Chapter 8. Ten Conditions for Becoming the Male Lead (2)

Although the class bell had rung, three students were still in the teachers’ office.

The Class 8 president, Yerim, and Eunho sat in chairs, each holding a drink given to them by the discipline teacher.

Across from them were the parents, who looked flustered as they nervously watched Yerim.

After Yerim’s declaration that she would call the police, the atmosphere in the teachers’ office had instantly turned icy.

At first, they had assumed she was just trying to intimidate them.

But unexpectedly, Yerim was a woman of action.

She had immediately picked up her phone and called the police, and before long, she had even summoned a lawyer.

A lawyer, my foot.

One of the parents scoffed at Yerim and Eunho.

That moment would soon become one of the moments they regretted.

Less than thirty minutes later, a neatly dressed lawyer appeared in the teachers’ office.

After adjusting his glasses, the lawyer handed out his business cards.

The parents’ bodies began to tremble.

“Hello. I’m the lawyer representing Mun Yerim and Bae Eunho. Let’s have a discussion.”

“Ah, we didn’t intend to make such a big deal out of this….”

The parents weren’t the only ones surprised by the sudden turn of events.

Eunho was flustered, too, and looked at Yerim sitting beside him.

Yerim confidently crossed her arms and watched the parents speaking with the lawyer.

“E-Eunho. The discipline teacher wants you to come to the teachers’ office.”

When Eunho had first been summoned to the teachers’ office, he had been certain that the teachers were calling him in because of what had happened the day before.

He figured he’d get scolded and that would be the end of it.

But the moment he arrived, his cheek had begun to sting.

“You broke my son’s nose! How dare some vulgar brat like you do this!”

One excited parent had rushed at Eunho.

Eunho looked around the teachers’ office.

Aside from the discipline teacher, most of the teachers either looked at him with pity or avoided his eyes.

Yeah. What am I even supposed to say in a place like this?

Eunho swallowed the blood pooled in his mouth and gave a hollow laugh.

He decided that it would be faster to just take the beating and get it over with.

Of course, some of the parents had crossed the line with their remarks along the way, but Eunho had even started thinking that perhaps this was a good opportunity.

If a disciplinary committee was held, he could be forcibly transferred to another school and leave for somewhere where no one knew him.

At least, that was what he had thought.

Until Yerim appeared.

Eunho, overwhelmed by complicated emotions, turned his head and looked at Yerim.

Yerim carefully took his cast-covered hand in hers.

Without looking at Eunho, she quietly murmured toward the people in front of them.

“Don’t let them intimidate you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Yerim’s words made one corner of Eunho’s heart ache.

But he didn’t want to show it, so he cleared his throat instead.

“So, to summarize…. Bae Eunho helped a student who was being extorted by students from another school, and those students swung a wooden club at Student Mun Yerim when she tried to stop them. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I checked the CCTV footage from the alley, so you can verify it right now. There’s also a record of the police report. The police officer coming over there was there at the time.”

“But she was supposedly hit by a wooden club…. Sh-She looks perfectly fine! Our son broke his nose!”

“Our son had his jaw dislocated!”

At the parents’ words, Yerim stood up.

Then she pulled Eunho to his feet.

Eunho also stood up in a daze, following Yerim, and showed everyone his injured arm.

“Our kid’s arm was hurt, too, you know? This arm was right around the same height as my head. You should be thanking him. If it weren’t for him, you would’ve been visiting your son in a detention cell right now. He saved your sons from ruining their lives, and this is how you repay him? You’re demanding compensation after he saved them!”

“Student Yerim, please calm down a little….”

“Wh-What? Compensation? How dare you speak to adults like that!”

“Adults should act like adults! Is this what you learned? You come here and hurl such awful things at a kid. What was it? ‘Vulgar’? ‘Pathetic’? Your sons are far worse!”

“What?!”

“Ma’am, let’s end this peacefully. You even struck a student. You’ve already expressed your anger enough.”

“What? Struck him~? Struck hiiim~? Hey, Bae Eunho!”

The discipline teacher was trying to stop the parent when Yerim pushed past him and looked at Eunho.

Eunho swallowed as he focused on Yerim, suddenly overwhelmed by the mature and commanding presence she was giving off.

“Did they hit you?”

Normally, he would have said that it was none of her business.

But before he knew it, Eunho nodded.

Honestly, it would have been a lie to say he wasn’t hurt by what had happened.

The moment Yerim heard that Eunho had been hit, her eyes changed.

Come to think of it, Eunho’s left cheek was slightly red.

