Chapter Text
“So, obviously - we know why we’re all here.” The Director says, hands on her lap. She leans back in her chair, authoritative as she regards her star pupils of Class 2A-1 and Class 2A-2, respectively.
One of her secretaries enters, towels in hand, which he offers separately to Ryeon and Joong-gil. They both - rather defeated, the fight left in their eyes - take the towels with a small bow, in thanks.
“Your housekeeper will be coming by with a dry uniform soon, Ms. Koo.”
“Gop-dan? Oh God, she’s going to kill me.”
“And your mother, Mr. Park,” the secretary says as he turns to Joong-gil, offers him another towel as he’s more wet than Ryeon. “We didn’t call her - but somehow she found out about….the events, and is coming down.”
“Oh, God, ” Ryeon collapses over the couch, a wet squish on the plastic covering they put over the upholstery, “ she’s going to kill me.”
Well, the Director is certainly glad to have it validated - she knows her niece very well.
“This is what I’m saying,” Joong-gil smoothly says, looking down at her. She glares up at him, her head at his thigh. He pats the towel over his sleeves. He’s sitting there, prim, not at all bothered at how absolutely soaked he is. “I told you I had the situation handled.”
“Yeah, sure. Except - I’m the one who typically takes care of things.”
"Co-captain, remember? We share the responsibilities.”
“Besides that,” Hwa-sa says, “Ryeon-ah. You went into the boy’s showers?”
“A student was being bullied. What, was I supposed to just stand by and let that happen? You know me better than that, Au- I mean, Director."
It's an open-secret to those, at least in this room, that they're related. Outside of that, however, it's a fairly heavily lidded secret - that the Director was her mother's half-sister. Just for the potential nepotism of it all. Ryeon's more than earned her place as top of her class - her grades are a reflection of her hard work, more than the blood and the half-legacy of the Ryus in her veins.
"Everyone was dressed - I made sure of it. Ryung-gu confirmed for me," at which, he nods eagerly, standing to the side of the room. "Besides, it’s not as if I care.”
“You really, really should.” Joong-gil mutters, plops one of his unused towels onto Ryeon’s face. She screeches, sits back up, and it’s another of the Director's secretaries that is forced to sit in between them before Ryeon reaches over and does something to him.
“So,” the Director waves a hand between them, “this occurred. Somehow.”
“They got into a fight, of sorts.” Cho-hui offers, from her own place, next to Ryung-gu.
“Yet somehow….” Again, she looks at their present drenched state in not so much confusion, as amazement at to how her niece got into this situation. She certainly has heard and seen these two in action, as it were - but she hadn’t quite fathomed it could be to this extent.
“Things…got out of hand.” Ryung-gu adds.
Jun-woong chimes in, small in his voice, “It was me. Sorry. I was the one being bullied”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, you idiot! But that’s why I went in,” Ryeon explains, “because it’s not like I could trust Mr. Snobby Elitist over there to help out Jun-woong.”
“OK," Joong-gil says, finally fed up, "First of all, we were kids. And I was stupid, not in the greatest mood because oh- That’s right - you almost shot me with an arrow and I got a sprained ankle, which could have cost me and my Team the preliminaries-"
"Which we won, but not because of your ankle, I stand by that. We were just, by far, better."
"-And the instructor’s son caught me at a really bad moment. I'm choosing to be the better person here and ignore that falsity.”
“Better person! Hah! What about when you wouldn’t take his icepack because you literally said he was dirty.”
“If you had stuck around that day - you would have known I apologized to him. Also, I had to say something to him, before my Mom came around—”
“In any case,” the Director sighs, “you two need to figure this out, and how to cooperate with each other without things getting out of hand. I’m banning you from archery activities until you do.”
"Wait-”
“How is that fair?!" Ryeon jumps from the couch, squeaking against that plastic as she does so. The secretary that was sitting in between them, also hurriedly gets on her feet, with her own squeak. Ryeon puts her hands on her hips, regarding the Director, "Who’s going to lead club activities, exactly?”
"One of the third years. The one that would have been captain had they not recognized you were better suited."
Joong-gil adds in, "And who is currently trying to focus on exams, and not having to manage the hoobae that marched in the middle of him trying to get his pants on."
The Director sighs, her hand at her forehead, shaking her head, "Ryeon-ah...."
“Oh my god, let it go," Ryeon looks down at Joong-gil, glaring again. Then points at Ryung-gu, looking back at her aunt.
"Let Ryung-gu take over. The third years have to focus on their college exams as so helpfully pointed out by Mr. Park Joong-gil here."
"Co-captain Park Joong-gil."
"I am going to-" Ryeon sits down, reaching for him, before the secretary again sits right back down to block her.
Ryung-gu raises his hand slowly, “I’m afraid that I have my mother to help out - since she's in her third trimester. She's due, around the deadline for her fashion line, remember?”
Ryeon groans, glares at him too - communicating with her eyes that was the point. She could still backseat drive because of that. He could go be with his mom all he wanted! What is the point of childhood friends, if not for the faux-telepathy that’s supposed to come with it!
She looks then, plaintively, desperately, at Cho-hui.
