expulsion
PARADOXthe following day was the appointed day with the board to give out their decision.
irene's driver picked the two of you from your apartment. she held your hand as you drove to school.
she didn't let go of your hand as you walk from the parking lot to the principal's office. students are staring while you walk. seeing the two of you walking together hand in hand just confirmed the rumour about you and her being together.
but you couldn't care less.
there are bigger matters you need to be concerned of now, rather these people whose got nothing to do in your relationship with irene.
hyojung, byulyi, and yongsun are already waiting in the reception area when you arrived, along with hyojung and byulyi's guardians. you waited for about ten minutes before the principal invited you to her office.
your party was seated on the right side of the principal while simon, jinhwan, and jimin were on the other side.
"so," the principal started, opening the folder in front of her, "I don't want to make this long. you all knew what you've violated, right?"
you all nodded. jimin is smiling wryly.
"and we are all aware that no one is exempted from the rule?" asked the principal.
"yes," you said in unison.
"good. i'll go through this quickly." the principal flipped the pages of the paper in front of her and started to read. "last week, hyojung filed a complaint against you simon, jinhwan, and jimin for threatening her, seulgi, and byulyi about getting kicked out of this school. this was followed by a complaint from miss bae--irene's mom--regarding the injuries seulgi and byulyi had caused by simon and jinhwan..."
you looked at irene who hushed you by placing a hand on your thigh.
"... however, these complaints were voided by the board."
"what!" exclaimed byulyi. "how can that be!"
"but we sent you the medical certificate to support our statement," said yongsun.
everyone started talking. hyojung looked like she's about to cry. irene is just silent, her calm facade on.
simon, jinhwan, and jimin were already grinning ear-to-ear.
"can we please all calm down? i'm not done talking yet," said the principal.
everyone shut up but you can hear small noises of dissent on your side of the room.
the principal opened up another folder. "your complaints were deemed void because simon and jinhwan here have an existing case with the illegal drug usage here in school that irene here reported previously. the others, such as irene, yongsun, and jimin, were given minor sanctions as they were in the scene too although they never used the said drugs. but the decision for simon and jinhwan's case is immediate expulsion."
"what!" simon exclaimed, surprised. it's just now you realised that two of his front teeth are now missing. "but that one is already over!"
"who said it's over?" asked the principal. "you never came to the meetings whenever we summon you, correct?"
simon turned to jimin who looked like she wasn't expecting to hear this too. "i thought you already handled this?" he asked her.
"who will handle it, her dad?" asked the principal. "apparently, her dad's words to me when the complaint came is to 'implement the necessary punishment' and 'my daughter is no exemption to the rule'."
jimin brought a hand to , her eyes widened.
"and as for you simon and jinhwan, who were very uncooperative in bringing your parents here, we already sent them letters about your expulsion," said the principal. "i assume they've already received it by this time."
out of the blue, jinhwan cried. jimin cried along with him.
simon, who's almost defeated, suddenly came up with an idea. "but those two!" he pointed at you and byulyi. "they should be expelled too, right? they fought us with their kung fu!"
"but we had to defend ourselves!" said byulyi. "we should have been dead by now if we didn't!"
"the rule is absolute. it doesn't matter if you defended yourself or not, but you can't use your skills against any students in the school..." said the principal.
feeling disappointed, you looked down at the floor, anticipating the announcement of your expulsion.
"... however, you and seulgi didn't violate any rule."
that made you look up. "h-how?"
"as you know, the rule only applies to the students here," said the principal, smiling humourlessly. "like what i've said earlier, simon and jinhwan were already expelled for bringing, selling, and using illegal drugs here in school. it was effective thursday last week, the day before the fun run. that's the same reason why the filed complaints were considered void because these two are technically not part of the school anymore."
your faces lit up upon hearing that. you and byulyi grinned at each other. hyojung let out a small squeal due to happiness.
"this can't be! you can't expel us!" roared simon. "you never gave us the chance to defend ourselves about byungho's case!"
"careful with your tone there, boy, or i'll ask the guards to you out," warned the principal. "first of all, i was not the one you expelled you. it was a mutual decision from the board after reviewing the case. second, i've already told you, we never missed to let you know about the hearings but you never showed up. third, byulyi's parents already filed a case against you and jinhwan. prepare yourselves as the evidence is strong."
"this can't be happening!" simon brushed his hands all over his face. jinhwan and jimin were crying like kids now.
"and as for you jimin, you'll be suspended for another week and should attend detention for a month," added the principal. "all approved by your dad."
simon, jinhwan, and jimin walked out from there without looking at you right after the meeting. the principal assured the parents in the room that what happened is an isolated case.
you all thanked her and left the place happily.
