Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Seo Hyun-woo deliberately spoke provocatively and showed a cold look in his eyes.

He had to settle the two people disturbing the meeting atmosphere and the controversy over the rumor all at once.

In reality, he knew the original Seo Hyun-woo had often used this kind of method.

Most of all, at this point in time, no one could defeat Seo Hyun-woo.

‘Even Kang Jin-ha, the protagonist, completed his course at Miterich after fighting me to a draw. The Department Heads can’t beat me. Seo Hyun-woo wasn’t called the strongest in school for nothing.’

Seo Hyun-woo remained silent and observed the reactions around him.

Min Ha-young and Lee Da-jeong, who were the cause of this situation, managed their expressions with effort and said nothing.

The other Department Heads also kept their words to themselves, but Jin Se-hee alone was wearing a faint smile.

Even in this situation, Yoo Si-eun still did not so much as change color.

‘Maybe because she’s an elite member of Rebellion, she’s fairly composed. In reality, even within the Rebellion, there aren’t many Awakened as strong as Yoo Si-eun.’

Seo Hyun-woo watched Yoo Si-eun, then soon turned his gaze away.

From the Rebellion's position, they could no longer use the members who had infiltrated the Security Office, so there was a high chance they would rely on Yoo Si-eun.

If the situation was not favorable, they would probably try to keep Yoo Si-eun alone, even if it meant abandoning every member who had infiltrated the secretarial office and the Security Department.

‘Now all the Department Heads have gathered. It feels a little early, but that isn’t much of a problem. Kang Jin-ha has already enrolled in Miterich.’

Seo Hyun-woo had quickly advanced his plan after confirming the news of the protagonist’s admission.

From now on, he only had to watch the protagonist’s activities while slowly building his relationships with the Department Heads.

“I think we can proceed with the meeting now. I will say this once more. The rumor that the Vice President and I are dating is not true. However, it is true that I have a girlfriend. Keep that in mind, and I hope you never mention it again.”

Seo Hyun-woo concluded things perfectly and began reciting the official notice sent down by the Administrative Office.

This would not make those two changes, but he could at least keep them in check for a while.

In any case, those two were also the protagonist’s heroines, and their connection with him was nothing more than a passing one.

He was merely narrowing that relationship a very little in preparation for the variables that would arise in the future.

‘There was no need to react that much. Those two have always been like that. What on earth is the President thinking?’

Baek Seo-yeon sank into thought without even glancing at the folder.

No matter how many times she thought it over, she could not understand Seo Hyun-woo’s actions.

He should have simply given them a light warning as he had in the past and ended it there.

The Seo Hyun-woo she knew was not someone who cared much about rumors or the Department Heads’ provocations.

‘Because he wanted to take my side? No. There’s no way. There is no way the President would be interested in me…’

Baek Seo-yeon could not bring herself to be certain and glanced sideways at Seo Hyun-woo.

When she thought carefully, there were quite a few suspicious points.

He had asked her to go to the hospital with him, spread a false rumor for her sake, and defended her just now.

If he had no particular feelings, he absolutely would not say and do such things.

‘It must be a coincidence. Yes, it must be a coincidence. The President, toward me… No. Absolutely not.’

“Vice President, did the Administrative Office not explain this matter separately to you?”

‘I’ve been too relaxed lately. I need to train harder and get rid of these distracting thoughts…’

“Vice President, are you listening to me?”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

At Seo Hyun-woo’s words, Baek Seo-yeon belatedly came to her senses and began checking the folder.

Min Ha-young and Lee Da-jeong felt their mouths itching, but they did not say anything.

At least for today, they had to avoid picking a fight with the President and Vice President.

‘I almost let my guard down because he treated her kindly for a moment. As expected, the Student Council President hasn’t changed. He has only become a little softer in how he treats people.’

Yoo Si-eun only pretended to look at the folder while she began grasping the atmosphere of the conference room.

The students gathered here possessed considerable strength even within Miterich.

Even compared to active Hunters, it would probably not be easy to find anything lacking in them.

On top of that, was Seo Hyun-woo, the Student Council President, not the strongest in school, whom no one could even dare challenge?

‘It makes sense that the member who infiltrated the secretarial office would be suspected. He has charisma, and he knows how to set the atmosphere and direction. That is impossible unless he is supported by his natural personality and intuition. In that case, how should I respond?’

Yoo Si-eun fell into deep thought as she considered her future plans.

According to principle, she would have to remain neutral and follow Seo Hyun-woo’s instructions.

However, that kind of attitude could instead draw suspicion from Seo Hyun-woo.

‘For now, let’s watch the situation a little longer. Even if I try changing things for no reason, it may only create an opening. The Student Council President is probably still only suspicious of the member who infiltrated the secretarial office.’

Yoo Si-eun knew very well how important the position of Security Department Head was.

It could not even be compared to the positions of secretary in the Student Council’s direct secretarial office or member of the Security Department.

Depending on the situation, she might have to sacrifice all of them and protect that position herself.

‘I only need to look ordinary. I just have to do the work I’m assigned well and exchange a few conversations from time to time. No matter how impressive the Student Council President is, he won’t be able to uncover the Rebellion's identity.’

***

As soon as the morning meeting ended, Seo Hyun-woo returned straight to the Student Council President’s office.

Baek Seo-yeon had returned first to the Vice Student Council President’s office, saying she had something to think about for a moment.

And in her place, Jin Se-hee, the Attribute Department Head, followed Seo Hyun-woo into the Student Council President’s office.