“So you’re saying you hit him? This is really unacceptable. You people!”

“What did you say?!”

“Enough! Discuss the details with my lawyer. File a complaint against us if you want. I won’t ask for leniency!”

After Yerim’s loud declaration, the situation was finally brought under control.

In the end, the parents called their sons, who were still at school, and made them apologize to Yerim, Eunho, and the Class 8 president.

Watching the boys’ trembling heads as they bowed, Yerim and Eunho struggled to suppress their laughter.

Then, as the parents were about to leave, Yerim reached out a hand.

She slowly shook her head.

“The parents need to apologize, too.”

“Huh? Why should we?”

Looking at the shameless parents, Yerim gave them an incredulous smile.

Eunho whispered to Yerim that this was enough and that he wished she’d let it go.

But Yerim wasn’t having it.

Yerim remembered the time when she had still been Young.

The countless mouths whispering and eyes watching her when she’d said she was leaving after submitting her resignation.

“If she leaves like this, she’ll never be able to set foot in this industry again.”

“Her life is over. What does she think she’s going to do if she can’t even do this?”

“She should just ruin her own life…. Because of her stupid sense of justice, she’s going to ruin someone else’s life, too.”

The hand holding Eunho’s trembled.

Eunho noticed and looked at Yerim’s face.

She looked as though she might cry, but Yerim lifted her head proudly and spoke to the parents.

“What’s wrong with Eunho’s life? If he quits being an athlete, does that mean his life is ruined? There are so many things in the world he can do. You judged him however you wanted and hurled insults at him. You need to apologize. That’s defamation.”

“……”

“If you don’t apologize, I won’t show your sons any leniency either. Think carefully.”

“…Fine, fine! I’m sorry, student.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You need to apologize for hitting him, too!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?”

In the end, the incident concluded with the parents, who had come to make a scene, being forced to apologize themselves.

After all the parents had left the teachers’ office, the discipline teacher let out a deep sigh.

The other teachers who had been watching finally released the breaths they had been holding.

“Class has already started, so let’s get back to your classrooms first. Yerim, you did a good job.”

“Yes.”

“And you too, Eunho. Good work. Go on.”

At the discipline teacher’s words, Yerim, Eunho, and the Class 8 president left the teachers’ office.

The Class 8 president stared at Yerim with sparkling eyes, telling her how incredibly cool she’d been.

Embarrassed, Yerim twitched the corners of her mouth.

“But what’s your name? You don’t have a name tag.”

“Ah, my name is Cheol.”

“Oh, Cheol? Let’s say hi whenever we see each other from now on.”

“Yeah. I’ve got to go. Eunho, thanks again for yesterday. And you too, Yerim.”

“Sure.”

“Bye, Cheol.”

Yerim waved as Cheol walked away.

Eunho was still unable to shake off the lingering feeling left by the parents’ unexpected apologies.

And naturally, his curiosity turned toward Yerim.

Who exactly are you?

How could she summon a lawyer so quickly?

How could she be so confident?

Why was she getting angry on his behalf as though it were her own problem?

Before Yerim went up the stairs, she lightly smacked Eunho on the back.

“You worked hard. It must have really upset you, right? That’s how rumors are. Don’t worry about things like that.”

“……”

“And Eunho. Actually, this turned out for the better. The other students will have a chance to see you differently because of what happened today….”

“Why do you go this far for me?”

“…Huh?”

“You keep saying things about being the main character and whatever. I don’t even understand what you’re talking about, but do you really think I can become something like that? I told you. I don’t have judo or anything anymore. If you’re really staying by my side because of some long-term investment….”

“The long-term investment thing was a joke.”

Yerim paused.

“But Eunho, you’re asking about something so pointless. Why do I go this far for you? Obviously!”

Because you’re my favorite!

Yerim swallowed the words she wanted to say and looked away.

Then she turned back toward Eunho.

“Because you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Eunho blinked at Yerim’s words.

“No one has the right to insult you. You should treasure yourself. If you don’t value yourself, other people will notice it immediately.”

“You need to have something worth valuing first. Right now, I’m just… a useless person who can’t do anything.”

“Hey, you’re going to hurt this fan’s feelings.”

“Fan?”

“I told you. I’m your fan.”

“……”

“Whether you do judo or don’t do judo. Once you’re a fan, you’re a fan forever.”

At Yerim’s bright smile, Eunho swallowed.

A breeze blew through the open hallway window.

It was one of those spring days when the chill of March had finally disappeared.