Chapter 16: What They Deserve
471 Words
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By the end of the week, So-hee was suspended.
It wasn’t permanent. The school called it “a cooling period,” pending a full ethics review.
But it was enough.
Enough to make every whisper that had once followed Eun-ha now trail after So-hee.
Enough to remind the entire university that no one — not even the queen of St. Lysander — was untouchable anymore.
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Eun-ha didn’t feel victorious.
She felt tired.
She sat on the library steps, wrapped in her scarf, watching students go by like waves she wasn’t ready to wade into.
Jae-won arrived late, two coffees in hand.
“Black, no sugar. Because you’re dramatic,” he said, handing her the cup.
She smirked. “Thanks. I was running low on angst.”
They drank in silence.
Finally, she said, “You think this is over?”
“No,” he replied. “But it’s paused. That’s something.”
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Later, in the administration building, Madam Seo sat alone in a private meeting with the dean.
She looked regal, as always, but softer than usual.
“This scandal could’ve been worse,” the dean said carefully. “The board will recover. So will the boy.”
“And the girl?” Madam Seo asked.
The dean blinked. “Pardon?”
“Eun-ha. Will she recover too?”
“She was cleared. Her records are intact.”
“I asked about her soul, not her file.”
The dean had no response.
Madam Seo stood.
“Make sure she’s protected from now on. Quietly. If anyone tries to hurt her again—” her voice turned cold— “I won’t be.”
And she walked out, heels sharp against the polished floor.
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Meanwhile, Jae-won’s father had gone silent.
No press releases. No retaliation. No contact.
But silence didn’t mean surrender.
It meant planning.
It meant control.
And somewhere behind his glass desk, Chairman Seo was rewriting the rules — one clause at a time.
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At night, Eun-ha lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling.
“I don’t know how to go back to normal,” she whispered.
Ji-hye rolled over. “You’re not supposed to.”
Eun-ha turned. “What do you mean?”
Ji-hye smiled faintly in the dark. “You broke the rules. You changed the game. There’s no ‘normal’ after that. Just... next.”
Eun-ha didn’t answer.
But she knew Ji-hye was right.
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The next morning, a letter arrived at Eun-ha’s door.
Hand-delivered. No return name.
Inside: an invitation.
> To Miss Han Eun-ha,
The Dalen Foundation would like to formally invite you to the annual autumn charity gala, hosted by Madam Seo. Attire: formal. Presence: required.
At the bottom, in perfect ink:
You earned this. Now walk like it.
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End of Chapter 16
[To Be Continued...]
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