“What brings you here separately? Are you here to respond to my provocation and request a Rank Battle?”

“It would be difficult to beat the President in my current state. I only came to ask because there is something I cannot understand.”

“If you are asking about my girlfriend, I have nothing to tell you. I hope it is a different question.”

Seo Hyun-woo answered while putting water into the coffee pot.

There was no need to be sharp even toward Jin Se-hee.

She was someone who knew how to sufficiently distinguish what should and should not be said and done, and she did not show hostility toward him.

Originally, she would become his girlfriend after he completed his course at Miterich, but for now, he could not even predict what would happen.

“Why did you reveal the fact that you had a girlfriend yourself? There was no need to say something like that.”

“……That is a more trivial question than I expected. I didn’t know you would be so curious about it.”

Seo Hyun-woo calmly answered while watching the water boil inside the coffee pot.

From Jin Se-hee’s position, it probably was not a trivial question.

She must have been showing interest in him as the person she had to surpass or as a member of the opposite sex.

Of course, nothing was certain, and he thought he would only know after talking with her a little more.

“There is no way you did not know. If you say something like that, the students will naturally think you and the Vice President are dating. Was that not what you were aiming for?”

“Why would I aim for that? I merely gave a definite answer because there were many female students bothering me.”

“You would know that better than anyone.”

With a click, the water in the coffee pot was boiling fiercely.

At those words, Seo Hyun-woo flinched, then lifted the coffee pot.

Could Jin Se-hee possibly think he was interested in Baek Seo-yeon?

“You are misunderstanding something. The Vice President only became entangled by chance. The Vice President and I are merely colleagues working on the same duties.”

“Then why did you lie about having a girlfriend?”

Seo Hyun-woo, who had been pouring water into the teacup, stopped and furrowed his brow.

There was no way Jin Se-hee could have noticed his lie.

From the start, he had never once exposed his personal information or lies to someone else.

“……I have never lied. I would prefer it if you did not turn my perfectly real girlfriend into someone who does not exist.”

“If you truly have a girlfriend, you should have at least one photo. Ah, even if you are an unsentimental President, you should at least have a couple ring or an item your girlfriend gave you, right?”

Seo Hyun-woo recalled the answer he had given Baek Seo-yeon and placed two teacups on the table.

She was saying the exact same thing as Baek Seo-yeon.

He wondered if he should make sure to prepare a photo and a couple ring next time.

“I don’t particularly want to show them.”

“At least say that you have not been dating your girlfriend for very long. The Vice President probably noticed too.”

“……I can’t even manage to lie. Shall I hear how you saw through my lie?”

“Intuition.”

“What did you just say?”

“I instinctively thought you were lying.”

“……?”

Seo Hyun-woo stopped his hand as he was lifting the teacup and stared blankly at Jin Se-hee.

Jin Se-hee was sitting on the sofa and sipping tea as though nothing had happened.

Could his lie really be exposed by mere intuition?

“The Vice President probably noticed instinctively too. Even if the President’s personality has changed a little, you are not someone who would pointlessly do something like dating.”

“How do you know the Vice President noticed too?”

“……Intuition.”

Because the answer was absurd, Seo Hyun-woo unconsciously let out a dry laugh.

If she was that certain, would it not have been meaningless even if he had tried hard to deny it?

“Is that what people call women’s intuition?”

“You can only notice it because you are someone like me or the Vice President. The Transformation Department Head and Form Department Head are all talk, but their senses are dull. I am not sure about the Security Department Head.”

“So what will you do now? Are you going to go around telling everyone in the neighborhood that I actually do not have a girlfriend?”

“Even if I do, nothing will change. The rumor that you and the Vice President are dating has already spread. Why did you spread that kind of rumor?”

“Have I not been saying it since a moment ago? Many female students ask for my contact information, so I tried borrowing the Vice President’s power a little. Rejecting them one by one is fairly tiresome.”

Jin Se-hee found it suspicious, yet quickly accepted it.

Separate from being the strongest in school, Seo Hyun-woo was fairly popular among the female students.

Even if they knew his personality was bad, his ability and appearance were outstanding, so female students naturally attached themselves to him.

“But there is no way the Vice President would allow it.”

“I simply did it as I pleased. I did apologize afterward.”

“……It seems that went well.”

Jin Se-hee answered that way, but she did not completely believe Seo Hyun-woo’s words.

There was no way Baek Seo-yeon would let it pass after being subjected to something like that.

There was a high chance that some special conversation had taken place between them because of this matter.

‘If I were the Vice President, I would have confronted him immediately. I would probably ask him why he did something like this first. Then the President would…….’

Jin Se-hee assumed the situation in her head and inferred what Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon might have said.

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon were not exactly close, but when it came to work, they had cooperated thoroughly.

However, since Seo Hyun-woo had touched on a private matter first, Baek Seo-yeon would have had no choice but to demand a definite answer as well.

‘But the Vice President acted as usual. During today’s morning meeting, she seemed to be thinking about something else for a moment…….’

At that instant, Jin Se-hee realized something and immediately looked at Seo Hyun-woo.

Baek Seo-yeon was a Student Council executive who showed astonishing concentration when it came to work, training, and combat.

If someone like her had thought about something else during work, there had to be a reason for it.

‘Did he use the rumor as an excuse to confess? Is Baek Seo-yeon thinking over that? She may even have accepted already. Then should I take it as the two of them dating while pretending not to date?’