IYBML 08

Chapter 08

The 10 Conditions for Becoming the Male Lead (2)

Although the class bell had rung, three students were still in the teachers’ office. The Class 8 president, Yerim, and Eunho sat in chairs, each holding a drink given to them by the discipline teacher.

Across from them were the parents, looking flustered as they kept glancing at Yerim.

After Yerim mentioned calling the police, the atmosphere in the teachers’ office had instantly turned icy.

At first, they thought she was only trying to intimidate them.

But unexpectedly, Yerim was the type to take action.

She had immediately picked up her phone and reported the incident to the police, and before long, she had called a lawyer as well.

“Lawyer? Give me a break.”

One of the parents scoffed at Yerim and Eunho.

It would soon become one of the moments they would regret.

Less than thirty minutes later, a neatly dressed lawyer appeared in the teachers’ office.

After adjusting his glasses, the lawyer handed out his business cards, and the parents began to tremble.

“Hello. I’m the lawyer representing Moon Yerim and Bae Eunho. Shall we have a conversation?”

“Ah, we never intended to make such a big deal out of this….”

The parents weren’t the only ones startled by the sudden turn of events.

Eunho was also bewildered as he looked at Yerim sitting beside him.

Yerim confidently crossed her arms and watched the parents speaking with the lawyer.

‘E-Eunho. The discipline teacher wants you to come to the teachers’ office.’

When Eunho was first summoned to the teachers’ office, he was certain that he was being called in because of what had happened yesterday.

He figured he would get scolded and that would be the end of it.

But the moment he arrived, his cheek began to sting.

‘You’re the one who broke my kid’s nose! How dare some vulgar brat like you!’

One enraged parent had rushed toward Eunho.

Eunho looked around the teachers’ office.

Except for the discipline teacher, most of the teachers were either looking at him with pity or avoiding his gaze.

Yeah.

What could I possibly say in a place like this?

Eunho swallowed the blood pooling in his mouth and let out a hollow laugh.

He concluded that it would be faster to just take the beating and get it over with.

Of course, the parents crossed the line with some of their remarks from time to time, but Eunho had even started thinking that perhaps it would be better if a disciplinary committee were held, he were forcibly transferred, and he could leave for somewhere no one knew him.

At least, that was what he thought.

Until Yerim appeared.

Eunho, overwhelmed by complicated emotions, turned his head and looked at Yerim.

Yerim carefully took hold of his casted hand.

Without looking at Eunho, she quietly muttered while facing straight ahead.

“Don’t let them intimidate you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Yerim’s words made something ache inside Eunho’s chest.

But he cleared his throat, trying not to show it.

“So, just to make sure I understand… Bae Eunho was helping this student after he was being robbed by students from another school, and those students then swung a wooden club at Moon Yerim when she tried to stop them. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I checked the CCTV footage from the alley, so you can look at it right now. There’s also a record of the police report. The police officer coming over there was there at the time.”

“B-But if she was hit by a wooden club… her condition is far too fine! Our son’s nose was broken!”

“Our son’s jaw was dislocated!”

At the parents’ words, Yerim stood up.

Then she pulled Eunho to his feet as well.

Eunho, caught off guard, followed her and stood up, showing everyone his injured arm.

“Our kid’s arm is injured too, you know? This arm is exactly at the level of my head. You should be thanking him. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably really be at the police station right now, wouldn’t I? He saved our lives, and now you’re demanding compensation from him instead!”

“Um, Yerim, please calm down a little….”

“What? Compensation? How dare you talk like that to adults!”

“Adults should act like adults! You’re supposed to know better, yet you’re saying such awful things to a kid. What was it? ‘Vulgar’? ‘Pathetic’? Your sons are worse!”

“What?!”

“Ma’am, let’s just end this peacefully. You even struck a student. You’ve already expressed more than enough anger.”

“What? Struck him~? Struck him~? Hey, Bae Eunho!”

Yerim pushed past the discipline teacher who was trying to stop the parents and looked at Eunho.

Faced with the unexpectedly mature side of Yerim, Eunho swallowed and focused on her.

“Did they hit you?”

Normally, he would have said that it was none of her business.

But without realizing it, Eunho nodded.

Honestly, it would have been a lie to say he wasn’t hurt by what had happened.

The moment Yerim heard that Eunho had been hit, her expression changed completely.

