Chapter 58 – Rule 22. The Leader Stays Composed (6)

 

Last year, on the day of the induction ceremony for new disciplinary committee members.

That’s when I first met Baek Seo.

There were so many new members that the welcome ceremony was divided into groups.

Naturally, even among the freshmen, Baek Seo received an extraordinary amount of attention.

Many seniors praised her, saying, "You are the future of our disciplinary committee," and showered her with all sorts of compliments.

Her peers admired Baek Seo's abilities, calling her a genius, and were eager to win her favor.

The quiet competition among the male students, who felt romantic emotions towards Baek Seo and approached her, was quite interesting.

With a gentle smile, Baek Seo kindly accepted each approach. Many male students were delighted just by the fact that she didn’t shy away from them, as burning youth often does.

However, there was one fact that Baek Seo couldn't hide from me.

"They're all being avoided."

Baek Seo was displaying her high-level boundary-drawing skills.

Thanks to my past social experiences and the character traits I saw in her from the game, it was easy to understand.

I wasn't particularly interested.

I wasn't in a hurry to fill the emptiness in my heart after Kim Dalbi left.

Moreover, the characters I could call my favorite in the game were only the heroines attending Saeing High School, the female leads of the protagonist, Lee Taeseong.

In the game, the impression I had of Baek Seo was just of a "pretty female character."

Of course, it was important to gather information about Baek Seo, who would become the vice president, but that was a secondary task.

What was more important was to score points with the seniors from the start. I had to become the next president of the disciplinary committee.

There was no better opportunity than the induction ceremony for new members.

So I lost interest in Baek Seo and was busy trying to win the favor of the senior members by showing a disciplined attitude.

The seniors enjoyed my strict demeanor and seriousness, and they nodded with satisfaction every time they heard my ambition to become the president.

Of course, every senior subtly hinted that Baek Seo would become the next president, showing their concern.

I didn't care.

Baek Seo wouldn't become the president.

The welcome ceremony continued late into the night.

When I went out for some fresh air.

On my way to the convenience store, a female student approached me.

"Hey, where are you going?"

It was Baek Seo.

"?"

Why is she talking to me outside?

A girl I hadn’t even greeted before.

The character Baek Seo I knew didn’t have a particularly good personality.

A hypocritical smile, secretly looking down on others.

That’s how she was depicted in the game.

In a way, it was a personality I didn’t like. An uncharacteristic adult-like sullenness for her age.

Of course, later on, my opinion changed, and I recognized that there was no one as kind as Baek Seo.

But at that time, it was so.

That’s why it was strange that Baek Seo, who was unfamiliar to me, talked to me.

"I’m going to the convenience store."

"Me too. Shall we go together?"

"Hmm? I don’t mind."

I really didn’t mind.

She wouldn’t have any malicious intent.

At the nearby convenience store, I looked for banana milk.

"1+1 event. The event period is until today."

One would satisfy my need, but it felt like a loss to buy just one, so I chose two.

My thrifty saving spirit, Ahn Woojin, played a part in that.

Baek Seo chose chocolate, and we each paid for our own.

On the way back to the party venue.

"Will you drink both of those?"

"I picked two because of the one-plus-one event. Want one?"

I actually only wanted to drink one.

I didn’t mind giving the other one.

"No. It's okay…."

Baek Seo glanced at the party venue and then changed her mind.

"Actually, could I have one?"

I handed her one banana milk and a straw, and she inserted the straw into the milk.

Sluuuurp. She took a sip and started talking.

"I overheard earlier. Did you say you’re going to become the president…?"

It was a cautious question.

That’s when I realized why Baek Seo had followed me.

‘Did she follow me to ask about this?’

She must have been a little curious after hearing my ambition.

Which made sense because everyone in the disciplinary committee had already decided that Baek Seo would be the next president.

Baek Seo couldn’t have been unaware of that atmosphere.

Even if I were someone else, I would have thought, ‘Is Ahn Woojin an idiot?’

‘Well, other students also couldn’t say they wanted to be the president.’

Other students aiming to become the next president were also not revealing their ambitions because of Baek Seo’s presence.

Even the one who became the president in the original story was keeping quiet.

It’s natural for people to shrink back in the face of a high-level competitor.

So, even if I were Baek Seo, I would have been curious.

How clueless and foolish must one be to declare, "I will be the president of the disciplinary committee!" with a genius like Baek Seo as the competition.

"That's right."

I answered nonchalantly.

Anyway, you’re not going to be the president.

You’ll reveal that intention later when the candidates are selected.

So, there was no reason for me to worry about Baek Seo.

"I will be the president. Sorry if you were planning to be."

"You're quite confident."

Was she testing me?

