Marked Guilty
That day, the school felt more crowded than usual. Whispers spread quickly like the wind. In the hallway, several students gathered in small groups, whispering and glancing in the same direction—at me.
I walked slowly toward my locker, trying not to notice the strange stares being thrown my way. Hana appeared from the opposite direction, her expression anxious.
“Narin… have you heard?” she whispered quickly. “They say… the final exam papers were stolen from the storage room on the fifth floor.”
I frowned. “What?”
“It was just announced. And…” Hana bit her lip, hesitant to continue, “someone said they saw you… on the fifth floor the night before the exam.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
But before Hana could explain further, a teacher approached. “Kang Narin, come with me to the teachers’ office.”
My stomach turned. I looked at Hana, but she looked just as confused as I was.
---
The teachers’ office buzzed with a serious atmosphere. Four teachers sat in front of me, including my homeroom teacher and the head of the curriculum department. On the table was a laptop showing CCTV footage from the school’s security cameras.
In the video, I was standing in the hallway on the fifth floor, right in front of the exam storage room door. I stood still for about a minute, then walked away.
“This footage was recorded two days before the exam,” one of the teachers said. “It was around seven in the evening. Do you know why you were there?”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. That night… I was just wandering. I remembered trying to calm myself in the study room after some trouble at school and worrying about my father’s declining health. I hadn’t touched anything, didn’t even realize my feet had taken me there.
“Someone submitted this footage as evidence,” another teacher said. “And though we cannot reveal the witness’s identity, they said they saw you standing there for quite some time, acting suspicious.”
My heart pounded. “But I didn’t go inside that room.”
“The door wasn’t broken, but the exam papers inside are missing. And this is the only footage showing a student near the scene,” the head of curriculum said firmly.
I bit my lip, feeling paralyzed.
“There are serious consequences, Narin. We haven’t made a final decision yet, but you will be processed by the school’s disciplinary committee. In the meantime, your scholarship is temporarily suspended.”
The world collapsed around me.
“What do you mean my scholarship is suspended?” My voice was louder than I expected, making the teachers pause.
I looked at them one by one, trying to stay calm though my hands trembled in my lap. “You’re accusing me just because of that video? Just because I stood in front of a door?”
“This isn’t an accusation, Kang Narin,” my homeroom teacher said softly, trying to soothe me. “We’re just following procedure. There’s a recording, there’s a witness. We—”
“A witness who won’t even show their face?” I cut in sharply. “And you believe them just like that? You all know how I’ve been. My grades, my behavior, how hard I study. But now none of that matters because of one clip from someone who won’t even speak directly?”
One of the stricter teachers stared sharply at me. “We don’t judge just by your presentation. We look at facts.”
“Facts?” I laughed bitterly. “The fact that I stood for a few seconds in front of a closed door? I didn’t touch anything, didn’t enter, didn’t even go near the lock!”
“Calm down, Narin,” the head of curriculum said. “We haven’t made a final decision. But we must protect the school’s integrity. So from today, you’re suspended from all academic activities until the disciplinary hearing.”
My eyes burned. My throat tightened.
“So I’m being punished… just because I happened to be alone, in the wrong place at the wrong time? This isn’t fair.”
No one answered.
I stood up, straightening my uniform with trembling hands. “Fine. If you’d rather believe someone who can’t even show their face… go ahead. But I will prove that I’m not guilty.”
I gave a short bow, then walked out before my tears could fall.
---
My steps were heavy as I left the teachers’ office. The hallway felt silent, like all sound had suddenly vanished. The school’s dull white walls now seemed to press in on me from all sides.
My hands were still shaking, but I forced myself to walk with my head held high. I wouldn’t let them see me break.
As I neared the corner, I stopped.
There was a shadow on the floor, right outside the room I had just left. Someone was standing behind the pillar. White shoes with black soles, a small blue logo on the side. I recognized the model—limited edition sneakers sold only overseas, the kind I had always dreamed of owning.
But something was off. The left toe was stained with pink paint, like it had stepped on the art room floor. And on the right sole, I spotted a small torn inventory sticker… like it had been labeled before.
I quickly turned, but the person was already walking away. Not running, just moving briskly—as if they wanted to seem casual, but knew they had to leave fast.
I followed with my eyes, but the hallway was already empty. Only the ticking clock and my heartbeat echoed in the silence.
Who was that? Had they heard everything? Or… were they watching from the start?
I glanced around once more before walking away. Something bigger was happening here, and I had to find out the truth before it was too late.
---
I walked back to class. There was so much I needed to do to fight this injustice, but right now, I couldn’t even think straight.
As I reached the classroom door, someone grabbed my wrist from behind.
“Narin!”
It was Hana. Her face was pale, eyes wide as she saw mine. “What happened? What did they say to you?”
I lowered my head, unable to speak. My voice stuck in my throat. She pulled me into a hug.
“It’s okay, Narin. I’m here.”
At that moment, I couldn’t hold back my tears. They streamed down silently. And the worst part was… I couldn’t let a single sob escape my throat, afraid to worry everyone around us.
Hana kept rubbing my back. When I felt her about to pull away, I quickly wiped the tears off my face.
She was quiet, staring at me. I knew she still wanted me to explain what had happened in that room. So I told her—the decision that I had to pack up and go home until the committee made a ruling.
“This can’t be allowed,” she said softly but firmly. “Come with me.”
“Hana, where are we going—?”
“Of course to the director’s office,” she cut in. “My dad needs to know. You’re not the kind of person who’d do this.”
I almost protested, but Hana’s gaze was too steady. She wasn’t searching for the truth—she had already chosen to believe in me.
---
The corridor to the director’s office was quiet. Hana walked fast, her footsteps echoing confidently. I tried to match her pace while holding back my nerves. Though it wasn’t my first time going there… this time felt different.
Hana didn’t knock. She pushed the door open.
“Dad!”
The school director, always calm and dignified, looked up, slightly surprised. “Hana? What is it?”
“This is about Narin,” she said quickly. “Please listen before the teachers make a wrong decision.”
The director looked at me, then set his documents aside. “Sit down, both of you.”
I swallowed and slowly took a seat. Hana remained standing.
“There’s an accusation that I stole the exam papers, sir,” I said, trying to steady my voice. “But I didn’t do it.”
The director nodded slowly. “I’ve heard. There’s footage and a witness who saw you on the fifth floor—”
“That’s not enough,” Hana cut in. “You can’t assume she’s guilty just because she stood outside a door. That’s not proof. And the witness won’t even reveal themselves. How is that fair?”
Her father stared at her for a long moment, then sighed. “You know this is complicated. The school can’t just ignore reports, Hana.”
“Then what? Stay silent and let my best friend’s name be ruined? Her scholarship taken away because of a blurry video and an anonymous witness?” Hana glared at him. “If that’s the case, I’ll post in the school forum that the director can’t stand for justice.”
The director frowned. “Hana…”
I gripped the edge of the table to stop my hands from shaking. I didn’t know where Hana got this courage, but I was so grateful she was with me.
Finally, the director leaned back in his chair. “Give me some time. I’ll request the original footage and investigate who the witness is. But you both need to be careful from now on.”
I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
Hana pulled me out right after, without a word. But just before the door closed, I caught a flicker of change on the school director’s face—something he was hiding. Or… someone he was trying to protect?
---