Chapter Text
Turning Tables
Min Jin-ae carried her tray over to her favorite table by the windows overlooking the football fields, where some fellow students were sitting. She’d skipped class this morning, having felt too tired to face the world after yet another sleepless night thanks to the uncomfortable heat Hyosan had been having lately. With her mother away at a political conference in Daegu, and only the easily intimidated housekeeper to keep an eye on her, Jin-ae was otherwise thoroughly enjoying her limited freedom. The only fly in the ointment was Hyeon-ju not being here to dance attendance upon her, irritating Jin-ae, who needed Hyeon-ju there to carry her bag and compliment her.
The light by the large windows was perfect for selfies, making Jin-ae look soft and ethereal. In class, the teachers pretended not to see she had her phone out, nobody daring to confiscate it or give her a demerit. Her mother’s vicious reputation had long preceded Jin-ae’s arrival. Min Nari was a name to be feared. She was high up in government circles, with dark connections to the criminal underworld she was not averse to employing. Anyone who dared to cross Min Nari did so at their own peril. But Jin-ae had fought hard to escape her mother’s shadow; carving out her own notoriety since transferring to Hyosan High School.
Back in Alberta, Canada, her mother’s name had meant little in the end. Jin-ae still didn’t know what sins her mother had committed to precipitate their fall from grace. Afterwards, there had been the furtive meetings with lawyers, interspersed with accusations of bribery and promises of diplomatic immunity. Strings had been secretly pulled and palms discreetly greased. It had ultimately led to them having to return home to South Korea, resulting in her parents’ separation and then divorce. Her father had remained in Canada, Jin-ae having not heard from him since she’d started school, his uncharacteristic silence alarming. Nari had told Jin-ae there was to be no further contact between them; that her father had decreed it so. But Jin-ae suspected her mother was behind this, not that she would dare to voice such suspicions. She only knew her father was alive and well because she stalked his employer’s social media which mentioned him periodically.
The other students glanced up on reflex as she drew to a halt beside their table, only to freeze at seeing it was Jin-ae standing there. Words died on lips; forks stilled mid-air. They glanced automatically behind her, looking for Hyeon-ju, only to see empty space. Pouting, Jin-ae tilted her head to the side. Immediately, everyone was grabbing trays and bags, almost falling over themselves to leave. Once they had rushed away, not even looking back at her, Jin-ae then took her favorite seat by the window.
Pulling out her phone, Jin-ae accessed her favorite app to check her reflection. The ‘Mirror Mirror’ app came with zoom, light and a 360 degree view making it perfect for checking her make-up on the go. As Jin-ae twisted and turned her head, examining her perfect profile from all angles, a shadow fell across the table. Annoyed, Jin-ae looked up, only to see Lee Su-hyeok standing there, hair as usual neatly parted to the side. She resisted the knee-jerk urge to check if he was wearing socks, Su-hyeok well known for refusing to, resulting in much good-humored mockery. Once she’d secretly thought him super cute, but not now, his annoying personality long putting paid to that.
Jaw tightening, Jin-ae slowly put her phone away, deliberately drawing the action out. Su-hyeok was no friend of hers, having long since turned his back on their gang, preferring to hang out with losers instead. He usually avoided her, but sometimes their paths unwittingly crossed, leading to several nasty scenes. But this was the first time Su-hyeok had pointedly sought her out in public, setting Jin-ae on edge. Yet they had once been almost allies.
After first transferring, Jin-ae had closely studied the social dynamics of the dining hall, analysing who was who and how they could serve to her advantage. It was the foundation of her plan to survive high school. Her distinctive appearance, thanks to her mixed heritage, never let her blend into the background, catching everyone’s eye. It could always go either way, a blessing or backfire. Back in Alberta, it had mostly been the latter; the predicable racist remarks merely the tip of the iceberg. Jin-ae had swiftly deduced if she were to survive the next few years in Hyosan, she couldn’t just look ‘right’, she needed to also surround herself with the right people.
