Chapter 26 I'm not Joon-Woo after all

"Dae Hyun Lim.", Ha Min put her hair behind her ear, "Are they sure it was Joon-Woo Choi who stole the money? If it's a sure thing why don't they just start the disciplinary committee?"

He looked away. "Well... I don't know the details. Could it really be Joon-Woo?" She stared at him annoyedly, "He's in your class... Aren't you too uninterested? Are you really the Class Rep?" Looking back at her he laughed. "Haha, I know right? But I can't help it."

"I'm not Joon-Woo after all." It was if he didn't even care. Ha Min glanced at him and thought about the time Joon-Woo went mad and thought everyone hated him back on the field while he was chilling next to Jong Hwa.

"Isn't it obvious? The school wants to end things between students since Seung-Ki's parents work at the education office. We all know what's gonna happen. It's better for Joon-Woo to pay up and get over with it." Goong Min joined their conversation as they continued their way to the meeting.

"The reason I called you all in here is to talk about the theft that happened inside this school. We're gathered here to send him a warning. As you all know, 80 thousand won in cash has been stolen. And we're close to catching the culprit. Security camera footage shows that the first to arrive in class was Joon-Woo Choi." Head director Bong Jo Lee was in charge of this meeting. He continued. "Therefore, we're thinking of having Joon-Woo admit to the theft and repay the money. If we take disciplinary action, he might run into trouble when transferring schools."

They were all gathered in a large room with enough space for a rectangle of desks forming the "circle" for the meeting.

Ha Min sat beside Dae Hyun. She was sceptical. "Hey... Does that make sense? They aren't even sure yet." Dae Hyun had this cocky expression again. "I'm not in favor of putting Joon-Woo at a disadvantage, either. There just isn't anything I can do."

Goong Min of course stuck to his opinion. "I think it's best that Joon-Woo pays back the money and we'll end it here." - "Let's end this already. He's already caught." Sang Hee Jeon, Class Rep of 1-9 was beside him, sharing his opinion.

"Wait a minute. I don't think we have enough proof yet." Ha Min was the only one defending Joon-Woo in this meeting. "I think we need more evidence. I think we should demand more information from the subject before we make our decision."

The head director thought about it. "Hmm... She has a point."

"I agree with her", this was the moment Dae Hyun stepped in too. "It would be easier to persuade Joon-Woo if we had solid proof."

"Hmm... Go get Seung-Ki Choi."

Upon arriving he sat down on one of the empty chairs. "Uh... Why did you call me?"

Seung-Ki Choi, theft victim. He has black, short hair covering his forehead and wears square-shaped glasses. Having some weight on his body also made him have a broader figure - although he wasn't very overweight. In fact, just a little.

"You're the victim", Ha Min stated in a serious manner. "I'm going to ask you a few questions. Can you answer them for me?"

"What is it? Why do I need to be called here?"

"They're easy questions. You said it was for cram school. Why'd you insist on carrying cash? Aren't bank transfers easier and safer?"

Almost immediately, he had a rather defensive attitude. "That's how our family does things. The cram school also favors cash. That shouldn't be a problem, though. Just tell that thief Joon-Woo to pay me back. I don't want to make things complicated."

"We don't have solid proof that he stole it yet. We can consult your parents or the cops if things aren't very clear."

"Are you serious?" He snapped with his fingers. "If my parents find out Joon-Woo's outcome will be much worse!"

She side-eyed him. "How strange. If he's the thief like you insist, shouldn't you wish the worst for him? Why defend him?"

In response to her observation he got louder "Are you playing games with me?! As a fellow student, I only want what's best for my classmates."

She stared at him with a blank face. Seung-Ki was nervous. 'Who is she? They didn't say there'd be someone like her!'

"Is that it? I'll go now. Please have a talk with Joon-Woo for me."

"Wait. Tell me a bit more." She grinned. "I'll definitely catch the thief for you."

"Ha Min Park stop it" Goong Min stepped in. "Are you interrogating him? Why are you stressing out the victim?" - "No. This is worth asking." He flinched as she glanced at him, crossing her arms. "I'm taking this seriously. If we assess the situation well, the culprit won't have any way out. Isn't that so?" She searched for approval of the head director.

"Ha Min is right. We should try getting more information before making a rash decision."

She got up and walked over to Seung-Ki, standing directly in front of him. "If it's cram school tuition... What's the name of it?"

'Cram school... Hahaha, stupid bitch! Why ask something like this? I can easily lie about the name!' He felt like a villainous genius looking down on the hero.

"You said it was 80 thousand won, right? I only know of three cram schools that charge that amount in this area." This made him flinch. "I know about the cram schools around here. Gunee Cram School, Daran Cram School and Kisa Cram School. These are the only ones. Which one do you go to?" she calmly asked him.

Seung-Ki on the other hand was cornered, sweating and stuttering. "Oh.. I- I go to Gunee."

"Oh yeah? For single subjects or comprehensive courses?" She began smiling slightly.

"Si... Single!"

"Then-" - "STOP IT!" He had lost it. "Are you interrogating me?! You're stressing me out! Why does any of this matter, anyway?!" He continued yelling at her with a dark expression, his eyes having a red tone to them. "You're supposed to ask Joon-Woo questions instead of me. Do you have some kind of relationship with him?!"

"Don't get so worked up. I'm just trying to help you. That's strange though... Does Gunee have single subjects? I don't think they did when I went there."

Seung-Ki couldn't have any of this any longer and jumped out of his chair. "Fuck!" he yelled, pointing a finger at her. "Are you curious about Gunee Cram School?! The stolen money is important! How can any of this help me?! I'll tell you everything you want tomorrow! I'll go find out everything you want to know about it tomorrow! Then, you'd better bring me 80 thousand won!"

The other members of this meeting sat there watching the two. "Calm down Seung-Ki. No need to blame Ha Min" Class 3's teacher said.

"I'm the victim but she keeps asking me stupid questions instead of actually helping me!"

She smirked at him evily. "What're you gonna find out? There is no cram school named Gunee. I just made all of that up."

Goong Min and the girl, Sang Hee were stunned. Dae Hyun just smiled.

Ha Min had her hand on her waist, looking at him with a smug face. "It's all a lie."

~Chapter 26, end.