’re thinking a little bourgeois.”

She flicked my forehead with her finger, making a slightly absurd expression.

“There’s a good jjimjilbang (Korean spa) nearby. Let’s go there and relax.”

“Ah, jjimjilbang.”

Before I found a house, I often washed, slept, and worked at a jjimjilbang, but after finding a house and editing, I didn’t go to save money.

Come to think of it, I liked soaking in hot water.

After getting out of the water, I feel drowsy, so I can sleep well….

Uh, wash?

“Uh, um…. There’s no private bath, right?”

“It’s not a hot spring, don’t expect too much. Then let’s go.”

“Ah, w, wait a minute!”

“Don’t be too shy. Ah, have you never been? It’s okay because there are only women.”

Jina grabs my hand and pulls me.

I couldn’t resist her strength.

I’m used to a woman’s body, and I’m used to washing and going to the bathroom, but this is a little different.

There are only women?

‘That’s more of a problem for me!’