Come to think of it, Eunho’s left cheek was slightly red.

“So you’re saying you hit him? This really won’t do.”

“What did you say?!”

“Enough! Talk to my lawyer about the details. File a complaint against each other if you want. I won’t show any mercy!”

After Yerim’s loud declaration, the situation was quickly brought under control.

In the end, the parents called their sons, who were still at the school, and made them apologize to Yerim, Eunho, and the Class 8 president.

Watching the boys’ trembling heads as they bowed, Yerim and Eunho struggled to hold back their laughter.

Then, as the parents were about to leave, Yerim extended her hand toward them.

She slowly shook her head.

“The parents need to apologize too.”

“Huh? Why should we?”

Looking at the parents, who were still shamelessly refusing to admit fault, Yerim smiled in disbelief.

Eunho whispered to Yerim that this was enough and that he wished she would stop.

But there was no way Yerim would agree.

Yerim remembered the time when she had been Young.

When she had said she was leaving after submitting her resignation letter, she remembered all the mouths and eyes that had whispered about her.

‘If she leaves like this, she’ll never be able to set foot in this industry again.’

‘Her life is over. What is she going to do if she doesn’t do this?’

‘She should just ruin her own life… Why ruin someone else’s life because of some misguided sense of justice?’

The hand holding Eunho’s began to tremble.

Eunho noticed and looked at Yerim’s face.

She looked as though she might cry, but Yerim raised her head proudly and spoke to the parents.

“What’s wrong with Eunho’s life? Does quitting after being an athlete mean his life is ruined? There are so many things you can do in this world. You judged him however you wanted and said all those horrible things about him. You need to apologize. That’s defamation.”

“…….”

“If you don’t apologize, I won’t show any mercy to these students either. Think carefully.”

“…All right, all right! I’m sorry, student.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And for hitting him!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?”

In the end, the incident concluded with the parents, who had come to the school ready to cause a scene, apologizing instead.

After all the parents had left, the discipline teacher let out a deep sigh in the now-quiet teachers’ office.

The other teachers who had been watching also finally released the breaths they had been holding.

“First of all, the class bell already rang, so let’s get back to your classrooms. Yerim, you did well.”

“Yes.”

“Eunho, you went through a lot too. Go on.”

At the discipline teacher’s words, Yerim, Eunho, and the Class 8 president left the teachers’ office.

The Class 8 president stared at Yerim with sparkling eyes, telling her how incredibly cool she had been.

Embarrassed, Yerim twitched the corners of her mouth.

“But what’s your name? You don’t have a name tag.”

“Ah, my name is Cheol.”

“Oh, Cheol? Let’s say hi whenever we see each other from now on.”

“Yeah. I should get going. Eunho, thank you so much for yesterday. And you too, Yerim.”

“Yeah.”

“Take care, Cheol.”

Yerim waved as Cheol walked away.

Eunho still couldn’t shake the lingering feeling from the parents’ apologies that he had heard by accident.

And naturally, his curiosity turned toward Yerim.

Just who was she?

How could she call a lawyer and have one show up immediately?

How could she be so confident?

Why did she get this angry on his behalf, as though it were her own problem?

Before Yerim could reach the stairs, she gently tapped Eunho on the back.

“You did well. You’re really upset, aren’t you? That’s how rumors are. Don’t pay attention to them.”

“…….”

“And Eunho, actually, this is a good thing. Because of what happened today, the students will get another chance to see you differently….”

“Why do you go this far for me?”

“…Huh?”

“You keep talking about me being the protagonist and all that. I don’t even understand what you’re talking about, but do you really think I can become something like that? I told you. I don’t have judo or anything anymore. If you’re only staying by my side because of some long-term investment….”

“Long-term investment was just a joke. But Eunho, you’re asking such a pointless question. Why do I go this far for you? Obviously!”

Because you’re my favorite!

Yerim swallowed the words she wanted to say and looked away.

Then she spoke to Eunho.

“Because you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Eunho blinked at Yerim’s words.

“No one has the right to insult you. You need to value yourself. If you don’t value yourself, other people will notice it immediately.”

“You need to have something worth valuing first. Right now, I’m just… a useless person who can’t do anything.”

“Hey, you’re making your fan sad.”

“Fan?”

“I told you. I’m your fan.”

“…….”