Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon entrusted the secretary to Miterich's medical staff and immediately came outside.

Security officers and Security Department members had already been dispatched and positioned throughout the area.

Beyond them, Kang Jin-ha and several Department Heads were visible, and Kim Sung-tae was being dragged away by security officers, his entire body restrained by form-type ability.

"Oh, President."

Irev Kanashuel was the first to spot Seo Hyun-woo and flashed a bright smile.

Seo Hyun-woo gave a slight nod and approached the Department Heads alongside Baek Seo-yeon.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Not as far as I know. Do you know what happened, President?"

When Jin Se-hee asked, Kang Jin-ha and the Department Heads waited for Seo Hyun-woo to speak.

Capturing Kim Sung-tae had gone well enough, but they had no knowledge of the events that preceded it.

Since the window Kim Sung-tae had burst out of was on the secretarial office side, they had been thinking it might be connected to Seo Hyun-woo or Baek Seo-yeon.

"There was a spy in the secretarial office. He was caught by a fellow secretary while secretly extracting information. In the process, that secretary nearly died, and the Vice President and I barely managed to save them."

"A spy in the secretarial office?"

"So that's why he came flying out the window."

"Is the secretary all right?"

"They're fine. They need to rest right now, so the medical staff is looking after them separately."

Seo Hyun-woo answered Irev's question and immediately turned his gaze to Kang Jin-ha.

As expected, Kang Jin-ha was standing perfectly unharmed.

Kang Jin-ha was plenty strong and continuing to grow.

Above all, as the protagonist, instances of him losing or being injured were virtually nonexistent.

"Good work. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have caught him."

"......It was nothing. I just did what needed to be done."

Kang Jin-ha answered humbly, yet felt a small resonance from deep within his chest.

Seo Hyun-woo had probably seen him fight, even if only for a moment.

Above all, coming from the strongest in school, those words felt all the more significant.

"Today's incident will very likely be examined in detail at tomorrow's morning meeting. It would be good for all of you to think about follow-up measures in advance."

"Hmm......."

"One more thing to deal with."

"The Security Department is going to be the busiest, I'd imagine."

At Irev's remark, the Department Heads nodded silently.

It wasn't just the Security Department; the Security Office's workload would likely increase as well.

Since Miterich students were involved in the incident, the two departments responsible for internal security would inevitably be directly affected.

On top of that, there had recently been a reported case of a student mutating into a magical beast, so even greater emphasis would be placed on background investigations of the students.

"It's gotten too late. All of you, head back to the dormitory."

"What about you, President?"

"I need to stay and make sure this is wrapped up. I'll see you at tomorrow's morning meeting."

Seo Hyun-woo turned on his heel and walked toward the Student Council building.

Baek Seo-yeon followed behind him, her expression as dispassionate as ever.

Kang Jin-ha and the Department Heads glanced at one another before silently departing.

'......As expected, the Vice President is staying too.'

Irev stopped short after only a few steps and turned her head.

The retreating figures of Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon were visible in the distance.

Those two would probably still be inside the Student Council building long after the evening glow had faded.

'This is why the Vice President's position is so enviable. She gets to be with the President all the time. If I want to win the President's heart, it's best to always be at his side.'

***

Inside the Student Council President's office.

Seo Hyun-woo sat in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

After the incident was wrapped up, several Hunters affiliated with the Hunter Committee had visited Miterich.

It was to investigate the scene, collect evidence, and secure testimonies.

This would normally be police work, but since an Awakened was involved, the Committee had stepped in directly.

'The secretarial office has been shut down, and now there's only one secretary left who can work. Does that mean Baek Seo-yeon and I have to cover the secretarial duties for the time being?'

Seo Hyun-woo found it troublesome but felt a measure of fulfillment.

Hadn't he personally saved the two secretaries who had been destined to die?

One was resting in the infirmary, but should be back within a week at the earliest.

What struck him the most was the fact that he had eliminated the possibility of Baek Seo-yeon being consumed by guilt.

'This was something even Kang Jin-ha couldn't resolve. But from Kang Jin-ha's perspective, it doesn't hold much significance. Baek Seo-yeon is on the lower end in terms of importance among the heroines.'

It was a conclusion reached from a practical standpoint rather than an emotional one.

Low importance meant a smaller probability of appearing in or influencing the main events.

In truth, Baek Seo-yeon only appeared frequently in the early part; once the middle section began, her presence had faded considerably.

'In a way, pulling Baek Seo-yeon to my side might've been a good choice. Among the heroines, the only ones who could be called stronger than Baek Seo-yeon are the cult leader and the White Saint. Oh, wait. The cult leader is probably about the same level as Baek Seo-yeon.'

Seo Hyun-woo sank into thought, gauging the heroines' abilities.

Min Ha-young and Lee Da-jeong were reasonably strong, but there was a sense that Kang Jin-ha's presence overshadowed them.

Yoo Si-eun was stronger than Min Ha-young and Lee Da-jeong, but she was bound to show vulnerability against Rebellion members, which had to be considered a weakness.

Lastly, the White Saint primarily dealt in combat support abilities, so she seemed somewhat weak on the combat front.

'But the White Saint is still a Setinos Hunter, so she'd be stronger than Baek Seo-yeon, right? It's not like she can't fight at all.........'

Knock, knock.

Baek Seo-yeon entered the Student Council President's office with the knock.

She had gone to tidy up the Vice Student Council President's office, so Seo Hyun-woo had waited for her briefly.

Seo Hyun-woo looked at Baek Seo-yeon, noticed she was hiding both hands behind her back, and immediately spoke.

"What are you hiding?"

"Oh, it's, well......... I......."

Baek Seo-yeon averted her gaze from Seo Hyun-woo and stammered.

