Chapter 11 - Dark Plan

"He isn't here again."

Min Jung looked at the empty chair and sighed. It had been three days since Myung Soo joined the club but they had not even heard anything from him.

The former vice president sulked in a corner, remembering what happened last recruitment day...

"I want a position," Myung Soo said with a spark in his eyes. He was smiling coolly. Min Jung hadn't recovered yet from her surprise that Myung Soo decided to join in their club, but now he was spitting words her mind could still not process at the moment.

"A position?" Min Jung narrowed her eyes.

"Hmmm..," he pondered briefly and said, "Well, the vice president's position is alright with me."

The vice president thought he was going to faint after hearing what Myung Soo just said.

"Is that your request in exchange for joining us?" she clarified.

"It isn't a request actually," he replied, his eyes telling her exactly how serious he was.

One of the members of the club went to Min Jung's side and whispered something to her.

"You know, I could take your position... even the club. But I don’t have any intention to do that. All I know is that, we both have the same goal in mind."

Myung Soo smiled at her and as if their minds connected suddenly for a second, they both glanced towards the Elite group.

Min Jung felt uneasy with the idea that Myung Soo and her shared the same desire to bring the Elite's group down. She did not like the Elite group, yes, she did not like Jin Ae, no, she hated her. For she was everything she never was. However, she did not know Myung Soo’s reasons. She needed to know.

Min Jung stood up and decided to talk to him. She must talk to him.

* * *

"Dear, can you please get the delivery? The payment's on the table."

Jeong Won closed the book he was reading and headed outside to get the delivery. It was Saturday morning and his mom craved spicy noodles. He opened the gates and a delivery boy popped in his view.

But wait, no, it was a girl... who was still wearing a helmet.

He extended his hand to give her the payment but she seemed stunned, for she just sat there in her motor for a few seconds. Upon recovering from her surprise, she reached for the payment and gave him the three orders of spicy noodles. Before he could say thank you, she immediately sped away.

Jeong Won had a curious expression on his face when he got back inside their house. The glass on her helmet was heavily tinted so he could not figure out her face.

"Rude delivery boy?" his mom asked upon noticing his face.

"It was actually a delivery girl, mom," he said dismissively. His step-father was already at the table, reading a newspaper.

"Have you already enrolled him in a review center?" His step-father asked his mom suddenly, without lifting his face from the newspaper.

Jeong Won's mom looked at him.

"He needs to go to a good university. Make sure he is ready," his step-father continued. Gulping his coffee in one shot, he stood. His mom reached for his step-father’s coat and helped him wear it for work. When his step-father was already gone, his mom looked at him with sympathetic eyes.

"I know you don't like to enroll in a review center. There is a study room in the market. Let's check it out today," she said, smiling at him sweetly. Jeong Won nodded.

Jeong Won's step-father worked in the education sector, that's the reason why he was strict when it came to his studies. Back then, he hired a tutor for him to get high grades. He was so obsessed with grades that at one point, Jeong Won got sick with studying. But only his mom knew about this. He barely survived his junior high school because of so much pressure.

They left the house around ten in the morning and checked the study room his mom told him. His step-father would surely be upset if he found him home after school and not getting evening review classes. It would be nice to stay in a study room instead.

The days passed so quickly. And yes, unimaginably peaceful for the two clubs. Due to the coming midterm exams in the next few days, most of the students were busy. Although Jeong Won stayed with Son Jin Ae's side all throughout the week, he felt like he was invisible in her eyes. She rarely talked to him unless she had something to order him off and he felt unproductive. Little were the times that they went out.

He had already stopped joining the Student Council meetings, he just felt like dropping the whole club drama. Also, he did not like the idea of bumping into Myung Soo, as much as he did not like Park Jin Young's presence in the elite group as well. Jeong Won would stare at him gravely while he talked smoothly with the elites. Most especially, he did not like his animated smiles and laughs while talking with Son Jin Ae. He just did not like it. Period. He did not want to reason out why.

‘The study room was a good idea,’ Jeong Won thought. He would go directly to the rented study room and occupy his mind with lessons.

