Chapter 8

Chapter 8

At those words, Baek Seo-yeon’s expression stiffened, and for a brief moment, she could not even breathe properly.

He said such a thing so shamelessly that she almost found herself accepting it without realizing.

Could he possibly have done something like this because he wanted to draw her attention?

“You certainly have a way with words. Are you even interested in the male students who approach me now?”

“I only said what I know. You don’t intend to date another man anyway.”

“What do you mean by that? What do you even know about me, President……?”

“You shoulder a heavy responsibility as Vice President. On top of that, you train without rest in order to beat me. For someone like you, romance is close to a luxury. So naturally, you wouldn’t even spare another man a glance.”

Seo Hyun-woo recited what he knew without a single lie.

He knew very well what beliefs and goals Baek Seo-yeon had.

On top of that, Baek Seo-yeon had a very clear standard when it came to her ideal type, so an ordinary man would never satisfy her.

“I…… I’m a woman too. Of course I have some interest in men…….”

“Should I try guessing your ideal type? You probably wouldn’t even try to talk to a man weaker than you. On top of that, you utterly detest men whose words and actions lack dignity and who act overbearingly. Am I wrong?”

“You speak as though you know me very well. Since when have you been so interested in me?”

Baek Seo-yeon was inwardly surprised, but she did not show it.

How did he know her so well?

They had only exchanged a few conversations recently.

And yet, he had seen straight through her thoughts and tendencies at once.

“How could I not be interested? The Vice President is my colleague, leading the Student Council together with me. On top of that, unlike the other Department Heads, you assist me by my side and divide the Student Council’s main duties with me. Am I wrong?”

“……You are not wrong.”

At that unexpected answer, Baek Seo-yeon listened to Seo Hyun-woo’s words with a rather serious face.

Has Seo Hyun-woo ever revealed his thoughts or feelings about her at all?

He probably was not saying such things as a mere joke.

“I heard a rumor that quite a few male students have been making moves on you……. I’d like to know whether that is true.”

“It is not to that extent. I only see a few of them from time to time.”

“You probably find them bothersome too. Rejecting them one by one must be irritating as well. But the story changes if I’m here. No one will be able to approach you. Not unless they look down on me.”

Seo Hyun-woo answered while pouring boiling water into a teacup with a black tea bag inside.

To be honest, he had somewhat expected that Baek Seo-yeon would become entangled because of his statement about having a girlfriend.

Of course, that was also intentional, and it was a way to block the female students who approached him.

If the rumor spread that the Vice President was his girlfriend, they would not dare ask for his contact information carelessly.

“Are you saying you did such a thing for my sake?”

“It was for my sake too. I’m sorry I didn’t ask your opinion, but I had no choice. I needed to find a situation where the rumor would spread easily. The timing happened to come before I could tell you. So I decided I would apologize later and just went ahead with it.”

Seo Hyun-woo slowly sat down on the sofa while making his words and the situation fit together plausibly.

The fact that he and Baek Seo-yeon would not get caught up in troublesome matters was only an additional reason.

In practical terms, he had merely spread the rumor himself before it was inevitably spread.

Because of that rumor, the protagonist Kang Jin-ha and Baek Seo-yeon would end up facing the first incident.

“This is a little unexpected. Quite……. Yes, I see.”

Baek Seo-yeon looked at Seo Hyun-woo’s back while sinking into thought.

From the start, she could not accept the very fact that Seo Hyun-woo had done something for her sake.

Had he not usually only carried out his work while looking down on people who lacked ability?

Perhaps it was somehow connected to the way he had been showing a changed side of himself recently.

“Do you understand now? If you’re done being angry, come have some tea. Even if you want to be angrier, I’ll accept as much as you want.”

“……Pfft.”

Baek Seo-yeon let out a small laugh and immediately sat down on the sofa.

Seo Hyun-woo sipped his tea and turned his gaze toward Baek Seo-yeon.

Baek Seo-yeon was looking at him with a strange smile.

“In that case, that must be a lie.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The part about having a girlfriend……. It is a lie, isn’t it?”

“Why are you turning my perfectly real girlfriend into someone who doesn’t exist?”

“Then you can show me a photo you took together with your girlfriend. Surely you will not say that is difficult?”

“……?”

At that unexpected response, Seo Hyun-woo was completely at a loss for words.

Of course he had no girlfriend, so there was no way he had a photo taken together with her.

On top of that, those sorts of photos were usually on one’s smartphone, so even the excuse that he had stored them somewhere else would not work.

“Ah, if you are going to say you do not have photos on your smartphone, you will have to show me something else. For example, should you not at least have a couple ring or messages exchanged with your girlfriend?”

“I don’t want to show my personal information to someone else.”

“I see. I understand. It would have been nice if your excuse were a little more convincing.”

“…….”

Baek Seo-yeon brought the teacup to her lips with a smile on her face.

No further conversation passed between the two of them.

Only the sound of them sipping tea filled the inside of the Student Council President’s office.

Knock, knock.

“Oh, the main characters of the rumor just happen to be gathered in one place. Shall I hear the answer now?”

The door to the Student Council President’s office opened as soon as the knocking sound was heard.

It was a female student with striking black hair and red eyes.

On top of that, she wore a black uniform with a gold insignia and epaulets, so it was clear that she was a Department Head.

“It does seem the President has a girlfriend. Of course, that girlfriend is not me.”