Soon Jin-ae had singled out Kim Hyeon-ju, who was vapid and rebellious, possessing a terrible temper. But she had inside access to the gang of hot guys all their classmates swooned over, including Su-hyeok. The gang had a bad reputation but Jin-ae hadn’t cared, only seeing that nobody messed with them. It was something she wanted to secure for herself. From there, she planned to begin her ascent to power, by building her platform upon the foundation of their popularity. There Jin-ae would launch her own trajectory to the top. Association was everything after all.
The gang seemed to tolerate Hyeon-ju trailing after them, but didn’t show any particular affection for her. But even as a mere hanger on, she would serve as Jin-ae’s in. Hyeon-ju often skipped class, and she had soon invited Jin-ae to hang out with her and the guys under the bleachers. Jin-ae had rocked up in a carefully chosen outfit and perfect hair, making sure she outshone Hyeon-ju, immediately catching Son Myeong-hwan’s attention, who was the ring-leader of the gang. She had played it cool during his pursuit, before agreeing to go out on a date with him. But it had secretly been Su-hyeok who had initially caught her eye until he’d started acting out, opposing Myeong-hwan and the others. Jin-ae had then called for his expulsion from the gang, resulting in Su-hyeok's subsequent defection on his own terms.
But even after being secretly exclusive for the past six months, Jin-ae still kept Myeong-hwan at arm’s length. Her main ploy was to present herself as high value. Everyone in the school either wanted her or wanted to be her, with Jin-ae’s association with the gang engendering fear as well as awe. Her family’s powerful status only served to cement her success. Yet for Myeong-hwan, the appeal of secretly dating Min Nari’s daughter was beginning to pall. He didn’t like how Jin-ae was changing the dynamics of not just their relationship, but also that of the gang’s. He had always called the shots, but now Jin-ae was attempting to instead. Myeong-hwan would issue orders which Jin-ae would often challenge. A fierce fight would then ensue. Even as they always made up afterwards, the relationship was now on the ropes regardless. As ever, Jin-ae was still refusing to put out despite Myeong-hwan’s demands. But Jin-ae knew something had to give on certain sexual fronts if she was to hold Myeong-hwan’s interest for much longer.
“What do you want, Bare-su?” Jin-ae then said coolly, folding her arms across her chest, wondering if this was about the escalating Lee Jin-su situation. Myeong-hwan was on extreme edge over it, ordering the gang to keep a low profile until the situation could be turned in their favor.
The thought made Jin-ae shift uncomfortably in her seat. She had not seen Jin-su since luring him to the rooftop and now he was missing. Rumours were rife he had run away from home. It wouldn’t be unlike Su-hyeok to stick his nose in, caring about losers like Jin-su. He now hung around with Lee Cheong-san, or ‘Chickenboy’ as she called him, whose family owned a fried chicken restaurant, and also Han Gyeong-su who was on welfare. Jin-ae had always thought Su-hyeok a fool for throwing away his social position, and now was no different.
But to her surprise, it wasn’t about Jin-su. “Is it true you put bleach in Chul’s drink at Im Iseul’s birthday party?” Su-hyeok demanded, not troubling to keep his voice down, his words carrying.
Jin-ae tilted her head again, aware everyone up to three tables away was now listening. She knew exactly what he was talking about, even as he exactly didn’t, Su-hyeok only hearing the story secondhand. Since moving to Hyosan, her social life had been reduced to skipping class and sneaking out, her mother coming down heavy on her. Not out of concern, but control. Even when Nari was away, she always called home regularly to keep Jin-ae in line. So upon being invited to Im Iseul’s birthday party, Jin-ae had, as usual, lied to Nari and said she was going to study at Iseul’s house for the upcoming exams. In the end, it hadn’t even been worth the effort on her part, Iseul making an exhibition of herself over the guys. But Cho Chul had also been there, an acquaintance of Myeong-hwan’s whose only distinguishing trait was his soccer prowess.
