Finally, this whole drama would end for good, Mina thought as a slight smile tugged her lips. But the moment she stepped inside the principal's office, her smile faltered.
Her eyes darted around. Minjae was not there. Instead, seated before her were Principal Hong, the furious parents, and two unfamiliar women—both glaring at her with thinly veiled contempt.
The door opened again. Olivia and Sunny walked in, deliberately shoving her shoulders as they passed. Mina staggered but caught herself, watching the girls slip into seats beside the two women. Now she saw it clearly—the resemblance. They were their mothers.
"Come in," Principal Hong ordered firmly.
Mina obeyed, forcing herself into the chair facing them all. Their sharp gazes felt like arrows piercing her skin. The smugness on Olivia and Sunny's faces made her stomach churn. Just minutes ago she had felt confident—secure in the thought that Minjae would stand by her. But Minjae's absence shattered her resolve.
"Hey kid, where is your guardian?!" Mr. Kwon, the injured boy's father, barked. His wife was already seething, though he seemed to be holding her back.
Mina sat stiffly, saying nothing.
"Are you not going to answer?" Principal Hong pressed. "Where is your father?"
Still, silence.
"Do you think this is a joke?!" Mrs. Sung, Sunny's mother, snapped. "Are you deaf as well as dumb?!"
"You see, Mum?" Olivia said sweetly. "She's such a snob. She thinks she's above everyone else, just because she has a tiny connection to the Choi family."
At the mention of Choi, Mr. Kwon turned sharply. "Choi?"
"It's not that deep," Olivia explained quickly. "They don't even care about her. And besides, she's a Lee." Then she sneered at Mina. "Hey, why don't you call your father? Do you think you can handle our parents' rage alone?"
"Yes, you'd better call him right now," Mrs. Jane, Olivia's mother, chimed in. "So you both can share the consequences. Because right now, I'm one step away from storming at you myself."
Mina clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. Her teeth ground together as she met Mrs. Jane's eyes head-on.
"Then start storming already," she spat. "No one's stopping you."
Gasps rippled across the room. Even the eavesdropping students outside froze in disbelief at her audacity.
"What did you just say?" Mrs. Kwon rose slowly from her seat.
"You think I can't storm at you after what you did to my son?!" she screeched, hurling her handbag at Mina. It missed by inches, nearly clipping her head.
"So what? Should I cry for him?" Mina shot back. "Have you ever asked what they've done to me?"
"Ya! Lee Mina!" Principal Hong roared, slamming his palm onto the desk as he stood.
Tears pricked Mina's eyes under the weight of all their hateful stares, but she swallowed them back. Tears are for the weak, she remembered Minjae's words.
Without another word, she turned and stormed out.
The parents chased after her. Outside, the hallway was packed with students forming a circle, blocking her path.
"Move out of my way!" Mina pushed desperately, but no one budged.
"Mina, the conversation isn't over," one girl mocked, pressing a finger to Mina's forehead and shoving her backward. Mina staggered, nearly falling—until Olivia caught her with a smirk and shoved her into the circle's center.
Mrs. Sung strode up and seized Mina's wrist.
"Where do you think you're going, you little ingrate!" she snarled.
Mina wrenched her arm free. "Ajumma, what's your deal?"
The woman gasped. "Did you just call me ajumma?"
"What should I call you then—granny? What is your deal, huh? Why are you even here?!" Mina yelled, voice shaking with fury, just then Mrs Sung slapped her
The crack of the slap echoed through the hall. Mina's cheek burned as the crowd fell silent.
"For this," Mrs. Sung hissed. "For raising your filthy hand against my daughter! Do you know how much effort I put into giving her this perfect skin? And now look—rash on her cheek. What will you do about it? What will your poor family do about it?!" She shoved Mina back.
Mrs. Kwon stepped forward, grabbing Mina by the collar. "You think I didn't come prepared?" she sneered. Two police officers walked in behind her. "I brought the po-po you know " she smiled menacingly. "Just wait until your father tries to get you out. If he can. Making your life miserable will be my new purpose. Watch."
She shoved Mina back, releasing her collar.
This time, Mina couldn't hold it. The tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
"Leave me alone, all of you!" she screamed, crouching to the floor with her hands clamped over her ears. "Just stay away!"
The parents smirked. The students whispered gleefully. Except the principle who looked quite disturbed.
But then his eyes widened. He froze as he notice some figures walking towards them.
"Mi…Miss Choi Minjae," he stammered.
Every head turned.
There she was—Minjae, striding forward, sleeves folded neatly, her presence cutting through the tension like a blade.
The circle of students parted instantly. She stopped, her eyes falling on Mina—her niece, sobbing and broken in front of them all.
Minjae exhaled slowly, steadying the fury simmering beneath her calm. She walked toward her niece, ignoring every eye fixed on her.
"Mina," she said softly.
Mina lifted her tear-streaked face. "W…what took you…so long?"
"I'm sorry I'm late. I had something to do first," Minjae answered, her gaze scanning Mina's cheek. "They did this to you?"
Mina nodded. Minjae nodded too—once. Accepting. Deciding.
No one knew what was about to happen, but the stillness was suffocating.
Gently, Minjae handed Mina a handkerchief. "Wipe your tears." She placed her purse in Mina's other hand.
Then, without hesitation, she strode straight to Mrs. Kwon.
Before anyone could blink, Minjae's hand fisted in the woman's hair, yanking her head back violently. Gasps erupted.
Her grip tightened as Mrs. Kwon cried out in pain. Minjae seized her wrist—the very one that had grabbed Mina's collar—and twisted until the woman nearly screamed.
"You think hurting a helpless girl makes you powerful?" Minjae's voice was ice. "Then show me again. Show me the strength you used."
Mrs. Kwon tried to raise her other hand, but Minjae drove her knee into the woman's stomach with brutal precision. Without pause, she jerked the woman's hair again and slammed her to the ground.
The hall erupted in shocked murmurs.
The two officers started forward—but stopped dead when Jung Shin and three Choi bodyguards stepped into their path, blocking them.