Or mocking me?

"I’ll pay you back for the milk later."

Baek Seo said, lightly shaking the banana milk.

"No need. It’s not a favor that would create a sense of debt."

"Is that so?"

She threw the empty banana milk container into a nearby trash can.

There was Park Minhyuk crammed into the leaf collection trash can next to it, but I ignored him, thinking he was a madman.

"Take care."

I entered the party venue first.

Baek Seo was receiving the affection of many male students, and many members were gathered at the venue at that time.

To become the next president, it was crucial not to earn their disfavor, so I wanted to distance myself from Baek Seo for the time being.

For some reason, Baek Seo quietly watched my retreating figure.

After returning to the party venue, I occasionally glanced out the window. For some reason, Baek Seo stayed outside the building instead of entering the venue.

For a while, she leaned against the outer wall of the building, drinking banana milk and spending time, probably on her smartphone.

‘…Seems boring.’

It looked like the welcome ceremony was boring to her.

I must have been part of that ‘boring’ category too.

Then I understood why she took the banana milk from me. She probably wanted something to drink while spending time outside.

Ignoring Baek Seo, I focused on the welcome ceremony.

Eventually, Baek Seo returned to the venue, greeted the seniors, and then left.

"What's on your mind?"

Baek Seo's subtle voice cut off my flashback.

It was after spending time at the pool and taking a shower. The banana milk in my hand reminded me of last year.

"I just suddenly remembered last year's welcome ceremony."

Poke. I inserted a straw into the banana milk and drank it. It was sweet.

"President, you gave me banana milk back then, right?"

"Yes. At that time, Park Minhyuk was also stuck in the trash can."

"Was he? I don’t remember that."

It should have been quite noticeable.

It was a pretty impressive scene.

…Well, maybe not.

That’s right. It was the welcome ceremony that seemed boring to Baek Seo back then. She probably wasn’t interested in the antics of the students.

Come to think of it.

"…Suddenly, I’m curious."

"Hmm?"

I realized I could ask now.

"How did I seem to you back then? When I was going around declaring I would be president."

While sipping banana milk, Baek Seo paused and then answered after some thought.

"Honestly, I don’t think I had a very good impression."

As expected, it wasn’t a good impression.

"But I think I was a bit interested. To see if it was just an empty desire."

"Really…."

So, at least you were curious.

"In hindsight, I think it was fortunate."

"What?"

"I had a reason to talk to you, the president."

"…Was it?"

Baek Seo smiled softly.

"Let's go have dinner."

It was getting close to sunset.

Park Minhyuk was walking along the mountain road, following the guardrail.

─ Report, secretary. Did the president and vice president engage in any affectionate behavior? "Strategic retreat." ─ What? Why!? "Handling the president and vice president is tough enough. How can I monitor them with the Myunghyeon High School president too?" Minhyuk replied to Ha Yesong, who was role-playing on the other end of the smartphone.

─ Were you always this weak? Show your full stealth skills that you developed being stuck in trash cans! "That sounds a bit offensive… Anyway, I’m not confident. What if I get caught and something bad happens?"

Ahn Woojin, Oh Baek Seo.

And the president and vice president of Myunghyeon High School.

It was practically impossible to monitor them closely and secretly.

Unless some special method was used.

─ Well…. Can’t be helped.

Yesong agreed and changed the plan.

─ We’ll go with Plan B!

The people who came to the campsite were preparing dinner at the outdoor tables.

The food was provided by the campsite. We just had to bring ourselves to the table.

‘Though there’s no romanticism of grilling barbecue ourselves. This is good for just the two of us.’

Barbecue is romanticized, but the process of grilling meat is hot and tiring.

In the current situation, it was better to enjoy delicious meat comfortably.

‘Those guys….’

The president and vice president of Myunghyeon High School seemed to be eating meat amicably.

The president, Lee Jaehho, and I made eye contact. We narrowed our eyes and stared at each other for a while, then turned our gazes away.

‘Pretending not to know each other is for the best.’

Nothing happened. It was best for us to pass it off like that today. We silently agreed.

I had dinner with Baek Seo, taking pictures of each other. Then I turned my head towards the direction where Park Minhyuk was before.

‘He’s been gone for a while.’

I didn’t know where he went.

‘What on earth are they doing…?’

Ha Yesong was eyeing unlimited meat. I didn’t know what her plan was, but I didn’t want to skip a meal….

"Hmm?"

Towards the direction of another log cabin.

I briefly saw a familiar face through the window.

The face of a female student with cheeks puffed up like a hamster, stuffed with something.

When she noticed my head turning, she made an ‘Oh no’ expression and quickly ducked.

‘Why are you there…?’

It was obviously Ha Yesong.