At the birthday party, Jin-ae had sought shelter amongst some potted plants in the hallway, sneaking a crafty smoke, when she’d heard Chul boasting to his friends he was going to score with Kang Yun-hee. Jin-ae didn’t like Yun-hee who came from a wealthy family, and made sure everyone knew it. She was a leading alto in the school choir and a confirmed pick-me who liked to virtue signal. She was close to Iseul, but at the party, it had quickly became clear Yun-hee was looking to level up her social status, attaching herself to Hyeon-ju instead and acting like they were besties. Jin-ae and Hyeon-ju had passed the time dramatically rolling their eyes at one another in front of Yun-hee, who kept fake laughing in a high falsetto, trying to act like she was in on the joke. Now Chul was behaving like he was suddenly into Yun-hee, confusing Jin-ae, who knew his tastes ran on riskier lines.
However, as Jin-ae had stood there, Chul had revealed he had put something in Yun-hee’s drink, making all the guys laugh. They’d then dispersed, Chul slipping off into the kitchen, where Jin-ae had followed him. What happened later, nobody knew, except Chul had ended up in hospital getting his stomach pumped. Yun-hee had gone home, unaware of what she had avoided, only complaining on social media she was ill. But somehow word had spread Jin-ae had slipped some bleach into Chul’s soju and nobody knew why. Even Myeong-hwan had confronted her over it, but Jin-ae had just shrugged, leaving the issue at an impasse. She knew Myeong-hwan was already freaking out big-time over the Jin-su situation. But now to his fury, Jin-ae had supposedly gone and fucked up Chul, drawing unwanted attention to the gang again. Not that Jin-ae cared, figuring Chul deserved far worse.
Su-hyeok just stood there, waiting for an answer Jin-ae wasn’t ever going to give. Suppressing a fake yawn, she picked up her phone again, pouting at her reflection. Making a mental note to have a little word in Chul’s ear, Jin-ae admired her outfit. That morning she had picked out an emerald green sweater to wear over her white school shirt, matching her cropped neck tie. Under her shortened grey plaid skirt, she’d donned neon green sweats with white glow in the dark stripes down the sides. Her long black wavy hair was pulled into a high ponytail, accessorized with a green silk bow tilted to the side. She liked how she appeared innocent but edgy, certain the whole school would be copying her within a week.
“Why did you do it, Jin-ae?” Su-hyeok suddenly hissed, leaning over the table, startling Jin-ae. “Chul is one of yours. So why?”
Jin-ae stared at him coldly, hiding her disquiet. Myeong-hwan had pretty much accused her of the same thing, not understanding her angle. Chul wasn’t quite one of ‘them’, but he came from a family of good social standing and was a well respected athlete. This made him tolerable to Myeong-hwan and the others, and he was thus allowed entrance to the outskirts of their social circle. But Myeong-hwan, Chul and the rest were always crossing lines, sometimes too close to the bone. Jin-ae had been careful to hide her distaste so far, and she had no intentions of slipping up now, especially in front of Su-hyeok. She always delivered her own quiet retribution, without ever revealing the real reason why. If she came under suspicion, so be it. She could not afford to look soft or weak. It wasn’t something she often indulged in, but when she did, she did.
“Soo-ah,” Jin-ae suddenly called over, craning her neck past Su-hyeok, “have you seen Hyeon-ju today?”
Jung Soo-ah stopped, tray held rigidly out before her, shoulders hunched. She eyed Jin-ae with some alarm, the other girl usually ignoring her, much to Soo-ah’s relief. Soo-ah was unusually tall and the only girl on the basketball team, the bright red streaks in her hair at odds with the way she always tried to fade into the background. Her family were rich but didn’t flaunt it, Soo-ah being raised to be humble. She was neither popular nor unpopular, which suited her just fine. But she was scared of Jin-ae and the gang regardless, having no desire to attract their attention or ire.
“Well, have you seen her!?” Jin-ae snapped, shooing Su-hyeok aside, making him roll his eyes.
