Both of Jinsu’s parents were still in the house eating breakfast the next morning when she went downstairs to grab food on her way to school.  Her father was busy flicking through what was emails or the news on his tablet while her mother made her way delicately through a plate of Western breakfast.  As Jinsu sat down, she received a near identical but much fuller plate from Mrs Kwon.

Mouth watering at the sight of sausages and bacon, Jinsu tucked in, though she had to admit that her breakfasts from the mystery chef were marginally better.  Her mother engaged her in conversation as she ate, though most of the time when she was required to speak Jinsu’s mouth was full and she wasn’t able to.

“Jinsu, dear, I saw on the school website that some of you were attacked by a tiger,” her mother said on one of the rare occasions Jinsu actually finished her mouthful at the right time to speak.

“Mm, Jongin saved my life by throwing a branch at it,” Jinsu said.  “We had to hide up a tree.”

Her mother looked astonished for a good few seconds before directing a glare at Park Jiwoon that he didn’t see.  “I told you it would be dangerous to let children go back in time.”

“They all got back safely,” Jiwoon said in a soothing voice without looking up from his tablet.  “Was Jongin one of the boys causing you trouble, Jinsu?”

The question was so unexpected that Jinsu gaped at him like a fish out of water before she finally realised what he was talking about.  “Jongin doesn’t even go to my school.”

Her father gave no acknowledgement of this beyond a slight pause before changing a tab.

The start to school was in some ways almost as bad as the previous day.  No sooner had Jinsu set foot in school grounds than she was whisked off to the headmaster’s office.  It did at least mean she missed a chemistry class well below her standard, but it wasn’t how she’d expected Friday to start off.

It did make things marginally better that Baekhyun was already sitting in the office, though his hair was sticking up everywhere like he’d jammed his fingers in a plug socket and he looked generally harassed. The headmaster was nowhere to be seen, so when the secretary told them to sit still and behave while they waited, there was an opportunity to talk.

Baekhyun lost no time in doing so.

“Are you okay after yesterday?  You look okay.”  There was a tone of doubt in his voice and one of his hands was gripping at his hair.  Jinsu nodded before he could start pulling it out.  He examined her face as if to make sure she wasn’t lying before he dropped his hand, pulling his sleeves down to the knuckles of his thumbs.

“I feel like such a failure of a person,” he mumbled.  “But at least Minyoung and Dahee will be suspended.”  He paused.  “Hopefully expelled.”

“Why wouldn’t they automatically be?” Jinsu asked.

“Stupid stuff in the school statutes because this school is full of rich kids whose parents have way too much influence,” Baekhyun grumbled.  “No offence.”  He pulled one of his sleeves down further.  “The victim more or less has to push for criminal charges for somebody to actually be expelled because of some dumb statutes some school governors with troublesome kids in the school and way too much time on their hands put in about twelve years ago.”

Before Jinsu could respond to that, the door open and Baekhyun’s uncle came in, a sheaf of papers clutched in his hand.  It became evident pretty quickly that Baekhyun and the headmaster had continued discussing Jinsu’s predicament the previous evening (over the phone, from what Jinsu gathered), because the first salvo of questions was aimed at him rather than Jinsu.

Then came all the uncomfortable questions Jinsu didn’t really want to answer.  How long had it all be going on for?  Who were the main perpetrators?  What had they done?  Who had done what?  Why hadn’t Jinsu told anybody?  Did she have any friends she could turn to, or anybody to stick up for her?  Why hadn’t they told anybody?

Jinsu learnt pretty quickly that if she wasn’t going to answer the questions, Baekhyun would, unless he felt it genuinely too sensitive to in on the subject.

“Baekhyun,” said his uncle eventually, “could you keep quiet for a few moments?  I need to hear this from Jinsu.”

Baekhyun subsided meekly, to Jinsu’s relief, but when the questions started again, she found that she actually preferred it when he interrupted to answer for her.

The reason why Baekhyun was there became apparent a few minutes later when the headmaster asked Jinsu who the ringleader was and she hesitated before tentatively naming Do Minyoung.  She wasn’t totally sure who the head of the crew was, but most recently, Do Minyoung was the one who’d been organising the most trouble.  Assuming she was behind the snake as well as various other things.

The headmaster produced the papers he’d walked in with.

“I had an email from your father this morning,” he said, “who says he’s been in touch with your brother Jimin, who has handled most of the interaction with the school, and according to Jimin, the chief troublemaker is actually my nephew here.”

Baekhyun blanched.  “I was involved,” he said hotly, “which I can’t deny and I won’t, but I was never as bad as those girls.  The worst thing I ever did was throw a basketball at Jinsu’s locker.”

His uncle frowned at him, and Baekhyun reluctantly corrected himself.

“Well, I was sort of aiming for her head at the time and missed, but that’s still no way near as bad as what they’ve done to her.”

The headmaster turned to Jinsu for corroboration.  She could see Baekhyun fiddling nervously with his sleeve pa