056. The Apology.
Life As It IsAfter school that day, Yongguk pulled Daehyun into the student council room and shut the door. Himchan, Youngjae, Jongup and Zelo were there. Daehyun looked around the room.
Himchan had his laptop in front of him, his notepad and pen neatly placed next to it. The others had their own notebooks and pens on the table in front of them. All of them were seated as though they were ready for a student council meeting.
“What's up?” Daehyun asked. “-there's no council meeting today, is there?”
Yongguk sighed and patted Daehyun's shoulder before walking to his seat. The older boy didn't sit down.
“Daehyun-ah, we made a deal with Kang Yujin over the results, remember?”
Daehyun's nerve twitched in annoyance at the remembrance of his loss. “Yes, of course I do..”
The others had uneasy expressions on their faces and Daehyun frowned a little.
“-what's wrong?”
“Look, Dae,” Youngjae said. “-you're still our friend. You'll always be our friend, and that's why we need to give you advice when necessary. Right?”
“Right....?” Daehyun nodded slowly.
“You made the deal. It's time you stuck to the conditions of your deal.” Zelo abruptly said.
Daehyun went through the details of his bet in his mind. His system froze when he remembered everything. Realisation spread across his face and he breathed out.
“He doesn't have to do it.” Himchan protested.
Before anyone else refuted him, Daehyun held up a hand.
“No, I have to do it.” he said.
“But-”
“-I have to, because I'm the student council president. I represent the student body and when I make a deal, I have to hold firm to it. Win or lose.” Daehyun said although he was extremely reluctant. “-if I don't do this, we'll loose our credibility.”
Yongguk gave him a sad but assuring smile and a nod. “We'll be by your side through this. Don't worry.”
“Thanks hyung.” Daehyun smiled.
“We'll all support you.” Jongup said and nudged Himchan. “-right?”
Himchan grumbled under his breath and agreed. “I hate that this is happening because of that bunch of-”
“It's happening because of me.” Daehyun interrupted. “-because I was so full of myself.”
“We make mistakes. Life moves on.” Youngjae shrugged. “-don't worry. We won't unfriend you..” he said and raised a brow as though he was contemplating it. “-or will we..?”
Daehyun raised a fist to throw a fake punch and Youngjae laughed. “Come on, you know you love us.”
“I love the five of them, but I hate you. You're welcome.” Daehyun said haughtily.
“After stepping down,” Zelo said. “-who's going to fill in? We can't run the student council without a president.”
“I suggest we have a fair vote among ourselves.” Jongup said.
Yongguk tilted his head in thought with a frown and shook his head. “I don't think that's a good idea. This involves the whole school, not just us.”
“I agree.” Daehyun said. “-the students voted us in, they should be given a chance to vote their new student council president.”
“Will we open up for new nominees?” Youngjae asked.
“That's out of the question.” Himchan said. “-it's already nearing the end of the year and there's only three more months till finals and then winter break.”
“Shall we allow them to choose among us?” Zelo asked.
“Alright,” Daehyun finally sat down in his seat. “-tomorrow, we'll have a council meeting with all the sub-council members an hour before classes start. All, being each class' representative, each assistant under each of your department and the other council heads of the sub-committees. We'll do a vote whether or not we'll get new nominees or choose from among the five of you.”
The rest of them came to an agreement.
Himchan typed up a rough minute of their short meeting and saved the document into his neatly arranged file on his desktop.
“So, you need to type out a speech and send it to me by 10 tonight so that I can proofread it and send it back to you.” he said, closing his laptop and stacking his notepad and pen on top of the device.
“I'll book the hall for the speech. What time should we do it?” Youngjae asked.
“Homeroom. First period.” Daehyun said.
“I'll post it up on the website.” Jongup noted.
“I'll contact the sub-council.” Yongguk said.
“For the last time, as the student council president, dinner is on me.” Daehyun smiled.
***
There was no less than a buzz among the JYP students as to why an emergency student council meeting, including sub-council members was held. Some noted that it was because of Daehyun's bet with Yujin, while others found it ridiculous and that Daehyun wouldn't even need to bother about such an insignificant bet.