When Jin-ae had asked Myeong-hwan earlier where Hyeon-ju was, he’d just impatiently brushed her off. The gang had met up last night to hang out and eat tteokbokki, the atmosphere tense. But Hyeon-ju had been a no show. At first, Jin-ae hadn’t thought anything of it, not even when Hyeon-ju hadn’t responded to any of her DMs or texts, since Hyeon-ju did go AWOL from time to time. Upon checking the rota, she’d seen Hyeon-ju had been assigned to clean the science lab yesterday, but nobody had seen her since.
Soo-ah swallowed hard, tightening her grip on the tray. She glanced at Su-hyeok for support, who she sometimes practised on the court with, but he just raised his eyebrows. “Ms. Park is looking for her,” she then burst out, before dashing off, leaving Jin-ae staring after her, mouth hanging open.
“Lee Jin-su is still missing,” Su-hyeok observed unnecessarily, making Jin-ae’s head snap round. “You really sure you didn’t have anything to do with that?”
“What is your problem, Su-hyeok!?” Jin-ae demanded, putting her phone down again. “I-haven’t-done-anything! Not to Jin-su or Chul or anyone! Neither has Myeong-hwan and the others so why can’t you just leave us alone!?”
Su-hyeok rolled his eyes, knowing she was bending the truth to the point of breaking it. Lee Jin-su had been bullied by the gang for a while now, long before Jin-ae had transferred to Hyosan. He was a quiet boy, awkward and sullen, making him difficult to deal with. Jin-ae’s arrival hadn’t altered anything, but it was soon clear Jin-su had become sweet on her, enraging Myeong-hwan even further. But the situation had recently spiralled because Mr. Lee, Jin-su’s father, had submitted a complaint to the school committee after Jin-su had attempted suicide, naming Myeong-hwan as the main perpetrator of his suffering. The police had become involved, with two other students, Kim Cheol-soo and Min Eun-ji, making witness statements testifying Myeong-hwan had bullied Jin-su, before suddenly retracting them, resulting in the police closing the case.
Consequently, Myeong-hwan had been baying for Jin-su’s blood over grassing on him. There had then been a vicious fight between them upon a building rooftop downtown, resulting in Jin-su ending up in hospital. What Su-hyeok didn’t know was Myeong-hwan had pressurised Jin-ae into luring Jin-su to the rooftop, playing on his feelings for her. It had been easy for Jin-ae to act as if she was second-guessing her relationship with Myeong-hwan, the fact she was a relative newcomer working to her advantage, making Jin-su lower his guard. But upon meeting him there, Jin-ae had suddenly bailed, complaining about the rain ruining her hair, leaving Jin-su to face his fate.
But Jin-su had suddenly disappeared from the hospital, vanishing into thin air. The police had quickly taken the whole gang except Jin-ae into questioning after witnesses had reported seeing them in the vicinity. The police had then unexpectedly discharged the gang, announcing Jin-su had likely run away from home. But whispers of bribery had soon been bruited about, with rumors spreading about the police being paid off. Jin-ae had been the only one to emerge unscathed from the whole thing, much to Myeong-hwan’s anger. Now he was demanding everyone keep a low profile, but Jin-ae was once again opposing him.
“Well?” Su-hyeok prompted. “Aren’t you going to say anything, Maple-Jin?”
Shaking her head, Jin-ae got up, making to leave. He had not called her Maple-Jin in a long time and the intimacy of such an epithet jarred now. But Su-hyeok suddenly grabbed her arm, halting her. Shocked, Jin-ae glanced up at him, realising too late how close he was. “Take your hand off me,” she said from between gritted teeth, trying in vain to break free from his grip, “or you’ll regret it.”
Su-hyeok lowered his mouth to her ear, his breath warm on the nape of her neck. “Go to the construction site,” he then said quietly, digging his fingers into her flesh. “Your beloved boyfriend is there with Gwi-nam and his fellow goons, forcing Cheol-soo to film Eun-ji with her shirt off so he can then blackmail them for money or he’ll show it to Eun-ji’s mother. So do something right for once or you’ll regret it.”