---
"so, you're seulgi? it's nice to meet you."
you gulped but still shake hands with the older woman in front of you. "it's nice to finally meet you, miss bae."
after the good news, irene invited (forced) you to go to their house for a little celebration. the invitation came from her mom who's now itching to meet you in person.
you were tensed the whole drive, not knowing how to act in front of your girlfriend's mom. but the moment you saw the older woman, all your apprehension faded.
compared to irene who's got a resting--face as her normal facade, her mom's features--although there's a lot of resemblance with irene--is much softer and kinder. you instantly felt at ease when she smiled at you.
"just call me yejin," she said, shaking your hand back. "i've heard a lot of things--good things--about you."
"uh... thank you for inviting me here..." you bowed.
"no. it's my pleasure to have you here," said yejin. "has my daughter told you yet why you're here?"
you looked at irene who's smiling at you. "she hasn't. she's been very secretive, in fact," you said.
yejin smiled, a sweet one. "she always has been, isn't she?" she glanced at her daughter and went back to you. "anyway, i just want to personally thank you for influencing my daughter to be a better person."
that made you blush. "that wasn't intentional--"
"i know. but still, thank you. thank you for the inspiration. and thank you for loving her."
you are sure you're red as a tomato now. "y-you're welcome."
"i know getting you out of trouble with the board won't equate to what you've done for my daughter, for me, but i hope that saved you from your worries," said yejin.
you looked at irene's mom, confusion evident on your face. "you..."
"oh. you didn't tell her?" yejin asked irene. "aish. you kid." she turned to you, smiling again. "well, i don't own any stocks in your university so i cannot influence the board. but jimin's dad still works for me and owes my company big time. since he happens to have the majority of the shares of the school, i told him to do what is right. otherwise, i'll pull irene out of that school and will not hesitate to give a negative review for their injustice."
your jaw fell. so, that's the reason irene seemed calmed all this time.
"i also called your parents and introduced myself as the mother of your girlfriend," added yejin. "they seemed surprised at first but they took it positively. i gave them an assurance that i've handled the issue well and that your studies won't be affected. i even promised them to keep an eye on you."
"t-thank you..." you bowed again. you haven't told your parents about your preference but since you haven't received a call from them, you assume they took it well.
"hey. stop with too much formality." yejin taps you. "i want you to be comfortable around me, okay?"
you nodded. "i... i will..."
yejin chuckled. "i guess i'll leave you, kids, for now. i'll be in my office." she excused herself and went upstairs.
"she's so cool," you whispered at you watch the older woman ascend. "and so pretty."
"of course! she's my mom after all." said irene.
you stared at the retreating figure one more time, finding it cute how irene and yejin resembles a lot.
"yeah, you're her daughter after all."
---
"i think... i think simon is just a lost soul..." said irene. you are having a pillow talk on her bed.
your eyes shifted from the ceiling to irene. thinking that she was just kidding, you waited for her to finish the joke. however, the silence on her end told you she's serious.
"do you feel sorry for him?" you asked.
"honestly, i do." irene rolled onto her front and raised herself onto her elbows. "i can't blame people for thinking he's the villain here, that's pretty much obvious why. however, i just wish they would at least try to understand first why he's acting like that before they jump to conclusions."
"what do you mean?"
irene looked hesitant. "honestly, i'm not sure if this will make sense to you..."
"try me then." you gave her an assuring smile.
irene looked at you for a few seconds, sensing if you're serious or not. "well, i just think he's being misunderstood by people."
you tried your best not to crease your forehead. "misunderstood in what way?"
"misunderstood like... like not trying to know the real him behind that facade he's showing..."
you blinked at her, still clueless of where she's going.
"you see, it may not seem like it but simon is also another victim here--a victim of the world," she said. "i feel sorry for him because he's being punished for the things he did--which is all his fault, yes--however, on his head, in his own judgement, he hasn't done anything wrong. he did those things because that's what felt right for him. and the people are judging him based on their own perspective, without trying to understand why he's doing those things in the first place."
you were amazed at how irene sees simon's situation. you finally understood the reason why out of his many friends he only listens to her.
"if we're going to trace it back to his behaviour, his upbringing tells a lot why he's acting like that," irene continued, not having a single idea what's going on your mind. "simon was conceived out of an extra-marital affair. nobody was willing to take him in. his mom's family doesn't want the 'mistake' to live with them. his dad's family is unaware of his existence up until now. he grew up with his maternal grandparents with both his folks trying to make it up to him by giving all the support and the things he wanted."