Seo Hyun-woo felt a strong curiosity about her behavior but simply watched in silence.

Baek Seo-yeon glanced sideways at him before finally approaching the desk.

"Please don't misunderstand, first of all. I felt like I wouldn't be able to give this to you if not today. But giving it later didn't feel right either, so I thought about it quite a lot."

"......Why are you making it so difficult to say you want to give me a birthday present?"

"......"

Silence hung over the Student Council President's office.

Baek Seo-yeon couldn't endure the embarrassment creeping over her and squeezed her eyes shut.

Seo Hyun-woo took no small amount of pleasure in her reaction and barely held back the smile that threatened to form.

"Hah......... Do you have any idea how I felt carrying this here?"

"I can imagine. You probably intended to give it today. Giving it on my actual birthday would draw too much attention, and giving it afterward would feel a bit awkward. But then an incident broke out right at the end of the school day, so you must've been at a loss."

"I have nothing to say. Since things have turned out this way, I'll just give it to you comfortably."

Baek Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment before placing the box she had been hiding behind her back on the desk.

Seo Hyun-woo looked down at the wrapped birthday present and didn't move an inch.

Seeing this, Baek Seo-yeon couldn't contain her frustration and spoke first.

"What are you doing?"

"I was thinking about the convention."

"......If you knew about that, then why did you give me a birthday present?"

"It's just a convention, nothing more. It's not a mandatory regulation. Besides, didn't you accept the present without a word back then?"

Among the Student Council officers, there existed an unwritten convention that wasn't in the regulations.

That convention was to refrain from exchanging greetings or gifts for personal celebrations or commemorations.

They were colleagues performing similar duties, but since any of them could be demoted at any time, it was meant to maintain a minimum distance.

"You gave it to me knowing all that. How could I refuse?"

"I was thinking the exact same thing. Now we each have a secret between us, so let's bury it quietly. May I open the present now?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Seo Hyun-woo quickly snatched up the gift box and began tearing off the wrapping.

Given the small size of the box, whatever was inside would be fairly small as well.

He guessed it might be some kind of accessory, like the hairpin he had given her.

"What is this? It doesn't look like an earring......."

Seo Hyun-woo took the accessory out of the box and examined it closely.

Beyond the gold-etched border, a tiny navy gemstone was set in place.

But there was only one piece, and it had no chain attached, so it couldn't be an earring or a necklace.

"It's a brooch. I'm not sure if you'll like it, but I chose a color and design that I thought would suit you, President."

"Not bad. The color isn't particularly eye-catching, and it would look quite nice pinned to the uniform."

Seo Hyun-woo immediately began fiddling with the brooch, trying to pin it to his uniform.

However, it was his first time handling such an item, and his careful efforts weren't going as planned.

Watching this, Baek Seo-yeon showed a faint smile and approached Seo Hyun-woo.

"So there is something you can't do, President."

"......I've always wondered, why do you assume I'm good at everything?"

"Because you actually are good at everything."

Baek Seo-yeon took the brooch from Seo Hyun-woo's hand and easily released the fixed pin.

She then held it against Seo Hyun-woo's collar a few times before pinning the brooch in the right spot.

Seo Hyun-woo remained silent and simply watched Baek Seo-yeon's movements.

The scent of Baek Seo-yeon's perfume seemed to grow stronger.

"All done. Would you like to check for yourself? To me, it looks decent enough."

At Baek Seo-yeon's words, Seo Hyun-woo nodded and stood before the full-length mirror.

A brooch set with a navy gemstone was pinned to the left collar of his uniform.

Without the gold border, one might not have noticed the brooch existed at all.

"If you don't look closely, you wouldn't even know there's a brooch."

"If it were too bright or flashy, it wouldn't match your presence, President. It would also stand out too much."

"At this level, there shouldn't be any issues with regulations. I'll make good use of it."

Seo Hyun-woo gathered the empty box and prepared to leave.

Baek Seo-yeon kept glancing at Seo Hyun-woo, checking the brooch on his collar.

She felt a vague lingering attachment, yet also thought she had chosen rather well.

'He doesn't seem to like it that much. Is the brooch not to his taste? Or is he not in a good mood because of what happened earlier? Hmm.........'

***

Roughly three days had passed since the incident in the secretarial office.

By the chairman's special directive, background re-investigations of all students and staff were conducted, and the Security Office and Security Department were inevitably the busiest.

Department Heads had to review the personal information of all their members in order to comply with the additionally imposed regulations.

Seo Hyun-woo, along with Baek Seo-yeon, was organizing the reports received from the Department Heads and preparing to forward them to the Administrative Office.

"Then every department except the Security Department has completed its inspection."

Seo Hyun-woo closed the file binder and swept his gaze across the conference room.

It went without saying, but as always, Min Ha-young and Lee Da-jeong were nowhere to be seen.

However, since they were properly carrying out the instructions given, there was no need to force them to attend the meeting.

"But it's not over yet. There may be deficiencies in the reports, and the Administrative Office might flag additional issues. It's best to prepare in advance."

Seo Hyun-woo said this and was about to rise from his seat.

At the same time, Irev Kanashuel raised her hand and drew the Department Heads' attention.

"What is it?"

"May I ask a personal question? It's a trivial thing, but you've looked so busy that I've been hesitant to bring it up."

"......Go ahead."

"I've noticed you've been wearing a brooch for a while now. Did you receive it as a gift?"

At Irev's words, every Department Head's gaze converged on Seo Hyun-woo in unison.

The Department Heads had already noticed the brooch.

Of course, they were just as curious as Irev, but given the circumstances, they had been deliberately pretending not to notice.

"I did receive it as a gift. I'd never buy something like this myself."

"Someone close to you must have given it to you. It looks quite good on you."

"Does it? It might be because it was a gift from my girlfriend."