"Welcome to Haneul Hospital!" the nurse at the front desk exclaimed as she saw a familiar figure walking in through the glass doors.
"Hi! Is a pediatrician available right now?" Valentin asked.
Seeing the unusual pale skin of the little girl, the nurse understood that the child was sick.
"I'll check right away, young master," the nurse responded.
All the passing patients and workers looked in their direction. There was an extremely handsome man dressed elegantly, making their hearts skip a beat. As their gaze turned towards the older man, their backs shivered. The middle-aged man's long, mingled hair and dirty clothing made it look like he came from the slums.
After a few minutes, a pediatrician came to see them. The doctor said that she had leukemia and had to be admitted to the hospital. The little girl who only seemed to be 5 years old lay on her hospital bed and gazed curiously at her father. It seemed like she didn't even know that she was sick.
Valentin took out a credit card and handed it to Cassian.
"As promised, I will take care of your daughter's hospital fees. Here's your advanced salary for the month. You can start to work in two days."
"Thank you, young master. I won't disappoint you." Cassian bowed.
The next day, Seojin walked to school as usual. Since Baekho High School was situated in the rich neighbourhood where the judge lived, it was much easier to get to school. Since he had good grades, he was admitted with a full scholarship.
The high school was famous for housing kids from a rich background. He was one of the few poor students, and the difference in social status would sometimes lead to bullying.
After a long morning of classes, it was finally lunch break. As usual, he would eat with his friend Ji-a, who was his childhood friend. They ate calmly at the cafeteria's table when suddenly a boy with his gang sat loudly beside them.
"How are you doing, Seojin? Does the cafeteria food taste good?" the bully asked while laughing. They mocked the boy for always buying cheap food because he didn't have money.
"Quit it, Dohyun. Stop bothering us," Ji-a said while rolling her eyes. It wasn't the first time the bully harassed Seojin.
Seojin ignored them and continued eating. Dohyun's face twitched in anger. How dare he ignore him? He stole Seojin's metal plate and threw it on the ground. The food splattered on the ground.
"You don't even have a mom and dad anymore! How dare you look down on me!" the bully yelled." "They must've been losers just like you! Maybe it's a good thing that they are dead," he laughed.
Seojin clenched his fist and punched the kid in the face. His face was reddened in anger. How dare he talk like that! He had been bullied before, but it only got worse after his parents died. He climbed on top of the bully and continued throwing punches. His small body dominated the bully. His pale blue eyes were dangerously cold as if he wasn't looking at something alive but trash.
He only stopped when Dohyun was covered in bruises and beaten up into a pulp. The blood on his hands covered the bruises on his knuckles. The bully breathed heavily on the ground, unable to counterattack. Before, Seojin would always ignore him and remain calm and silent. Everyone who bullied him thought that he was an easy target. He wouldn't have messed with him if he knew Seojin was such a brutal fighter.
Ji-a didn't even stop her friend, enjoying the show.
"Seojin, what are you doing?" a teacher yelled as he made his way through the crowd.
The other kids couldn't believe what they saw. Seojin was always top 1 in their year. He was always immersed in his studies that he would ignore the people who badmouthed him. They would never imagine him beating someone up.
Seeing all the blood on Dohyun's face and clothes, the teacher panicked and called an ambulance. After the bully was safely brought to the hospital, the teacher sighed and told Seojin to call his guardian. The teacher knew that Dohyun's parents wouldn't let this accident pass by. Seojin was most likely going to be expelled from the school to appease the bully's parents.
'Such a good student,' the teacher thought. It would be a shame if he were to be expelled.
After coming back to his senses, Seojin finally realized the gravity of the situation. However, he didn't regret what he did. He had tolerated the bully for too long. It was time he showed that he wasn't an easy target. It's a shame that he would leave such a prestigious school. He hoped that his parents wouldn't be ashamed of what he did.
Seojin wiped his bloody hands and called the judge. He had no other choices. The judge took care of him after he lost his parents. He was grateful for it, but it didn't mean that he trusted him. The judge might think that it's just some child's play between students and let him deal with it on his own. Would he be like the other adults?
Valentin was at home cooking a meal when he received the unexpected call. After hearing the situation, he quickly dressed up in his black suit and drove to school. As he walked in the school's hallway, Valentin could hear the loud arguments coming from the principal's office.
"You have to expel him immediately! Can't you see what he did to my son's face?" Dohyun's mom yelled, pointing her finger at Seojin, who sat in a chair.
"Please, calm down. I understand how you feel. We will discuss Seojin's punishment when his guardian arrives," the principal said.
Valentin opened the door under the principal's questioning gaze.
"Mr. Judge, what brings you here?" the principal asked.
Dohyun's parents turned around and scrutinized the young man. He was the one everyone in the high society talked about these days. It would be beneficial for them if they took this chance to become acquainted with him.
"I'm Seojin's guardian," Valentin replied.
Seojin stared at him, not expecting him to come. All the adults in the room were shocked by the judge's statement. How did a kid get a judge as his guardian?
"We won't accept any kind of punishment. I believe that Dohyun bullied Seojin for a long time. I wouldn't mind sending him to juvenile detention," Valentin threatened.
"What are you saying! He must be expelled! My poor baby is still in the hospital," Dohyun's mom roared.
Dohyun's dad restrained his wife. It would be a bad idea to go against Valentin's words. After all, his status was higher than theirs. Valentin's mom was the director of Haneul Hospital, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country, and his dad was a ruthless business tycoon.
Dohyun's dad accepted Valentin's condition and hurriedly dragged his raging wife outside. Valentin sat on the chair and crossed his legs.
"Mr. Principal, if you can't do your job properly, I can always assign someone else to take your place," Valentin said as his lips widened into a cold smile.
"What are you saying, Mr. Vronsky?" the principal said nervously.
"Don't play dumb with me. You knew the other kids were bullying Seojin, but you chose to ignore it. What do you have to say about that?"
The principal stayed silent as cold beads of sweat glided down his back. Even if he did punish the kids who bullied other students, their high-status parents wouldn't let him do it. He was scared to be stripped out of his chair as the principal.
"How about this? If I donate a large amount to the school, would you consider being a good principal? The other families wouldn't dare not listen to the school's rules with me behind your back," Valentin suggested.
"How much are you willing to donate?" the principal asked hesitantly.
"Ten billion," Valentin snickered.