"wow. that's... that's tough..." you said, not sure what to feel yet.
"yeah..." irene nodded. "the cliché story of a rich brat who got all he wanted but never the love and attention of his parents."
"sounds a bit like you if you ask me."
"somehow, yeah." irene smiles. "but his situation is worse than mine because he's unconsciously longing for a family, a real family. my mom was there for me. i was just being bratty and all. and as for simon, i believe that's the reason he's so eager to get attention from people because he wants to feel he's important too."
"now i know why he's so mad at me," you whispered, pausing to look at irene. "i took away the only person who treated him as family."
"it's not your fault. i was never in love with him and he's completely aware of that. he knows i tried but it's not something i can force upon myself. even so, the care i showed him was genuine. i never faked my emotions when it comes to him because i understand him deeply."
"maybe your effort for trying gave him hope?"
"which apparently lead to more frustrations..." irene shakes her head and sighs. "i know things between you and him didn't go well. i honestly hated him for what he did to you. but, i don't know, i feel like filing a case against them is too much. am i insane?"
"no," you said hurriedly. "we can't blame byulyi's parents for bringing that up; they are lawyers. fighting for our rights is what they're good at. and you, you're feeling that way because you're looking at it in a different perspective. i guess that's what majoring psychology has done to you, huh?"
"maybe," said irene, jutting her lower lip out. "i swear i'd kill simon myself if something bad happened to you. but with the situation now, i don't feel like blaming him for everything. it's pissing me off, you know. i should be mad at him like the others."
"hey, relax..." you said, combing her hair with your fingers down her back. "you're feeling that way because you understood where he came from. you were sort of in the same situation like him before right?"
"i guess you're right. so, birds of the same feather, huh?
"you know that's not what i meant..."
irene chuckled. "but you have to admit that it's true, right?"
you shrugged at her. "maybe. at some point."
"there's truth in it, seulgi," she said seriously. "during the course of my high school, there were times when i thought of changing my path. i wanted to do something better for myself. the problem is the people around me had already branded me with this stereotype image, making me feel like no one's willing to help. and even if i do something good or different, they'll still see me as this hopeless teenager who'll go to prison someday, or will do drugs eventually, or become a teen mom. you name it."
"and all this time i thought you're the type of person who doesn't give a damn about what other sees you as," you told her.
"well, in this stage of my life now, yes, i can definitely say that i don't give a about others opinion of me. however, it was different when i was younger. i wanted people to understand me and not judge me. sadly, nobody did. almost everyone in school, even my teachers, kept telling me what my future will be like they are some kind of god. i hated it."
you smiled at the sight of irene looking irritated. "didn't you have a fresh start during college?"
"that's what i hoped for," she said quickly. "but i couldn't escape my own shadow because some of the students here knew me way back in high school. it was tough because people always see me as the one who's doing the bullying. no one could guess that it was actually me who's being bullied by the society, by the norm, by the people who keep on judging because of the little knowledge they know about me."
you smiled as you her side. it's making sense to you now. "i see. just like simon, hmm?"
irene nodded slowly. "when i met jinhwan, jimin, and simon, i felt belong right away. for the first time since i entered college, i finally found people who don't see me as trouble. they may not seem like a good set of friends but at least they don't judge me like what other 'normal' people do. you can't blame me for hanging out with them, can you?"
understanding what she meant, you nodded. "what about yongsun, sooyoung, and yerim?"
"yongsun has been my friend since we were fetuses. there's no doubt she'll be there for me whatever the situation is--good or bad, it doesn't matter. sooyoung and yerim, on the other hand, are my sort of balances between the dark side and the light."
"a what?" you asked, laughing this time.
irene laughed at your reaction. "it all started when we became group buddies. it was easy to get fond of sooyoung and yerim because they always see the good side in people--in me. they are not like the others who are pretending to be kind. and even though i hang out with jimin a lot, i knew i won't get carried away that far because sooyoung and yerim are there to nudge me back to the right path."
"but they hang out with jimin too, right?"
"they were trying because i asked them to," answered irene. "i was hoping they'll have the same effect on jimin like what happened to me. obviously, it didn't work as i've expected. even so, i was enjoying being 'in-between' that time: all out and carefree with jimin while on the other hand trying to be a good student with sooyoung and yerim. i never had a clear idea of which path i should really take. it just all dawned on me when you came into the picture."
"oh. c'mon. stop putting me on a pedestal," you said, cringing. "you know i'm not a perfect student."