"New here?" asked the owner of the study room.

"Yes," he answered shortly.

The owner got out of his office and walked towards the hall. There were some students already. They usually occupy the same desks, as if they were their own.

"We have morning and night batches here," the owner said, touring him around. "So, there are two people who occupy the same desk. Just make sure to clean your desk after so you won't get complaints."

Jeong Won studied the desks, which somehow revealed the personality of the person occupying them. He found the desk on the corner tidy and neat so he stopped in front of it.

"You like that? Well, you seemed like a neat boy," the owner tilted his head as if considering then continued:

"Just don't leave a trace, okay? The girl occupying that in the morning is a bit scary.” And after saying that, he tapped his back and walked away.

Jeong Won looked around and noticed some of the students on their desks staring at him with a pitiful expression. He dropped his bag and sat and said to himself, 'I've been with the scariest girl in my school, nothing scares me anymore.’

Then he blew an air of confidence.

Hours later, Jeong Won decided to go home, it was ten in the evening already. His father was probably sleeping now for sure. He was about to leave his desk when he thought of something. He brought out a sticky note and wrote something on it.

"Hi. I hope you won't mind me sharing the same desk with you.

Good luck with the upcoming exams. Fighting!"

- P.T.K

Jeong Won reverted his initials just in case. He wanted his identity to be hidden from a stranger. He posted it somewhere visible but inconspicuous to other people who might pass through the desk.

* * *

"This is what you call hell week."

Hyun Seong gasped beside Jeong Won after observing the atmosphere of the classroom. Some students were sleepy just like Jeong Won due to studying at night. Some were studying while some were walking to and fro. It wasn't exams yet but two weeks prior to that, students were already preparing for it. It was indeed a hell week, and for the next two weeks too.

Jeong Won's eyes lifted from his desk to the door and saw Myung Soo walking outside. After a few seconds, he saw Min Jung running in Myung Soo's direction. Jeong Won's brows furrowed.

"Yah! Kim Myung Soo!" Min Jung stopped three meters away when he turned around to meet her gaze. They were outside the building.

"What do you think are you doing? You haven't appeared to us even once after the club day," she said and crossed her arms in front of her. She was so greatly irritated at him, how dare he asked for the vice president position and disappeared in thin air.

He smiled smugly. And, she hated it.

"What do you think? I am taking care of what you should have done a long time ago."

Min Jung's eyebrows wrinkled with curiosity. What was this boy in front of him saying? What should have been done a long time ago?

"I'll meet the club once it's done," he said, inserting his hands in his pockets as he walked away. Leaving a curious Min Jung behind.

All these... Jeong Won witnessed. He was deeply troubled about what he had heard but he couldn't figure out what he meant by that. He disappeared quietly.

* * *

"Jun Ho-ssi?"

Jun Ho turned around and saw Teacher Han Seo Ah walking towards him. She sat down beside him and offered him a can of coffee.

"I saw you sitting here so I thought of getting you a coffee, you know, it's a bit cold here outside."

"Thank you," he said briefly.

"You seemed to be in deep thought. Are all psychologists like that?" she inquired, half teasing. He scoffed.

"Not really. I am just wondering."

"Wondering what?"

"Son Jin Ae-ssi."

"Jin Ae?" she said ridiculously.

She frowned a bit but her sour expression turned to an agreeable one after a moment. Exclaiming with bulging eyes, she said: "So you also noticed. She is weird, right?"

She chuckled slightly.

"-Oh! I thought I'm the only one who noticed that. I guess, hitting your head could really get you a lot of damage, Oh my head!"

And as she said that, she held her head as if it's a fine piece of diamond.

"Hitting your head? Did Jin Ae-ssi hit her head?"

Jun Ho was totally surprised by what he heard. Jin Ae hit her head?

When?

Where?

How?

He wanted to know so badly that he turned his whole body to face Seo Ah abruptly, which surprised her a bit.

"I...I... don't know if it's okay for me to say this. But I heard she hit her head when she was in high school," she said softly as if saying a secret. Jun Ho looked at her intensely.

"She has amnesia."