The sky was dark, a faint drizzle falling over the city as Daki vanished into the shadows.
Meanwhile, Woo Joon was rushing his footsteps echoing in the long corridor of the school. His heart was pounding, his breath uneven. He had received a call that his sister was in trouble.
He didn't even stop to catch his breath when he pushed open the principal's office door.
There she was.
In Hae.
Sitting in a chair with a bruised face, her lip split, and her uniform torn at the shoulder. Her fists were red from the fight.
"In Hae!" Woo Joon rushed to her side, kneeling in front of her.
She looked up at him, trying to act strong, but her eyes were watery.
Around the room stood three other girl clearly shaken and beaten up as well. Their faces were bruised, hair messy, and clothes disheveled.
Their parents had arrived already. They hovered in the room, murmuring in judgmental voices.
"I can't believe this…" one mother scoffed, pointing at In Hae.
"There's still bullying in this school? Look what she did to my daughter!"
Another joined in.
"This is unacceptable. If that girl had proper parents to scold her, she wouldn't act like a stray dog."
Woo Joon looked up sharply, his face growing cold.
But before he could say anything, In Hae stood.
Her eyes burned with fury as she glared at the woman who insulted her.
Her fists clenched. Her whole body trembled, not from fear but from rage.
Not because she couldn't take what was said,But because they were right.
She had no one no mother or father to defend her, no one to explain her pain.
Just Woo Joon.
"In Hae."
His voice was gentle as he reached out and held her hand.
She looked down at him, her lip quivering.
"Tell me what happened."
In Hae slowly sat down again, tears filling her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
The room went silent.
Everyone waited.
But it wasn't the scolding they were expecting.
It was the beginning of truth.
"They were bullying my classmate," In Hae said firmly, her voice still raw from the earlier fight.
"I couldn't just watch it happen. She did nothing wrong. I had to step in… and then they hit me."
Woo Joon stood behind her protectively, his jaw clenched.
Across the room stood the three girls she had fought: Kim Ah, Park Gu Mi, and Seo In Ho.
They looked smug, defiant even, while their parents stood in front of them like shields.
"My daughter would never bully anyone!" Kim Ah's mother said in outrage.
"This girl—this… stray child—probably made it all up!"
"Exactly," in Ho mother added.
"No parents. No guidance. No wonder she's acting like this."
That did it.
Woo Joon's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"You all seem very confident. Let me ask—what price will you pay the court if you can't prove In Hae started the fight?"
The room fell into a hush.
"No evidence of bullying? Fine. But if you can't find evidence she started the fight, I recommend you go ahead and call your precious court."
His voice was calm, but the anger in his eyes made it clear—he wasn't someone to challenge lightly.
The parents looked uneasy.
The principal quickly intervened, motioning one of the mothers aside. He whispered something to her, eyes darting toward Woo Joon.
Her expression changed almost instantly. Panic. Recognition. Fear.
She whispered to the other two mothers, and their confidence collapsed.
Meanwhile, the three girls—Kim Ah, Gu Mi, and In Ho—sat with smug smiles, believing In Hae's expulsion was just moments away.
But fate turned quickly.
Their mothers suddenly bowed their heads and began scolding them loudly.
"I'm sorry—my daughter has a mental condition," Kim Ah's mother lied.
"That's probably why she's been acting this way."
"Mine's been struggling with her grades," Park Gu Mi's mother added quickly.
"She's been unstable for weeks. I'm sure that caused her to snap."
"Her cat died yesterday!" Seo In Ho's mother chimed in desperately.
"Mom! I don't even have a cat—" In Ho started, but SMACK! Her mother slapped her arm and whispered,
"Shut up and play along!"
The principal gave a strained smile and turned to Woo Joon.
"Mr. Woo… I apologize for the misunderstanding."
Woo Joon didn't let it slide.
"I don't need your apology."
He turned to the mothers.
"Apologize to my sister. You insulted her for not having parents. Now look your children in the eye and apologize like adults."
Shamed and pale, the mothers bowed and apologized.
With the confrontation over, Woo Joon stepped out of the office with the principal to talk further.
That left In Hae alone… with the three girls.
A tense silence hung in the air.
Then Gu Mi scoffed, leaning forward.
"You must've bribed the principal, you worthless bitch."
In Hae just smirked.
"Gu Mi… guess who I saw last night?"
She rested her cheek on her palm, tapping her fingers on the desk with a devilish grin.
Gu Mi's face went pale.
Her mother, watching, suddenly frowned, sensing something had shifted.
In Hae tilted her head, eyes narrowed like a cat about to pounce.
"Kim Hye Ji," she whispered.
Gu Mi froze.
Even Kim Ah and In Ho turned toward her with raised eyebrows.
Whatever secret In Hae had just hinted at—it was about to flip her world upside down.