"i never said you were a perfect student," she said, smiling at your embarrassment. "but i won't deny that you inspired me to change."
your face feels warm so you pretend to rub your eyes with your hand. "how did it start again?"
"hmm. let's see..." irene looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall how it happened. "i think it started after our preliminary examination in college algebra when we were freshmen. remember you got the highest score? i started noticing you after that."
"the preliminary was three months after the classes started, right?" you were counting on your fingers. "were you aware that i'm your classmate even before that?"
"of course!" irene chuckled. "i already told you it's not hard to notice you. in fact, like all the other girls in school, i find you attractive. it was just a simple crush though. i've no plans of going serious because i know you'll never notice me. but yeah, after the exam results i started getting more curious about you. i knew you were in the aikido club and i was just amazed how you can still be on top of the class even with that commitment."
"so it was after the preliminaries, huh? for me, i've been noticing you since day one," you admitted. "i just didn't think you'd like girls because you always change boyfriends."
irene brushed her hand through her hair, smiling. "yeah. i was sort of experimenting at that time. did that turn you off?"
"a bit," you said. "for a pretty face like you, i just wished you'd be pickier."
"i don't know what's going on my mind that time," said irene, scrunching up her face. "but in my defence, although some of them became my boyfriend for few days or weeks, it was just pure flirting and dating, nothing sensual happening."
"you know i wouldn't mind if you'll just tell me the truth."
"i'm serious!" irene playfully slapped your arm. "i was hanging out with boys but i never let them touch me."
"if you say so." you shrugged. "anyway, it doesn't matter because even you have that image in my mind that didn't stop me from falling from you, right?"
it was irene's turn to blush. "so, what did i do to you?"
"i don't know," you said, reaching for her hand. "i don't even know how it started. i just woke up one day realising how i always look forward to my classes with you. i also feel extremely pleased each time i see you walk into the classroom. you're just so pretty and elegant looking. those boys are so lucky to get a chance to date to you..."
irene smiled sweetly at that. "you could've just asked me out."
"i can't. aside from the fact that i don't think you're into girls, who am i to ask someone like you out? i don't even have the budget to take you on a date."
"i'm not looking for a date in a fancy restaurant. i'm not that kind of girl. believe me, seulgi, i'd fly to the moon and back if you're the one who'd ask me out."
"awe. that's so sweet of you." you looked at irene adoringly. then suddenly, a question popped into your head. "hey, how come simon knows your feelings for me?"
irene took a deep breath in, trying to remember. "if i recall it correctly, i think he got the idea when we played spin the bottle and truth and dare in his house during one of our drinking sessions. we weren't together that time yet but he was sort of courting me. jinhwan asked if there is someone in school i like. i mentioned your name in a casual way so they wouldn't think it's serious. yongsun supported my statement by saying that she thinks you're cute as well.
"i thought they'll let it pass but simon didn't forget about that," irene continued. "after few days he came to me and asked what i liked about you. he kept on doing that for days. and i, feeling happy to be able to talk about you, wasn't aware i'm already exposing myself. in the end, he concluded the simple crush i have towards you is way deeper than what i've been claiming."
you nodded, eyes far away, remembering the times when you usually caught simon glaring at you for no reasons at all.
your musing was disturbed when irene moved. she positioned herself on top of you and settled her head in the crook of your neck.
"you know what," irene started in her somewhat baby voice. "before all of these happened, i was starting to get worried about the next school year..."
"why?" you asked, wrapping her in your arms.
"we're going to be third-year next term, which means there will be no common minor subjects i can take with your section. i was worried i'll never be able to see you in class again."
"well, the college of architechture is always open for shifters," you joshed.
irene's shoulders moved in rhythm with her laugh. she raised her head to look down at you. "to be honest, i once considered it but i realised i won't be able to catch up."
"are you serious?" you laughed. "you don't need to shift. i think you're perfect for psychology. plus, you don't need to worry anymore since we're finally together now, right? we'll find time to see each other no matter what."
"yeah. finally together, after two long years..."
"i'm sorry for making you wait," you said, touching her cheek.
"it's all right. you were worth it."
before you could respond to her, irene's phone alarmed.
"oops! that's my reminder for your antibiotics," said irene, standing up from the bed.
you covered your eyes with a hand. "ugh. not the nasty meds again."
"don't be a kid, seulgi, okay?" said irene, preparing the set of pills for you. "don't make it hard for me this time."
"yes, mommy..." you said lazily.
"i'll just go out to get water for you, okay?"
"yup. take your time."
irene went out chuckling and you were left in the room in the same position, staring at the open door with a huge smile on your face.
you still couldn't believe she's all yours now.
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