Seo Hyun-woo was puzzled by Baek Seo-yeon’s answer, but soon understood her intention.

She had clearly become certain through a few questions that he did not have a girlfriend.

But because there was a reason he had told that lie, she was deliberately going along with him.

Most of all, the rumor had already spread, so even if they revealed the truth, the students would not easily believe it.

“What? Then only the part about him having a girlfriend was true? Aww, that’s no fun. You’re not lying, are you?”

Min Ha-young, the Transformation Department Head, openly showed her disappointment and sat on the sofa across from Baek Seo-yeon.

Of course, she did not completely believe the rumor.

Her expectation of what it might be like if it were true had merely turned into disappointment.

“So Scarlet Lord was you?”

“Who else would it be? ……Ah, the President only exchanges messages with the other Department Heads by text, doesn’t he?”

“That is true.”

“How stiff……. Take this chance to try using ChocolateTalk too, President. Everyone else uses it. Why are you the only one who doesn’t?”

“Isn’t that another one of my strengths? I work well because I’m that stiff.”

At Seo Hyun-woo’s answer, Min Ha-young quickly closed her mouth and looked at Baek Seo-yeon.

Baek Seo-yeon merely sipped her tea, giving her a look that seemed to ask why she was looking at her.

“No, why are you answering like that? Normally, shouldn’t you be putting on airs and saying something like, ‘You are spouting nonsense again’?”

“I suppose it means I’ve grown that much. I intend to act modestly from now on.”

“I wondered how much the President could possibly change……. But he has gone completely insane.”

“I suppose that is a compliment. I will gratefully accept it. And as you said, I’ll try using ChocolateTalk too. Being too stiff is no fun, is it?”

“Ah, this really isn’t fun. Now I can’t mess with the President anymore, can I?”

Min Ha-young made a fed-up face and completely sank into the sofa.

The Student Council President who had been filled with venom and hostility was nowhere to be found now.

There was only a strange person who made idle jokes and showed a gentle attitude.

“Ah, is this the power of love? Your girlfriend has made you bizarre, President. Now I want to see what kind of face she has.”

“You won’t be able to see her even if you want to. She’s doing other work far away.”

“Oh, so you unexpectedly prefer older women. Is she prettier than our Vice President?”

Min Ha-young deliberately mentioned Baek Seo-yeon and gauged the two of them.

There was no way Seo Hyun-woo had anything like a girlfriend.

On top of that, if they were not able to see each other often, it made even less sense.

The Seo Hyun-woo she knew was someone who prioritized carrying out his work and maintaining his position as Student Council President above all else.

‘It’s really obvious, but unexpected. I didn’t think the two of them had been secretly dating without anyone knowing. His personality probably changed recently because of the Vice President too. He would want to look good in front of the person he loves.’

Min Ha-young thought it was strange in itself that Seo Hyun-woo had said with his own mouth that he had a girlfriend.

There was no reason for him to say something so unnecessary, and there was no way he would not know that pointless rumors would arise.

He had probably indirectly confessed his relationship with the Vice President through this opportunity.

‘They must have been an eyesore to each other. There are kids who don’t know their place and keep hitting on them. But that doesn’t mean they can openly reveal they’re dating. They both have their reputations, and the chairman or Chancellor would point it out.’

Min Ha-young looked back and forth between the two of them and smiled faintly.

What should she do with that relationship, which looked precarious yet distinct?

Watching quietly made it interesting, but secretly interfering felt as though she would only get swept into something meaningless.

‘That makes me so jealous. It makes me want to steal him away for no reason. I may not be better than the Vice President, but it’s not as if I’m lacking either.’

***

Inside Miterich’s Security Office.

Unlike usual, the Security Office was quite noisy.

Many things had changed because of the special instructions given by Miterich’s Chancellor.

Starting with the Security Office Director, most of the Security Office’s key figures had been dismissed or demoted.

Because of that, they were moving seats and receiving work handovers according to their changed positions.

“Ahem……. Section Chief Kim, could you spare a moment?”

“Yes, Chief.”

The two of them cautiously left the Security Office while watching their surroundings.

Both of them were indirectly connected to this matter, but they had not yet received disciplinary punishment.

They did not know when they might be discovered, but they needed to prepare in advance before that happened.

“The Chancellor noticed far earlier than expected. How did he know we had put a monitoring function into the Security Department’s Battle Watches?”

“Not necessarily. Three months is a fairly long time to have lasted. If it had not been for the Security Office Director, it would have been exposed quickly.”

“Once they begin a detailed investigation soon, we will be caught too. If that happens, not a single one of our people will remain in the Security Office.”

The two exchanged opinions in low voices while looking around from time to time.

It was something no one else could be allowed to hear, and their lives depended on this issue.

Even if they had to die, they absolutely could not fail their mission.

“There’s no helping it. This was something we had already expected when we proceeded. The timing merely came a little early.”

“On top of that, starting now, the Security Department will be transferred to the Student Council. If even the Security Department goes over, isn’t it truly over?”

“That may actually be a good thing. If it quietly goes over to the Student Council like this, the Security Department may not be disciplined.”

“……That is certainly a little better. As long as the Security Department Head remains, we can still extract a certain amount of information from the Security Office.”

“The bigger problem lies elsewhere. I heard that the Student Council President recently noticed one of our people. If we move wrongly here, the Student Council President may realize the Security Department Head’s identity.”