Ji-won looked at her indifferently.
“Where is it? Show me.”
Shen Huiling immediately shoved her phone into Ji-won’s hands.
“Here. Check it out.”
A video was playing on the screen.
Ji-won watched without saying a word.
There she was, standing in the middle of the school grounds, surrounded by several boys.
Then the fight began.
One boy went down.
Then another.
The video ended.
Ji-won blinked once before looking up.
“Who recorded this?”
Shen Huiling stared at her in disbelief.
“That’s what you’re worried about?”
Ji-won said nothing.
She simply replayed the video, this time watching more carefully.
The camera angle.
The position.
The exact moment the recording started.
Her eyes narrowed.
The video had begun just before the fight.
Everything that had happened before it was missing.
Whoever had recorded it had captured exactly the part that made her look like the aggressor.
“Hmm…” Ji-won murmured.
“At least the angle isn’t bad. It clearly shows my fighting skills.”
Huiling’s expression twisted.
“That is not the point!”
She snatched the phone back slightly before Ji-won could replay it again.
“Kang Ji-won, you could get expelled!”
Ji-won finally looked at her.
“Oh.”
She paused.
“Right.”
Huiling stared at her.
Finally.
She was taking it seriously.
“Some students are already saying you should be kicked out for bullying,” Huiling explained.
“But not everyone thinks that way.”
Ji-won took the phone again and scrolled through the comments.
KANG JI-WON—GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR SCHOOL!
Are you guys sure that’s Kang Ji-won from Class 4?
She’s actually a really good fighter.
OMG!
Someone get that girl for me.
I need her as my kung fu master.
Kang Ji-won is such a bully.
Then another comment caught her attention.
Don’t judge too quickly.
If you look closely, this clearly isn’t the full video.
Ji-won’s thumb stopped.
She stared at the comment for a moment.
Someone had noticed.
Interesting.
Before she could open the replies, Huiling snatched the phone from her hands and locked the screen. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Enough.”
Ji-won didn’t protest.
Her attention had already shifted from the comments to the person who had uploaded the video.
Someone had deliberately recorded the fight and uploaded only part of it.
Whether it was simple gossip or something more deliberate, she couldn’t tell yet.
“You don’t have to worry about this anymore,” Ji-won said.
Huiling frowned.
“What are you going to do?”
“Don’t bother about it. I’ll handle it.”
Ji-won handed the phone back before grabbing Huiling’s arm.
“But first, let’s get to class.”
The moment they stepped into the classroom, the conversations around them died down.
Several students turned to look at them before the whispers started again.
“She actually came?”
“Maybe she doesn’t know she’s getting expelled.”
“She really beat up all those boys?”
“She’s crazy.”
Ji-won continued walking as though she hadn’t heard a word.
She had almost reached her seat when someone laughed.
“Maybe she came to enjoy her last day.”
Ji-won stopped.
She slowly turned toward the class.
“Will you all just keep quiet?”
Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but the authority behind it was enough to silence the room.
The students who had been whispering moments ago quickly turned back toward their desks.
Shen Huiling stared at them in disbelief.
Was this really the same class that had tormented them since the beginning?
She looked at Ji-won and suddenly understood something.
For so long, she had stayed quiet whenever people picked on her.
Maybe that was why they had never stopped.
If you keep showing weakness, people will keep taking advantage of you.
Huiling straightened her back and took a small step forward.
“Whatever you saw on the Internet isn’t true,” she said firmly.
“By the end of today, the truth will be revealed.”
Those were Ji-won’s exact words from their walk to class.
Huiling wasn’t completely sure whether things would really turn out that way, but she trusted her friend.
She waited for someone to interrupt.
No one did.
A small smile appeared on her face.
For once, nobody laughed at her or talked over her.
Huiling walked to her seat with her head held high.
Ji-won followed, but as she sat down, her eyes immediately landed on one particular seat.
Lin Li’s.
Empty.
Ji-won’s fingers paused on the textbook she had taken from her bag.
Where is she?
“Kang Ji-won, please come out here. I need to see you.”
Yoon Soo-ah’s voice came from outside the classroom.
Every head turned toward Ji-won.
She looked up from her book and found Yoon Soo-ah standing at the doorway, with Zhang Ran beside her.
“The head teacher is calling for you.”
Ji-won slowly closed her book and looked at Zhang Ran.
The helpless expression on his face told her enough.
She stood.
“Yes, ma’am?”
Yoon Soo-ah gave her a brief look.
“Your attention is needed at the principal’s office.”
She turned and walked away without saying anything else.
Ji-won watched her for a moment before glancing at Zhang Ran.
He gave her a small, helpless smile.
“Things might be more troublesome than they should be.”
Ji-won raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“I don’t know exactly what they’re planning,” Zhang Ran admitted, scratching the back of his head.
“But considering what happened yesterday, the principal probably wants an explanation.”
Ji-won shrugged.
“Then I’ll give him one.”
She turned toward Huiling and held out her textbook.
“Can you keep this for me?”
Huiling took it, but her worried expression didn’t disappear.
“Ji-won…”
“Don’t worry.”
Ji-won gave her a reassuring smile.
“I’ll be fine.”
She followed Yoon Soo-ah out of the classroom.
As she stepped into the hallway, she glanced back one last time.
Lin Li’s seat was still empty.
Ji-won’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Someone is behind this.
And she already had a pretty good idea who.
The principal’s office was quiet when they arrived.
Yoon Soo-ah opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Ji-won and Zhang Ran.
The principal was sitting behind his desk with his phone pressed against his ear.
Unlike the tense atmosphere outside, he looked unusually cheerful.
“Yes, yes. Don’t worry about that,” he said with a smile.
“Of course. I’ll take care of it.”
Ji-won slowed slightly as she watched him.
What’s he so happy about?
The principal finally noticed them standing at the door, but his smile didn’t disappear.
“Ah, they’re here.”
He listened for a few more seconds before ending the call.
After placing the phone on his desk, he leaned back in his chair.
The cheerful expression slowly disappeared from his face.
His eyes settled directly on Ji-won.
“Kang Ji-won.”
Ji-won stepped forward.
“Yes, sir?”
The principal pointed toward the door.
“Come in and close the door.”
Things are getting a little more complicated for Ji-won.
The video is clearly missing something, Lin Li is nowhere to be found, and now Ji-won has been called to the principal’s office.
But the real question is… who is behind all of this?
Keep reading.
Things are about to get interesting.