Who does have that faux-telepathy, but also, she shakes her head, “I’ve got my activities, remember? I have shoots coming up, rehearsals. There’s no way I can do both, sorry Ryeon-ah,” she tries at cute - her tongue sticking out. Ryeon begrudgingly does forgive her because she does want her to succeed after all as a singer/actress.
“Looks like you two are just going to have to figure this out, if you want to do archery this year.” The Director simply smiles at them.
“Child, I just don’t understand,” Gop-dan says as she holds out the dry uniform for her to change into.
“What’s hard to get. I heard some kids were bullying Jun-woong in the locker room, all because he’s a scholarship kid - as if it’s his fault that his mom is a hard-working, single mother of two kids. Annoying,” she sighs as the wet cling of the clothes is replaced by the freshly laundered, “Thanks, Gop-dan. Anyway, and I went to go rescue him.”
“Into the boy’s locker room?! Miss!”
“Oh please. I barely saw anything. Aren’t you the one who said I should celebrate the human body or whatever? And mom - telling me, we are all the same?”
“That was when you were little, child, and when you wouldn’t take a shower because you were shy and embarrassed. And yes - we are all the same, but context, is also important.”
“OK,” Ryeon turns to Cho-hui deliberately, pointer finger out, “that does not leave this room, do you understand?”
Cho-hui smirks, playfully salutes, which Ryeon throws a damp towel at her.
“And then? What happened, miss?”
“Oh. Yeah. So, I went in, and Park Joong-gil was already there. What a surprise, right? And then one of them was being particularly an ass to me and Jun-woong, so I took one of the shower faucets and–”
“Miss, you didn’t-”
“-another one of them took their own shower faucet, and Joong-gil got in the fray, somehow.”
“More like he tried to defuse the situation, and took the hit for you.” Cho-hui says, exchanging a look with Gop-dap - unnoticed by Ryeon as she brushes out her redpink hair with her painted nails.
Jumadeung in the last two decades has become one of the rare schools - far more liberal in contrast to other schools: from allowing colored hair; painted nails; piercings; and a dedication to developing a scholarship program, allowing access to the non-elite based on merit.
The school was thriving before the Director’s reign. Arguably, it still is - depending on who you ask. It's lauded for its progressiveness - articles, news media. While in other corners of the elite society hold the more prevalent opinion - that it’s only declined, what with this effort at mixing socioeconomic classes. Yet because of its longstanding reputation, and family tradition - parents still send their children there, to be accepted only after an arduous application.
“He was trying to avoid it, more likely. He can’t risk ruining his precious rich shoes-”
“He wasn’t wearing any. Actually, I have never seen anyone change into clothes as quickly as he did, the moment you came in. Comical. Shame you missed it.”
“-and his precious rich hair. Except he clearly missed his chance, and got wet anyway. I bet he’s going to make me pay for the laundry. Keep an eye out for it, will you, Gop-dan?”
“He really didn’t look fazed, at all, Ryeon-ah. Least of his worries.”
“You did not see how pissed he looked, when he looked at me. I mean, sure, I get it - it’s my fault, again, he got involved in another Koo Ryeon situation. But I would have had the situation handled had he not gotten involved.”
Gop-dan just sighs, “I just don’t get you two. It's just amazing, considering how your families have been connected, in some ways, even before you two were born. I mean, your mother and Mr. Park were very good friends - they grew up as classmates, after all - and stayed friends."
Well, up until she married Koo Min-ki, and then was effectively stigmatized for marrying out of her class.
"And once your father's business became more recognized - Mr. Song and your father got along, when Mr. Song used to work for Mr. Park. So, I simply just don't get it.”
“Trust me, I don’t understand Park Joong-gil either.”
Gop-dan puts the wet clothes in the bag that Cho-hui is holding out, to help out.
“Well, your father and Mr. Song get along, like I said. I just hope you two not getting along doesn’t affect their friendship. It’s nice, your father having a friend now. You know he hasn’t had very many, over the years. Or at least, those that are sincere, that he can trust.”
Ryeon frowns at that - realizing that very thing. She feels properly checked.
“I make no promises, but I’ll try to keep things….civil.”
Cho-hui, meanwhile, is at her phone:
Cho-hui: Hey. She says she's gonna try to be civil with PJG
Ryung-gu: 🤔
Jun-woong: 😂
Jun-woong: TBH - he WAS trying to help me out before she came
Jun-woong: Don't get me wrong I'm thankful that she came to help me out
Jun-woong: Don't tell her that
Jun-woong: But he was laying down the law with them
Jun-woong: It was a little weird
Jun-woong: Since she's told me he's kind of a snob ? ? ?
Cho-hui: Let's just say this
Ryung-gu: Ryeon's not exactly the most reliable narrator
Cho-hui: Or aware/observant when it comes to PJG
Ryung-gu: ^^^
Cho-hui: Anyway
Cho-hui: Who wants to make bets how long this could last
Jun-woong: Give me time i have to take from my sister's allowance i used mine all last weekend when we went out
Ryung-gu: I'm learning much from you, my friend, on how to treat their little sister