Everything blew up even more when the speakers in every class sizzled to life and an announcement was made, calling every student to gather in the multi-purpose hall.
“So, what does the scheming vice principal has up his sleeves this time?” Namjoon asked as he lined up along with Suga, Hoseok and Jimin at the front of their class line, joining Jin who was at the back of his class line.
“I honestly can't think of anything any more.” Jin said. “-if he manages to pull anything else up, I might call fraud.”
“I think it's Daehyun this time.” Hoseok said. “-they had an emergency meeting with the student council including sub-council members.”
“You think the brat would step down?” Namjoon asked.
“Or step up his game.” Suga made a disgusted face.
“Have some faith in that kid.” Jin said as his classmates started walking. “-I'm sure he does have some sort of justice or conscience in him.”
“Ask his brother to have some faith in him.” Suga gestured towards Hoseok. “-he seems the most sceptical one here.”
“I think Jimin is worse than me.” Hoseok said. “-he hasn't spoken a word.”
“What? I have nothing to say!” Jimin protested.
They laughed as they entered the hall, taking their seats next to each other. Suga turned and saw Yujin taking her seat. She was joined by Taehyung and Jungkook shortly later, who sat on both sides of her, on the seats that had been left empty as though it had been booked. Suga almost laughed at the scene. The two boys looked like they were Yujin's bodyguards, but he'd keep that thought to himself.
“Why do you think we're here?” Taehyung asked.
“Why?” Yujin asked back. “-scared?”
Taehyung breathed out. It was impossible to hold a normal conversation with Kang Yujin without having to put up with her sharp tongue.
“It's Jung Daehyun.” Jungkook said, catching both their attention. He was looking forward. Taehyung and Yujin glanced at the stage and saw Daehyun walking up. There were no teachers, no vice principal, no headmaster either.
Just Jung Daehyun, and his student council friends who were seated at the first row.
“This is either going to cause more trouble or settle things once and for all..” Yujin mumbled, but both Taehyung and Jungkook could hear her. “-please be the latter.”
When Daehyun tested the mic for sound, the hall fell silent almost instantly. Satisfied with the silence and attention, Daehyun placed both hands beside himself and made a 90 degree bow. He stepped forward at a comfortable distance from the microphone.
“Good morning to every student seated in this hall. I am Jung Daehyun, student council president elected in January of this year.” he started confidently and unfolded his speech on the podium.
“-many, if not all of you, are aware of the circumstances that had occurred recently, whereby we had to accept a total of 97 students from BH High, which unfortunately has closed down. We were given no proper explanation by the school authorities, only citing 'BH was once part of JYP' as the reason for this transfer. It may because of the lack of understanding to these turn of events that we as original students of JYP had acted out, causing more trouble than we should.
“-as your student council president who had been elected by the majority, I admit that I had taken things into my own hands to make things difficult for those who had transferred in, seemingly barging in. I made a bet with student Kang Yujin out of my own pride and arrogance. On that day, I exchanged the following conversation with him.
“-I said, 'there will be a small test at the end of next month, like trials before the official finals at the end of the year.' and I suggested to have a bet on the results. I said, 'I'll be lenient to you. If at least half of the BH students pass all their subjects, we'll leave you alone for good, and Kang Yujin, you'll have to place in top five in your year.'”
Yujin breathed out as the whole hall listened intently to Daehyun. “He actually remembered the whole conversation?” she muttered under her breath.
“In respone to my proposal, Kang Yujin said this. 'In return, you'll stop messing with us, Kim Taehyung and every other BH student will remain in their assigned classes.' He carried on asking the consequences of us breaching the deal, to which I responded, 'I will step down from the student council if you manage to achieve the target I set.'” Daehyun said it out word for word, clearly and confidently without hesitating.
There was a small wave of hushed voices that swept across the hall before it subsided quickly.
“-'but if that doesn't happen, Kim Taehyung moves to 1-9, we have every right to mess with you guys and no one can't defend your friends, and you Kang Yujin, would have to drop out of school.' This, was what I said to Kang Yujin in our deal. Putting aside the cheating case that proved nothing but that Kang Yujin and Jeon Jungkook are really smart students, the students of BH High have achieved the target we've agreed on.”
Comments